As the summer winds down and the new school year prepares to wind up, here are a few tips to help ease you back into student mode:

Things to tackle before classes begin:

Money - You’ve probably already crunched the numbers, but now that the school year is about to begin, take some time to sit back down with your budget to make sure you know exactly how much you can spend in those first few weeks at school (often the most expensive, what with textbooks, school supplies, and other initial, one-time costs), and beyond. Figure out a system for keeping track of where your money is going and coming from throughout the year, so you’ll know when you start to slide off track with your expenses long before it becomes an issue. Keeping a daily or weekly ledger of every penny you spend is tedious, but it’s a great way to see how much you truly blow on the non-essentials.

Sleep – Like it or not, those morning classes are coming. If your summer job allowed you to sleep in most days, now is the time to start slowly resetting your body’s internal clock, or else you will pay for it when your real alarm clock – you know, the annoying one on your nightstand – is screaming at you to get up for class, while your personal timepiece is insisting you need another two hours of sleep. Not exactly a great way to start off a day, or a semester.

Supplies – Don’t be the mooch who comes to the first day of classes with nothing but the clothes on your back, and needs to borrow a piece of paper and a pen from your neighbour. Seriously. Take advantage of all those back-to-school sales (and, really, how can you miss them?) and buy your school supplies now so you have everything you need for the school year. If the book lists for your classes are available, start hunting for the best prices on the must-have titles (check out www.Books4Exchange.com!), and do some investigative work into whether you think you’ll need the optional ones.

Familiarization – If you can, head to your campus before classes begin to get to know your new home away from home a little better. Your school’s orientation day or week can be a great time to do this, as there will be plenty of other students around to help you find your way, and fun events to help you meet new people. But there’s nothing stopping you from dropping by on your own time, if you live near enough. Armed with your timetable, figure out where each of your classes is located, and the easiest ways to get to them. Also scope out the bus routes to and from your school, if necessary, and take a trial run to see how long it takes you to get there, especially if you’re taking an unfamiliar route during rush hour traffic.

The first few weeks:

Start good habits early – Attend classes, take notes, read your textbooks. Begin these good study habits now, and you’ll be set for the rest of the year. But if you kick off the year in lazy mode – skipping classes, putting off the readings – you’ll find it that much harder to catch up a couple of months from now when things get really busy.

As far as attendance goes, keep in mind that many popular classes have wait lists, and if you’re not showing up, the professor may decide to give your spot in the course to someone who really wants it. When it comes to reading the textbooks, these first few weeks may be the only time in the year when you don’t have a deadline for all your other courses breathing down your neck, so take advantage of it. Finally, in regards to note-taking, keep in mind how far ago these first few weeks will seem come midterms or finals, and do your future self a favor by taking detailed notes.

Get involved – Although you can technically get involved in most school groups, clubs, or activities at any point in the year, the first month or so is probably the best time to do so. This is when all the other newbies get on board with the school newspaper, photography club, student council, etc., so you won’t feel so much like you’re the only person who doesn’t know anyone else there. Although it can be a bit of a balancing act to juggle schoolwork, part-time employment, and extracurricular involvement, you won’t regret the memories and friends you’ll make doing something other than studying all the time.

Time management – Even if you’ve never been one to use a planner before, consider getting one and using it now. Sit down with your course outlines and enter in all the important assignment deadlines and test days, so nothing can sneak up on you over the next few months. Figure out how much time you’ll likely need for the major assignments, and enter in those early reminders, as well, so you’ll always be able to get started on time. Also take a look at your day-to-day time management – which courses will require the most amount of time each week? How much reading do you need to do for each class? When can you fit it all in between your other commitments?

Talk to people – Although seating plans aren’t generally used at the university or college level, people are creatures of habit. That means most of your fellow classmates will probably be sitting in the same general area or seat every class for the rest of the semester. So rather than burying your nose in a book before class starts each day, take some time to chat up the people sitting around you, since these will likely be the same faces you’ll be seeing every day for next several months. You might make a new bosom buddy, or, at the very least, have someone whose notes you can borrow when you miss a class.

The same advice goes for just about anywhere else on campus. If you’re coming to a school where you don’t really know anyone else, you may feel pretty lonely those first few days. But once you start striking up conversations – joining other people sitting alone in the cafeteria or library, chatting with someone standing in line at the bookstore, saying hello to that guy you always see at the coffee kiosk – you’ll quickly get to know people, and the campus will seem a little bit more friendly. Just remember – although some students are fortunate enough to come to university with their high school group of friends in tow, most of your fellow students are in the same boat you are, and are probably just as nervous about meeting new people as you may be.

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