What’s up gals and dudes!? Welcome back to Rowan, and if it’s your first semester – welcome!
I hope you all had a great winter break, jam packed with a bunch of resume building activities, adventures, or just kicking back and relaxing because hey, we all needed that.
But now, the spring semester is upon us. After a mad dash to the book store, a hurried glance at your schedule between classes and a triumph of picking out the perfect seat in class, the dust is starting to settle on this semester.
No big deal, you’ll just crank out another great semester like you did last time, right? Now, how again, did we do that…?
If you’re having some trouble settling back into the semester, have no fear, we’ve got you covered! Follow these basic steps and you’ll be rocking the semester before you know it!
1. Get equipped. You have long since left elementary school and the comforting school supplies list that used to come in the mail. In middle and high schools at least the teachers were a little specific about the supplies they preferred you to have. But you’re in college now; you need to know what works best for you. If you are the kind of student that can get by with a single notebook containing all the notes for all your classes – that’s fine. Just make sure you have everything you need – from textbooks to pencil grips. Being prepared is the number one rule to follow if you want to succeed.
2. Plan accordingly. This step should have been done before the break, but the add drop period is lenient so listen closely. If you are not a morning person, do not take an 8 a.m. class. It just won’t work and you will either struggle immensely with it or you will fail and have to retake it. The same goes for night classes. If your brain stops functioning after a certain point in the day, schedule yourself around that. You know your energy levels better than anyone else and you need to plan for them.
3. Take a day off, you owe yourself that. And no, the snow day did not count. Take a day off from work and school. Maybe it’ll be this week, or next. The sooner you can do it though, the better. You need to recharge and give yourself a day of doing absolutely nothing, so you waste less time doing nothing later.
4. Jam it up! No, not strawberry – although I do like some on my toast. I mean plug in your headphones and let the groove make you move. Music is a great way to focus on just about anything – and sometimes you can pretend it’s the background track and you’re in a movie about to overcome all your obstacles and the end is SO CLOSE and you just need to keep working until HUZZAH you win! What’s your prize? Uh, fade to black, roll the credits? No silly, you just finished your work. Now seriously, put some music back on and jam out as if you’re Taylor Swift in her video You Belong with Me. Yeah, that dinosaur of a video. Do it.
5. Find that perfect food that gets you in the zone. Coffee? Carrots? A new Starbucks special that’s coffee WITH carrots? Whatever it is, find some. Eat in moderation (after all, summer is right around the corner…) and use it to pummel you into that end zone. Use the food to refuel, satisfy a craving or just get you focused on your goals. For me, that food is pretzels. When I’m munching on pretzels I feel like I can do anything. Except stop eating pretzels, because I’m addicted.
6. GET ORGANIZED. Chart out your entire semester. Write down all the dates for major assignments, tests and projects. Focus in on each week individually and look at the syllabus and plan that week out. Do you have a paper due in May? Get that on your radar right now so it doesn’t sneak up on you later. If you don’t already own a rad Rowan agenda, pick one up at the bookstore. Remember the movie 27 Dresses? Be Katherine Heigl and use your planner to write down everything. Just don’t leave it in cab because unfortunately James Marsden probably won’t be the one to find itL.
7. Make a routine and stick to it. The great things about classes are that the hours do not change and are always predictable. You can also set up your work schedule around your class schedule. Wake up every morning with a plan. If that plan involves studying and working out or taking a long hot shower and relaxing until your first class, then you already have the infrastructure of a routine. Get in the habit and you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish. Just keep in mind that when midterms and finals roll around, you might have to make adjustments.
8. Exercise! Are you stressed? Go to the Rec Center and release all that tension. If you’re lacking in energy, exercise can fix that too! Nothing like a nice one mile run in the morning to get you ready for the day! When your body is in good shape, your mind is in good shape. You can focus more and be more productive after you’ve had a chance to exercise. But do not overdo the workout, take it at a comfortable pace and remember – the ultimate goal is your health. You will not achieve that if you exhaust yourself.
9. Sleep. Does this really need an explanation? You need 6-8 hours of sleep A NIGHT in order to be at your best the next day. Sleep deprivation affects so many things – it decreases your ability to focus, slows your motor skills, and increases your appetite. A combination of these things is not going to help you achieve great things this semester. You need to be well rested.
10. Hydration. Along with sleep, hydration is the most important thing you can do for yourself. When your body replenishes itself, it needs lots of water. Water will keep you feeling fresh, it will keep you from passing out and it is the natural cure to thirst! Water is magical. And, if you use a reusable water bottle, water is free. Nothing supports a college student’s budget quite like free.
Now, off you go! Fly, fly into the pretty semester! Good luck, Profs! In the legendary words of George Lopez… YOU GOT THIS.