Map Out Your Path to Success

By: Katherine Elliot, SchoolFinder.com

It’s the first few weeks of school and you’re probably already starting to feel like there are a million things to do with such little time. Between building your class and social schedule you’ll need to set some time to plan the best way to complete everything. In terms of your academics, the syllabus that you are given on the first day is truly your best friend. It is your guide to your entire year and outlines what you need to read, what assignments need to be completed and when this all needs to be done by. The tricky thing is that you don’t get just 1, you get 4 or 5 or however many depending on your course load. So where do you begin?

Map out your year. Buy a large whiteboard calendar, use the calendar on your phone or laptop, or get an agenda. Use whatever works best for you to keep track of all those deadline and midterm dates.
Work backwards. Once you have the big picture, start to estimate timelines for studying and assignment completion. Always give yourself a little more time than you think is necessary for those inevitable distractions. This way assignments that may not be due for another month are still on your radar.
Set fake deadlines. It may seem silly now, but when you are balancing the course work for 5 different classes, it can be helpful to create earlier deadlines for your assignments than what your professor establishes. If you set yourself some fake deadlines you will be ahead of the game and it will give you the chance to review the work prior to handing it in on the actual due date!
Time blocking. You’ll most likely be balancing a busy schedule of classes, assignments, extra-curriculars, eating, sleeping and some time for relaxing of course! Try to get in the habit of blocking off time in your week or day for what you need and want to do. Monday mornings, for example, you can do all your readings for class x and then on Wednesday afternoons, in between your classes, you can work on that large research paper due at the end of the year. It’s a good idea to schedule in trips to your professors’ office hours to make sure you’re on track –they’re experts in the field, why not take advantage of a great resource?

Once you break everything down, and stick to your schedule as much as possible, it will make your semester a little smoother! Remember to be flexible at times, things always come up, but with these tips you should be prepared for a successful year ahead! Good luck.