5 tips to start the new semester off on the right foot

With a new year comes a new semester of school, and for many people it can get a little bit hectic. New beginnings are the perfect opportunity to pull yourself together and really rock the spring semester. So, here are five ways to start the spring semester off right, even if there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually finish.

1. Clean Everything– I mean everything. Unzip all the pouches in your school bag, even the tiny one with the chapstick and the broken pencils, and dump everything out. Clean
your desk and start assigning certain drawers for certain items. You will never make it through the semester if you reach into your school bag for your notebook and pull out a stack of musty manila folders from the fall. Nor will you last if you dig in your desk for sticky notes and can only find bent paper clips and chewed up pencils.

2. Know Where You’re Going– Having a routine throughout the day is healthy both psychologically and physically, at least that’s what I’d guess. Get to a point where you
aren’t trying to feverishly open the Nicholls app three minutes before class looking for a room in Powell when it’s really in White. Know which classes are where and give yourself enough time to get there.

3. Skip Class– Hear me out, in no way am I an advocate of truancy. Absences can add up and really screw your final grade if you miss too much class. But, if you read most
professor’s syllabus, there’s a set amount of times that you can be absent before points start getting deducted. Think of those days like vacation days for your job. Don’t blow them all in the first month, spread them out and hold onto them for when you really need them.

4. Make Friends– Having someone you can count on to get you notes for a class you missed is a life-saver for a college student. If you’re in a class where you don’t already
know anyone, reach out and meet new people. You never know when you’ll need homework help or notes that you missed, we all have to help each other out. College is a marathon not a sprint.

5. Have Some Fun– Go out on the weekends, rush for Greek life or join one of the four billion organizations on campus. Don’t make school just about school, remember to actually enjoy your youth.