How to Start the School Year Off Right This Year

Summer is over, the days are shorter and the weather is cooler—this is the start of the new school year. Instead of groaning, why not take this as an opportunity for a new start and the chance to make it the best academic year yet!

Go to bed early and get enough sleep--a good sleep makes you more awake during the school day, which means you’re more focused and are much more fun to hang with during the day. You should ideally get between 7 and 8 hours a night, and also, to make sure that you are getting quality sleep, make sure to shut off computer and cell phones at least 1 1/2 hours before going to sleep.

Watch your eating habits—make sure that you are getting enough whole grains, fruits and vegetables so that you don’t find yourself getting sick or feeling sluggish during the day because you are hungry or lacking vitamins. Also, don't forget to eat something for breakfast, even if it means grabbing a granola bar or banana on the run.

Do homework right away—don’t put off doing homework or projects until later in the night or after your favorite TV program. Do what you need to do right away so that you don’t run the risk of not having enough time to finish later or leaving it too late to go to sleep at a reasonable time.

Be prepared--Have everything you need for the school day set up and ready to go the night before, so you won't find yourself running around getting even more stressed in the morning.

Be on time for classes--by showing up on time or even a little early, you immediately give the impression that you are reliable. Punctuality and making deadlines are crucial to your success as a student. If you are known for being on time, a punctuality slip in the future is more likely to be forgiven.

Keep your focus--the reason that you are at school is for school. Worry about socializing before or after school or on weekends; don’t ignore teachers or talk with friends during class instead of paying attention. The only one who will suffer is you—and your grades! 

Engaging with your teacher in class--ask questions, make comments and volunteer for demonstrations. You want to be in their mind as someone who is listening to their lecture. Even if you just ask for clarification from time to time, it shows a willingness to learn and improve. Stepping out in class is gutsy too; you’ll establish yourself to your teacher, as well as your peers, as a confident person.

How to Catch Up On College Work if You Fall Behind

There are few things worse when you are a student than that feeling of being completely out of control with your workload. Here are some ways to help you get caught up with everyone in your class.

Talk to your teacher or tutor. Explain to teachers what may have leaded you to fall behind and ask what you can do to get caught up. Also, ask which assignments is priority and which you should aim to complete first. Your teacher may also be able to connect you to additional resources, like tutoring, check-ins or counseling. Try to get additional help and support from tutors--they were students too once upon a time and will probably be happy to give you some advice.

Write a list of everything you need to get done. It can be scary, but you need to be able to determine exactly how much you have to do–look about a month ahead and factor everything in to get on top of it all. If you don’t write everything down, you could easily forget it all together and fall even further behind. As you finish each task be sure to cross it off of the list; that way you will see yourself making progress and will know how much further you have to go.

Take an hour. Even if you feel totally swamped with little to no free time, chances are you can find time to sit down and get started on one piece of work. Try to find an hour somewhere--between lectures, before or after dinner or in between TV shows. Even if you don’t finish what you started to work on, it will certainly help you to make progress.

Hand in all upcoming work on time. Make sure not to fall behind while you work on catching up—the last thing you want to do is get further behind. Set aside time every day to gather all upcoming assignments and make a detailed plan for how you will complete them.

Get a study partner. Having the support of a real person can be helpful, so finding someone to work with is a great idea. Organize study sessions in the library, set deadlines together, compare notes and ideas or even just meet for coffee and take time to talk about things. You may find that the added support and development of good study habits helps you to stay well ahead, rather than lagging behind.

Don't be ashamed about falling behind. It happens to everyone, and the important thing is that you are dealing with it now and taking care of it before it gets out of hand.