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I say this every year, but I’m always shocked to find out that I’m growing up. How am I already in my third year of university? Am I seriously already twenty? How can that be? I’m getting old. I don’t know how I feel about all that. But on the plus side, now that I’m in my third year of uni, I feel like I am learning so much more about my schooling and how to cope with it all. And like every year, I have fresh new batch of advice for you. I hope this all

• Keep your end goal in mind, don’t get discouraged– School can really suck, I’m not going to sit here and pretend it doesn’t. It can be boring, it can be hard and it can definitely be stressful. But one way to combat this is to always remember your end goal. Think of the degree you are aiming for. You have to struggle through all the stress, but once you graduate and earn your degree, it will all be worth it. Use this as your motivation.
• Enjoy welcome week, remember the good parts of university– It can be so easy to just concentrate on school all four years. But university can be so fun at times. Welcome week is always one of my favorite parts. I love going back to school and seeing all my friends and going to Beer Gardens. Celebrate that you belong to this great community of students where there are so many fun events and opportunities.
• Grab a metro (newspaper) in the morning– Every morning I grab a Metro newspaper for two reasons. First, I always grab it for the sodoku. Sodoku is a great stress reliever. I always love to fill it out after class before I start studying for the day. It gives me a well-needed break and helps to clear my mind. Second, the Metro is a great chance to learn about current events without feeling overwhelmed. This way I can learn about all the important things that are going on in the world when I don’t have time to watch the news on TV or listen to the radio. I feel like I’m staying more involved and educated this way.
• Get more involved– This is the time to start thinking about what’s going to enhance your resume. I haven’t been the best with this, but it’s so important. Employers care about so much more than just your marks. You need other things to prove your character and work ethic. Plus, being involved is a great chance to meet new people and have a better university experience overall.
• Don’t think too far into the year– Every year when I write all my important due dates into my agenda, I start to feel so overwhelmed. But don’t think of it that way. Just focus on one day at a time. You will get through it, slowly but surely. Just keep concentrating on your daily tasks. It can be so intimidating and stressful when you have weeks with three midterms, five assignments and a presentation due, but if you take it day by day, you will be fine, I promise.
• One bad mark isn’t the worst thing– I know it can really suck to receive a midterm back with a terrible mark. But rarely will this midterm affect anything. Unless you are failing the class, usually a bad mark won’t change things much. One time I failed a final exam (this is a funny story, remind me to tell it sometime), and I stressed all Christmas break but then I ended up getting a B+ in the class. Don’t stress out until you know your final mark. Usually things are way less worse than they seem.
• Don’t study 7 days a week– This is one of my favorite pieces of advice and probably one of the most useful things I have learned. I think it’s so important to have a set day every week when you don’t study or do homework. You need a day to recuperate. For me, it’s either a Saturday or Sunday, or both depending on my work load. This way I can get well rested on the weekend and drain my body of all it’s stress and then I am all ready to hit the books during the week. If you study 7 days a week, you’re going to get run down really fast. I’d rather not study one day and study extra well the rest of the week, than study exhausted and mediocrally all week.

As always, please remember that university and school in general is never worth sacrificing your mental health. At the end of the day, school is just school. You will find ways to get through it. It might seem like school is your whole life right now, but don’t forget the other things. Keep the fun things in your life. Always leave time for friends and family and relaxation. And if you ever need to talk, I’m here to listen.

For more school help, check out my University Advice post from first year, as well as my Second Year Tips, and my What I Wish I Told My Freshman Self post. For those still in high school, take a look at my High School edition post and my Differences between High School and University. For even more advice, you can wander over to my Study Tips post and my How to Study like a Pro post.