I would love to go back to high school syllabus week, where we spent time sharing fun facts about each other and watching movies. In college, though, things are different. By the second class, professors already expect you to be caught up with about 50 pages of reading. That “introductory” class quickly starts to feel more like an advanced course. Somehow, everyone else seems to understand what the professor is saying, leaving you feeling completely out of place. Unfortunately, the only thing that has helped me keep up with classes from the beginning is preparing for class beforehand. I know most of us hate to think about going back to school, however, implementing healthy habits before school starts has helped me succeed academically.
One of my biggest tips is actually something you can do during registration or during add-drop week. Please, please, please take full advantage of Rate My Professor and anex.us. Rate My Professor has helped me find professors who match my learning style and who I believe I have a better chance of succeeding academically with. Additionally, anex.us is a website that shows you the grade distribution of classes in Texas A&M and helps you compare students’ grades throughout the year with each professor. This has helped me have an estimate of how difficult the class might be with a certain professor or how students perform overall.
I know many of us are forced to take an early 8 am or 9 am class due to it being the only section available for a class required for your major. Sadly, I have fallen victim to this crime and was forced to adjust my sleeping schedule. I have learned that if you are not a morning person and you have an early class, the best thing to do before classes start is to try to fix your sleeping schedule so when it comes time to start the classes again, it is not as difficult to wake up. You will be forced to attend the class anyway, so it’s better to just try to work with it instead of fighting it.
One of my favorite things to do the day before the first day of classes is to read each professor’s syllabus and create an assignment tracker. I know it sounds dorky to be excited about such a small thing, but it helps me feel prepared and relaxes my nerves about starting classes. My assignment tracker has been a lifesaver on many occasions, reminding me what is due before the weekend. It has also helped me finish my assignments earlier since it helps me visualize all the stuff I must finish before I can have fun with my friends on the weekend. It becomes a game where I am incentivized to finish everything in time to have time for myself later in the week. Going back to the syllabus, I urge you to honestly read it before the first day of class, or you will be that person who didn’t know they had to have read Chapter 1 before the start of class (speaking from experience…).
I know it might sound annoying and overwhelming but reading the assigned reading from the start is essential to not falling behind. You will keep telling yourself that you will read it after syllabus week is over but it just becomes a cycle where you continue to procrastinate and push it aside and the next thing you know you have to read 150 pages before the next quiz on the reading (AGAIN speaking from experience).
My last piece of advice is to attempt to make at least one friend in each class. It doesn’t matter if they are just a “school friend”. Having a friend in each class can help you stay on track and actually motivate you not to miss class. It gives you a study buddy and someone to ask for help if you are having trouble in class. Additionally, if you are out, sick, or simply can’t make it to class, it is helpful to have someone to ask for notes on the lecture. There are times when classes require group projects or group papers, and having someone you know to work on it together instead of a stranger can be reassuring. And you never know, you might make a friend for life who you hang out with outside of school.