It’s the first week of classes, the time to meet your teachers and get to know your fellow classmates. Actual classwork usually doesn’t get heavy until at least a week later, so for students, syllabus week has gained the reputation of a week of relaxation. But there are certain things that syllabus week is good for. Read on to see Pulp’s tips for getting its full potential.

—Compiled by The Daily Orange feature staff, pulp@dailyorange.com

Have a game plan

You’ve successfully registered for fall classes and you’re feeling pretty good. Mission accomplished, right? Wrong. You might have your course numbers memorized, but even that won’t help you find the buildings in which they’re located. Without planning out a map of your class schedules, you might realize you have no idea where you’re going. To avoid this embarrassment, plan a route early to make sure you aren’t wandering aimlessly through buildings while looking ridiculous. Find the campus map on the university website and locate all the buildings on your schedule. Print it out and draw your route if you have to. Just don’t show up late on the first day because you got lost.

Hold off on buying textbooks

There is nothing more heartbreaking than spending hundreds of dollars on textbooks and then hearing from your professor that half of them are optional. If you are used to being on top of things, the thought of showing up to class — even on syllabus day — without all the required materials might make your skin crawl. But college is expensive. Disgustingly expensive. Every dollar saved should be precious to you. Control your urge to be prepared and buy your textbooks after talking to your professors and making you’re sure you’ll actually need them.

Make the change

Be honest with yourself during the first week of class. Syllabus week is a pivotal time for you to ultimately decide to keep your schedule or drop a class — or two. Be realistic. Are you really going to keep up with a class that requires hundreds of pages of reading a week on top of regular tests and assignments? Don’t be afraid to make a change. Dropping a class is as easy as clicking a button. A lighter schedule will leave you with fewer all-nighters and a milder addiction to coffee. Even if you have a strict four-year plan you want to follow and dropping a class isn’t an option, you can still consider swapping one out for an easier class.

Schedule time for meals

Juggling back-to-back classes with endless assignments while acclimating to a new schedule and place can be tricky, so don’t forget to make time to eat. But before you do that, be sure to check the hours of your nearest dining hall. If you’re craving some hot food between the hours of 3-4:30 p.m., you’re out of luck. This excruciatingly long hour and a half is the time between lunch and dinner when no hot food is served. Unless you feel like filling up on lettuce and croutons, plan your meal swipes accordingly.

Research your professor

If you’re thinking of dropping a class or switching into a section with a different professor, do some research first. You never know what you might miss if you don’t ask some questions. Talk to upperclassmen to see if they’ve had the professor before and what they liked or disliked about the course. Or, if you can’t find friends who have previously taken the class, ask the Internet. Some websites are made for students to either praise or complain about past classes and professors — which can provide extremely valuable information.

Published on August 26, 2013 at 12:49 am