Adjusting to a New Semester

Have a Plan

Set a few short-term and long-term goals that will help you stay focused and motivated in the toughest of times. Come up with some tactics that will help you reach each of your goals. A short-term goal might look something like, wanting an A in your psychology class. A step to achieve that goal might be something like, spending an hour every other day in the library on psychology assignments.

Get Your Finances in Order

Do you have a weekly budget that you're trying to stick to? Do you have a job that can help fund some of your expenditures? It is important to plan for the times when you need extra school supplies for a project, want to grab a coffee at your favorite cafe, or going out to dinner when you're not up for dining hall food. Create a budget that will feel comfortable for you to live off of throughout the semester based on your income and average weekly expenses.

Get Back to a Healthy Sleep Schedule

Winter break is a good time to relax and catch up on some sleep you may have lost from the prior semester. It's typical to stray from the schedule you had during the semester. It's time to get into a more realistic routine and ditch the sleeping in until 10 AM. Set an alarm every night so you're not sleeping the day away and missing class.

Organize Your Living Space

Nothing says new semester like organizing and redecorating your space! Your surroundings can have a big impact on your day-to-day life. For example, if you have a messy room, it might keep you from completing homework or going to class. But if you have a tidy room, you might be more motivated to get schoolwork done. Change can be good, so add a new poster to your wall, put an air plant on your desk, or buy an essential oil diffuser! Simple changes could have a big impact on your motivation and academic performance.

Assess Your Career Track

Take a moment to take a step back and think about your intended career path. If you're in high school, have you taken some classes in this area of interest? For example, if you want to go into finance, have you taken accounting classes or accelerated math classes? And how have you done in those classes? If you're in college, have you considered completing an internship to see if this is your lifelong career? An internship is the perfect way to test-drive a career before committing.