Getting Ready for B2S!

Hi everyone! Today I'm going to share with you a few tips on getting back into the swing of things for next semester. It seems like just yesterday I was taking my last final and smiling as I scurried out of class. Before you know it, it's going to be August and you'll be faced with heading back to school.

1) Buy a great planner. I never used a planner through high school and barely used one at my other colleges, but this past semester [first semester of my BSN program] I heavily used the same planner from the first day all the way until finals week! I was so proud of myself because not once did I fall behind and deadlines sometimes rarely snuck up on me. Late June-early July is when companies come out with 2014-2015 planners. I've used a variety of planners in the past including Lilly Pulitzer, some from Target, and the one Dream School gave to us, but this year I plan on investing in a planner from Erin Condren. They are a little pricey but I've never heard anything bad about them and they are extremely cute. Once you have a planner, USE IT! A great planner will include both monthly and weekly views. I will post about how I organize mine in the near future.

2) Stock up on school supplies. This time of year is great for buying school supplies because they are incredibly cheap compared to during the semester. Also, nothing is worse than running out of lead or computer paper when you are right down to the deadline. My pen bag usually contains 3-5 mechanical pencils, 3-5 pens [a couple ball-point and a couple of inky ones], 5 highlighters [one of every color so I can differentiate things in my notes], a chunky pink eraser, and a couple of black sharpies. If you buy spiral notebooks, college ruled often works better because you can fit more notes per page. These notebooks from Target come in adorable prints or this Etsy shop can even monogram your notebook.

3) Check local ads and listings. I've heard of several states that do a tax-free shopping weekend in August so any school supplies, books, backpacks, and clothes can be purchased without having to pay tax. This saved me a ton of money when I purchased my graphing calculator (~$120) and medical dictionary (~$60). Also, many stores do price matching including Walmart. If Office Max is selling spiral notebooks for 20¢, Walmart can give you the same sale price even if they are priced at $1 there. This is a wonderful way to save on purchases!

4) Get back into a normal routine. When I was growing up, my parents always put me to bed earlier each night just to make sure I was able to wake up early for the first day. College is no different! We get into such a routine during the summer whether we're staying up late watching Netflix or sleeping in, so a couple weeks before your first day, try to train yourself to fall asleep at a decent hour and actually getting up when your alarm goes off in the morning. A few tips to have a better night sleep include not eating or drinking before bed, listen to soothing music while trying to fall asleep, and relaxing before bed (I like to do yoga or stretch, followed by a warm shower).

5) Organize your office or study space. This was huge for me when I lived in the dorms. I hated having so much clutter on my desk because when I would try to study, all I could think about was getting the mess cleaned up. To fix this, I try my best to keep my area organized. The dollar stores have tons of cute bins and containers that can hold all of your desk supplies. I prefer to do a deep inspection of everything I have and figure out where to put it so when school starts back up, I'm not stressed with a huge mess or forget to get anything (see #2!).

via

6) Buy your books, get new scrubs, and find your ID badge. Although I'm not in clinical until 3rd semester (Spring 2015), I have already purchased my scrubs, shoes, and stethoscope required for it. Luckily, my tuition reimbursement I get through work came in early so instead of buying random stuff I don't need buying new clothes refilling my Starbucks card splurging on a new pair of shoes putting it all into savings, I decided to go ahead and get the required uniform. It was so nice doing it that way rather than waiting until the last minute, especially because that will be the Holidays, finals, etc! Also, I would have had a breakdown if they were sold out of my size at the scrub store and missed the first couple of weeks since my uniform would be backordered. Talk about a nightmare! 

7) Have fun while you can! Seriously, nursing school is stressful as it is. One or two summers, Dream School makes us do a practicum so this is probably my last summer to just relax and hang out. Plan a mini vacay before it's back to school. You deserve it! :)

See you next semester!
-Leigh