Welcome to Brock University! Whether you’re becoming a Badger straight out of high school, returning to your studies after a gap year, transferring from another institution or pursuing an academic interest later in life, you’ll find that the university experience is incredibly rewarding and will transform you into the person you’re meant to be.
But university is more than just fun and games. Over the next few years, you’ll likely encounter late-night study sessions, overwhelming weekly schedules and restless exam halls with tables that are far too small.
The bad news is that succumbing to poor habits can quickly make your studies feel more stressful than they’re worth. The good news is that with intentional, proactive planning and a smart strategy, your packed schedule becomes far more manageable.
As a student entering his sixth (and probably final) year at Brock, here are all the tips I’ve learned to ensure academic success while managing a heavy course load.
Fill out your calendar as soon as you get your syllabi
If you’re coming to Brock right out of high school, you might be unfamiliar with how syllabi work in university. For every class you’re in, you’ll receive a dedicated syllabus document. These are usually made digitally available to students within the last week of August or beginning of September.
Think of each syllabus as a comprehensive course outline. A thorough syllabus will contain contact information for your professor and/or teaching assistants (TAs); policies around late submissions, attendance rules and A.I. usage; and a list of the topics that will be covered every week for the remainder of the semester.
Crucially, each syllabus will contain a list of all the assignment due dates and deadlines that you should be prepared for over the semester. Unlike high school, you won’t learn about assignments as they become relevant — your syllabus is a handy tracker for all your upcoming assignments and their descriptions, meaning you’ll have all semester to mentally prepare for them.
There is no worse feeling than overhearing a classmate talk about an impending due date that you totally forgot about. To avoid unnecessary stress over imminent deadlines and forgotten assignments, take advantage of your syllabi as soon as you get them by marking down the due dates of every assignment across all your classes in a single calendar.
Some people might prefer a physical calendar or handbook, while others might opt for a digital organizer. Find the method that works best for you and ensure that you manage a working list of every due date as the semester moves along. Colour coordinating your calendar to keep track of different classes can help you organize your tasks even better.
November, December and their many deadlines will be here before you know it, so take a few minutes to save yourself unnecessary stress down the line. Your syllabi are meant to help, so don’t waste the opportunity to use them.
Make connections in seminars and classes
When I started at Brock five years ago, I was nervous to interact with my new peers. What I didn’t realize is that every friendship — in fact, every acquaintance — would become a mutually helpful resource that would make all of our academic lives easier.
With every new person you speak to, you gain a potential group partner, study buddy or friend to send you notes if you miss a class. Don’t be embarrassed to introduce yourself or sit with strangers. Something you’ll usually realize is that people want to help each other succeed, and forming long-lasting bonds is one of the best ways to make your university life more manageable (and way more fun, too).
I remember nights spent studying for upcoming midterms with new university peers, where we created cue cards for each other and quizzed each other on what we knew. If not for those experiences, I’m not sure I would have done nearly as well on my assessments or felt nearly as confident entering the exam halls.
So, on your first day of classes, feel free to collect a couple of Instagram handles or phone numbers. The more acquaintances you have within your classes, the more opportunities for valuable study experiences you’ll create.
Get things done early
This tip goes back to the syllabi I discussed earlier. Because you have documents cataloguing every due date that you’ll need to keep track of (and hopefully a colour-coordinated calendar too), you’ll have the opportunity to start working on essays or assignments weeks before they’re due.
Even writing just a few words on a page might motivate you to continue working on a paper over the next few days… and honestly, submitting things weeks before they’re due is always a great feeling. Maybe you’re used to writing papers or cramming for an exam the night before, but this short-sighted approach will usually come back to bite you — either through a lower grade than what you could have received with proper preparation, or a whole lot of unnecessary anxiety.
Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that if you miss an 11:59 p.m. deadline due to tech issues or Internet problems during submission, most professors won’t have sympathy for your situation. Depending on the policies described within your syllabus, be prepared to take late marks if this occurs, or even have your submission rejected entirely.
Tech issues might not be your fault, but complaining to a professor will often land you the same response: you had more than enough time to work on it, and you suffered by leaving it to the last minute.
Save yourself the stress by starting assignments several weeks (or even months) before they’re due. The knowledge that your upcoming assessments have been taken care of far in advance can bring incredible peace.
If things look rough, ask for extensions with time to spare
Sometimes it may feel like all your professors have conspired to align every assignment across every class into a single week. This is a phenomenon that doesn’t have a surefire explanation, but you’ll need to be prepared for it anyway.
Because you’ve so diligently created a study calendar, you’ll know when you have a particular week where you will be bombarded with papers, tests and presentations galore. Be sure to check over your calendar and take note of these especially important weeks.
If one of these weeks is approaching and you’re not sure whether you’ll be able to manage every individual assignment, take the time to email your professor or TA within business hours (your syllabus will often tell you who to contact first) and politely request an extension. It’s crucial that you ask for an extension a week or more in advance if you want the best chance at having your request fulfilled. Asking for an extension 30 minutes before a midnight deadline is a great way to piss off your professor and get a passive-aggressive lecture on time management.
Even if you’re not fully sure that you’ll actually require an extension, sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry. Knowing that you’ve got an extension on one big assignment often provides a feeling of security that will help you get everything else completed in the meantime.
While we’re on the topic of sending emails, here’s a bonus tip: when emailing a professor or TA to request an extension (or for any other reason), make sure to follow basic email etiquette. Address them by their preferred title and wish them well before politely making your request and explaining the reason why you need an accommodation. Including your Brock student number and the course code somewhere in the email or subject line is a professional courtesy that will help them keep track of your request.
I’ve actually heard professors complain in front of their class about unprofessional emails they’ve received from students, so save yourself the embarrassment of a class-wide callout by wording emails respectfully and re-reading them before hitting send.
Contrary to popular belief, your professors want you to succeed
You may have heard somewhere say that “in university, professors don’t care if you succeed.” This phrase is probably meant to scare you into working harder on your studies, but take a breath: after spending five years at Brock with a variety of professors, I can confidently say that most of the time, this simply isn’t true.
Many professors are genuinely kind people who care deeply about what they teach and want to make sure that their students are properly understanding the subject matter. Most of them won’t mind being approached after class by an inquisitive student or someone seeking clarification. Any good professor will want their students to do well, so rest assured that you’re almost always in good hands with someone who cares about your future.
There’s a reason why many professors go on to help their students one-on-one as thesis advisors. They want you to do well, and if you respect them and the content they’re teaching, you’re almost certain to get that same respect in return.
Sure, not every professor is going to go above and beyond, and every so often, you’ll get one that just plain stinks (Rate My Professors is a great website to sniff out troublesome professors as you plan your courses). But don’t let the occasional bad prof discourage you from seeking support or clarification from every instructor you ever have. Many of them are teaching about their life’s work, and they’ll be more than happy to discuss it with you further or see how they can offer support for your situation.
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If you’re an incoming freshman, you might be nervous about starting your university career — and I don’t blame you; it’s a big step!
If that sounds like you, take calm in the fact that there are many ways to manage your academic courseload. These are the tricks that have worked for me over the last five years, but as you progress in your studies, you’ll almost certainly discover your own strategies for success.
At the end of the day, if you gain nothing else from this article, remember that the connections you create with your classmates, TAs and professors will be invaluable over the next few years, and will often define your university experience — in academic life and otherwise. Set out to make new friends, learn new perspectives and engage with ideas you might not have considered previously.
Starting university can definitely be nerve-wracking, but with the right approach, you’ll find that you’re starting the greatest adventure of your life so far — and you’ll be able to manage the stress along the way.
Now… if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a calendar that I need to colour-coordinate.