The Unofficial School Survival Guide #1: The New School Year

Happy 2015! We’re a term into the new school year, although some of us may feel like it’s been more like 6 months. While some may already be on the right track of studying, others may still be lacking the motivation to even start. Perhaps some of us are still stuck in the “holiday mood”. I mean, a new school year means more homework and projects, more hours of CCA, and definitely less time to play. What’s not to dislike about it? But as horrible as it sounds, the new school year can be something to really look forward to, depending on how you see it. If you’re determined to accomplish some goals you’ve set for this year, then you have a purpose to set your direction towards. However, if you’re as clueless as Paris Hilton talking about politics, then there’s clearly nothing for you to gear towards. With that, I’m going to share some tips and tricks that will help you ease into the new school year, if you haven’t already, because as dreadful as it can be, us students have got to think positive to get through this long and arduous journey! 1. Set some goals

As mentioned earlier, setting goals will give you a clear sense of direction. Our teachers have already talked to us about setting S.M.A.R.T goals already, and they mean well. Your goals don’t have to be purely academic, so make them as personal and relatable as possible. I, for instance, have set a goal to eat more healthily. Bearing that in mind, I decided to try some yoghurt from our school’s Squish stall. What did I think of it? I didn’t like it at first, but knowing the high nutritional intake in one serving of yoghurt, I was pleased with myself for making an attempt to eat healthier food. And that pleasure motivates me to do more to accomplish my goal. So set some goals that you want to achieve by the end of this year. Make sure they’re realistic and beneficial to you, of course. As a start, try setting a few simple goals every week. It can be as simple as “Volunteer to wash the dishes for mum” or “Have the guts to ask for consultation with Math teacher”. Write them down on a piece of paper and paste it somewhere where you can constantly see it. That way, you are constantly reminded of your goals and further motivated to accomplish them. 2. Invest in a planner

This is crucial to anyone who wants some organisation in his or her life. A planner’s value really depends on how it is used. Use it well, and you’re one step closer to keeping track of your daily progress and achieving a well-organised life. Our school student organiser is a good place to start. It’s got all the important dates and school information that every RV student needs to know. But for those who want a fancier looking planner that keeps them interested to continue writing in, stationery stores like Typo and The Paper Stone are alternatives you can turn to. Now the question is how do we actually make full use of our planner? My suggestion is to write anything that comes to your mind – things to do and important dates to remember must be written down. Colour-coding can help to distinguish different information (e.g. blue for school homework, red for personal things to do, green for revision, purple for CCA). Additional information like shopping lists or personal reminders can be written on post-it notes and pasted on your planner. The satisfaction of striking your to-do lists off gives you motivation to actually do them. With all your life’s plans evidently written down, what’s left is to complete them. This systematic way of doing things really helps to keep you organised, especially when you’re facing hectic schedules and stressful times. 3. Pay attention in class

The best information one receives is information absorbed during lessons. Sometimes teachers provide invaluable insights that cannot be found in our lecture notes and textbooks. It is our job as students to sift them out during lessons, though this may be challenging as lessons can sometimes be a tad bit boring. Most of us have fallen victim to the predatory eyes of sleepiness. Sometimes, we involuntarily doze off, no matter how hard we try to stay awake. From my experience, I’ve found out that one major reason is that we shut off from information that we are unfamiliar with. Sometimes we may struggle to understand a new concept as the teacher introduces it, and as a natural response, we label it as uninteresting and turn down the need to actually understand it. The result? Sleeping in class. There is a solution to this problem, of course. First, get ample hours of sleep every night. Second, make an effort to understand unfamiliar concepts introduced during lessons, no matter how uninteresting they may sound. Taking down notes helps because you’re actively engaging with the information you’re receiving. And don’t just listen; you have to absorb and think about the newly gathered information to fully gauge your level of understanding. If you have time after lessons, revise your notes again to retain this new information and don’t be afraid to clarify any doubts with your teachers. Hopefully, with the improved capacity to learn new things in class, we can all pay a little more attention in class! This is a great study habit to start early in the year, so that revision for tests and exams later can be a lot less tedious and tiresome.