Returning to school after summer break can be an exciting, bittersweet, and stressful time. Adjusting to change is not always easy, but it is a great feeling once you reunite with your friends and get back into a routine with school, activities, and living habits. The first few weeks of being back at school are perhaps the most crucial weeks of the semester, because they help determine how well you will succeed in different aspects of your life. In order to position yourself for success this semester, make sure to follow these five simple tips:

1. Catch up with friends

Once you return to school, make it your priority to meet up with the friends you were separated from over the summer. Tell stories. Share adventures. Ask about their summer internship, study-abroad experience, or the classes they might have taken. While a meaningful friendship is often marked by being able to pick up right where you left off, it is still important to make up for that missed time by investing in one another. This will set the tone for your friendships during the school year, as you prepare to go through seasons of highs and lows. Strive to maintain a healthy social life in order to combat school-related stress.

2. Get organized

Start your school year off on the right foot by organizing your life in order to prevent future chaos. Start by organizing your academic schedule: When will you be in class? When will you make time to read and study each day? Establish a routine for yourself right off the bat, so that you do not feel like you are drowning in schoolwork down the road. Next, organize your extracurricular activities: How much time will you spend doing each activity during the week? How will you balance them with schoolwork and social life? Try to prioritize your activities based on their importance to you. I recommend making a printed schedule of your week to put on your wall or your desk, with a rough outline of how a typical week should look for you. This way, you can visualize a routine and try to stay on track, while still allowing yourself to break it when necessary. Lastly, organize your room before classes begin. A clean room is a clear head and provides for a stress-free environment to study or rest.

3. Evaluate your extracurricular activities

This goes without saying, but being involved at your college is extremely important. It allows you to make a mark on your university and serve the community in ways that you cannot achieve solely through academics. It is also one of the best ways to make friends, build your resume, and learn time management skills. However, I recommend taking the time to evaluate exactly what you want to be involved in when you return to college. Ask yourself: Do I have too many extra-curriculars on your plate? Is there a club or an activity that I have always wanted to try? Am I doing an activity for the purpose of looking good on a resume, or do I actually enjoy it? Decided what you care about, what matters most to you, and how you can best use your time to get plugged in at your school. The biggest lesson I have learned at college is to not worry about letting others down; you have to choose what is best for you and realize that your time is your own.

4. Meet your professors and TAs

Each semester, I try to make it to all the office hours of my professors and TAs within the first couple of weeks. This allows them to put a face with a name from the start, instead of remaining a stranger in a lecture-hall sea of faces the entire semester. Establishing a relationship with your professors from the beginning is key to succeeding in your class. You won’t feel awkward coming to them with your first question three-fourths of the way through the course, and you will stand out to them as a devoted student. If you’re unsure of what to talk to them about, perhaps tell them a little about who you are and what you are interested in. Then, ask your professor what he/she is researching or what topics interest him/her. The meeting need not be longer than five to ten minutes, but it will greatly impact your relationship with the professor from that point going forward.

5. Establish a healthy routine

We all know that as the semester goes on, we tend to eat worse and exercise less. However, if you practice healthy eating and exercising habits as soon as you return to school, you will be less likely to go down the path of unhealthy living. When I have grown too lazy and stopped going to the gym in the past, I have reflected on the start of the semester and wished I established a workout routine from the get-go. Carve out time to exercise and relax your mind/meditate each week, in order to maintain sanity amidst the chaos of school. While late-night fast food runs are a college staple, try your best to eat healthy during the week so that you do not feel guilty eating that delicious 2 a.m. pizza on Friday.