Preparing for the New School Year

With the new school year starting in a few days, here are some tips to keep in mind when preparing and starting your courses.

Before the school year

1. Read through the syllabus and course policies carefully.

   1. Understand the topics that will be covered during the school year. This will give you a general idea of the difficulty of the class. You might identify topics that might be particularly challenging for you. Make sure to work in advance so when those topics approach, you will have already studied the topic on your own.

   2. Read the grade breakdown. Some classes have finals that are 50% while others have finals that are 5%. Some papers are 5% and others are 30%. This will allow you to understand which assignments are the most important. You will also be able to see how major exams are weighted differently in different classes, so you might want to study more for one test if it is worth more.

      1. For English/Core papers, reserve positions in the Writing and Tutoring Center in advance. The seats fill up quickly!

   3. Make sure you have all materials ready when the year starts. Check with the bookstore and the syllabus. If your class uses an external website like MyMathLab or MasteringChemistry, make sure you're registered under the class and ready to do assignments.

   4. Know the times of: class discussions, office hours, due dates of major assignments, and the due dates of regular, minor assignments (e.g. every Sunday at 9 PM PT).

2. Take notes in advance.

   1. Note-taking is an effective way to be already one step ahead when the school year begins. Set a goal of taking at least one chapter or half a chapter of notes a day. Though the amount might be small daily, taking half a chapter of notes a day will have you at 15 chapters after a month.

   2. While completing homework assignments in advance is also a good way to get ahead, getting stuck might lead to you spending more time on an assignment than necessary. Many times confusing questions are addressed in class discussions, so while it might take 20 minutes to answer a difficult question now, it might take 5 in the future. Also, a lot of teachers' office hours have yet to be posted, leaving many unanswered questions and leading to increased frustration with a topic. I would recommend completing homework assignments in advance once the school year starts.

3. Understand your schedule.

   1. Because of the pandemic, your schedule might look drastically different this year compared to last year.

   2. Write an hour-by-hour schedule predicting what a typical week might look like. Factor in OHS, other schools, extracurricular activities, sleep, breaks, and other events that affect your schedule.

      1. Many websites, like Google Calendar, can help you do this.

      2. Do not overestimate your abilities. While it would be ideal to be able to study for 48 hours without stopping, it is improbable. Do factor in breaks like lunch and dinner, and have at least 7-9 hours designated to sleep.

4. Clean and organize your workspace and prepare materials.

   1. Over the summer your workspace might have become increasingly cluttered. Take a couple of minutes to clean your workspace to have a clean slate to work on during the school year.

   2. Prepare notebooks or digital folders/documents to store notes and assignments. Having an organized computer helps in finding important documents that you might need to refer to later.

5. Be mentally prepared for the school year.

   1. Your sleep schedule might have changed over the summer. If you have classes earlier or later than you are used to now, take the next few days trying to revert back.

   2. Establish routines that you will use during the school year, such as making your bed, cleaning your desk of things that you will not use, and hydrating frequently.

During the first few weeks of the school year

1. Work ahead.

   1. Take advantage of the fact that the beginning of the semester is lighter in terms of workload compared to later parts of the semester. Now it is more appropriate to work ahead on assignments since teachers are more available. Take notes, start essays early, and go to office hours for additional help.

   2. This will also demonstrate to your teacher that you are motivated and proactive early in the school year, leaving a positive initial impression.

2. Evaluate your time-management.

   1. Ideally each OHS course takes 8-10 hours a week in total, including discussions, time to do homework assignments, and studying. If you're working more than the ideal time, talk to your teacher or consult peers on how to manage your time in this class more effectively.

   2. If you simply do not have the time for a class, consider dropping it or changing the difficulty (e.g. a writing option).

We hope that these tips will help you in preparation for the new school year, and we wish you the best of luck in your academic endeavors this year!

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