Setting Yourself Up For Success

It's the beginning of a new school year! For some, this may be your first year of college, or maybe you're nearing the end of your time here at Coe. Either way, a new school year can be both exciting and nerve-wracking in a wide variety of ways. Balancing school with extracurricular activities and jobs can be a lot of work and cause so much stress. That's why I want to share some tips about setting yourself up for success at the beginning of the school year.

Creating a Schedule for Yourself

A super strict schedule may not be the right fit for everyone. Some people thrive on specific schedules and routines while others need more flexibility. Either way, having at least some kind of schedule can help you keep organized, stay on top of homework/other commitments you may have, and combat procrastination. I use a planner to write down all the homework assignments I need to complete each day and any other important work that needs to be done for extracurriculars. I don't set specific times to do each of these things because I like a bit more flexibility, so my schedule is more like a checklist. Other people find it useful to set aside certain times during the day to work on homework. If you aren't sure what works best for you, just try different things!

Be Aware of Your Resources

• The Learning Commons offers an abundance of academic resources for Coe students. The Request for Academic Support (RAS) form is a great starting place for getting the help you need. Whether it's a tutor, help with a presentation or speech, academic accommodations, test scheduling in the Test Center, or something else, the Learning Commons is there to help.
• Professors and office hours! Your professors are there to help you learn and succeed. If you have questions, don't be afraid to reach out or stop by their office hours.
• Classmates. You can always reach out to your peers. Maybe you can create a study group with your classmates where you can help keep each other stay on task. We all have a different set of skills, so asking each other can be a great way to learn and share knowledge with others. 

Self-Care

It can be really difficult to make yourself a priority when the school year gets super busy, but it's vital to make sure you're taking care of yourself and your needs. Try your best to get enough sleep and make sure to take time to have fun and do things you enjoy! Self-care can mean something different to everyone, so spend some time thinking about what helps you feel refreshed.

Goals

Think about what you would like to achieve this semester and create goals for those things. Creating short-term, specific goals towards the beginning of the semester can be a great way to keep motivated  and on track in your classes by giving you something to work toward that you set for yourself. It can also help you measure how far you've come and how much you've learned at the end of the semester.

Engaging and Participating in Class

Try your best to get in the habit of engaging and participating in class. This could mean taking notes during a lecture or participating in class discussion. Speaking up in class can be really difficult; that is completely understandable, but it is a great way to learn from each other and really engage. Something that helps me participate more is processing my thoughts through writing before speaking them out loud, so I always make sure to bring a notebook to each class for writing things down. Also, if you know what's going to be discussed during the next class, you can prepare a bit ahead of time with any thoughts or questions you may have.