Nerdify is hearing bells ringing around the country again as students go back to schools and colleges.

This can be an exciting time of year, but sometimes a stressful and overwhelming one too. That’s why our Personal Nerds have compiled some awesome tips for heading back to your studies stress-free!

And don’t forget, if you need extra support, Nerdify is always standing by and only a message away!

1. Have your timetable and agenda ready!

Nothing will put a downer on your first day back at a college like turning up and having no idea where you’re supposed to go and at what time a certain class starts. Homework, lessons, extra activities and different events can be quite overwhelming so make sure you have a timetable that’s regularly updated and properly plans your activities. Managing your time is critical to your happiness and academic success! By the way, you can ask Nerdify folks to remind you about important stuff like homework, exams, workshops.

2. Be prepared with the right supplies and books.

If your school or college doesn’t supply enough of the right materials (let’s face it, do they ever?) then make sure you’re well-equipped for your first day back. Having the right supplies can not only help you to be more prepared and organized but stationary is also fun! Well, we think so at least. Also, nobody likes the person in their class who is always asking to borrow a pen!

3. Focus on the academic tasks first!

Everyone can slip into procrastination mode and sometimes prioritize their social activities and hobbies over their studies. But this can have stressful repercussions if we allow it to happen too often, especially in the first few weeks of term when getting ahead and staying ahead is important. Remember, if you need extra help so you can spend more time on fun activities then Nerdify is standing by to help you out with any of your tasks and assignments!

4. Write down your academic goals for the term or year.

As with everything in life, it’s so important to set yourself tangible goals and milestones. We all need something to strive towards, otherwise, it can often feel like our endless work has no real destination or result. Writing down your goals will allow you to properly manage your time and plan your strategy for reaching them. To do lists have been proven to be a powerful driving, motivating force!

5. Learn what type of learner you are!

If you have high expectations for yourself during this academic term (and why shouldn’t you!) it could be really important for you to work out what kind of learner you are. And we don’t mean whether you’re a slow learner or a fast one, or anything like that. But how do you better learn? What’s your process? Maybe you’re more auditory and need music and speeches. Perhaps you’re more of a visual learner that needs pictures and writing or maybe you’re vocal and need to talk about subjects and write notes to better retain the information.

And there we have it: 5 top tips from our Personal Nerds on how to get the most out of your first days and weeks back at school. Don’t forget to drop us a message if you need extra advice or support!

When students start college, they are often surrounded by their buddies whenever not in class, leading to a very close bond. As such, it can be challenging to say goodbye to one another once the spring semester ends, knowing they might not see one another for the next three months. To help those that miss their friends, our Nerdify experts have listed tips for staying in touch with one another during summer break.

1. Take a Road Trip

With summer being three months, there is ample time for big adventures. If you have chums who live relatively close to you, you can take a road trip to each other’s hometowns, say our Nerdify reviews experts. This is lovely because you can each see where you grew up, and meet one another’s families. Or, if you live farther away from each other, you can take a road trip and meet each other halfway across the distance. That way, you won’t have to travel as far to see one another, and you can explore a new town together. For a longer excursion, many Reddit users say they take cross-country road trips with their pals, picking them up and dropping them off as they loop around the US.

2. Have Group Brunch Over Video Chats

Whether you use Facetime, Zoom, or maybe even Skype, a great way to feel connected with your group of college friends is to have a video call with all of them simultaneously. You can video chat together while you cook your respective meals, and catch up with one another over brunch. For those that miss their trivia games at restaurants, you can even play party games. People on Reddit highly recommend Jackbox games—specifically “Quiplash” and “Drawful”—which only require one computer and your phones as controllers.

3. Get a walkie-talkie app

A bit chaotic but fun, with walkie-talkie apps like Zello, everyone online will automatically hear soundbite voice messages from senders in real-time, mimicking the radio device. You can feel like you’re a spy on a top-secret mission even while grocery shopping, sharing amusing thoughts that pop into your head walking through the dairy aisle. Reddit users say you won’t hear the messages if you don’t have the app open, so you wouldn’t need to worry about intrusive audio messages throughout the day. Messages are also recorded so you can catch up when you’re free.

4. Have Virtual Watch Parties

Our Nerdify reviews team knows nothing brings chums together like gushing about the latest television show or movie. Many streaming apps—like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and even Facebook—allow for synched viewing across devices, so you can watch a movie or show with your friends across the country. Although you can’t share popcorn with one another virtually, you can still have a good time laughing at comedies or cowering in fear at horror movies together.

5. Send a Care Package with Gifts from Your Hometown

Have you been telling your college companions about a snack from back home that you can’t get on your college campus? Or, do you live in a touristy spot with some kitschy tourist shops? Nerdify reviews team recommends sending friends gift boxes that represent a slice of your home. Even if they can’t visit you, your mates can learn what makes your home special through a care package.

6. Start Arts and Crafts Hobbies Together

With so much time to pass during the summer, taking up a new hobby can be a great way to spend your day. You can learn a new skill together by working on an artsy piece by yourself or video chatting with a buddy while they also work. It’s nice to have someone else to craft with through the fumbles that come with starting any new hobby, giving each other helpful tips, say our Nerdify reviews experts. If you want to collaborate on a project, you can send each other half-finished projects for the other to complete, resulting in a fantastic physical representation of your friendship.

7. Make a Meme Group Chat

While college often involves having adventures around campus late into the night, sometimes you just sit around with mates sharing funny videos. To help fill the content void, you can make a group chat with your buddies just for sending TikToks or memes. In sending things that remind you of one another, it’s a sweet way to say that you’re thinking about them.

8. Go Back to Campus for a Trip

If you and your friends don’t live too far from campus, it might be delightful to take a trip together to see what your school is like during the summer. While your normally-bustling college town is probably much quieter, it might be a nice change of pace to explore without dealing with the chaos other students bring. This would be your chance to do the things you don’t have time to do during the semester, like sightseeing or going to touristy attractions.

Unlike the regular college hall lectures and the usual high school studies, online learning has introduced several restrictions of having to wait for your scheduled time online, which often means that your online learning session may start 20-30 minutes later than it has been planned. Add some technical glitches here and there and you are left with some free time in front of your laptop. The geeky types at the Nerdify reviews decided to add some fun and come up with a list of quick online games that could keep you busy as you wait for the college professor to finally get online.

1. Celeste. It is a great arcade game that will help you to keep your brain and cognitive functions more active than ever. It revolves around the female character called Madeline who is set on a journey or a mission. You will encounter different climbing experiences, spooky creatures, and lots of fun. The best part about it is that you can keep things creative and focus on various challenges. It is not a boring game that will keep you attentive and will help your brain to switch to a different activity. Our Nerdify reviews’ game aficionados really praise this cute arcade game!

2. Little Alchemy. This game is quite interesting because it is not an easy one to play. It progresses from being easy to challenging. It includes various tasks that include dealing with the basic elements that we all know well. Nerdify reviews would like to remind you that we talk about water, air, wind, and the earth. Seriously though, you have about 560 various options that will help you create something out of the ordinary. A great game that will keep you busy for hours or keep things fun when you are too excited while waiting for the lessons to start.

3. Duet. It is one of those great video game releases that are easy to miss, yet our dedicated team at the Nerdify reviews has good games in the store that they are happily sharing with you. It has it all – amazing graphics, a beautiful trance music soundtrack that will keep you relaxed, numerous game levels, and a plethora of interaction. As a player, you have various obstacles to settle down and it will help you to make progress. Alternatively, you can play online with a friend. What you have to do is control two vessels and keep things in balance. A great soundtrack is simply exceptional!

4. Escape the Room. This game might frighten you, yet it is the game that will help you to finally find some peace as you sit at home and miss college times. It is an opportunity to get rid of stress and finally think about something good. This game is also known as “The Experiment” because it is a true virtual reality experience that acts as a puzzle that you must solve on your own or together with an online friend. You must escape the room within 60 minutes by finding the key. Of course, you can do it much faster (if you will) and continue with your studies!

5. Stardew Valley. Have you ever thought about making your Minecraft experience even more interesting as a kid? Well, it seems that some people have thought about it and came up with similar graphics and not much that a person must do except surviving on a plot of land. It is a great game when you need to take a break. If you have played the Animal Crossing game before, you might already know what it feels like. You have to build a strategy to survive and find various ideas as you live the life of a virtual farmer. As it helps to switch your brain off the textbooks, this game is a keeper on our list.

6. Melody’s Escape. What about flying your Mario kart while listening to the best music and racing high through the different obstacles while generating synchronized movements according to the music that plays. It is one of the best solutions when you need a good break. In practice, you can run, jump, or slide according to the music you have in your playlist. It is one of those games that can capture you entirely as it is something that you control! Have fun listening!

7. Portal 2. It is the game for those college students who do not mind challenging themselves with some calculation and hard-logic thinking. You must be in a problem-solving mindset as you start playing. It is a very popular puzzle-platform game that has much more to it. It is dynamic and contains unexpected twists. Without giving too much away, we recommend that you check it out to see why it is so popular among college students.