How to Get Organized for College or Grad School

To get organized for college or grad school, you need good time-management skills to help you arrange your priorities. You must keep track of syllabi, assignments, notes, your class schedule and projects. Keeping your college life in order can help you succeed both in college and later in the real world.

Instructions

1. Purchase an academic planner. Academic planners are different from regular monthly planners in that they generally have space to record information about your classes and the entire planner focuses on how to keep your daily academic life organized. Once you have your class information and schedules in hand, fill out your academic planner day-by-day as well as monthly so you can keep track of your academic schedule.

2. Dedicate a specific time of the day as study time in your planner. Scheduling the time you spend on your academics can actually free up more time for extracurricular activities and may prevent you from procrastinating and having to stay up all night. Highlight your study time, classes and activities with different colors so you can visualize how your schedule is balancing out.

3. Set up your desk in your dorm room or at home in a way that suits you best. Make sure everything you need, even down to pencils or pens, lies within your reach while you're working. Consider hanging some motivational posters around your desk or for a cheaper option, write down quotes that motivate you onto index cards and hang those up.

4. Get a small filing cabinet and hanging folders to store documents that you need but don't want to carry around all day. Your class folders can fill up quickly with notes, worksheets and completed assignments so you need extra storage space for those items you don't need to take to each class.

5. Use a three-ring binder to keep materials organized for each class. Put your syllabi and other important class documents in three-hole-punched plastic sleeves. Keep a notebook in your three-ring binder to take notes. Label your binder on the spine and on the front with the class name. Consider purchasing binders with a clear, protective sheet over the cover so you can insert the label underneath the plastic. This keeps it from getting worn and possibly coming off during the school year.

6. Take care of yourself. College and grad school can be as much about fun as it is academics, but it's important to have a balance between the two. Scheduling your time well and sticking to that schedule allows you to get a decent night's sleep and have some fun when you can. Eat a healthy diet so you give your brain and your body the chance to perform the best it can.