I know it may have seemed like winter break flew by and you were just here in the same classes, the same dining halls, the same dorm. And I know you're thinking "we have to do that all over again?"  Even if you're not a college student, the second half of the year in high school is very comparable to the second semester. Even thought it is longer.. by like a month (ha ha haaa).

Mocking aside, here are some tips to help you take a deep breath before you plunge head first into mid-terms, papers, exams, projects, and more. Stick to these and before you know it you'll be taking your last final and running straight to the beach!

1. Calm down, you've done this before

If anything will give you comfort about this semester, it's that you're not scrambling around trying to figure out where your desk fan, shower caddy, or printer will fit, or where your classes even are or if you'll have time to go to your introductory floor meeting before convocation. You know how to properly use slugbooks, you know which professors won't reprimand you for sleeping in class, and you know exactly how many steps it is from your science lab to the on campus dunkin donuts (or is that just me?) Take comfort in this and focus more on your classes. You've made some friends, now find a niche. You've joined some clubs, now consider a position of power for next semester! I already feel like it's second nature to me. This is your chance to take it to the next level.

2. A wise woman once told me...

It's proven in the warm weather that people are happier, more productive and eat better. My friend said, "I like the second part of the year because you're entering into the warm weather." Which is very true! You're not getting farther and farther away from it, like the first semester. It may seem a little bland after Christmas, but soon enough it'll be warm and bright and you can wear that bright sundress you bought in November promising you'd find a way to wear it. 

3.  Take the Nike Approach

There are two kinds of classes: ones that you know the content and "you got it!" and ones that are a little out of your comfort zone and deem to be challenging. For example, my COM 205 and 202, and my health classes seem more in my comfort zone this semester. I'm familiar with the material, and two of them are in my major. However, that doesn't give me an excuse to slack off or take it as a fluff class. That means I'm going to pay more attention to get the most out of them, and put my best effort in those classes and get the grades I know I can get in them! And for classes such as STATS.... which I'm deathly afraid of I'll take another approach. Since I don't know as much about that subject, wouldn't it make sense for me to actually pay more attention in that class? I need to know and process the information more, so I should actually try harder and maybe the work will come easier for me. You should take this point of view too, and just do it!

4. Stay Organized

If you were a little less organized this semester, clean it up a little. Being disorganized can really hurt you and leave you out of time. You can be late to class, lose important papers, or even having disorganized notes can lead to a bad study sesh or a paper that's not your best. Take the extra time to put things into place and the semester will fly by that much quicker.

5. "Round 2" does not mean have a "round 2"

I mean, have fun and all. I do every once in a while. Everyone does and needs to. But let's not make it a priority. I never participate in "Thirsty Thursday" because I have 8 ams on Friday. But that doesn't mean I don't take advantage of Friday and Saturday. Not even in that way, all the time. Some times it's fun to either just see a movie, go shopping, see a concert or have a girls or significant other night in. Let loose so you can be prepared for the weekdays. But make sure you get your homework done. I sound like your mother but you get my point. Stay in school, kids!

I hope these simple tips help you stay focused this semester. Think about it, you're one semester closer to being done with your boring "gen eds" and are closer to focusing on your major, yayy! You may even be already taking classes for it. But I hope this guide can help people who aren't in college, or may even be upperclassmen. Summer's right around the corner... well four months. However the first four months flew by too, right?