Update: Once the school year starts I will be lowering the amount of times I will be posting from once a week to once a month to account for a busier schedule. Thank you for all your support and I'm hoping you will enjoy this next step in life with me.
It has been a long time since I've attended school, let alone in person school. To be fully honest I am nervous. I know this feeling is normal and that it means I care about what I'm doing. Yet the feeling is uncomfortable so I have decided to combat it by preparing for the upcoming year. Here are 4 of the biggest things I've done to prepare for the school year that you won't find on any university made checklist.
Meal Prep
I guess this step only applies to those who are not living in residence or possibly not living with your parents. The notorious freshman 15 is often caused by students' lack of preparation for healthy eating. If you forget to prepare your meals you will end up eating a lot of takeout. Truth is no matter what your takeout consumption will likely increase but meal prep is one way to help prevent that. I recommend filling your freezer with easy to reheat meals before the school year starts. Leftovers will also be your best friend for lunch. (pro tip: learn where all the microwaves are on campus) I also recommend making extra of each meal when you cook throughout the school year to keep your freezer filled. I will also be stocking up on frozen lasagnas and pizzas to save money on takeout. Last but not least, have a couple easy meals that you can make throughout the week. If you're wanting something a little fresher, I recommend my 6 Easy Recipes for the Novice Cook blog post for some inspiration.
A Visual Calendar
You're almost always going to be busy or on the run so I highly recommend making an easy to follow calendar for yourself. I bought a plain paper calendar from Walmart and filled out September with all my classes dates and times. Each class is color coded so I will be able to fill in assignment due dates once I get my syllabus. This calendar will help with time management for assignments as well as give those you live with a place to look for your schedule if they may need to know. (Roommates will need to know when finals week is so they don't add to your stress)
Cleaning and Organizing my House/Space
I'm one of those people whose surroundings affect them mentally. I also know when the school season rolls around I'm no longer going to want to or have the time to clean as often as I do now. To try and make my life easier for the fall I'm working at organizing my house well now so it's easier to maintain throughout the year. This will also keep clutter down to help me concentrate on my studies. I am also working at deep cleaning the majority of my house now so it won't need it again for a while. (for deep cleaning I'm talking about drains, fridge coils, and things you don't clean as often)
Practice
As I have mentioned before, it's been a long time since I've gone to any form of school because of which I may have gotten rusty in a few essential skills. To prepare for this I'm practicing taking notes without pausing videos for lectures. I am also fixing my sleep schedule and practicing getting up early so I am capable of getting up for my 8:30 classes. I've also planned out and tried the bus route I will be taking to school so I don't get lost on my first day. This practice may seem a little overboard for a few but being a student is a skill. Studying and time management are learned and because of which can be practiced. By doing this I feel more prepared for what is to come. If you are a first time university or college student I highly recommend learning how to properly study because even if you didn't have to in high school you will need to in post secondary.
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