New beginnings are always opportunities for change. And, right as you’re reading this, you’re getting a double bonus: a new year plus a new semester. So now’s the perfect time to get ready for the best spring semester ever. These 10 best tips will help you ensure that you make it happen:
#1 Do an early “spring cleaning.” To get your new semester off on the best foot possible, make a mental list of what things (if any) got mucked up during the fall semester and then make a list of how you’ll clean it all up in the spring semester. Do you need to make it to class more often? Take better notes? Keep up on the reading? Study harder for tests? Whatever it is in your case (and everybody has something), now’s the time to make amends and guarantee yourself a better semester this year.
#2 Reassess your limits. Give your planned schedule the “once over lightly” and see if it makes sense in light of your experiences in the fall – and, more important, in light of the fact that many students have less energy for classes in the spring than they did in the fall. Consider whether you aren’t overextending yourself with an overly ambitious course load or excessively long hours working a job outside school. (On the other hand, if you breezed through the fall without breaking a sweat, perhaps it’s time to up the challenge in the new semester.)
#3 Audition your professors. At the start of the spring semester, don’t just settle for whatever you preregistered for last fall. View the first few class meetings as try-outs—for the professor—and if he or she isn’t up to snuff, use the drop/add period to find something better. If you need motivation to make the course changes, just think back on that horrible prof or course you suffered through last fall. Why double the pain in a single academic year?
#4 Adjust your attitude. Many students view their courses as hurdles to get over, and hope to find courses that set the hurdles as low as possible. But what would happen if you started to see classes as (gasp) learning opportunities? And if you started to value classes that really taught you stuff, rather than ones that netted an easy “A” but (if you were honest with yourself) had no real intellectual worth? Change your mind-set this spring and you’ll be amazed at how much more you enjoy and value college.
- Reality Check. Believe it or not, once you get out of college and into the “real world” you’re likely to miss the excitement of learning. Appreciate this experience while you have it. You probably won’t ever again get another opportunity to devote so much of your time and energy to learning.
#5 Control your spending. If in the first half of the college year you’ve already spent the financial resources intended for the whole year, take some time to make a budget and rein in your spending. Financial worries are some of the biggest college—and life—stressors. So if you’re constantly feeling strapped, sort out your budget and stick to it.
- 5-Star Tip. Many students find it easier to keep to a budget if they buy prepaid debit cards each month (and stop buying when the card runs out). Seems brutal, but it can really work.
#6 Address your “issues.” If you have health concerns that you haven’t gotten under control– physical or psychological (or both)—you’ll have a much better semester if you face these problems head on right now, before the semester starts. Be proactive. Even if you aren’t having a particular difficulty right now, consider problems that could likely crop up later on in the semester (perhaps when you’re under more stress or when the pollen count skyrockets). Who wants to be just starting to look for solutions to long-standing difficulties during the throes of midterms (or, worse yet, finals)?
- Extra Pointer. Your university has many resources to help students with a variety of problems (e.g., health services, counseling services, and centers for learning disabilities) and you shouldn’t hesitate to make use of them. Heck, you probably paid for them as part of your student fees.
#7 Treat college like a real job. Aside from the occasional hard-ass prof, most of the time life at college life cuts you a fair amount of slack: You can get excused from class for minor illnesses, get extensions for papers, obtain makeups for finals, etc. But in most jobs you’ll get after college, that sinus headache, bad as it is, won’t get you out of the big presentation to the client or the deadline for the time-sensitive report. Bad habits can be hard to break. So stop doing things at college that would get you booted out of any respectable job. Show respect for the job you have now as a college student and you’ll find more purpose and meaning in your time at college.
#8 Friend a professor. Studies have shown that the most valuable and memorable learning experiences at college derive from out- of-class interactions with their professors. Luckily, it’s not so hard to connect with a professor. Go to office hours, ask a question after class, send an email, Skype, or post something on their facebook page. Professors respond best to students who seek them out with a genuine desire to learn (not just with a desire to get a good grade) and with a genuine interest in the course material (not limited to what’s going to be on the exam).
- Best-Kept Secret. You’ll get the warmest reception from the professor if sometime in the meeting you ask about his or her research. At many universities, half the prof’s job is the research, and in most cases he or she will be flattered if you care enough to ask.
#9 Move outside your comfort zone. This spring try to do something that’s new and unusual for you. Maybe join a club or pursue an extra-curricular interest that you’ve always wanted to try but never gotten around to (perhaps due to fear of the unknown). Learn a new language. Join a study group. Go to some art exhibitions, poetry readings, plays or concerts. A bit of change is good: Not only can it develop new dimensions to your personality, it can help you avoid getting stuck in a rut.
#10 Lighten up. It’s a new year, so don’t beat yourself up for mistakes you made in the past. View mistakes as feedback, not a failures. College is a long-term project, and no one mess-up is likely to ruin your life or your chances at a good career after college. Before the spring semester gets going, take a few minutes to think about all the positive things that happened last semester, big and small. Believe that even more await you this spring.
Best of luck in your new semester, and Happy New Year
Source: https://www.chegg.com/play/student-life/freshman-real-talk/top-10-tips-for-a-bang-up-spring-semester/