With winter quarter coming to a close and spring quarter peeking around the corner, it’s time to rip off March’s calendar page and prepare for April. Staying organized at the beginning of the quarter may help students be successful until the end of a course.
With how far technology has come along, keeping track of coursework can be fairly easy. Computer engineering junior Robert Mickle likes to use “gtasks” on his Gmail account to make sure all of his assignments are turned in on time and to keep track of test dates.
“You can basically make a checklist and organize with your Gmail account,” Mickle said.
With a smart phone, this checklist could be checked as often as needed to maintain organization for every class.
For those who are more old-fashioned, a paper calendar can come in handy when trying to stay organized.
Biology senior Katherine White said she advises students to “get a big calendar, the ones that you can hang on your wall that show the whole month and write down all your tests and assignments that are due the first week. That way nothing pops up all of a sudden on you and you can plan ahead better for those crazy weeks.”
White began using this technique while she was a sophomore to keep track of her hectic schedule. Business administration senior Robert Moen said he also uses a large calendar to keep track of assignments.
“I found a free UGS calendar and put it on my wall in my room,” Moen said. “All of my important assignments are written on there.”
Another way he stays organized is by writing down every assignment on a Post-It note and sticking it in the order of when it needs to be finished. When the assignment is complete, the sticky note is thrown away.
As students progress through their four years at Cal Poly, organization skills that work for them begin to develop.
General engineering sophomore Austin Winther said his organization has improved a great deal since freshman year but still could be better. Since his freshman year, Winther said he has learned that keeping a system of binders has helped him maintain structure in every class.
“I try to keep all of my class work in separate binders and then use a planner in class to write down homework and then transfer it to a calendar at home,” he said. “This only usually lasts a couple weeks though until I start getting lazy.”
Aside from calendars, sticky notes and online checklists, students can learn how to stay organized by taking a study seminar at Cal Poly. Study seminars are available in the library every quarter through the Academic Skills Center. They provide tips on how to manage time wisely, improve detrimental procrastination habits, become focused and take notes efficiently.
Up to 40 students may attend a seminar and a schedule of the seminar dates and times are posted on their website: www.sas.calpoly.edu.