My Ultimate Back To School Guide!





by Moyin Agbaosi


If I'm being honest, it's been a while since I've actually prepared for back to school. Before I started high school, I would have cute little lists of things I would like to get done and have all my outfits and meals planned. (I think I was more organized at 13 than I am now at 16. . .) Recently, though, I've been spending the time I should be preparing for school on other things and just winging it when class starts. But this year, I'm deciding I need to channel my 8th-grade self and actually be excited and prepared for school again! Here's how I'm going to do it:



1. Mentally Prepare for Going Back to School



I hate those last few days of summer because of the dread of starting a new school year. It stresses me out. . . And if I'm being honest, I'm still trying to accept that this will be my life for the next ten months.


Before anything else, I recommend having a "mourning period", where you can be sad about the loss of summer and try to make the most of your last few days of freedom by having fun with your friends or just giving yourself a day to completely relax.


Once you've gotten all the feelings out of the way, try to find something to get you motivated and excited for school. You can watch fun movies, like High School Musical, to really get into the spirit. Make a fall/school playlist, redecorate your desk or studying space, set goals, or reach out to friends from school you haven't talked to all summer. Something else that helps is watching back-to-school vlogs on YouTube! There's something about seeing other people be productive that often motivates one to do the same.







2. Get Organised ASAP



I can say I am an extremely organized person. My schedule is PACKED from trying to keep my grades up, dance classes, piano recitals and concerts, running my nonprofit business, clubs, and volunteering.


Make Google Calendar (or a similar productivity app like Notion or Apple Calendar) your best friend. Put all important dates, due dates, plans, or anything else you have to do. I recommend Time Blocking, which is assigning specific chunks of time to each task, instead of just writing a to-do list. Using Time Blocking specifically for studying (see example below) helps you stay focused and, more importantly, avoid procrastination. For example, instead of just saying you're going to study chemistry when you get home, actually write out the time that you're going to study.


Being organized doesn't just save time, it lowers stress and gives you more time for things you actually enjoy! Below, I've made a list of things you may want to do before school to get more organized.





Before starting school make sure to:

- Clean your school bag

- (Deep) Clean your room. I like to move things around sometimes for a new look

- Clean up your desk area if you have one. Throw out old papers, list, and trash

- Google Calendar is my holy grail. Without it I really don't know what i would do. I input all my school events, and extracirriculars into my calander. Personalize it! Use a pretty color scheme and add things that are important to you specifically (eg. my friends' and familiys' birthdays, days interesting movies come out, full moons, just stuff you like)

- Check and clear out your email. Unsubscribe from old newsletters and delete all the spam





3. Fix That Sleep Schedule



Ok, let's be for real. Was it really summer if we didn't completely decimate our sleep schedule? I was going to bed at 3 am and waking up at 11 most days. Obviously, you can't do this for school, which is why this is something that needs to be addressed a few weeks in advance. Abruptly waking up earlier is similar to jet lag, you feel tired and drowsy the whole day. Start going to bed around the times you would during school, so your body can adjust to waking up and going to bed earlier. I know some people who also adjusted their meal schedule to align with their school lunch periods.



Tips on Waking up Earliery



I HATE waking up early, and on most days I have to wake up around 4 am (No, I am not ok...) because if I woke up later, I wouldn't have time for everything I need to do. What gets me out of bed in the morning is watching Instagram reels. Yes, first thing in the morning. I know everybody says that ruins your whole day, but having a good laugh really wakes me up, and at 4 am in the morning, the most important thing is actually getting out of bed. If I don't feel like doomscrolling first thing, the night before, I would watch half of a really interesting movie, and instead of staying up late to finish it, I would save the rest to watch in the morning. This does require you to even wake up earlier, but it's usually worth it.





4. School Shopping



Finally, the fun stuff. Go through your old supplies and throw out anything that doesn't work anymore or give away things you don't need. Now that you've cleared out all the junk, you can go out to the store and buy whatever you don't have and whatever you actually need. I know new pens look tempting, but you probably already have a pack of ten at home. . .


Below I've written a list of common school supplies people use (but look at your provided school supply list, if given one).





School Supplies!

- 3 ringed binders

- Notebooks. With pretty covers, of course

- Pens. Colorful or just black

- Sticky tabs/notes

- Highlighters (my personal fav)

- Pencils (my least favorites...)

- Erasers

- Flashcards

- Sharpener

- Ruler





5. Have a lil Glow Up!



Do you nails and hair, buy a fun drink, get a facial, pick out cute outfits, and take that everything shower. Good skincare can go a long way, so I recommened investing in that rather than makeup. But really, the most important thing is to do whatever makes you comfortable in your own skin, whether that's planning out full outfits or throwing on your favorite hoodie and sweats. There's nothing better than walking into school knowing you look amazing, and more importantly, knowing you feel amazing.





Random Study Tips that Helped Me Maintain a 4.45 GPA



Reminder! If you haven't done your summer homework, go ahead and start now!



Study with a snack! Fresh fruit or nuts help improve focus, memory, and concentration. I have a friend who puts small pieces of chocolate in between the pages her reading material, so when she reaches a certain spot, she gets a little treat. I think this is a great way to reward yourself and make studying less draining.​



Do little tasks first. While this may sound counterintuitive, knocking out a few assignments often builds momentum and makes the big ones seem less intimidating.



Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards. There are a lot of different study methods out there, but I always come back to flashcards. Avoid making cards yourself it's very time-consuming and tedious if there is a lot of material. On flashcard apps like Quizlet, you can search up "[Topic] [Unit/Chapter] [Textbook/Curriculum]" to find premade flashcards that align with what you're learning. It saves time and lets you actually focus on memorization.


And when motivation is low. . . If you don't feel like studying but you need to, search up "toxic study motivation" on Pinterest or TikTok. It has a way of scaring you or making you mad enough to just start working. Read the comments too, they can be surprisingly motivating, and it helps to see people who are going through the same thing as you.





Ok, that's everything that I've got. I hope you enjoyed reading this article, and you have an awesome school year!



If you liked this article, make sure to check out some of my others!



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