Back-to-School Tips

School is just around the corner! While I have not started yet, I know a lot of you have. Now, I by no means am an expert when it comes to surviving school, but I have picked up a few tricks in my 12 years of schooling that I am so excited to share with you! 

I just love the excitement of a new year. A new school year means new classes, books, dances (in my case), and a fresh start. Try to make this year your best ever, learn from your mistakes last year and most importantly, STAY POSITIVE! My goal this year is to take extremely neat and efficient notes and make sure everything makes it into the rings of my binders. With the introduction out of the way, let's jump right in!

1 // The Basics

The basis of success stands in the basics. If you don't have the necessary tools that you need to succeed then how to you expect to do it? Here is my basic supply list:

- 2-3 2 inch binders

- A large pencil case

- A scientific or graphing calculator (depending on grade level, I use a Ti-83 Plus and love it!)

- A red pen (for marking and editing) and a black/blue pen (for writing essays)

- Lots of mechanical pencils (preferably with extra lead)

- A yellow highlighter (I prefer to stick to the basics, nobody's got time to manage 8 different highlighter colours ;)

- A Staedtler eraser (the best eraser you will ever own, I will never buy another brand)

- A notebook for  every core subject

- Dividers

- A pack of 0.5 cm grid paper

- A pack of Loose Leaf paper 

 

If you have these basic supplies you are set to tackle anything your teachers throw at you.

2 // No Nos

There is nothing I detest more in this world than math done in pen. Even writing this now I can't contain my hatred of beautiful math marred with white-out and scribbles. Math is difficult, and people make mistakes all the time so why is it that some choose to write with a non-eraseable utensil? I cannot wrap my head around it. But this is only one of the many no-nos that even I am guilty of committing (except for the math in pen thing, I will never commit that crime ;). DO NOT do any of the following:

- Write essays in pencil. Unless it is a rough draft essays must be written in blue or black ink. My personal favourite way to write an essay is by typing it, so if that option is open to you, take it!)

- Use a phone calculator in math class. I know we are all guilty of forgetting our calculators every once in a while and are forced to use our phones for calculations. This should be a one-time thing only.

- Forget to save your work. This one is pretty self explanatory.

-Throw booklets and notes packages in your locker. Put things in rings I always like to say!

- Write down everything the teacher says. A good note taker knows when to jot down only the important information. Notebook space is very limited and paraphrasing is key.

3 //  Work hard and Play Hard

The biggest mistake made by students is they get so caught up in the stress of exams and projects that they lose touch with their other interests. It's important to maintain a work-life balance not only in school, but also in the future.

4 // Study

Even the brightest student needs to study. It is not humanly possible to remember everything and studying is the real key to success. I have an entire post dedicated to studying tips, you can check it out here!

5 // Stay Organized

I know you've heard this a thousand times: you have to stay organized to be successful. And while you don't need to colour code and arrange you notes in alphabetical order, having some kind of system will hugely increase your potential grades. Here's an article that I really enjoyed that talks about organization and how it relates to success.

6 // Read

My current read!

Now I know what some say, "I never read!", "reading is so boring :/ ",  "Why read when you could watch Grey's Anatomy?!" While the last one may be valid, you would be amazed at the difference reading makes on your grades, and not just in Language Arts. While reading habitually can greatly improve reading comprehension skills, it also improves reading speed, information retention, and problem solving skills among others. Here are six more scientifically proven reasons reading is beneficial to your health! 

I hope these tips will help make your year the most successful yet! Cheers and good luck!

Thanks for reading!