Getting organized for the first week of classes starts before the first week of classes. Professors will start sending out their syllabi weeks before the class begins. I always look at the syllabus as soon as the professor sends it out because occasionally there will be assignments listed there that are due the first day of class. I try to get the assignments done before I am physically back on campus because getting settled and catching up with friends can begin to get hectic. Even though it’s still break, it is important to put your best effort forward on these assignments. They are the first impression your teacher is getting from you.

I remember walking into a class on the first day and the teacher asked, “How many of you did not get a chance to do the reading?” No one raised their hand. After that, he began calling on students to summarize the reading for him and that’s when the truth came out. No one had done the reading for the first class and everyone got caught in their lie. After attending this class, I made sure to always do the reading assigned for the first day to ensure a situation like this would not happen to me.

Another thing I do to get ready for the first week of class is to go through all my school supplies from the previous semester and see if there is anything I can reuse. This is a great way to save money and time and you don’t have to go through the hassle of spending hours at an office supply store. And honestly, in college there aren’t many school supplies to get except pencils and notebooks.

Hold off getting textbooks. Many times, bookstores on campus will have a list of the books you need for a class before your class has started. I have found that these lists are not always accurate and can end up costing you more money than you need to spend. Wait until the first day of each class or until you’ve read the syllabus before you go buy textbooks because your teacher may say you don’t even need it in their class.

Syllabus week is not a week of no homework, although we all wish it was. Most times professors will already have a homework assignment prepared which is why it is important to have your house, dorm, apartment, or wherever you may live set up before the first week of classes. This way you don’t have to come home from class and organize your living space.

If you organize the week before classes start you will have a much better and relaxing start to the semester. I love spending that first week of classes exploring my campus and catching up with friends before the real work starts!