We know what you’re thinking, and yes, it is a little early for back to school tips. However, here at Explore Careers, we’re all about preparation, and what better way to nail the back to school transition than by starting the planning phase months before term one?
Whether you’re worried about school stress, class schedules, back to school blues, or simply maximising your summer holidays, we’ve got the tips for you; all you need to do is keep on reading!
What are the Back to School Blues?
In short, the ‘Back to School Blues’ are feelings of sadness or nervousness brought on by the impending start of a new school year.
Essentially, while some students simply can’t wait to head back to school, others might feel a little bit down before the commencement of a new school year. These kinds of feelings are completely normal. After all, saying goodbye to the summer holidays isn’t an easy task!
However, there are tonnes of tried and tested ways to make your back to school transition a little bit easier, and today, we’re highlighting some of our favourites!
Back to School Dates 2025
Before we dive into ways to get excited about going back to school, prepare for the new school year, and minimise any school stress, we need to sort out our calendars. And by this, we mean getting familiar with the back to school dates for your state!
When there’s still a little while before the start of term one, it’s easy to find conflicting information about school start dates. The best way to be sure is to get your information directly from the source (AKA your school). However, if they don’t seem to have any information up yet, these are the back to school dates that we’ve been able to track down:
ACT | Australian Capital Territory Back to School Date: February 3rd
NSW | New South Wales Back to School Date: January 31st
NT | Northern Territory Back to School Date: January 29th
QLD | Queensland Back to School Date: January 28th
SA | South Australia Back to School Date: January 29th
TAS | Tasmania Back to School Date: February 6th
VIC | Victoria Back to School Date: January 29th
WA | Western Australia Back to School Date: February 5th
So be sure to pop these in your calendar; there’s nothing worse than having your back to school date creep up on you and forgetting to prepare!
Get Ready for an Exciting New School Year!
Trust us when we tell you that one of the best ways to prepare for going back to school is to prepare, prepare, prepare! We’re not saying to forgo all of the fun you had planned for the summer holidays (in fact, taking time to recharge is super important), but there are a few things you’ll want to add to your back to school to-do list. Trust us, with just a tiny bit of effort, you’ll be feeling much better about going back to school!
What are Back to School Essentials?
Here at Explore Careers, back to school essentials are all the things you need to do before the start of a new school year.
Some are universal (like ticking off your stationery list or reviewing a university syllabus), and others are specific to each individual student. For instance, one person might consider getting some work experience an essential, while another might prioritise preparing for sports tryouts. The important thing is to identify what you want to achieve during the summer holidays and how you can minimise any potential school stress.
Creating Your Back to School To-do List
As we said before, a back to school to-do list can look different for different people; it’s all about working out what tasks you want to prioritise! However, we think we’ve put together some universally helpful tasks to get you ready for the new school year!
1. Choosing Subjects in High School
If you haven’t already chosen your subjects in high school, now is the time to do so! The sooner you lock in your decisions, the more likely it is that you’ll get your top picks. However, if you’re feeling unsure of what direction you want to take your studies in, that’s okay too. Simply head over to our blog on choosing subjects in high school and unlock the tools you need to make the right decision.
2. Deciding Which Clubs or Teams to Join
To really get the most out of the back to school season, you’ll want to identify what extracurricular activities you want to join when school restarts. For example, if you really want to join the school rugby team, you might want to dedicate some time during the school holidays to practising. That way, when tryouts roll around, you’ll be ready to wow the coach!
3. Catching Up on Tricky Subjects
We all have different strengths and weaknesses, meaning that almost everyone has at least one high school subject that they find a little challenging. Struggling at school can be a massive catalyst for school stress, so why not alleviate some pressure by catching up on your studies before heading back to school?
If your school stress is getting on top of you, discover how to manage your work and study-related stress.
4. Make Time for Your Hobbies and Passions
It isn’t hard to fall into the trap of endlessly doomscrolling or overworking yourself during the summer holidays, but we’re sure you can find a nice balance. One great way to do so is by making plenty of time for your hobbies and passions. That way you’ll be developing your skills and having fun in the process; it’s a win-win!
5. Recharge for a new Year
We know; reading about how you should be studying and thinking about subject selection isn’t super exciting. In fact, we’re fully aware that you’d much rather spend your summer holidays catching up with friends, heading to the beach, or engaging in some much-needed retail therapy. Well, here’s the good news; you should be making plenty of time for fun, too!
The most important thing to do these summer holidays is recharging for the new year, and that looks different for everyone. So, before heading back to school, make sure you’ve spent plenty of time doing the things you love.
One Last Thing: Happy Holidays from Explore Careers!
While we’re all about maximising your school holidays and preparing you for your future career, we also want to extend a huge congratulations for getting through another school year! Succeeding in high school is no easy task and you deserve all the recognition for your hard work this year. So, enjoy your holidays before the back to school season, and make sure you take some time to celebrate all of your achievements.
Oh, and one more thing; if you ever need any more friendly school-related advice, simply head to our Student Life blog; who knows, checking out our handy advice might even make your next school year even better!
