How to Prepare for Fall Semester : Academics
Hi angels! Welcome back to my blog. Now that we have entered the month of August, I’ve decided to give some tips on preparing for the new school year. I decided to break this post into two parts: academics and lifestyle! I hope this will be helpful to you all! With that being said, let’s jump right in!
♡ reflect ♡
- I highly recommend reflecting on the last semester before the start of classes. Not only does it help with goal setting, but it could aid in earning higher marks, thus boosting your gpa if done the right way. For this exercise, you’ll need something to take notes on. Here’s a general idea of questions you can ask yourself:
☆ What was the outcome of the previous school year/semester? Am I satisfied?
☆ What study habits/resources were most effective/helpful?
☆ What were my eating/sleeping habits like during the semester?
☆ How often did I miss deadlines?
☆ What could I have done differently?
You get the idea, right? Try to answer these questions in as much detail as possible. Don’t be afraid to hurt your feelings a bit as well. It’s better to realize you weren’t living up to your full potential and grow from it, rather than being unaware of what you could be doing better.
♡ set goals ♡
- Now that you have a general idea of what you could improve, you can start setting small, realistic goals. For example, if you know you didn’t study as much as you should have, don’t pressure yourself to study for like, five hours straight everyday. That will lead to feelings of defeat and frustration. Instead, set a goal to review your notes after class for at at least 5 minutes, or study a subject in 30 minute intervals with breaks in between.
♡ get organized ♡
One of the mottos I live by is “stay ready so you won’t have to get ready”. I like to get organized before the semester starts, so I’m not struggling during syllabus week. You can get organized by:
☆ Buying a planner/setting up your notion page.
- About a month before the new semester, I like to go planner shopping and customize my new notion page. I like to do this in advance, so all I have to do when school starts is plug in my exam days and assignment due dates during syllabus week. The notion template I use is linked here.
☆ Color coding your notebooks
- Okay, okay. This may be a bit intense, but hear me out. Although I’m a paperless student, I can’t stand having the same notebook covers for all five of my classes. If you’re anything like me, I highly recommend buying (or downloading) different colored/patterned notebooks for your classes and strictly using one notebook for each class (i.e have five separate notebooks if you are taking five classes.) That way, your math notes won’t be mixed in with your biology notes and vice versa.
☆ Deep cleaning
- Delete any old files, PowerPoints, or assignment pdfs you don’t need anymore to clear up space on your computer——especially if you took summer classes. Also, deep clean your room, your desk, your backpack, and toss out any old papers and notebooks you don’t need anymore. Clean space = clear mind = better focus.
♡ school supply shopping ♡
- Last but not least, go school supply shopping! It’s best to go early in my opinion, because all the cute supplies are still available hehe. Go crazy! Buy your cute highlighters, notebooks, pens, and even treat yourself to a cute new bag for the year! Your local Ross or TjMaxx will have cute brand names at an affordable price! You could also find cute pens and notebooks here as well.
I hope you all enjoyed this post and found these tips helpful! I’m praying that each and every one of you will accomplish your academic goals and have a successful semester! Stay tuned for my next post. Ily!
