Back to School: Tips & Tricks for a Successful Start

The first day of school is the “New Years” of September. Many students depict starting a new school year as a new beginning. New year, new teachers, new classes, new accomplishments. It is a new chapter in a student’s personal book of adventures.

A new school year is the perfect time to get into what I like to call bawse mood. (And if you don’t know what a “bawse” is, check out my post on How To Be A Bawse ) Prior to the start of classes, students say to themselves that they are going to break their bad habits and create new, more successful ones.

If you aren’t one of those student who has already made their own list of new habits or tricks to success, then keep on reading because I’ve got quite the bawse list for you!

Buy an agenda – This is the ultimate key to organization. An agenda is the spot that you can write down all of your academic dates, personal dates, to-do lists, meetings, appointments or evening outings with friends! I would recommend making sure that your agenda has a full monthly calendar, as well as a weekly calendar.
Make a “to-do” list – The object of the to-do list is to help you remember any task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline. You can create a list for the day, the week, or even the month. This list keeps you on top of work each day without forgetting any tasks, or leaving something to the last minute.
Arrive 10 minutes early – TO EVERYTHING! Classes, appointments, meetings, or even dinner dates. This allows you to have the time to get into a particular mind-set prior to the occasion, and to completely avoid having to make up a bad excuse as to why you arrived late.
Pack things the night before – I started preparing my lunch the night before for my job this summer and let me tell you the wonders it did for me in the morning! I could sleep in, I did’t feel rushed, and I never went hungry! Take 5-10 minutes to pack your schoolbag each night before bed. Fill it up with everything you need for the next day. Being prepared will make a HUGE difference in your overall daily success.
Turn off your phone in class – I know. This may be hard for some of you. But are you paying thousands of dollars to text your best friend about some ratchet party you went to that was so “lit” that you “literally died?” No. Turning off the phone offers your mind to focus fully on the present moment of information being taught in directly in front you.
Create Goals – Make them specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Set both short-term and long-term goals for yourself. I always create at least 3 goals that I want to achieve over the semester. For example, think about something you’d like to improve on, and create a goal from that answer. “I’d like to attend more office hours.” Or “I want to get an 85% average.”

I hope that my tips help you to start your new school year with a bang! If you choose to follow my tips to being a boss in university then I promise you will not only survive the semester, but also experience greater success throughout it too!