• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
College Magazine logo

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
    • Find Your College
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
Home » Latest Posts » How to Cure Your Back-to-School Blues
Academics Back to School

How to Cure Your Back-to-School Blues

FacebookTweet
upsplash.com
Sarah Monnier August 9, 2016

If you suffer from the denial that endless days of sunbathing and bonfires will soon end, it’s time to face your fears and the reality of fall semester. However tragic you find the end of summer, the start of a new school year means a fresh start. These experts with over 50 years of experience share their strategies to make the beginning of a semester as painless as possible. Pick up a pen and prepare to take the first notes of fall.

Early Bird or Night Owl?

tiana
giphy.com

Months before classes begin you create your schedule for the next semester, and it’s a make or break moment. “Most students are ‘morning’ people or ‘night’ people, yet their potential schedule can often not accommodate these variances,” Assistant Director of Undergraduate Advising at Nova Southeastern University Suzette Siviter said. “It is tempting to do things like try to get all classes on Tuesday and Thursdays so that Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are off, but this is almost impossible and gives students a difficult and imbalanced schedule.” The elusive three-day weekend schedule sounds like a dream, but it can make your Monday through Thursday a nightmare. Go for one or two classes a day to preserve your sanity.

Choosing the actual classes you’ll take is just as important as the times you’ll take them. “When assembling their schedule, students should consult their academic advisor. This helps students make sure they are meeting graduation and general education requirements,” Academic Advisor at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign,Kaitlin Kaste said. “This is especially important for students who have not yet declared their major or are considering changing majors, since there may be specific requirements that must be met to declare a major.” Take it from someone who wanted to change their major every few weeks freshman year, focus on gen ed requirements until you’re sure. Don’t get to Advanced Dinosaurs and decide paleontology isn’t for you.

“I also recommend that after a summer break, students get themselves on a schedule mirroring the schedule they will need to maintain during the semester (i.e. going to bed earlier and waking up earlier),” Siviter said. So instead of binging on Parks and Recreation, channel your inner Leslie Knope and become an early bird.

Involvement Level: Elle Woods

giphy.com

Beyond being an easy way to get a few free t-shirts, joining clubs or participating in organizations outside of class enhances your return to campus. “The skills that are learned in the classroom are often transferred directly into these co-curricular activities, and vice-versa,” Indiana University Undergraduate Advisor Matthew Graham said. “In these cases, academic success and co-curricular involvement do not work against each other, but rather they compliment and reinforce each other.” Majoring in environmental studies? Grab some gloves and help out at the community garden. Beyond boosting your resume you’ll be able to network with professionals in your field more personally.

Extracurriculars help combat your back-to-school blues by expanding your friend circle and your involvement on campus. “They feel a part of things that happen on campus,” said Dr. Robert Neuman, author of the Get College Smart book series . “They are more open-minded, more communicative, they create for themselves a wider circle of friends.” Whether it’s intramural Quidditch or Pokémon Go, find your niche and get outside of your dorm for a few extra hours every week.


trending

119

How Graduation is Causing Me a (Good) Existential Crisis

Gretchen Rubin, author of Life in Five Sense
98

Awaken Your Five Senses with #1 NYTs Bestselling Author Gretchen Rubin

81

Adulting with Your Mom Is Fun


Prepare like a Boy Scout

giphy.com
giphy.com

Whether you stick post-its around your dorm or write to-do lists on your arm like Mulan, getting organized is essential for success in a new semester. “The ability to manage your time well can mean the difference between success and failure in college,” Siviter said. “Using tools such as planners can be a big help in keeping you on track.” If pen and paper is your thing, find a cute planner to inspire some Blair Waldorf level productivity. If not, set your schedule or a to-do list as your lock screen so it’s front and center when Snapchat distractions trickle into your notifications.

Before classes even start, get organized and make a weekly schedule. Trick yourself into being more productive by arriving early or staying on campus between classes. Sometimes surrounding yourself with other people who can see your laptop motivates you enough to work on that term paper instead of checking Twitter. “On the weekly schedule, include not only classes, but work, extracurriculars and study time. This will help with time management as the semester begins,” Kaste said. So before that commercial for discount backpacks sends you into a tailspin, follow some expert advice (maybe seek out some more from your own advisor) and get prepared.

About Sarah Monnier

Sarah Monnier is a senior at Indiana University studying journalism and history. Passionate about pineapple, Harrison Ford and VHS cassettes.

5 Ways to Survive Grueling Summer Classes 

Is Online Learning Right for You?

5 Pre-Finals Rituals to Follow for Optimum Study Time

5 Ways to Defeat Spring Fever

Helpful or Tedious? All the Classes I Took Outside My Major

innovative products big bang theory

21 Innovative Products Every College Student Wants

How to Pack for College Without Breaking Your Back (Or Your Bank Account)

Top 5 Ways to Get Back Into Studying After Covid

Reliable and Trendy: Top 10 Backpacks for All Your School Needs

Previous Post:I Let My Mom Choose My Major
Next Post:10 Ways to Overcome Mid-Semester Grade Slippage

colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

College Magazine logo

Copyright © 2023 Powered by BizBudding