Academic Organization: A Key to Your Student's Success
It's important for students to remember that their number one priority is their academic life on campus. As they begin juggling pressures related to roommates, friends, classes, athletic commitments, family and more, a gentle reminder may help keep them on track.
Once students get off track, they quickly find themselves in a place where they can no longer offer attention to anything other than their books. Getting—and keeping—themselves organized from the beginning will help them avoid academic crunches this year.
Encourage your student to:
- Make a Schedule: It may sound very basic, but completing a schedule grid will help your student map out weekly events and manage his time. Plus, it will help him keep track of academic obligations, while balancing them around other demands. Purchasing and maintaining a planner may also help your student stay organized.
- Designate a Study Space: Determining a study space early on will help your student develop positive study habits from the beginning. Encourage your student to select a comfortable space with proper lighting. The space, whether in your student's room or elsewhere, should be a place free from distractions. Creating a "study sack" or something similar, where your student keeps all of his study supplies in one place, might also help him stay organized.
- Set Boundaries: From the very beginning of the semester, your student should set boundaries between himself and his peers. Maintaining his personal space will ensure that he has enough uninterrupted time in his week to accomplish his studies.
Help your student get—and stay—academically organized with these simple tips.
Keeping Study Supplies Organized
Is your student studying somewhere other than his desk in his room? If so, encourage him to create a "study sack" of sorts, where he keeps everything he might need in one place—ready to go whenever he needs it.
Some things to keep in a study sack include:
- dictionary
- thesaurus
- highlighters
- pens/pencils
- iPod
- late night study snacks
- lined paper
- calculator
- CDs/flash drive
- Post-it notes
- language translation dictionaries and tools