STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE

Being a good student doesn't mean you have to drop all social activities and dive into your books. It's possible to have a healthy social life while earning good grades. Balance is the key. Here’s how you can go about doing so:

1. Decide for yourself at the start of the term that you won't let schoolwork sweep you away. It's important to have this resolve as a foundation.

2. Plot out your weekly schedule on a grid. Chances are, you'll have small gaps between classes during the week, and longer stretches of free time on the weekends. If you can manage to fit bits of schoolwork in these gaps that will leave effectively leave the weekend free and at your convenience.

3. Set aside at least one large chunk of time each week for free time - maybe all of Saturday, for instance.

4. Make sure that every time you find yourself in one of those between-class gaps, you use the time efficiently: Read a few pages, run some quick errands, spell-check your paper.

5. Keep in mind the law of diminishing returns. Past a certain point, studying harder will yield little. You're better off using that time to hang out with friends. Protect both your free time and your school time religiously. If you start to infringe on either, it's a long, slippery slope downward.

6. Encourage your friends to follow a similar plan, so you can co-ordinate your free time with theirs.

7. Whenever possible, find social activities that take you off campus and away from your schoolwork.


ARE YOU ALWAYS LATE FOR SCHOOL?

Are you perennially late for school? Do mornings bring nightmares to you? You can't seem to get to school without forgetting something at home? Mornings don't have to be like that. Some of us simply don't DO mornings well. Here are a few tips on getting around the morning fight.

1. Get enough sleep and make it a point to sleep for eight hours every night.
2. Skipping breakfast should not be looked upon as a time saver. 
3. Let’s not forget the all important alarm clock. Make sure it works or better still have someone wake you up in the morning. 
4. It would do you a world of good if you didn’t have to hunt for your books or school bag in the morning. Take care to see that you have all the books required for the next day and your bag is at a convenient place. Keep it there everyday. 
5. Make sure your uniform doesn’t spring any surprises in the morning (like missing buttons, dirty shoes, and smelly socks). Arrange your school wear the night before. 
6. Finally the most important part of school… homework. Finish all your homework the night before. Don't leave it for the next day.