I have formulated a bunch of advice I wish I could have given myself before I graduated with my first Bachelor's degree. I am currently working on a second Bachelor's degree in Psychology and wow, did I learn a whole lot my second time around. So please, do not take this advice lightly. Use it to your advantage, trust me!
1. When sleeping in or skipping class sounds a whole lot better, just go to class.
Skipping class makes it easy to fall behind, especially if you are taking a three hour class. Chances are there will not be that awesome person who hands you class notes the following week. Trust me, they worked their tail off for those notes so chances are they will not give it to someone who slacks off. Also, if you need a boost in your GPA this is the way to get it. Your GPA actually drops for every unexcused class you miss. Once you miss at least two, your final grade gets dropped down a full letter grade. Just to go to class. If you feel like your brain is oozing out of your ears go for a quick walk to the bathroom and come back. You can also just sit on the internet for a few minutes to catch a quick break and then you will have enough time to refocus.
2. Pack food to save money.
Campus food can be quite yummy, but it will also tear open a hole in your wallet. Once I saw that a salad at Kean came out to almost $9.00, I told myself it was enough with buying food there unless I absolutely had to. You can bring things in disposable zip lock bag, this way you do not have to worry about carrying around a lunch box or containers. There are plenty of packaged healthy snacks too, such as granola bars, protein bars, and dried fruit. Take advantage of this, you will not regret it!
3. Get a planner.
I know, it seems like a tedious task, but you will thank me. You will need one that has a calendar, but then also has pages separated by weeks. This will help you prioritize work, school, and life. As soon as you receive your syllabus write down every assignment. (recommended in pencil in case assignments change). You may also want to include sticky notes and jot down things as a to-do list. As you complete a task cross it off in your planner as well as your syllabus. If you have nothing planned to do one week, do assignments that are do for the following week. This will give you a week off. Literally the best thing I could have done.
4. Use Chegg, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and the library to your advantage.
One thing I do before school starts is gather a list of the ISBN numbers for all of my text books. I then make a list of the usual places I purchase or rent text books. Then I research the price for each book from each of the listed places. This makes it easy for you to find where it will be cheaper for you to purchase or rent text books. Last year, I saved around $400.00 from purchasing my books outside of Kean's book store. I even managed to get textbooks for free by renting them out of the University's library.
5. Organize your notes.
I like to use Google Docs for my note taking because it saves as you type. This is great because you will never have to worry about losing your notes. I also like to organize my notes by using an outline format. Here is an example:
Topic
- note 1
-note 2
Topic
Bullet pointing the notes also makes it super easy to find things under each topic. You can also add in your own notes from the textbook. Once you have your notes organized it will also help you study since all the main ideas are already outlined for you. This has also helped me with papers or short answers in class, because all I had to do was formulate my notes into full sentences. Easy A!
6. Trouble staying awake in class? Try this.
After working an eight hour shift before class I'm always extremely exhausted. When I have time I stop for coffee, this is usually my crutch when I need to stay awake for a three hour night class. Another thing I like to do is pack protein bars or even small snack sized bags of candy. Having something to chew on or drink will keep you awake for the time being.
7. Try and find a seat in front of the class or next to an outlet.
Sitting upfront you will find yourself less distracted by those around you. Usually people who tend to not care about class sit in the back and you do not want to fall into this category. You will also find yourself more engaged with the professor and you will understand the lectures better. If you can find a seat against the wall and near an outlet, you are golden! I arrive to class a little early to get this seat. I hate having my laptop die on me mid class, or have a half charged cell phone.
8. Get sleep.
This one is pretty obvious, but do not try and cram information and only get three hours of sleep. Your memory will not retain anything it just learned. Your best bet is to try and get that 6 to 8 hours of sleep. If you do things ahead of time, such as papers for example you will not have to stay up for hours on end and miss out on a good night's sleep.
Hopefully these helpful tips and hints find you well. If you can try and practice these with the new semester approaching. Trust me, I wish I would have known these tips before I went onto my second degree. You will not regret any of this! Good luck on your semester, I wish you all the best!
