3 Essentials for Your Upcoming Semester

By Ellie Drabnis on August 16, 2017

Whether you’re an underclassman, a ‘super senior,’ or a graduate student, starting up classes once more and possibly moving back into a dorm can be somewhat daunting, especially since you’ve had at least a little while to rest up before starting this new semester.

To make all of that easier, here are three essentials to bring along for your upcoming semester.

1. Stay positive

Syllabus week will be upon you very soon and well, given all of the various class outlines with due dates and exams, it is very easy to classify something as ‘too hard.’

Then, it’s even easier to put yourself and your study skills down in an attempt to justify doing a mediocre job on your future assignments.

You can’t go through your semester or even your classes putting yourself down and thus do the minimum. That is only hurting you, your GPA, and your self-worth.

Why quit when you’re ahead? You have made it so far: you finished high school which some aren’t lucky enough to do and are continuing your education.

Moving past teenage hallway drama and into the preview to the adult world (a.k.a college) is nothing to scoff at, which is all the more reason why to be positive.

Go into your classes telling yourself that you will do your best, and if you truly are having trouble as your class is progressing do the following: seek out tutoring (online or on-campus), talk to your professor, or proceed with both. Eventually, you’ll move forward to legitimately understanding the material and improving your performance in the class.

DO NOT GIVE UP!

Winners don’t give up and anyone continuing their education is a real winner. Never forget that!

2. Forgive yourself

The truth of the matter is everyone makes mistakes. And, I can’t speak for everyone, but many people, in general, are their own harshest critics.

Everyone is going to make typos, everyone might not explain a point of view well in a paper, and everyone might get sick and have to miss a class.

Beating yourself up about one of these little things is going to get you nowhere. Seriously, though, if you keep thinking about it and reminding yourself of one small thorn in your side, you are not going to move past it.

The best way to overcome these things is to say to yourself something along the lines of: “Yes, I messed up but that does not define me as a person or my future.”

Self-forgiveness is most important. You will improve — stay positive.
(https://pixabay.com) 

Continuing on and taking precautions such as asking for help, proofreading better, and even taking a little more care of yourself is the best proof of improvement for yourself. Bringing up the same mistake or incident over and over again to keep belittling yourself only does more harm than good. Putting yourself through such mental anguish and torture is not worth it in the long run.

3. Forget the fear of saying ‘No’

There you are, on campus, having a great time with your friends when they want to party for the rest of the night and you’ve got an exam the next day. You really should be studying and getting prepped for your class but it’s okay to take this one chance and party, right?

Actually, that’s wrong. And, if these people really are your friends, they will understand why you’ve chosen to back out.

You do not have to be afraid of saying ‘no,’ even when it comes to the people who you consider your closest friends. Again, they will more than likely support your decision if they truly are good people for you to be around.

Sure, maybe it stinks that you can’t always go and have fun but that’s the reality of it. There is no second chance when it comes to your grades and it’s a lot better and more effective if you put your best foot forward right at the start because you’re already encouraging yourself to finish strong.

Not to mention, if these so-called ‘friends’ choose to drop you because you’d rather study than put it off until later, you don’t need them. Real friends won’t make you compromise your education for a few hours of nonsense.

N-O, no. Your real friends will understand that your education comes first.
(https://pixabay.com )

Though, that said: it is a-okay to take study breaks to breathe and take care of yourself accordingly. Just don’t put hanging out with people above your studies.

Once more: you CAN SAY NO. There is no obligation for you to go out each and every time. If you feel that tagging along is against your better judgment, be sure to trust those instincts.

Stay positive, forgive yourself, and don’t be afraid to choose to study over going to a party.
(https://www.pexels.com)

To all of the students continuing your education in some way: no matter your current school level, please don’t forget to keep these three essentials in your back pocket.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format