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10 Must-Dos for the First Week of College [Back To School]

Source: Lifehacker

Aug 12, 2009

Summary

With the start of the academic year, it's time to switch out of vacation mode—pronto. What you do the first week of classes can majorly impact your grades four months from now, so don't skip these first week must-dos.

Photo by wohnai.

Editor's note: This guest post originally appeared in an altered form at the Professors' Guide blog at U.S. News & World Report.

Take charge: At college there's no one looking over your shoulder or holding your hand to make sure you get off on the right foot. It's all up to you—and your feet. So do it.
Get your a** to class: In a class that meets 35 times in a semester, each lecture has about 3 percent of the content. Blow off the first week, and you're already 8 percent behind. Disregard what your friends tell you about "drop/add" classes, because every professor's on a different timeline.
Grade the prof: At the first couple of meetings, make a careful assessment about whether the professor teaching your course is one you can actually learn from. Is he is she clear and organized? Can you make sense of what's being taught? If n