Staying organized throughout college is essential to successfully passing your classes. Below are a few important tips to keep in mind to ensure high achievement in the classroom. Being organized in your classes will help you complete your assignments on time and study effectively. These organization tips have helped me and hopefully they will help you!

Get a Planner

During the school year, use a planner to keep track of all important dates in your classes. You can use your planner to track the dates of assignments, tests, and social plans. Only use one planner for all of your important dates. If you have multiple planners, odds are something will slip through the cracks when you forget to write down a date in all your planners. Having more than one planner is also a lot more time-consuming.

Writing down dates in your planner is not enough. Make a plan to keep your planner with you during all of your classes. This way you can immediately write down dates that are given to you in class. But do not forget to actually complete what you write down. Recording the dates is not enough though—you cannot procrastinate when it comes to school work. Complete all of your assignments and prepare for all tests that you record.

Keep Track of Your Syllabus

On the first few days of class, the professors will give the students a syllabus. Use this syllabus to buy all of the textbooks that are required for the class. The textbooks listed on this syllabus are not a recommendation. Order the textbooks to ensure success in your class and to have material to study. (It is more economical to buy some or all of your textbooks used, which can help you save money.) Keeping your syllabus handy after you order your textbooks can be useful to remind yourself of all the important assignment due dates that will take place throughout the course.

Keep Your Class Schedule Visible

Print out a copy of your class schedule for the semester to help you stay organized each day. Having your class schedule hung up somewhere in your room, such as on a bulletin board or over your desk, will help ensure you do not miss a class. Missing a class is a huge mistake if you want to pull off great grades in your courses. You are paying a lot of money to go to college, so do not waste your time or money skipping class!

Use Color Coding

Use color coding for each class so it is easy to identify assignments for each class and to effectively plan your study time. This includes having a specific color binder or folder for each class and using a different color of pen when recording dates for different classes in your planner. This helps to keep track of each class separately. Plus, you also know how you are progressing with each class.

Organization is the key to excelling academically in the classroom. Plus, the organization skills you develop in college will help you for the rest of your life. Remember: Success comes to those who plan for it. Hopefully, these organization tips will help you succeed in college—and beyond.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of World Education Services (WES).