The commotion and excitement of moving in and reconnecting with friends is always the best part of the school year. This end of August was especially highlighted on everyone’s calender due to the last semester being cut off so abruptly. However, now that classes have been picking up and the real reason for coming back to campus is sadly being remembered, many students are running into problems never discovered before. With most classes being on Zoom or asynchronous, which means you have to aimlessly teach your classes yourself, students might find themselves struggling with “Zoom fatigue” and new roommate problems.
Here are some tips to help with this unusual semester:
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Roommate Agreement
Remember that weird mandatory meeting with your RA freshman year? Well this is the first tip for keeping school and home life separate and stress free as possible. If you are in a dorm room or off-campus, you will be spending a lot of time with each other while trying to do classes. A roommate agreement that promotes open conversation will allow everyone to have a general understanding of when people will be in classes and where everyone is planning on doing school work.
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Organize your schedule
If you are not into planners, this might be the semester where you break that trend. Whether it is Google calendar, iPhone reminders, or a cute planner from etsy, organization is key to staying on track this semester. This also means activities beside school. COVID-19 restrictions are for our safety and needed, but they also limit any time outside of your living space. Plan lunches outside with friends between Zoom classes, or plan weekly times for res walks and a new workout class. Online classes can be a trap and you can find yourself lost and inside all day, but planners will help you bring some balance.
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Keep your bed for relaxing activities only
Online classes force you to be inside and on your computer, but you can choose where you do the work. Use the desk in your room for school or make sure you do the self-check every morning so you can go to the library. If the library is not your thing, use the couch or a table in the common spaces. Online classes will be with us for the next few months, which usually fly by, but it is vital that some spaces are not muddled by school stress.