College Survival Guide - The Main 10!

To kick off the College Survival Guide Series I wrote just a really broad list of the top 10 things you need to know to survive in college. Here we go!

1. Go to class. I know this seems like a silly tip but in college you are paying for school and your classes, so if ever you decide to skip class you are basically throwing away your own money. So unless you are deathly sick in the hospital

2. Develop good study habits. This is one of the most important things to develop because you are going to be studying all the time whether it is for quizzes or your final exam. Quiz, test and exam grades usually weigh very heavily on your overall class grade so do yourself a favor and take some time and Google "good college study habits" because it will make a world of difference.

3. Get organized. Nothing is worse than having a pile of stuff to do and it is all over the place and there is no starting point. Getting organized will help keep you from falling behind on your assignments and things to do. It will also help you in developing your own routine.

4. Take advantages of the resources on campus. Make sure you take some time to figure out what resources are provided on your campus like writing centers, librarian help, or study groups and research help. Believe me, getting help makes life a lot easier than trying to do it all on your own.

5. Don't procrastinate!!! Ok, I will admit that I suffer from this too, but procrastination is one of the worst habits you can fall into because it will seriously drag you down on your school work and getting important things done.

6. Balance your time. Remember the saying "all work and no play makes me a dull boy"? Well its true. You need to make sure to balance out your work with your relaxation otherwise you will completely fry your brain and burn yourself out. Give your brain and yourself time to unwind and step away from your work. whether it is spending one day a week watching a movie with friends or just simply taking 5-10 minute study breaks to refocus, it is crucial to have a balance here.

7. Get some sleep. Going off of what I just said, not only do you need time to relax but you need time to sleep.Lack of sleep can cause health problems and your brain can actually work and remember things better after you have gotten sleep. So if you stay up all night before a big test cramming, chances are you will forget a lot of what you studied.

8. Find your friend group. College means that you are moving on from high school. And while I'm not saying to completely forget about your friends from high school you can't cling to them either. You have to branch out and find a friend group at your school that can help you with the transition and also help you feel more comfortable.

9. Get involved. Especially in the first month or two of college you basically have to force yourself to be outgoing because that is when friend groups form and you meet most of the people you will know and hang out with. And if you live on campus, don't be a dorm rat! Get out and have fun! There are lots of clubs and student activities on campus. Use it as a way to balance study with fun but remember not to over commit.

 10. Schedule your classes in a smart way. You want to make sure to schedule your classes in a way that is helpful not hurtful towards your success. For example, if you are not a morning person, don't take morning classes, or if you don't like to feel rushed, don't schedule back to back classes and give yourself some time in between. Simply making minor scheduling errors like this can set you up for success. Remember, you are in charge of your schedule now, make it to your advantage.

My First Week of College!!!

Hey guys, so I just got done with my first week of college!!! I know, exciting right?

Well it definitely was exciting but it was also very scary. Thankfully I have good teachers and suite mates.

I must admit that I cried A LOT this week. I have been so sad and I miss my boyfriend tons! Every time I am on Skype with him I cry because he is on a screen and not next to me.

People have been telling me that it will pass soon and it helps to get involved on campus. However, to be perfectly honest I have mostly been in my dorm because I have either been on Skype or doing homework haha. And believe me there has been a decent amount of homework. Step aside high school because college is INTENSE.

I have five main classes: public speaking, writing and research, intro to psychology, math and philosophy. As well as three others: core which is basically lectures and such, not 100% sure what it is because it doesn't start until the week after next, Freshman seminar and break out which is basically lecture and lab.

My teachers are very nice and interactive. My writing professor is very out there and I like having teachers that are actually engaging compared to boring teachers who just lecture at you all class long.

Blaaaaah catch up

Hey blogging world! I'm sorry I went AWOL again. I have just been crazy busy! Why? Well right now I am in crunch time for my senior year.

Essentially in order to do our senior projects we have to be passing all our classes by this week. So basically for the past couple weeks i have been doing my best to get help and comprehend the things i have been learning in physics, working on a video commercial as my final project for econ and getting grading issues fixed in English. And as sad as it makes me, even though I got my grade up by 7%, I was still 4% away from passing advanced physics.

I'm really bummed because I don't know whether or not I am able to do my senior project because even though I have above a b in all my other classes I still have a 66% in physics. Plus, believe it or not, I have never failed a class before :(

 Then out of no where I check my grade and I GOT A C-!!!!! I don't think I had ever been so excited to have a C in my life.

So that was one of the main highlights of my past month. Will write about the rest in another post!