Academic Reinvention: Weapon or Victim?

The month of September brings with it long hours of turmoil and stress. Back to School is not an easy time for anyone, but it is an important one. It's the time where you get to redefine your academic standing. The disappointment of not doing well enough in the past should stay there, and the new academic year should signify changes, challenges, goals and a drive to do better. So how do you secure your comeback as an academic weapon this September? Here are a few tried and tested tips that will definitely help:

1.Actions are driven by thoughts, and a good mindset is always the stepping stone for achievement. So first and foremost, believe in your fresh start. Give yourself the confidence to create a better version of yourself as a student, a dreamer and a go-getter. Know that you can do it, and you will.

2. Plan Ahead. What are your expectations from yourself this year? What do you hope to achieve? What are you making space for? Set goals, make lists (personal favourite).

3. Research the subjects you opt for, the extracurriculars you want to do, any other projects that have been on your bucket list and will boost your productivity. Decide what you will prioritise this year and be true to it. Remember, writing it down brings you one step closer to getting it.
Learn from your mistakes. Ask yourself how you can improve. What habits you need to develop and what you need to let go of. Look back only long enough to realise what you can do better.

4. Make! A! Schedule! Getting out of the summer break routine often proves to be the most difficult part of getting back in action. So make a workable time table for yourself, one that helps you fix your unhealthy sleeping patterns and gives equal time to academics, extracurriculars and self care.

5. Ahh yes, self-care. Most students overlook the fact that the only thing keeping them from leveling up to an academic weapon is the utter disregard for their mental and physical health. Remember that burnout is very real—and it’s not good for your dreams. So give importance to your studies, but to yourself first. Don’t overburden yourself from the start. Give yourself time to pace things up, break up any unhealthy studying patterns, remember to relax and constantly de-stress.

6. Don’t be afraid to explore new studying techniques, you never know what may work for you or what you were missing last time. Change up your study habits and environment to see what works for you. You can always access unlimited notes and extra help from student-centered websites like Znotes for guidance.

7. Communicate with your teachers. They are here to help you always, so take up their time, don’t let your questions go unanswered, and don’t be afraid to consult them. You can also seek extra support from online studying communities like the Znotes discord community or study groups for different subjects on reddit.

Your academic year is always a reflection of what you make of it. So decide, will you let small setbacks hold you back? Will you choose to embrace failure and disappointment? Or will you be the student you can be proud of? Remember to never be discouraged and keep coming back to this article for all the motivation you need. From my fresh start to yours. You got this!