Getting Back Into the Swing of Things for School

By Timothy Hayes on July 3, 2015

July is here. That means fireworks, patriotic songs, flags everywhere, and school prep. Oh yeah, school prep. Why? Let’s be honest, if you blink, July will be over and done with and August will be here and then no sooner will it start, then school.

Are you ready yet? Nope. School’s going to hit you like a bus when you don’t look both ways to cross the street. Now’s the time to get going and make sure you’re ready to head back to your alma mater.

First and foremost, if you’re a freshman, get your housing out of the way if you haven’t already. Housing is a complicated process, one that you’re underestimating. No matter what, it’s going to take longer, be more painful, and be the hardest part of summer prep for school. Sometimes if you don’t get it done, you might not get a room. This can happen. Trust me. I know personally.

Get on board with your housing and make sure you’ve got your application in, contracts signed, roommates selected, and your move-in list ready and compiling already. There is no time like the present to start packing, because the sooner you do it, the less stressful the experience will be. So get going on dorms.

Next thing on the to-do list for freshmen will be your classes and orientation. Get these done sooner rather than later. Scheduling your orientation will let you get into one that’s more likely to have people in your major in the same orientation. If you wait longer, the university may not be able to fit you in with similar major track students. This could be useful, providing you with a plethora of potential friends who you can relate to, share classes with, and enjoy your orientation together.

In your class scheduling, the sooner you get in, the better because classes fill up quickly as people vie for places in limited-space, high-demand classes needed for graduation. Getting your schedule ready early will allow you to adjust yourself to it sooner or alter it later if the need should arise.

By roanokecollege (Orientation Picnic Uploaded by AlbertHerring) via Wikimedia Commons

Upperclassmen, the same goes for you. Get your classes done. Meet up with your advisor if you can over the summer. Ensure that you’ve got the necessary classes lined up for your graduation track. Should a problem arise and you can’t see your advisor, keep up good communication via email or phone to ensure that you two are on the same page.

If you have a problem and need to ask a professor about entering a class, it’s easier to do it over the summer as opposed to just before the class is about to begin. The earlier you do it, the more legitimate your appeal may seem to the professor. With the possibility of having an appeal to enter a full or higher level class being rejected, it’s better to have more time to figure out more options.

The beginning of the new school year may mark move-ins in your university’s town or city. Before moving over, pack everything you will need to live on your own. What will you do if you need to fix something broken? Do you have the tools and materials necessary to repair breaks and cracks in your household materials? What kind of office or school supplies do you have ready for the bills and schoolwork? When you get burned, cut, or sick do you have a first aid kit and medications? Who’s going to bring toilet paper to you when you’re stranded on the toilet? You, that’s who.

Before you even start any packing though, sit down with your parents. Talk to them about what you will need and come up with a list to show them. Hopefully, they can point out any problems and suggest anything you missed.

As well as the finer details of housing, just make sure you’ve got your apartment set up. If your deposit isn’t down, the landlord may offer to another renter. Get in contact with them and get any unfilled forms done and settle any payments you may not have in. The sooner, the better.

As you get into school time, you might want to start to alter your sleeping routine. Depending on your summer schedule, you may not have been getting up at any particular time.

(image courtesy of www.hackcollege.com)

With classes set at specific times in the day, getting up early may not seem appealing, but it’s a reality you’re going to have to get used to. Getting up earlier is a great way to mentally prepare yourself for school better, but going to bed sooner is best. The more sleep you get, the more rested you’ll be, the better prepared you will be for school.

The shock of having one day to completely change your sleep schedule is better done when nothing particularly important has to happen. Get some sleep and get up earlier.

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