You’ve met your teachers, found your classes, and finally memorized your locker combination. The back-to-school advertisements have started to disappear and the ring of the starting gun has long since faded. Now that the school year has started to progress, some students may be finding it difficult to maintain the same diligence and organization of their work, especially if they’re entering into a new school, or high school. With more rigorous courses, higher expectations and new environments, it may become increasingly difficult to maintain the same academic and studious zeal every student starts off with. Having had personal experience in this situation, I can assure each and every frazzled student that it’s completely normal to slip up a little in your work when you’re equally worried about making friends, finding classrooms, being on time, getting enough sleep, and any extracurriculars you may be involved in. While at some points in the mid-to early school year you might find it difficult to keep your head above the water, I’ve put together some of the things that really helped me stay afloat.
1. Avoid separate subject binders
Some people might agree that having at least four designated binders per subject is easiest to stay organized, I’d have to disagree. Although its a very definitive and clear way to keep notes separate, it’s definitely a lot to worry about, and a lot more to carry. Sometimes, you’ll find its better to compromise unconditionally separate notes for a lower stress level, a lighter bag, and a little less confusion. One large, zip-up, three ring binder is probably a better alternative, with dividers and labels clearly marking the end of one subject and the start of another. In this case, you might even want to use journals or notebooks to keep handwritten information instead of loose leaf. Definitely avoid loose leaf if possible. If you have a laptop and you are allowed to use it in class, I highly recommend it for organizational purposes, but it’s hardly necessary.
2. Carry a pencil case
Have you ever had someone in one of your classes that’s always asking to borrow a pencil? Even worse, have you ever been that person? Writing utensils are hard to keep track of sometimes, and its good to have a few extra, and to have them somewhere accessible but protected. A pencil case is great for this because you can keep anything you need; pencils, pens, highlighters, white-out, erasers, calculators, geometry set, and more without taking up too much space, and never having to worry where anything is. Personally, I can say that a pencil case is a staple to any back-to-school shopping list, and it might help a little more than you expect.
3. Develop realistic goals: KNOW YOUR LIMITS
Often when people are feeling stressed, they’ll want to stop any bad habits from developing, and replace them with good habits. This is a great mindset, but definitely easier said than done. Don’t think that reading the entire textbook in one night is going to make you a better student. More likely than not, the higher the goals, the more pressure to excel there is. It’s good to have that motivation, but not if you’re finding the class difficult to begin with. As a student, its your responsibility to know your limits, and set goals within them. Once those goals are achieved, set your standards a little higher. Remember, it doesn’t matter what you get as long as you get better.
4. Write everything, summarize later
Yes, it might be a hassle, but its better without question to have an abundance of over-detailed notes than to have a few pages of basic ones. The more resources you have, the better. If your teacher isn’t writing notes on the board, take the initiative to do it yourself! Chances are, those extra notes are just another helping hand when you’re studying. Don’t worry about writing too much, or writing things down that seem unimportant, because you can always re-evaluate your notes later. This tip might work best if you tend to write on a laptop, but even though re-writing your notes in jot points might seem like a lot of work, it’ll actually help you process the information better
5. Review Periodically
See those mid-unit review questions in your textbooks? Use em’! Take advantage of the material your teacher doesn’t give you in class, chances are it’ll be really helpful and you might even find some of it on the test. There’s always extra practice or additional resources available to you, eg. asking your teachers, cumulative review questions in your textbook, and online information, but its up to you to find it. Even reading through your notes from last week or a couple pages of the textbook is great, because it consolidates that information you’ve spent time writing and summarizing. In the car on the way home from dance, or soccer, or karate? Pull out your social studies textbook and review your vocabulary, or take out your science book and learn a little more about Ernest Rutherford’s gold foil experiment. Just a little at a time is all you need to foster the knowledge you’ve already learned in class. Ultimately you have to remember that at any point in the school year, things can get a little rougher, the road can feel a little longer, but you just need to keep reminding yourself of where you are, and where you want to go. Hopefully these tips can be of some kind of help to you, and you can adopt these skills for the long run.
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