Start of Semester Checklist

So, the semester has started. What now? Here is a list of the most essential tasks to complete.

1. Use the Add Period to change around your courses, if necessary 

   • Change your courses if you want or need to.

   • See my dedicated post on this exact topic for more information. 

2. Collect course syllabi

   • Take some time to read through each syllabus, understand course expectations, grading breakdown, faculty communication etc. 

   • See my dedicated post on this exact topic for more information. 

3. Get organized with due dates

   • Pro tip: It is much easier to take some time to organize yourself before assignments get overly hectic. Being proactive is always better than being reactive. 

4. Take time to check out your online learning system (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, etc.) for each course. See how things are organized and what is readily available. 

   • Over time you will see that each professor will organize and use the system your institution uses very differently. This is why it is helpful to take 15 minutes per class to peek at your course website. 

5. Create the organization system on your computer

   • Use this time to create the folder system you are going to use to organize any assignments you need to type on your computer. 

   • Personally, I used semester, then course folder, and then folders depending on the exact course. 

   • For instance: 

     • Fall 2022 → Chemistry 200 → Lab Reports

     • Fall 2022 → Chemistry 200 → Online Quiz Short Answers

     • Fall 2022 → English 305 → Research Paper 1 

     • Fall 2022 → English 305 → Research Paper 2

6. Confirm when your clubs or student organizations meet this semester

   • Check your email for details, or you may need to wait for information to be sent to members

   • Look at the registered student organization site through your school or their own website to find out this information 

7. Update your calendar

   • Look at the calendar for the semester and add important dates to your calendar

   • Look up large social events are your institution and put them in your calendar 

8. Note office hours for each course. 

   • I like to tell students that use a digital calendar to create a separate digital calendar that you can turn on and off dedicated to professor office hours. This way they are visible when you want them to be and not all the time.

   • Pro tip: Try to go during office hours for one of your classes to get to know your faculty 

9. Order books

   • Pro tip: wait until after each class meets once to do this. Some faculty will make it clear the book is as a reference, so you may be able to use the one available in the library and save money. 

10. Organize your email! 

    • I am sure over the summer your inbox was flooded. Take the first week of the semester to create some new filters, put old emails in the trash, and de-clutter your inbox. 

11. Update your resume

    • Remember all those amazing things you did over the summer or in the prior semester? Add them to your resume! The fresher these experiences are on your mind, the easier editing your resume will be. Updating your resume will also make it much faster if you need your resume for applications during this new semester.

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