Happy New Year and New Semester! It's been a few weeks since we last caught up. I hope all your winter breaks were relaxing, fun, and memorable! It sure felt nice waking up with no impending assignments to do over the past few weeks. Now, as we begin our winter 2022 semester, I am looking forward to seeing what’s in store.

Before writing this blog, I took some time to reflect on my previous semester to see where I could have improved.

  1. One area for improvement is to have a more structured schedule. I felt as though I was struggling to keep up with the workload as the semester progressed and I want to have a schedule where I’m able to complete my tasks while also having breaks within my day. From my experience with remote education last year, I learned that online study is heavily dependent on our ability to create our own structured and focused schedule. There is no longer a set time for classes and studying in groups is not going to be as common, so we must hold ourselves accountable for completing all the assessments this term. Moreover, last semester, while I did finish my assignments on time, I did have to cram for a few quizzes.
  2. I am going to be using the SASS Assignment Planner to make sure that I can complete assignments one part at a time. In the past, this planner has helped me tremendously in not only allowing me to gain an understanding of how much work I have to do in a day. By breaking down a large assignment into smaller parts, I feel reassured massive projects are doable! Doing a small portion each day allows you to focus and put your best effort into each section, which contributes to improving the final product. If you are already dreading the thought of doing a long assignment this semester, try this amazing SASS resource out.
  3. I want to make my study sessions more effective. Last semester, I experimented with some really helpful strategies to helped me improve my focus while studying:
    • Keep my phone out of reach and on silent
    • Have a dedicated study area in my room
    • Avoid studying on a couch or bed (or any extra-comfortable piece of furniture!)
    • Take small breaks in between study sessions

Near the end of the fall term, I felt as though I was having more effective study sessions, so I want to continue to improve this semester. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for new ideas as we all move back online.

What are your goals for this semester? Take a look at your experiences last semester and see where you might want to improve this term. There are always ways to refine your approach! I hope that we won’t be doing remote education for too long and that you all accomplish your goals this semester! Good luck, and let's make this semester the best one yet!

- Santosh

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