Schedule for success—Start your semester off right with a plan for your time

This may seem obvious, but you have to attend class (virtually or in person) to be able to learn the material. Textbooks and assigned readings are important, but if you don’t go to class, you will still miss the material being covered in class. You will also miss out on the opportunity to ask questions to clarify information, improve your understanding, and connect with your professor and peers.

Plan the rest of your time around your classes (and don’t leave it up to fate that you have time in your work schedule.)

Life happens, and sometimes there are factors beyond your control— like catching a cold or a cancelled bus — that prevent you from going to class. That’s why it’s so important to attend all the classes that you ARE able to make it to, even when you don’t really feel like it.

It’s easier to make it to class and find time for working on assignments when you make a schedule. The first step is just adding all your classes into whichever personal calendar you use, whether that’s a physical planner or an app like Google Calendar.

Unfortunately, there’s currently no way to export your timetable from ACSIS, but you can add your courses to an external calendar yourself. Watch this video for a quick guide to adding your classes from your ACSIS to a calendar in Outlook. The steps will be similar for other calendar apps.

College courses can be demanding, but it’s important to allow yourself enough time to take care of yourself. Try to develop habits like keeping a relatively consistent sleep schedule, leaving yourself time to study, and planning time to do some physical activity.

Have you ever sent a text when you’re exhausted at the end of the day, only to realize you made some really bizarre typos? If so, you probably already know that being tired does not improve the quality of your work.

When you have energy from sleeping well and taking care of yourself, you will be able to focus better in class and when you’re working on assignments.

Want to learn more? Register for Thriving in Action, an extracurricular program designed to help you reach your goals.