Essential tips to start the semester right

With the new semester here, it’s a good idea to start preparing now what you need to do to make it the best semester. Before things get busy, start coming up with a game plan. This will help you not get overwhelmed and make the best out of school and your college experience.

Make Goals
Know exactly what you want to get out of your classes before you start them and put the necessary work in. For assignments and tests, think about what grade you want to strive for and push yourself to reach it. Find projects and groups to be a part of and make goals to help you best utilize them. Without goals, you might not be pushing yourself enough to get the results from a class that you hoped to get when you registered for it.

Develop good habits early on

The very beginning of the school year is the best and most vital time to make habits that will set you up for success. It is when you need to learn about how to balance all the different aspects of your life and learn what you need to do to maintain school and your own health. Learn to prioritize taking care of yourself as soon as the semester starts and the workload is light, or you won’t be able to once assignments keep stacking up and midterms are around the corner.

Learn how to work smart
There are various study methods out there. Learn what type of notes help you best, what inspiration you need and under what conditions you study best. Some students like music to keep themselves concentrated, and others need complete silence. Find out what is the best way for you to keep organized and stay on top of due dates and tests.

Planners are a great way to physically see your assignments due dates coming up and help with staying on top of them. Whether you study best with a group or your own flashcards (or both), find what is the most productive study method for you.

Know your resources

UVU offers various services to help students succeed. The library is a great place to work on research for projects, as well as schedule rooms for study groups. There are tutoring labs to help students with assignments in various subjects, such as the writing and math labs. Psychology junior Jasmine Niutupuivaha said that the labs have helped her, and students shouldn’t feel nervous to try them out.

“I feel like sometimes people don’t go because they’re afraid to feel like they don’t fit in because they don’t know the subject, but they make you feel really comfortable,” Niutupuivaha said.

Be involved

Communications major Alek Clubb recommends getting involved by going to events and having fun. UVU hosts multiple events throughout the semester for students to meet others with similar interests and have a good time.

Extracurricular activities are also a great way to gain valuable experiences, meet new people and have fun. Look into the opportunities provided at UVU and decide what you think you’d be interested in. Visit Club Rush on September 18-19 to learn about the clubs available at UVU, or visit the UVU clubs website.