Second Semester

Good Morning! (In my head, you all read that as gooooooooood morning!!!)

Some schools have already started their new semesters, which is crazy to me. I'm also super jealous of those schools! I am ready to get back to university! So, what about the new semester? I feel like this is such a no brainer, but I do want to throw my two cents in. I feel like they're aren't nearly as many things to do before second semester as opposed to before first semester. Probably because first semester, you're dealing with moving back to campus. There are some pretty self-explanatory things to do before classes start back up again, and then there are some things that you might not think of.

Step One*: Clean up from last semester.
This can include multiple things: your desk, your room (although hopefully you tidied up before you left for break), your backpack, your computer files. Make sure you throw out any unnecessary papers (I don't think you need that 10-point worksheet from September). Double check your computer files. Some people (like me) keep everything,  some people pick and choose, and some people dump it all. It's however you live your life. 

Step Two: Buy new school supplies
Who doesn't love this part? Granted there are no big set ups in the store like there are in August and September, but that almost makes it better because you aren't trying to enjoy your supply shopping while attempting not to get hit by the mom's with school-provided shopping lists. Stock up on pencils, highlighters, notebooks, all of the essentials! Check out my post on the essential College Supply Must-Haves. 

Step Three: Reflect on last semester
Look back on last semester. Your greatest successes. Your greatest failures. What worked? What didn't work? Did you discover a great new way of studying that got you great exam scores? Awesome! Did you finally start studying for finals? Cool! Did you figure out how to get yourself into a good rhythms? Great! The important thing is to remember to reuse what worked for you and toss out what didn't. 

Step Four: Set goals
Now, we're not talking new year's resolutions here. Take some time and really think about what you did last semester that you want to change this semester. For example, I didn't make any time for personal reading last semester. I haven't finished a book since maybe July, and that makes me sad. So, this semester, I am going to make sure that I make time for reading.

Step Five: Buy textbooks
Obviously, new semester means new textbooks. Check out my post on  Paying Less for Textbooks. No one should ever have to pay full price for textbooks, your school bookstore is a complete rip off. 

Step Six: Take a look at your schedule
Take a look at the way your classes are laid out during the day. Where can you fit in lunch? When will you go to the gym? When will be your best time to study? When will your me-time be? Have a general idea of how your days are going to look before you just dive right it.

Step Seven: Get excited (last one)
Get excited! Its a new semester! New classes, new people, new routines. Get excited for new things and then they won't be as daunting. 

"Take the attitude of a student, never too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new."

*These are in no particular order, though they should be followed in a logical sense. 

How I Study

Hello! Last week I published a post on my top 8 study tips. So, I thought I would follow that up with a post about how I personally study. As I said last week, what works for my may not work for you. But, for those of you who never studied in high school and need some ideas to get them kick-started in their college studying endeavors, look no further! So, I now present how I study:

• I got to class. What a shock! I put a lot of emphasis on this in my study tips post, but yes, I do practice what I preach. 
• I print out the power points. Especially for my bio class where its practically required, I print out the power point before class so I can spend more time listening and not furiously writing down everything on the slide. This also gives me the opportunity to write comments on diagrams and such. 
• I listen to classical music while I study. Personally, I cannot stand silence, especially while I'm studying. If I am studying, and my dorm is quite, it actually distracts me. So, heres what I do: I listen to the "Intense Studying" playlist on Spotify. It is 14 and a half hours of instrumental, classical music. While I feel a bit like I'm sitting in Panera, it does help me concentrate and focus.
• I keep a planner. Again, I put some focus on this last week, but seriously guys, I cannot tell you how much my planner helps me. I will easily forget about a 10-point assignment for english, or about a 1-page paper for psychology, but when I look at my planner, I am constantly reminded. I have developed a great system that works so well for me.
• I write my big due dates in the month view and the week view. ie. exams, big papers, big group projects, etc.
• I write everything down. Easy 10-point assignment not due until next week? Write it down. 25-point biology assignment that requires a trip to the museum? Write it down. Ballet class? Write it down. Study date with my lab partner? Write it down. 
• I schedule study time. For example, tomorrow after my last class, I am scheduled to work on my bio lab report for an hour and this weekend I am scheduled to start studying for my chemistry lab final for an hour.
• I color code with highlighters. Any time I am scheduling to work on psych or have a psych deadline, I highlight it in purple. Any time I am working on whatever English paper I have due next, I highlight it in orange. Every class has a color. Everything gets highlights in the right color.

A semi-blurry pic of a week in my Lilly Pulitzer planner. 

• I keep my desk organized. I'm a big organization person, so this is a big one for me. Everything has a place. Everything is in that place. I have desk organizers that I use to organize my supplies and I have magazine holder that organize my notebooks, lab books, and the textbooks that fit. I try to keep my desk cleaned off at all times, but sometimes I slack. Overall, my desk is kept pretty clean, neat and organized.

My clean, for now, desk. 

• I take notes. Again, this is something I highlighted last week. But taking good notes is important. My note-taking method changes depending on the class. In psych, I take notes on my computer. In bio, I print off the power points. In chem, I take a notebook and many colored pens to class. 
• I review my notes. For my bio notes, I review them on tuesday and thursdays (the days I don't have that class). I review my psych notes on the weekends and before quizzes. When I'm studying for my psych exams, I write out my notes and highlight the most important parts. When I'm studying for my bio exams, I turn the power points into written note form. 
• I have found what works best when studying for exams. For each subject, I have a routine when I study for that exam.
• Psych: I write out my typed notes and go over them with a highlighter. I use blue for definitions, green for important ideas and purple for other important ideas that have lists. I also have my book open while I'm doing this just incase there's something that I don't completely understand. Then I type up an outline for each chapter. Then I make notecards for the important definitions. 
• Biology: I write out the power points and go over them with the same high lighter system. I type of the notes. I type up an outline. I make flashcards of the important definitions and ideas. I make sure that I understand and can replicate all of the diagrams and figures. 
• Chem: I re-write my notes into a different notebook. I re-work the example problems the professor did in class. I work the extra example problems he gives us. I work the problems from last year's exam.
• I study in advance. Or rather, I try. Sometimes I get busy and don't start studying for my Wednesday exam until Sunday, but I've only had to pull 1 all-nighter this year, so it seems to be going smoothly. 

So, that's about it. If you have any questions about how I do things, feel free to ask below :) Until next time, my lovelies...