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  • Hello My Socratica Friends!

  • Were here to help you be a Great Student.

  • It’s that time of year again.

  • Time to go BACK TO SCHOOL.

  • Are you ready?

  • You might be nervous if school hasn’t always gone smoothly for you.

  • We have 10 pieces of advice that should make a big difference.

  • Ready?

  • Tip #1: Get Organized.

  • This means cleaning your room and making sure you have a place for all your books, class

  • notes, and office supplies.

  • Find yourself a clean, quiet, well-lit place to read and write.

  • It’s much easier to focus if youre not surrounded by noise and clutter.

  • This might mean turning an unused corner of your house into your special study area.

  • Or, you might want to scope out the best place in the library where you can get work done.

  • Just find it, now, so youre not scrambling once school starts.

  • If youre sharing a dorm room, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan for those

  • times when your roommate has company.

  • Tip #2: Buy Office Supplies.

  • GOD I LOVE THIS PART.

  • Now, you don’t have to go crazy like I do.

  • But get your supplies before theyre all picked over.

  • Binders, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters, calculator, ruler,

  • index cards...and find a nice way to store all of these things so theyre easy to find

  • when you need them.

  • Each of these supplies play a different role in your studying.

  • You may not use all of them…(but I do).

  • You don’t have to spend a fortune here - the index cards from the discount store do the

  • same job as the ones from that fancy stationery place.

  • But it is a nice idea to make one of your office supplies a special treat, so you smile

  • every time you use it.

  • Tip #3 Buy and USE a planner.

  • You might think this belongs with Tip #2, office supplies, but I believe in this tip

  • so strongly, it deserves special mention.

  • A planner is the key to managing your time.

  • If youre already using an electronic planner, like Google Calendar,

  • feel free to keep using that.

  • But if youve never kept a calendar before, start with a paper planner.

  • There’s something to be said for writing out all your tests and assignments in one

  • place, so you can see everything at a glance.

  • Tip #4 Pick your Classes carefully.

  • You might not have any choice at all, here - if youre in high school or a very structured

  • major in college.

  • But if you are in the position to pick any classes you want, approach this with care.

  • Write out your classes on paper, and look for any conflicts.

  • Are all of your classes jammed together in the morning, and youre not a morning person?

  • Don’t do that to yourself.

  • If you can, arrange to take your classes when you are at your best.

  • Think about having enough free time to study and get your work done between each class.

  • Make sure there are enough blocks of time to devote to homework, eating, exercising,

  • and sleeping.

  • Tip #5 Read your Syllabus.

  • Your instructors put a lot of work into this document.

  • Don’t lose it!

  • It will tell you all about the class rules, grading policies, and other essential information.

  • Is your class graded on a curve?

  • That’s in the syllabus.

  • What do you do if youre sick?

  • Look at the syllabus.

  • Before you raise your hand in the middle of class to ask about turning something in late

  • - check your syllabus.

  • I bet what you need to know is in there.

  • Tip #6 Don’t Procrastinate.

  • Your Planner and your syllabus are your best friends, here.

  • As soon as you find out when your tests and major assignments are,

  • write them in your planner.

  • Then count backwards, and write in as many blocks of time in your calendar as youll

  • need to finish your work without cramming it all in at the last minute.

  • It’s too easy to fool yourself into thinking you have all the time in the world.

  • If you write it in your planner, youll be able to see when you REALLY need to start

  • your work.

  • Tip #7 Tackle your hardest task first.

  • Now that you have everything written out in your handy dandy planner, you know what to

  • do, right?

  • Or... do you still fall into the trap of putting off the tasks youre not looking forward

  • to?

  • You need to read 10 pages of grammar by your next German class, but...you’d really rather

  • do your math homework.

  • Do the hard stuff first.

  • Otherwise, youll always find something else you’d rather be doing.

  • Here’s where using the Pomodoro technique really comes in handy.

  • Rather than thinking of it as 10 LONG PAGES, set a timer for 20 minutes and work hard

  • during that time.

  • I bet youll get a lot more studying done in that little burst of time

  • than you thought you could.

  • Take a break for 10 minutes, then set your timer for another 20 minutes.

  • GO.

  • Get it done!

  • Youll be much happier without that dreaded task hanging over you all day.

  • Tip #8 Talk to your Instructors.

  • What do you do if you find yourself lost in a class?

  • Talk to your teacher.

  • They don’t bite.

  • I’m not suggesting you go to them with every minor little problem.

  • If you have a little question about the class, first, check your syllabus

  • and your class notes.

  • The answer is probably there.

  • But if not, ask your classmates.

  • If you STILL don’t know what to do, send your instructor a very, very polite email.

  • They are VERY busy.

  • But they really do want to see you succeed.

  • If youre in a big college class with Teaching Assistants, start by contacting your TA - they

  • probably have a better chance of knowing who you are and how to help you.

  • Tip #9 Get enough sleep.

  • You know how much sleep you need.

  • What happens if you go to bed and you don’t set an alarm - how many hours do you sleep

  • before you wake up, naturally?

  • I’m expecting a number between 7 and 9 hours here.

  • That’s your goal.

  • When do you need to wake up in the morning so youre not rushing around all stressed?

  • Let’s say 8 AM.

  • Now count backwards.

  • Youll find - maybe to your chagrin, that this means you need to be in bed by midnight.

  • This is not something to fight, or pretend that it doesn’t exist.

  • This is what your body NEEDS to be healthy.

  • This is what YOU need to be happy and productive.

  • Youre not going to be able to do your best work if youre constantly sleep-deprived.

  • Please take this seriously.

  • Tip #10 Stay positive.

  • I know it can be really hard to put a big smile on your face when youre worried about

  • doing well in school.

  • But all that worrying isn’t helping you.

  • Try to focus on why you are in school - to learn, to become an informed person.

  • Every day that you learn something new, every bit of progress you make -

  • gets you closer to your goal.

  • We have access to education, more so than at any time in human history.

  • What a gift.

  • What an incredible time to be alive.

  • How do YOU get yourself ready to go Back to School?

  • If you have more tips for this school year, share them below in the comments.

  • I’m expecting great things from you, my Socratica Friends.

  • Getting yourself prepared for school is an important part of being a Great Student.

  • Hello Again, My Socratica Friends.

  • Were here to help you be a GREAT STUDENT by making you some GREAT educational videos.

  • This is a real labor of love for the Socratica Team.

  • We spend ALL our time researching, writing, filming, and editing our videos.

  • In fact, there aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all.

  • How can you help?

  • You can support our work on Patreon.

  • This is NOT an obligation.

  • Our videos will always be free on YouTube for everyone to watch.

  • So If times are tight, don’t send money.

  • You can still help us by watching our videos all the way to the end, and then sharing them

  • on Twitter...Reddit - tell all your friends.

  • If our work is valuable to you, please help us continue.

  • Thank you.

Hello My Socratica Friends!

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