It has been about three weeks now since fall semester ended here in Florida, and I think it is safe to say that most students are officially in full "relaxation mode." Christmas festivities have already passed, and the New Year is right around the corner, meaning people will be coming up with resolutions, going out and celebrating the new year, and hoping 2018 will be better to them than 2017 was.

For most of us (without jobs anyways,) we came home after finals week to spend some time with our families during the holiday season. We have moved back into our parents' homes, cozied up in our old beds, and watched unwarranted amounts of Netflix or hung out with old high school friends most of the days we have been back. We have fallen into a routine of waking up much later than we ever did during the fall, having our parents do our laundry, and indulging in home-cooked meals.

Unfortunately, the reality is sneaking up on us, and spring semester is starting very soon; AKA it will be back to hitting the books and waking up for our 9 a.m. classes. Once you have become accustomed to the relaxed lifestyle of being back at home, it is even harder to become acclimated to a school schedule again.

Here are some helpful tips to get yourself back into "school mode":

1. Set your alarms for your spring semester schedule a week before classes actually begin.

Preparing your body in advance might seem like torture (why waste my last week of sleeping in???) but the truth is, it will help in the long-run.

2. Start cooking your own meals again.

While at home, odds are your parents have been making your meals, or you have been eating out excessively. When you are back at your apartment, things will be very very different.

3. Do your own laundry before packing it all back into your suitcases.

This way, you will get back into the groove of doing your own laundry, and you will not have to do any right when you arrive back at school.

4. Look at what textbooks you may need to buy in advance.

Do not actually buy them yet though - professors love to switch up textbooks last minute; sometimes, you do not even need a book.

5. Purchase some new school supplies.

It may just be the nerd in me, but nothing gets me back into the studying mindset like buying some fresh notebooks and pens.

6. Make your New Year's resolution "do better in school."

I know New Year's resolutions typically go out the door during the second or third week of January, but by then, you should already be back in the school groove. So it works anyways.

Good luck, and have a great semester!