Tuesday, September 15, 2015

School Tips and Survival Guide


HEY EVERYONE!! Welcome back to Life as Is. Today I want to talk about school. Most of us are returning to school whether it's middle school, high school or college. Being the oldest out of the four of us, I have obviously been dealing with school the longest. Throughout my years, I have learned how to get by school from year to year. Now, I am one of the few people in this world that actually ENJOYS going to school. For those of you who don't appreciate school as much as I do, I have decided to share my secrets to making the most of school. By no means does this mean you have to follow everything I say. Everyone is different and has different learning methods. This is what works for me: 

  • Go into class with a positive attitude! This may seem cliche but believing that you are going to enjoy the class will give you a positive mindset and will help you see that the class can be interesting. 
  • Get a planner! I know many of us try to carry the least amount of books possible but I cannot get through school without a planner that has the days and weeks written out. It helps me stay organized and keep up with my work. 
  • Talk to people! This may seem obvious but one of the biggest reasons why I love school is because of my friends. If you hang out with the right group of people, then everything will be more enjoyable. Some might have a hard time balancing their social lives with school work. I learned that doing homework with friends will both allow you to get the required work done and let you hang around with your friends. 
  • Be active! Joining clubs has probably been the smartest decision I have ever made in school. You are given the opportunity to meet new people (potential friends ;) ), and do something you love. I try to join at least one club every year. Also, clubs are not as demanding as classes. There might be some requirements to join clubs (at least the clubs in my school do), but they are definitely less stressful. ANNDDD who could forget the best part about clubs? The events planned by clubs!! (I helped plan a PIE DAY where students threw whipped cream at teachers. Seriously, who wouldn't want that?!)
  • Study for tests! Honestly, even I don't like studying. But I have learned the hard way that if I am not doing well in a class, then I don't like being in the class. When I don't like being in class I rarely ever pay attention. That's why I force myself to study. BUT NOT THE DAY BEFORE (and don't even think about studying in the class you have before your test). I found that studying at least a week before helps me retain more information and I have time to ask questions about anything I find confusing. If you study the night before and find that you don't understand a certain topic, then there aren't a lot of opportunities to ask your friends or teachers questions. I would usually make a review sheet (handwritten first; writing it out helps you remember more) and keep that with me where ever I go so I can study that instead of flipping through 50 pages of class notes. 
  • Keep up with class readings! A lot of my classes requires me to do readings before class. Keeping up with the readings will help you participate in class (gotta get those participation points) and it will help you understand the class material better. Honestly, the worst feeling in class is not understanding what is going on and doing the required reading is the easiest way to prevent that. 
  • Do practice problems! I know the subject that most students hate is math...well being weird, old me, I love math. Now, this doesn't mean that I actually understand everything the first time around. There have been so many times where I just don't know how the teacher solved a problem. I would go to someone who actually understands the problem and ask for help. but even then, I am always still a little confused. Being a student in the 21st century, I would then go home and consult my BFF, Youtube. Watching Youtube videos has helped me understand math so much better whenever I would have a not-so-great teacher. And then, after I have watched a couple of EDUCATIONAL videos to help clear the confusion (sorry, Zoella, iisuperwomanii, and Tyler Oakley doesn't count) I would pull out my trusty textbook or pull up practice problems and do those until I am a master of that topic. 
  • Be nice to everyone! The worst thing you can possibly do is make an enemy. Being nice to everyone will prevent that. Instead, you will always have someone to talk to. However, there will always be that one person that doesn't like you and the only way to deal with that is to ignore it, nothing more, nothing less. 
That's all I've got.....well, for now:)  I'm not saying I'm an expert but this is what helps me and hopefully will help you too. School is a great place so enjoy it while it lasts because once you become an adult with a career, you can definitely expect life to get more complicated. Let me know in the comments if I left anything out and any tips you have! 

-K

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