School started and with it came the season of new school supplies and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils (although, who really uses wooden pencils anymore). With the bells already looped and class back in session, we have some decisions to make- what should we do to improve this year?

Stay prepared and organized

Organized chaos and all that “method to the madness” jargon has a certain beauty to it and may even prove to work for some students, but those cases are few and far between. Keep your school work together in a designated spot, making it easily accessible and hard to lose track of things. Piled up at the bottom of a backpack does not count.

Come to class to learn

Come to class to learn, not to make a name for yourself. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves a class clown, but if witty puns are interrupting class time that’s a problem.

Get out there

Do not shy away from socializing. This may sound like backhanded advice, but teachers love to preach “there is a time and a place for everything.” Socializing with peers introduces new ideas and different ways of thinking- both of which help with growth and challenges.

Try not to attempt a Fast and Furious

Everyone knows what I’m talking about(Strayer Sundays, anyone?). Block scheduling leads many to believe that it is easier to get homework done on time, and when correctly taken advantage of, that’s true. But it also gives you way too much room to procrastinate.

Learn to fail

A high schooler is less of a student and more of a professional failure. With failure comes learning and growing. So, despite popular belief, if you fail a test the world will not end. Just breathe and remember that for every failure comes just as many, if not more, successes.