As I begin my second year at Texas A&M, I am really looking forward to having a great semester. And I’ve picked up on some random things from last year that’ll help me do just that. So whether you’re a freshman, transfer student, or just looking for some tips, here are a few things to make your life easier during the busy semester ahead.
Planning!
Doesn’t matter if it’s Google Cal, Notion, or a physical agenda, planning is my holy grail and my key to existing. That may sound dramatic, but I put everything in there as soon as I know about it. That includes exams, assignments, and projects, of course. But also includes, reading days, school breaks, career fairs, events, and even the FAFSA deadlines. My planner is filled out through the end of the semester, and just the thought of that has helped me with anxiousness over missing deadlines or essential tasks.
Read the Syllabus!!
It seems so basic, but it really is the small things that help the most. Knowing the quickest way to contact your professor, the grading breakdown so you what the important assignments/categories are, if you have a free textbook, and how the class works overall, are a few of the things that are so helpful to know from the beginning.
An In-class Contact
This one is pretty straightforward… at least in theory :/ I know firsthand how scary it can be to talk to people, but you’ll thank yourself later. At the very least, it’s so handy to know at least one person in the class, and at most, you may even be beginning a new friendship. So trust me and take that 5 minutes of awkwardness in stride, and strike up a conversation with at least one person in each class.
HYDRATE
Y’all, it is HOT at TAMU. Like sweating after a minute outside kind-of-hot. Like burning your legs when you get in your car hot. Especially as a student who walks to classes, having a fully filled water bottle is absolutely essential. But you can’t just be drinking while walking or in class, you need to be having so much water all the time because being hydrated isn’t just water when you need it, it’s drinking water ALL THE TIME. I actually have a hard time with this, so for a while now I have been adding lime to my water which has been helping a ton!
All the Apps
Have all the academic/campus-related apps already on your phone before classes even begin. Some you won’t realize until you get to class, like iClicker, but other apps like Canvas, the University Specific overarching app, Navigate, an app for the buses, Google Drive, GroupMe, Discord, and others, can be helpful to have. School wifi is never fast enough to download an app, so having your phone set up beforehand can be pretty handy.
Certain Days = Certain Tasks
Something that I have worked into my schedule that really helps me, is setting aside certain tasks on certain days. For example, laundry is on Tuesdays, because I don’t have to go to campus. I also do my “everything showers” on Tuesdays. Thursdays are for groceries/errands because my class ends early. Sunday is a reset day for my apartment, which doesn’t always mean a deep clean, but some sort of reset of my space for the week ahead. Assigning tasks to specific days can help you accomplish more and forget/put off less.
Mini Medicine Cabinet
You WILL get sick at some point, it’s basically a given. Whether it’s your first semester or not, between going out, packed classrooms, buses, sharing spaces with roommates, football games, and basically anything else you do, you’ll definitely catch yourself under the weather eventually. So, being prepared with some of the basics like cough syrup, cold medicine, your choice of headache/fever relievers, allergy medicine, Tums, and Pepto, comes in handy.