School. It can be one of the best things in the world, but it can also be the worst. It can be terrifying coming off your summer vacation and being thrown headfirst into the fire that we call compulsory education. However, there are a handful of methods to avoid the stress and rapidity of settling back into school life, and I am loath to admit that I do not always adhere to these methods.

Returning to mandatory education from a few months of vacation can be taxing, especially when you are in college. You have a gigantic workload ahead of you and you are not particularly comfortable adjusting to it. There is a way that this tendency can be averted; refreshing yourself with the knowledge that you absorbed the previous year and slowly settling back into that urgent mindset before the year starts. This is something I have already failed to do this year. You can not just return to college and expect that everything will be sunshine and rainbows. You have to set yourself to learning mode the moment you set foot on campus, or at least before your first class starts. Doing this will certainly prepare you for the grueling weeks to come.

It is also unwise to excessively drink and party all night while at college. It is understandable how being free of your parents and entanglements is fun and there is nothing inherently wrong with partying on the weekends, but students should definitely know their limits. Nobody should buy into the illusion that you are invincible when you are young and free, particularly regarding alcohol intake. An unwarranted amount of alcohol can have disastrous effects; it can give you alcohol poisoning and even kill you if you are not careful. It certainly does not help that alcohol is a depressant. Partying excessively also distracts from the fact that you are in college because you want to obtain a degree and earn an education. Even though this is strictly a university issue, up-and-coming college students should certainly take note of this.

Another method that can help you adjust back to a school mindset is studying your course material during the first week. Whether it is for an upcoming exam/assignment or attempting to thoroughly understand the material in your class, studying early can be a jumpstart to getting used to school again and it can also help you get a head start on what is to come later in the course. This is not just intended for college students; it is important for everyone.

Adjusting to compulsory education after a lengthy vacation can be exhausting. School itself can be grueling, challenging and loathsome. I, like many students, have failed to capitalize on the opportunities I have had when the beginning of the school year comes around. However, you will eventually get used to being at school again, and utilizing the methods I mentioned will certainly be of assistance. That is what I will do this year, and all students reading this are perfectly capable of doing so as well.