Published in the TRU Omega, August 2011
The beginning of a new semester is approaching fast yet again.
It is hard to believe it is almost here.
Every time I write, my desire is to educate and inform my
audience on any given subject. One of my values as an aspiring journalist is to
empower my readers to make their own decisions.
As we approach another school year, I encourage you to have
an open mind to new perspectives. While you are sitting in the classroom, it is
important to listen carefully. It is imperative
to absorb everything that you can in the classroom, however it is also
important to think critically and take into account your own values and
beliefs. You are not always going to agree with everything that you hear. Sometimes
there are many more perspectives and you have to research them out for
yourself. The overall process of researching and attending university allows
students to grow into who they are.
Another aspect of preparing for the beginning of the year is to
mentally prepare yourself. Sometimes
when you look over the outline for the first time, it can be overwhelming. At the beginning of every semester, I also
get overwhelmed and I have to remind myself to take it one step at a time. I
also write every assignment in my day timer and refer to it often to accomplish
each task in order of priority. There are other students who work well under
pressure and they can produce an assignment in one evening or one day and that
works for them. You must find a technique that works best for you and give
yourself an adequate amount of time to complete it.
Setting goals for myself at the beginning of the semester helps
me achieve what I need to. A small goal could be getting supplies for school
and a larger goal could be completing a huge essay on time.
It is still possible to eat a healthy, balanced diet on a student budget.
Eating a nutritious diet is often beneficial to give energy to students for
when it is most needed. Having the
adequate amount of sleep also helps keep one’s mind focused and clear. The Wellness Center can help you find more
information on how a healthy lifestyle can benefit your studies.
Preparing for school can be daunting, but also exciting at
the same time. I hope I have given you
some useful suggestions on how to be successful in the upcoming year. I
encourage you to find your own techniques to accomplish your educational goals.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a great
school year. I hope I have given you some unique perspectives in my column. I
would also like to thank the Omega for giving me the opportunity to write for
them.
Enjoy the rest of your summer.
