Helpful ways to succeed in a new semester

Many students may be wondering how to improve themselves for a fresh start second semester. Being organized is a major key to success. Items like binders, folders, and notebooks for each class are highly recommended.

Another great tool for organization is a planner to keep track of upcoming tests, important due dates, and extra activities outside of school, including sports and work. Procrastination is something that most students have been guilty of doing. Completing assignments and big projects as they are given will minimize the stress in the future because there won’t be as much work in the end. If there is a struggle in a certain area of school, like a specific class, find out exactly where things are going wrong. It might be worth asking the teacher about a personal plan for improvement. There may be some things in class that could be done differently to help in the future, like paying more attention or taking notes.

Counselor Beverly Groth advises many different things when it comes to success. “The big piece is not being afraid to ask for help or seek a tutor. We have many students and teachers that can help,” said Groth. Getting help when it is needed is one of the most important things for improving because it allows for a better understanding of a concept.

“Don’t leave the class confused. Make sure you know what is going on in each class each day,” mentioned Groth. Most teachers are available before and after school for some time, so using that time to get the needed help might be something to consider.

“Developing good, healthy habits is important too. Get home from school and set a time for school stuff. A good habit is going through class notes each day,” said Groth. This allows a student to see what they might need to study more or get help on, rather than just taking notes in class and never looking at them again.

Many students have their own ways of preparing for a new semester, but there are some general tips that are helpful to anyone. Senior Emma Hughes has a couple of suggestions when it comes to success throughout the school year. Getting respectable grades doesn’t just come from taking notes or reading straight out of the textbook. “Students can help themselves by maintaining a positive attitude in any class,” said Hughes.

Striving to have a positive mindset and being optimistic can lead to great things throughout the school year. Negativity will only make things worse, so always try to find some positive in things. There may be some things that could have gone a different way, but there is always room for improvement in the future and lessons that can be learned from what went wrong the first time, like a test grade that wasn’t the best. A different studying method might be a good change for improvement. Some students prefer methods by hand, like notecards, and others prefer different apps, like Quizlet.

Most students are involved in extracurricular activities and sports, and/or are working. This can make it difficult to keep up good grades, but there are steps that can be taken to help minimize the stress of school. Setting reminders can allow for a student to easily remember to do an important task. This will allow for better improvements.

“Attendance is definitely one of the most important. I got behind a few times during the first semester because I didn’t show up for class,” said Senior Gabby Brennan.

Attending a class consistently is what allows a student to retain all of the information that is needed for success. Not only does it hurt a student individually, but over time will affect the class as a whole. It is difficult for a teacher to carry on with a lesson if a large number of students are gone. “Keeping up with work is something that is very important throughout school,” said Brennan.

Doing homework and different assignments on time will eliminate a lot of stress. The piling up of school work will only cause more stress in the long run. “There are a few different studying methods that I like to use, but I do get bored using the same ones. I have found that it is helpful to use a variety of methods to see which ones work best,” Brennan explained. Using applied knowledge while trying to remember something new is highly recommended for better understanding of new information. Doing this will be much more effective than simply just trying to remember a term or concept.

Multitasking reduces the efficiency of studying, whether it’s a phone or the TV, and will have a negative effect if used while studying. Minimizing all possible distractions will only help for a student’s success.

Most classes throughout school are required. However, there are many classes in high school that can be taken by choice, like the variety of science, math, and foreign language classes offered at Milford High School.

“Picking classes that you’re interested in is important for success,” said Senior Cameron Whitney. This will become very helpful because it won’t be so much of a push to keep up with the work and the class itself. A study from the University of Texas stated that “interested students tend to work harder, pay more attention, and think more about strategies to remember the material.” This study came with a lot of research and a team that surveyed 218 high school students in a variety of science courses.

They found that on days when students were most interested, they were more engaged, which will increase the attention span. This will cause the information to be better retained. There was also a study done by the University of Oklahoma, which stated that “using learning strategies and being more involved in classes positively influences academic achievement.” It is much easier to be involved in a certain class if there is higher interest in it.

Whether it may be getting help or paying more attention in class, there are definitely ways to see improvement. In most classes, success isn’t something that is just given, a student must put in effort to see the best results.