How to Prepare for the New College Semester

The ultimate guide on how to prepare for your next college semester and what resources to use to maximize your year.

Okay, it’s back to college time and honestly… I’m super excited. I know that’s probably not the consensus among college students, but as a college blogger, this is a prime time for me because I get to publish more content on my channel, the blog, and my Instagram.

And if you haven’t watched my latest video, watch it below.

In all honesty, this is probably the first time I’ve been excited about back-to-school season since 7th grade when I was convinced I would “rebrand” into a much cooler version of myself.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.

But after several years and lots of trial and error, I’m finally excited about back-to-school season because I can share all the tips I’ve learned with you guys (and I get to make cool graphics and blog posts like these). With my junior year of college steadily approaching, I’ve taken some time to plan and prepare myself for the upcoming semester so I can make the most out of my college experience at Howard.

If you want to know how to prepare for a successful college semester, read my tips and find out how I’m planning out my semester below.

Romanticize and Aestheticize

via GIPHY

A big reason I’m so excited for a new semester is because I’m romanticizing the new experiences in a big city. Living in DC isn’t always easy, but it definitely has its perks compared to being in Arkansas—like going to big concerts, trying new foods, and enjoying the Go-Go music on the streets.

Romanticizing and aestheticizing the life I’ll have gets me ready to take on the new semester. The first step to getting ready is having the right mindset.

I like to think about what new restaurants I’ll go to, what new things I’ll learn, or what new and amazing people I’ll meet. D.C is freezing during the winter months—which is depressing for me—so I like to imagine what new coffee shops or new drinks I’ll try in the DMV area.

Imagine this new season of life like a new season of a show.

It sounds cheesy, but it can help get you excited.

Reflect on Previous Semesters

I’m a firm believer you can’t jump into a new semester without thinking about the last.

Thinking about what worked and didn’t work the previous semester helped me prepare myself mentally for the next. For example, I rarely left my dorm and explored D.C. Exploring DC and going to more events on campus is a major goal of mine now.

Think about your regrets last semester and correct them this semester. Whether that be study more, get out more, save money, etc. Try to use your faults last semester to create a better experience for yourself this year.

Establish Your Goals and Create a Vision Board

This is a two-in-one thing. After you’ve reflected on past semesters and figured out what went wrong and what went right, you can look towards the future and figure out your goals.

Writing my goals in my planner helped me separate those goals into specific groups (like academic goals, professional goals, etc.)

After I established my initial goals for the semester, I logged onto Pinterest and created a vision board of quotes, inspirational videos, and just aesthetic pictures. My primary intention was to visualize the goals I’d written so I could see myself carrying them out and imagine my dream life. Also, it’s just super fun to make.

Check out my vision board for reference.

Use the Hell Outta Notion, Google Calendar, and Planners

When I tell you that these things have shaped how organized and productive I’ve been, I’m not joking.

If you don’t know what Notion is, it’s an app/website where you can literally organize your entire life. From creating calendars to organizing your semester budgets to making travel planners, Notion does it all. It’s been keeping my life in check for the last eight months.

Google Calendar may not have all the fancy features like Notion does, but it’s reliable and helps me stay on top of my college classes and assignments. I use a plugin called More Colors for Calendar to create custom colors to assign to my classes. It makes getting ready for the semester a little more fun.

Recently, I started using digital planners to organize my life. I can write down my goals, my bucket lists, and track what I need to do for the week in one place.

Scroll to the end of this post to get your free weekly planner for the school year.

Rest and Enjoy the Summer

Last but not least, enjoy the summer while you can. It’s easy to romanticize school when you’re only thinking about rainy days while studying and listening to Lo-Fi music, but there will be days when you have to wake up way too early or you have to deal with uncooperative professors and catty roommates.

Enjoy the peace you have away from school and allow yourself to relax and rejuvenate. Get back into the Bible if you read it. Journal. Sleep in as late as you want. Just have fun this summer before it’s time to go back to school.

I hope these tips help you with preparing for this new semester. Everything I said I’ve learned from personal experience and I’ve found these things truly help me. It’s okay if not everything resonates with you. Take what you need and leave the rest.

If you enjoyed this post, comment down below your favorite tips, and subscribe to my blog to get your free back to school planner today.