Beginning university or college can be one of the most significant changes you might experience in your life. Not only are you entering a new academic world, but you also have to make new friends and learn how to manage your own time. All of this can feel very overwhelming when there are no teachers or other guides to walk you through the process and ensure you get things done on time.
Paying tuition, enrolling in courses, and preparing for your midterms are all your responsibility. As your first semester continues on, suddenly it may feel as though you have a million things to keep track of. Here are a few ways you might find useful to manage your deadlines and responsibilities in school.
Write your deadlines in a calendar
This may seem obvious, but it often gets forgotten! If you’re a visual person and benefit from seeing your time physically laid out in front of you, visualizing how much time you have before your midterms on a calendar will allow you to prepare in advance. You can plan your week accordingly if you know something is coming up. Writing your deadlines in a calendar is an excellent tool for never forgetting an assignment!
Regularly check the uOttawa Important Dates and Deadlines webpage
The uOttawa important academic dates and deadlines web page lists all the different administrative dates and deadlines you should keep track of. These deadlines are just as important to follow as your class deadlines if you want to drop a class, apply for a qualitative grade, know when classes end, and more.
Reach out to other first years
Many first years are afraid of not making friends. A good way to prevent this is by reaching out to other first years just like you! Social media groups for your graduating year will often form during the summer leading up to your first semester. Try searching Instagram or Facebook to find them and make some friends with people who are in your program or who have interests similar to yours!
Figure out how you prefer to stay organized
Some people like to use an agenda where they can write daily to-do lists. Others may prefer sticky notes or a whiteboard on their bedroom wall. Not everyone needs to be perfectly put together for their organization system to make sense—we all have our own ways of organizing. Identify what works best for you and maybe even try some new methods to maximize your organization!
Hopefully these tips will help to ease your worries while you prepare to enter university or continue to try finding your groove in school. It takes time to find your place in new environments like university, so don’t feel pressured to have everything figured out just yet.