Thursday of this week is the last day of finals and then the semester is officially over!! For those of us who are going home over the three weeks I have some tips on how to get a head start on the next semester and how to fight the winter boredom. For others, like many of our international students, the dorms will be “home” for Christmas. It is common for some students to stay although some buildings, like the dining hall will be closed, the campus will be a nice quiet place to relax or prepare for next semester.

For students who are headed home, enjoy those first few days but, when the boredom sets in balance your preparation for next semester with fun. For example, find those books you need online so you can have them early in the semester rather than two weeks in after the first homework is assigned. The campus bookstore website has all the books listed for each course, all you have to do is enter the course number and section to find what you need. When you are done searching the web for books then go have fun in town, shop around, see old friends, check out the awesome Christmas lights, etc.

Another good way to prepare for the next semester is to arrange your schedule early so you know how it will flow throughout the week. This makes it easier to schedule study times in between work, classes, and extracurricular. Also, if you can, read up on some of the courses you will be taking or get in touch with professors so you can start asking questions.

For our Air Force ROTC second semester Sophomores, its time to start studying your manuals!! The second semester of Sophomore year is a critical time for cadets as it is their semester to prepare for Field Training and go through selection boards for Field Training. Field Training is probably the most important event for cadets as it determines if they can continue in the ROTC program to become Air Force Officers upon graduation. Hopefully, some of our readers will be competing for Field Training in the future!

So, I hope you have a wonderful winter break! Have fun but, remember to prepare for the upcoming semester as each semester puts you one step closer to an awesome career in whatever it is that you choose to pursue.

If you are a prospective freshman please ask any questions you have below and I will get right back to you 🙂 I will even write answers to your questions in blogs if you like!!