Getting back into the swing of school
The transition from summer to
school can sometimes be a bit difficult.
Most students don't have to
worry about going to class and
doing their homework from May
to August, and September can be a
giant wake-up call after lazy summer
days.
John Plantus, a professor at Fanshawe College, said that the schedule changes and becomes hectic once students get back into the educational frame of mind. “There's more stuff that you have to do, and then stuff that you want to do. And it's a challenge to change that mindset from downtime to activity,” said Plantus.
Plantus added that teachers should be as available as possible to make the transition easier and quicker. “One of the things that I like to do is to give a schedule of the course outline, a weekly breakdown of what the students are going to do. And I encourage them to communicate with me, email me, and check for updates on FanshaweOnline.”
Laurel Catton is a student success advisor at Fanshawe College. According to her, the biggest challenge is the change that coming back to school brings. “It brings a big change in their schedule, sometimes they're in a new city, and they may be away from home for the first time, so there's new people in their lives, there's new expectations, new roles that they've had to take on. So the change is often the biggest challenge. And what we know about change is that it often brings stress with it. I would say that's probably the biggest issue for students,” said Catton.
She said students should work together with their teachers and the people on campus to ease into the school schedule. “Students have to be active participants in their education, so they need to get involved, meet with their instructors, introduce themselves and talk with their teachers and the different support staff on campus. Form that connection, and that can make a really big difference,” she said.
Plantus recommended getting to know your professors early in the semester, rather than when things get hectic later on.
Catton said that students should be aware of the resources that are available on campus and connect with them to make the most of their time here. “A lot of times, students don't realize how much Fanshawe has to offer. We have a lot of different resources available on campus, lots of different people that are here to help make students' time here really successful.”
Plantus had one piece of advice that will help students to be organized and eliminate some of the stress: “Make a to-do list. And I don't mean typing little to do things into your iPod and phone — make a written to-do list so that you can see right in front of you what you have to do. Prioritize those things and don't panic if you don't get the whole list finished. Just transfer that in your next day's to-do list and prioritize over again,” he said.
So while we've said goodbye to summer, easing into the school schedule doesn't have to be difficult. It may take a week or so to get used to coming back to school again after four months off, but it'll be smooth sailing in no time at all.
John Plantus, a professor at Fanshawe College, said that the schedule changes and becomes hectic once students get back into the educational frame of mind. “There's more stuff that you have to do, and then stuff that you want to do. And it's a challenge to change that mindset from downtime to activity,” said Plantus.
Plantus added that teachers should be as available as possible to make the transition easier and quicker. “One of the things that I like to do is to give a schedule of the course outline, a weekly breakdown of what the students are going to do. And I encourage them to communicate with me, email me, and check for updates on FanshaweOnline.”
Laurel Catton is a student success advisor at Fanshawe College. According to her, the biggest challenge is the change that coming back to school brings. “It brings a big change in their schedule, sometimes they're in a new city, and they may be away from home for the first time, so there's new people in their lives, there's new expectations, new roles that they've had to take on. So the change is often the biggest challenge. And what we know about change is that it often brings stress with it. I would say that's probably the biggest issue for students,” said Catton.
She said students should work together with their teachers and the people on campus to ease into the school schedule. “Students have to be active participants in their education, so they need to get involved, meet with their instructors, introduce themselves and talk with their teachers and the different support staff on campus. Form that connection, and that can make a really big difference,” she said.
Plantus recommended getting to know your professors early in the semester, rather than when things get hectic later on.
Catton said that students should be aware of the resources that are available on campus and connect with them to make the most of their time here. “A lot of times, students don't realize how much Fanshawe has to offer. We have a lot of different resources available on campus, lots of different people that are here to help make students' time here really successful.”
Plantus had one piece of advice that will help students to be organized and eliminate some of the stress: “Make a to-do list. And I don't mean typing little to do things into your iPod and phone — make a written to-do list so that you can see right in front of you what you have to do. Prioritize those things and don't panic if you don't get the whole list finished. Just transfer that in your next day's to-do list and prioritize over again,” he said.
So while we've said goodbye to summer, easing into the school schedule doesn't have to be difficult. It may take a week or so to get used to coming back to school again after four months off, but it'll be smooth sailing in no time at all.
