91制片厂

Welcome to or welcome back to 91制片厂! I hope you all had a good summer and you鈥檙e ready for another great year of studies and everything that the university has to offer 鈥� and that鈥檚 a lot! Being back at school, or, for you freshmen, if this is your first year, the first few weeks of classes are all about getting organized and getting into your new routine of classes and daily activities. These can get a bit jumbled if you don鈥檛 start organizing yourself and your schedule fast. Everyone has their own way to stay on track, but here are听a few tips and tricks to stay organized this academic year.

Classes

Print Your Schedule

Having a printout of your schedule is always helpful, even if you鈥檙e someone who has everything programmed on their phone. My tip is to print out at least one copy of your class schedule and either keep it at your desk, taped to your closet door听or on the door to your room. Put it somewhere where you will always see it. Plus, it is super helpful to听check it on your way to class as you鈥檙e opening your door or getting up from听your desk. Even at midsemester,听I鈥檓 always checking my schedule print out just to make sure I know exactly where I鈥檓 going. Especially on one of those hectic days where you think it鈥檚 Wednesday but it鈥檚 really Tuesday (yikes!).

Syllabus Cheat Sheet

It is still early, so most professors haven鈥檛 posted their syllabi yet on MyCourses. As soon as they do, you鈥檙e going to want to do two things: 1.听Print it (or download to your computer) and 2.听Make a cheat sheet. If you print out the syllabus before class, you know you鈥檒l have it with you, and you can go over it before class starts. Not every professor will hand out copies on the first day, so this can be a life saver. Once you have it printed (or saved/open in front of you on your screen) you can make your cheat sheet. Take the first few pages of your notebook and write in the main听topics by week or important dates for the class.

Pick a Planner

Remember back in middle school, at the beginning of every school year, the school would give you a planner? I miss those days鈥�But 91制片厂 does this, too! If you look around听the Student Senate Offices at the beginning of the school year, you鈥檒l be able to find some free planners for you to use to write down your assignments and important due dates for classes. If you can鈥檛 find one or you don鈥檛 like the free version, stop by the or one of the stores downtown and pick up a weekly planner! Even if you鈥檙e putting everything into your phone, writing down tasks and deadlines on paper can help you remember them. You don鈥檛 want to wake up Monday morning to realize that you haven鈥檛 done that bio lab report after听you swiped 鈥渋gnore鈥� on the notification on your phone.

Personal

Calendar Prep

Having some kind of calendar can also be very helpful,听not only for keeping academically organized,听but also with your personal life. I like having a听calendar on my desk so that I can see every day what my week and month look like. I even get a little crazy and try to color code everything 鈥� a color for each class, a color for personal events, a color for work, etc. Sitting down at the beginning of the month and filling in your calendar can also be really relaxing and give you a plan for the month ahead.

Set Aside Time

When it comes to being organized, it is important to set aside time in your schedule for personal time. When you鈥檙e jotting down your class schedule, homework time听and work shifts, make sure that you pencil in some time for yourself 鈥� whatever that may be.

To-Do Lists

To-do lists are my favorite. There, I said it. There is nothing more rewarding than crossing off another item on the list. And I highly recommend making either a daily or weekly to-do list 鈥� especially when you know you have exams coming up.

Living Space

Schedule Chores

Just because you are living at school now doesn鈥檛 mean that the chores go away. Put some cleaning time into your schedule (I always like Sunday afternoons for this). If you鈥檙e in an apartment or in the dorms, talk with your roommates and see what day or time works best for everyone to help clean. Divide up the chores, and at the start of every week your room will be spotless and ready for another busy week.

Organize

Making sure that your living space is organized is also a great way to keep the rest of your life organized while you鈥檙e at school. When you鈥檙e unpacking on move-in day, try to organize as you go. You鈥檒l be much happier on the first day of classes, that Monday, when you know where everything is.

鈥淔amily鈥� Time

Finally, make time for family.听Make sure that during the week you schedule some time to call home and let them know how you鈥檙e doing. Tell Mom and Dad about how you didn鈥檛 think that you were going to pass that French oral quiz and then totally nailed it! And family doesn鈥檛 even have to mean your real family. It can mean your friends, too! Set aside some time with them. Get weekly dinners together or hang听out on T-Hall lawn while it鈥檚 nice out. Head over to a weekend movie at the MUB or try a club together.

Good luck this year, Wildcats! Stay organized, and enjoy another great year in Wildcat country!

听