With a new semester comes new assignments, readings, and exams. At the beginning of every class we all get the infamous syllabus, the schedule for the entirety of the semester. At first glance, this piece of paper can seem intimidating, but with a few tricks you can master the syllabus and kill your class!

1) Write all assignments in a planner

As soon as I get my syllabi, I write every assignment in my planner. This allows me to see my busy weeks during the semester by writing all my classes in the same place. Also, by keeping them all in the same place, you won’t be rifling through multiple papers every day to figure out what’s due.

2) Highlight important dates

Keep track of your “big” dates, i.e. exams, essays, reviews, and highlight them to give them extra attention. This will ensure that you won’t forget about them, and keep them in the front of your mind during the semester. Because nothing is more frustrating and stressful than forgetting about a huge essay 5 hours before its due.

3) Take note of office hours

Office hours are an awesome time to get help and get to know your professor, and a lot of people don’t take advantage of this resource. Some of my favorite experiences last semester were from visiting my professors during office hours and getting to know them on a more personal level. Take advantage of them, you won’t regret it!

4) Use an app to keep track of weighted grades

My lifesaver during the school year is the Grades 3 app. This app allows you to input all your classes and the weighted values of your assignments. It tells you what percentage you need to get on your assignments to get your goal final grade, and reminds you of your upcoming assignments. It will make getting your dream GPA at the end of the semester so much easier.