5 Ways to Start Your Semester Off Strong

I can’t believe it is day two of my second semester of junior year! Although I have thrown back with some unexpected schedule changes, I am finally starting to settle into my new schedule! I am taking so many interesting classes that have sooo much reading. OMG! But, I am up for the challenge! On the blog today, I am going to sharing five ways to start your second semester off strong! Keep reading below to find out!

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Start Out With Healthy Habits

As some of you all know from my Insta, I have been super sick for the past couple of days. So like anyone else, I was quite bummed to start my second semester of school smelling like strawberry cough drops and trying to sneeze quietly while my teacher introduces the class syllabus. After thinking about it for a while, I had realized how important it was to start off the semester with healthy habits! I found that the classes I really excelled in from previous semesters were the ones that I didn’t procrastinate, went to office hours, studied more frequently instead of cramming, SLEPT, and focused on myself! Here are some healthy habits you can try this semester!

• Set Small Goals and Reward Yourself For Meeting Them
• Prioritize School
• Be Organized
• Take Vitamins and Sleep Responsibly
• Learn to Say No
• Go to the Gym with a Buddy
• Drink Water and Tea Instead of Coffee
• Set Out Time for God Every Morning
• Read a ‘lil Every Day
• Surround Yourself With Uplifting People
• Be Accountable for your Actions

Be Organized from the Start

Sometimes during the semester, I find that I will start off being super organized then begin to steer away from my hyper-organized ways when I begin to get too comfortable. I have realized that staying organized truly eliminates so much stress from my life. I remember studying for my organic chemistry laboratory final last semester and thanking myself for being so organized from start to finish of the course. So if you’re not typically an organized person, here are some ways to make sure you are on top of your game this semester:

• Mark Due Dates from Syllabus ASAP in Planner
• Color Code Classes with Binders or Folders
• Do Not Procrastinate
• Be Consistent with Notetaking
• Never Miss Class
• Write Down Everything
• Block Out Me-Time
• Pick Study Times That Best Fit YOU
• Don’t try to be Perfect

Read Your Syllabus

One of the biggest mistakes I made as a freshman was not reading my syllabus fully. Your first week of class is essential to your success throughout the semester. The second you get the syllabus, read through it to make sure that the workload is feasible. Listen, I am not saying that you can’t handle it, but some classes just don’t work well together. The point of college is not to impress anybody with your workload. You want to be successful in your classes. If you don’t think that you can take four finals and write five 4000 page essays all on the same day…don’t! Save that super hard class for a semester when you think that your other classes will have less of a load.

Declutter Your Life

That’s right blessed brilliant beauties! It is time to do some spring cleaning. Anything that is bringing you grief or “blocking your blessing” as I have most recently heard, listen, you’ve got to let it go. *Cue Elsa* This is such a perfect time to do so too! New year, new semester, and yes, NEW YOU! See, we all have these dreams of where we want to be in life, right? Some people want to be doctors while others want to be magazine editors. All of these dreams are completely valid but the problem is, to get to this point, we are going to have to change things up. If we continue to do the exact same things in our lives, there is absolutely no way we can grow. So if you were looking for a sign, here it is. Get rid of those negative thoughts and those people who keep telling you that you can’t. Stop giving value to those things and people who are stunting your growth. Let go and let God.

Have a Plan, Stay Consistent

If you really want to be successful at anything, you must have a plan. Start your semester off by creating an academic plan for each of your classes. When are you going to study? How are you going to make sure you don’t get distracted in class? What will you do if you start slacking? If it is a hard class, have you already looked for a tutor? By having these plans in your head, you are preparing yourself for not only the good things that can happen during a semester but also the unfortunate yet realistic setbacks that can occur. If you score low on your first midterm, instead of freaking out, you should be going back to your academic plan for your class and thinking about the next proactive step to take to be successful. Success is never a straight road from point A to point B. However, with being physically and spiritually prepared, nothing can stop you.

I hope this helped out all of my college readers going back to school! Now I need to take my own advice and start putting down all these due dates in my planner! Have a great first week of classes and remember, you are blessed, brilliant, and beautiful! Let’s make this semester the BEST one yet!

<3 TD