Freshman year can be pretty crazy; there are so many possibilities, new things to learn, new people to meet, and a new living arrangement to get used to. It becomes pretty easy to focus on the fun rather than on the work very quickly and then your GPA plummets. However, these are a couple things that I did which helped to get back on track.
- Cut bad Ties:
Coming to college and meeting a new spectrum of people, my first year in college I befriended many people- some were great and encouraging and on track with the whole college things, while others were not. Some were more focused on night life than the books and finding myself surrounded around these individuals I quickly started down that same path. Therefore the first thing I did my new year around was cut all bad ties that discouraged me from my number one priority- school- and grow closer to the ties that encouraged me to do other beneficial things. It can be hard at first, but is so much better for you in the long run.
2. Prioritize:
Prioritizing is so important in college because you can no longer procrastinate and get away with it; I learned that very fast. One thing that helped me the most when trying to get back on track was a mental list of things that are important to me all in order to get everything scheduled well. My list includes, school, gym, and studies. This has helped me when making decisions about going out or doing any fun activities.
3. Keep Organized:
Organization is key! If my schedule is a mess, I am a mess and stress out so much easier. However, sophomore year has taught me that my planner is my best friend and key to organization. It helps me plan my day, lists out my SI sessions, professors office hours, helps me plan out how to study for tests and when those test are going to be, reminders to wear jeans for lab and also reminds me of any extra club activities or meetings I may have. More often than not I have a million things going on in my head and keeping organized makes it a little easier to keep sane.
4. Get to know your professors:
Even though it is over reiterated, getting to know your professors is actually so helpful. Especially in harder classes such as Organic Chemistry and Biology, talking with my professors and asking them questions about previous lectures helps clarify concepts in my head very clearly. Not only do they help if you have trouble understanding a concept, but they also give you an insight of what is on the test and what to focus on. They are the ones writing out the exam after all, and so meeting up with my professors has helped save me time when studying because I know what to focus on more.
5. Take care of yourself:
Remember to take care of yourself and love yourself! College can be so stressful and a big load on mental stress. I like to take time out of the day to work out, do a facial, paint my nails, do anything for me or for myself even if its something small. My favorite thing to do is go to the gym, at 4 times a week and get a good sweat. Beforehand I like to stretch in the hot sauna to warm up my body, go do my work out and then end it with the wet sauna before a shower. In the wet sauna before my shower sometimes I like to take a body scrub to scrub dead skin off all my body and also a face or hair mask to let all that sit in while I lay in the wet sauna and sweat. This whole process allows me to unwind before I jump right back into the stress again.