Tips and Tricks on Staying Organized in College

College and high school are polar opposites of one another. You most likely just left a world that

contained a structured 8 hr. school day with extra-curricular activities right after school. You had

the occasional night game for your sports team or a play on a Friday night, but it wasn’t a

schedule you really struggled to keep track of. In college, class times range from the dreaded

8ams to the long 4 hr. chemistry lab that prevents you from getting back to your dorm before

10pm. There are Thon meetings that run until 1am, exams scheduled during dinner-time, and

homework that is due on a Saturday night. Staying on top of your school work and social life can

be tricky, but with some practice and a few tips and tricks, you will be a master at the college

lifestyle in no time!

Use some sort of calendar

○ Whether it is a physical agenda, a huge calendar you can hang on your wall, or

even the calendar on your phone, find a place to record all of your school work

due dates, exams, meetings, football games, etc. Don’t just go off of what you

think you can remember, because trust me, you WILL forget something.

○ I personally use a physical agenda that has a monthly view and a weekly view. I

remember things much better when I write them down. However, I know plenty of

others who use Google Calendar and have it synched into their phones (There

are so many benefits to this option, but since I do not really use it, I’m not too

helpful).

The class syllabus

○ I would say this is one of the most beneficial things you can do to stay on top of

school work. A syllabus is a list of every school item that will be due for that

specific class. It will also contain the time, dates, and locations of exams and

office hours. For every class, print out the syllabus on the first day. Some

professors may give it to you. Proceed to write on your hand dandy calendar

every single item that will be due for that class. Homework, essays, quizzes,

EXAMS….write it all down. KEEP THE SYLLABUS.

Lists

○ Lists can also be very helpful to keep track of your meetings/school work on a

weekly basis. In the beginning of the week, make a bunch of different lists

regarding school work, meetings, hanging with friends etc. As you accomplish

each item, cross it off. It is very satisfying in the end.

Color coding

○ Color coding makes organizing fun. Color code your classes and use only certain

notebooks, pens, pencils, etc. for that class. It is quite helpful when you have so

much going on. It is also quite pretty to look at.


Morgan Flynn is a junior majoring in Architectural Engineering and is a Mentor for WEPO'16!