The Importance of a Syllabus

Every semester I hand out syllabi to each of my classes - every student. And, every semester, I end up frustrated by the number of students who spend time to look up my email address and send me an email when they could just look at the syllabus. And, that's not even including the number of students that miss due dates for major assignments!

Believe it or not, but teachers generally hate giving bad grades - especially when a few minutes spent reading a syllabus could have saved a student the heartache of failing an assignment or even a course. I know you've all heard it countless times, but I'll say it once more for good measure -

READ YOUR SYLLABUS!

A syllabus is your contract with the Instructor. By staying in the class, you're agreeing to abide by the rules of the class - all of which should be in your syllabus. Syllabi also include a lot of information - due dates for assignments, contact information and office hours of your Instructor, assigned readings and homework for the week, etc.

It's amazing how much harm not reading a syllabus can do to a student's grades. :(

How to Survive a Busy Week

It's getting to be that time of the semester - the time when everyone has their first major tests or papers due for all of their classes. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, here are a few tips to help you get back on track....

1. Don't forget to breathe! - It may be a hectic week or two, but it's only temporary. Try to keep things in perspective.
2. Keep an updated daily "To Do" list. - If you can plan out your week ahead of time, things will go much smoother later on.
3. Leave extra space in your schedule. - You never know when a printer will die, you'll have computer problems, or a major traffic jam will disrupt your nicely planned schedule.
4. Don't wait until the last minute. - Something unexpected will almost always come up.
5. Make sure to schedule yourself some downtime. - We all need a little downtime and breathing room. Scheduling some fun into your schedule or just some time to relax can keep you from getting too stressed out. And, it'll help you stay healthy, too!

Good luck!