HOW TO "ACE" THIS SCHOOL YEAR

Fall means two things in my school:  football and LOTS of homework.

It seems like teachers start piling on the projects, tests, pop quizzes, etc., starting around the beginning of fall.  Not sure why, but they do.  Add that in to the stress of holidays, standardized tests, and midterms looming on the horizon, and you've got a big pile of stress, stress, and more stress sitting on your chest.

Although I am only a lowly freshman, I've learned a thing or two that could be useful to people of all ages (kindergarten isn't too early to start!).  These have been especially useful during that four-month-frenzy that kicks off right about...now!

1. Post-It Notes = Life
I'm totally serious on this one.  If you guys haven't been introduced, you should try to do so ASAP.

These little guys help you do a number of things, but I've been using them as reminders since I figured out that it was absolutely impossible to try and remember every single thing that I was going to have to do on a school day.  The night before your next school day, write down every single thing you'll need to do at school on one of these sticky notes.  That might include makeup work you'll have to get, information you need from a teacher, notes you'll need to copy, fees you'll need to pay, or really anything important going on.  If it's the night before a big event at school, also write down important times and places that you'll need to know (especially if you're participating in said event).

After that, stick it somewhere you KNOW you'll see it the next morning.  I stick mine on my bedroom mirror.  When you wake up, it'll be a nice crash course on everything that's going on that day, and you'll be less likely to forget something.  I actually put mine in my purse so I can glance at it throughout the day to see if anything's slipped my mind.  Plus, it's nice having a hard copy instead of trying to cram every little piece of information in an already-packed brain.

2. Study EVERY Night

Yes, it's terrible, but when you get to high school, studying every night becomes a necessity.  The days of "word banks" and "multiple choice" (or as one teacher used to say, "multiple guess") are slowly diminishing.

It's extremely difficult to only study the night before and be able to ace a test where everything is fill in the blank.  Also, more tests are thrown at you in a shorter time period.  Look out for the day when you have three tests in a row.  Even the class where there's a quiz every other day!  To make a long story short, if you start studying your notes for about five minutes every night of the week, you'll not only make a better grade on the test, but you'll also prevent a lot of undue cramming and stressing.

3. Quizlet Is Your Best Friend

Again, if you guys haven't been introduced, please do so (preferably at the same time you're introduced to Post-It Notes)!  Quizlet is probably the best app ever, because it's like having a portable set of infinitely many flash cards on infinitely many subjects.  And the best part is that you can create your own sets, too.

There are tons of different options for studying the vocabulary.  Would you rather match the definition to the word?  Or just have the definition?  Fill in the blank?  You name it, Quizlet's got it!

Plus, if you don't have a strict phone policy at school, you can study pretty much whenever you want (as long as your teacher's nice).  Talk about getting in extra study time!

4. Prioritize (aka NO PROCRASTINATING)

This one's probably a no-brainer.  DO NOT wait until the last minute to do ANYTHING!  No matter how tempting it is, don't do it!  Once the school year starts getting busier, and you start getting more involved, you're going to need to keep a schedule of everything or else you will hurt yourself by trying to wrap your head around every little thing you're going to have to accomplish (sooner or later, it's going to happen).  Solution:  planner!

I cannot tell you how much I use mine.  I'm not really into color-coding (too much work), but I try to darken or circle the things that are really important.  The way you use yours could be completely different from the way another person uses theirs.  Just make sure you use it!

5. R-E-A-D

About ten people just groaned after reading that, I know.  Some people just hate reading.  I'm a bookworm, so this step's pretty easy for me.  Trust me, if you read something that you WANT to read, it will a) improve your mood, b) unfrazzle your brain, and c) improve your vocabulary and/or reading skills.

Sometimes we just need a break from school, and reading tends to help a lot of people unwind (if you like reading on the go, try getting the app Wattpad).  If reading really isn't your thing, just try doing something you find relaxing that still stimulates your mind.  Look at music, watch videos, write about something, read a blog (just an idea)...

I hope this post helps you school kids who are moving into the fall frenzy of homework, projects, and (really?!) yet another test!

Love,

Tori