How to Get Back Into College After Summer Break

Getting back into college after a long summer break can be as exciting as it can be difficult. Imagine all the pain you had to endure during your finals last semester and the relief you felt when it was over. Now you have to go through all of that again and start using your brain more than ever, because a new semester is just around the corner, waiting to give you a hug.

While it’s not as bad as you might think, there are ways to make it easier on yourself. After all, you’ll be facing exams, papers and projects sooner than you think, so it’s good to think ahead and be prepared for it. Luckily for you, we have some tips and tricks to get you back into that student life more easily.

 Think positive

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. You’re going to college, not Hell. You’re attending college to learn new things, meet new people, and develop new skills and most of all: to be a better person tomorrow. The degree you’ll get at the end is just a byproduct of all the years of work you’re putting into attending lectures, writing papers and studying. It’s about the journey, not the destination; try to make the most of it while it lasts. 

Reflect on yourself

It’s easy to think about our current situation without realizing all the things that happened in the past. Think about your experience in college so far. What are the things that you’re proud? What do you think you can do better this year? What do you want to stop doing because it took too much time and made you feel bad? Think about all the things you’ve already learned and what’s ahead of you. Make sure that you’re aware of the progress that you’re making with each day spent as a college student.

Keep a schedule

Start using a planner as soon as your classes start, keeping all the information and to-do in the same place. If you’re using your phone or laptop often, you can even keep sticky notes on your screen to make sure you always keep in mind what’s next. It’s easy to get lost in the first few weeks back, simply because you’re out of shape and forgot how it all feels like.

Eat and sleep

Summer was fun and you could over-sleep even on Tuesday, but with college starting again, you need to get back into a healthy sleeping cycle. Often you’ll have late nights because of exams and papers, but until then, try getting back into a healthy routine of going to bed on time (not “three o’clock in the morning” on time).

Same goes for food; you have to eat properly. Eat less junk food and more cooked meals. It will help you sleep better and think clearly because your metabolism will work properly. 

Exercise daily

As ridiculous as it may sound now, exercising daily, even for a few minutes of stretching, will do wonders in the long run. Remember all the time you spent studying and writing papers on your laptop? This means less physical activity and that’s bad by definition. Try jogging for a few minutes each day and increasing the time bit by bit. If casual exercising and jogging isn’t your cup of tea, you can always join the college sports teams and make it a routine. You’ll gain friends and feel good about your body.

Think small

Going through all the books, papers and projects that keep piling up can be challenging. Consider planning your time so that you can do a bit of work every single day. This will help you to not overwhelm yourself when exams and deadlines come closer. By that time you’ll already do the majority of work waiting for you and wrap things up neatly. Today it might be two hours of reading, tomorrow two hours of writing. It’s no shame to ask for help, you will find it here: http://www.grabmyessay.com/, so don’t hesitate to do so. Plan your week and you’ll be set.

Take breaks

While it seems like the easiest thing to do, it really isn’t. Taking a break isn’t going to a party and coming back to your room at six in the morning. It’s taking an hour out of your busy schedule to not do anything, simply sit on your bed, listening to music and drinking a cup of tea. You need to make sure your mind is well rested. Playing video games and going to parties won’t do that; it will only strain you.

Involve yourself

We’ve mentioned sports already, but what else can you do when college starts? There are endless opportunities and activities around the campus (and the city) that you can get involved into. Some of them are volunteering opportunities like charity work or library assistance. Others are guest lectures, online and local courses about all sorts of different skills, reading circles, etc. There’s always something going on when college starts, and it’s up to you to figure out which of these activities will help you in letting off some steam from all the studying.

When all is said and done, the most important tip for getting back into college is taking each day at a time. Take a step-by-step approach, at least for the first few weeks. Make sure that you’ve got all of your bases covered and that your schedule is well planned out. The worst thing you can do is procrastinate for weeks until you realize that it’s been a month since the semester started. By then it could be too late for some subjects and exams. College is a place where you have the opportunity to develop yourself to unimaginable degrees; but no one is going to do it for you. Clench your teeth, put a smile on your face and keep going forward; that’s the only way to go.