We are officially two months into the semester and it’s midterm time! I don’t personally have any midterm tests, but my workload is steadily getting heavier regardless. In this month’s How To, I am going to offer some tips on how to build your first semester schedule, what to avoid, additional details to consider if you’re an Honors student (as I am), and what the heck to do with the rest of your time!
To begin, you get to build your first semester schedule over the summer, during your SOAR appointment. Use your Degree Audit in MyUI to look at the classes you need for your degree, including gen eds. After you make a list, take it over to the Courses and Registration tab, also in MyUI, and have a browse. There are lots of gen eds you can take to fulfill the categories outlined in your Degree Audit, so experiment a little! Take the opportunity to take a class that just sounds fun; it’s going to count towards your degree if it fulfills a requirement.
The maximum number of credits you can take in your first semester is 18 credits. Do. Not. Take. All. Eighteen. Don’t do it! I’m taking the full eighteen right now, and even though several of my courses are 1 semester hour, they pile up fast. I’m afraid I am simply swimming in coursework. I’m in the Campus Symphony Orchestra; I did not account for the time I’d need to practice my music. College music is no joke, even for non-music majors. Now, factor in time to do homework and study time when exams and quizzes roll around. You’re probably also going to want to socialize and maybe join some clubs? I highly recommend it—they are great breaks from all the schoolwork you’re drowning in. Oh, and if you want to exercise? Go to church? Sleep? Good luck. Just… don’t take the full semester. You’ll thank yourself later.
If you read all that and decided to be to take a diabolical semester anyway, here are some tips to manage your life. It is an essential skill regardless of your work load, but becomes even more important when life gets hectic. I was not a planner before college, but I live and die by my Outlook calendar now. If it is not on the calendar, it will not be done! In your first week, as your syllabi get published, sit down and enter all your due dates into your calendar. It will take a while, but it’s so worth it. All of your to-do’s will be compiled in one place instead of scattered across four or five syllabi. Furthermore, plan out each week in detail. As part of an Honors assignment, I had to make a detailed two-week schedule and am so glad. I input every single thing I needed to do that week, including meals, workouts, and homework sessions. When I blocked out time for homework, I also set goals for what I would complete during the block vs assignments I only needed to make progress on. I encourage you, dear reader, to do the same. Start intensely detailed and scale back as you get into a feel for how you need to manage your time—or stay detailed if that’s what keeps you in check! Scheduling is so important even if you’re not taking a crazy semester. You’ll be less likely to miss deadlines, meetings, and work. I have been saved by my calendar notifications more than once. It only takes about a half hour every weekend to set the rest of your week up for success, so invest that time in your peace of mind.
A suggestion for my prospective Honors readers: take Honors gen eds! You have to take 12 semester hours of Honors coursework by the end of your second year, and that can manifest as one Honors course per semester, since most courses are 3 semester hours. All gen eds also have an Honors option, so try fulfilling both requirements at once!
For all my lovely readers, if you are double majoring, or taking any minors or certificates, also look for overlapping classes. Most of the time, if a course says it can count toward two different requirements, it will count for both. For example, I need to fulfill my Sustainability and Natural Sciences (with Lab) requirements and plan on taking Introduction to Environmental Sciences to do so because it counts toward both categories. Be smart and work with your advisor during your SOAR appointment to get a grasp on the function of your Degree Audit and and the other resources available to help plan your time at the university. Your advisor is also aware that you’re most likely brand-new to this process and will heavily guide you for your first semester, so you don’t have to stress a lot. Just have fun browsing classes and get familiar with your resources.
Lastly, rest. This means taking naps and getting good nights of sleep. Take breaks when studying for long periods to walk around and disengage. Eat fulfilling, healthy meals. Prioritize your heath and everything else will follow. Making myself a schedule and sticking to it when life gets crazy has helped me so much; even when I feel like I am drowning in coursework, I still go to the gym instead of skipping to study. I practice my instrument even though I’m stressed about a deadline. I go to church on Thursdays even when I’m worried about having too late a night. I do this because my mental state is remarkably improved after focusing on something that isn’t school for an hour or two, and I become that much more productive. You come to college to learn, and part of that learning is developing skills to be a functioning adult. Manage your time wisely, do your homework, but also set aside time for friends, hobbies, and rest. You will be so much happier for it.
Thanks for reading this month’s How To! Let me know in the comments if you find this helpful or share some strategies you use to stay healthy and productive!
Until next time,
Kiah<3
