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Get Ahead Early With These 5 Tips for Making the Most of Syllabus Week

syllabus week

It’s that time of year where 18 million college students get lost and sit down in the wrong classrooms. That’s right: It’s syllabus week. There are new friends to meet, professors to fear, and grading rubrics to ignore.

To many, syllabus week is an opportunity to cut loose and reconnect with new friends. But in many ways, this is the most important time of the semester. If you don’t take this time frame seriously, you could set yourself up for an academic disaster later on.

Syllabus week sets the pace for the rest of the semester. Get a head start now and you’ll lay the groundwork for success. Here are five essential tips to make the most of syllabus week.

1. Go Over the Syllabus

What is syllabus week without the college syllabus? During your first week of college, expect every professor to hand you a massive pamphlet. This thing is filled with a grading rubric and an itinerary covering all 16 weeks of the semester.

If you’re lucky, your professor will spend the first class detailing everything on the syllabus. Be sure to pay attention. You don’t want to be surprised two months later when you’ve forgotten an obscure project worth 10% of your grade.

However, not every professor is willing to walk you through the syllabus. Some might only touch on the most important sections. Even if you don’t spend the entire class sheafing through the syllabus, you’ll want to look it over at home.

When you can expect an assignment in advance, you’ll be in a better position to organize your schedule. And it’s not just about the grade, either.

The syllabus will include contact information as well as rules regarding sick days and absences. You’ll want to know what you’re getting into if you miss a class or experience an emergency!

2. Get Books During Syllabus Week

Most colleges inform you of book requirements before the semester starts. But if you’re like most students, you’ll wait until syllabus week to buy your books.

Buy what you need before syllabus week is over. You, along with every other student, are going to be snapping up textbooks online and at the bookstore. Wait too long and you might have a hard time getting your hands on a copy.

Plus, there’s a good chance you’ll need your book once the weekend comes. Syllabus week isn’t all talk. There’s coursework, too!

Have you decided how to purchase your textbooks? Here’s when you should buy or rent textbooks.

3. Make Connections

New classes mean new friends. You probably won’t be lucky enough to have a class filled with people you know. Even if you’re an introvert, take this time to reach out to those sitting close to you.

Why? For one, having people to chat with can make a dull class more interesting. You’ll show up just to have a good time with your friends.

But that’s not the only reason. What about the dreaded group project? Nothing is worse than getting thrown into a group of people you don’t know.

When you’re absent, you can text your pals and discover what happened in class. Maybe they followed the syllabus and you’ve got nothing to worry about. But if you missed a surprise quiz, you’ll know to talk to the professor about it when you return.

4. Test Out the Class

Many students use a website like Rate My Professors to find chill, easy courses.

But oftentimes a course may not have an assigned faculty member until you start. Before you know it, you’re trapped with a monotone professor who puts you to sleep. Or maybe the professor had great ratings, but the syllabus is really putting you off.

That’s okay. The semester isn’t set in stone. You can test out your classes during syllabus week.

Not happy with your current course or professor? No sweat. You can swap them during this time period without any consequences.

But if you wait too long, you’ll miss the cutoff date. That might mean you’ll end up paying extra to move courses or can’t enroll in a new course at all. Nobody wants to be stuck in a course they hate.

Read through the syllabus and pay attention to any apprehension you may have. That might be a sign that you should switch courses before it’s too late.

5. Get Started on the Right Track

This is the time to set the foundation for a great semester. You may be tempted to ease into the semester, take your time, and feel things out. That’s fine — unless it hurts your grade.

Once you’ve skipped a class or homework assignment, it’s easy to skip another. Falling behind can have a detrimental impact on your overall productivity. College is hard enough when you’re not playing catchup.

Take syllabus week seriously. In addition to reading all the syllabi, start planning things out in advance. You already have the itinerary, so you’ll know when everything is due.

By staying on top of your work and planning in advance, you’ll have total control of your workflow and workload. Take your courses seriously early on, and you’ll have a better time sticking to them.

Save Big During Syllabus Week

Syllabus week brings in new professors, new friends, and new courses to enjoy. It’s the most exciting part of the semester. And the most expensive.

From tuition to textbooks, syllabus week can drain your financial aid and personal savings. Thankfully, this is also a time for shrewd students to find great savings.

Before you run to the traditional campus bookstore, why not buy or rent your college textbooks online? Our website compares textbooks across a variety of different marketplaces to bring you the best prices. Buy textbooks online and see how much you can save.

About the Author

Christopher Manns

I was born in the UK, grew up in Canada and have lived in the USA since the 90s. I love my family, water sports, ice hockey, skiing and soccer. When I'm not helping people save money on textbooks, I'm travelling with my wonderful family and playing sports.