Starting a new degree can be exhilarating, stressful, overwhelming, enjoyable, and stimulating all at the same time. There is a rush of emotions that we all experience when we start university or undertake additional degrees. But with the next academic year soon upon us, we can lose sight of all the things we need to focus on in order to be successful in our coursework. In this post, I want to talk about a few simple things you can do to start your master’s courses on the right foot and set yourself up for success.

Get to Know your Professors

This might seem rather straightforward, but you would be surprised how many students do not take the time to get to know their professors or teachers outside the classroom. I firmly believe that if you want to get the most out of a course, you need to show up to office hours, you need to have conversations with your professors, and you need to find out what they are looking for from their students. This is a surefire way to learn more about how your professor thinks, where they’re coming from, and their tips for being successful in their course. It’s also a great way to delve more deeply into the material and have thought-provoking conversations with world-class experts in their fields. Right from the beginning, go to office hours and engage your professors. They want to hear from you!

Focus on the Big Themes and Questions 

Every week, many professors will introduce the material by asking some larger questions or discussing broad themes. They are doing this for a reason. A lot of students tend to ignore these ideas, but it is a clear indication of what your teacher wants you to get out of the material for the week. These questions are usually posted online for your course and provide the basis for discussion in your class sections. Pay attention to them and think about them outside of class. It will help you make the connections between weeks and see the longer-term trends in the course material.

Don’t Read Every Reading – Pick A Few to Dissect and Understand

This is a classic mistake for both first year undergraduates and new master’s students. There is a temptation to try to tackle all of the reading and prove you have achieved mastery over it. But it never works out like that. Instead, I had a professor tell me early on when I was in college that part of being an undergraduate is learning how to read and determining what to read. That was some very sage advice. Every week, pick two or three readings that stand out to you and really dive into them. What is their content? What are the authors arguing? What are the takeaways from the reading? Spend time thinking about that and come to class prepared to discuss them and your analysis. This will make class far more enjoyable for you and enliven the discussion. I promise you will get far more out of your class discussions if you approach them like this on a weekly basis.