As you begin the fall semester, it’s easy to ditch the assignments for clubs, new Netflix shows and time with friends. Summer break is still fresh in your mind and those pesky deadlines are barely a thought in your mind. Before completely submitting to the dark side, check out these tips and learn how to stay organized throughout the semester.
1. Keep Track of Assignments, Projects, & Tests
Although midterms and finals are months away, they’ll be here before you know it. Grab a planner and your syllabi and mark down assignments, deadlines and exam dates to keep them on your radar. Check if your college is using an online course platform with a calendar for easier class organization.
2. Color Code Your Classes
Use a color coding system to organize your binders, notebooks and folders. This will make it easier to grab your supplies when you’re running late for class. Using a color coding system in your planner or calendar can also be helpful for tracking homework, exams, and project deadlines.
3. Schedule Reading & Writing Assignments
Remembering to set aside time to read chapters can be challenging. Instead of forcing yourself to read multiple chapters the night before the exam, assign yourself a more manageable amount of pages to read daily or weekly to make sure you stay on track. Use this same method to start chipping away at larger writing assignments throughout the semester. Two pages per week over the next 15 weeks is a lot less intimidating than a 30 page final paper.
4. Create a Chore Chart
Whether you’re in a dorm, suite, or apartment, small spaces can get messy pretty quickly. Create a chore chart for yourself and/or with your roommates to make sure things stay clean. Keeping up with laundry on a regular basis will save you stress later, so set time aside to keep up with laundry. Your chore chart may also include: vacuuming, dusting, washing your bedding, sanitizing and disinfecting shared spaces, taking out the recycling and doing the dishes.
5. Plan Out Appointments
When you’re away at school, planning checkups, car inspections and other appointments can be tricky. Look ahead at your calendar for breaks to see if you can schedule multiple appointments on the same day. Scheduling appointments at the beginning of the semester will save you the hassle later.
5. Mark Down Important Dates
As you get lost in classes, work and extracurriculars throughout the semester, don’t lose sight of important dates. Pay attention to scholarship submission and grad school application deadlines. Also, don’t forget about family! Make time for birthdays, holidays and special traditions with your family and friends from back home.
6. Keep Your Finances In Order
Forgetting tuition payments may prevent you from signing up for housing or course registration, so be sure to check your business statements regularly. Aside from keeping up with payments to your school, be sure to keep tabs on any loans that you’ve taken out. Federal loans often have lower interest rates and include grace periods to give you some extra time before you begin making payments. Private loans on the other hand usually begin accruing interest immediately. If you’ve taken out private loans, try to start paying on them as soon as possible, even if it’s only $25 per month. Any extra cash you can aside now will cut down your debt later.
7. Take Advantage of Gaps in Your Schedule
You probably have at least a handful of 10-30 minute gaps in your schedule throughout the day. Instead of using this time to browse social media, set these extra few minutes aside for homework or studying. Maximizing these gaps will give you extra time to relax later.
Some extra planning can go a long way. Mapping out important deadlines and working ahead are essential to helping you stay organized throughout the semester.