"Study to Shew Thyself Approved": Some Tips for Back to School!

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By the grace of God, I graduated with a degree in Nursing in June 2015. At the beginning of 2016, I began another phase of schooling - I am continuing further in my nursing education. As I reminisced on how God helped me to succeed last semester, I was greatly looking forward towards what the new semester would bring forth. I have recently completed a full week of the Fall semester. By the grace of God, I was inspired to share a few tips that I thought would be helpful for the students out there as per my experience as a student.

Tip one: Prayer - at the beginning of every semester I carve out sometime to pray earnestly for my upcoming semester. The reason I pray is because I like to include God in all of my affairs. This because the scriptures says "...in all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths" -Proverbs 3:6. God knows what the future holds; it only makes sense to commit my ways unto him. He is the giver of all good things and I am assured that as I commit my ways unto Him, he is able to connect me to the right resources, and people to enable me succeed as a student. I pray also for favor before my professors, understanding of all course content and overall excellence for the school term. Over time, I have seen how amazingly God has answered my prayers and specifically this semester, I have been experiencing his favor in ways unimaginable! I am confident that excellence will be my lot this term in Jesus' name - amen.

Tip two: Attend classes regularly as registered - it is unwise to register for classes and never show up or to show up a few days during the semester. By attending classes, you are able to meet your instructor, and fellow classmates. This allows you to network with your classmates. Attendance in class as well gives you an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from your professor without delay. Attendance is vital as it is usually part of your overall grade - why loose points by not showing up to class? Being present gives you the chance to receive the original course information taught by your instructor - sometimes getting information from other students after being absent can be quite unhelpful and un-reliant - attend classes please.

Tip three: Get a hold of syllabus and discover required books for the semester- In higher education a syllabus is a packet of information for specific courses. The syllabus provides requirements for the course like books, deadlines, and many other expectations from you as a student. When you receive your syllabus, find out which books you need for the course. After doing this find out if your school library has those required books. I personally find out from my school library if the books I need are available then I scan the pages I will need at my school library, email it to myself, and print it out from the printers at my school. Since I started school again (with one exception), I have not purchased a single textbook. The scanning process can be a bit tedious and requires patience and extra time to dedicate to it, but it is free and worth it so why not?

Tip four: Find out deadlines and record on calendar! One of the most important and useful aspects of the syllabus is that it provides a projection of subjects that will be addressed during the course of the semester. It also gives you the dates when projects, papers, and assignments are due. I normally go through all my syllabi for the different classes and record all my deadlines and due dates into my phone calendar - I find that my phone is a good place to keep such information. It is handy and I always have it. I also set reminders on my phone so that it reminds me ahead of time when an assignment is due. You  may do the same or may use a regular calendar or a planner if that works for you. As a student, you ought to be very organized especially in regards to your assignments. Another way to be organized is to use folders to store your sheets of paper (especially if you will be scanning your text books), and a pencil case to keep your pencils and pens so they don't get lost.

Tip five: Prepare ahead of classes - because I scan the pages of the books required for classes, I make sure that I have scanned chapters ahead of time so that they are ready for class. I also make sure I have writing materials as pens, and notebook. Sometimes I review the content for the day ahead of time - this aids in understanding the material a lot better. I ensure that my phone is on vibrate so that I don't disrupt the class if it should ring - I am there to learn to succeed!

Tip six: Make proper use of School or public library - one of the places that I enjoy going to in my school is the library - it is spacious, comfortable, and conducive for learning. It also has a large number of computers and printers to print my materials. If your school doesn't have a library that fancies you, try the public library in your area. Being in the library encourages studying as you witness other studious students. 

Tip seven: You must be a disciplined student - in our day and age, there are so many things that can very easily distract us - the social media outlets, our cell phones, television etc. This reality then requires us to purposely and actively block out all distractions especially when we are getting ready to study. We should turn off our phones if necessary and definitely log off from all social media outlets as we decide to emerge our minds into information that will grant us the opportunity to make a positive impact in the world. 

I pray these are helpful to you! I wish you excellence in this school term. I pray the Lord gives us the discipline we need to succeed as students! 

May you we use this weekend wisely.

-Charity