Back-to-School Blues: Starting The Year Off "Badly"

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By Arabella Chamberlain

You made it back! By now, you're probably all moved in, unpacked, and have gone to class (hopefully...). But have the back to school blues already hit?

Coming back to school can be a hard transition for everyone. Yes, you're surrounded by all those friends you've been missing for months over the summer and you're seeing old faces and visiting the Library or sitting in the hammocks. But you've also left behind family and friends back home, the carefree lack of a schedule most days, or maybe that extra busy summer job... But hey, at least you're not broke anymore.

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It can be easy to feel stuck in a rut when trying to get back into the swing of assigned readings and problem sets and 5-page essays. But don't let that stop you from making this year your best year yet! Even if you're the most organized and efficient and "on-top-of-it" student, here's some tips to guarantee this will be a school year to remember:

• Get a tutor... the sooner, the better! (Even if you think you won't need it!) It's easy to think, "Oh, this class is gonna be so easy" when you're only a week and a half in, but by the time that daunting midterm rolls around, you'll wish you'd at least taken the steps to get a tutor. Requesting a tutor is the hard part (and it's not even that hard!), going to a tutoring session is the easy part! As long as you show up ready to work, your tutor is ready to help.

• Grab a planner (or get your Google Calendar organized!) I can't even tell you the number of assignments and meetings I'd lose track of if not for the gift of Google Calendar and Tasks. I'm a pretty forgetful person... and it shows when I run into a meeting 10 minutes late! But if you can get into the habit of keeping a calendar, digital or otherwise, it'll be so much easier to figure out when you can stop by a professor's office or scheduling that tutoring session I just mentioned ;) . Don't take a simple planner for granted. It can be a lifesaver.

• Talk to your professors! They have office hours for a reason. As much as I'm sure professors love sitting in their office grading papers nonstop, I'm sure a visit from a friendly face is a nice break from all those problem sets or essays on Tolstoy. Your professors have office hours for YOU. That's a time that they've devoted to helping out any students that need help outside of class time. Though it can seems daunting to knock on their door, stop by and have a chat, even if you're doing well in a class. The better a professor knows you, the better they can help you learn and grow.

• Take a break sometimes. If you find yourself overwhelmed and feeling like you've got way too much on your plate, know when to say "no." Don't overextend yourself and regret not giving something your all. It can be easy to join this club and take on this job and volunteer this place, but you need to draw a line for yourself and know your limits. If you bite off more than you can chew, when are you going to have a chance to relax? When will you get the time to enjoy your college experience. Coe has so many amazing things to offer, but don't let that stop you from actually enjoying them. Take time for yourself.

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All in all, whatever you do this year will be enough. Set goals and work for them, but if at first you don't succeed, don't let that get you down. Whatever little milestones you've accomplished along the way are still milestones - remember that! I recently heard an interesting little quote that I think sums up my approach to this upcoming year:

"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly"

-G. K. Chesterton

Keep up the work - good or bad!

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