Look, college is hard. There’s a lot of school work, a lot of social work, and a lot of other responsibilities to balance. In this article, I’m hoping to give you all some tips to make your semester a little easier, and who knows? Maybe you’ll even become an academic weapon.
Let’s start from the beginning of the semester. You go to your first classes, you get your syllabi, you maybe talk to a few people in your class or your professors a bit.
The most important thing right now is to chat with a few of your classmates in the minutes before or after class. Be friendly! Most people will be thankful for your willingness to talk to them during such an awkward time. Not only will you make new friends, but you’ll also have yourself some study buddies to work with and learn from.
Additionally, attend the first office hours session you can for all of your professors. Introduce yourself, let them know you’re interested in and ready to put effort into their class. A little extroversion can go a long way with professors, especially if you show them you have the confidence to approach them right away.
At this point, you’re also receiving your syllabi for your classes. Read them thoroughly, and put any and all important dates into your calendar. Midterms, finals, and anything major should be in there. This will help you keep track of what’s coming up and what you need to be reviewing throughout the semester. It will also help you plan your extracurriculars and adjust your studying as your priorities change over time.
Yay! The first week of class is over! But if you want to avoid grinding hard later, you’ll need to grind a little now. The first weekend (or two, if you need it), grind as much as possible for your classes. Do homework ahead of time, review info for projects later in the semester, anything you need to avoid locking yourself into the library and cramming twelve projects at once later. Grind now and you hopefully won’t have to again until finals period.
While you’re starting the grind, make sure that you’re not studying in your room! Your room should be for relaxation, and if your brain makes the connection between your room and your work, it’ll be harder to sleep and chill. Study in the library or somewhere designed for working. Every once in a while, change up your study space so your brain doesn’t get bored of always working in the same spot. Maybe reward yourself for your efforts in the evening when the night life starts up!
Now that the weekend is over, and you’re hopefully a little ahead of the game, try to limit your time studying; pick a time of day to stop working so you don’t burn out. For example, no working past 8 p.m. This rule applies the other way, though! Select specific times of day you will study without distractions. Utilize Do Not Disturb on your phone and get your work done during the day so you can relax at night and have time for socializing and your hobbies.
Attend office hours and TA/LA hours liberally. You don’t need to go to every single one, but go when you are confused. Don’t wait until you fall behind the rest of the class. Even if you don’t have questions, office hours and TA/LA hours can provide a focused environment to get your work in a specific subject done. Finally, convince yourself that you enjoy your studies and are good at them. Telling yourself that you love math and are a math person might seem silly, but it really does help to make you eventually believe it!
Most importantly, take care of yourself. Eat, sleep, and take time for yourself. You can do this! Good luck!