Okay, maybe for some people - like me! - because while there are reasons to not like going back to school, there are plenty of reasons to be happy about going back to school. For me, the main two reasons for looking forward to school are a) getting back into a structured schedule and b) getting to life on my own - peace and quiet!
I've gone back to school a couple of times now, so while I won't say I'm the best at being a well-balanced student, I think I have a few pieces of advice in terms of dealing with getting back to the grind and dealing with the school year in general:
One of the biggest problems I always faced at the start of a new school year was getting into it mentally. It usually took me a very, very long time to shift from summer vacation mode into study mode; and while this was okay for high school (yes kids, high school isn't going to matter after all is said and done), it definitely made me fall behind a little during university (I was able to pull it together in the middle of semesters). My strategy with dealing with this is to just... ease myself into it. This may be a bit difficult to do if your schoolwork load does not allow for 'easing into' right off the bat, but I would let the workload pile up a little for the first week while I sorted out a homework/reading schedule; and this also helped put a little pressure on me to force me into focusing on my schoolwork.
Doesn't sound like a good strategy when I spell it out for you like that... but the bottom line is to do whatever works for you and your studies.
One of the biggest problems I always faced during the school year is not being social enough. In high school, it was easier to make friends because classes were smaller and you had time to talk to your peers during class as well as during lunch or before/after school; and I was also in my school's concert and jazz band, and that essentially gave me a group of people to bond with. But in university, classes got huge, and there were just so many people; and one thing I learned the hard way was that having friends and forging friendships needed work. I wasn't quite used to this because in high school, the friendships I had kinda just happened, so I quite literally did not know how to walk up to someone, introduce myself and have a conversation (I'm quite terrible at this in general) and essentially build a relationship. Aaaand I also never went out (for several reasons).
This time around, as I start school again, I'm going to try to put myself out there a bit more. What I didn't realize before, and what I'll try to keep in mind as orientation week starts is that almost no one is going to know each other, so everyone is on an even playing field (i.e. no cliques!). This also means that everyone is pretty open to getting to know other people, so take the chance and say hi and tell them your name. If you're not a good conversationalist,hope that the other person is don't pressure yourself. My strategy is just to listen and respond accordingly rather than trying to come up with complex things to say. I usually end up blubbering or losing all ability to form coherent sentences because I get so nervous... I like to tell others that it's alright to be nervous, but I know for myself, this is something I have to work on - especially since I'll be working with people for the rest of my life! I'll let you know when I come up with something.
Oh! And don't forget to say hi again, i.e. don't just meet the person once and ignore them for the rest of the year! This is something I always did because I didn't know if the other person would remember me. And I mean, sometimes, people will forget and in that case, you could remind them; but the real people you want to hang out with are the people who'll remember you(but beware of the creepy stalkerish individuals who could remember you for other reasons...).
My last tip: sleep always comes first. In all my years of being in school, I have pulled off only two all-nighters. And they might not even count as all-nighters by other people's standards - I stayed up 'til 4:30 a.m. both times - and both times were to write essays (one of them was the dreaded 4000-word essay for IB... anyone feel me here?). But when it came to cramming the night before for a morning exam, I studied until I could not keep my eyes open - usually around 2:30 a.m., went to bed for around three hours, and woke up early the next morning to finish my studying (or, study as much as I could). And... I did pretty well. The point is, your brain can't work half-dead, so staying up all night is not worth it. I mean, by all means, if this works for you, sure, keep doing it! But I know for myself, I need sleep (which is ironic, because I don't like mid-day naps UNLESS I'm in a car).
So this was longer than intended... hopefully it was helpful and/or insightful. If it wasn't, my blog doesn't come with a time-back guarantee, so ha ha.
To all my fellow students in school, or going to school soon, gl;hf!
This time around, as I start school again, I'm going to try to put myself out there a bit more. What I didn't realize before, and what I'll try to keep in mind as orientation week starts is that almost no one is going to know each other, so everyone is on an even playing field (i.e. no cliques!). This also means that everyone is pretty open to getting to know other people, so take the chance and say hi and tell them your name. If you're not a good conversationalist,
Oh! And don't forget to say hi again, i.e. don't just meet the person once and ignore them for the rest of the year! This is something I always did because I didn't know if the other person would remember me. And I mean, sometimes, people will forget and in that case, you could remind them; but the real people you want to hang out with are the people who'll remember you
My last tip: sleep always comes first. In all my years of being in school, I have pulled off only two all-nighters. And they might not even count as all-nighters by other people's standards - I stayed up 'til 4:30 a.m. both times - and both times were to write essays (one of them was the dreaded 4000-word essay for IB... anyone feel me here?). But when it came to cramming the night before for a morning exam, I studied until I could not keep my eyes open - usually around 2:30 a.m., went to bed for around three hours, and woke up early the next morning to finish my studying (or, study as much as I could). And... I did pretty well. The point is, your brain can't work half-dead, so staying up all night is not worth it. I mean, by all means, if this works for you, sure, keep doing it! But I know for myself, I need sleep (which is ironic, because I don't like mid-day naps UNLESS I'm in a car).
So this was longer than intended... hopefully it was helpful and/or insightful. If it wasn't, my blog doesn't come with a time-back guarantee, so ha ha.
To all my fellow students in school, or going to school soon, gl;hf!
