I know I’m not the only one dreading the return to school and real life. It’s hard to come back to reality after a month of free-time and full nights of sleep. Let’s be real, I just got back from Jamaica, and there are a thousand things I’d rather do instead of return to school.

Now you might be thinking: good, an article about why this semester won’t be that bad. But you’d be wrong. You won’t be getting that here.

I’m here to tell you that, yes, this semester is going to suck just as much as the last ones. Sorry.

You are going to have to buckle down. You are going to have to do textbook readings. And you are going to have to study. You’ll probably even spend a good few weeks in the library. What you don’t have to do? Well, I guess you don’t have to like it.

Now that we’ve got the bad news out of the way… I have no good news. But, here’s what you can do to start the semester off right:

1. Most importantly, go to class.

2. Use your planner. Just do it.

3. Stock up on K-cups.

4. Shower (you’d think this would be obvious).

5. Dress up. I don’t mean grab your highest heels and rock them to math class. I just mean you should dress nicely. Wear jeans and a nice sweater. Do your makeup. You will be more apt to pay attention and do your best if you feel your best. Trust me.

6. Wake up early. I’m talking at least 8 o’clock. Really. It’s doable.

7. Actually read your syllabi.

8. Get ahead on the reading.

9. Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Professors dig it.

10. Get organized. Clean your room. Do the laundry. It’s easier to do homework in a clean environment.

Doing these ten things won’t magically make this semester fun and exciting. But it should help to alleviate some of the stress. Being a college student is hard. You don’t need to make it any harder by missing class, being unorganized, and running out of coffee.

You got this.