#46 - New Semester Jitters? 5 Tips for a Successful Semester in Nursing School
New semester jitters? Overwhelmed with the firehose of information?
Here's how to make the first couple weeks of the semester smooth & manageable:
Log into your course/email daily. Information comes in multiple emails, from multiple instructors (lab, class & clinical instructors for the same course are usually different). Pay careful attention to announcements & reminders. There's going to be a ton in the first couple weeks and it's likely meeting times, locations and expectations will change. Log in daily to stay up to date & avoid the stress of getting behind.
Spend 15 minutes clicking through every link in every course this week. Familiarize yourself with how information is laid out and where to find key documents like the course calendar & syllabus. See where instructions and assignments are located. Click through every document that's posted. Sometimes information you need is hidden within a folder. Taking just a few minutes now to navigate the course will save you pain & frustration later.
Read the syllabus CLOSELY. This is a contract detailing how you're going to be graded, what assignments cost you the most & what will happen if you're late or forget to turn something in. This is also where you'll find info about how to communicate with your professor, office location and office hours. This information will come in handy when you have questions later.
Create a school calendar. Write down the meeting times, due dates & deadlines for every assignment in every class. Mark exams in a bright color, so they won't sneak up on you. Block out additional time for exam study, assignments, relationships and self-care. This is a HUGE part of finding school/life balance decreasing your stress in nursing school. Review your calendar at least weekly and don't forget to update when there's changes.
Communicate confusion to your instructor immediately but respectfully. It's normal to feel overwhelmed with information in the first weeks, but if you're lost, you'll be stressed, behind and it may even affect your first few grades. It's possible the information you need is posted in the syllabus, calendar or some other document, but if you can't find the answer, email your professor. Be responsible for your own success and communicate your needs. Just remember to ask in a respectful way. The first weeks are hard on Nursing professors too.
Still feeling stressed? Checkout our posts on finding school/work/life balance and decreasing stress in nursing school.
Juniors and Seniors--What advice do you have for making the first couple weeks of a new semester less overwhelming? Reply & let me know! I'll share it with our community.
