
Staying interested in school as the semester goes on can be tough for anyone, especially when homecoming week comes at the same time as midterms. Most people go into homecoming week with the desire to burn off steam from the first month of school, as well as to get to know their new PC and homecoming partners better. While you're out trying to find the perfect outfit to wear to your exchange, or even trying to find your perfect little, it can be easy to forget that school is still an important thing in your life.

Luckily, as a senior-level procrastinator, I have compiled a list of tips to help you get your life back on track.

Get your butt to class every day.
I don't care how badly you want to skip class. I don't care that it's at an ungodly hour, like 9 A.M. I don't care that they don't take attendance...just go. Once you start skipping classes, it's way harder to get yourself to show up, so don't start the year with this bad habit.
In the long run, going to class will save you a lot of studying time, and you'll feel much less awkward asking the professor for help than if you've never seen him/her before in your life. You may be able to get a decent grade without ever showing up, but going to class will never make your grade worse.

Figure out how you study best.
Personally, I need to be at a desk in the library with walls on both sides of me so I don't get distracted by other people; I'm enough of a distraction to myself as it is. If you have trouble motivating yourself, find someone else who has homework to do and meet up with them. Even if you aren't working on the same thing, seeing someone else focused can help you get your own work done.
Throughout the semester, you'll learn which of your friends have a similar studying style to your own, and which ones just distract you. Many people I know need to listen to music and talk things out with each other to make sure they understand the material, which is cool for them, but it does not work for me.

Caffeine.
I'm not trying to encourage unhealthy behaviors here, but if you really can't get yourself to focus - go chug a Red Bull. Trust me.
And, if you still can't focus...

Go to the rec.
If we've learned anything from Legally Blonde, it's that exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy (and happy people just don't shoot their husbands). You might be wondering how working out is going to help you study for your test or get your homework done, but I've honestly never felt more motivated and ready to study than right after an intense work out!
Getting there may be difficult, but the happiness you'll get out of it is definitely worth the hike.
*Created for The Odyssey