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How to Plan for a Successful New Semester

young african american woman with glasses looking thoughtfully with a book

When most students think about planning for a successful semester, they immediately think: "that's a lot of work."

   

While we agree, it's that kind of work that ends up paying off at the end. Bet...

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When most students think about planning for a successful semester, they immediately think: “that’s a lot of work.”

 

 

While we agree, it’s that kind of work that ends up paying off at the end. Between assignments, breaks, and so many other things, it’s important to consider them all when you’re planning your semester.

 

In fact, a bit of planning can help make the rest of the semester a success! If you’ve already ended a semester successfully, or you want to ensure you get off to a good start, here’s how.

Here’s how to plan a successful semester:

#1: Put It In Writing:

 

When you are planning your semester, you need to put it in writing. It doesn’t matter if you use a student-specific planner, agenda, a regular old calendar or a digital calendar or planner. The important thing is to write down your plans.

#2: Annotate All Due Dates And Big Events:

 

Make sure that you annotate all due dates and big events for the upcoming semester. One extra tip that may help you is to use a different color to signal the due dates. This will allow you to know what’s coming at a glance.

#3: Break Your Work Into Daily Tasks:

 

One of the main benefits of planning your semester is that you can schedule your own time. If you have to deliver an assignment in one month, you don’t need to start working on it right now.

 

 

But you don’t need to leave all the work to be done on the previous day of the due date. When you plan your semester, you can easily dedicate a couple of hours each day, among your daily tasks, to work on this assignment. Just make sure that you have enough time to complete every task without rushing.

#4: Be Flexible:

 

The truth is that no matter if you create the best plan in the world for the next semester, there will always be distractions and interruptions. You want to reduce stress in college with ease. So, it’s always better to allocate more time than the one you believe you need for each task.

#5: Learn To Say “No”:

 

Sometimes, we just get carried away. You may like to paint and join a painting class and you also like to dance and you join a dancing class. Before you know it, you won’t have the time to do it all.

 

 

So, be sure to prioritize. Before you commit to any other extra activity, make sure that you really have the time and energy that it takes.

#6: Don’t Forget To Say “Yes” Too:

 

While getting good grades should always be a priority for you, your personal life is also important. So, if you feel like going out for dinner, watch your favorite television show or simply spend time with your friends, don’t feel guilty.

 

 

These are the kinds of activities that will allow you to relax and get the extra motivation to keep working hard. We all need a break sometimes.

#7: Keep Monitoring:

 

Planning your semester is incredibly important. However, you need to ensure that you monitor how you’re actually doing and if your grades are at the level that you were expecting.

 

 

By looking at what you have done and the results that you get, you’ll be able to adapt your behavior to improve your efficiency and productivity!

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Am I Too Old to go to Grad School?

African American woman smiling wearing cap and gown and holding diploma

There are so many myths about grad school that many of us have heard.   There’s the one about how, you should only consider going if you’ll be at a top school otherwise, it’s not going to be worth it (This is a lie).   The...

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There are so many myths about grad school that many of us have heard.

 

There’s the one about how, you should only consider going if you’ll be at a top school otherwise, it’s not going to be worth it (This is a lie).

 

There’s also the myth about how you can only get in with a 4.0 GPA (This is another lie).

 

But the one that really gets under my skin is the myth that grad school is only for the young.

 

This particular myth gets under my skin because it couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, statistics show that the average grad school student is actually 33 years old and the number of students who are 35 years and above is on the rise each year.

 

So if you’ve been thinking about going to grad school but are a bit hesitant because you’re in your thirties or older – I’m here to tell you that now is the time to finally pursue those goals.

 

Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind if you’re trying to get into a grad school program.

 

1. Your GRE Scores Are Very Important for Grad School Applications

You’re most likely aware that having a good score on your Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is important for any graduate school application. When you’re a little older, these scores can be even more important because they indicate your ability to handle the program you’re interested in.

 

2. Get Organized & Gain A College Mindset

 

So, getting into grad school is great and all – but it’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to reach deep within to realize your goals. One thing you’ll need to start doing is getting organized.

 

There’ll be classes to attend and research to do, on top of all the day-to-day tasks you have as an adult returning to school. So, make sure that you create a schedule that involves meal prepping, study time, assignments or researching time.

 

If you want to get organized today, be sure to download the FREE Back to School Divas Planner. You’ll get access to weekly plans, goal sheets, meal planning sheets, and much more.

 

You may also need to reach out to your significant other or close family and friends for extra help if you have small kids. Set aside specific time over the weekend to get all your studying done. Whatever the plan is, communicate your needs to your loved ones and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

 

 3. Draw From Your Life Experiences in the Classroom

I’m a firm believer in working with what you’ve got. Can you think of one thing that could give you an edge over your younger fellow peers? Your life experiences. The fact that you’ve lived, have worked, and have life experience always comes in handy when in grad school.

 

Your new college professors will enjoy engaging with someone who can draw from their real life experiences. You can add value to the class discussions. So start viewing your age as an asset you can draw from, Diva!

 

Going to grad school may have been a dream of yours when you were younger. Maybe you started to slowly let go of this dream because of that annoying perception that graduate school is only for young people.

 

Well, that’s not true. You’re never too young or too old for school. As long as you feel that your career can benefit from you furthering your studies, go for it Diva! You have nothing to lose and infinite opportunities to gain.

 

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Best Planners to Organize Work, School and Life

young woman smiling while using a planner

  Diva, when you’re a student, professional, or a stay-at-home spouse or parent, the responsibilities that you have to juggle through on a daily basis can be overwhelming. You have so much you want and need to do. Where do you start? &n...

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Diva, when you’re a student, professional, or a stay-at-home spouse or parent, the responsibilities that you have to juggle through on a daily basis can be overwhelming. You have so much you want and need to do. Where do you start?

 

Research shows us again and again the writing down your goals is the best way to achieve them. That’s why looking into some of the best planners that help you track your goals, objectives or achievements all in one place goes a long way.

Which Planner is the Best Option for You?

 

The answer to this depends upon your preference, your needs, and what you want to focus on.

 

At Back to School Divas, we want you to have all the tools you need for success. That’s why we designed an exclusive planner download pack! You can now have your very own functional, systematic planner without breaking the bank.

 

Download the official Back to School Divas planner printable for FREE! Get pages for monthly and weekly planning, goals, meal planning, grocery lists, assignment trackers and more.

 

With that being said, if you’re ready to invest in a way to get organized, here are some of the best planners that could help you achieve those goals in 2019.

 

Best Overall Professional and Student Planner: Panda Planner

 

Panda Planner is known as the professional, personal and student planner for everyone.

 

When Panda Planner’s founder, Michael Leip, struggled through multiple physical and life challenges, he identified a need to organize his life in the most optimal, simple way.

 

Over years of work, Leip has eliminated the clutter and only kept the most important organization tools within this planner. His strive for excellence makes Panda Planner one of the most well-rounded on the market.

 

Here’s what makes Panda Planner so great:

 

  • Undated, so you can buy it any time during the year and start with your organization.
  • Segmented in monthly, weekly and daily sections, so you can plan over a stretch of a few days or over a smaller period of a few hours.
  • Lots of space to write, brain dump and take notes.
  • Comes with bookmarks for additional organizational support.

 

The Panda Planner does have its shortcomings:

 

  • The ‘box’ segmentation in all planning pages may make organization seem monotonous.
  • The design is simple for those who want more character out of their planner.

 

 

Best Customizable Planner: Eric Condren LifePlanner

 

If the Panda Planner is the best overall professional, personal and student planner, then the Eric Condren LifePlanner is its equivalent in customization.

 

What sets the Eric Condren LifePlanner apart is the focus on delivering in aesthetics as much as it does in planning.

 

This planner comes in a classic coiled design with colorful pages to boot. Choose your favorite design and customize with sticker packs and more!

 

Here’s what makes the Eric Condren LifePlanner one of the top options for efficient student planners:

 

  • Weekly layouts are available in multiple options: vertical, horizontal, or even hourly.
  • In addition to undated weekly and monthly planning, this organizational tool also has separate notes pages and a dreams notes segment.
  • Colorful design includes inspiring quotes and feminine, fun color schemes,

 

LifePlanner shortcomings:

 

  • The classic coiled design could serve as either a blessing or a curse. It is easier to flip pages, but can be quite a task to handle as opposed to usual hardcover or paper bound designs.
  • Personality in colors may be overwhelming to those who like to keep their planning simple.

 

 

Best Professional Planner: Full Focus Planner

 

The Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt is considered to be more than a planner, designed for organization and targeted at mostly “Type A” personalities who want the utmost management out of their daily schedules.

 

The Full Focus Planner is mostly used by professionals such as business executives, including C-Level execs such as CEOs.

 

This planner uses its own terminologies, making it different from other planners out there, and has gained a cult following that sets it apart from its competition.

 

 

Here’s what makes Full Focus Planner a good choice:

 

  • Unique planning system includes detailed guides by the creator. A great option for those who like a complete management program.
  • Apart from the system, there are daily, weekly, and monthly options, as well as a section for notes.
  • Comes with multiple bookmarks for quick referencing.

 

But Full Focus Planner also carries its own little list of challenges:

 

  • The planning system can take some time to learn, which poses a disadvantage if you are already swamped with disorganization and want to get going with planning and tracking immediately.
  • Doesn’t offer much in terms of aesthetics. and appears a bit bulky.

 

 

Best Dated 2019 Planner: Passion Planner

 

Available in dated, undated and academic versions, Passion Planner can be the planner for those who want to juggle between a few responsibilities at once.

 

Passion Planner offers monthly and weekly layouts while also providing a roadmap along with to-do lists. You can plan future appointments, write the list of groceries that you want to pick up the next weekend, or track anything else you like.

 

 

What makes Passion Planner a great all-rounder:

 

  • Since it’s available in undated as well as dated formats, it can be used by those who want printed dates on their planners. The dates are also available in academic formats, perfect for students and teachers.
  • Available in multiple sizes so you can choose one that you’re comfortable carrying around.
  • Challenges section makes it easy to set and track goals.
  • Stay motivated with roadmaps, to-do list sections, quotes and monthly reflection segments.

 

But as with all the other best planners on this list, Passion Planner does have its shortcomings.

 

  • If you get the dated version, your planner has an expiration date on it.
  • Little space to take notes or jot down to-dos, especially in the weekly layouts.

 

If you’re interested in a totally customizable planning system, check out our post on the totally Pinterest-worthy bullet journal system.

 

Remember, you can launch your 2019 strategy for FREE right now when you download the official Back to School Divas planner printable!

 

How are you keeping track of your goals this year?