The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Manhattan chapter.
By Emily Gianni
After one and a half years of remote and hybrid classes, Manhattan College will be returning to reality: in-person classes. You may feel unprepared or nervous to start in-person classes, which is totally normal. But, I have five big pieces of advice to get you through it.
- Stay organized. With in-person classes, you may feel overwhelmed. Because in the past, you have been able to sit in your room with all of your materials for class. Now you will be moving from class to class with your materials. What helps me stay organized is that I have one binder for each day. This way all of your notes are in one binder for the day so you do not have to run from your room back to class. Something else you can do that will help is getting a planner. By having a planner, you can plan out your week by knowing when homework, tests, and projects are due, when you have appointments, practices, and club meetings and more.
- Time Management. Many current MC students haven’t had a fully in-person schedule since coming here. This means you have not been walking to and from all of your classes. You need to make sure that you have enough time to go from class to class, have time to eat during the day, and have time to do other activities. A tip I have is that if your classes are really close to each other, bring a snack in your backpack to munch on when walking to your next class. The planner I talked about above can also help with time management!
- Study. When classes were online, you most likely were not studying as hard as you should have been. In order to get the grades you want, you need to do well on tests and quizzes. During these in-person classes, you have to be present, so make the most out of sitting in the class and pay attention. By taking good notes during class, this will help you compress all of the notes into study guides for exams. Making quizlets or good old fashioned index cards will help you prepare for those tests.
- Join Extracurricular activities. This may seem like something odd to do if you are stressed with starting in-person classes. But if you add something into your schedule that you enjoy doing, this can add excitement into your week. Extracurriculars are not supposed to be a stressor in your life. Instead, it is a time where you can relax while doing something you enjoy with people you enjoy being with. If you have too much on your plate one week, you do not have to participate a lot in that club or event until you are more relaxed.
- Be Honest With Yourself. Returning to in-person classes is a huge shift from what normal has been for the past two years. The best thing to do is take things day-by-day. It is normal for you to be overwhelmed and uncomfortable with the change. Do things for yourself, which you enjoy and that you can relax with. It’s going to be a journey, so listen to what you need, and you got this!