Getting Organized During the First Week of the Semester

Typically during the first week of classes your professors will hand out a syllabus. The syllabus is an outline or overview of all the things you will be learning and what will be expected of you during the course of the semester. It lets you know what chapters will be covered on each day, when assignments will be due, and when exams will be taken. Some of them even tell you when quizzes will be given.

At the very beginning of the semester it’s a good idea to “map” everything out. You can take the information from your syllabus (date by date) and write it in your weekly planner (I suggest every student to invest in a weekly planner and use it). Make sure that all of the dates on your syllabus and in your planner match up. You should do this for each of your classes. (Side Note: you are taking all of the information from all of your syllabi and writing it into one weekly planner) When you’re done you will have your entire semester mapped out.

Having all of your information in one location will help you with your time management throughout the semester. When thinking about due dates and exams, you’ll only have to reference your weekly planner rather than trying to go through five different syllabi. You can plan when you’re going to start working on projects and papers according to their due dates and whatever else you have going on in your other classes. Your weekly planner will also help you plan social activities around your school work.

The key is to stay organized throughout the course of the semester. With organization you’ll be able to smoothly get through the semester without a hitch.

Important Reminder: Please keep in mind that a syllabus is only a tentative schedule which is subject to change at any time.

An Example Plan

Here is an example plan for someone who is interested in working in the field of education.  (REMEMBER: This is just an example.  Your plan may need to be a bit more detailed.  It may need to include more steps, or even less steps.) 

Ultimate Goal:  To become a school principal

Short-term Goal Breakdown:

1.      Go to college

a.       Decide to go to college

b.      Choose a college that is the best fit for me

c.       Get accepted

d.      Find free money for school

e.       Go to class everyday and be on time

f.        Complete all assignments and study for all exams

2.      Tutoring

a.       Afterschool tutoring at a local high school, middle school, elementary school

b.      Tutor my friends

                                                                           i.      If they are taking a class that I have already taken and done well in (I should have received a grade A or B in that course to consider myself having had done well)

c.       Sign up to become a tutor for the athletic department at my school

3.      Do some observations

a.       Choose several different teachers from different schools and maybe even different subjects and grade levels.  Sit in the back of their classroom and just observe them for a few days.  This will teach me so much and it will help me in deciding what grade level I want to teach and even what subject would be best for me to teach.  (I must remember to get permission from the teacher and their principal before doing any observations)

4.      Student teaching

a.       Student teaching will give me real life experience in the class room.

b.      Typically student teachers will do some observations the first four to six weeks or so.  Then they will begin to take over teaching some of the material and eventually they may feel as if this is their classroom because they’re doing all the teaching and the actual teacher is observing and giving them tips on how to improve.

c.       Learn everything I possibly can from my mentor teacher.

5.      Graduate from college

a.       Hip-Hip-Hooray!!! I did it!!!  Now it’s time to find a job

6.      Get a job teaching

a.       I should actually be applying for jobs during my last year in college

b.      Many times the school in which individuals do their student teaching will hire them for a full time position as long as there is a need to fill a position and the individual has proven themselves worthy while doing their student teaching.

7.      Work in the school system as a teacher for a few years while I continue to further my education

a.       Become familiar with the school system

b.      Be the best teacher I can be

c.       Make sure all of my students excel in my classroom and have the necessary resources needed to move on to the next grade level

d.      Always be prepared for work

e.       Take control of my classroom

8.      Acquire a principal certification

9.      Get a job as a principal

a.       Congratulations!!!  I have reached my ultimate goal.

10.  Set new goals

Developing a Plan of Action

First and foremost you should have an ultimate goal.

What is your passion???  Think first about your talents and interests.  Then research careers that incorporate those skill sets.  You want to make sure to choose a career that you will love.  Remember, this will be something that you are going to do everyday for the rest of your life.  This is a huge decision that you don’t want to take lightly.

If you’re interested in chemistry, biology, anatomy, etc. then you may want to take interest in a medical career.  Let’s say you choose to become a doctor.  Well, that’s good and all but now you need to also think about what kind of doctor you want to be.  Do you want to be a pediatrician, a gynecologist, a surgeon, you get my drift.  The narrower your ultimate goal the more focused your plan will be.  Now don’t get me wrong, if you choose to become a pediatrician and somewhere down the line you decide being a dermatologist would be a better fit for you, it’s okay to alter your goals a little.

Now that you have an ultimate goal, you need to find out what it will take to achieve it.  You’ll want to develop some short-term goals that will help you along the way.

This is when you figure out what path you need to take in order to achieve your goals.  If you’re going to become a pediatrician you will need a college education.  Not only are you going to have to complete some undergraduate coursework, but you will also need to attend medical school.  It is your responsibility to figure out all the necessary steps it will take to ultimately become the best pediatrician you can be.  While you do this research on what it takes to become a pediatrician you may discover that you don’t want to go through all that rigorous schooling.  If that’s the case you may want to consider other career paths that will be better suited for you.  Because you have decided to plan your life before jumping into school, you have alleviated the stress of having to change your major later on in your college career.

After deciding on an ultimate goal, figuring out the path in which will allow you to achieve that goal, and developing some short-term goals that will help you along the way, you now need to implement your plan and stick with it.

Once you have chosen to go to college, you have chosen a major, and you have signed up for your freshmen courses, you will now have to discipline yourself to go to class, do your homework, study for exams, and pass your classes.  At times you may want to sleep in instead of going to that eight o’clock class in the morning.  You may even want to go out to the club with your friends and have a good time instead of writing that paper and studying for your test.  Just remember this is your future in which you are shaping.  You may even get super stressed out at times and want to quite, give up, and go back home where life seems to be easier.  Just remember, this is your future in which you are shaping.  Make sure you reference back to your plan and focus on your short-term goals whenever you get discouraged.

Some students choose to go off to college without a clue as to what they want to do with their lives.  These students who don’t choose a major upon entering college are classified as “undecided”.  This path will allow students to focus more on the general education courses until the student can figure something out.  During that time the student can see what kind of coursework interests them the most.  Maybe the math courses interest them more, or maybe it’s the science courses, or even the health courses.  They can then choose a major of study based upon the coursework that interests them the most.  While this method is doable, it can cause the student to waist both time and money on unnecessary coursework.  Would I recommend going to college without a plan??? NO!!!!!  I would highly suggest for you to have a plan.  No matter what you plan on doing with your life; please, please, please, I beg of you to figure out some sort of plan even if that plan does not include a college education.

It’s Never Too Late to Plan the Rest of Your Life

 So, you are now 18 or approaching your 18^th birthday and your high school days are quickly coming to an end.  Congratulations on your achievements thus far.  It is now time for you to leave the nest and begin the rest of your life.  Do you have a plan for the rest of your life???  If you don’t, now is the time to get one.

Once high school is over it is your responsibility to take control of your life.  You must decide if you will be taking steps to further your education (by attending some form of higher education institution) or if you will be entering the workforce right away.  Whatever you choose just make sure you have a plan that will help you achieve your goals and aspirations.

Planning is extremely important.  You should have an ultimate goal as well as short-term goals.  Each short-term goal should be a guide that will lead you along the way.  Every time you conquer one of those short-term goals you should be excited to move forward in order to conquer the next goal.  Before you know it, you will have completed your college coursework, completed one or two internships which will have given you some work experience (internships are extremely important because most companies now are looking for college graduates with some degree of work experience), and acquired a full time job in your field of study.

If you have a plan for your life you will avoid so many of those frustrating moments that come along with trying to find yourself as you live life.  A plan will help you stay focused.