i. get to your classroom early if you donāt have a class beforehand
not only are you guaranteed the best seat in the house, but thereās something about being in a classroom or lecture hall that makes you feel productive and focused. bring a book or writing assignment for a different class with you and just Do It
ii. pack your bag the night before
especially if you have early morning classes and are not a morning person. this will help you have a less stressful morning and will help you make sure you have everything you need for the day prior to leaving your dorm
iii. donāt overannotate
annotations are designed to help you identify the most important parts of the book/novel, meaning important themes, character development, big events, the implications of said events, etc. by over highlighting and over annotating i can guarantee you you arenāt doing yourself a favor !!! iām gonna make a post later about how i annotate so be on the lookout
iv. stay on top of your readings
seriously. it is a pain in the ass trying to catch up on a weekās worth of reading in five different classes. it is stressful, itās time consuming, and itās exhausting. even if youāve had a long day and youāre not in the mood to read an entire 20 page chapter in your american government textbook, just do it !!! your brain and your mental health will thank you the next day
v. try your hardest not to miss class
iām mentally ill and prone to sickness, so i understand that sometimes itās hard. it also feels worse when you miss class and have no idea whatās happening, so if you think you can get out of bed, lets get to class so we donāt fall behind and get extra stress thrown on top of us!
vi. fridays are homework days
think of it this way: if fridays are homework days, saturday and sunday are free days !!!!
vii. proofread your papers before you turn them in
guys i literally never do this (i know iām a bad egg) and im always suffering for it. if your college/university has a writing center/something similar please go there, especially your freshman year !!! they will help you learn how to accurately and succinctly convey your thoughts on a college level and you will be so grateful later on i hate myself
viii. ask if the professor prefers a certain citation style
if you dont get a chance to ask during the class/lecture, send them an email. i once got my grade halved because i didnt use APA when the professor didnt specify on the syllabus/assignment sheet. so do urself and ur gpa a favor and ask
ix. always bring extra pens/pencils to class with you
somebody will forget theirs and they will sit next to you and if ur in a class with 30+ ppl that has group projects or presentations coming up youāre going to want friends
if u bring gum you got all the friends in the world my guy i dont know why this is a thing but it is. one girl cried during exam week last year because i gave her a piece of my gum and that was literally the highlight of her week
ok thats my random ass list of stuff regarding college !! iāll probably make more masterposts like this b/c this was fun as heck. if u have any questions/need advice, just hmu !! you can check out my other masterposts here.