September Survival Guide

It’s the beginning of September. My summer employment has come to a close, and it is now time to begin thinking of the upcoming school year. While some view the return to school as a time full of leisurely walks to campus amongst falling autumn leaves, fun coffee shop study dates with classmates, and new, interesting classes… I view the return to school as a stressful, frenzied mess.

If you’re anything like me and dreading the organizational nightmare that can be the first week of classes, you’ve found the right place for some help. After completing my Bachelor of Arts and continuing my Bachelor of Education, I have survived a staggering 12 term beginnings! The secret to it? Getting organized BEFORE the term starts. Here’s how you do it:

1. Set up your class schedule.

Whether you do this in the spring after course selection opens or the final weeks of summer before classes (but I always recommend doing it as soon as possible!), choosing your classes is the most important step in preparing for the term. This is especially important if you have required classes for your program or you’re close to graduating. I won’t give any advice specific to programs, especially since we have Academic Advisors available on campus to answer any and all questions related to this topic, but I can share how I create my class schedule.

Julia’s Steps to Selecting Classes:

• When the Course Schedule for the upcoming school year is released, I select and write down all the classes that interest me.
• Next, I print out four copies of the Slot Schedule from BU’s website.
• I write down all the classes that interest me in the slots they happen in, using one copy of the Slot Schedule for the first semester and the other for the second semester. (There may be multiple classes in each slot and other scheduling conflicts, and that’s okay at this stage).
• After that, I go through both semesters and select the classes that are required for my program or for graduation.
• Once I know which classes I have to take, I can select my other classes around those required classes. Having all potential classes on my copies of the Slot Schedule is really helpful at this stage, since it helps me visual what my days could look like depending on which classes I select. For example, if I want to avoid morning classes then I can focus on the classes that are in the afternoon slots.
• Once I know the classes I need and want to take, I fill out my class schedules for both terms on the last two copies of my Slot Schedule to create two ‘good’ copies of my schedules. Now I have a clear picture of my school year.
• I’m now ready to register for classes using BU’s online registration portal. Do this as soon as possible to make sure you get into your classes!

Once you’re registered for your classes, I recommend having a copy of your schedule either on your phone or printed out. Then you can double check days, times, and room numbers quickly during the first couple days of classes.

2. Now that you’re registered for classes, it’s time for step two: checking your email over the summer.

You don’t need to check it every day, but once every few days will help you catch any emails from BU or your professors with important information. The room number for a class might change, or maybe the professor will provide the Moodle or Microsoft Teams password before class begins. I’ve even had professors send out surveys for students to fill out which lets them have a say in the class’s content, textbooks, and assignments. It’s good to stay in the loop over the summer, I promise it’ll make September just a little easier.

3. After you’ve registered for classes, and maybe you’ve even heard from your professor, you can begin thinking about textbooks.

I’m far from the first person to give this advice, but it bears repeating: Don’t buy your textbooks until you’ve attended at least one of the classes. Professors may say that the textbook is optional (but still helpful), provide alternate ways to access the information, or state that previous editions of the textbook (which will be easier to buy second-hand) is still acceptable.

However, I still recommend checking out the campus bookstore to see what books you may need. While you can visit the bookstore in-person, our bookstore has a website with a little-known feature for students to find booklists for their courses online. You can input all the course information (term, department number, course number, and section number), and if the professor has submitted their booklist to the bookstore then it will show the books you may need. This is helpful if you are trying to find second-hand copies of books, since it provides the book’s title, authors, editors, edition, and IBSNs (which are identification numbers for books). This feature will also show the prices for books, so you can begin budgeting for books.

4. Now let’s talk supplies.

Remember the days of school supply lists? Your elementary school would give you a list that included items like one package of pencils crayons, four black pens and two red pens, six duo-tangs, and other supplies that included helpful information like brands and quantities.

Those days are over.

Now, it’s up to you to figure out what supplies you need for university. Out of all the steps listed here, this is the area I struggled with the most. I’m an overthinker and an over-packer, which is not a great combination. To help with this, I begin thinking about school supplies before September, which helps prevent panic-packing. Leaving this step to the last minute means that I prepare for a three-hour lecture by throwing changes of clothing, entire meals, and an obscene amount of stationery supplies into my bag.

There are lots of lists available online that can give you an idea of what you’ll need for university. Check out Google or Pinterest, or ask those around you, and decide for yourself what you’ll need. For now, here are a couple of basic items that every student should have for the beginning of the term:

• A laptop or tablet. (If you don’t have one or can’t get one, BU rents them out!)
• A notebook.
• A couple pencils and/or pens.
• A phone charger and/or portable charger.
• A bottle of water.

5. Get your student card!

Getting your student card is easy. All it takes is completing the online Student ID Card application with an acceptable photo of yourself. This photo should be a recent photo of your face in colour and against a uniform light-coloured background. After a few days, you can go pick it up from Ancillary Services.

Your student card is important. You’ll need it for final exams, to take out books from the library, and to access campus after-hours. Most importantly, you’ll need it to get your Paw Pass for student discounts at different businesses in Brandon. Losing it is a costly mistake (quite literally, it’s $32.00 for a replacement!).

6. This next step probably sucks the most, and it is paying your tuition.

Tuition is due on the first day of classes. To avoid long lineups and potential late fees, pay your tuition ahead of time. Finance and Registration is open over the summer, so you can pop by any time to pay your tuition for the upcoming year after you receive your Statement of Account. You can also pay online via your bank. If you’re mailing a cheque, you’ll want to make sure you send it several days before tuition is due to allow them to process the payment. However you want to pay, do it ahead of time so you’re not stuck in a never-ending line of payment procrastinators. Dropping thousands of dollars at once isn’t exactly a fun experience, so get it over with as soon as possible.

7. Finally, think about how you’re getting to school.

If you bought a parking pass, make sure you know where your parking lot is located. If you’re driving but don’t have a parking pass, familiarise yourself with the street parking surrounding campus–and get to know which streets have two-hour parking limits. For those of you who walk or take the bus, plan your route ahead of time. This means that when school begins in the fall, you can have a stress-free journey to campus.

BONUS

I’m a student who is registered with Student Accessibility Services. This means that the beginning of term includes an extra step to make sure I can use my accommodations throughout the semester.

If you think you need accommodations, get in contact with Michelle Magnusson as soon as possible. She will meet with you and explain what to do so that you can access accommodations like alternate format textbooks, preferential seating, and testing accommodations.

If you’re already registered with SAS, there’s a few online forms you can complete at the beginning of the term:

• If your accommodation needs have changed, schedule a meeting with Michelle.
• If your accommodations have not changed, request that Michelle send out your accommodation letters to all your professors.
• Submit your requests for alternate format materials, Glean, tutors, and to take tests in the SAS Test Centre.

University is hard. Make it a little easier by preparing for your first week. By doing some or all of these steps, you’ll set yourself up for success before the school year even begins.

TL;DR

P.S. If you didn’t read this whole post (and I don’t blame you… it’s still summer break!) then here’s a quick summary of things to do before school begins for an easy start to your year!

1. Select and register for your classes.
2. Check your email before school starts.
3. See what textbooks you need for your classes.
4. Get your school supplies organized.
5. Submit your Student ID Card application.
6. Pay your tuition.
7. Get a parking pass or figure out how you’re getting to campus.
8. If you’re registered with Student Accessibility Services, submit your SAS accommodation appointments or requests.