9 MAJOR tips on starting the school year right!

Whether you’re beginning your first year here or in your last semester, I think it’s safe to say that we all want to end the year academically strong. During my short time at Carleton (3,840 hours by the time this post is up), here are some of my tips to start & finish with a strong year:

1. Go to class. Although it’s kind of a no brainer, going to class makes ALL the difference. Even if you’re not going to take notes, get into the habit of going to class to know what the professor is talking about. Don’t always depend on cuLearn to provide you all the answers. From experience, please trust that this tip is #1 for a reason.

2. Read the course outline. A course outline will be your Holy Grail for the term. Make sure to note how the marks are divided (ex: 50% exam, 20% tutorial, 30% assignments). Please, please, please do not throw away any easy marks because EVERY percentage counts.

3. Sit in the front of the class. It helps with focussing on the class & with what the professor is saying. Seeing distractions from others is not an issue here.

4. Turn off your phone. Don’t be that person. Please.

5. Get to know your classmates. If you’re staying home sick, make sure you can rely on someone to share notes with. When exam time rolls around, having a study group may be helpful.

6. Take jot notes. Although everyone’s learning style is different, I find only jotting down points that the professor says additional to the notes works best. I like to rewrite & elaborate on those points later on after every lecture.

7. Get up for breaks. I’ve a feeling we’re not in high school anymore (:P).

8. Time Management. Having a planner helps to stay on track. Write out all ‘to-dos’ and every deadline you need to meet. Crossing out tasks on a to-do list is very satisfying! If you’re not into using traditional paper & pen, Simple Antnotes on the AppStore is great for writing notes on your desktop. Trello.com is also a great site for to do lists.

9. Stay hydrated. Don’t be like me and lose your water bottle during the first week of school. 😩

Let me know what you’d like to see by next commenting below or by taking this poll: https://linkto.run/p/R59ZQ8DD

Catch you in the next post!

Fatima

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