It is not a new experience that some semesters can be very challenging with students facing academic setbacks, dealing with personal struggles, family issues, and more. This can make students overwhelmed. However, challenges are an opportunity to grow beyond our current positions. Here are some tips to be successful after a challenging semester.

1. Reflect on your experience: It is important to reflect on what may have caused some of the challenges you faced during the semester. In doing this, you can identify specific areas that may have been extremely difficult for you and break them into little bits to understand the problems so that you can provide solutions to them.
2. Seek for support: Support gotten from friends, family, mentors, professors and other campus resources are very useful. At Stockton for instance, there is the counseling office in J-204, Stockton Cares in F-107, and Dean  of Students office in CC-Suite 243. All of these are resources are available to support students. Remember that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but of strength. You have acknowledged that you have a goal, but need support in achieving it.
3. Set realistic goals for yourself: Most times the major challenge is from setting goals that are not realistic and trying to overwork ourselves. Consequently, it is necessary for you to know your limits so that you can work within your capacity.
4. Develop an action plan: If you have reflected, sought support, and have set your goals, the next thing to do is to develop a plan of action to address any areas of weakness or concern. This may involve you seeking additional support, implementing new strategies, changing your lifestyle and more.
5. Stay organized: Being organized is a sign of being responsible. The place of order in life cannot be undermined. You need to set a planner with important dates, deadlines, assignments, and tasks. You can also compartmentalize your tasks. Remember the 80/20 rule where 80 percent of outcomes are from 20 percent of efforts.
6. Keep a positive mindset and stay persistent: You should maintain a positive outlook in your ability to overcome challenges and to achieve your set goals. You should practice self-love and keep on motivating yourself as you navigate through the semester. Also, be determined to forge ahead because you are close to achieving your goals.

Finally, experiencing a challenging semester is part of the college experience, but resilience is built when you learn how to bounce back from any challenge you face.