Better Second Semester: Do This First

Alright, so the goal for second semester is to have your life pulled together a little bit better, right? First semesters are tough. You are just getting back into the swing of things, and for me, I started a brand new school. First semester is completed, so let's start the second one with all of your ducks in a row. Here are four things you should do first in your second semester!

Do This First

Organize your school supplies.

Before you even get back to school, make sure you've got all of the school supplies you need. This means, clearing out all of the old papers that you know you don't need and then storing away all of the ones you might need into a nice little filing system. I like to keep an accordion folder with eight sections, one for each semester. I don't keep a whole lot of papers, but there are some notes that I like to have on hand just in case. I find this to be very therapeutic because I get to clean out all of the junk and start fresh.

(photo from here) 

Then go through all of your supplies, and make sure you have enough pens to last you through the semester, notebooks, and anything else. Just stock up because I know I just hate to run out in the middle of class.

Do This Second

Create a spread sheet to track your grades.

I didn't do this my first semester, and I really regret it. I am one of those people who checked their grades every week in high school, and since not all of my teachers post them on an online website in college, I hardly checked at all. I was also too nervous to go in and ask the teacher because I was afraid they would be bad (I know. I'm a wimp.) This semester I plan to create just a simple spread sheet on Excel that I can easily check whenever I want to. It's just a friendly reminder to keep you motivated to study harder.

(photo from here) 

Do This Third

Read the syllabus thoroughly!

Your teachers always tell you this, but most of us think that just briefly looking through it on the first day of class is good enough. The syllabus is your guide to passing the class, so don't neglect it. Take a second look through it once the class has ended, and make sure to note important dates and skim rubrics for important papers or projects. Just make sure to give it a look through.

Do This Fourth

Decide how you will take notes for each class.

(photo from here) 

I always struggle with this at the beginning of a new class, whether it's taking notes on a computer or taking them by hand, to which type of writing utensil you will use. It makes a huge difference, and it's best to decided what you will stick to as soon as possible so that all of your notes look uniform.

Stay positive this semester! Once you are organized, you will be ready to tackle the semester with more confidence!

Molly

Cover photo from here.