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Prepare, prepare, prepare

Most of these suggestions are incredibly simple to follow, and yet are incredibly important to follow through on. Many times it's the little things that count the most when it comes to making progress on a large goal.

Here is my advice:

• Buy a large enough 3-ring binder to accommodate all papers for all classes, with tabbed dividers you will mark with the class names/numbers. Some people are tempted to buy individual 1" binders but when you're working on an accelerated schedule the number of binders that will start stacking up in your office will quickly overwhelm you. By putting each semester into its own large binder you will be helping yourself stay neat and organized instead of feeling overwhelmed and living in chaos.
• Log into the classrooms as soon as they are open and available (usually one week before class officially starts).
• Find the class modules and then print 'em all – commentaries only for inclusion in the binder.
• Order textbooks as early as possible so there are no last minute problems with undelivered books, and so you have the best chance of finding used books at a cheaper price than having to buy new. I have had good luck ordering textbooks based on the prior semester's book list (instead of waiting for the current semester's list to come out), but there is no guarantee this will always work.
• Find the course projects descriptions and print 'em all for inclusion in the binder.
• Create a general course notes document (final exam details? How to contact professor? Etc.) for inclusion in the binder, right in the front.