Preparing for the Upcoming Semester

Written by Sophia

As tempting as it is to close your opened tabs and finally be freed of academic thoughts after your last exams this month, getting a little head start on the summer semester may make or break your experience of it.

We all mention being a bit more organised in our New Year’s resolutions, or include a picture of a colour-coded journal in our “2026 Vision Boards” (I see you!!). Other than these ever-so repetitive “tricks”, I will try to share what has worked for me over the years, from high-school to uni. I will break it down into 3 main steps, so you can work through it bit-by-bit.

1. Letting go

No, the title should not indicate throwing out all the notes you wrote painfully at 2am. Rather, what I mean is to “get rid of the old, to welcome the new”.

➢ Delete never used screenshots of presentations from your computer / phone.

➢ Clear your Notes app, diary, journal or whatever task planner you use of old tasks. This includes assignments, deadlines, grocery lists and everything else you will not think about for the rest of your studies, or life. If you use a physical task planner, I like to tear out old pages if it’s getting too crowded, to have a clearer overview. But if you want to keep a display of your past successes, which you honestly should, then make sure all the tasks are crossed off and completed!

➢ Optional: Clear your room and select 5 items to get rid of. The easiest thing to do, is select items you haven’t used in the past year. It can range anywhere from a too-tight pair of jeans (after all those Christmas cookies) to an eraser which you never use. Donate if you can.

2. Planning

With all the newfound motivation you have for 2026, you should make a master plan of how to reach your goals. For example, if your goal is to get an A from Statistics (aspirational, I know…) then make a realistic plan of what you need to do every month, week, or even day, to achieve that goal. Again, this can range anywhere from “writing 10 flashcards a week” to dedicating Tuesday mornings as “Maths revision time”. Whatever works for you. But do try to keep it realistic, even if you’re overwhelmed by motivation. If in the past semesters you have revised statistics for only 2 hours every second week, don’t suddenly plan an everyday revision session for it. Most likely, it will not work, and you will in turn be more tempted to give up on your other plans too. Below, I will list my favourite way to plan in advance.

Studies

➢ Create an end of year / semester vision. Try to make it as specific as possible. For example, for me, I don’t really mind my results from individual subjects, but I always want my average grade for the semester to stay above a certain value. Since I cannot predict my grades from courses, because I don’t yet know their intensity levels, I give myself a more realistic measure that I can stick to. Work towards this vision throughout the year.

➢ Create categorised folders in your binder / on your computer for your future classes, so you can easily locate presentations + sort old presentations into folders too. You will thank yourself later, when you need to find a specific document right before your midterm.

➢ Look at your future timetable, or at least the mandatory courses you will take. Search them up in the “Course catalogue” section in INSIS and read through it. If it sounds Chinese, you can look at a quick crash course on YouTube to at least know what you’re in for next semester. Also, note the requirements down, e.g. style of examination, projects etc. By doing this, you can start to imagine the intensity of the courses.

➢ The obvious – buy a new planner and pens! I still think pen and paper are king, but whatever floats your boat. Stock up on supplies, so you don’t need to borrow pens before exams (this actually happened to me twice this semester…oops)

➢ Renew your ISIC card, library membership and Lítačka card.

➢ Sneaky tip: If you like to use physical textbooks, get them from the uni library before other people do 🙂

Health

➢ Make time in your newly planned schedule for daily movement. Even if it’s just a 20-minute walk, it can set you off on the right foot (literally). I like to work out very early in the day if I want to “freshen up”, or late in the night if I want to “wind down”. A morning walk before your 9am lecture can be great! Or an evening swimming session to tire out the body too, once the mind has had enough. It all adds up to a more balanced everyday life. And if you create a routine now, it will be easier to stick to it once the semester actually starts.

➢ Try out a few new recipes for when you need to make a lunch for those long school days. A warm, home-cooked meal will make you more satisfied than a sandwich and a cookie. And with the newly installed microwaves in the Žižkov campus, reheating food has never been so easy.

3. Taking action

Remember, planning is only half the job and taking action is what truly matters. Don’t get too immersed in planning and make more time for action. Create a deadline for when the plan must be complete and stick to it.

Making things easy for yourself next semester is how you start to create new, good habits. Consistent small effort will always outperform one-time perfection. So create habits which you can do every day, that don’t cost you a lot of willpower and “talking yourself into it”. Eventually, routines will form and the load you take on will increase. But at the start, don’t be afraid to take it easy.