If you are like me, winter break was not long enough. I am still tired of thinking about homework, papers, exams, deadlines, etc. and now it is time to get back to work. A lot of times, the second semester is when a lot of students struggle with classes, their grades are not as strong as they were in the first semester, and the second semester can seem even longer than the first. So, in order to make sure that none of us fall into the second semester trap, I want to give everyone a few tips to make this semester a great one.

First, the beginning of the semester are the hardest weeks. I am not saying that the homework is really hard in the beginning and it gets easier as the semester moves forward (this is definitely not true), what I am saying is that this is the adjustment period for students. The adjustment period is when students have been on a break from work, and when the break is over, the students must stop relaxing and get back to work. This is one of the hardest things to do for a college student. When I am on a break, I do not think about schoolwork, and oftentimes I just relax and spend time friends and family. Once my break is over, it is hard for me to start doing homework and studying because I have not been doing that. So, my tip to you is to buckle down and really focus on getting work done in the beginning of the semester. This helps to ensure that you will not fall behind and have to find ways to boost your grade later on in the semester.

Also, one way to make sure that it is easier to adjust from being on a break to completing school assignments, is to start reviewing your school assignments a week before your break ends. Now I know that this is something that nobody wants to do but trust me, it will make it so much easier to get back in the swing of things once school starts. Start by reviewing the syllabus for each class, looking through the assignments, and just making sure that you are prepared and organized for the next semester.

Another tip for starting off the semester strong is to slowly adjust your sleep schedule. If you are like me, then during a break, your sleep schedule is completely screwed up and if you have an 8 a.m. class, you probably should not go to bed at 2 a.m. The best way to deal with this is to slowly adjust your sleep schedule a week before classes start. That way, it won’t be so hard to wake up for your early class, and it won’t take as long to adjust to your class schedule.

My final tip is that you do not want to overwhelm yourself in the second semester.A lot of students, (especially freshmen) think that if they had a successful first semester, then that means that they should put a lot more extracurriculars on their plate in the second semester. This is a huge mistake. You do not want to make your schedule so busy that you have no time to do anything but work. Make sure that your schedule is good for you, meaning it is tough, but manageable. If you find yourself barely getting any sleep and you are missing assignments, this is not a good sign, and you should adjust your schedule. College is not supposed to give you health problems and stress.

Overall, if you follow these tips, I am sure that this semester will be a great one, and before you know it, summer will be here. Also, if you find yourself struggling at the beginning of the semester, do not be discouraged. This happens to everyone and trust me, you will get through it. Good luck this semester.