Uh oh -- it is time to go back to school, people! Whether you are in elementary school, middle school, high school, college, grad school, or whatever it is that you do, you're probably dreading the notion that winter break is over. When will you have time to Netflix, eat, or sleep and not worry about missing a deadline or being late? Well, there is nothing we can do except deal with this new semester, so here are some tips to get through:
Actually read all of the syllabus
Syllabi are tedious; everyone wants to skim through and just get to the part about attendance policy and important dates for exams. By doing this you are actually missing a lot of valuable information that you will need throughout the semester. It might seem like you are saving time, but you're actually wasting it, as you will probably ask your professor questions that he or she purposely made sure could be answered by reading the syllabus. It is nearly guaranteed that the professor will respond with something along the lines of "look at the syllabus," in an annoyed tone. Your professors put time and effort into making the syllabus -- it would be like if you wrote an essay and the professor asked a question that you so clearly explained on page five. So do yourself and your professors a favor: just read the syllabus.
Write down important dates
Everyone uses a planner, which is somewhat helpful but not enough in my opinion. Planners are small, so there is never enough space to write things down, and if there is, it is hard to read what you wrote because the words are so close together. I use a big piece of paper that I always hang above my desk. I write down very important dates of big assignments, projects, and exams. It is useful to write down the time it is due as well. My favorite part is crossing things out when they are complete -- nothing has ever felt so relieving.
Actually go to your classes
To some people this is obvious and they never struggled with the habit of skipping classes, but a lot of people, especially in college, just cannot manage to make it to their classes. I know I personally struggled with this because it seems like you can handle learning the information on your own when everything is online and the walk to class is twenty minutes, but most students who actually go to class struggle less than those who don't. As a result of your increased attendance, you won't have to cram as much for finals because you will be practicing and hearing the material more in class. Going to class prevents you from being lazy - it gives you a reason to get out of bed and avoid sleeping the whole day. One thing I have done to help myself get out of bed and to class is setting multiple alarms on my phone to wake me up and leaving it on a desk or chair far away from my bed. This way, I have to get out of my bed in order to shut the alarm off, making it 10 times easier to get my day started. It is also helpful to remind yourself that you or your parents pay a ridiculous amount for you to get an education; appreciate it and go to class and get your money's worth.
