This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cengage Unlimited. The opinions and text are all mine.
I can’t believe summer break is already coming to an end, and fall semester is basically around the corner. It’s incredible how fast time goes by, summer should literally get a speeding ticket. I’m sort of excited to start classes again, which is weird cause I’ll be taking classes super early in the morning (wish me luck). But my mind is still on vacation and I guess yours is too. But don’t worry though, I got you, here are tips for getting back into the school grind and kicka** mode.
Buy a planner and actually use it
I’m going to be honest, I actually never used a planner until I got to college. One thing I realized in my first month on campus was that life in college can get so busy and overwhelming really fast. Which is why a planner is basically a must-have to not only survive college but to also strive and be as productive as possible during college. So, you should get one and you should use it. If you’re more like the type of person that’d rather keep everything on their phones, there’re so many apps that can just do what a planner does. I recommend this one because it’s really easy to use. You can just put your entire schedule, set deadlines for assignments and also set reminders.
Read your syllabi
I can’t stress enough how important syllabuses can be. There’s no better way to getting to know more about a class and getting ready for it than reading the syllabuses and writing down the important dates. In a syllabus you can find a lot of information about the class you’re taking, like the required textbooks, deadlines, policies and more. So, start reading you syllabuses before classes start.
Buy/rent your textbooks or use Cengage Unlimited
I guess it all depends on the class you’re taking, but sometimes we need to take classes that aren’t necessarily that important for our majors or that aren’t that interesting to us. I’m a true believer you should look for other options before or instead of buying textbooks. Like, renting textbooks or subscribing to Cenagage Unlimited.
I’ve recently found out about Cengage Unlimited, that launched August 1 (so exciting!). So let me tell you about Cengage Unlimited so that you see why I think it’s awesome. The most exciting thing about it is that you can access all your cengage courses on platforms like WebAssign, MindTap and others in one place for the price of $119.99. Also, if you decide to subscribe, even after your paid subscription ends, you can still access up to 6 textbooks for a year. I’ll definitely be using cengage this school year, because it will make life at college easier.
Set an alarm
If you’re taking 8ams, you should start waking up earlier a couple weeks before classes art, so that you get used to it and don’t suffer when it’s already Monday and you just want to stay 5 more minutes in bed. Also, even if you’re not taking classes that are that early, you should still wake up a little earlier so that you don’t waste the entire morning sleeping. I’m a true advocate of getting enough sleep but sleeping literally 10 hours a day is no way to be productive and getting things done.
Delete old computer files
If you haven’t done this already once last semester finished, then now it’s time to do it. We often forget about those PowerPoints we had to download or those essays we had to write for past classes and they continue to take up precious space in our laptops. So, browse through your old files and delete whatever you think you won’t need again.
Recycle old files and notebooks
The same goes with notebooks and papers we needed for past classes, they take up space, so you should consider throwing them away or recycling them. Here are some ways you can recycle your old notebooks, and even if you decide to throw them away, please do it in one of the paper recycle bins.
Write down goals for the semester
This is my favorite thing to do before the semester starts and a good way to getting back into that school grind. I usually write down my goals for the semester on a post it, and then I hang it on my cork board. Having my goals hanging on my wall is a reminder and I work towards them during the semester. Once the semester ends, I like rewarding myself for every goal I achieved during the semester and I continue to work towards the ones I didn’t achieve. I guess it can be silly for some of you but I love doing it.
Make a schedule you can stick to
Before every semester starts, I make the perfect schedule where I work out every single day a in the morning. But to be honest, I never stick to it, not even for a week. So, my advice to you guys is to make a schedule that’s realistic and that’s going to be easy for you to stick to. I’m not talking necessarily about college classes, because you surely have your class schedule already, but I’m talking about all the other things college students should make time for. Like working out, self-care, time with friends and more. Add this type of activities to your class schedule. As I mentioned before, college is stressful, so having some me-time during the week is essential. So, schedule some time every week to relax for at least an hour.
Keep calm and have fun
I know college can be really overwhelming and stressful sometimes, but instead of stressing about that right now, have fun planning and stay calmed. College should be a fun journey instead of a stressful one. So bring on the positivity and get ready to kick some ass during this upcoming semester.
Well, those are all the tips I have for getting back into the school grind! If you haven’t already, you should totally check my other blog post about things I do to get good grades, and you’re good to go. You’re going to kill it this semester ;). Also, don’t forget to check out my other college related posts!
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