As we are approaching the fall season, it’s a good time to start romanticizing campus life.
Since I am a sophomore, I gained a few tips and tricks on how to have a good time while not sacrificing your grades. Sophomore year is known as the year to finally chill out. Less partying, more studying and mapping out your connections/internships to target for your junior and senior years. You think you know college life like the back of your hand. However, I should probably burst your bubble. There are still ways that you can fall behind in school, no matter the year. Here are some tips on how to relish this season responsibly.
- A binge-able show
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This is majorly important. It’ll be something to keep on in the background while you study or in your free time. Here are my top picks for shows that will definitely get you through this fall season.
Gilmore Girls: It’s a show about teen mom Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory. The show is set in Stars Hollow, Connecticut, and we can easily be inspired by the main character Rory’s overachiever personality for school. She’s doing her absolute best in navigating Chilton, a prestigious and expensive high school. This show encapsulates the younger mom and child relationship and all of its quirkiness.
Succession: Oh my, this is a stinger. This show is for a different audience. It is a dramatic and realistic show about a rich and extremely dysfunctional family. This is a show that gives outstanding but heart-wrenching acting, especially in scenes with romantic partners. It’s an honest show about those in power, and it will never ever be predictable.
Defending Jacob: I saved my absolute favorite for last. This show is for my true crime girls out there—you’ll go on a journey, to say the least. It’s about a lawyer, played by Chris Evans. He ends up taking on his son Jacob’s middle school murder case and becomes a conflict of interest. It explains the generational curse between his son and father. It’s a shorter show, eight episodes long.
- Stop being afraid to invest in those pumpkin products
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Yes, capitalism… I know. But if the stuff makes you happy, it’s so worth it. I make it mandatory to decorate my room according to the time of year, and having a ghost-themed calendar is perfect for organization in a cute way. One thing I’ve purchased recently is pumpkin-infused eye patches for dark eye circles. I came across them at TJMaxx. They were surprisingly under $5. For just eight pairs, that was a steal.
- Use those study tips you hear about
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For real, what harm could that bring?
A lot of students see or hear about resources, but might be reluctant to try them. It can stem from embarrassment or just pure laziness. It happens to all of us. One thing for me was using the tutoring services available at my college. It always seemed too scary, and somehow all my friends would know I’m really not that good at writing essays or doing math. But those tutoring services earned me my very first 100% on an eight-page paper. I felt empowered in the resources that I chose.
Another helpful thing I tried is investing in a planner — and please, do yourself a favor and bring it everywhere. You will need it to write down when you have work, or when you want to work out at the gym with your friends. A planner cuts out your time for you so your mind doesn’t crash during an exam week.I’ve always admired my friend through my school year for her capability of such a hard major even though we were both new to SUNY Plattsburgh. Her name is Amen Zergaw, and she is a double major in biomedical science and medical technology, with a minor in Chemistry. Even though she might be a busy person, I got a little bit of her time to ask her for some general studying tips on how to not fall behind in class, and here’s what she said.
Q: So, what are your general tips for students trying to do well academically?
A: One thing I always make sure to do is to set aside my Sundays for catching up on homework and reading.
Q: How do you deal with procrastination?
A: I go by this rule: do it as soon as you can think of it. When I think, “I’ll just do this later” I know I probably won’t. So I try to at least start it before taking a break. That way, it’s easier to finish it than to start a huge task.
Is the secret to procrastination just starting it when you first think of it? So, I read about this some more.
According a New York Times article, some of us can be dealing with something called “task paralysis.” Task paralysis can occur when we feel so overwhelmed looking at the total amount of tasks we have to complete that we just end up not starting it. We sometimes even fail ourselves before we have the chance to try.
Dr. Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University quoted in the NYT article, said, “Do some part of it that you can do and that you can succeed at, because nothing builds success like success.”This is something that has even helped me. Doing something you think is an easy first step leads to the motivation to finish more tasks.
- Surround yourself with like-minded people
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College is about making connections with people. And no, I do not mean only hanging out with people in your major.
College is about getting out of your comfort zone, and it’s good to have people who are down to do that with you. Get into a study group, maybe even freak out about tests together. Take walks and get outside of the library for once with a few friends or classmates. Company makes it all the more worthwhile.
Balancing the fun fall season and being a good student takes a lot of self-discipline and heavy planning. By following all of these steps, you gain important life skills that will definitely be useful in your future adult life.