How to Make Sure You’re Ready for College in Fall

If you want to go above and beyond most of your peers, consider getting a jumpstart on your classes before they start. After all, many of your collegiate classes will be more difficult than high school ones. Getting ahead can help you be successful when classes get tough.

Start reading. Having reading assignments of 30 to 70 pages in a week is normal in a college or university. Get ahead by starting the reading. If you’re not sure what you’ll need to read, try to do some background research on some of the topics the class will cover.

Email your professors. You never know which professors could help you land an internship or serve as a reference for a future job, so make sure to stand out early. In addition to introducing yourself, ask about anything you can do to ensure you’re ready for the start of the year.

Also ask to see if they can share the syllabus for the class with you. If they send it to you, read it carefully and pay attention to how many points different assignments are worth and any rules that might be specific to the professor — such as how papers need to be formatted or how assignments must be submitted.

Update your calendar. Check your school calendar to note holidays, the start and end of semesters and the dates of finals. As soon as your get syllabuses for classes, mark due dates. The truly ambitious can go as far as breaking down large assignments and seeing smaller deadlines.

Research your professors. If you haven’t done so already, look them up on review sites to prepare yourself for classes. See if they have any quirks — do they lock the door as soon as class starts? Do they take attendance?

Give yourself a little motivation. Buy a planner, get a huge calendar for your desk and make sure everything from your pens to your backpack are ready to keep you organized and on top of things. Also, update your digital calendar with reminders for when you need to start and turn in assignments. This way, you have everything organized in your phone.