College in Seasons: How to Adapt as a College Student

College in Seasons:
How to Adapt as a College Student

It’s that time of year again! No matter what season you may be experiencing, this article provides tips on how to best adapt as a college student! Just like any natural organism, your mind and body adapt differently throughout the changing seasons. Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer represent only a simple model of how you can best utilize your time as you see fit. Some living beings, like bears and groundhogs, are known to hibernate in the winter. Are we expecting them to function just like they would in Spring, Summer, or Fall? Not at all! Instead, they utilize the seasons to determine when it’s best to gather food, migrate, and hibernate. We understand these animals need to perform certain tasks throughout each season in order to survive. Think of yourself just as simply. You cannot be expected to work until burnout. Or set unreasonable goals for a year. Choosing between survival and lifestyle is exactly what makes us, humans, the unique case. 

How do you want to live your life? How can you schedule and plan for yourself reasonably? If we put that simple idea to the test, the question is….how could YOUR mind, body, and workload adapt as the seasons change, especially as a (likely) sleep-deprived, overworked, and schedule-overpacked college student?

Read more to find out!

~Fall~

The leaves are changing, the smell of pumpkin spice is in the air, and the weather is getting cooler! Here in the Midwest, we pride ourselves on having the best fall experience. It's a smooth transition, one where you can feel the smells and colors of fall taking over. There are also a ton of holidays to look forward to, including Halloween, Diwali, Day of the Dead, All Saints’ Day, Mabon, Thanksgiving, and, if I may include, Black Friday! Just as you start to begin this new semester, remember to tend to and pay attention to both your mind and body. 

Body: Go out for a nice walk on campus! Observe the sights, smells, and sounds of Fall. Help your body adapt to your new environment (especially if you are a new first-year student). You may set certain goals in mind for your walk, such as, what route is best to get to my Finance class? Or, where would be a comfortable study table in the library? Get to know how you can personally envision your body in certain places of campus so your surroundings become increasingly familiar and less overwhelmingly new.

Mind: One of the best ways to help prepare your mind for the upcoming college semester is to begin building everyday routines. It all comes with preparing your mindset. Coming from a first-year college student myself, I would have greatly benefitted from a slow transitioning routine than immediately realizing halfway through the semester that I have no simple routine to fall back on when times get tough. Honestly. Even if you don’t believe it will work or you don’t think you have the willpower, I suggest humoring yourself and giving it a go. Will you establish a healthy and prepared routine for yourself? Or, will you never know? It can be as simple as setting one new routine for yourself each week. Week 1 can include a cleaning time. Week 2 can be a scheduled lunch period. Week 3 may set a regular bedtime. Week 4 may be dedicating your time in a club or group activity (my own Film Crew Club pictured above). As you keep progressing through the weeks while keeping to the routines that are slowly being added on, you are providing your mind with a gradual transition fit to take on this fall season.

College Schoolwork: Fall is the best time to get organized! Grab/purchase a planner or whiteboard to document how you expect this season to go, your homework, and exam times. Just as you might carve out a pumpkin during this autumnal weather, carve out some time to prioritize yourself. As soon as you receive your class syllabi, begin jotting down those dates! It can be a great way to visually see what is expected of you this season and how you will what you want to accomplish this school semester.

~Winter~

(Image Credit to Just Dance 2018, Top Right)

Brrrrr. It’s getting colder….time to get cozy! Whether the window outside your room looks like a beautiful winter wonderland or a sludgy nightmare, at least it’s socially acceptable to listen to your favorite holiday music! 

Body: The best way to adapt to the winter season, you ask? Definitely dancing your heart out to your favorite holiday songs. It may be cold outside but you can still have fun getting a hot and sweaty workout in! Just Dance is a very fun activity for me, and hopefully for you, to dance in your room or with a roommate! You may find any Just Dance videos for free on youtube (but my top favorites for Winter include: Make it Jingle, Rasputin, and Snowman). You can get both a great cardio workout and rock-solid abs from the laughter and dancing that will ensue. 

Mind: You are almost seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Finals week is quickly approaching and you have lots of reviewing to make sure you secure that grade! However, remember to take some time for yourself to celebrate this season. What better way than some friendly competition? Either by yourself or with some friends, a little competition can help relieve your mind of that stress and anxiety you may be experiencing at the end of this semester. Perhaps make creative ornaments, gingerbread house, decorate cookies, play a game, or go outside in full snow gear and build a snowman. Even sports like sledding, ice skating, and skiing may be more physical, but they can offer that competitiveness to help alleviate the stress of the semester. 

College Schoolwork: Finals week is approaching! I bet you are so excited. Me neither. One way to wrap up this semester is to pretend to present and teach all of the information you have learned (and will be tested on). Your college libraries may provide private study rooms for students to write on whiteboards or windows. Or you can set up all your pillow pets, squishmallows, and stuffed animals on your bed and pretend to lecture your class. Not only does this make you feel like you understand the subject enough to share it, but it may also help you realize exactly what you can freely teach and what to review. 

~Spring~

Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, the snow is melting, and finally some sun! It’s already round 2 of the academic year! How does it feel to begin a new semester? Time to re-evaluate how last semester went. What do you want to do differently? Will anything, regarding your goals and plans, stay the same? 

Body: It’s only fitting to include spring cleaning as a way to welcome the Spring season! Now, not all spring cleaning must include cleaning. I only recommend a new approach to your living environment. That may require cleaning, but it may also include rearranging, buying, or removing items from your room, living space, and kitchen. Whenever I need to get into the spring cleaning mood, my favorite (in all the Midwest) is a trip to IKEA! It can be fun to switch things up a bit and change the way you see your environment! Would you like to add new posters and pictures? Or remove that rug with a weird stain? Maybe vacuum a bit and cleanse yourself of all the irrelevant papers you accumulated over the last school semester. It is up to you!

Mind: When you start to feel like time is slipping away or it’s going too fast, it may be because everything feels the same. In a way, I usually feel that the spring semesters always find a way to fly by much faster than the fall. I propose giving yourself 1-2 hours a week to practice something different. That can include a new hairstyle, hobby (I took up knitting!), craft, listening to a podcast, reading a new book, watching a documentary, or learning about a historical place on campus! The reason why some years, months, and even days seem to go by fast or slow is in relation to how your mind is learning. Try giving your mind a little learning outside of schoolwork. 

College Schoolwork: After winter break, who really wants to jump right into a new and different semester? Adapting to your spring semester can simply begin by making To-Do lists. This activity can be a simple and easy way to feel accomplished so early into the semester. Your lists can begin by attending classes, participating, and reading the syllabi. To-Do lists never have to look a certain way. You could use sticky notes, a pad of paper, scrap paper, or even a note on your hand. However, for a more convenient digital option, I especially recommend Notion. It can also aid in making a planner, schedule, and a wide assortment of lists. From there, you can add to the list as the semester goes on. I think we can all admit that crossing out something on a To-Do List is definitely the best to feel confident in your progress as a student.

~Summer~

There are fireworks and fireflies! Beaches and books! Swimming and stargazing! Campfires and car rides! Whether you are a part-time, full-time, working, or an interning college student this summer, I bet you’ll still want to have some fun in the sun!

Body: Take some time to relax near a body of water or anywhere near nature. This can include a beach, lake, pond, creek, woods, forest, or open field. Spend some moments enjoying the wonderful season of sun, warmth, and life. Try a workout routine or yoga practice outside. Perhaps take a nice walk in the early morning and enjoy the crisp summer air. If you want to get some adrenaline pumping, try a jog or light run! If you really want some motivation, try downloading Zombies, Run! on the App Store. It can be fun, and maybe a bit scary, to hear an extra audience of zombies cheering you on as they attempt to chase you. The whole point of any of these exercises is to distance your mind from learning in order to give your body a new task. 

Mind: While you are busy this semester, either working, learning, or catching up, it is also important for your mind to feel refreshed and enjoy what normally would have been a break back in high school. Try to keep as much of the summer as yours. One way you may do this is to cook, bake, or eat the fun summer foods you may hold nostalgic to your summer memories. Eat popsicles while reading your textbook, create a fun fruit salad while listening to your lecture, bake a cute watermelon cake to eat with a study group, and even plan a fun cookout and bonfire to enjoy for yourself or with friends! 

College Schoolwork: Sunlight, fresh air, and bright surroundings are the best environment to study in! During the summer, why not read your textbook or notes outside? If you still take handwritten notes or write flashcards, it’s excellent to also read and review them outside. If all of your materials are absolutely online and you don’t want to waste paper, I recommend opening up a window to where you study. Listen to nature and breathe in that summer air!

Taylor Lucas is a first-year college student at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio. Her all-time favorite season is Winter even though she decides to drink hot chocolate every day of the year. She loves each season differently and has decided to appoint certain characteristics of them to her yearly lifestyle. Taylor even went so far to match rom-com movies to which season is best to watch them in. Her favorites include How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Spring), Mamma Mia! (Summer), Roman Holiday (Fall), and Down with Love (Winter).