For most, the school year has finally began and it's just as daunting as always. Everyone hopes for a great year and success throughout it so I thought I'd share with you some of my top tips to help you make your school year great!
1. Be Prepared
There is nothing more frustrating than starting a school year and quickly realising you're not ready for it at all. Being prepared could include having done any homework set over the summer holidays, having already bought or at least ordered the text books you need, having read over and reviewed any topics from last year that will come up again this year. (I know how annoying it can be to come back from a six week break and feel like the whole of last year was wiped away like pen on a whiteboard.) Make sure your memory is refreshed and you're ready to get going from day one.
2. Don't Let Yourself Fall Behind
This is a mistake I think many people make, but its crucial that you don't do it. Letting yourself get behind on work or content will cause a snowball effect and it will be really hard to come back from. Any motivation you lack now, will have to be made up for later. Avoid giving in late homework one week otherwise you'll have to do twice as much next week and chances are, the next homework will be late too because you spent your time doing the last one. If you miss any lessons, make sure you go and see your teacher, copy down any notes and complete any exercises that you missed. Also, if you get stuck on a topic, don't wait until you move on because it may be important or relevant and may make you struggle later on. Instead, work extra hard to develop your understanding and go over work that you don't understand.
3. Instead, Get Ahead When You Can
Read textbooks the night before so you have a basic understanding before the lesson which will make the lesson much easier to understand, but don't worry if you don't fully understand it as the content will be covered in class. If its possible, do any work early too, for example if your teacher uploads your homework early then try to do as much of it as you can. Also, if you complete homework early, don't be afraid to hand it in early so you can get onto your corrections and follow ups faster.
4. Keep On Top Of Your Homework
This is where most people would say, "always do your homework the night you get it" but I know from experience that this isn't always possible - sometimes you just struggle too much with a piece or you're having a bad day or you have plans that get in the way. What I would recommend though is doing it as soon as you can, while the content is still fresh in your mind an when you're not in a rush to do it. This way, you can consolidate your understanding and still have time to ask a teacher for help, which brings me onto my next point.
5. Ask Questions and Seek Help
You're a human being. You cannot possibly know all the answers, all of the time. I think everyone at school needs to remember that, to help you learn is what the teachers are there for. If you're stuck on some of the content or on a piece of homework, go find help. It doesn't even have to be from your teacher, it can be from any teacher in the school that knows what they're talking about. The sooner you improve your understanding, the less of a problem it will become. Its a great idea to find out when your teachers are free, for example at lunch times or free periods so that you know when you can see them if you need to. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions in class. It's the perfect time to answer any queries you're having and helps the teacher to know that you're engaged and what you're struggling with.
6. Track Your Progress and Grades
I think of the most rewarding things is to be able to physically see how you have progressed over time and how you have improved. By using something like a tracking sheet, you can keep track of your homework and test grades and see if they're improving and it will also help you to identify areas you may be struggling with.
7. Study Hard Throughout The Year
I know how tempting it is to slack off throughout the year and just sweat it out at the end of the year to pass your final exams but unfortunately that really isn't going to help you. It is important that you're consistent and study throughout the year so that you can really grasp everything you need to know. By revising hard for any end-of-unit tests and reviewing old topics on a regular basis, you will be gaining a really good understanding of your content and you'll save yourself a lot of stress at the end of the year.
8. Prioritize Tasks
With school comes an overwhelming amount of work and with that comes an ability to prioritize tasks. It is important that you realise some tasks are more important than others and some need to be done sooner than others but you also need to find a balance between both of these factors. If you have an important essay due in three days time and a single piece of homework that is due tomorrow, you should get the homework done first before moving onto the other one. Prioritising a piece of coursework over an hour long phone conversation with your bestie may not seem like your top choice but it is an important one.
9. Split Big Tasks Into Little Ones
This mentality is my saviour in school, honestly, I'd go crazy if I didn't do it. Splitting a big task into several little ones makes it much more manageable and far less daunting. For example, if you had an essay to write that needs to be 6 paragraphs long, you'd split it into introduction, 2 sets of 2 body paragraphs and a conclusion. You'd then complete one of these sections every day until the task is done. If you had a whole chapter to study for a test, you'd split it into several sub-topics and do one or two a day until your test. All tasks become much more manageable this way and you feel accomplished when you can cross a small task off your list, rather than waiting until you've finished the whole thing.
10. Plan Ahead
School has this cruel way of going really slowly, and then much too fast when the important moments come around. You need to make sure that you plan things in advance if you want to succeed. Make sure you know what homework you need to do when you get home, what tasks you need to do throughout the week, when your tests are this term, how much time you have left until your final exams. By forward thinking, you're setting yourself up for success as you've got a plan of action. By knowing how long you have to revise before a test, you can split your revision into smaller tasks and really have a good idea of what you need to do and when.I'm really scared for next year as I have a lot of important things coming up like my A-level exams, and choosing and applying for university. However, I feel confident and motivated that I'm going to go about the year with a good attitude and healthy mind-set that will ultimately (if all goes to plan,) will end in success!
I hope you found this post useful, if you're going back to school, I hope you have a good year and that you do well throughout it! Let me know what year your going into and if your feeling confident about succeeding!
I hope you have a great day and if it's your birthday, happy birthday!
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