4 Ways to Survive the First Week of a New Semester at College - TutorNerds

4 Ways to Survive the First Week of a New Semester at College - TutorNerds Survive the First Week of the New Semester With These Four Tips College students are back in school and attending their first week of classes for a whole new semester. It seems like just when students wrapped up one task, theres another thrown at them. Some students will be studying courses in their major, which they are already talented in while other students will be taking their last choice general education class because they werent able to sign up for the classes they wanted. Also, students have to deal with renting new textbooks, finding the location of their new classes, and adjusting to being back from a lengthy winter break. There are some things, however, that students can do to survive the first couple of weeks of a new semester at college our private San Diego college tutoring will help you succeed this semester. 1. Organize and then organize some more One of the most important things students at this level can do is remain incredibly organized throughout the entire semester. Things move fast in college and students who get even a couple of days behind can find themselves in a precarious position. Students on the quarter system will have even less time to get caught up. Students are encouraged to organize each of their classes and figure out how much time they will need to allot to assignments both large and small based on the information in their syllabus. Students who are unsure about certain assignments are encouraged to make an appointment during office hours with their professor or the TA ASAP. 2. Form a new study group Because its a new term, many students will be in different classes with different classmates than in the previous semester. As a result, the study group they had before may no longer work out. College students are encouraged to figure out which of their most motivated and dedicated friends are in their current classes and schedule a meeting when they can all get together in person and figure out how to provide motivational and organizational support. Study groups can help students get through midterms and finals week but can also make learning more fun and social (READ: College Prep Students: Things to do Before February). 3. Read through the entire syllabus One of the most helpful things college students can do the first week of the new term is read through the entire syllabus. There might be extra credit assignments they can do during a slower week to gain extra points, or there could be an obscure classroom rule that can make or break it when it comes to their final grade. Students will find out if attendance counts towards their grade and for how much and theyll figure out which assignments are worth 20% of the final grade and which are only worth 2%. 4. Create a plan for the semester Students should also map out a general plan for the entire term. This doesnt mean they need to figure out where to get research materials for every project or focus on tests they wont take for 12 weeks. It does mean they should look at general things like how to balance study hours with their part-time job or balance one class with another. For example, if an assignment is due in 3 weeks most students put it off. However, they might have an assignment in every class due in 3 weeks, in which case they need to get going on at least one of them. Dont wait until its later in the semester and youre too far behind to catch up on your courses. Sign up for a private San Diego college tutor form TutorNerds today! All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.