How strategic students prepare for a new semester
Sent by Lasse Palomaki | July 31, 2025
This post was originally published in The Strategic Student Newsletter — a monthly email sharing practical strategies to help students turn their degree into job offers. Want future editions sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe here.
How strategic students prepare for a new semester
Many students drift into the new semester — easing in, asking “what classes did I sign up for again?”, and telling themselves the first few weeks don’t matter since “they’re just about covering the syllabus anyway.”
But those early weeks often matter more than most students realize.
A typical semester is 15 weeks long. If you spend the first three just getting into the swing of things, you’ve already burned 20% of it — time you’ll never get back.
And those first few weeks? That’s when everything starts taking shape.
You’re meeting your professors. You’re forming habits and routines. You’re making small choices about how you spend your time, who you talk to, and what you say yes to — choices that end up shaping your entire semester.
In many classes, the early assignments are the easiest to score well on. In student organizations, it’s when new leadership roles are announced and claimed. And in recruiting? Some of the most competitive internships open their applications before September even hits.
So if you spend those weeks drifting, while others are already moving with purpose, you’re not just behind — you’re missing opportunities that might not come back.
And if you’re paying $10K, $30K, or more a year for college? That’s three weeks of your tuition gone — with little to show for it.
But here’s the good news: it doesn’t take a massive effort to change that.
A few small, strategic moves, made before the semester begins, can help you start with clarity, direction, and momentum.
This edition walks you through 7 high-impact actions to help you do exactly that.
They don’t take long. But they help you walk into the semester with purpose — instead of just reacting as things unfold.
7 high-impact moves to prepare for the fall semester
The first few weeks set the tone for your entire semester. And the end of your summer? That’s what sets the tone for those first few weeks.
Most students won’t use this time strategically. They’ll wait until classes begin to think about what they want from the semester — and by the time they’ve found their footing, they’ve already missed out on positive momentum.
That doesn’t have to be you.
The moves in this section aren’t complicated. You don’t need a color-coded planner, a 5-year career plan, or every decision figured out. What you do need is intention.
Because once the semester kicks in, you’ll be busy. But if you’ve done even a little prep now, you won’t be scrambling to catch up. You’ll already be moving.
Let's dive in.
1. Set goals for the semester
One of the biggest (if not the biggest) mistakes students make is heading into the semester without clear goals. They assume that if they follow instructions and assignments, stay busy, and keep up with what everyone else is doing, the semester will somehow turn into something transformative.
But that’s not a strategy. That’s just staying afloat.
If you don’t define what success looks like, your semester will be shaped by chance. Your time gets filled with whatever’s urgent, expected, or easiest — not necessarily with what’s strategic, positively challenging, or aligned with your future.
Setting intentional goals before the semester begins gives you a filter. It helps you focus, make better decisions, and feel more confident about how you’re spending your time.
Start here:
Ask yourself: “If this semester were truly worth the time, effort, and tuition I’m putting into it, what would I need to walk away with?”
That’s your starting point. Your answer could be about skills, clarity, confidence, connections, momentum — or all of the above. But once you define what “worth it” means to you, you’ll start making decisions that actually reflect that.
From there, block off 20–30 minutes and walk through these questions:
1. What do I want to be prepared for by the time I graduate?
(e.g., an entry-level marketing analyst role, an early career MBA program, launching a freelance marketing business)
2. What's expected of me in order to get there?
(e.g., hands-on experience running campaigns or managing content, a portfolio that shows I can write, design, or analyze marketing performance, familiarity with tools like Canva, Google Analytics, or Hootsuite, and the ability to speak confidently about strategy, results, and impact in interviews)
3. What am I missing right now that I could start building this semester?
(e.g., a portfolio project — like helping a student org improve their social media; experience using tools like Mailchimp, Canva, or Google Analytics; a professor or club advisor who could recommend me for future opportunities; a resume bullet that shows initiative and creativity — like writing blog content for a campus org)
4. What kind of semester would actually make me feel like I got closer to my goals — not just that I got through it?
(e.g., one where I complete a HubSpot or Google Ads certification; contribute to a marketing-focused club and take on a project or event; build a relationship with a marketing professor by showing up consistently and asking thoughtful questions; post something on LinkedIn about what I’m learning in class to start building a personal brand; and leave the semester with one new project I’m proud to put on my resume)
You don’t need perfect answers. You just need a starting point. Your goal isn’t to have everything figured out — it’s to start connecting today’s actions to tomorrow’s outcomes.
Quick note: Not sure where to start? Pull up a few job or internship listings in your target field and look at what skills or experiences they’re asking for. Or talk to someone who’s one or two steps ahead of you — someone who’s already landed an internship or entry-level role in the field. You’ll learn more in 10 minutes of real-world research than in weeks of guessing.
Now write down 1–3 specific goals for this semester.
These should be small, doable actions that support your personal, academic, or professional growth — and help you build toward the future you described above.
A few examples:
Join a marketing-related student organization (like AMA) and get actively involved — show up consistently, contribute ideas, and build relationships
Complete a free certification course through HubSpot, Google Ads, or Coursera to start building technical credibility
Offer to help a student org improve their social media, email newsletter, or event promotion — and treat it like a real-world marketing project
Block off one hour a week to research internship postings, study job descriptions, or follow marketers on LinkedIn to better understand the field
Introduce yourself to a marketing professor, share what you’re hoping to explore this semester, and ask if they’d be open to chatting during office hours
Keep it simple. Keep it focused. And keep it written down somewhere visible.
Why this matters:
Your goals shape your decisions. They help you filter opportunities, avoid distractions, and build a semester that feels intentional, not random.
Skip this step, and you risk spending four months being busy… but not actually building momentum. And that’s a steep price to pay in both time and tuition.
So take the time now. Set a small number of goals that align with the version of yourself you’re trying to become.
This might be one of the highest-ROI things you do all semester — and you haven’t even stepped on campus yet.
2. Map your goals to campus resources
Once you’ve set your goals, the next move is to connect them to the right support systems. Most students never take this step.
They set goals, but never ask: What resources already exist on campus that could help me hit this faster, better, or with less stress?
As a result, they try to do everything on their own — and burn time, energy, and motivation trying to figure things out from scratch.
But here's the reality: you’re already paying for a support system. College campuses are packed with free resources, programs, and people whose full-time job is to help students grow.
The problem? Most students don’t use them until it’s too late (or never).
Here’s how to change that:
Grab the 1–3 goals you set in Move 1.
For each one, ask: "What campus office, program, or person (e.g., faculty, staff, etc.) could help me get there faster?”
A few examples:
Goal: Land an internship in marketing → Visit career services, schedule a resume review, and ask about internship timelines and mock interviews.
Goal: Build confidence as a public speaker → Check if your school has a speaking center, communication workshops, or clubs like Toastmasters.
Goal: Explore potential majors or career paths → Use academic advising, career coaching, or the alumni office to set up exploratory meetings.
Goal: Apply to a competitive grad program → Ask faculty about research assistant roles, grad school essay support, or early rec letter guidance.
(These are just examples — most campuses offer support for a wide range of needs, including subject matter tutoring, study strategies, and more.)
Don’t overthink it — just start mapping each goal to one real-world support system.
If you’re not sure what exists? Google: “[your university] + student resources” or browse your school’s website. You’ll likely uncover campus resources, workshops, or events you didn’t even know existed.
Then, go one step further: make early contact.
Before the semester begins (or in the first week), email, call, or walk into the office. Introduce yourself, share what you’re hoping to work on this semester, and ask what support they offer.
Don’t wait until Week 10 when you’re stressed and overwhelmed. Do it now, when you have time and mental space. Even one short interaction can plant a seed that saves you hours later — and opens doors you didn’t know to knock on.
Why this matters:
Setting goals is powerful. But aligning those goals with real, accessible support? That’s what turns intentions into action.
Students who do this spend less time spinning their wheels and more time making progress. They know where to go, who to talk to, and how to stay on track — while others are still figuring out what resources even exist.
You don’t need to do everything yourself. You just need to know where to look.
3. Build a game plan for the first two weeks
Time fills up fast — especially once the semester starts.
Class schedules lock in. Club meetings start popping up. Group projects take over. And before you know it, your week is fully booked — but not necessarily aligned with what matters most to you.
That’s why it’s so important to build a simple weekly system before things speed up. A game plan gives your goals a place to live on your calendar — not just in your head.
If you want to follow through on the goals you set in Move 1, you need to make room for them now. Not later. Not “once things settle down.” Now.
Here’s how to do it:
Before classes start, sketch out a rough weekly schedule that includes:
Class times
Work or other standing commitments
Study blocks (tied to your actual course load)
Weekly club meetings or leadership roles
1–2 flexible blocks for career-building actions (e.g., networking, internship search)
Buffer time for meals, workouts, and rest
At least one block for doing absolutely nothing — and not feeling guilty about it
This doesn’t need to be color-coded or perfect. The goal isn’t to rigidly plan every hour — it’s to give yourself a realistic template for how your week could run at full speed, so you’re not scrambling when it actually does.
Now anchor it.
For the first two weeks of the semester, commit to following this game plan as closely as possible — no major adjustments, no redesigns, no starting over after Week 1.
Why? Because routines don’t become habits if you keep rebuilding them.
Give your plan a real test. By the end of Week 2, you’ll know what’s working, what’s not, and where your time is really going — with data, not just guesswork.
Why this matters:
Without a structure, good intentions fade fast. You’ll skip the information session with a target employer because you didn’t know it was happening. You’ll miss your office hour window because you booked something else last minute. You’ll drop the club after two weeks because you didn’t plan ahead for meetings.
But when you walk into the semester with a clear, flexible plan (and stick to it for two solid weeks) you build real momentum and positive habits you can rely on without even thinking about them.
4. Get your resume and LI ready to act on opportunities
Opportunity rarely shows up with a two-week notice.
Sometimes it looks like a professor offering to connect you with someone in their network. Sometimes it’s a club leader recommending you for a project. Sometimes it’s a recruiter clicking on your profile after a networking event — without ever telling you they did.
In those moments, you don’t want to be scrambling to update your resume or polish your LinkedIn. You want to already be ready.
That’s why auditing your materials before the semester gets busy isn’t just smart — it’s a competitive advantage.
Start with your resume. Open it up and ask yourself:
Is it updated with everything I’ve done in the last 6–12 months?
Are my bullets written clearly, using action verbs and outcomes where possible?
Can someone quickly tell what skills I’ve built?
Whether your resume is mostly class projects and club roles or something more formal like an internship, that’s fine — as long as it clearly shows your initiative, your qualifications, and your impact. You don’t need flashy experience. You need clear, relevant stories.
Need help getting your bullets into shape? Use our Resume Guide and block off 20 minutes to revise your document where needed.
Next, audit your LinkedIn profile.
Rather than guessing what to include or how it should sound, use our LinkedIn Profile Guide. It walks you through exactly how to write a clear, compelling profile that shows up in searches, makes you easy to refer, and sounds like a real person — not a template.
Why this matters:
You’ll apply to something this semester — even if you don’t know what it is yet.
If your resume and LinkedIn are ready now, that’s one less thing to panic about later. More importantly, you’ll be ready to act when a professor emails you about an opportunity, a club leader asks for a bio, or a recruiter checks out your profile after you attend an info session.
Opportunities don’t always announce themselves. Sometimes they show up quietly — and disappear just as fast.
Be ready for them.
PS. If you’re unsure where to start, don’t go at it alone — visit career services early in the semester. They can review your resume and LinkedIn profile, offer personalized suggestions, and help align your materials. Even one short meeting makes a difference.
5. Research your target industry’s recruiting timelines
Most students assume they'll start looking for internships “later in the semester.”
But in many fields, later is already too late.
Recruiting doesn’t follow the academic calendar. Some of the most competitive roles (especially in finance, consulting, tech, and corporate programs) start recruiting in August or September, long before most students are ready to apply.
That means if you wait until mid-semester to polish your resume or start networking, you may have already missed the window.
Here’s how to avoid that:
Choose 2–3 companies or programs you’re even remotely interested in — ones that hire interns or early-career professionals in your field.
Then conduct research using these avenues:
Browse job boards like LinkedIn, Handshake, or your campus career portal — are any relevant postings already open?
Visit your target companies’ careers pages — do they list application windows or general timelines for their internship programs?
Use tools like Perplexity AI to ask a simple prompt: "I am a [marketing major] junior interested in a summer 2026 [digital marketing] internship, ideally in the [entertainment] industry. When do applications for these types of internship usually open and where might I find them?"
Ask a career advisor or alumni in your target field: "I am interested in a summer 2026 [digital marketing] internship, ideally in the [entertainment] industry. When do applications for these types of internship usually open and where might I find them?"
These simple questions can save you months of wasted time — or a full year of missed opportunity.
You’re not trying to build a spreadsheet of deadlines. You’re trying to answer one strategic question: “When do people in my field start applying for roles I might want?”
Once you know that, you can reverse-engineer your preparation — and walk into the semester with a clear plan.
Why this matters:
When you understand the recruiting timeline in your field, you're not surprised when deadlines pop up — you're prepared.
And when you’re prepared, you’re not rushing to write a last-minute resume or cold-emailing alumni after applications have already closed.
You’re early. You’re confident. You’re in control.
6. Map out the people who can help you grow
The relationships that shape your college experience (and your career path) don’t just appear. They’re built over time. And the smartest way to build them is to start before you need them.
This doesn’t mean sending out dozens of cold messages or trying to “network” with everyone you meet. It means taking time now to identify the people who can help you grow — and making a plan to start those connections early, while there’s still room on your calendar.
Here’s how to do it:
Start by thinking about your goals from Move 1.
Then ask: “Who do I know (or want to know) who’s already done what I’m trying to do?”
Build a short list of 4–6 people who could help you make progress this semester — even indirectly. These could include:
A professor who teaches in your area of interest
An upperclassman who’s interned in your target field
A club leader who’s running things well and could use support
A classmate who seems focused and driven
An alum on LinkedIn whose path looks like one you’d want to follow
You're not reaching out to all of them right away. You’re planning ahead — so when an opportunity to connect does show up, you’re not starting from scratch.
Then, take one small step.
Pick 1–2 names from your list and reach out during the first week or two of the semester.
If you want help with reaching out to your target people, use our Informational Interview Guide — it walks you through how to find the right people, send thoughtful outreach messages (with templates), and ask better questions (50+ examples included).
Why this matters:
When it comes time to apply for internships, ask for a recommendation, or look for leadership roles, people tend to say yes to students they already know.
Trust and support aren’t built overnight — they’re built through consistent, early effort.
So don’t wait until you’re in a bind. Map out the relationships that matter now, and start building them before you need them.
7. Plan your de-stress outlets before you need them
No student plans to burn out. But it can happen — fast.
The semester starts picking up, you stop doing the things that keep you grounded, and before long you're running on fumes. You’re meeting deadlines, sure — but everything feels heavier, harder, and less meaningful.
Here’s the fix: plan your outlets before things get overwhelming.
Here’s how to do it:
Take 10–15 minutes to think through the non-academic activities that give you energy, perspective, or peace of mind.
A few categories to consider:
Physical outlets: intramurals, lifting, running, yoga, walking, the campus gym
Creative outlets: painting, journaling, making playlists, design, photography
Social outlets: study groups, friend dinners, game nights, club meetups
Exploration outlets: local restaurants, weekend day trips, campus events
Pick 2–3 outlets across different categories — and commit to making space for them early in the semester. Block off time. Make a list. Invite a friend to join you.
And don’t overlook the most important one: sleep.
Establishing a consistent sleep schedule from the start of the semester will pay off all year. You don’t need to be perfect — but aim for 90% consistency in your sleep and wake times, even on weekends. That rhythm improves focus, memory, mood, and energy — and it’s one of the first things to unravel when stress builds.
Why this matters:
Burnout doesn’t just affect your energy — when your brain is constantly in task mode without recovery, your productivity drops and your learning suffers.
That’s why high-performing students (and professionals) protect their recovery time. They don’t wait until they’re overwhelmed — they plan ahead so they can perform at a high level consistently.
If you want to stay sharp, confident, and in control this semester, make time for the activities that restore you — before you need them.
This Month’s Challenge
Each month, I'll share a simple exercise, habit, or mindset shift that, when repeated and built upon, can help you maximize the return you get from college over time.
Here’s this month’s challenge:
Step 1: Set your goals
Use the prompts in Move 1 to write down 1–3 personal, academic, or professional goals for the semester ahead.
Examples:
Complete a HubSpot or Google Ads certification to boost your marketing credibility
Join AMA and contribute to an upcoming event or campaign
Build a relationship with your marketing professor by attending office hours regularly
Be specific and honest. Define what “a semester worth your tuition” actually looks like for you.
Step 2: Identify your support system
Take each goal and connect it to one campus resource, person, or program that could help you get there faster or with less friction.
Examples:
Visit Career Services to get resume feedback and review internship timelines
Meet with a peer mentor or club leader in AMA to learn how they got involved
Connect with your professor during week 1 and introduce yourself and your interests/goals
Then, make early contact. Send a message. Walk into the office. Plant the seed now while your schedule is still flexible.
Step 3: Make space for what matters.
Block off time in your weekly calendar for your high-priority actions before it fills up with everything else.
Examples:
Reserve one hour every Tuesday for internship exploration and application prep
Block off Thursday evenings for student org meetings and project work
Protect your Saturday mornings for creative or social outlets that help you recharge
Even two focused blocks per week can create real momentum.
Most students start the semester in reactive mode. Strategic students start with a plan.
This is your chance to build one.
Ready to be more strategic about college?
If you found this edition helpful, what’s coming next will take it even further.
College by Design is my new course for students who want to stop drifting and start building a clear, career-ready strategy — starting now.
This isn’t just about earning a degree or “making the most” of college. It’s about learning how to:
Turn your classes, clubs, and campus resources into career assets
Build experiences that show up on resumes and in interviews (and lead to offers)
Make confident academic and career decisions even if you’re still figuring it out
Stop wasting time on low-ROI activities and focus on what actually leads to job or grad school offers
Replace “just staying busy” with purposeful, career-aligned actions
And a LOT more
The course launches in early August. Check it out here: College by Design Course.
Let’s make this the semester you stop guessing — and start building.
That wraps up our edition today. I’ll be back next month with more practical, no-fluff advice to keep you moving forward.
In the meantime, you can check out a full list of our resources (including free guides, tools, and more) here and follow me on LinkedIn for weekly content here.
College is an investment. Let’s make sure you get a return on it.
Lasse
Founder, The Strategic Student
