Welcome back Grossmont Griffins! A new semester welcomes us with open arms and minds. Getting back into gear can be tough for some students, especially when having such a long break off and indulging in extreme relaxation. The campus is filled with many studious young adults hoping to build their futures, and the school is booming with helpful resources. That should help Grossmont students like Dallus Lanz, who said, “My goal for this semester is to finally buckle down and apply for a transfer to a CSU, and I plan to achieve my goal by consistently working.”

Here are some tips to stay motivated throughout the rest of the semester:

Take one thing at a time.

The worst mistake students can make is putting off their work, or trying to complete too much at once. Take the time this semester to plan ahead and pick certain times to do certain assignments. It is essential to break up work evenly to cut out stress.

Get some rest.

There is a fine line between taking a nap during class and getting the appropriate rest while at home.Don’t be that kid falling asleep in class this semester; do the right thing by not staying out at all hours of the night and by getting the essential eight hours a sleep a night during the weekdays. The weekend is a different story.

Put down the phone

Erase the text, tweet, hashtag, like, reblog or email. Put that cell phone down during class— and throw it to the bottom of your backpack or purse. When class starts to get boring, the first thing students tend to do is check their social media. Once there, that endless scrolling could send you completely off track and make you miss out on vital information during class.

Grossmont English 120 instructor Micah Jendian gave some quick and easy tips to help students get motivated for the semester:

1. Maximize EVERY learning opportunity (and virtually everything in school and out of school provides us an opportunity to learn and grow).
2. Set yourself for success. Be realistic about what you have on your plate; don’t let overcommitments outside of school lead to an under-commitment to your learning.
3. Go personally introduce yourself to your professors if you haven’t already. (They are people, too.)

Let’s make this semester a good one, Grossmont. Focus on your school priorities and try to make some more progress.