10 Things to Do During the First Week of School to Stay Organized All Semester
Whether it's your first semester of college or your last, the beginning of a new semester comes with so many tasks you have to remember! From my four years of college, I've compiled this list of things to do during the first week of school, so you can feel prepared!
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Now that you're back on campus, the new semester is starting to feel real, and tasks pile up fast once the semester is kicked off! Between new classes, hanging out with friends, and doing homework, important tasks can slip through the cracks if you don't have a plan.
This list of things to do during the first week of school will help you get started if you don't know where to start!
Previously, I shared how I prepare for a new semester before I head back to campus.
I've already completed four years of college, but I changed my major three times, so I still have a few semesters left. Needless to say, I've started many semesters, and these are the things I do to make sure my semester is going to be as stress-free as possible.
This is my first week of college checklist! Let's get right into the things to do during the first week of school!
10 Things to Do During the First Week of School to Stay Organized All Semester
1. Prepare Your Study Space + Declutter
If you are moving back to campus and had your things in storage all summer, now is the perfect time to go through all of your stuff and throw away the things you no longer need.
By week three or four, you'll probably already be overloaded with homework, and having a clean and organized living space without extra clutter will make things a little easier.
I also periodically declutter my desk and apartment throughout the school year as paper clutter always seems to pile up!
After you've finished decluttering, it's time to prepare your study space or find spaces you'll want to study in!
I nearly always do my homework in my apartment at my desk because I'm an introvert and I like having it be quiet when I'm studying, but I do sometimes do homework on campus.
I usually look for locations near my classrooms, so I won't be late to class if I have class after I do homework. If you do want to study on campus, my biggest tip would be to look for places where you won't be distracted.
2. Buy Supplies/Prepare Notebooks
I'm pretty minimalist when it comes to college classes. As long as I have some pens, pencils, a few notebooks, and some sticky notes, I'm good to go!
I have tons of sticky notes, but at the start of the semester, I figure out if I need to buy a new notebook or pens. I also decide which classes need binders.
During the first week of college, I like to figure out what supplies I'll need for each class. Sometimes a class will need a binder or a folder. I always make sure I have enough notebook space (sometimes, not a whole notebook) for each class.
I write the class title at the start of my notes for that class, and I mark my place in my notebooks with a sticky note.
3. Read All of Your Syllabi
My university has a website where I can look through class syllabi before I even sign up for classes. This helps me see if I'll like the class/professor before I even sign up!
Before you go to classes, it's important to read through all of your class syllabi and look through the class homework system (if you can) to get a feel for the professor's homework style, and how much work the class is going to be.
It's important to familiarize yourself with your classes before the first day because sometimes there is homework due before the first class.
You won't know unless you check!
I don't write down due dates right away because I have a different system for making sure none of my homework falls through the cracks. However, if you don't have a system, now might be a good time to add due dates to your calendar or planner!
4. Buy Your Textbooks and Flip Through Them
During the first week of classes, make sure you buy or access your textbooks! I love flipping through textbooks before the semester starts, so I know what I'm getting myself into.
It also helps me see how much my reading load is going to be for the semester. If you are lucky, you'll be able to get a head start on the reading for the semester!
If you decide to drop a class, you should be able to return the book to your university (if that's where you bought it) as long as it's during the first week of school.
5. Put Your Class Schedule into Your Calendar
While I use my bullet journal for tracking my homework and my to-do list, I use my phone for my schedule because college schedules change so quickly.
I like to put my class schedule into my phone calendar app in advance, so I'm prepared. If I drop a class or switch a class, it's very easy to change my schedule.
6. Stock up on Food
If you read my last post about preparing for a new semester before you get back to campus, you'll have already learned that I like to plan what meals I'm going to be eating and create lists of the options I could have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
When I get back to campus, I stock up on non-perishable bulk items like beans and oats. Even though I go grocery shopping weekly, I always like to make sure that I have extra food.
You never know when you might be sick or when you might be a little hungrier than usual so it's important to be prepared!
7. Pack Your Backpack with Essentials
At the start of every semester, you should check to make sure you've repacked your backpack and other bags with your essential items.
Personally, I always make sure I have extra pens and pencils just in case I forget my main pen case. It's always a good idea to have extra supplies just in case someone else forgets to bring a writing utensil as well!
Another thing I always like to have in my bag is extra Band-Aids. You never know when you might need one!
8. Find Your Classrooms
Now that I'm a senior, I don't have to do this as much as I needed to when I was a freshman because a lot of my higher-level classes are in the same rooms. When I was a freshman though, that was a different story!
I got lost so easily! It even took me like an hour to find my dorm for the first time. Google Maps kept leading me in circles because I didn't have the walking mode turned on so the app wouldn't let me walk through campus. 🤣
In the beginning, I always made sure I had thirty minutes at least to get to most of my classes, just in case I somehow ended up in the wrong place.
9. Set Alarms
Besides setting an alarm to wake up, I also set alarms to remind me when it's time to leave for class and to start my evening routine.
Setting alarms for when you have to leave for classes will bring you so much peace of mind. I like to go back to my apartment between classes to eat, to change for dance, and so I'm not carrying around a million things during the day. I create my schedule accordingly.
The only downside to this is that sometimes, I'm walking to campus four or even five times a day if I have events or club activities later in the day.
Alarms help me make sure that I'm on time to my classes! I generally set my alarms on my watch or as a notification from my calendar app on my phone. I set these alarms for 15-30 minutes before the class starts, depending on how long it's going to take me to get to that class.
Setting alarms helps me to be more productive because I don't have to keep checking the time!
10. Reassess Your Schedule + Routines at the End of the Week
Your schedule always changes during the first week of college. There's always a class that you didn't like or a class that you were waitlisted for that you got into.
At the end of the first week is the perfect time to reassess all of the routines you've planned for the semester to make sure you'll be able to get all of your homework done along with cooking, cleaning, laundry, and everything else you have to do.
Final Notes on 10 Things to Do During the First Week of School to Stay Organized All Semester
These are all the things I like to do during my first week back at college to make sure I'm prepared for the semester! Having a productive semester starts with building systems that help you keep going as the semester gets tougher! You've got this!
Here's a quick recap of the things to do during the first week of school for a productive semester:
- Prepare your study space and declutter
- Buy supplies/prepare notebooks
- Read all of your syllabi
- Buy your textbooks and flip through them
- Put your class schedule into your calendar
- Stock up on food
- Pack your backpack with essentials
- Find your classrooms
- Set alarms
- Reassess your schedule and routines at the end of the week
If you enjoyed this post about things to do during the first week of school, you may also enjoy reading these ones!
- How I Track My Finances in My Bullet Journal (Without Overwhelm)
- My Weekly Planning Routine for Staying Organized in College
- 30 Bullet Journal Pages for College Students (Everything from Classes to Meal Planning!)
- How to Prepare for a New Semester: 9 Things to Do Before Heading Back to Campus
I hope this list of things to do during the first week of school helps you get ready for the semester and helps you feel more prepared! Have a great semester!
If this post about things to do during the first week of school helped you, please share it with a friend! Thank you! :)
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