• Print out your “detailed schedule” from web for Students (WFS) make note of where each class meets and the name(s) of your instructor(s).
• If you can, buy your sliderTextbooks before your classes start. That way you’ll be ready for the first reading assignment, which is likely to be assigned the first class.
• Find all of you classrooms, so you now where you are going the first day of classes.
• Use your FlashGuide—write down known responsibilities (class times, work schedule, recurring activities and meetings).

• Check to make sure your e-mail account is active and working. It is a primary mode of communication for the university. If you have not activated your account or you are having difficulty, call the Help Desk at 330-672-HELP (4357).
• Have you purchased your books yet?
• Go to all your classes. Don’t buy into the myth that the first class isn’t important. Every class is important.
• At the first class, you will likely receive a syllabus. Review this document thoroughly. You can use it to help you.
• Write in your planner when assignments are due and tests are occurring.
• Establish a regular reading and study schedule for all of your classes. If you don’t know how to so this, you can visit with your advisor.
• Call your advising office to setup an advising appointment:
  
  
  • First Year Advising Center                                                         330-672-3676
    • College of Arts and Sciences
    • College of Communication and Information            
    • College of Nursing
    • College of Technology
    • Undergraduate Studies                                    
      
  • College of Business                                                                   330-672-2872
  • College of the Arts                                                                       330-672-2780
  • College of Architecture and Environmental Design              330-672-2780
  • College of Education, Health and Human Services             330-672-2862
  • Honors College                                                                            330-672-2312                                                                                                               
• Learn your professors’ and T.A.s’ names and office hours.
• If you feel that you will need tutoring in any of your classes or may need tutoring later in the semester, GO to the Academic Success Center in 207 Michael Schwartz Center to register for tutoring especially in Math, English, or the Sciences. REGISTER NOW. These fill up.
• If you make schedule changes, do so as soon as you can this week, so you do have to make up a lot of missed class time.

• You’ve gone to every class, right? If you haven’t already, try sitting in the front of the classroom to minimize distractions.
• Hopefully by now you are checking your e-mail account on a daily basis. If not, it is time to start.
• You need to get contact information from at least one other student in each of your classes. Not only do you have a resource if you ever have to miss class, but the two of you could connect with other students to form a study group.
• If you are considering dropping or adding a class during the second week, you must consult with your academic advisor. The deadline to drop a class is 5:00 pm on Friday of the second week.

• 13% of the semester is gone! Review your syllabi and start your preparation for midterms. You should also get a start on projects or papers that might be due later in the term.
• How are you keeping up on your reading? Are you struggling at all with note taking? Any issues in keeping up with your homework? Don’t let small problems early in the semester become big problems later in the semester! Go see your academic advisor NOW.
• Identify a question or concern you have about each class after the first few weeks and make it a point to visit your professor during office hours. It is a good way for you to get to know them, and more importantly a good way for them to put your face with your name on their roster. It also shows them you care about your learning.

• Don’t be surprised if your first tests are happening this week (maybe you even had some last week). In fact, you may even have multiple tests in a single day. Scheduling your studying in advance helps you minimize your stress on days and weeks where you may have more than one exam.
• Look back: The first exam always gives you a chance to do critical evaluation of yourself and your semester thus far. Being a full time student, in terms of time investment (class time, reading, studying, and project time), equates to a full-time job. Are you performing the way want? If not, visit your advisor to strategize on how you can do better.

• 33% of the semester is over! Look forward: Very soon, you and your advisor will be planning for the next semester. Understand that whether your advisor is a professor or a professional advisor, he or she has a very full schedule. You will be receiving instructions through your First Year Experience Flash Point class regarding scheduling for next semester.
• It is important for all students to balance their academic lives with meaningful activities outside of the classroom. How are you spending your time when you are not in class or studying? Have you joined any clubs or organizations? Are you meting new people and are you getting experiences that your classes don't offer? You can learn about all of the available student activities at Kent State by visiting the Center for Student Involvement office in 226 Kent Student Center or go to the website http://dept.kent.edu/csi/StudentOrganizations/StudentOrganizations.html.

• 40% of the semester is gone! Midterm exams are probably happening this week or next. Are you prepared? Consider what you have prepared for. Have you joined study groups, attended tutoring? Have you gone to the Writing Center in the Writing Commons on the 4th floor of the Main Library for assistance with any of your papers BEFORE they are due?
• Have you made that advising appointment yet?
  • During week three, we recommended a visit to your professor during office hours. It is good to do that again this week. Possible topics of discussion could again include concepts you don’t understand or questions you have, but by this time, you may have graded material from the class. It would be good to review that graded material face-to-face with the professor or your T.A.

• MID-TERMS are this week and possibly next week. Mid-term grades a good indication of what your final grades may be for the semester.
• Meet with your academic advisor to assess your progress
• Meet with you professors about how you can improve, if necessary.
• Professors and Advisors will provide you a wealth of information about academic assistance. 

• Priority Registration starts this week. Remember you should see your advisor before Priority Registration. You can learn your Priority Registration date by going to the Registrar’s home page at http://kent.edu/registrar/
• You will be getting more information during your First Year Experience Flash Points class.
  • Reassess your priorities for the second half of the semester (i.e. check for upcoming assignments)

60% of the semester is over!

• Look back: This is a good time for self assessment. Are you sticking to your study plan? Are you caught up on reading? How are those final papers and projects coming? Are you getting enough exercise and sleep?  Are there any habits you want to adjust going into the last five weeks of the semester?
• The option for course withdrawal ends next week. Meet with an advisor to discuss your status.  This option is available to all students, and there are a number of factors to consider when it is utilized (i.e. financial aid, graduating on time, insurance rate changes if you are no longer a full time student).  You need to plan and make sure this is the best way to go.

66% of the semester is over!

• Friday of this week is the deadline to withdrawal from a class (11:55 pm online or 5:00 pm at the Registrar’s Office). If these terms and policies are confusing to you, consult with your advisor. Note: There will be a “W” on your transcript for every course that you withdrawal from in weeks 3- 10 of each semester.

• Check your syllabus for deadlines on papers and projects.
• The withdraw deadline has passed, and the schedule that you have now is yours till the end of the semester.  Assess what it is that you need to do be successful in all of your classes!  This could mean meetings with advisors, professors, Academic Success Center

• 80% of the semester is over!
• If you have Scholarship/Grants/Loans speak with Financial Aid to make sure there is nothing you need to do for the following semester.

• Start collecting any important information that you might have missed through the semester, so that you can review over break.  You don’t want to overload yourself with information to cover during the last week or two before finals. 
• Thanksgiving weekend! Enjoy three days off!  But come back ready to make the push towards finals week!

• Look forward: Get yourself ready for finals week. If you haven’t done so already, write down the time and location of all of your finals. This information should be on your syllabus, and you can also find this information by going to Web for Students and viewing the Final Exam Schedule located under the Registration/Schedule option. Regardless, you should confirm the information with your instructor to make sure nothing has changed.
• As you did with your midterms, develop a study schedule and plan ahead for how you might negotiate the stress of having more than one exam on one day.

• Final labs, papers, and projects are often due this week. Some lab courses have the final this week too.
• Clear up any last minute questions with your professors.  You want to be as prepared as possible for your final test/assignment.  If you have ANY questions, ASK!
• If you are a residence student, speak with your RA about what the checkout procedures are. 

• Prepare yourself to handle the logistics of finals. Your professor may require you to purchase a blue book from the bookstore. Make sure you have that along with pens, pencils and anything else you might need for the exam.
• Show up to your finals 5- 10 minutes early to give yourself a chance to get settled and relaxed before your exam.
• As your instructors finish their grading, they will post your final grades to student online services. All grades are due the Tuesday after final exam week. Your semester G.P.A. will be calculated and your cumulative G.P.A. will be updated by the Wednesday after final exam week. Make sure you look at your grades on Web for Students. If you have questions, follow up with your instructors as soon as you can to get clarity on your grades.
• Good students will always seek clarity on a grade if it was lower than expected.