The switch from high school to university is by far one of the most stressful, yet exciting experiences I’ve had to deal with in my 21 years of living. On one hand, I was so freaking thankful to leave the people I wanted to leave behind in high school, but on the other I missed my besties and the simplicity of knowing all your teachers and the people in your grade. The workload in university is also much more intense than you were ever used to in high school. I’ve been there, so I’m going to show you all the ways you can get yourself organized and confident for your first year of your undergrad!
1. Get an agenda, pronto.
An agenda is your best friend! You can great deals on agendas at Winners, Marshalls, Indigo; you name it! At Ryerson, you can even get free agendas during the first few weeks of school. But, if you’re like me and cute stationery makes you more productive, don’t go for the free agenda route.
2. Use an electronic planner
An electronic planner for those of you who don’t like paper is also a fantastic idea. I personally use Google Calendar because it links with my school email and automatically puts in my classes. I then put in all my other significant dates around my classes in order to stay organized. You can even use the calendar on your laptop if you find that to be more convenient.
3. Make to-do lists
I don’t know about you, but crossing things off my to-do list is one of my favourite things ever (after chocolate of course)! Apps such as Evernote help you keep those notes in order and available to you anywhere you go. You can even enhance your notes with links, checklists, tables, attachments and audio recordings. The app is also available on the web.
4. Pen in significant class dates
Go through that long ugly syllabus and pen in every single date in whatever form of planner you decide to use. This will help you get a better overview of what to expect in the coming month or week so you don’t find yourself scrambling to get it together the day before an assignment is due or a test is happening.
5. Set aside your clothes
I find that setting aside my clothes for the next day makes for an easier, smoother morning. Rather than having to wake up and stare at your closet hopelessly, set out your clothes the night before and simply throw them on in the morning. This should give you enough time to spare for a good breakfast before you run.
6.Make your lunch
I can’t stress this enough. An average of $10 a day and 5 days of school can average to around $200 a month just on food!! Packing a lunch is usually a safer, healthier bet because you can quickly eat it in between classes, giving you brainpower to keep focused in class. You can obviously go for lunch every now and then, but try not to make a habit out of it.
7. Chat with your neighbours
Making friends will make university go by like a breeze. In such a large high-stress environment, it can get easy to focus only on academics and forget about having a social life. This will not only impact your mental health, but it will in turn impact your grades. Chat with the people beside you in your lectures and try to make at least one friend in every class. Hang out in the common spaces of your program and you will naturally get introduced to other students in your program.
8. Go to events
Follow your faculty on social media and keep to date with what’s happening in your school. Going to events will not only help you make more friends, but you will definitely meet industry professionals who can maybe help you in future careers. If there’s anything you should know about university, it is that networking with the right people is one of the single most important outcomes of going to university in the first place.
9. Get a decent sleep
I know this may seem impossible when you have so much to do and so many late nights. If there’s any advice I can give you, it’s that pulling all-nighters is not the way to go! Not only do you not retain as much information when you study during an all-nighter, it’s also much more difficult to stay focused for the next few days. Try your best to rest up and get an average of 8 hours a night.
10. Book a meeting with your academic advisor
Feeling overwhelmed? If you need help with your courses or any academic inquires, book a meeting with your academic advisor. You pay too much money for post secondary, make sure you’re getting what you pay for! An advisor will generally be able to map out the next few semesters for you and ease lots of stress.