Keeping your study materials organized is a vital skill, and even if you managed to get by without it in high school, you’ll definitely need it in college. As a relative latecomer to the being-organized game, here are some of my top tips for keeping it together in college:
1. Handwrite your notes.
You might see a lot of students in larger lectures like ARTH 101 using laptops to take notes, but handwriting your notes is actually better. The physical act of writing down information makes it stick better in your memory, so you’ll have a much easier time remembering things for the midterm. Always make sure to date your notes and organize them in a legible manner (for some people, this can mean Cornell notes, and for others, it can mean a bulleted structure—find the style that works for you). If you want to be able to search your notes for terms, you can type up your handwritten notes after class.
2. Keep a planner and color code it.
Nothing’s worse than forgetting when you’re supposed to meet with your professor or scheduling your a cappella audition during an important TA session. I prefer to keep a handwritten planner (see tip number one for why). I use a different color pen for each class and a different color pen for each category of mandatory academic things, optional academic things, personal things, and work study shifts, but everyone organizes their planners differently. I like to put due dates, events, and appointments in both the weekly and monthly sections, and I put readings in the weekly section as well. I put events and appointments in my phone calendar as well so I get a notification in case I lose track of time. Be sure to fill out your planner as much as you can as early as you can (write down due dates when you see them on your syllabus, not when your professor reminds the class two days before the deadline).
3. Make flash cards.
This one may seem like it’s better left in high school, but it’s actually very useful for college classes as well. From bio vocab to important art history dates and math formulae, there’s a certain amount of knowledge in most classes that you must know down pat. Your chem prof won’t be too impressed if you totally botch a structure you should know, and your econ midterm will be a lot easier if you know what Pareto efficiency is. You can use your flash cards alone or with a study group, and you can even keep them in nifty little color-coded containers from the bookstore if that’s your thing.
4. Keep your syllabi, handouts, and returned work in an accordion file with labeled tabs.
Ever lost a piece of paper in your backpack because it looks like all the other pieces of paper? Ever struggled to figure out where to keep your quizzes so you won’t lose them between now and reading period? Never fear, the accordion file is here! The ones at the bookstore have 13 pockets and 12 tabs (that’s 3 tabs for each class if you, like most people, are taking four), so I like to have a syllabus tab, a handouts tab, and a returned work tab for each class. I use the extra pocket for work I’m bringing to class to turn in. This has saved my backpack from SO much clutter, it’s amazing. As long as you stick to your system of putting things in their correct place in the file right away, it’s foolproof.
5. Make a schedule for yourself.
It’s really easy to lose track of time when you don’t have anything scheduled. It’s easy to treat your afternoons as free time instead of as time for studying, running errands, and going to the gym. To combat rampant time-wasting in my life, I’ve started scheduling every hour of my day. You don’t have to go that far, but it’s good to have time blocked out for various pursuits. For example, if you have no classes on Tuesday afternoons, your schedule might look like this: 12:35—Lunch. 2:00-3:00—Gym (gotta beat that 4pm rush). 3:30-6:30—Run any errands and then study. 6:30—Dinner. 8:00-12:00—Study, and use any leftover time to veg out. 12:00—Bedtime. This isn’t a necessary step for everyone, but if you find yourself letting time fly by without getting things done, it’s a good idea to experiment with organizing your time in this way.
6. Use paper flags (or cut sticky notes into strips for a slightly cheaper alternative) to mark important pages in books and reading packets.
You know what’s the worst? When you have a really salient point in class, but you can’t find the page that has the evidence to back it up. To prevent this from cramping your style, use sticky flags to mark your page when you notice something important (be sure to write what it is on the flag so you don’t end up with the same problem again on a smaller scale). This will help you not only in class, but also when studying and when writing papers. It’s a major time-saver.
7. Talk to your professors!
Professors have office hours for a reason. They want you to come talk to them. Didn’t understand the reading? Wondering if you’re on the right track with the paper due next week? Just want to check in on how you’re doing in the class? Go see your professor. They are your most valuable resource. This also helps them get to know you better so they can write you that all-important recommendation letter. Too many students don’t go to office hours, which means they’re passing up all these benefits of getting to know their professors. Don’t make that mistake.
While these tips alone won’t replace work ethic or time spent studying, they’ll certainly help your academic performance, and the tips about keeping a planner, organizing your papers in an accordion file, scheduling yourself, and talking to your professors will translate really well into the workplace after you graduate (just substitute “boss” for “prof” and you’re all set). What do you do to keep yourself organized?