A new semester is a fresh start! Follow these tips to end last semester on a positive note and position yourself for a successful second semester.
1. Finish Strong
The end of first semester can be brutal but keeping the right mindset at the end can help you better transition into your next semester. Make sure you study hard for finals to ensure you get a good grade. Poor performance on your finals can be deflating when going into second semester. However, a high grade will keep you motivated and happier when starting the new semester.
2. Get Organized
Starting off the semester keeping everything organized is another great way to stay motivated. Buy new folders, empty out old binders, do anything you need to stay organized. I know from personal experience that getting everything out of order early in the semester, it becomes harder to get organized later on. Having papers unorganized will lead to lack of motivation or desire to get any work done. Dividers can be a really helpful tool to make sure all your papers are in the right place.
3. Stay on Track
Don’t get behind! Getting behind on schoolwork makes it very hard to catch up. Especially at the beginning of the semester, try and keep up, it is hard to play catch up all year. Turn assignments in on time and make sure you do the best you can at the beginning of the semester. Also be sure to keep up with notes, don’t take any days off or if you do, get the notes from a classmate. Like it or not, at the end of the semester, it's much harder to keep up, so ensuring you have a high grade to start the semester can help you maintain a good grade going through the harder times.
4. Don't Get Stressed Out
Getting stressed out at the beginning of the semester means it can only get worse from there. Make times for things likes sports, or hanging out with friends to get your mind off of school. Spending all your time on schoolwork will lead to stress which often leads to lower grades. An important thing for me is to get my homework done early in the day, you don’t want to be up until midnight doing homework, that makes you tired the next day and you won't pay attention.
5. Study Groups
Making friends in your class and developing study groups outside of school can be a fun way to get work done. Doing work by yourself it is easy to get off track but doing work in a group can help keep each other on task but also be fun. This is also a way to relieve the stress of getting all of your schoolwork done.
