By Maddie Greene, Student at Western Kentucky University

Another year has come and gone. Now many students are heading back for spring semester and classes will be in full swing in a matter of weeks!

Here are a few tips to help you get good grades this semester!

Get organized
Take time during the first week of classes to get everything for each class organized. Whether that means entering all of your exam dates, meetings and work schedules into your planner or finding a way to organize it online, I promise this will help you feel less stressed. At the beginning of each week, take a look at what you have going on and then try to plan as far ahead as possible. If you have an exam on Thursday, but you work both Tuesday and Wednesday night, plan to study on Monday. Knowing your schedule and managing your time wisely is a definite must!

Set a realistic goal and stick to it
You may not be able to get a perfect GPA this semester, but setting a goal that is attainable and sticking to it is important. Start off by looking at your course load and really hone in on things you'd like to work on.

For example, realistic goals could be:
– Going to all of your classes
– Turning in every assignment on time
– Studying one hour per day for the entire week before an exam
– Going to the tutoring center once a week for extra assistance

These goals may not get you a 4.0, but at least by sticking to them you will be trying your hardest to become a better student.

Ask for help
I know it's not easy to admit you are struggling, but reaching out to your professor, classmates or the tutoring center on campus can really make or break your academic success. As soon as you feel overwhelmed or confused, ask for help. Then, at the end of the semester, you won't feel like you're drowning and you may be able to fix the issue before it spirals out of control.

Look toward the future
Let me guess, you want to be a college student forever? While jumping into grad school sounds like a great idea, you may not be able to get in if you don't focus on your grades. Knowing what you have to achieve in order to take the next step in your life may be the perfect motivation to help you study a little harder or make it to class every day. Once you know what you want for the future, set out a reminder. I have the requirements for the university of my choice for my Ph.D printed out as a constant reminder of how hard I need to work during my master's program. The visual reminder helps push me along!

Just remember that no matter what last semester was like, each semester is another chance to turn things around and do something different.

Don't let your past dictate your future! Good luck this semester and remember to get organized, set goals, ask for help and plan for the future!

Want to find ways to keep your New Year's resolutions? Check out our New Year, New Chic board on Pinterest!

Image courtesy of luckypic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net