Yesterday was my birthday.  It was great.  I did nothing but sit around, watch movies with my lovely fiance, relax, and eat great food.  But today I’m back at work (my on campus job), and I am getting back on the grind.  I’m waking up at 7:00 from today until the first day of school 11 days from now.  I’m taking action to ensure that the first few days of school aren’t terrible due to a lack of sleep and a pattern of staying up till 3 or 4 in the morning, the way I’ve been all through winter break. 

During breaks like winter and summer, students tend to get disoriented and out of their basic routine.  This goes not only for their sleep schedule but for their productivity as well.  And this is to be expected.  We work so hard all semester, without a break in sight, and once it finally gets here all we want to do is vegetate.  But now we are nearing the end of the insanity, and it’s time to get back on the grind.   It’s time to make our schedule, start stocking up on healthy snacks, make time for our fitness again, and take back control of our lives.  Winter is over, and now we must work again.

So in the spirit of getting back on top of things, I’d like to make a little back to school checklist.  I hope you enjoy.

Things to do to get ready for school

• get pencils, pens, paper, highlighters, calculators, etc.
• clean out your old backpack.
• get a dry erase board, and make out your weekly schedule.
• do your laundry. If you are anything like me you haven’t done it in a while.
• stock up on healthy snacks.
• Renew your fitness motivation and get into the habit.
• Renew your love for facebook/myspace.  There will be times when this is your only social experience…
• Gather a few good photos from the break.  You may need these for therapy during the semester.
• Collect multiple sources of caffeine.  Those all-nighters are going to come way too fast.
• Read some fiction.  Again, you won’t get the chance after a few days into the semester.
• Load up your mp3 player with some good music.
• Clean your house, apt, or dorm.
• buy textbooks now. Especially if you buy online.
• make some new years resolutions. Include making all As this semester.
• Budget your money for the semester.
• Read ahead (if you are into that kind of thing…)
• Mentally prepare yourself for the torture and agony ahead.
• Start waking up earlier.

So what do you guys do to prepare for the new college semester? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear!

Tags: College, prepare for school, semester