We know the excitement is building for your first year at CWRU. While your Roadmap is one tool to utilize, there are other helpful tips we wanted to share.
Invest in a planner. Whether it’s online (ie.e.g. Google Calendar) or traditional pen and paper style, you’ll start off on the right foot with an organizational tool that works for you. It will be up to you to track your courses, assignments, involvement and more.
- “Organization is key! At the start of the semester, I like to fill up my Ggoogle calendar with all the exam dates for my classes so when midterms and finals season begins to roll around, I'm not completely shocked that it's already here. This way, I can also keep track of the assignments I need to complete before exam week rolls around so I'm not drowning in studying and homework”. - Mashaal ‘25
Download time management apps. There are a lot of great apps out there to help with your time management skills now that you will need to figure out what works best for you. Some favorites include:
- Evernote
- Remember The Milk
- Trello
- Focus Booster
- Rescue Time
- Todoist
- Toggl
- MyLifeOrganized
- Flora
- Also the Screen Time feature on iPhones (especially the App Limits feature) and Androids, and the Reminders app built into the iPhone.
- Accessible from Gmail, Google Calendar, your phone, and your desktop there are numerous ways to integrate Google Tasks into your virtual planner.
Go ahead and create a basic resume. When you’re involved in co-curriculars, work or internships, think about how they fit into a narrative about who you are and what your goals are that you can communicate on your resume. During Discover Week, it will come in handy when you attend the on-campus job fair.
Talk to your family and friends about expectations. How often should you call home? How can they best understand your life at college? What is the best way for you to keep the lines of communication open? While those questions and many more will come up over the next few months, start the conversation now. Chances are you’ll have to make adjustments along the way, but we’ve found that open communication is the best way to make the transition.