14 College Back to School Tips for Returning Students

August 30, 2021 Nadya Corscadden

So you’re heading back to the old grind? At least it’s better than high school - you did choose to be here…and so did everyone else around you, for that matter. That still doesn’t mean you have to be totally 100% happy to be back, though.

There is something special to be said about the simplicity of summer when you can feel a bit more like a regular human.

But since you ARE going back…

Here are 14 tips to help get you started back at college on the right foot.

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1) Organize everything from day one.

If you are able to, organize things like folders, binders and notebooks ahead of time. Make sure you have a place to put any important things you might be given while you’re at school.

If you get something you don’t know where to put yet, designate a safekeeping spot in your stuff, and figure it out when you get home that day. Not next week, or next month - TODAY.

If you’re organized right from the start, it’ll be much easier to adapt that scheme to something else more functional if your initial plan doesn’t end up working.

2) Have an agenda (even if it’s digital), and bring it EVERYWHERE

Have one single place where you write down everything you have to do. Every single deadline, test and assignment should be written down in the same place. If you have rotating classes and times, write those in there as well.

As a student, you are pulled in so many different directions, and it’s so easy to lose track of things and miss deadlines. If you have everything written in one place, and you check it often, it gets MUCH harder to forget about things.

3) Create a school to-do list

Within your agenda, have a running list of longer-term projects you need to remember to work on. That way, if you find you have extra time one night, you’ll know exactly what to do.

This is also a great place to put “practice ______” if you have a few things that are long-term memorization projects. Throwing in 10 minutes of random memorization work daily as a “break” from your actual homework can go a long way.

4) Create a human to-do list

Ran out of eggs? Write it down!

Have to go to the bank? Write it down!

Make your days off easier by keeping track of what you need to do ON those days off. There’s nothing more annoying than thinking you managed to fit all your errands in, and then at midnight, remembering that one stupid thing you really needed to do before tomorrow.

5) Remember to take breaks

It can be hard to drop yourself instantly back into serious study mode after a long break off…so take it easy on yourself. Nobody can focus full-throttle for an ENTIRE term anyways.

So, make sure you’re taking regular, conscious breaks away from your studying.

A break is different than a distraction, though. Work for a chunk of time (let’s say 30 minutes), then put it down, and THEN go on your phone for a few minutes. Then, after 5-10 minutes, put your phone down, and leave it alone for another half an hour.

Working in consistent breaks is key to making sure you don’t burn out.

6) Take rest seriously while you can

Don’t get behind on sleep until you absolutely have to. It will eventually happen, but the longer you can keep your brain and your body intact, the better.

7) Prepare food

This is completely voided if you’re on a meal plan and the caf is your best friend…but for those of you who are in the “I’ll usually pack food, but I’ll buy on campus if I run out of time” club, start off the term with good habits in this department.

Leave the caf as a “because I was swamped last night” or an “I need the will to live today” treat. Believe me, there will be days when you’re super happy to have the caf as an option.

The beginning of the term is the best time to start ingraining good habits, though, so this is the most important time to make sure you’re always bringing bagged food to school.

8) Pre-read

Were you given work to do over the summer? Do it

Is this is a continuation of a course from last year? Review before you arrive.

Do you have any inking what you might be starting with? Maybe do a little voluntary pre-reading.

The best way to be prepared for the first class back is to try to do SOME form of preparation. If nothing else, it will help put your brain in work-mode so it can be receptive to new information sooner rather than later.

PS…one thing to remember with assigned summer reading is that it does need to be fresh in your brain on the first day of class. So, if you were the perfect student and read your summer reading as soon as the last term finished, you might actually end up having to do it twice…

9) Talk to humans

Before you have to fully retreat into your homework hole, hang out with other humans. I promise: you’ll eventually run out of time to really see them at all (especially if they aren’t in your course).

You’ll be happy to have study buddies and commiseration friends, though…and meeting other people in your field is one of the most important aspects of college.

10) Review before you have to

Every day, give yourself a bit of time to review everything you learned that day. While you’re at it, pick a few things to start studying, too…or write a paragraph from one of your projects.

The more projects you can start early, the less you’ll run into panic-mode at the end of the term.

Also, the whole learning process is way more passive if you spend little chunks of time over a long period than if you attempt to study everything the week before the test.

11) Be friendly with your professors

What’s the best way to make sure your do well in school? Have teachers who care about you!

How do you make your teachers care about you? Talk to them, of course!

Getting to know them as a friend may be a little overboard depending on the situation, but being friendly and friend-like is absolutely imperative (unless, of course, you absolutely hate them….then it doesn’t really matter what you do…but if that’s actually the case, you should probably talk to the head of your program to see if there’s anything you can do…that’s still a problem…just a different problem…)

12) Schedule in Exercise

Now, I know this one is going to make half of you groan, and the other half will wonder why it even needs to be said because they’re already doing it. So this tip’s mostly for the groaners in the bunch.

Yes, exercise something that can be cut from your schedule when you run out of time if it’s not your thing…but just like packing lunches, it will be SO much easier to keep up with if you start the habit now.

And don’t think that exercise means you have to go for a 10 mile run or anything. If exercise isn’t your thing, aim for something like a walk or a stretching video. Even 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference when the rest of your day is mostly sitting and studying.

It also gives you a little guilt-free break from studying!

13) Schedule in down time

It won’t always be easy to fit in, but while you can, schedule in some time for you to just be you. Do whatever you want with this time. It could be meditation, self care, exercise, watching movies, reading, hanging out with your roommate - it’s all up to you!

Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the whole “workness” of it all, and you’ll forget that being human is ALSO important. But, being able to sometimes just human is often the key to succeeding at anything hard-work related.

14) Find multiple places to study

I’m sure you’ve already heard it’s useful to create a little work nest that’s designated as your primary “work space”…but it’s not necessarily great to spend ALL of your study time there.

Some people find that the key to keeping themselves focused for long periods of time (with lots of little breaks thrown in, of course), is to change the scenery every once in a while.

Maybe you’ll find a difference chair or corner at home, but if you don’t have tons of space, you might need to find some nooks and crannies around campus. Why not take this time and go exploring to find some new study havens?

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Who is Nadya Corscadden?

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Nadya holds an MA in Musical Theatre and is no stranger to the home learning scene. Having spent a good chunk of her younger years in distance education (and opting for some correspondence electives at university), she has accumulated many tricks to help maintain focus and inspiration. She has a passion for independent learning and wants to help anyone and everyone find their stride in this atmosphere whether it’s homeschooling or simply studying for that next big test!

She is also a triple threat singer, dancer and actress….and can’t wait until stages are alive again!

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