By Mihika Badjate
Summer vacation is a time to relax and recuperate before the next hectic school year. Understandably, homework is the last thing on any student’s mind. Unfortunately, high school students often have at least a little summer reading to do, and the workload only increases in later years. AP classes often take preparation, and many students also try to study for the SAT or ACT over summer.
We’ve all experienced the back-to-school rush – those last few days before school starts, when you’re scrambling to not only finish three summer reading assignments, but also buy school supplies and organize the backpack you haven’t glanced at for the last three months. Here are a few tips for organizing your summer homework, so you’re not caught up in all that last-week-of-vacation chaos.
At the beginning of summer, it can be useful to just glance over your assignments. You probably won’t want to start them the first day you’re out of school, but it’s a good idea to know how much work you have, so you aren’t unpleasantly surprised a couple days before the new school year. If you’re the kind of person who likes to be super organized, you can even keep a calendar on which you organize when you are going to do your homework, and have a set schedule for getting it done over the summer. This might be especially helpful if you are traveling over the summer, and want to get your work done before you go out of town. There might also be certain assignments that you might want to do just before school starts, so that the information is fresh in your mind. For example, I try to do my summer reading close to when school starts, so I can remember them clearly in literature class.
While everyone has a different routine that works best for them, arguably the best way to stay on track with summer homework is to plan ahead of time. That way, whether you do it the week before school starts, or the first day of break, you’ll be prepared, and (hopefully) not be stressed during your last week of vacation.
