Blogger: Zack Hansen

Hello everyone!

My name is Zack, and I finished my undergraduate degree in accounting this past May. I am currently taking classes towards my Master’s degree and will start studying for the CPA exam next spring. A little bit about me…..

I was born in Houston, but have really enjoyed living in Dallas and cannot wait to start my career here. Unlike most accounting students, I started off as an accounting major and haven’t looked back. My main passion outside school is playing soccer. I came to UT Dallas to play on the men’s soccer team, and I am starting my final season playing for the school. Most weekends you will find me watching some sort of soccer game and the #1 item on my bucket list is to attend the World Cup. This is my first time blogging, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone.

Now for the explanation of this blog post’s title. Going back to school after summer vacation has always been a struggle for me. I always end up procrastinating things and having to catch up over the rest of the semester. Having a slow start to the fall semester seemed to be a tradition during my undergrad years. I know this is natural after a long lay off from school, but it is something that is beneficial to avoid. I have gotten better at getting back into the swing of things over the years, and I have learned some helpful tips. Here is my advice for avoiding the summer break hangover:

• Buy your books as early as possible. I started buying my books before class would even start. This way I could hit the ground running and wouldn’t have to worry about finding my books when I should be studying. If you are worried about teachers saying the book isn’t used in this class on the first day of school, then make sure to look at the return policy when you buy your books. A bunch of the book stores allow two weeks for returns, and I have definitely taken advantage of this policy.

• Write down all your tests and homework assignments in a planner before class starts. This allows you to see when you are going to be really busy and plan out your semester accordingly. If you do this before class starts, you won’t waste valuable time doing it when you could be studying.

• Try to get back into a decent sleep routine. This is easily the one I have struggled with the most as I am not a morning person. If you can get back into the habit of not waking up at noon before class starts, then you will hit the ground running during the fall semester.

• Force yourself to study. This is definitely easier said than done after spending all summer hanging out with your friends. Even if you had an internship all summer, studying is a different beast than going to work all day. The best way I found to do this was to head to the library during the first couple of weeks of classes even if you don’t have homework. This way I got into a good habit before the homework started to pile on.

I hope everyone has a good semester and starts strong after the summer away from school!