With the excitement of Christmas and the New Year winding down, the reality of a New Year has set in: spring semester starts in mere days. While you might be ready to see your friends, go out on the weekends, or get back to your normal routine, it's as easy to forget what you need to go back to school as it is to give up your New Year's resolution. Here are 16 things you can do to get your 2016 semester off to a good start:
1. Buy a few notebooks, pens, and pencils.
Perhaps it is a given, but after a month of relaxing your mind, it can be difficult to be prepared and organized at the start of a new semester. If you know what you need before your classes start, consider color coordinating and labeling your materials as an easy way to stay organized during the year, eg. Blue binder is for Psych 1010, Green notebook and folder are for American Lit, etc.
2. Don't buy your books until after syllabus day.
Just like with fall semester, it’s not uncommon for professors to list a book for the class that you will never use. Wait until after the first few classes to see if the book is actually needed, or get a head-start by seeing what past students have said on sites like RateMyProfessor.com.
If you do need a book for class, always check sources such as Amazon Rentals, Half.com, etc. Every time you spend $100 on a book you could get for $15 on Chegg, a kitten dies.
3. If necessary, reach out to your professors before classes start.
If you have questions or concerns, it never hurts to email a professor before classes even start. Depending on how you go about it, it can even show your ambition and a general sense of your character. While you’re at it, if there is a class you're worried about, whether it’s because of the instructor or nature of the course itself, check RateMyProfessor or similar before the semester starts, that way you can add and drop classes before your school’s student body does the same (in masses).
4. Make sure your financial aid is in order.
Especially at large schools, it’s easy to slip through the cracks of the financial aid office. Don’t forget to renew your aid, apply it, and stay on top of any issues you notice on your financial record. Most offices re-open the week before classes, but it’s still likely they’ll already be busy. It is your responsibility to stay on top of your finances.
5. Clean up your email inbox.
It’s so much easier to stay aware of your personal, professional, and school correspondence when your inbox isn’t filled with 24,396 emails. A quick scan, some deleting, and some folder organizing are easy ways to help prepare for a productive new year.
6. Clean up your computer/desktop while you're at it.
Your future self will thank you when your past and present assignments can be found under names like “History 2800 - Midterm Paper.doc” rather than “asdhklasdfj.doc”.
7. Do a deep clean when you get back to your dorm or apartment.
Within a few weeks of classes starting, the pressure is already on, and the anxiety is already real. A clean or tidy space can help relax some of that anxiety, or at the very least, it won’t add to it. By doing a deep clean of your dorm or apartment before the semester starts, you won’t have to stress out about a messy space when the papers and tests start piling up.
8. Catch up on laundry before you go back, so you aren't already drowning in things to do.
There’s really nothing more to it – save yourself the heartache and shame of pulling sweatpants out of your dirty clothes hamper and spraying them with Febreze.
9. Lay out physical / mental health plan for New Year.
Just like a clean environment, a clean and clear mind and body can offer infinitely many perks to a stress-reduced school year. By laying out a meditation and/or exercise schedule, you are making time to invest in yourself. While meditation and exercise won’t free someone of mental or physical health problems, they do release endorphins, help you think clearly, and help control stress that stems from school.
10. Make a plan of classes/ homework/ study time/ free time.
Time management is somewhat like a mythical creature – there’s tons of talk about it, but you never see it in person. While procrastination won’t take long to set in for the majority of us, having a laid out plan of how to spend your time will help with some of the accountability of how you actually spend your time.
11. Print off your schedule or set it as phone screen saver.
Finding your classes and being on time can be as simple as looking at your phone. If you want something in physical writing to keep you on track, try writing the date, time, and room of your classes on the notebook or binder you use for each class.
12. Stock up on some basics before you leave home.
Laundry detergent, toilet paper, water, snack, printer ink – whatever you need on a daily basis, be sure to have some sort of supply before you go back to ease yourself back into the normalcy of your away-from-home life. Another perk of buying the basics before you go back to school: your parents might pay.
13. Contact your peers or mentors from extracurriculars or study groups.
It’s good to see what's happening in the coming semester before the semester starts, that way you can make time for what’s important to you outside of school. If you are in any clubs or leadership seminars, find out about the first meetings and catch up on what you need to know.
14. Check what events happening in the coming weeks.
Much like the first week(s) of fall semester, the beginning of spring semester is often a fun and busy time on campus. Don’t miss out on free T-shirts, food, and events that are sure to be found somewhere on campus as your school comes back to life after winter break.
15. Start thinking about summer job/internships and apply now.
I know, I know, it’s barely January, but hear me out – competition for the best jobs and internships can be fierce, and your motivation and momentum will only slow down as classes pick up. Start looking for and applying now to show your ambition and to avoid frantic searches and applications as summer nears.
16. Binge-watch something on Netflix, sleep all day, eat anything home-made, and enjoy your last days of break.
You worked hard this fall, and your spring semester is right around the corner. Prepare for more hard work, all-nighters, stress-related breakdowns, midnight dining hall runs, and college fun by soaking in your last days of freedom.
