Realistic Back To School Advice

Hi!

Okay, so it's that time of the year where many of us are going back to school/college after a long summer. This is often very difficult when we've all had that taste of freedom - 6 to 10 weeks of lie ins, beach days, doing very little and having complete flexibility to do whatever we choose. I'm hoping to give you some encouragement and motivation , having come out of school over a year ago.

1) Work hard (and I mean HARD)
This is pretty obvious, but many people do not stick to it. You generally go into school, decide that this is a 'fresh start' and that you are going to find yourself 'working really hard', yet three weeks into term you've got back into the routine of procrastinating and willing the holidays to come round again. Every day when you wake up, remind yourself that you are very lucky and privileged to be in education at all. Over 65 million children worldwide are not in education - you are going to school for free and getting years worth of quality education to take you far in life.

When your teacher sets you work, write it in your planner (chances are that you'll get one of these from your school) or diary, even take a picture on your phone - anything to remind you to do it. Once you get home, do it. If that means turning off the tv or your phone, then so be it. If you do not do it, then you'll end up more stressed when you have 50 pages of coursework to do due in the next day, which will be even worse. In lessons, listen and respect your teacher. They want you to do your best (even if they tell you off about your uniform or for talking), and it is a two way street.Trust me, you do the work, you'll get the results you want.

2) At the same time, don't stress
If you follow my first step, you will end up less stressed than some people, that's for sure. To minimalise your stress, make sure you take some quality self-care tips. Once you've made it through the week, run yourself a nice warm bath with some candles and take some time to give yourself a well done. This should help reassure you that you can get through the next one. Go out with your friends, socialise, but do your work first. It is obviously easy to get stressed, but if you do, talk to family and teachers about it. You can get some additional support and study sessions this way, and by talking about it, you are not bottling it all up. Remember that when you get to the end of the year, it'll all be worth it.

3) Finally - be organised
I'm aware this is again, self-explanatory, but it is such a lifesaver. Have folders for each subject at school, even if it is a small A4 one, and when you get home, store the days work into the relevant sections. Make sure everything is stuck in your book, and use highlighters to revise crucial info. Have a specific spot in your bedroom where you have all your textbooks, folders and school books, and make sure this is tidy. Not only is this more appealing to look at, but it'll motivate you to keep it like that. If you have a messy room, do you want to tidy it? No, as it's too much effort.

Use coloured pens to make your notes stand out and stick in your head as well - this makes revising fun, or at least vaguely interesting.

I'm aware I've rambled in this post (again, what a surprise, lol) and probs sound like your Mum, but these are all such important tips to stop you falling into a pit of despair, especially if you're going into year 10/11.

I did this post on revision tips a few months ago - feel free to also check this out!

Thank you, and let me know if this helped below!

Katy x