By Emily Wei, Lifestyle Columnist
Happy September! Most people seem to have a love-hate relationship with this month but there’s no doubt that for those of us still in school, you get a little shiver down your spine. When we were younger we counted down the days until we got to go school supply shopping. However, as we get older, we’re lucky if we can find a worn down pencil and a couple sheets of paper. Now, I can’t help you with your lack of supplies, but the purpose of this column is to discuss some common student problems and how to potentially solve or improve them! Obviously what works for some won’t work for others and I am by no means an expert but being a student myself who is going into their first year of university this month, hopefully you can take something away from this column today!
The first and maybe most obvious problem that most students have is time management. Balancing between school, friends, extracurriculars, volunteering, and sometimes even a part-time job can seem near impossible sometimes. There’s only so many hours in a day and days in a week, plus we do have to take time to sleep and eat occasionally! My tip for this issue would be to not overload yourself at the start of the school year, but also make sure to have enough on your plate to keep yourself busy. Join the clubs or sports that you’re really interested in first and if you find that you still have too much downtime feel free to join a couple extra! Some people overload themselves with every team, club, and volunteering opportunity possible because it looks “better” on a resume or application, but remember that it’s quality over quantity! Above all, the most important thing is that you enjoy what you’re doing.
Secondly, choosing your courses is quite nerve-wracking, especially if you don’t already know what you want to be. My advice to you is that you shouldn’t take your courses based on what you want to be, but rather; you should decide what you want to be based on your courses! The wide variety of courses available to high school and university students are designed to let us explore a bit and find out what we like most. Not sure if you want to be a journalist or a doctor? Take both writing and science courses! Also, it can be fun to decide with friends which courses you all want to take together, but make sure to not base your decisions on who else will be in your class. You’ll have plenty of time outside of school to see your friends but you don’t want to end up regretting your choice for not taking a class that could have been helpful just to have an extra hour with a friend.
The last big topic I’ll talk about today is how to stay healthy! Staying both physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy throughout the school year can seem like an impossible feat at times but it is attainable! Something that students are notorious for is our poor sleep schedules. I’m not one to talk as I am definitely guilty of the 2am-7am sleep schedule every now and then but enforcing a good schedule will help you feel so much better throughout the day. The best schedule that works for me is definitely going to sleep early and waking up early. Avoid caffeine or electronics late at night and try reading a book or journaling before bed instead. With the extra couple of hours of sleep you’re getting, you might even have enough energy to go to the gym or on a walk before classes in the morning. Like I mentioned before, taking the courses and extracurriculars that you are interested in is of the utmost importance since no one wants to be stuck in a class they dislike for a whole year. Also, I am personally a big fan of sunrises and sunsets so whether it be once or twice a month, feel free to wake up early and drive to the beach, citadel hill, or boardwalk to watch the sunrise before classes or take a trip after classes to unwind for the day.
Whether you’re going into junior high, high school, university, or have already graduated, I hope you were able to take something away from this column and enjoy the school year!
