Organization Tips for School

essentials
Summer is over–it’s time to get ready to head back to school! Whether you’re a freshman or rising senior, it always pays to be organized. Here are several things you need to know in order to stay on top of your workload while in school.

  • Always use a planner. Planners are the best things for any college student, regardless of your major. If you stay up-to-date with your homework, clubs, organizations, sports and jobs, there’s no way you’ll miss out on an activity or forget an assignment. It’s a good idea to update your planner after every class or meeting so you’ll be 100% sure of deadlines, projects and meetings that are approaching in the future.
  • Utilize your smartphone. Smartphones are some of the best tools to keep yourself organized. They have plenty of applications built within the phone’s database that can forward you reminders about meetings, homework and important things going on in your life (I’ve even used mine for birthdays!). Be sure to take the next step with your phone and integrate it into your life with new organizational tools.
  • Keep your living space neat and organized. The first place to begin your organized college life is your dorm room. Traditionally, rooms can be small–especially if you’re sharing it with another person. Fortunately, there are lots of different things you can buy to make your living space comfortable and clean at all times. Invest in under-the-bed storage boxes to free up room in your closet or around your desk! Also, small shoe racks can be used to store bags, backpacks, accessories and (of course) lots of shoes. The best part is that you can hang the shoe rack from your closet just like a hanger and it gives you lots more space!
  • Think ahead. The best organization tip for college that I can give is think ahead. If you know you have a final exam the same day as your internship, be sure to study throughout the week instead of cramming the day of the test. While a planner and phone can help you think ahead to some extent, it’s up to you to make the big decisions about how to prioritize your time. If you’re looking to make big changes, like studying abroad or changing your major, make sure you have the correct paperwork and deadlines ready for when the time comes to submit information. Thinking ahead helped me have more free time, apply for lots of jobs and–most importantly–it taught me how good it feels to be stress-free in college.

Be successful and organized this year with these helpful tips. Feel free to share your organizational tidbits here in the comments section, too! GradGuard wishes you a safe and happy academic year!