Start Regulating Your Sleep Schedule

Eating a ton of food and having nothing to do makes me stay in bed all day. Because I have no schedule during break, I lose track of time and go to bed and wake up super late.

To avoid the complete shock of waking up 5 hours earlier than you usually do, take baby steps. Maybe start about a week before you get back to school.

Start by going to bed 30 minutes or an hour earlier than you usually do and do the same for when you wake up. Instead of going cold turkey, this will help you regulate your sleep schedule without feeling cranky and tired on the first day of class.

Get All of Your School Supplies Early

Usually, I don't buy notebooks and binders until after the first week of classes because I don't know what I need yet. Try to ask around and see if people who have taken classes you will be taking can tell you what you need beforehand. This will help you be more prepared for your first day, and give you more time to nap or relax after a long first day.

If you can't find anybody to help you out, at least research what textbooks you need and buy or rent those. This way, you can just focus on getting back into the rhythm of things during the week instead of scrambling around last minute trying to get everything you need.

Write Down Your Schedule

I always triple check my schedule on the first day. I get super paranoid that I will walk into the wrong classroom on the first day of school and get called out for it (yes, this has happened to me before).

To avoid total embarrassment, write out your schedule in your planner because this will help you memorize your class times and locations more quickly. It's also a lot easier to just go into your planner and check your schedule there than to log into all of your school accounts and find your master class schedule.

Treat Yourself

There's no need to stress about the first day back, especially because 99% of it just going over rules and class expectations. Tell yourself that after you complete your first week or even first day, you will treat yourself.

Go to the movies with friends or even just get yourself some ice cream. This will give you something to look forward to and help you get through the week.

Start Off Strong

Some classes have homework or quizzes assigned on the first day. Get into a schedule of completing assignments and studying for quizzes early, so you can stay on track all semester.

As your classes get harder, this will make it easier to stay on schedule and avoid cramming for exams the night before, which happens to the best of us.