With midyear exams completed and the first half of the year done, HHS is beginning to adjust to a new semester. The second semester means new beginnings for students in a variety of ways. If you are in need of some ideas to prepare for this semester, this article will provide you with some tips and strategies on how to stay organized and successful for the remainder of the year.
First of all, it is important to stay organized as many students are experiencing schedule changes. Secondly, having strategies is important because the second semester is known for being more difficult than the first semester as schoolwork picks up and the difficulty of content tends to increase. It is important to figure out what you can do as a student to make sure you are able to smoothly transition to this second semester.
Sophomore at HHS, Gabby Richton, talks about her plans to improve this semester, “I want to prioritize more time for bigger assignments and ask for help when I need it.”
What this preparation looks like depends on the student. For example, HHS sophomore Lila Brockney says, “I’m trying to stay on top of my work, study each night, and not wait to do things at the last minute.”
To begin, a great way to stay organized is to go through your backpack and clean out all your binders, folders, etc. A lot of material piles up after the first semester and usually your folders begin to overflow with papers. It is important to make room for all of the new material you will have to carry around for the second semester. Although this can seem like a daunting task, it will only take a couple of minutes out of your day.
It is important to take inventory of what you need to get or replace for the remainder of the school year so that you are prepared for class everyday and make sure that you have all the supplies that you need. As the school year goes by, your school supplies are definitely going to experience some wear and tear. Your folders might have a rip or tear, your binder might not work anymore, your notebook is 99% of the way filled, and you have no idea where all your pencils went.
Next, studying is one of the most important things you can do to stay on top of your grades and be successful during school. Now that you’ve seen the entirety of the semester, it is important to figure out what study schedule or strategy works best for you. If you are busy with sports, clubs, or other extracurricular activities during the school week, it might be a good idea to get most of your work and studying done over the weekend if you have the time. Additionally, on the weekends you can create a schedule for the coming week to study a little bit each day. Also, decide what strategy works best for you whether that is using flashcards, online studying tools like Knowt or Quizlet, or reviewing notes you took in class.
It is also important to track your daily assignments. First of all, make sure you make the most of your time. If you have a study hall during the day or have some time after school, take advantage of that even if you can only get a little bit done. Similar to the previous studying strategy mentioned above, really take advantage of weekends. If you are busy during the week and you barely have time to get your work done, make sure you use time over the weekend to get work done and maybe even get ahead for the coming week. What can also help with is having an agenda that you can keep track of assignments with. Some people find that having a physical agenda or planner is helpful while others enjoy using something online such as using Google Keep.
Additionally, it is important to stay after school and ask for help from teachers if you do not understand something covered in class. Although this may not seem like the easiest thing to do, it is actually really helpful for you as the teachers are more than welcome to help a student out. It is important to make sure that you feel confident in the material so that you feel prepared for a test or quiz.
Finally, in order to have a really successful second semester, it is important that you take care of your health. High school can be really tough on your mental and physical health and a lot of times people neglect taking care of themselves. Make sure that you are getting enough sleep every night because that is the best way to stay healthy. Also, make sure to stay hydrated and eat well to fuel yourself throughout the day. Another good idea is to just take the time and rest and do something that helps you relax if you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or run down.
I hope that these strategies can help you have a successful second semester. Good luck!
