Preparing for A New Semester

 

Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash

A new semester is a new opportunity to learn from our past mistakes and adjust accordingly. That is what I plan to do for this upcoming Spring semester. In this post, I'll discuss my planning strategies. 

Trello: Semester Overview 

Based on my latest YouTube videos, some of you might be aware that I have been using Trello as my main organizational tool. I plan on keeping it that way for this upcoming semester as well. Through Trello, I am able to break up the syllabus for each course into weeks, and take one week at a time and focus on the most urgent and important tasks firsts while keeping an eye on projects or major assessments that are due in the long term. To do so, I keep different lists depending on the where the tasks fall on my timeline. The lists that I keep are: "This Week's Tasks," "Today's Tasks," and "Projects/Major Assessments."

The idea is that: I move individual tasks from the "This Week's Tasks" column to the "Today's Tasks" column as I need to complete them. It might seem confusing, but it really is not. Basically, it is like having two to-do lists at all times in one place. But, do not stress! I plan on uploading a Trello video soon to go more in depth about the layout. 

New Folders Everywhere

A new semester is a fresh start on every device. On my Google Drive, I create a main folder: Spring 2021 and then subfolders with each course. The same idea applies to Goodnotes 5, OneNote, Notability, and my laptop's desktop. When possible, I like to color code the folders. These folders come in handy when it is time to review materials for a midterm or a final. I try to keep every handout, reading, and notes possible in their according folder to make sure I have all of the material ready for my study sessions. 

Download Expensive Textbooks for Free 

When reviewing each syllabus, I make note of the required textbooks that I have to "purchase." Most of them tend to be around $100 or more. However, I found a website that has access to digital versions of a variety of textbooks for free! That is always my first step when getting my textbooks for the upcoming semester. I first check the website, if I cannot find it, I Google it, and as a last resource, I purchase it.  

To close...

These tips are applicable to almost any type of student. Yet, while simple, these strategies save time and money. I plan on updating this post or creating a second post with more tips to come regarding starting a new semester. Best of luck with school!