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By now all you incoming freshmen are wasting the days away by the pool, sleeping until noon, and what not.  School is two months away and of course, in the middle of June, that seems like a life time away now, but sooner than you expect, it will be August and you’ll be rushing to prep for your new school and new year.  Don’t let your summer turn into another excuse to procrastinate until the last minute; kick start your freshman high school year now.  How, you ask? With these four easy steps!

1.     Get Involved

Chances are, even though school may be out, the school’s activities aren’t.  Most high school fall sports are already practicing, and other clubs, such as volunteer clubs, are still doing activities throughout the summer.  So take a chance, be that outgoing freshman, and contact the moderator for a club or a coach on a team you might want to join and start working with them now.  It’s a win-win situation.  The coaches and moderators see how dedicated you are to the activity before school even starts and you get to meet new people without the additional stress of school work.

2.     The Saving Grace of Summer School

School work isn’t the most appealing activity to do in the summer, but take a load off of your fall and/or spring semester and take summer classes to knock out some requirements.  I took a required history class over the summer before school started because I had heard that class had a lot of reading and homework assignments.  Taking it over the summer helped me focus on that class alone, and even though the assignments were long, by having only that class to worry about, I could focus all my time on it.  In the end, I got a better grade in the class than I probably would have during the school year.  If you have a class you’re dreading in the fall, think about maybe taking it now.

3.     Required Summer Reading- save it for the summer

Chances are you have some book you are required to read before school starts.  My advice: summer reading is for, well, the summer, so start reading it now.  I know so many classmates, and most likely you do too, who didn’t even go out and buy the book until a couple days before school started and somehow read an entire 500 page book the day before class.  Don’t be that person.  Get the book early and read it early.  Save yourself the trouble of cramming a lot of reading in the last couple days of summer break when you should be savoring it, not sweating it out over an assignment that should have been done weeks ago.

4.     Start Stockpiling Your School Supplies

I don’t know about you, but I love shopping for school supplies.  You get to pick from a variety of colors of notebooks, binders, folders, etc. and if you’re that organized, you’ll even color coordinate your items with the class you associate the color with.  Save yourself the trouble of waiting until the last minute and having slim pickings in the school supplies sections of stores, and go now.  Chances are most stores have already started their summer school supplies sales, so take them up on this opportunity.

There you have it, your four keys to success.  Yes, most of these aren’t exciting, but they’re necessary to prep yourself for an awesome freshman year.  They will pay off and take away at least some stress from the final nerve wrenching week in August before school.   Best of luck to you and what will hopefully be your best school year yet!

We want to know how you’re getting yourself in gear for freshman year! Share with me @nattymay14 and tag #UChic to share your thoughts or leave us a comment below. Want more inspiration? Visit UChic on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TUMBLR