School’s on the horizon, and with it, a lot of emotions. Perhaps excitement and anticipation? Maybe dread and anxiety. Either way, soon enough, you’ll be back in the thick of it. Before school starts up again, this is the perfect time to establish how you want your year to go. What’s taking up the most space in your mind? Academic performance, extracurriculars, friends? All of the above? How in the world are you gonna maintain free time between it all? Fortunately, there are ways to approach each worry or goal you may have.
“I want to make the most of my school year!”
At most schools, there are a lot of ways to get involved beyond only attending classes! Here are just a few:
- Extracurriculars (clubs, student government, choir/band, sports…)
- Social events (formals/prom, performances, other school-wide events)
- Becoming a teacher’s aide
- Out of school activities (Spending time with friends/family, community service, early college, non-school events, Empowerteen events and volunteering)
Before school starts, make a list of everything you want to do. Once you start putting it on a calendar, do your months, weeks, and days look manageable? If not, try prioritizing the things you feel are important. Or, try finding a compromise between two things. If you start thinking about these things early in the year, it will make it easier to coordinate. For instance, if two clubs you want to attend are on the same day, try talking to the club organizers about attending every other meeting or doing a biweekly rotation.
Above all, remember not to push yourself too far, that’s what leads to exhaustion and burnout. Take time to relax and reflect on what you’re doing.
“I want to make friends!”
Making new friends can be easy. If you’re social, kind, and earnest, then you can find lots of good people to befriend. The main piece of advice for making friends is just to approach people and talk to them. Sure, it can be nerve-wracking, since you don’t know how the other person will respond. But if the interaction doesn’t go well, then that’s that; you can move on knowing you did your best. If things go well, then you might have made a new friend!
Even before the conversation part, just working up the courage to strike up a random conversation is difficult if you’re introverted or shy. To make it easier to approach and have a conversation, try finding people with mutual interests. The best way to figure out who that may be is to keep a lookout for them. Let’s say you’re a big fan of something pop culture-related. If your school has a club related to that, find out who the members are. Maybe you’re really into a certain subject, like science, try looking out for someone in the class who seems enthusiastic about it.
As for keeping friends you make, make an effort to also see and contact them outside of school if you can. That way, during breaks, it’s more likely everyone will keep talking and hanging out.
“I want to do well in my classes!”
Have you decided you want to be an academic powerhouse this year? Here are some things to make it easier. The first is managing your time. Keep track of when things are due and how long you will take to complete or prepare for them. Then schedule your days/weeks accordingly. Make sure it’s suited to you and your abilities. For example, if you know you have a math test in 2 weeks, but you also know you struggle with math, it might be better to start studying 2 weeks in advance rather than a week.
Connect with your teachers! Ask them questions about anything you’re unsure about, additional help, or advice, even if it’s something as simple as clarifying the expectations of an assignment or tips on how to study material. Building connections with your teachers is also a way to get good opportunities later on, for instance, if you need letters of recommendation. They also might extend additional opportunities to you based on how committed you are to your studies. Not only will your grades look good, but those additional opportunities might be good on applications.
The last thing is to find a study method that works for you. This means finding the technique suited for you and how your unique brain works, such as flash card memorization vs doing mock tests. It also means considering the best conditions for studying. Time of day, location, whether you work better with other people vs alone, are all things to consider.
WRITTEN BY: Kris Sanders, Empowerteen Creative Writer Intern
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