The 5 Point Checklist for your 1st day of Class

It’s the beginning of the second semester and you are going to start off on the right foot! No matter how things went 1st semester [it was a practice round anyway…] pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get to it! We have compiled a list of the top 5 things to do on your first day of class that will set you up for success throughout the entire semester. Here it goes…

 

1. Find a friend in every class. 

Let’s be real – you are probably going to miss class at least once throughout the semester. Who is going to tell you what you missed? Who will tell you if the professor gave a pop quiz the day you were gone?

You need a class friend. Pick the smartest looking person in the room [usually sitting front & center with shiny school supplies] and sit by them! Say this, “Hey, my name is [insert name here], can we exchange contact information? That way if one of us is absent we exchange notes/info about what we missed.”

Can I just say…when I started doing this it was a GAMECHANGER! I even made a few new cool friends from it!

     2. Meet the professor.

This is huge. When you e-mail them at 12:01 AM asking for an extension on your paper because your apartment had a power-outage, your dog died and you have the flu, they will be much more likely to give you a break if they know you!

Just stick out your hand, look them in the eye and say, “Hi Professor [name here], I am [your name here]. I am looking forward to your class.”

Boom. Done. Nobody does this and I guarantee it will make you stand out [in a good way]!

   3. Your syllabus is your life.

The syllabus is like googlemaps for the entire semester. Memorize it [not really]. Highlight it. Put all important dates in your calendar NOW. Don’t just put the due dates in but also give yourself a reminder date 2 weeks ahead of the due date.

Photocopy your syllabus and put it in a safe place. You never know when you will need it.

    4. Find your classrooms beforehand.

Can I just tell you how embarrassing it was when I sat in the wrong classroom for 30 minutes when I finally realized I was in an upper division history class instead of my freshman English class!? Not cool!

Do a dry run of your schedule beforehand. Finding your classrooms in advance will save you the embarrassment & stress of being late to class or worse; sitting through the wrong class because you got the rooms mixed up!

5. Breathe!

The first day of class is stressful-new classes, professors, new assignments, new books etc. etc.

Remember to breathe and have fun! Set aside time on the first day of class to go to lunch with friends or at the very least go to the gym to burn off some steam.

What advice do you have for the 1st day of classes? We would love to hear your thoughts, share below!