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  • Freshman Prep: Getting Ready for University

    Freshman Prep: Getting Ready for University

    Post-secondary is a big step, and definitely a big change from high school – which is why it’s more important than ever that you start your first year prepared and ready to learn. The transition to university can be daunting, but you can bridge the gap by putting in a little extra work before your first day of class. Whether you’ve been planning all summer or are just getting started, it’s never too late to get in the right mindset for another productive and successful year.

    Here are some things you can do to prepare for your first year in university:

    Get to know your routine.
    You’re going to need to revise some of your old habits to adjust to a brand-new university schedule. Maybe you have night classes, or have to factor in travel time to and from class as a commuter student. Maybe you have to make sure you grab lunch between lectures, or figure out just where that seminar is being held each week. Get out an agenda and write out a weekly schedule (include study time, meal breaks and whatever else you think might come up). Once classes start, you can revise your ready-made schedule as needed to suit your new routine.

    Refresh your memory.
    Chances are you’re taking some courses you’ve already completed the high school prerequisites for – and chances are you may have forgotten a couple of things over the summer. It never hurts to crack open your old schoolbooks and review previous material. Try some of those old algebra problems, or see if you can remember how to conjugate a few French tenses. You may be just a bit out of practice: consider making some review notes to bring to your lectures in the fall if you really feel you need the help.

    Do your research.
    You chose this university for a reason (and are paying hefty tuition fees for it!), so why not make the most out of your experience? Check out events happening on campus, clubs that fall in line with your interests or upperclassmen who can offer a second opinion about the school’s programs. Got some tough classes? See if you can contact your professors and shoot them an email about how to prepare for the semester ahead. Most importantly, make sure you’re on the mailing list for any newsletters your school sends out (whether they’re for academics, events, sports, etc.) – that way you’ll always be in the loop.

    University is a difficult transition for most, but if you get yourself properly ready for it your first year might go over easier than you expected. Keep these tips in mind and show up for your first class confident and prepared for what lies ahead. Let’s make this your best year yet.

  • How to Design Your Class Schedule

    How to Design Your Class Schedule

    In the first seven or eight years of school, choosing what subjects to study is usually fairly easy. The choices are limited and usually the set of required courses, like history or math, take up most of the school day. Later, however, choosing courses becomes an important way to achieve educational and career goals. Learning how to design a good class schedule is the best way to make sure that each year goes as smoothly as possible.

    How much control do you have over the classes you take? You might not have much yet, but that will soon change. In high school, students normally have some options, but the choices are often very limited. When students get to college or university, they usually have much more freedom to choose the courses they want, but they also have the responsibility to monitor their own education.

    Students’ experiences with course choices can vary. Some programs, especially those that lead directly to employment in a certain field, such as nursing, tend to have a large number of required courses that often need to be completed in order. In more general programs, such as the studies leading to an Arts degree, the requirements are much more flexible. In both types of programs, however, students still need to find the best schedule to suit their needs.

    The first step in designing a class schedule is finding out which courses are essential to your goals and which are optional. Finding time for the program’s required courses should be your priority. Often these required courses can be spread out over a few years, but not always. The next courses on your list should be ones that are prerequisites (first requirements) for other courses you want to take. If you want to study German, for example, you should take the introductory courses as soon as possible. Classes that are offered only every two or three years should also be a high priority in case you can’t take them later in your studies.

    After you have selected the required or time-sensitive courses that you want, you can fill your schedule with other classes that interest you. You might even want to consider doing an internship or taking a special one-on-one study course to learn about an area that you think might be useful in the future. You might choose courses taught by an interesting professor, or you might avoid ones that fall either early in the morning or late in the evening. You might design your schedule around your part-time job or choose whatever happens to be available. Using a computer template to help you design your class schedule might help you to fit the courses together into a manageable timetable.

    Before you start to design your course schedule, you should learn as much as you can about your program and decide on your own priorities. That way, you will have the knowledge to plan a schedule that suits your needs while you finish the courses you need to complete your studies.  Happy scheduling!