With the autumn equinox about one month out, most schools and universities are starting- if they have not already. That means most students are getting prepared to start the new academic year fresh. If that is you, below are 5 practical tips to apply to your back-to-school process to ace the new academic year.
Back-to-school season is overhyped, in my opinion. The general market, from clothing stores to office supply chain stores to online homework help services, targets students and parents alike to squeeze green bills out of them. This is because society at large understands the importance of education.
Most families over-emphasize the significance of back-to-school season as an opportunity for their children to excel and make new strides. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself.
However, some students take the hype and turn it into pressure. This is unnecessary. Academic excellence is a longevity game. This means you must do many big and little things over long periods to see any remarkable results. Here is exactly what you need to do to have an outstanding school year:
1. Prioritize Your Well-Being
Going back to school with a series of unhealthy habits that you accumulated over summer break will not serve you or your educational pursuits. Equally, going back to school with truckloads of vigor and ambition that aren’t sustained by healthy habits and perspectives will burn you out.
As a student, you need to treat your body and mind like an athlete treats theirs. Your invaluable mind is enabled by your brain, which is a physical organ that is subject to all the laws of biology.
This should prompt you to prioritize developing consistent habits that support your spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Evaluate whether the new responsibilities and tasks you plan to undertake will undermine your well-being, and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. In all things, strive for temperance, moderation, and balance.
2. Write Down Your Goals
Not to be too cliche, but you can’t get anywhere if you don’t know where you’re going. Taking a few minutes to jot down your goals will ensure this does not happen.
What is important to you? What do you most desire to achieve? What do you want to learn or be able to do in the new school year? Answering these questions will provide you with absolute clarity and ensure you are focusing on your priorities.
No matter what the school year holds for you, knowing that you have clearly defined your goals will ensure you stay on course. You can reference these goals throughout the school year. They will give you a roadmap to know what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to, which will allow you to use your time more effectively. What a deal!
3. Build Systems
Intentions are great, but they do not manifest themselves. You must create practical, step-by-step systems to bring your goals to fruition.
Routines for every part of your day are the best way to do that. Build chains of small habits for every activity and every part of your day.
For starters, consider forming a morning routine, a note-taking system, a studying routine, and a nighttime routine. This will not only streamline your day but also conserve energy to utilize on more cognitively demanding tasks.
4. Prepare in Advance
Preparation is multi-faceted. The type of preparation you did using the steps above is mostly mental. You need to also prepare physically by getting a hand on class materials, purchasing the needed supplies, and settling your basic living necessities.
This tip is especially important for university students, who may live alone in foreign countries, states, or cities. Before you head straight into the school year, make sure that you are aware of how you will pay tuition, housing, dinning, and/or course fees. Make sure that you also have a living environment that will be conducive to your learning.
Additionally, students of all levels should take initiative to investigate on-campus resources and support systems/people/groups for different dimensions of life. This will provide essential and ready-to-go aid as the school year goes on.
5. Do NOT Procrastinate
I feel as though that the things that should go without saying need to be said the most. Going back-to-school is only exciting for the first few weeks. As most students can attest, the hustle and bustle of lectures, deadlines, exams, etc. can really take the wind out of our sails a month or so in.
At these crossroads, it can be tempting to let one thing slip after another. Giving up on ungraded homework assignments to study for upcoming exams in a different class, skipping lectures to finish up a project at work, or staying up way too late to cram for a midterm are all too familiar experiences.
Yet, I implore you to not give in to these temptations. How, you may ask. Do not procrastinate! Nip everything in the bud. That is to say, do it early to do it well.
For example, the minute you become conscious of the fact that you do not understand anything in a particular lecture, go get help understanding the material. When you realize you will need more time completing a task than you hoped for, find other alternatives to get around it besides taking time from something else that is equally or more important.
All of these examples require you to be aware and actively take inventory of your tasks and responsibilities. This way you are able to find solutions and remedy problems immediately, without sliding into slippery slopes of student nightmares.
Conclusion
All in all, back-to-school season is a truly exciting and unique time. You should feel empowered by the hype, not pressured by it. After all, your educational goals are yours, not anyone else’s. You have an opportunity that many people aren’t privileged with.
It is important to approach all things with the right perspectives. Gratitude and appreciation for this opportunity and this season of your life is a shield against its stressors and pressures.
With this healthy mindset comes a different prioritization scheme: your well-being as an individual comes first. For only out of it is achievement possible.
With this focus in place also comes a clear awareness of your desires and aspirations, followed by strategies and tactics to bring them about.
Cheers to an incredible new school year, my friend!