Syllabus week, better known as “Sylly Week” is debatably one of the most rowdy and fun-filled weeks of any given semester at universities across the country, and especially at Penn State.
Sylly week is a time for partying and meeting new people, but it’s also the time to set the tone (academically) for how the rest of your semester will go.
Valley thought up a few tips for making it out of sylly week alive, party-wise and academically.
For class:
Map out where your classes are.
Save yourself the embarrassment of being that person who is completely lost and late to every class on the first day and take some time the night before class starts to visualize where all of your classes are. (disclaimer: even if you are that person, don’t worry. We’ve all been there). If you’re feeling adventurous, maybe even do a run through in person just to familiarize yourself with the campus.
Go to class.
It can be all too easy getting wrapped up in the Penn State party life, but before you know it you will be a week into classes without having attended one, and way further behind than the rest of your classmates. (If you miss the first day, that’s fine, mostly teachers just go over the syllabus anyways. Try to make it to any class after that, though.)
Show your face to professors.
In some cases, you could be just one face out of 700 faces (ahem, 100 Thomas). If you make a small gesture to go up to your professor and introduce yourself, it could go a very long way when you are 1% away from a letter grade at the end of the semester and need some generosity on their part. Going to office hours never hurts, too.
Go through your syllabi and write down important dates onto a planner or calendar.
This is a huge key to keeping yourself organized. If you aren’t normally an organized person, force yourself to be. Go to the bookstore, buy colored pens, highlighters, post it notes… Anything you need in order to get yourself together. If you think you are going to get through college without an agenda or planner of some sort, you are sadly mistaken.
For partying:
Think ahead before going out.
This seems self explanatory, but it is super important.
- Always set alarms to wake up for class before you go out. If you think you are going to push it off and remember to set them while you are out or before you go to bed, you are sadly mistaken.
- Always have water and advil handy next to your bed before you go out for when you come home later in the night (you will thank yourself later for doing this).
- Keep yourself hydrated after partying to lessen the blow of a headache.
Pig out, but don’t make it a habit.
Indulging in late night food after a night of partying is okay, but don’t make a habit of it. The pokey stix and D. P. Dough will get to you.
Party while you can.
To all you freshman out there; you have a big storm coming. Exams and midterms are not your friend and, as you will soon learn, will have you trapped in the library from dusk until dawn. Get out there and have fun before the crazy workload and exam schedules get piled onto you.
Go to the events that Penn State hosts.
You would be surprised at the amount of friends you can make by going to all of Penn States random events. Whether it be the hypnotist show or one of the concerts that UPAC organizes, like Nike said, just do it.
