College hacks to get you ready for this semester

Here we go again, the beginning of a new school year. We are ready to see our friends and party hard. We are excited to be back, but dreading the actual school (classes, studying, projects, your dried up bank account) part.

For freshman, everything is new. You have to learn the ropes of navigating your new home, and the do’s and don’ts of higher education. For freshman, this is your guidebook and for upperclassmen, this is your friendly reminder. Here are some hacks to get you ready for this upcoming semester.

Do not take 8 am classes. Unless you hate yourself. Then go ahead.

Don’t take classes that meet once a week for 3+ hours. That is, unless you hate yourself and/or do not need reinforcement for that subject.

Do not stay up until the crack of dawn on weekdays. You won’t get enough sleep to function properly, and then next thing you know you’re waking up at 2 AM on Tuesday- but it’s actually Sunday, and you’re failing 4 classes.

When writing an essay, pick the quotes/text evidence you like as you read and write them down. Then later, you can choose what you like and craft your essay around them instead of searching endlessly for all the quotes you remember liking or the quotes you don’t even know exist yet. No good essay is written around searching for evidence.

Become your advisor/teacher/TA’s best friend. Meet with them regularly and really make an impact. People enjoy familiarity.

Make sure you set alarms for similar times and triple check that they’re on. Try to wake up at a similar time every day as not to fuck up your circadian rhythm. Being late to class will not serve you well.

Bring Tupperware to the dining hall. Why? To take leftovers back to your room. There’s no reason to waste food. Just remember to be sneaky about it.

Try to book classes in back-to-back blocks. It’s best if you do this with small bits of time for coffee and bathroom runs in between. You won’t want to return to class once you get home.

Stay on top of assignments. This is especially important for the ones with later due dates. Slacking and procrastinating are too common and a huge nuisance.

When walking around, keep all the way to the right, especially if you walk slowly. You do not want to have a run-in with an angry, late student. Also, if you continuously walk slowly around campus everyone will hate you. No one wants to be hated.

Arrive at least 5 minutes early to large or full classes. This is necessary so you can get a seat close enough to the front or far enough in the back, depending on the dynamic

Pay attention to a class’s dynamic. If you’re shy and the class is small, stay in the back to avoid being picked on.

Clean your room up every week. Food, clothes, etc. will get lost quickly, and you do not want to get to the end of the year and finally find all that stuff you haven’t seen since O Week.

Get a phone case with a cardholder. You will forget your ID on those drunken nights out or even on a normally rushed day, but you’ll never forget your phone.

And finally, don’t forget to call mom and dad. They love and miss you.