When it comes to hitting the ground running on your first day of classes, a bit of prep goes a long way. The first week is always a mess; a little planning can streamline some of the chaos and set you up for a smooth ride once the semester gets into full swing. Here are 10 things you can do to prepare:
1. Figure Out Your Daily Routine
Walk out your class schedule and see how much time you need to get from place to place. Establish a new schedule at your job that works around your class schedule. Understand whether your classes have additional labs. Knowing where you need to go and when takes away stress and also helps you get home to relax more quickly!
2. Change Your Sleep Schedule
Don’t go from a 10am wake up and 2am bedtime summer routine to a 10pm bedtime and 7am wakeup the first day of classes. You’ll set yourself up for at least a week or two of sleeping poorly and feeling super tired when you wake up. Take a couple weeks before the semester to start transitioning to the adult version of “school night” bedtime.
3. Practice Single-Tasking
We multitask all the time – you’re probably reading this on your phone right now with the TV on in the background. But when it comes to difficult and/or involved tasks, keeping sustained attention on one thing is key to doing it well. Dividing attention time to focusing on one thing each in 20-minute increments is a great way to start managing time without multitasking.
4. Scout Your Study Spot
When you’ve got 40 minutes between classes but nothing to do, you should make the most of your time. You’re stuck on campus anyway, right? When you walk out your class schedule, wander around the campus and uptown to find a study spot that fits your learning style. Get some pro tips on that in our article: Sussing Out the Best Study Spots at Ohio University.
5. Reach Out to Professors
Worried about a class? Have specific needs for a learning difference? Or interested in convincing a prof to become your thesis advisor? Reaching out before the school year starts not only gets you face time, but they’ll also have more time to attend to your interaction(s) – the first 2 weeks of the semester is an absolute nightmare whirlwind for many professors.
6. Determine a New Gym Schedule
It’s easy to let up on the daily runs when classes get into full swing, but exercise is most useful during the school year – it supports emotional health, reduces stress, improves sleep, and acts as a self-care activity. Good news – Ping is always right down on South Green!
7. Check Your Email Daily
Sometimes nothing happens in the summer, sometimes a class gets cancelled and you never checked your email so you didn’t find out until you showed up to an empty lecture hall the first day of class. Now you have to find a new class to fit into that one’s spot, and all the classes are filled up. Keep up on your inbox through summer.
8. Make Sure Your Tuition is Paid
The university is notorious for coming at you like a mob boss who wants their money the literal moment tuition is late. And often, it’s not even the student’s fault. Whether TA positions, scholarships, loans, etc, keep an eye on your bursar account so you have an answer when they ask you where the money is so they don’t kneecap you.
9. Look into Student Organizations
Have a hobby you love or a sport you played in high school that you miss? There are many clubs and organizations around campus for support, social cause, community, sports, arts, and more. Look into them and narrow down what you’re interested in so you know which week-one meetings to check out.
10. Plan Your Meals
Do a big grocery shopping trip the weekend before classes start, or earlier if you want to miss the thousands of parents who’ll be doing that with their freshmen on the weekend. Meal prepping for the week is never a bad idea, but simply having food on hand at home will not only save you money but ensures you can just grab and go when hurrying to class. Or eat carbs when you get home from the bars at 2am. Life is about balance.Don’t forget to talk to your landlord about any issues or requests at your student rental before the school year gets into full swing. That way, we can help make coming home to your off-campus apartment the easiest part of your day.