How to Successfully Prepare for the Upcoming Academic Year

The end of summer can be filled with aspirations of academic success for the coming school year. With the stress of school a distant memory, students are often optimistic leading into the start of a new year. After all, the slate is clean! And while optimism is important, if you want different results, you’ll need a plan for how to achieve them. Here are some ideas to guide you in creating a plan that will lead to better academic achievement during the coming year.

Set process goals: Identify what didn’t go well last year, and determine what you hope will will be different this year. Focus on setting process goals that will lead to your desired outcomes. For instance, if you simply want “better grades,” identify what prevented you from doing well last year. Was it poor study habits? Procrastination? Lack of organizational skills? Be honest with yourself about where you need to make changes, and write down steps that need to be taken in order to build new habits. For example, “buy a planner,” “do homework during free periods,” “hire a math tutor,” etc.
Develop a study schedule: Map out a sample week, and identify times when you’d like to get your studying done. Actually scripting out a week can help students see all of their various commitments/responsibilities, while being strategic about when to build in study time. Do you know that evenings will be difficult because of a team sport? Then find times during the day to chip away at your homework. Do you work better at that coffee shop down the street than in your bedroom? If so, pick days and times where you’ll commit to studying there. Being a good student starts with building good habits, and good habits are maintained through effective time management.
Identify Resources: Who are the people in your life who can help you when you need academic help? Are your parents good resources? Do have teachers, counselors, or tutors who can offer assistance? Knowing when to access help is part of being a successful student, and if you’ve identified resources prior to the start of the school year, you’ll be more likely to access them when you most need the help.
Identify Barriers to Academic Success: Be honest with yourself about barriers to meeting your academic goals. Does your phone get in the way of your study time? Do you choose to play video games over doing your homework? Do you prioritize socializing over academics? Perform a mental run through of realistic scenarios that might throw you off track, so that you’ve predetermined how you’d like to respond when those situations inevitably arise.
Follow Up: All plans require flexibility. Trust your process, and stick to it, but also be flexible when you identify that something isn’t working. Have a process for following-up on your intentions, and evaluating your effectiveness in meeting those intentions.
Stick to your process, and don’t let off days derail you: Once you have a schedule you feel good about, stick to it, and don’t worry about the results. Trust that you’ll be satisfied with your outcomes, if you stay true to your process! When you have an off day (and you will – you’re human!) don’t interpret that as “the plan isn’t working!,” or “I should just throw this all out!” Developing new habits takes time, occasional failure, and most of all, consistency.