Prepare For Your Best Semester | College Life Academy

10 Things To Do To Prepare For The New Semester

It’s that time again. School break is over and now it’s time to prepare for a new semester.

Yaay?

Starting a new semester can challenging, especially because most of us are adjusting or still trying to adjust to the global pandemic. Nonetheless, we need to stay positive. Having the opportunity to start a brand new semester is exciting.

Every semester we set a goal for ourselves, whether it’s improving our GPA, getting that internship, or joining a society. Prepare for another semester by doing these things to get ahead and get organized.

Here are 10 things that you can do to prepare for your best semester yet:

1. Restock On Your School Supplies.

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE back-to-school shopping. It’s so thrilling and exciting to go to the store and buy cute planners, colored pens, highlighters, pretty notebooks, and colorful binders.

This is a perfect time to restock on school supplies, college essentials, and your personal necessities. Think about all the things that you need and are useful for you to survive college. Ensure you make a list so that you don’t purchase what you don’t need or already have.

Make sure you have a planner on that list :)

2. Clean Your Study Space, Desk, And Bag.

Most of us anticipate the school break. Time away from school is always good. So we just throw our backpacks in a corner in our room, never to be touched until the new semester.

Well, now that time has come. Clean out your bags, throw away old papers, old pens, or even little crumbs and crumpled-up sticky notes. Toss all those things in your bag that you no longer need or that no longer works.

This also applies to your dorm room. Wipe down all those areas with disinfected wipes and restack all your desk supplies with your new school supplies.

Generally speaking, clean your room and throw out old stuff.

Time to Organize!

3. Get Ahead On Any Couse Material For The Semester.

This is a great way to ahead of your class and to give your brain a “refresh” or a kickstart. This is the least fun of them all, but it will definitely help you to get ahead in the semester and brush up on anything that you might have forgotten.

The great side of this is that if one of your professors should ask you about a particular last semester concept, then you would be able to give an answer and not be embarrassed.

Impressive!

4. Plan A Budget

Yes, please please do this. It is so important to have a budget, especially in college. You need to be aware of your finances. You need to know where money is coming from and going out of your pocket. This is a great way to estimate how much money you can save for the semester.

It’s good to plan your finances so that when it comes time for Friday Night out, you know if you got money or not to pay for your entertainment, (always budget and plan for your social activities, just as you would for groceries or bills)

Challenge yourself.

5. Set And Write Out Your Academic Goals.

What are your goals for the new semester? Whatever it is, write them down. Your semester will go so much smoother when you have a clear and established goal in mind. Goals encourage us to work hard even when things get tough, which sadly, in college, they will.

Is your goal to get an A in one of your classes, to join a society/club executive board, to be placed on the dean’s list? Whatever your goal is, write them down and put them at your door, so that when you leave for school, you will see your goals and be more motivated to rule your day.

6. Figure Out How You Will Purchase Or Source Your Textbooks.

College textbooks are crazy expensive. We are talking about $200 - $700. Start checking around for online sources that would sell textbooks you need cheaper, or that you can find online for free.

You can also check with other students that might have taken the same course and still have their textbooks and are willing to rent, sell it or give it to you.

7. Write And Plan Your Class Schedule

By this time, hopefully, you have registered for all your courses. So, whether you are using a physical or digital planner, get it, and let’s get organizing.

Start by uploading the times you have your classes. Then add any other times that you may be busy, such as any off-campus commitments, other school priorities, or your workout times.

If you have gotten your syllabus, use this time to also indicated all your deadlines.

As the day goes along in the new semester, use this schedule frequently to help you stay organize and be on top of everything.

8. Reach Out To Students That Took The Course Before.

Ask these students for their advice on courses that they have taken, that you are taking now. This is a great way to know what to expect in that course. Ask what went well for them and what didn’t. That way you know how to handle the course, and you have an idea of what it might be like.

9. Find Out Your Study Routine.

It’s good to have a consistent study routine. Take some time to think about the strategies that worked for you and the ones that didn’t go well. Then, make your plan. Write down all the things that worked and how you will implement that into your new and improved study routine.

Ensure you place this plan somewhere you are able to see it at all times. Most importantly, make sure you stick with it.

Consistency is key!

10. Figure Out Your Mental Health Strategy.

College can be overwhelming. At some point in the semester, you will begin to feel overworked or overwhelmed with course loads and deadlines. How will you handle yourself in this state?

We know it will happen, so the next best thing is to figure out our strategy for dealing with this and keeping our mental health in good condition. Your strategy can be very simple. It could be to go on a short walk, drinking your favorite cup of tea, listening to your favorite happy playlist, or going to a spa. Whatever works best for you, prioritize your mental health. Once your mind is happy, you will be happy and excel in school.

This is the most important way to ensure we are in a good state of mind, with that we can have a great semester that produces great results.

I hope that these tips will help you to get a kickstart and prepare for your best semester yet. Have you started to prepare? What are some things that you did to prepare? Let’s chat

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