Back to School - Organization tips

It is once again the start of a new semester and that means getting our lives back together after the holiday vacation and having to be an adult again haha. Here is what I do to get organized at the start of every semester.

Source

1. Always have a planner. I have been preaching this since I started my blog. I feel like one of the most essential tools in staying organized is a planner. You can use a paper planner, which is what I prefer, or you can use the calendar on your phone, or the plethora of apps out there designed for saying organized and on track. I'm currently testing out a few.
      *Look at your planner every day. This is where a lot of people fail, a planner isn't of any use if you don't utilize it.

2. Have at least one tab, or folder, for each class. My personal preference for organizing papers or handouts is through the use of a good old 3-ring binder. But, I know many people prefer to just use notebooks and folders. Regardless, I think it is important to keep the handouts and notes for each class separate so that way everything is easy to find, and you aren't digging through a jumbled mess of papers later.
      *This being said, if you are using a binder, I would suggest keeping one of the in-binder hole punchers handy so that way you can hole punch everything on the spot.

3. Use the syllabus to your advantage. The first thing I always do at the start of the semester is go through and look at the due dates. Most professors put an assignment outline/calendar on the syllabus which, although is subject to change, is one of the best tools the teachers can give you. I always go through and write the deadlines in my planner so that way I have all my dates in one place and can be able to plan ahead.

4. Have the right tools. I usually always make sure I have a couple different color pens and highlighters. Also, make sure you go through your pens and make sure they all work because I have done this on the first day of school, going to use a highlighter and having it not work.

Hope these tips help, let me know what your back to school routine is.

Good luck,
Kimmie

Helpful Note Infographic

Hey guys, wanted to share this helpful picture/infographic I found on Pinterest that has really helped me with taking notes for college. I hope this helps you!

This is my first time ever doing a post this simple, let me know what you think.

<3 Kimmie

Tips for Job Interviews

Hey guys, so I had a job interview at Macy's today and decided to sit down and give you guys a few tips for job interviews since I know a lot of college students struggle with this and question exactly what to do.

1. Do your research. I can’t stress how important it is to do research on the company(ies) you apply for. It really impresses managers if you walk in with that kind of knowledge and it will give you extra points. Also, you can usually find the interview questions online, review and rehearse! You don’t want to memorize answers because managers can tell if your answers are stiff or not true. Be honest and genuine, but go over potential answers so you aren’t using tons of filler words.

2. Dress professional! I know you guys are probably reading this and thinking “well duh” but I have seen people go to an interview wearing blue jeans and a plaid button down, and stuff along those lines. I highly recommend going with neutral colors. You can’t go wrong with black and white; you can throw in browns or blues, or for girls maybe a colorful blouse, but I typically stick to black and white. For shoes, DO NOT WEAR TENNIS SHOES! Guys, invest in nice dress shoes, girls a pair of black flats or simple black heels.  If you need ideas for outfits, Pinterest and Google are your friends!

3. Bring a resume. Regardless of whether you attached your resume to the online application, bring a printed copy. The manager is not going to take the time to print out all the resumes for all applicants. Bringing your resume will once again give you brownie points. Speaking of resumes, make sure your resume is well put together! If you need help…

Additional tips:
- Show up early (once again, duh) you do not want your first impression on the manager to be that you are irresponsible and tardy.

- Girls, keep your makeup natural and not overboard. I have linked below two of my favorite natural makeup looks for your reference. Also, don't go crazy with jewelry.

(Wouldn't recommend false lashes though.)

- Just overall, behave and dress professionally, you want to be taken seriously and like you can operate in the work environment.

I hope these tips help you guys and good luck!
<3 Kimmie

The Fear: Getting Sick!

It is the bane of pretty much everyone I have ever met, but it is worse when you have class or work or various other commitments in life. Yes, I am talking about the thing we all dread, getting sick. Especially this time of year when it is the cold and flu season, we are all a bit more susceptible I am going to share a few tips for avoiding getting sick or just getting over your cold faster.

1. This is the most basic of all tips, the thing they have been teaching us since we can remember, WASH YOUR HANDS! This little thing is so incredibly important because it prevents the passage of germs. I would also suggest carrying around a small thing of hand sanitizer from the drugstore or Bath and Bodyworks. They are inexpensive and fit in your backpack, purse, pocket, etc. and especially with how germy college campuses can be, this will come in handy!

2. Don't over work yourself and get those Z's. One of the biggest reasons I get sick is because I am famous for burning the candle at both ends, over working myself and not getting enough sleep. So this is defiantly one area I need to work to improve on. But the more strain and stress you put on your body, the more likely you are to catch a cold because your body isn't fully on its game or it is exhausted. Your sleep is your body's time to repair itself and fight off any potential threats, it is why when you are sick you just want to sleep.

3. Make sure you take your vitamins. I would seriously recommend just everyone, make sure you take a daily vitamin, or at the very least vitamin C to help keep your immune system up and to just help your over all health.

4. Don't forget the C. Vitamin C seriously is amazing stuff and really does wonders. According to WebMD, "the benefits of vitamin C may include protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling." So yeah, it recommends taking 500 milligrams a day. I would suggest either just daily vitamin C supplements or EmergenC powder packs. This stuff is amazing, especially when I am getting sick it helps so much.

5. Tea time! I absolutely love tea, and let me tell you why it is amazing. Tea has antioxidants which can prevent cancer, hydrates your body, can lower the risk of Parkinson's Disease, and has a whole boatload of other health benefits, some of which were reported on by a little publication called Time Magazine. Health.com quotes ear and throat specialist Dr. Murray Grossman who said "drinking the tea and breathing in steam stimulates the cilia—the hair follicles in the nose—to move out germs more efficiently. Lemon thins mucus, and honey is antibacterial."

6. H2O! Water, water, water! I cannot stress enough how important it is to stay hydrated and believe it or not drinking water is one of the best things you can do for your body. It helps flush out your system and when your body is 80% water, it is good to keep that level up and water in stock lol. One of the main reasons people get sick is dehydration and being sick also makes you dehydrated, so...enough said?

7. Get vaccinated. The flu shot is really a life saver. Many places offer the vaccine for free or at a low cost. Make sure to check the wellness center at your school.

If you are sick:

Take advantage of the wellness center on campus. They have actual doctors and nurses that can steer you in the right direction and help make sure you get back to feeling like yourself quicker.

Don't risk it. Get some sleep, don't push yourself. If it comes down to going to class or work when you feel horrible, possibly getting others sick and making yourself worse vs. taking one day off to sleep, go with the sleep. Your health should never come second. I know I said in my post about going to class that I am the kind of person that goes to class when I am sick, but I still know my limits and I know when to take the day off, you should too.

To reiterate,  drink lots of water, get sleep, take the right kind of medicine for your cold or flu and make sure that you are taking the steps needed to feel better.

Hope this helps, good luck!

<3 Kimmie

Packing Tips for Back to School!

Hey everyone, it’s that time of year again! And therefor, time to bring back, drumroll please, COLLEGE SURVIVAL GUIDE!!!

Now that the school year is ramping up again, as promised, I am starting to write my survival guide posts. I figure what better way to start off than with a few tips for packing for school.

Photo Credit

Many of us are prone to over packing, especially if you are a freshman who’s unsure of what to bring. It’s easy to get sucked into the pre-made lists from big names like Bed, Bath and Beyond and packed full of items that we “need” that in all honesty you really don’t. So here are some key tips on packing for college:

- Sit down and actually make a list. Start by writing down everything you think you need to take, just write down all the things that come to mind. Then, once you are finished, go back through your list and start taking off items that aren’t really necessary. If you have trouble doing this, ask a friend to look over the list. Take into consideration the weather and size of your dorm room.

- Don’t freak out if you forget something. Trust me, this isn’t as big of a deal as we make it out to be. Chances are you can always have it mailed to you or, if you live not too far from home, you could see your parents over the weekend and have them bring it with them. Almost everything can be fixed.

- Don’t take your whole closet with you! I know I touched on this above but you have to resist the urge to over pack because in the end it just makes your life more difficult.

Now that you know what you are going to bring, let’s get packing!

- Pack your essentials first! This is something you should always do, because once you have all the essentials ready to go you can see how much room you have for misc items that you want to bring.

- Pack accordingly. Again, take into consideration the environment you will be living in. Always make sure to bring your casual, everyday clothes, but you should always have at least one professional outfit in case of interviews and at least one set of nice clothes for parties and events.

- Don’t wait until the night before. This is the most age old packing tip and that is because it really is a huge help. Waiting till the night before increases your chances of forgetting items and decreases chances of actually trying to make this an organized and successful endeavor, trust me on this one!

- Roll, don’t fold. Rolling your clothes helps squeeze more of your clothes into your suitcases/bags and maximize your space. I do this even at home. Never forget, in college, space is like gold.

- Double bag your toiletries. Anything that might leak you should take this extra step to protect the rest of your items. If you have a waterproof case, great, but still bag up the stuff inside in a ziplock.

Make the most of what you have! Try packing your sheets and bedding inside your pillowcases, this way any bedding sets you have are always kept together and it won’t take up valuable space in your suitcase/dorm. Pack your bags in other bags. If you have large tote bags, use them to your advantage by packing smaller items like your make up bag (with the make up in it), shoes, or any other bags and small items inside.

- Don’t ditch the hanger. Another example is to leave your clothes on the hangers and just use trash bags as garment bags to keep your clothes safe and organized so they can go straight into your new closet.

For all those out there who are flying: make sure to weigh your luggage before you leave. You don’t want to get hit with baggage feas!

For some more great college tips check out one of my favorite college blogs CollegeFashion.net and there advice posts here, here and here.

I wish you all safe travels and good luck going back to school!

<3 Kimmie

The Nitty-Gritty of Internships

The benefit of internships is that you get to work for a company and gain valuable experience and contacts that could really help you in the future. So make friends with your boss.
When it comes down to internships and deciding whether or not to take up one there are several factors you need to consider:

Keep in mind whether or not it is a paid internship. A lot of internships have you doing full time work without getting paid. There are both ups and downs to this yes you get work experience but you are working 8 hours a day with no pay off. If you are looking at an unpaid internship then you have to decide if the benefits are worth it to you.

However, one of the pluses is that there are paid internships, like the one I am at.
The reason why I advocate for internships is because it is like having a job that normally there is no way you would be in. So not only do you get job experience and a paycheck (depending) but you can also learn an incredible amount from the experienced people around you.

One of the biggest parts of an internship is networking and gaining contacts for later. Make friends with your managers and the people you work with because this could be a tremendous resource in the future when you need a job or are looking for a letter or recommendation.

Since it is summer now is the time to start brushing off those resumes and looking into applying, will you be?

Good luck<3 Kimmie

College Survival Guide: GET SOME SLEEP!

Hey all you out there! Sorry I haven't done a survival guide post in a while, been busy surviving hahaha.

So I just wanted to do a short post on something that is important to all of us...sleep.

We all have heard horror stories about college all-nighters, how coffee will become your best friend and how sleep will become a thing of the past. I'm here to tell you that this is not necessarily true.

It is beyond crucial that you get some sleep during college and here are a couple reasons why:

1. Sleep helps revitalize your brain and keep you healthy

2. It helps thing stick in your brain better, so if you study a bit before you get some sleep it will stay better than if you wake up really early and do it.

3. You don't want to be irritable and grouchy (keep others in mind lol)

4. I said this already but the most important part: YOUR HEALTH!

For more info on why you should get sleep from really smart research peoples check out this University Sleep Study.

The key to getting sleep is planning your time effectively and studying for little bits over time rather than cramming. This goes back to time management (which you can check out that post here) and effective study habits (I will put the link here once I get that post up). But a quick Google search can help you find study habits tips and tricks. (One thing you should look into is the forgetting curve, will talk about that later.)

So anyway, just remember over all: find time for sleep. It is not something you should be sacrificing and, at the same time, not something you should be abusing either. Find a balance that works for you as with all things. But for a minimum, as a college student you should be getting at least 6-10 hours of sleep a night.

So here are some tips for sleep (that you can find in the study above):
1. Nap effectively (don't over sleep with naps, do it early in the day and for at most 30 minutes)
2. Establish a sleep ritual and regular sleep and wake up times to get your body on a schedule.
3. Make sure you are comfortable! Don't compromise when if comes to this, this is one of the biggest factors to affect sleep.
4. Don't eat right before bed and avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine before bed.
5. Remember that your bed is for sleep and sex! Find a different study place!
6. Get ear plugs for that one inevitable asshole who doesn't realize what time it is and needs to shut up.

Hope these tips help and, as always, good luck!
<3 Kimmie

College Survival Guide, Surviving the Dorms! Pt. 2 - Laundry

I just wanted to do a quick post about doing laundry in the dorms. I know you are probably thinking that this is really simple and, why would you do a post on that Kim?

But! There are probably a couple things you haven't thought about with this simple task.

1. Pick a set time each week. You want to have a regular time or "laundry day." This will help keep your schedule balanced and running out of clean clothes. Also, try to find a time that is somewhat unique to you. Try to avoid times where everyone is doing laundry.

2. Use as study time or relax time. If you are sitting in the laundry room you can spend the time reading or doing homework in the time you have waiting for the washer and dryer. It is a good time to be alone with your thoughts or have quiet time believe it or not.

3. Collect spare quarters. These can be used as your laundry fund, because most colleges have paid laundry rooms. I know it sucks, laundry isn't free anymore.

4. Separate your clothes. There are so many ways to separate your laundry and it all depends on each person's individual preference, but here are the basics in four loads: whites/lights, darks, delicates and towels/jeans/bedding.

5. Choose the right settings. Check the tags on your clothes and find out whether they need cold water, hot, low temp drying, etc. Here's a few tips for water temp: hot for whites, linens and towels, cold for anything you don’t want to shrink or fade (including any whites that fall into this category), warm for everything else.

6. Fold Immediately!!! When taking your clothes out of the dryer don't just toss them into your hamper and deal with them later. Fold your clothes as you are taking them out and put them away as soon as you get back to your room. This helps avoid wrinkling and looking like you just rolled out of bed 24/7.

7. However, if you do have wrinkles, invest in a small iron and ironing board.

8. Don't forget your supplies! You will need: detergent, dryer sheets and optional are fabric softener, bleach or color bleach like Clorox 2, and Woolite.

Hope these few simple tips helped!

9. Laundry baskets. Sturdy plastic laundry baskets are fine but, if you are tight on space, try to go with a collapsible basket.

10. Keep everything together. Keep all your supplies together so when you go to do laundry you are not digging around searching for what you did with everything.

P.s. When you go to do laundry, check the soap dispensers because sometimes people will leave soap in them which is a score, or bleach, then you know which washing machine to use for your white clothes!

Big hugs <3 Kimmie

College Survival Guide, Surviving the Dorms! Pt. 1 - Roommates.

So for all of you living on campus for college there is one thing that is inevitable: you will be sharing approximately 246sq feet with someone you have probably never met before.

So this presents several problems: what if you don't mesh 100%? What if you have arguments? What if they are messy and you are clean? The list goes on and on. But here are a couple very key tips that will help make you living situation better:

1. Be clear and upfront. Make sure you share your pet peeves and habits with your roommate. Do you hate it when people leave dishes in the sink or clothes on the floor? Do you hate a certain type of music? Let them know. The only way you can come to a middle ground is if you are both aware of what makes the other person tick and work to avoid it.

2. Create a set of agreed upon rules. This kind of ties in with the first tip. Once you have discussed all your quirks, sit down and make a clearly defined set of rules. They can be as simple as "respect each others space and property" or as detailed as you want it. The point is these are the rules of your living space to help everything work together well.

3. Be mindful of who and how often. Having guests is ok, but keep in mind appropriate times to have someone come over. If your roommate is trying to study and you have a friend over and are playing video games, probably not the best idea. Don't forget to make your guests aware of your dorm rules. They are your guest and therefor your responsibility. Also, don't have friends over every second you are in your dorm because it can irritate your roommate and cause tension between you.

4. Invest in a pair of headphones and earplugs. If you like blasting music at max volume, go ahead. But do it so only you can hear the music, remember that you don't want to piss off the person you are living with for 8 months out of your life. Music is always my preferred escape, so if this helps you then have at it. Secondly, living in a dorm full of noisy freshman can be annoying, especially when you are trying to sleep. My dorm was right next to the courtyard and it ECHOED! So students who didn't know the meaning of quiet hours were seriously irritating especially when I could hear whole conversations from my bed. So grab a pair of earplugs just in case.

5. Address issues while they are small. Don't wait until the critical breaking point to deal with an issue. Address an issue when it first starts popping up in order to save your relationship with your roommate.

6. Save the sexy time for when you're alone! If you and your boyfriend/girlfriend are intimate make sure to save it for when your roommate is out of the dorm and will probably not be back soon. You don't want to have that awkward roommate-walking in on you moment. Also, DON'T DO THE NASTY ON THEIR BED OR STUFF! This goes back to being respectful of your roommate. No one cares if you have sex just be smart about it.

7. Roommate, not a lifeline. Your roommate can be your friend, but for those shy freshman, don't make your roommate your only friend or lifeline. It can lead to them getting seriously annoyed with you and more issues. So try to branch out, have them introduce you to their friends and go from there. Just remember that you have to force yourself to make friends. Don't bog down your roommate.

8. Be nice, but don't expect to be best buddies. When you first meet your roommate and start to get to know them, remember to always be friendly and kind to them but don't expect to become the very best friends ever. Personalities may not always work together completely. But even if you don't become best friends always remember to be friendly and supportive, because you are living with that person for 8 months!

9. RESPECT! This is just so simple I shouldn't even have to explain it. Your parents should have taught you to respect other and you MUST carry that on especially when you live with people. Just respect them and their property. 'Nuff said!

10. Don't talk shit. Yes, roommates can be frustrating but don't complain about them to a mutual friend because that just creates more conflict. If you need to vent, talk with someone who is an outside party like your friend from home or your significant other or parents.

I love these memes to describe roommates: Click here!

If all else fails, just remember the old saying, treat others the way you would like to be treated. Try to get along and put in effort to make the relationship work.

Big hugs <3 Kimmie

College Survival Guide - Smart Scheduling

Lets talk about scheduling! We all know the basics of don't overlap things, give yourself time, space, and blah, blah blah. But what does that all mean and how do you affectivly schedule your time? Well, take out those planners because Kimmie is here to help!

Let me start by saying that smart scheduling is more than just writing down things on a calendar, it is actively mapping out your days so you know that you have time for everything. I talked about the basics of this and the importance of writing everything down in my Organized and Prioratized post but this post will be going farther in depth about the importance and key points of smart scheduling.

1. Start with the major blocks. Start with things that repeat or you know you are committed to such as classes, work, youth group, church, etc. These things are key parts of how you spend your time so it is crucial that you block this out first!

2. Write everything down! If you have an assignment assigned to you or a deadline for work you want to write it down so you don't forget and you can prepare for it. I honestly can't put enough emphasis on doing this so you can be up to date and keep your life organized. This has become such a habit for me, and I lost my schedule when I moved home, every time I went to write something down in my planner and couldn't I honestly was like "I feel naked" because I couldn't. Felt like this:

3. Plan your day. Each morning or the night before set aside a couple minutes to plan out your day and goals for the day. It will help you keep your day on track and know what you have to do and need to do.

4. Set aside personal time. The cliche "all work and no play makes me a dull boy" works very well if you forget this step. You have to set aside time for yourself to relax, decompress, or dance around the house in your underwear.

What ever it is you have to create that balance like a scale. Just remember that you sometimes have to put yourself first and this is one of those excuses to let yourself just unwind.

5. Review your to do list. If you are like me (insane and wacky! haha) then you might have an ongoing to do list, if not you should. Look at the things you have on this list and then set aside time to get some of the things you have on there complete. (Don't forget to prioritize by what is more important or has a sooner deadline.)

6. KEY POINT: Make sure not to over book yourself! This includes not giving yourself sufficient time in between commitments or allowing things to overlap or just over committing. Even if you schedule perfectly and are still running ragged then you should rethink that "perfect" status. Don't burn the candle at both ends!

Good luck and big hugs <3 Kimmie

P.s. and to send you away with a smile I had to include a gif from Risky Business because when it comes to dancing in your underwear Tom Cruise is an expert!

College Survival Guide - Textbooks

Lets talk textbooks! Next to the mob college book stores make so much dang money from students it should be considered robbery! So here are a few quick tips to save money on your textbooks from now on:

1. Rent your books. I know this seems rather simple, however renting saves you a lot of money and you don't have to worry about having a textbook you aren't going to use anymore lying around your house. Plus, now you don't just have to rent from your college book store but you can rent from online sites like Chegg, Barnes and Noble and really all over the place. It just takes a simple Google search.

2. Buy your books from discount websites. I personally am a huge advocate for Half.com through eBay because I have gotten almost all of my textbooks for under $20 each. (Which is a landslide in comparison to the $100-200 average at college bookstores.) However, this isn't the only option. I know a lot of people who swear by Amazon.com, Chegg or Cheapbooks. It all depends on where you can find the best deal for your specific needs.

3. eBooks. If you have a Kindle, Nook, or any other ebook reader (or even your laptop) you can download this type of book for generally cheaper and you don't have to worry about lugging around a bunch of heavy textbooks each day to class. Also, you can often find cheaper PDF versions online. The down side is that you can't resell these back to the bookstore.

4. Buy from a friend. Chances are you will find people who have taken the same classes that you will be taking so they probably had to buy the same books you did. So if you can borrow it from them or just buy it for really cheap then go for it!

5. Library. Or you can do this the cheap man's way and just go to your campus library and read the books at the library or photocopy your chapters (just make sure they have the books you need!) If the library doesn't have the books you need then you can go the really broke people way and sit in the book store and read the chapters! haha

These are just some suggestions to make you aware of all the ways you can save money instead of being put into debt simply from buying your text books. I hope this helped in some way :)

Huge hugs from my computer to yours, and good luck!

College Survival Guide - Organized and Prioratized

Unlike high school, in college you are responsible for everything! There are no teachers to baby you and your parents aren't going to be there to look over your shoulder asking if you got your homework done. So, how do you accomplish everything, you ask?

The answer is, ORGANIZATION!!! Organizing not only helps to keep your things together and where they should be, but also helps keep your life in order and can help you not be quite so overwhelmed. So where do you start? Like a lot of things you can dive into a Google search and spend some time clicking through the thousands of search results. However, since I have done that whole song and dance and plenty of research I will just give you the summary, k?

When it comes to getting organized there are so many ways you can do it that it gets so confusing you want to just turn off your brain. So to make it easy I've broken it down into a couple key points:

1. Write everything down! Calendars are your friend (haha)When you are in college and working or anything really it is important to schedule things out. It really helps put your days into perspective and helps you to manage your time much better. The best way to schedule is by starting with your concrete blocks, the things that you do regularly (ex. classes, church, your work schedule, etc.) This way you have the major blocks carved out and you know where you have open time. Now when you are going in to schedule fun time or anything else you can have everything laid out in time blocks. Here is a picture of my scheduling, it is a screenshot of my iCal during finals week:

I'm not telling you to go this extreme but I'm just trying to show you how scheduling can help. This may look like a disorganized crazy blob but it really helped me with studying by knowing exactly what I needed to be doing and when.

2. Color code and label. When it comes to putting school stuff in my schedule I usually do a basic color code with yellow, green and pink highlighters (kind of like a stop light system). Green is for simple homework due dates, a "work on paper" session, basically simple stuff that your whole schedule doesn't have to stop for. Yellow is for papers and quizzes because you have to slow down for them but you don't completely stop. Finally, red is for exams! This is just a basic system and you can find what works best for you but the important thing is to use it! It helps so much so find what works best.

3. Prioritize: The Three File system. This system was introduced to me last semester by a councilor at Concordia and now, I swear by it! It is a lot simpler than other systems with a whole bunch of steps and processes and labeling. In this system there are only two labels: FIRE and To Do, and you only need three things: a large In-Box, and a tray for fire and to do.

4. Backwards Planning. Backwards planning sounds like a strange being however, it is really simple and useful. Take your syllabus (I can't stress how important it is to read your syllabus thoroughly! It has pretty much everything you need to know) and write down all your due dates in your calendar/schedule. I know you are probably thinking "that is the most basic thing ever and just regular scheduling" but, here is where the backwards part comes in: Say you have a project due on a friday, backwards planning is setting a your own personal due date for that project on say that Tuesday. Make sense? By doing this you are forcing yourself to get your work done in a timely way so that you don't fall behind.

5. A place for everything, and everything in its place. Nothing ruins your organization more than loose papers and crud all over your work space, your room and in your backpack. The goal of this process is to find where everything belongs and create a place where you know where everything is and it is neat and clean. For example, you could have a binder for each class with a new tab for homework, notes, handouts, etc. OR you could have one big binder with the same tabs and just something to separate each class OR you could have just a spiral notebook for each. The possibilities are endless but the goal is to find a system that works for you.

For more helpfulness click here: Click Me!

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.

New Series on Lost in Wonderland!

Hi interwebbies! So I'm super excited to be starting writing series on my blog. I figured since this was a blog about my life through college then I might as well write about how to survive it!

In my "College Survival Guide" series I will be writing about tips, tricks and everything from the big stuff like study habits and classes all the way down to doing laundry in the dorms. I haven't decided on a schedule for the postings of these. Do you guys have any suggestions? Once a week, twice a week, and what days? Or even if you just have any suggestions for writing series, let me know in the comments if you read this please. I would honestly love to hear from you guys out there!

So I am in the process of writing the first few posts in the series. The first post will be just an overview of the major tips to survive college, and from there I will be going more and more in depth. If you have anything you would like me to write about please let me know that too. - Super excited for this and I hope you guys are too!

Sending big hugs from my computer screen to yours!

Dear High School Seniors..

Dear High School Seniors,

          Here are a couple of tips and tricks about surviving your senior year and the college application process. Tip number one: always remember to get stuff done ON TIME! I know its common place to wait to the last minute to get stuff done, but all this does is increase the stress on you and make your life unnecessarily more difficult. Especially when it comes down to college and scholarship deadlines YOU CANNOT PROCRASTINATE!!! Take it from someone who suffers from procrastination, colleges will not accept late applications and neither will scholarship boards. Plus, it makes you look sloppy and lazy!

          To go along with this, get a planner and in general GET ORGANIZED. Start writing everything down and set deadlines for yourself. This will help you get organized and you can avoid falling behind. Do some research on study and organization skills. Developing important organizational skills will set you leagues ahead in college if you start now! Remember to prioritize and keep everything orderly, I don't know anyone who can be organized when they are surrounded by piles of clutter. Here is a link to a powerpoint on organization put out by my school: click here! I have tried several organization methods in the past and I like this one the best because of its simplicity, but if the more complex ones work for you then have at it!

          Number three: utilize your english teacher. I can't tell you how many times I went to my English teacher and asked him to read over my application essays, and numerous times he saved my essays from being utter disasters! Ask your teachers to help you, that is what they are there for! Also, when it comes to writing application essays: often times you will come across a lot of the same questions each worded differently. So if you write a couple generic essays then you can spend a few minutes tweaking it to fit the specific essay rather than a half hour completely re-writing.

          Always remember, take a deep breath and remember why you are working so hard. Is it because you want to make something out of your life? Achieve a goal? Make yourself and those around you proud? Or is it 'All of the above'? Never give up. It will all be worth it in the end.

Sincerely,

Someone who has been in your shoes!

Tips That Everyone Should Take 5 Minutes to Read

I saw this on my friend Ashley's Tumblr and felt that I should post this on here as well. Please take just a few moments to read through this:

PLEASE Share this!!!

WRITTEN BY A COP: Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or a loved one’s life. In daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation… This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, & everyone you know. After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,
DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you… Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse.
RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy.. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.
DON’T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head,
and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR ,
LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE..

If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, Repeat:
DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware:look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor ,
and in the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door.
Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women
are attempting to get into their cars. C.) Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side.. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN!
The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then,
it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked ‘for help’ into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late
and she thought it was weird.. The police told her ‘Whatever you do, DO NOT
open the door..’ The lady then said that it sounded like the baby
had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, ‘We already have a unit on the way,
whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’ He told her that they think a serial killer
has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby.. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.

10. Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.

Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors! Please pass this on
This post should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America ‘s Most Wanted when they profiled
the serial killer in Louisiana

I’d like you to forward this to all the women you know.
It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle..
I was going to send this to the ladies only,
but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc.,
you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know that may need
to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it
and it’s better to be safe than sorry..
Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or
a loved one’s life.

I’m putting this to all my followers not just female…