Five tips to kick off the school year with

Make an upbeat playlist 

Nothing seems to liven up the 8 a.m. commute or having to wake up early in general like a good playlist does. Fatima and I compiled a list of fun and upbeat songs that will prepare you to say goodbye to summer and hello to Ontario Tech University for a great academic year! 

Let us know which song was your favourite by tagging us in your Instagram Stories @otstudentlife!

Cleaning or decorating my workspace 

I find that clutter can sometimes be stressful to navigate, so nothing makes me feel more at ease than a tidy workspace (#MarieKondo). Kondo’s philosophy on her show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is if it doesn't spark joy, get rid of it!

via GIPHY

Since I spend so much time at my desk, I thought why not make it a joyful place to be? I love a freshly wiped down desk free of eraser shavings and broken lead from my mechanical pencils. I also find that the smallest accessory like a scented candle or picture frame of the people I love help to liven up my workspace! 

Here’s a glimpse of my workspace (on a good day):

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A post shared by Sylvia (she/her) 🇨🇦 (@studywithsylvia) on Jul 6, 2020 at 10:51am PDT

Going back to school shopping 

Back to school shopping is an annual ritual for me! Newly packaged sticky notes, pens and highlighters are my favourite items to get and unwrap. Check out my Back to school shopping list for university article for some back to school shopping ideas.

Writing out or organizing my calendar 

This will look different for everyone, whether it is through buying a planner, using a dry erase calendar, using an online organizing system etc. I think without a doubt some sort of organization system to keep track of important dates and deadlines is key to doing well in university. If there is one thing I find immensely satisfying, it is a colour-coded Google Calendar. I find this extremely convenient because I always have my phone with me. Google Calendar has saved me so many times when I’m running between labs to keep track of times, room numbers or whatever details I think are important for me to know about on the go. 

Here’s what a previous Google Calendar of mine has looked like: 

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A post shared by Sylvia (she/her) 🇨🇦 (@studywithsylvia) on Jan 7, 2020 at 7:28am PST

Connecting with other students in my classes 

I love getting acquainted with peers that I haven’t met before and reconnecting with old friends that are in the same classes as me. Canvas has a “People” tab that will let you see the class list of all of the people enrolled in the courses you’re taking. I like briefly scrolling through the list to see if I recognize any names. That way I’ll know who to connect with to work on collaborative activities with, form study groups with or even form potential course group chats with.

All the best this back to school season!