After a few months of relaxing and an exciting summer break, it’s back to school! Whether you feel enthusiastic, nervous, or disappointed, the best way to approach these feelings is to do your best to prepare for your school year. The transition back can be challenging but it’s nothing a few adjustments couldn’t fix.
To help you prepare for school, here are some tips:
Refresh your knowledge
Moving up a grade is building up and on the previous knowledge given to you by your teachers. Before the school year starts, take time to flip through your old notes and books to refresh what you’ve learned the past year.
Doing this will condition you to accept knowledge and lessons in a condensed form once again – call it refamiliarization. This will make absorbing lessons in class easier when school starts. To help organize your thoughts, you could also make a list of the concepts you’re comfortable with and those that you need help with. Knowing this will allow you to approach each unfamiliar concept carefully.
Prepare your school supplies.
Shopping for school supplies may be one of the most exciting parts of going back to school. It’s a fresh start with fresh notebooks and books. But before you rush to your nearest mall or bookstore, it’s best to check your current supplies first. This avoids double purchasing items and helps you save money.
When you’ve done your inventory, make a list of all the things you need that you don’t have, including those that you need to replace. Doing this will help you focus on buying the necessary supplies versus the distracting ones. Do you really need a fancy pen that costs thrice the regular pen and lasts half as long?
Finally, shop in advance to avoid the crowds and check for additional student discounts. Shop smart!
Fix your body clock.
Summer gave you the freedom to stay up and sleep in as late as you can but the new school year is about to change that. Remove the habit of waking up late by training yourself to sleep and wake up early at least two to three weeks before school starts.
To make it easier, limit your screen time an hour before you head to bed. The blue light from your phones and laptops imitate the sunlight and messes with your sleep pattern.
As for waking up, you could set your alarm clock in intervals of ten minutes and place it across the room. This forces you to get up to turn it off, thus, avoiding the snooze trap.
Pick your study spot.
Excite yourself for studying by choosing and personalizing your study space. If your study space is at home, make sure that it’s tidy, comfortable, and away from distractions such as the television or your gaming consoles.
Word of advice: stay away from your bed.
Studying in bed keeps you from sleeping early because your mind will associate your bed to work, thus keeping you up.
And if you prefer to study outside, scope cafés and study spaces around your school or your home. Check their price range, their lighting and of course, their wi-fi speed.
However, don’t overlook the tried and tested – the school library.
Set your goals and expectations.
Treat the start of the new school year as a brand new year with a brand new start. Before classes, set your goals and expectations for the year. If your goal is to read faster for comprehensive exams, set a goal on how many books you’ll finish per month. If you want to have a fitter lifestyle, set a goal on when you’ll join a sports club that will help you achieve that lifestyle.
At the same time, manage your expectations. Burning out is a real thing and you want to avoid it by living a healthy, balanced life. If you fail to read a book for a month, acknowledge the difficulties and reasons why and try again. If you slide back and didn’t get to work out for a week, pick it up the next week.
The new year is not only for new goals, but it’s also for the continuation of older ones.
Mental, physical, and emotional preparation is needed to successfully face the new year. Prepare yourself in advance by refreshing your knowledge, preparing your supplies and studying spots, and fixing your body clock. These will help you reach the goals you’ve set.
However, don’t forget to enjoy the last few days of summer! Make preparing for the school year fun by doing it with your friends and family. Do activities like shopping together, having a sleepover and café-hopping for the perfect study spots and welcome the new school year with confidence and poise!
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