Two suggestions, sort of on opposite ends of the spectrum.
First: Practice doing “contest style” math problems. This helps your general math skills, and also helps get you used to thinking creatively and learning to gain some confidence in exploring your good ideas to their limit, while also encouraging you to quickly relinquish lousy approaches.
Second: Exercise. A lot. Whether or not you’re already in good shape, you will almost inevitably find it hard to keep a healthy exercise routine when starting in college. So start building some good habits right away.
Re exercise: Good point, but I’d emphasize making a strong habit over doing it a lot. Spending a lot of time is easier during summer, but harder to carry over. Sure, do that, but also make sure you have a 15 minute routine, say, that you do every morning. Even a five minute routine isn’t to be sneezed at, if you’re doing bodyweight exercises like pushups.
Doing a stretch and 5 minutes of exercise during study breaks is worth a try. Could help avoid some of the physical problems with long hours of computer use. (Press down with your whole hand during pushups—strong fingers, hands and arms will help avoid RSI.)
Yeah, second this. My physical therapist after my stroke recommended doing thirty pushups and thirty situps every day… which when I started would take most of the day and leave me wiped out (because, hey, stroke) and after about six months of PT became something I knocked off in the morning before going to work, but I regretted giving up the habit (and have recently picked it back up).
I would like to offer an alternative point of view: if you have 3 months to kick-start yourself, start by exercising in a very focused way, on something you don’t expect to become routine: for example, if you do 3 months of lifting/strength training/high intensity interval training, you will build up enough muscles that making exercise routing when you go to college will be much easier than doing it now.
Two suggestions, sort of on opposite ends of the spectrum.
First: Practice doing “contest style” math problems. This helps your general math skills, and also helps get you used to thinking creatively and learning to gain some confidence in exploring your good ideas to their limit, while also encouraging you to quickly relinquish lousy approaches.
Second: Exercise. A lot. Whether or not you’re already in good shape, you will almost inevitably find it hard to keep a healthy exercise routine when starting in college. So start building some good habits right away.
Re exercise: Good point, but I’d emphasize making a strong habit over doing it a lot. Spending a lot of time is easier during summer, but harder to carry over. Sure, do that, but also make sure you have a 15 minute routine, say, that you do every morning. Even a five minute routine isn’t to be sneezed at, if you’re doing bodyweight exercises like pushups.
Doing a stretch and 5 minutes of exercise during study breaks is worth a try. Could help avoid some of the physical problems with long hours of computer use. (Press down with your whole hand during pushups—strong fingers, hands and arms will help avoid RSI.)
Yeah, second this. My physical therapist after my stroke recommended doing thirty pushups and thirty situps every day… which when I started would take most of the day and leave me wiped out (because, hey, stroke) and after about six months of PT became something I knocked off in the morning before going to work, but I regretted giving up the habit (and have recently picked it back up).
Where are resources for finding an effective, context-appropriate exercise routine?
Fourthing the exercise habit. A good tracker I have found to stay at it and for confidence building is Fit-o-Cracy
I would like to offer an alternative point of view: if you have 3 months to kick-start yourself, start by exercising in a very focused way, on something you don’t expect to become routine: for example, if you do 3 months of lifting/strength training/high intensity interval training, you will build up enough muscles that making exercise routing when you go to college will be much easier than doing it now.
Thirding exercise habits.