The Spring semester has come upon us, and none of us are prepared. Instead of ripping your hair out and curling into a ball on the floor, try these tips to make this semester different from the rest.
1. Pick a schedule that works for you
Now I know you are probably thinking, "I already picked my classes so this tip isn't helpful," BUT its early enough that you can drop and add classes that are not working well for you. Make sure you have a schedule that works the best with your personal life, your work life, and your sanity. If you are not a morning person, don't take 8 AM classes. If you go to bed early/ or keep up with a lot of TV shows that are important to you, don't take night classes. Just make sure the difficulty of the classes work for you and the timing. If you have terrible times for your classes you are setting yourself up to be miserable.
2. TIME MANAGEMENT!!
You hear this every semester from EVERYONE, but it is the key to making your life as stress-free as possible. Obviously you are never going to constantly be on top of everything all the time because sometimes you just need to nap in bed for hours and then order a pizza AND THAT'S OKAY! The key here is to get as much work done as you can in one sitting, especially if it's not due for a long time. The goal is not to finish the assignment, the goal is to start working a little on everything so that when the due date gets closer you already have a head start. It also motivates you more to start it because you know in your head you are not finishing it this very second.
3. Diet
No one wants to hear about eating healthy, but it could help you out this semester. I am not saying to you need to be this crazy healthy clean eater that runs everyday because that is just not obtainable in college. I am just saying to make certain meals healthy and treat yourself when you need too. Maybe pack a healthy lunch to eat during the week or get the healthy item you can find in the cafeteria. I know we are all broke so it is a lot harder to eat healthy, but little things make a difference. Maybe make a sandwich with whole wheat bread instead of white bread or put veggies in your chicken wrap. You need as much nutrients as you can get because Ramen and EasyMac fill the void in your heart but make you feel awful and bloated overall. It hinders your school performance so aim to eat as well as you can and treat yourself in times of trouble.
4. Partying
I get it, you had a tough week and just want to let loose and party the weekend away, but that only temporarily fixes your problems. A huge problem college students have is not turning down plans to go out when they have a lot of work to do. I know it's so tempting but when Sunday rolls around you are hungover and filled with stress because you never started that paper due Monday. Make a plan in your head to only go out one night that week if you have a lot of work to due. You could also use partying as a motivation to get all your work done before the weekend so you can have fun. Think of parties as a reward for being on top of things and don't let it ruin your performance this semester.
5. Seek Help
If you really are struggling then seek help on campus. If it's personal struggles then find counseling services that fit your needs. If it is academic struggle then find tutors on campus or talk to professors on what you can do to improve your grade. Most teachers are willing to help you as much as they can. Also make a group to study and do work with. It relieves some stress because you are socializing with friends, plus they can try and help with whatever you are struggling with.
Overall, each new semester brings its own set of problems and setbacks. It is our job as students to make it through it all alive. I am not asking you to follow every single tip on this list because it's hard to try to but the perfect student, but taking a tip of two and applying it to your life can really make a difference. Here's to a successful semester!
