School and the tax man: they alone wait for no one. Ready or not, second semester is here for you. Tears and gnashing your teeth won’t help, but the Daily Wildcat ital is here to give you some tips on how to make second semester the best semester.
1. Treat school like an experiment
Do you believe in science? You don’t have to be a STEM major to treat life like an experiment. Step one of a better semester: Look back on last semester to see where it all went wrong. Human beings have a motto: Survive and adapt. Make a list of why your last semester went wrong and then propose a hypothesis on how to fix it. Didn’t get enough sleep last semester? Develop a morning and night routine to communicate to your body that it’s time to shut down or start up. If your experiment fails, just repeat until you reach success (in other words have that bottle of Melatonin on hand).
2. Your life will only deteriorate over the next four months
No one miraculously gets their life together halfway through the semester. This week is the high point in terms of organization, efficiency and low stress levels. Start strong and give yourself a good starting point this semester.
3. Treat school like a job
One routine that can do wonders for managing all of life’s insanity: treat school like a 9 to 5 job. Once the time reads 9 a.m., you’re on the clock. If not in class, do schoolwork. Get ahead on those papers and projects that would normally hit the backburner. No more 20-minute Netflix breaks that dovetail into a wasted afternoon. Spending 40 hours a week on school frees up the evenings to spend time with friends and go to bed at a reasonable hour.
4. Treat your smartphone like your best friend and worst enemy
Smartphones are amazing, until they ruin your life. Make use of calendar, email and homework apps to remember things so you don’t have to. Syllabus week is the perfect time to log every homework assignment, paper and test date. On the other hand, keep your phone more than an arm’s length away when doing schoolwork. It always seems that the perfect time to check email and social media is 30 seconds into a study session.
5. Don’t make mountains out of molehills
Going to school full time can drive anyone crazy. Stress has a way of magnifying the problems of today into apocalyptic proportions. When the sky is suddenly falling, just remember to step back, take a deep breath and remember: this is your best semester yet.
Words of Wisdom from the Daily Wildcat Staff:
Alex Guyton – Arts & Lifestyle Senior Reporter
“Don’t let the semester get away from you at the beginning. Time goes fast, so keep up on assignments and deadlines from the start.”
Nathaniel Renney-Erbst – Arts & Lifestyle Reporter
“Getting back onto a normal sleep schedule after the break will help you from getting too fatigued too soon.”
Victoria Teplitz – Arts & Lifestyle Senior Reporter
“Get fit, head to the gym, run or go on a hike. It is spring in Arizona and there are tons of active things to do to get you feelin’ fine.”
Bailey Bellavance – Science Editor
“Schedule your cries so they don’t conflict with other commitments.”
Emma Jackson – Arts & Life Editor
“Start the semester off on a positive note by going to class right from the get go. Missing a class makes it easier to miss the next one and you’ll find yourself falling behind on your work.”
Tom Price – Photo Editor
“Make sure you get out and do things on the weekend! Moving from the bed to the couch is an important transition.”
Alex Furrier – Arts & Life Editor
“Take all advice with a grain of salt. Nothing works for everyone, so above all do what works for you.”
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