It’s that time of year again! August is beginning to wind down, and students everywhere are clinging to their last couple of weeks of freedom before they’re days are consumed with classes, extra-curriculars, and homework. To make the transition as smooth as possible, you might want to begin your preparations for back to school as soon as possible, if you haven’t begun the process already. To help you think about what you need to accomplish before school starts, here are a list of things that I always liked to do to prepare myself for the upcoming school year or before each quarter of college!
“Get a Haircut”: In my experience, when you look your best, you feel your best. Starting off the year with a fresh new haircut always makes a good impression, and it will make you feel ready to start the school year off with a new look!
Sort Your Threads: Take the time now (before you get bogged down with everyday school stressors) to sort through your fall clothes and see what still fits and what doesn’t, as well as deciding if you are going to wear the item of clothing this season. My rule is, if I haven’t worn a piece of clothing in a year, I’m probably not going to wear it often enough to keep it. Once you have all of your clothes sorted, you can donate the ones you aren’t keeping to your local Goodwill or Clothes Closet and decide what you’ll need to buy for fall!
Shop Online: There are all kinds of sales and specials online that you won’t find in stores. If you know your size pretty well shopping online can save you a lot of money! Here at Customized Girl, we have tons of great looks for back-to-school.
Start Getting Yourself on a Sleep Schedule: Getting up at 6 am or earlier when you aren’t used to it and jumping right into your school day can be brutal. Before you are thrust into the harsh reality that is school, start going to bed a little earlier each night, and setting your alarm earlier in the morning. This way you can start your day a little earlier, and when school starts it won’t be such a shock to your system.
Don’t Forget the “Back-to-School Supplies”: Even if you aren’t required to buy things like crayons, Elmer’s, and a box of tissues, it’s still a good idea to buy the things you know you’ll need. I always bought a folder, three-ring binder, and paper for each class I was taking, as well as an agenda, pens and pencils. That way, at least you’re covered and organized for the first couple of days, and if your teacher or professor requires something specific you can buy it later.
Order Your Books EARLY: If you’re headed off to college (and even in some high schools), you’ll be required to purchase your own textbooks and novels. As you can imagine, this can get pretty pricey, so here’s what you need to do. As soon as your college posts the booklists (usually it’s on the bookstore’s homepage) you should look up authors, titles, and editions, to see if you can find them at your local library. Then see if you can purchase them used at your bookstore or on a search engine. The key here is to act quickly!
Set Up a Schedule: Time management is a skill that you will need to get through high school, college, and even your career! Get in that habit of setting up a routine and schedule that works for you and your activities. Map out what your week will look like in a planner, calendar or whatever you need to visualize your schedule, and write down what you’re scheduled to do everyday and see when you’re available. If you find that you have too much going on and not enough time for school work, you may want to cut back on the activities at first so you can focus on school.
Enjoy Your Last Couple Days of Summer: The final gem of advice I can give you, is to take advantage your last few weeks, or days of summer by going on a picnic, going to an amusement park, the zoo, or just going out and star-gazing! Some things are just meant to be enjoyed in the summer, and if there are a few things you didn’t get to do earlier in the summer, make time to do them now before fall sets in!
