before the start of the semester
if you can, schedule at least one break in between your classes so you have time to do homework – this has been a big lifesaver for me.
get to know your advisor – it’ll make working with them easier and they’ll be able to help you better.
make sure your class schedule is one you’re comfortable with. if you’re taking too many harder classes, or all writing intensive classes, it may be a more difficult/stressful semester. be realistic about how much you can handle at once, because it may look easy on paper, but it won’t be when you have three tests, a project, and two five-page papers all due at once.
when making my schedule i like to rank each class i need to take in terms of expected difficulty/work put in from 1-5 (for example: world civ is an estimated 4, art history is 2, and Pilates is 0 since it only requires my time in-class, and the total for my classes is 16). add ‘em up and see if your schedule is too much/too little - you can also do this for past semesters to put it into perspective.
before the first day of class, take some time to tidy up your room and workspace really well. you won’t have as much time later and it’ll make you feel better + less stressed.
just try to get things squared away in general before your break ends
write down some SMART goals for the semester (”I will make an A in Biology by studying everyday”) and stick them somewhere you’ll see them daily (binder, desk, etc)
at the beginning of the semester
download this app – I don’t use it to keep up with my actual homework, but you can add in all your classes so that if you forget what’s next/where you’re going it’s all right there in your notification center.
after your first day of class go through all your syllabi and put any major due dates in your planner – you may want to do this in pencil in case dates change.
find your perfect study spot. for me it changes semester by semester- right now (my favorite) it’s a lounge that no one ever goes to with a couch, desks, AND most of my teachers offices are right down the hall which is super convenient.
if you’re taking any online classes, stop by your teacher’s office during office hours and introduce yourself.
a lot of studyblrs say to sit on the front row for better focus, and that may work for you, but I focus best in the very back. bottom line- just because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it’ll work best for you, so sit where you want and do what’s best for you.
make eating breakfast – even if it’s on the way to school – a habit.
I like to put together a grades spreadsheet in excel (I use this template) so I can keep up with what I’m making and gauge how well I’ll have to do on upcoming assignments.
introduce yourself to someone in each class. you don’t have to be bffs, but you’ll be glad to have a friend to let you borrow their notes.
have a positive attitude from the beginning. that’s honestly half the battle
start a list of things you know will be on the test/exam. anytime your teacher spends a lot of time emphasizing something or straight up tells you it will be on the exam, write it down. make it into a study guide.
daily/weekly/whenever you get a chance review (and rewrite) your notes. do this as soon as plausible after you take them so that you have the best chance of remembering what they’re talking about. i like to do this while i’m waiting for the next class to start.
while you’re reviewing your notes, go ahead and make flash cards of important terms. doing them as you go along means that you can spend more time actually quizzing yourself and less time making them right before the exam.
get to bed/wake up around the same time everyday & don’t sleep in too much on weekends – that’s what makes mondays so rough.
try not to exist only on red bull and chips, k?
take breaks!! hang out with your friends!!! talk to your family!! eat without a textbook in your hand!! school is not the most important thing out there
if you’re struggling, put in the extra effort as soon as possible. seriously. don’t wait until finals week.
go through EVERYTHING – your backpack, folders, binders, all of it. toss what you don’t need (that sandwich from a month ago) and reorganize what you do (those bio flashcards that ended up with your history notes)
make a study group and split up the material to make a collective study guide & then quiz each other from it.
review your SMART goals and see if you’ve kept up with them/if the still apply. adjust according.
by this time you’ve learned what does or doesn’t work as far as supplies, studying, note taking goes. if there’s anything you can readjust to make the rest of the semester go more smoothly, do that now.
you still have time to pull a bad grade back up – figure out what you can do to do that (study more regularly, talk to the teacher, find some online resources, etc)
have a dance party because you’re halfway there!
before/during finals week
if your planner doesn’t have a daily view, draw out a schedule of the week and break down hour by hour what you’ll be doing/studying and stick it in your planner with a paper clip.
i like to schedule my days like this the morning-of since its hard to know what your days going to look like in advance.
give yourself some slack so you don’t get stressed out when something takes longer than expected.
don’t forget to give yourself breaks – the pomodoro method works well for me
get plenty of rest! staying up all night to cram is not worth it. that extra sleep will help much more than going over your notes a million times.
when you go into an exam, think only about that exam. don’t worry about all that you have to do later.
eat a light snack before exams and bring a drink into exams (i do chocolate milk because it’s more filling than water) for energy.
if you have a lot of papers/projects, do them in the library and not at home. during exam week i stay about an hour after class everyday and i’m so much more productive in that one hour than i would be in three hours at home.
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