1. Get a planner
Organization is the key to staying on top of homework and obligations. With such busy schedules, it’s easy for us college students to forget our to-do lists if we don’t write them down. Take a few minutes to sit down every Sunday night and look at the syllabus for each class. Mark all of your tasks for that week in a calendar so you won’t have to wake up in a panic when you realize that you haven’t done the assignment for your 8 a.m. class that you’re about to be late to.
2. Cook more at home
One stereotype that continues to prove true is the “broke college kid.” With $1.97 in our bank accounts, we have no choice but to call mom and dad, yet again, asking for “grocery” money. Save cash this semester by limiting yourself to Chipotle only once a week.
3. Don’t Procrastinate
We all tell ourselves at the beginning of every year that we won’t wait to turn in an assignment until 11:59 the night before it’s due, but then midterms come around and we find ourselves cramming for exams, wishing we had stayed up studying instead of finishing that last season of Grey’s Anatomy. This semester, stay true to that promise and get to work now.
4. Set goals
Go into this semester with objectives you wish to achieve. Whether you want a 4.0 GPA or to go to the gym at least three days a week, this will give you motivation to make this semester more productive than the last.
5. Relax
Trying to balance school, work and extra curricular activities can be overwhelming (I’m at an average of about three emotional breakdowns per year). This semester, however, take some time to relieve stress before you end up curled into a ball of self-pity on the floor of the library. Just stay calm and breathe. You’ve got this.
