Starting a New Semester Right

Because you're in a new semester, it’s time to do some reviewing and reevaluating. How well did you do last semester? Were your grades what you expected? Are you looking forward to this semester?

Think about the football or basketball team that goes into the locker room during half time. What goes on there? Well, the coach tells the team what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong so that the team can become better during the second half of the game. So let’s go into the locker room.

1. Review your courses from last semester. Were there any courses that you really struggled with? Perhaps got a low grade? This semester, you’re going to do better, and that usually means studying more for any difficult courses.

2. What do you wish you'd done differently last semester? Make a note and hang it by your desk at home. Don't make the same old mistake again.

3. If you had problems in any subjects last semester, talk to the teachers of those same courses this semester. Describe your experiences, see what you can learn from them, take your teachers’ advice, and set new goals for yourself for this upcoming semester. This conversation will open the door for later ones. Keep in mind that regularly talking to your teachers always helps you keep on track and makes it easier for you to ask questions—both in and out of class.

4. Review your study schedule from last semester. Were you careful about following a regular study pattern each day? Did you make sure you studied a certain numbers of hours each day and each week? Or were you kind of careless, putting in time only when studying mainly for tests and doing long assignments? Now’s the time to plan a well thought-out study schedule and stick to it. You want to work steadily, not in bursts of cramming. 

5. Are you looking forward to this semester? Or are you saying to yourself “more of the same old stuff.” It’s no secret that being bored with school can affect your grades. How do you get “un-bored?” It's simple: study harder and get more involved in your classes. “What?” Yes, it’s true, try it. Understanding more about the course makes it come alive.

6. The flip side is also true: If you think about your courses as things you just want to get through because then they’ll be over, you’ll find it very hard to get interested in them, much less study them. Here is a tip. Part of being bored comes from not having goals. So give some thought about where school will finally lead you. 

• Short term – if you become a better student, you’ll like your courses more and do more in them. You'll learn more, and that knowledge will make things easier for you in the future, especially in college. 
• Long term – you want to get into a good college and earn scholarships. That will happen only if you get high grades along with very good teacher recommendations, which means you are active in classes. What's more, to get high grades in college, you have to have well-practiced study habits. You need to start now. 

It’s never too late to get back on track academically. It’s not always easy, but you can do it. A lot depends on your success in school. Only you can make it work.