Fall 2020 College Guidebook: How to Make the Best of the Semester

This week, I was planning on doing a blog post about college dorm essentials, talking about what you should have and what you can leave at home. Don’t you worry, this blog is still coming, but I thought something else should come first.

My sister Paige just graduated high school and will be a freshman in the fall. She found out that even though her college is technically open and holding in person classes, most of her professors are choosing to hold their classes online for the whole semester.

Paige was planning on living on campus in the fall, but now she is second guessing this option because classes are going to be online anyways. We starting talking about this a couple of nights ago at dinner, and it got me thinking. A lot of us are all going through the same thing right now. Making decisions about college and what to do is so hard because as we all know, college is so expensive so it is important that we save money in whatever ways we can. So, this blog idea was born.

Welcome to…

Fall 2020 College Guidebook: How to Make the Best of the Semester

This post isn’t just for first year students. It is for anyone who is in college and trying to decide what is best for them.

I was really interested in hearing what other schools are planning on doing in the Fall. As for my sister and I, our school is technically open and holding in person class until Thanksgiving, but most of the classes wind up being online for most majors.

I asked everyone on Instagram to let me know what their schools are doing in the fall. The common consensus was that most schools are doing a little bit of both, some online and some in person.

Let’s be honest, even if you do live on campus, it is not going to be the same as in years previous. I would guess that in most schools, there aren’t going to be a lot of activities, sporting events, dining halls open and just every day activities that normally take place in college.

I want to go through some different situations and how to make the best of each one.

Situation #1: Your classes are all online

I’ll be the first to say I am NOT a fan of online classes. I learn so much better in person and I find myself having a really hard time keeping track of assignments and deadlines. If you are like me and have a hard time keeping track of assignments, I am going to share some great resources that I use.

-Tip #1: Google Calendar is your new best friend. I started using this last year and I wish I starting using it sooner. I love Google Calendar because I can use it on my laptop and my phone and it’s all connected. I also love it because you can share your calendar with other emails, so if your friend wants to know what your class schedule is, you can share that information with them. You can also color code events, set reminders and keep everything that you have going on very organized.

-Tip #2: If you like to write things down, get yourself a good planner. Planners are a great way to keep track of assignments. I like to get different colored pens so that I have one color for every class.

-Tip #3: Sticky notes on your laptop! And no, I don’t mean actual sticky notes, that would be bad. But this was an absolute lifesaver for me when I was online for the end of the spring semester. On most computers, you can get an app that allows you to put virtual sticky notes on your desktop. This is super helpful for me because every time I open my computer, I could see all of the assignments that I had due. You can color coordinate these notes for each class, change fonts and change colors to stay super organized. I would highly recommend getting this on your computer. I had a Lenovo computer and now I have a Mac and I was able to use sticky notes on both of those.

-Tip #4: Get yourself some fun comfy clothes. This is NOT to be confused with pajamas. Even if you are online, change out of your pajamas and get dressed every day. Sometimes, of course, it is nice to have a pajama day, but do not make pajama day every day. Instead, get yourself some comfy clothes to change into when it’s time for online class.

-Tip #5: Blue light glasses save your eyes big time. I got a pair of blue light glasses that are super cute and they were really cheap off of Amazon. Looking at your computer screen for long periods of time can start to give you headaches and hurt your eyes. Blue light glasses definitely help solve that problem.

-Tip #6: Make a schedule and give yourself breaks. It can be easy to fall into a trap of being on your computer all day and not really getting much done. It is so important to give yourself breaks, even if it’s just going for a walk and making a schedule of everything that you are going to do that day. Make sure to make time for you!

Situation #2: You’re living on campus. Some of your classes are online and some are in person.

-Tip #1: It’s more important than ever to take advantage of opportunities to meet other students. In years past, it has always been important to meet other students and make connections. But now, there are going to be less opportunities to do this, so even if you don’t want to go, just go! You won’t regret it and you’ll be able to meet other people.

-Tip #2: Stay organized with all the ways I talked about in situation #1. Google Calendar, planners and sticky notes are all important to use in this situation too! Especially if some of your classes are in person and some are online, you are going to have to be very organized in keeping track of your assignments.

-Tip #3: Enjoy the time outside! Spend time in the quad with your friends, take walks around campus, eat lunch outside. If you spend too much time in your dorm room, you could get bored fast, so make sure to take advantage of all the outdoor activities that you can.

-Tip #4: Remember that this is not how college is supposed to be! It’ll get better! Obviously, these are crazy circumstances and this isn’t how college typically goes. You are often in big groups of people at sporting evens and eating at the dining hall with all your friends. If this semester doesn’t “feel” like college, don’t let that discourage you and know that this will all get better.

Situation #3: You’re taking a semester off

I know that some people are considering taking a semester off from school for a variety of reasons. They don’t want to do online class, to save money, etc. So if you are planning on doing this, here are some tips.

-Tip #1: Do NOT waste the semester! Don’t spend the whole semester at home in your pajamas watching Netflix. Use this time to get an internship, explore more about what you love, travel, stay busy!

-Tip #2: Have a routine. Make yourself a schedule every day and be productive.

-Tip #3: Plan out your next semesters of school. Figure out where this semester off puts you. Look for some classes for the next semester and start making a schedule. Spring will be here before you know it.

-Tip #4: Work, work, work. Use this time to make some extra cash. Start applying for jobs to make some extra money.

Situation #4: You have some classes in person and some online so you are commuting to campus

-Tip #1: If there are clubs or activities being held, GO! If you are commuting, that doesn’t mean that you have to go to class and come home. You are still a student at the school so take advantage of what you can. If there is a club that interest you, join it! This is also a great way to meet people.

-Tip #2: Eat on campus once in a while. Meet up with some friends and have lunch outside on the quad. Consider getting a commuter meal plan so that you can get food on campus.

-Tip #3: The library is always there. I think the library is a great place to take advantage of whether you live on campus or commute. You can study with friends, or find a quiet spot. This is also a great place to go if you have class in the afternoon and want to go to a club meeting later in the day. Go to the library, get some work done and then head over to that meeting!

I hope you liked this post! Let me know if you like these kinds of blogs. I set it up a little bit different and I had a lot of fun writing it. Make sure to subscribe for email notifications when I upload and also follow me on Instagram! I have been posting a lot on there lately. Thank you so much for your endless support. See ya Wednesday with a new blog post!

Signed,

Ashlyn