Getting Back to School Ready: Essential Tips and Tricks

Summer has been zooming by! Whether you have a month, or a week left on break, it is not too early to start preparing for the year. While a part of back to school is buying new school supplies, an equally important aspect is setting a concrete plan with goals for the year.

Set plans and goals!

• What do you want to accomplish:

  • Focus on qualitative vs quantitative goals – while aiming for a target GPA can be helpful, picking some larger goals is helpful. This means picking points for improvement (ie. turning things in on time, building relationships with teachers, etc).

  • Think about extra curriculars! Joining clubs/sports is a very important part of high school and something colleges weigh heavily! Picking 2-3 clubs that you want to try out can be a good way to get involved.

  • Have an awareness of deadlines! Whether you’re starting college applications, getting ready to take the ACT or SAT, create a timeline and schedule at the start of the year.

Get Organized!

• Keep a Planner!

• Putting important dates, appointments, and classes in a schedule will make it easy to stay on track.

• Be diligent with keeping it updated, especially at the start of the year! The better you are with this, the more of a habit it will become

• Digital or paper! Either model is effective – use what is most logical and comfortable to you.

Set a Routine!

• It can be easy to get used to a wonky sleep schedule over break! Take some time before school starts to get back on your normal schedule

• Reach out to your tutor to set your schedule if you took the summer off.

• Communicate with your family or support system and flag important times and days of the week

Ultimately, the time before school starts is best used to get organized! Take advantage of your free time to set yourself up for the most successful school year.