By Brooklyn Dean
19 October 2026
Hi everyone, welcome back! Fall break hopefully gave you chance to catch up on sleep, spend time with family, and enjoy a couple of days outside of the classroom. However, the endless sound of that awful alarm clock is about to start ringing again. That means that the second part of the semester is here- aka more tests, new material and lots of notes.
After fall break is when reality sets in. Midterm grades are starting to finalize, final projects are starting to begin, and those final exams are closer than ever. The transition into the second half of the fall semester can feel rushed and overwhelming but it’s up to you to on how you go on about the next seven to eight weeks full of assignments, reading, notetaking and exams.
Navigating your schoolwork is all about what works and what doesn’t work for you personally. Making a list for everyday in the week can create a helpful strategy, by breaking up homework, readings, and certain classes. For example, if you have three classes on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays, focus on those classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The next thing that can be beneficial is changing your studying habits. Studying habits to try could be rewriting notes, creating your own test or game with your notes, active recalling on a whiteboard and focusing on the topics you can’t remember, etc. Limiting yourself with a time limit can help ensure breaks in between studying (Coursera, 2026). Breaks are important because they reactivate your brain, increases attention, boosts mood and ultimately allows your mind to retain more information without feeling overwhelmed (Coursera, 2026). Listening to music, stretching, eating a snack, and organizing the area in which you’re working in are all examples of what you can do during any type of break, whether short or long (Coursera, 2026).
We’re already halfway done with this first semester! Remember to take a deep breath, eat good food and drink plenty of water. Allow yourself to have fun and relax, while also staying on top of your assignments. I believe in you all!