Welcome to winter semester, CMU students and friends!
Hopefully you’re feeling refreshed after three weeks of home-cooked meals and reading for fun, and are ready to dive into some new classes! But, let’s face it, the beginning of a new semester can be stressful. You’ve just arrived back on campus after your Christmas break, digging through your backpack for that pencil you *know* was there last semester, and you’re leaving every class with a pile of syllabi filled with information and due dates. Eek!
With the help of some friends and classmates, I’ve compiled some tips on how to survive thrive during these first few weeks of the new semester!
Sit down with those syllabi!
It can be overwhelming to receive SO MUCH information over the course of your first week back at school, but putting it in a different perspective can make all the difference. Once you’ve attended all of your classes, take a moment to collect all of your syllabi and sit down with a calendar or day-planner. Transfer all of the important dates mentioned in the syllabus (tests, assignments, presentations, etc.) into your calendar! Seeing all of these dates and “to-dos” spread over the months of the semester will help put you at ease and keep you organized. You can do this!
Say hello to your new professors!
Many of us will be learning from familiar faces this year, but if this semester you’ll be learning from a professor you’ve never had, make sure to introduce yourself! A quick “hello” and “I’m looking forward to this class” at the beginning of the semester will go a long way in encouraging further conversations with your prof. The lovely faculty here at CMU are here to help you, and they love to hear your questions and stories!
Do some “winter cleaning!”
Hey dorm and apartment folks, this one is for you! Everyone talks about “spring cleaning,” but tidying and organizing your space at the beginning of the winter semester can help give you a fresh start. Make a space for your important books and papers, do that pile of laundry from last semester, let some light in, and maybe put up that new puppy poster that your grandma got you for Christmas (thanks Grams). An organized living/study space will encourage an organized and focused mind!
So let’s get a head-start on this semester, and have some fun while we’re at it!
– Chloe Friesen, 2nd year Communications and Media student