Get Organized for College

When in College, the word organization takes a whole new meaning if you wish to be on time, meet deadlines, study for tests, impress professors, and yet, have fun in your free time.  You definitely need a good plan, because professors will not remind you of upcoming assignments or give you extra time to present them; and, if still you’re taking, for example, ESL lessons or working part time, you will have to know exactly where your time is going, or else, you will collapse.

Follow these steps and you can be certain you will go through it smoothly.

1.    Print or collect syllabi for each class

2.    Get your books, a pile of unlined 3×5 cards and a heavy duty, bright colored, plastic folder

3.    Place the syllabi in the folder.  Tag it “syllabi folder”.  Keep it close when you study; at home, the library, or during class

4.    For each syllabus, highlight what is due the first week in one color and what’s due the second week in another color.  This way, you can follow your tasks weekly

5.    Assign a card for every book.  Place it vertically and write the dates for which you have assignments for that specific book, and next to it, write the pages you must read.  Use it as a bookmark, to know where you are and how far you need to go

6.    Get a good size calendar or academic planner and write down the assignments and tests due on specific dates

7.    Make a Project Syllabus.  Chronologically, write down every assignment that needs more than one day to complete.  This way, you can space out your work so that you do not spend all night working on a last minute paper

8.    Write your schedule down or have it in your computer so that you know exactly when you have class.  Plan at least one hour of study for every hour of class, two if you are at grad school; treat this time as sacred, and do not miss it

9.    In your computer, make a folder called “School” and inside of it, create a folder for each class you are taking.  Use these to store downloads required by your professors and other important information.  Make sure you lock your folders with a password for safety

10.    Now it’s time to get to work.  At this point, you do not have to figure out how to organize all the work, take advantage of your time and resources and get the best out of your learning experience!

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