At the beginning of the semester the first few weeks of university pass by and you usually don’t have a lot of things to do. This changes as soon as you move from week 1 to week 5 where you suddenly have a bunch of assignments waiting for you not only to start them, but to finish them too! The funny thing is that you ask yourself how this can be even worse and immediately midterms come. You start to seem desperate, you feel anxious and you don’t know how you will survive the semester. Guess what? Every semester has the same issues and you should have known that, so do yourself a favor and think of some ways to deal with all those student obligations.
Here I provide you with a few ways to create a good foreground and survive the semester:
1. Get organized
It all starts from this! Organize your study space and generally your environment. Put away any old notes from the previous semester and make space in your desk drawer for new stuff. I suggest you to check if you have everything you think can help in your studying process like pens, highlighters, notebooks, etc. After that go and buy whatever you need and put it in a specific place on your desk. In this way you will know where everything is, you will be very organized and you will be able to find whatever you want instantly.
2. Go to classes
Try to go to all classes that you have and avoid missing them without any really important reason. Going to the lecture gives you the benefit of saving time in studying. This happens because you will probably be able to remember discussions that might took place in class or your professor’s examples about the taught material. In addition, you will be able to make your own notes and you won’t lose time trying to find notes from your classmates, which is a bit risky because not everyone takes notes in class.
3. Take good notes
During the lectures keep your attention in class and take notes. It is not necessary to write everything down as long as you listen carefully to your professor, you will learn to understand what is important and what is not. Usually, when professors want to emphasize a concept they change the tone of their voice or they repeat what they said for a couple of times during the lecture. If your professor does that then grab a pen, write your notes and don’t forget to put a star next to it, because for sure you will need to take them into consideration for the upcoming exam.
4. Know what’s coming up next
Take all the outlines from the first week and highlight on them all important dates of the semester such as deadlines for assignments and examination dates. Then take your notebook and write down all those dates together in chronological order. In this way you will know what’s coming up next and it will be easier for you to create a clear programme to follow.
5. Start studying early
One of the best strategies to do great in your semester is to make a great schedule and start studying early. Spend some time each and every week to have a look at your notes and study what you have covered in the lectures. In this way you will have a more clear view on what you are doing in each class and you won’t need so much time to study when exams come. Also, you will have the chance to ask your professors questions on your next week’s lecture, if there is anything that you didn’t quite understand from the previous lecture. Believe me If you do that, you will thank yourself later in the semester when exams come.
6. Have fun
Last but not least, is to have a day in your week where you go out and have fun. This is very important in order for you to keep a balance in your life, because it is not all about studying. Make some time for yourself to do a hobby you really like or go out with your friends on a trip and enjoy their company. Generally spend your day without thinking anything related to your studying and relax. You need this amount of time to recharge your batteries and get back home refreshed with more energy to keep going with your studies.
I hope I was helpful and I wish you all to have a wonderful semester ;)
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