The school year’s over, and you’ve had some space from the busy-ness of finals week. But, unless you’ve graduated and are not panning to go back to school, school’s not over for you!
It can help to take a few moments during the summer to reflect back on how the past school year went for you. Identifying what went well and what didn’t go so well can prepare you to face the next school year more prepared and confident than ever.
Here are some areas to consider when reflecting back on the past academic year. :
1) Organization:
- Was I able to keep track of my belongings, particularly school-related materials?
- Did I have all the supplies and texts I needed ready when the semester started?
- Did I have a system that worked well for me for filing syllabi, notes, homework, and the like so that I could find them easily when needed?
2) Time management:
- Did I turn homework in on time?
- Was I able to meet due dates for longer assignments, such as papers and projects?
- Was I working on assignments at the last minute and feeling stressed about it?
- Did I give myself enough time to do all the readings?
- To study adequately for tests?
3) Writing:
- How did note-taking go for me?
- How well did my written assignments work for me?
- What, if any, glitches did I encounter in writing papers?
- What are my strengths and challenges in regard to writing?
- How useful would it be to seek out some help from the writing center or a tutor?
4) Social life:
- Was I able to balance school demands with friendships and other relationships?
- Did my social life interfere in any with my academics?
- Was I having any difficulty socially?
- What were my strengths socially?
5) Self-care:
- Did I exercise regularly?
- How well did I eat?
- How much sleep did I get each night?
- What did I do for down-time?
Congratulate yourself for the effort you put into school last year! And acknowledge what went well. Then, don’t be afraid to take a clear look at anything that didn’t go so well for you and come up with a plan for how you’ll address that/those issue(s) in the coming year.
Feeling stuck? Or need some extra support to navigate the coming year? Consider working with an ADHD coach. You set the agenda, and together we find solutions.