Now that you’ve found your classes, met your teachers, and made friends with your classmates from last semester, you have a head start on this semester. Your last semester grades are in the past and now you get to start over and do an even better job than before. There are many things that you can do to start this semester off strong and to keep those grades up.

1. Before you even go back to school, during winter break, you should clean out your backpack. Start again with a fresh slat. Throw away unwanted trash and blank papers, but be sure to save any past work that could help you study for finals at the end of the year. You also may need to run to the store and get some new notebooks and pencils.
2. On the first day back, have an open and receptive mind – we all know you don’t want to be there, but smile anyways.
3. Take good notes. Yes, I know this might be self-explanatory, but it’s really hard to remember sometimes. Write your name, the date, and title on them, and color-coordinate different information. It will make it much easier to have neat notes when you go back to study for an exam.
4. You will face some of the same challenges as last semester, so I recommend you set goals to help you pass those obstacles. As it is the New Year, you may have already done your resolutions, but try to set small daily goals like going to your teacher for help or reading for 30 minutes each night.
5. Stay organized. Keep a planner, and write down any homework that’s due soon. Also, have a separate folder (colored) for each class, so all your papers don’t get mixed together.

Let’s have a great new year!