The countdown to school has begun. Although none of us really want to think about it, the time has come to make your back to school checklist.

When we think of going back, it's really a mix of feelings. We are all oh so excited for the Volunteer football season (obviously). However, it's hard to imagine trading in the days soaking in the sun, or for us interns, shredding limitless amounts of paper, for impossibly heavy textbooks and unapproachably large amounts of course work. I think these are the ten most important things to remember when starting a new semester at UT. Use this list to help make sure you're ready to get back in the swing of things!

1. Are you registered for classes? Even though this can be a bit of a nightmare, make sure you check your MyUTK to see that you're still registered in all of the classes you need! Sometimes courses are dropped or added and this can have a big affect your schedule. Better to find out now rather than later.

2. Have you checked if your textbooks are updated? Textbooks are quite possibly everyones least favorite aspect of our collegiate experience. However, they are necessary for most courses. Check back frequently to see if they're updated because the sooner you see what you need, the sooner you can bargain shop for the best purchase or rental price. I rented everything this year and highly recommend it! Find your books!

3. Are you graduating this year? Apply for graduation now! If you're like me, you're one year away from the daunting walk across the graduation stage into your new future as an adult (ew). You probably don't want to think about what's going to happen after graduation, but it's definitely time to book your spot in the lineup! In under a minute, you can register on MyUTK. Face the music, it's time.

4. Get a parking pass... now! We all know the horror that is UT parking. For those of you living in Greek housing, did you know you will need a parking pass for sorority or fraternity parking and one for on campus parking should you choose to forego the bus system? It's time to make those decisions about which parking pass you need and go ahead and pay the (ridiculously high) price for it.

5. You should probably get some pens and maybe a notebook. No one wants to be empty handed on the first day of class when the teacher's talking a mile a minute and insisting that it will, in fact, be on the first exam. Take a trip to your favorite office supply store, or Target, and stock up.

6. Don't forget gameday clothes! August 31 will be here sooner than you think and you want to look your best. Go Vols!

7. Read a book. Personally, I love reading a good book over the summer. If it's not your favorite activity, try to pick up at least one book of any genre and read it between now and the end of the summer. Trust me, it will be a lot easier transitioning back into reading 40 pages a night in a boring textbook if you've warmed up your brain with a little reading for pleasure. 

8. Reconnect with your roommates. Remember those people you have to live with in a few weeks? How are they? How's their summer going? Ask them to go to lunch or, if they're super far away, schedule a Skype date. The last thing you want to mess up is your living situation. Be a good roommate and reach out! 

9. Can you even get into your email? Things have changed here at UT. We have a new email address (@vols.utk.edu) and a different way of accessing it. If you haven't figured out how to get into it or haven't updated your password for the millionth time this semester, get on it! You don't want to lose points for missing out on valuable information teachers hide in their emails.  

10. Prepare to actually go to class! You, or your parents, have invested a lot, financially, into this collegiate education. Make time to actually do the work and attend the lectures. You'll see an improvement in your grades and maybe even get a reference from your teacher!  

Best of luck!