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Student Life

New School Semester Tips

A new semester brings new classes as well as new opportunities, here are some tips for making the adjustment back.

Heather_Waldo

Jan 13, 2020

Longwood

Debby Hudson

A whole new school semester is about to begin. All of the Christmas and New Years celebrations have ended and it's time to go back to school and work. Getting back into a routine can be difficult so I thought I would share some of my tips for starting a new school semester.

Plan ahead.

Plan out everything you possibly can. Order your textbooks a week or two before returning to school. You don't want to order them too early because some professors don't list their course materials until it gets closer to when classes start. However, you want to make sure you do have them for your classes on the first day. Also, be sure to be reading your emails. Professors and other school administrators will begin sending important information via email, so be sure you are checking it. Lastly, if any professor releases a syllabus or other related course materials, read them as soon as possible. The syllabus for each of your classes holds crucial information you will want to know. It is also a good idea to go ahead and write down some important dates from them. Basically, do everything you can think of to plan ahead and prepare for classes, you will thank yourself later.

Give it some time.

Give yourself a grace period to get back into the groove of going to school. Going back to school after a break (especially a long one) is hard and it is going to take some time for everything to seem normal again. Just try your best to adjust and take one day at a time. Keep in mind that everyday will get a little easier and more normal, so just give yourself some time.

Manage your stress.

Managing your stress is very important in any stage of school that you're in. From high school to college to graduate school, a good amount of stress is involved. Throughout all of my years of going to school I have learned that is it especially easy to become stressed right when school starts. You have fallen out of your school routine and maybe have forgotten how much work you will have. Nonetheless, don't stress out about it. The more you go to class and complete assignments, the more manageable the work becomes. Once you find your school routine again, all of the work you are challenged with becomes your new normal. It all just becomes a part of your everyday schedule and you learn to manage it. So, try not to stress out and remember that everything will fall into place.

Stay focused.

Remember the reason why you are in school in the first place, to receive an education and to learn. That being said, your classes and assignments should be one of your top priorities. It is important to have other aspects to your life besides school work, but school is also very important. Especially if you're in college or graduate school, the fact that you're paying thousands of dollars to go to school should be a pretty good incentive to work hard. Lastly, remember that what you're doing has purpose and value and will pay off in the long run. Nothing worth having is easy so that's why getting an education is such a challenge.

I hope you found some of this advice helpful as you begin to go to classes again. Readjusting back to school is difficult to say the least, but just remember that you made it through one semester already so you can handle this one. I wish you the best of luck.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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New School Semester Tips

A new semester brings new classes as well as new opportunities, here are some tips for making the adjustment back.

Plan ahead.

Give it some time.

Manage your stress.

Stay focused.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

Who knows where we would be without them.

1. Thank you for laughing at my jokes, even when they really aren’t funny.

2. Thank you for singing unbearably loud with me all the time.

3. Thank you for letting me vent to you for hours about anything and basically being my personal therapist.

4. Thank you for ordering pizza with me at 2 in the morning.

5. Thank you for all the movie days when we don’t feel like moving.

6. Thank you for being my workout buddy everyday.

7. Thank you for sharing your closets with me.

8. Thank you for taking naps with me at random hours during the day.

9. Thank you for cleaning our home with me when we absolutely need to.

10. Thank you for all the rides when it’s late and you don’t want me to walk home alone in the dark.

11. Thank you for studying with me in our kitchen when we didn't want to go the library.

12. Thank you for making dinner with me.

13. Thank you for helping with my hair, makeup and outfit every time we go out.

14. Thank you for taking countless ugly pictures with me.

15. Thank you for not judging me when I go too long without showering.

16. Thank you for making our apartment feel like a second home.

17. Thank you for being there through all of our boy troubles.

18. Thank you for giving me a hug when I feel homesick.

19. Thank you for getting excited with me when one of us gets a good grade on an exam.

20. Thank you for still being my friend and not judging me when I say or do dumb things.

21. Thank you for telling me what I should do when I am sick.

22. Thank you for dancing horribly with me everywhere we go.

23. Thank you for staying up super late with me when we aren’t tired or can’t sleep.

24. Thank you for being super weird with me.

25. Thank you for all the unforgettable college memories.

26. And most of all, thank you for being the best friends a girl could have.

I may or may not be stressing right now.

1. "What do I have to study for?"

2. "What class do I need to study for the most?"

3. "I’m going to ace this."

4. "Focus!"

5."I have no idea what I'm reading."

6. "I should call my smart friend about this."

7. "I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail."

8. "I’m dropping out of school."

9. "What grade do I have to get on the final to pass the class?"

10. "Oh, no, I have to do good."

11. "I shouldn’t have procrastinated all semester."

12. "I wanna go to bed."

13. "We did not learn this!"

14. "I should go get food."

15. "Why do we even have finals?"

16. "I don’t want to be at the library."

17. "Get off your phone."

18. "I can watch Netflix for like 20 minutes and then go back to studying."

19. "I shouldn’t have watched Netflix."

20. "You have to study now!"

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine. — Snow White

The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. — Rafiki

You don't have time to be timid. You must be bold and daring. — Lumière

If watching is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya. — Laverne

Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. — Grandmother Willow

Always let your conscience be your guide. — Jiminy Cricket

To infinity and beyond. — Buzz Lightyear

Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved. — Pooh

Let it go. — Elsa

If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all. — Thumper

Today's special moments are tomorrow's memories. — Genie

It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. But also a time of stressing over the perfect gift.

Money

Socks

Blankets

Gift Cards

Hoodies and Sweatpants

Pajamas

Candles

A Fish

CDs

Movie Tickets

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