Erin Murtaugh is a nursing student at Rasmussen College in Mankato. She can be reached at murtaugh.erin@gmail.com.

The new school year is back in full swing. Since I am no longer in high school, I decided I’ll share five tips I think are helpful to know for school (especially for seniors.)

1. Do your homework. This should be a given, but a lot of times it’s easy for an assignment to slip your mind if you’re busy. Also, procrastination might kick in, and the assignment might not seem like a priority. Get your homework done as soon as possible to save yourself a huge amount of stress.

2. Stay organized. I’ve found that writing everything I need to do in a day, school-related or not, in a planner will help me stay on task and prioritize what needs to be done. Find a method that works for you. Some other ideas might include using folders, writing on sticky notes or a whiteboard or making reminders on your cellphone.

3. Get involved. There are lots of things to get involved in at the high school, whether it be a club, sport or musical ensemble. Find something that you enjoy doing and stick with it. Not only will it make your time at the high school much more memorable, it will also look good to colleges and potential employers.

4. Don’t get involved in drama. No, I don’t mean stay away from theater. Definitely join theater if that’s something you’re interested in. Stay away from people who constantly are starting rumors, fights and everything in between. It’s not fun and not worth the stress. Make friends with people who bring out the best in you.

5. Enjoy your time while you have it. This might sound cliche, but it’s so true. I miss some of the things that are taken for granted while you’re in school. It sinks in that there’s a chance you’ll never see someone you had a class with every day since seventh grade again because of the different paths you decided to take in life. One thing I already miss is singing in choir.

High school flies by, so don’t blink or you might miss it. Happy new school year.