After the Hype: Heading into the Third Week!

The events of the first weeks of school are both overwhelming and exciting as students pour back into the campus to fill the classrooms, quad, library, and every space they can find.

Going through the events, music, confusion, lines, and frantically finding which classroom you are in, doesn’t prepare you for the weeks to follow. The second and third week are important – it is the time when things settle down a little bit, events start to wind down, and professors dive head on into the course material.

Before you know it, you are being assigned readings and quizzes that may seem overwhelming. I am not trying to scare you! It’s just how it is, but with some forward thinking it will be just fine. The one thing about university is for most faculties, the professors are not in communication with each other to decide how much homework you are assigned – each class is its own entity and whatever work you get is what you have to do. Don’t freak out!! It’s all part of the process and we are all in it together.

Get Yourself Organized

If there is anything I have learned about September through my time here at UVic is how important it is to stay organized and to not be lazy in the beginning. It is really easy to push aside things that don’t seem super immediate (such as that paper that isn’t due till October 1st or the 5 readings that are going to be on a quiz at the end of the month).

Get out a calendar and make a plan – being loaded with things in October because you procrastinated too much is never a fun time. It does not have to be a very intense way of organizing, but just being aware and accountable to your plan will make a difference in your stress over the term.

I like to look over the syllabus in the first week and jot down every assignment due in my calendar, then pick dates when I am going to start each of these, or when I will start studying for certain midterms. If you want help making a loose plan, comment on the My First Year at UVic Facebook page and the rest of the UVic community will be happy to help!

I swear it makes a world of difference: while I’m not the star studded honour roll student, I know how much it sucks to be more stressed than need be. Planning and thinking ahead now once the hype dies down will keep you on top of things. 

Ideas for Ways to Organize

• A physical paper planner (my fave!)
• Wall calendar (available at the Bookstore; you can use a whiteboard marker)
• iCalendar or computer calendar
• Phone reminders

What’s your favourite way to stay organized?