Success in a New Semester

The start of a new semester is often stressful, pandemic or not. Being able to start on the right foot by organizing your schedule and taking advantage of the resources available for students can make large workloads more manageable later in the semester. Purdue provides many accessible resources for students to achieve academic success and thrive on campus.

A big resource to be aware of are the Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions. SI sessions are available for many of the larger, rigorous courses and provide valuable opportunities for students to reinforce concepts learned in class. If a student does not fully understand course material, SI sessions are a great way to get extra practice in a group environment. I personally believe SI sessions helped improve my calculus and chemistry grades by preparing me for the exams. 

Another valuable resource to consider is office hours. Most professors will either let their students know what office hours they will have or how to contact them and set up a meeting. Office hours are a great opportunity to go over things you might not understand from the homework or a lecture. They are also a good chance to just introduce yourself to your professor and make valuable connections.