That day has arrived. It's time to find our binder, look for pens, and clean out your backpack from last semester. SCHOOL'S BACK IN SESSION!!! Some of you may have already started, but I don't start until this Thursday. Believe it or not, I am excited for this semester. Which is weird, because on paper, I shouldn't be. I will have classes on TuTh from 11:00-4:45PM straight-through, a TuTh night class from 8:00-9:50PM, my part-time job, fingers-crossed on getting an internship, and my sorority functions. Whew! Just typing that out made me exhausted. BUT! I am excited because all my courses are for my major and I am getting closer to my expected graduation date. Now, in spirit of back-to-school season, I will pass on my wisdom that I have gained since I am an old-wise senior.
- SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP: I really can't stress this enough. I used to pull all-nighters thinking that was helping me. But all it did was make me extremely tired, grumpy, and perform poorly in school. This past fall semester, I made time for sleep, and it made a huge impact. I made sure to fall asleep at a decent time, or at least take a power nap during the day. SIDENOTE: Powernaps are 15-30min, NOT A WHOLE 2 HOURS! Getting sleep will make you feel energized in the morning, be prepared for your day, and will keep you healthy.
- PLANNERS: Use some type of planner. That could be your calendar on your smartphone, a reminder app, or a physical planner; I prefer the latter. A planner helps keep your life organized. Write everything down so you won't forget it: due dates, group meetings, work schedules, important events, activities, etc. Take out all your syllabi from each class, look at their timelines, and write down all the due dates in your planner. We all live busy lives, especially those learning/working in the PR realm. Keeping a planner of some sort makes you learn how to be reliable, dependable, and accountable.
- ESSAYS: A little tip I picked up from one of my professors was this, "If you have a tough time with the opening/closing paragraph, then write your body first. You already know the information, so write it out, and leave the opening/closing for last." This has definitely helped me and I always follow this method when I'm writing an essay.
- HAVE FUN: It's very easy to completely lose yourself studying and getting stuff done in general. Don't burn yourself out. Go out for some frozen yogurt, go see a late movie, or go have fun with your friends on a Friday night. College needs to be taken seriously, but these are also some of the best years of our lives. Go out and enjoy yourself. If you worked hard all week, then you deserve one night.
- OFFICE HOURS: Please attend your professor's office hours. It can help if you're struggling in a class. Also, it can also work in your favor. My part-time job is a student assistant position in one of Fresno State's departments. I was talking to one of the professors that teaches in my department, and I asked them, "Do professors like when students use office hours?" And they replied, "Oh my gosh, YES! It makes me feel like I'm not just wasting time and it shows how serious a student is. In fact, if a student is borderline between two grades, and I saw that they always came in during office hours, I will give them the higher grade." Needless to say, go to office hours!
Attending college is something some people can never enjoy, especially women in some parts of the world. So don't take college for granted. Learn all you can, have fun, and stay away from those 5-hour energy drinks. They are nasty and don't work. Good luck everyone and happy Spring semester!
~Selina