Work hard from the beginning!
One of the primary ways U.S. university courses differ from those in most other countries is that your course grade often depends on multiple quizzes and tests, term papers, class participation and homework, whereas in many other countries there is one major examination at the end of the course. There is usually a final exam at UNW, but the course grade often depends more on other assignments.
It is not possible in the U.S. system of higher education to wait until the latter part of the semester to begin studying. If you do not begin studying on the first week of classes, you are likely to get behind and to experience academic difficulty. Therefore, it is helpful to put together a schedule for your studies.