With IC coming up later this week, I know many people like me still need school and many classes. With this year being my third IC, I have decided to pass some wisdom along on how to deal with schoolwork during the week leading up to IC and the week after.

The week(s) leading up to IC is a stressful yet exciting time; here is how to make schoolwork less stressful.

Pre-IC

1- Talk to your teachers beforehand. Every year I speak to my teachers about any class work I could miss while I am gone. Not only do they appreciate that you are even mentioning this to them, but you will be able to gauge how much schoolwork you are missing.

2- Do any work you can beforehand. I know this adds more to your plate, but your future self will thank you. I like to crank out any outlines, study guides, flashcards, or review sheets for any paper or quiz I have before the weekend starts. This way, I can easily pull out my phone and review when I know I have a second. For example, last year, when I was at the airport, I wrote an essay, and since I already had the outline typed out, it was easy and not as stressful.

3- Ask for extensions. This is the most important thing. Knowing you have a couple of extra days after IC to study will put your mind at ease. IC is a high-stress environment, and if we are being honest, no one has 

time to think about school work, as well as the post-IC depression that hits. Knowing that you have extensions after you return will allow you to ease into things slowly. 

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Post-IC

1- Make appointments and meet with your teachers. I am lucky enough to go to boarding school, making it super easy to meet with them outside school hours. Many of you may not have the same experience, so when you go back to school, talk to them after class to see when you could make up a quiz or if they could recap the information you missed. See if you can spend lunch reviewing or meeting with them after the school day ends. The quicker you do this, the better to avoid falling behind. You can also ask friends what you missed and ask for their notes.

2- Do not procrastinate. It takes a while to get back into the swing of things after IC, but the most important thing is to stay caught up. I like to make a checklist of all the assignments I have to do and just sit down and do them. I go to the library, put in my noise-canceling headphones, sit for 8ish hours, and do my work. Now, I’m not saying to do it all in one sitting, but that works for me, so find what works for you. 

3- Don’t stress it. The big chunk of assignments may look scary, but they will get done. Even if you go slow, you will finish all your work. Your teachers want to help you; more often than not, they will be nice and give you extensions and extra help. I know mine do. IC is packed with things to do, and they will understand that you genuinely don't have time to do any work. 

IC is supposed to be fun, so don’t let the looming idea of schoolwork stress you out. Your teachers are there to help, so they would rather be asked for help and an extension than have some work handed in on time with no effort. I hope these tips help you all prep for IC; I know they help me.