Scott: 5 things not worth stressing over is good advice

Every school year opens up with a finger-wagging dos/don’ts advice column from the college newspapers. It just happens to be one of the most convenient back-to-school opinion pieces out there. But in the interest of offering a unique and perhaps more enlightened perspective, Claudia Tran, a pre-law student at the University of Missouri, wrote for USA Today College on what not to stress over.

Tran touches on five topics: leaving catty, high school drama where it belongs – in high school; learning from that first day you try to go to class and what you did the night before hits you like an all-American linebacker (should be a teachable moment); not letting what happens to your sports team effect you too much emotionally, rather enjoy the moment and the people you spend it with; how fast time flies and not getting wiped out because of exams.

Here’s what I thought was really good advice from Tran on classes and grades:

"Yes, college is important. And yes, we’re here for an education. What we’re not here for is losing our minds pulling all nighters for exams and maxing out on 5-hour Energy and candy. Good grades are achievable, and better yet, it is possible to succeed without stressing out hard for every test. Our teachers have been telling us since grade school: Study a little bit every night. This becomes serious, legitimate advice these four years of our life. If you don’t let yourself fall behind in class work, studying for exams won’t be a nightmare and you can let yourself get a real night’s rest before them. It’ll do you better in the long run, I promise."