Back To School Tips

How is summer nearly over already?

These past couple of months seem to just fly by. For some of you it may be even more saddening because it means it's back to school time. 

Now as someone who finished school back in 2015 which is kind of crazy that it's been over eight years now, I'm going to be very honest and say I had a love-hate relationship with school. Towards the end, I was just excited to get ready for the next chapter in my life which was university. Anyway, I thought I'd share tips for you about going back to school as a little reassurance that everything is going to be okay and to remind you that it won't last forever. 

1. Have a decent school bag

Personally I prefer a backpack but I did fall into the trends of having a tote bag for school but when you have to start carrying lots of books and folders then a backpack is something more practical. It's especially practical if you have things like P.E. and take ingredients in for Cooking. I do not miss those days of lugging loads of things around with me and in my school we weren't even given lockers. There were lockers but you had to pay £5 for one and they were the really small ones but also half the doors were ripped off. I never bothered getting one so having a backpack really helped as it was just in your bag and it was big enough to fit a lot of things in. 

2. Do your homework

I was definitely someone who procrastinated their homework a lot. I usually left it until the day before it was due. I only got one lunchtime detention in my entire school life and that was because I didn't finish one page of a workbook that was homework. It was kind of funny though because I had started that page so my detention lasted for five minutes and I could go as soon as I finished which was pretty funny to me. Anyway, do your homework. I know it sucks and it's a pain but do you really want to be that one student that gets caught out for not doing homework. It's never fun. Try and schedule an hour in the evening to do your homework. I know it sucks that you spend six hours in school just to be given more work to take home with you but that's life. Plus it sometimes doesn't take that long so you may as well do it. 

3. Utilise your planner

My school gave us planners for the year and it really helped to make a note of when you had homework. It was the only time I probably used a diary to its full extent. Plus it reminded me when I had homework or if I had to bring anything to class. A planner is a useful tool to have in school so you may as well use it and keep yourself organised especially when it comes to your homework. 

4. It's okay to not have many friends

As someone who went through many friendship dramas and falling outs, I found myself especially in year 10. The sad thing I used to do was just walk around the entire school during break and lunch times. Often I'd grab a panini or a bacon bagel from the canteen then off I go for a walk with my headphones in listening to music. I must have looked slightly weird and I'd feel embarrassed because I'd end up doing laps of different parts and feel like people noticed me just on my own walking. Looking back nobody really cared because nobody ever said anything and I wasn't like I didn't have friends. I had a friend who had a boyfriend and I had other friends from class and the school bus so eventually I hung out in a group with them during the break times and I felt less alone. It was easier in sixth form because we had a study room in our sixth form building so I'd be up there doing my A Level work or revising for my exams. I didn't mind being on my own then because I was distracted with work. The point I'm trying to make is that it's okay to not have many friends. In my adult life, I only have one friend from school and that's okay. In my adult years, I've learned it's okay to be alone. Sometimes I wish during those lonely periods that I utilised the library more and read a book or did my homework there. It's not sad to want to do your homework in the library. Nobody really takes much notice and in the library you're supposed to be quiet so nobody will disturb you. 

5. Get into a good bedtime routine

I know the summer is full of late nights and getting up later but when school comes around it's time to get back into the routine of waking up early and making sure you go to bed at a decent time. Start getting yourself into a routine. Maybe nine o'clock you start settling down into bed, reading a book, watching YouTube or TikToks then around ten/half ten you try and get some sleep. I know it's a real struggle. Believe me I used to stay reading Horrid Henry or playing on my DS when I should have been sleeping. You get used to it and it just prepares you for your adult life and trust me you cherish getting enough sleep because you know it's even worse when you don't so try to get enough sleep and have a decent bedtime routine. 

6. Bullying is not okay

Being bullied is not okay in any way but especially in school. Sadly teenagers can be stupid and pick on people for fun. It might be they’re not realising it upsets you or they’re just doing it to get a reaction out of you. My biggest tip is to just ignore them. If you see them, walk away because all they want from you is a reaction and if you don’t give it to them then they’ll eventually get bored. However, if it’s affecting you so much to the point you’re dreading going to school everyday. Then talk to someone whether that’s a friend, parent, sibling or even your teachers. Although it can be a scary thought as you might be worried you could be known as a snitch but bullying is never accepted and schools do have a policy for bullying, although I don’t know how effective they are. Bullying sadly isn’t just in school it can also happen online in the form of cyber bullying. The best thing you can do there is block and report the profiles of people harassing you online because they are trying to get to you while hiding behind a screen. If you block them and only accept friend requests from people you know and settings to private then you should be okay. 

7. Revise for your exams as early as you can

In the UK the scariest years are your GCSE and A Levels year because these are the important exams that will live with you for the rest of your life. Not strictly true though as nobody has really asked me about my GCSEs in a long time but when applying for jobs the more qualifications the better and if you have a good set of exam results then it can make finding a job easier. Try not to procrastinate studying for your exams. Set up times where you are just revising and try not to just wing it. Do mock exams. Look online for any tips on how to study if you’re struggling with how to study. I’ve made many study tips posts on this blog so search study tips in the search bar and you’ll have lots of useful tips there. Honestly, the earlier the better when it comes to preparing for your exams because it can really put your mind at ease.

8. School won’t last forever

It may feel like it but soon the years go by and all of a sudden you’re in your final year of school. For me it was a rollercoaster of emotion and I honestly couldn’t wait to leave to start my next adventure. People say school years are the best years of your life and it’s sort of true because it is like being in a bubble for 15 years of your life as you’re not aware of the struggles adulthood is about to give you when that bubble bursts. Just make the most of it because adulthood isn’t much better, although it does have some positives. Either way just have fun, ignore the negative people, study for your exams and make the most of your school years as it won’t last forever.

There we have it. Those are my back to school tips. Good luck to those of you starting secondary/high school or anyone about to go into their exam year of school. It will be okay and like I said. School won't last forever. Just do your best as that's all you can do. 

Thank you for reading my blog and I'll be back soon with another post. 

See you then. 

Megan x 

*This is not a sponsored post* 

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