goals

University can be overwhelming; here are a few tips to help make things easier for you!

Get Organized

1. Plan ahead

Remember those “syllabuses” that your professors mentioned on the first day of classes? Perhaps you looked at them once or printed them out and they are crumpled at the bottom of your bag… If you haven’t already, dig them up and be sure to get acquainted with your syllabuses! Syllabi? Whatever you choose to call them, they are your maps to a well-organized semester.

September can bring many things: a new school, a new term, a new adventure or a new job. As the leaves are just starting to change, you may be too. A new school year can mean new goals, expectations, discoveries and challenges. As a student heading into my third year of studies, September represents a chance to get back on track and refocus. After a summer of working at the Writing and Communication Centre and seeing so many students achieve their own academic goals, face their own challenges and learn new things in their field, I’m excited to do the same.

As the spring term draws to a close, the fall term is drawing nearer. If you are enrolled in co-op at university,  it may be the dreaded recruitment term. On top of juggling courses, assignments, essays and exams, you have to find a job. You have to submit what seems like 200 cover letters and resumes, and attend multiple nerve-racking interviews, just with the hopes of landing a good job with decent pay, in a decent location and with decent responsibilities. Although the recruitment term is stressful and overwhelming, it is a great opportunity to refocus your goals and aspirations.

The best way to get better at anything is through lots (and lots) of practice. If you want to improve your writing, write more! Many successful authors advocate daily writing, but how can you get into the habit of writing every day?

When someone hears mention of the 3 Rs they usually think of reduce, reuse, and recycle (I do at least).  Well, I am here to tell you that there is another list of Rs you should look into if you want to survive university!  The list consists of being reasonable, being responsible, and being rational.  If you do not like using schedules for organizing your time, these 3 words will help you manage your time and think through choices you have to make.

I’m sure you know the stressful feeling when midterms are either just around the corner or already happening.  As midterms come around the corner, it feels like students simultaneously take out their blinders, put them on and think “no distractions, only study”.  Everyone becomes machinelike; you feel as if you can read the notes someone else studied the night before because they are etched so deep into their brain that you can see it in their eyes.