Welcome back, #myTRU! Its’ the 2019 Fall term, for new students you are probably feeling a combination of excitement and nervousness and for older students, you are like “Here we go againâ€, but this guide will help make sure you’re ready to face this term and make the most of your classes. There are many things to keep track of at the start of a new academic term, so here are six useful things to start your semester off right!
Set Goals
With every new semester comes a list of overwhelming things to do from achieving academics and personal goals. It best to follow a guided path than freestyling. To achieve this, you could follow the SMARTÂ framework. So with each goal, you set this semester to make sure they are:
- Specific:Â What do you want to accomplish and why is it important?
- Measurable: How much, how many and how will you know it is accomplished?
- Achievable:Â Can you accomplish this goal? Is this goal realistic based on constraints like time?
- Realistic:Â Is this the right time? Can you personally achieve this?
- Time-bound:Â When? What can I do one week from now?
This will create a roadmap and expectations for how your semester will unfold over the next couple of months. It is key to have this written down in a book, journal or visual board. It will come in useful to show your progress so far on which goal you actually locked down and didn’t.
Prepare for classes
It is key to get a head start on each of your classes by preparing ahead of time before you get overwhelmed with an accumulation of assignments and tests.
And if you are not sure where to start? Here are some suggestions:
- Get familiar with your Moodle student account and enroll in your classes.
- Study your course outline for the semester to understand your instructor expectations from you and grading structure.
- Sync urgent deadlines into your calendars.
- Before the start of each class, complete pre-readings, go through handouts, slides and additional resources. This will help with a better understanding of the course.
Be Active
To really get into the university experience, it is good to know that it goes further than going to class every day and doing school work. So be open-minded and keen to try something new like joining a club! Did you that TRU has 85 clubs ranging with all types of interests from Anime to Young Liberals Club?
You could check the TRUSU Club Resource Centre to check out the Club Directory and to learn all about Club Days. Additionally, Â TRUSU Campus Life provides information on events and extracurricular activities such as Movie Nights, Common Voices and Last Class Bash. Doing this will allow you to immerse yourself in the TRU culture while meeting people and sharing life experiences.
Keep a healthy lifestyle
With your intense schedules and trying to survive the turmoil’s of being a student, we tend to turn to junk foods and bad diets for survival. Yes, the university does get stressful and it’s important to keep your grades up but so is your health!
Quick healthy habits you should have on lockdown:
- Stay Hydrated: Can’t emphasize this enough, always drink water! Keeps you refreshed and also helps with your skin.
- Sleep enough: Give your brain enough rest to be able to assimilate and do your best work.
- Breakfast: Always have breakfast, as they say, it is the most important meal of the day!
- Exercise/Meditation: Participate in classes with TRU Recreation or get a TCC Student Membership for only $27.50/month. Oh, and don’t forget you get free use of the Canada Games Aquatic Centre with your UPass!
Stay connected with ourTRU
To keep up with events and campus life, connect with us on our social media platforms. Follow us on Instagram @truworld, Â Facebook @truworld, Â Twitter @truworld and make sure to sign up to receive ourTRU.ca notifications.
Now that you are all set, comment below your favourite tips for a balanced semester and don’t forget to share this with your friends to help them out too!
