First Semester 101

First semester in college can be one of the most overwhelming transitions in your life. You are not only figuring out how to transition from high school to college, but also how to grow into a full-fledged adult.

It was no different for me. I thought I had it all figured out—that somehow I knew exactly what and how many classes I would take, and how to set myself up for success. Let’s just say after my first week, I was proven very wrong. Since then, however, I have been able to find a routine and tricks to at least feel like “hey, maybe I’ve got this?”

At Arcadia, taking four classes did not seem like it would be too much of a heavy workload. And honestly, it isn’t if you manage your workload well. But with classes alternating every other day, figuring out what is due and when can be confusing at first. Now, my little pocket planner is connected to my side just as much as my phone. I am constantly writing and checking off all of my to-dos. It is a fun, celebratory moment when I check off a task because I feel accomplished actually seeing it on paper, done and finished. 

If pen to paper is too old-age for you, a helpful alternative is using the Reminders app. I never knew the wonderfulness that app was made of; now, if I checked my mid-semester list of reminders, it would be as long as my Christmas wish list when I was six. I use reminders for everything under the sun. It’s perfect if you’re forgetful—they stay on your screen until you mark it completed, and almost every college student is on their phone or laptop for a majority of the day. So you’re (almost) guaranteed to be right on time, checking off reminders for that ding to sound off. 

As far as tackling the workload, I’m able to keep the information I’ve learned fresh in my mind by doing school work for the class that I do not have that day. For example, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have Italian, but I do my homework for that class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That way, I have some sort of interaction with Italian every day of the week. I do not give myself time to forget what I have to do or what I have learned if it is exposed to me on the daily. Another added bonus to organizing your workload like this is exposing yourself to different subjects after you have been in class all day, so that the material stays new and refreshing.

My last and probably most important tip is to schedule relaxation and rejuvenation time. It may feel like college is taking a lot out of you, and that’s because it is. I always find time to reset and do something for myself, and I use this as a motivator. For example, I say to myself, “If you get done these four tasks, you can watch one hour of Netflix.” 

It may seem like an insignificant reward, but I find when I focus too much on school, I fall into a robot-like routine. It is okay to allot time for something as small as a 30-minute pastry break from Starbucks or the final episode of American Horror Story. Sometimes, I find that when I treat myself to something I want to do for no benefit other than my personal enjoyment, I come back to my academics calm and efficient, which results in a smaller wait time for me to start the next season of AHS!