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5 First Week of School Tips

Pencil with sharpener and shavings on a notebook

Setting up lockers or dorm rooms, checking lists to find friends in your class, and all the extracurricular groups help you decide how you’ll spend your hours outside of the classroom (besides studying). Here are a few ways to make this semester one for the books!

Get involved 

Now is the time to sink your teeth into something you’re passionate about. Want to kick around a soccer ball-join an an intramural league in your college or high school to blow off some steam. If politics is more your thing, Model UN might be looking for someone with your research skills! Finding something you’re passionate about will keep you excited outside of your classes to keep school a priority.

Use Your Planner and stick to It

Whether you automatically get one at the start of school or you skimmed through hundreds of journals to find the one that’s just right, it’s important to get in the habit of consulting with your calendar to see what time opening you have during your day, week, and month. Teachers and professors generally announce the due dates of papers and projects at the start of the semester, so this is a great time to write them down and block out the few days or week leading up to the due date. With new activities you’re involved in above, mark when the major events are that you plan to be at like games, parties, and charity events.

Scan Your Work

The assignments you work on require a lot of research, writing, rewriting, a few venti coffees, and a final edit. It’s important to put everything you have into these papers as they generally count for the majority of the grade (if not the whole thing). When your assignment has been peer reviewed, the final step is to scan your work for plagiarism to make sure all of your sources are in the right place.

Be Social

Getting involved with activities that help you make friends is a great way to start the school year off. Friends are there when you’re looking to try something new or even help you finish that group project later in the semester.

Stay Healthy 

In between classes, homework, and activities, make staying healthy a priority. Whether it’s the recreational center gym, picking smart choices in the dining hall, and getting enough sleep, you want your body to have all the energy it needs to take on this school year!

Getting back to school is always an exciting time, and we know you’re going to start off on the right foot with these tips.

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