How to Ace Your Semester After Spring Break
5 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET IN THE “BACK-TO-SCHOOL MODE” AFTER SPRING BREAK
Its 9 o’clock on Sunday, you’re chatting with friends, posting pics & reminiscing about spring break and all of a sudden you get a queasy feeling in your stomach. That’s right, you remember you have that exam and paper due on Tuesday.
You panic, stop thinking clearly and scramble to find your notes. If you’re reading this thinking it doesn’t apply to you because you got all your work done beforehand, then A+ for effort, but for the other 99% of you, here are 5 tips to beat the back-from-break freak out.
1. W.I.N.
Sure, you’re anxious to post pics and catch up with friends who you haven’t talked to in a whopping 10 days but you must think “What’s Important Now?” In the grand scheme of things, friends & fun will always be there, but that Finance exam that counts for 1/2 of your grade won’t. Hide your smartphone, break out your dusty notes and get cracking on that studying.
2. REFRESH YOUR MEMORY
What were you doing in your classes a week or two before spring break, beside planning some much needed R&R or your trip to the DR? Reviewing your notes, recorded lectures and syllabi can easily help jog your memory and get you back on track post-spring break.
3. STUDY WITH FRIENDS
As long as you use the time wisely, there’s no harm in meeting with a group of friends/classmates since everyone is getting back into the school mode. Try getting together at the library or another place that’s conducive for studying and dedicate an hour or two just for schoolwork. Save the gossip and recap of House of Cards, Season 2 for the lunch or dinner break.
4. CREATE A PLAN & SET GOALS
This is the home stretch of the semester and you really want to give it your all, so getting organized can help you do that! Look at your class schedules and syllabi to find assignments, tests and projects coming up to highlight key dates and set goals for yourself. Plan to complete the last phase of the research paper a few days early or make a study guide for that upcoming Art History exam. Creating a to-do list daily is a great way to gauge if you’re making progress towards your goals.
5. BEAT THE STRESS
If Sunday night arrives and you still have a good amount of work to do, there’s no use stressing about what you should have done differently over spring break. Be realistic in assessing how much work you can get done and be strategic about it. Think about which readings or lectures were super helpful and skip things that are redundant. Connect with classmates to create a study guide and help each other tackle potential essay questions on an exam.
Don’t fret — the end of the semester is almost here! Just a month or so more, and you’ll be on your way to summer vacation, where the living’s easy.
