What is September?
Summer is coming to an end, which means it’s almost time to go back-to-school. Whether you’re starting your first year at college or heading back for another year as an upperclassman, the new school year is a chance to make a fresh start and leave all your bad habits in the past.
Preparing Yourself for the New School Year follow these tips for back-to-school success:
Don’t Skip Classes: Start the new school year off right by resisting the urge to turn off your alarm and sleep through your early morning classes. You’ll always learn the course material better by listening to your professor’s lecture, than by reading someone else’s notes afterwards. Going to class also helps you to keep up-to-date with assignment due dates, tests, and quizzes.
Create a Study Plan: Get back-to-school ready by preparing yourself to succeed this semester. Include study methods that worked for you in the past and ditch those that didn’t help you to achieve desired results. Finding a quiet place to study will also help you to focus on your work, instead of what’s going on around you.
Get Involved: Become an active part of your campus community by joining clubs, intramural sports teams, fraternities, sororities, or any other organization that interests you. Joining a new organization at the start of the new school year is a great way to meet friends and get involved in an activity that you really enjoy!
Form Study Groups: Even if you’re not a big fan of studying with others, start the new school year off by trying something different. Getting together with a few classmates to go over the course material for an hour or two once-a-week, or even just before big tests, can help you to learn it in a different way. Your study mates can explain concepts to you that you were a little unclear about, and you can reinforce your knowledge on topics you already understand by clarifying issues the others found confusing.
Attend Office Hours: Many students believe the only reason to go to their teachers’ office hours is to get help on issues they’re having trouble with, but that’s not the case. It’s also a good idea to stop by your teachers’ office hours to introduce yourself, especially when you’re in a very large class that doesn’t allow for much one-on-one interaction with the instructor. You can also talk with your teacher about upcoming course material and things you can do to help your chances of succeeding in the course.
Laura Jerpi
/Photo by BS No1. London UK/