It's just about midterm season on my campus right now, and I can say from personal experience, that the stress level is running high all around. And if you are also feeling this way then in this week's post I am going to give you some tips on how to stay calm during midterms.
1. Sleep This may not seem important in the moment when you have a lot of midterms to study for, but in order for you to be able to study at your maximum efficiency, sleep should be a priority. According to the National Sleep Foundation, young adults should be getting about 7-9 hours of sleep per night. 2. Meditation Even five minutes of meditation today can reduce stress and make you feel calmer. So maybe, before an exam, check in with yourself and how you are feeling and do a quick meditation beforehand so that you feel more relaxed. 3. Listening to music Listening to music is one of my go-to tips for staying clam in any situation. I think that music is just a great way to relax your mind for a bit and focus on the music itself (and not the never ending list of things that you need to study for). 4. Exercise Exercise is very important as well. Usually when I am tensed up and stressed about something, I have found that exercise helps me to feel relaxed. But in the moment, it seems hard to skip a 30 minute study session just to exercise. However, doing physical activity, can help you in the long run. Because, when you need to finally sit down and study then you will be able to focus better on what you need to study. 5. Have a plan Lastly, this is by far the most important, is to plan! If you plan out a head of time what your study schedule will look like for midterms and anticipate the unexpected you should feel significantly calmer during midterms. I hope that these tips will be helpful in keeping you calm during midterms. For more tips on how to de-stress during the semester, see this post! ~Stephanie
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As winter break comes to a close for us college students, it is time to start thinking about the coming semester. Being in college for a while now has made me more prepared for the coming semester, especially the spring because it is a much shorter time frame than summer break. If I am being completely honest here, I really try to prepare at least two weeks before the semester starts in order to prepare. Why? You may ask? It is not because I am reading textbooks ahead of time or perusing over the syllabus (if I get it early). Most of the work that goes into preparing for the new semester has to do with the behind the scenes work that goes into making my semester go as smoothly as possible. In this post, I am going to show you five ways in order to make that happen.
1. Print out your schedule This is probably the easiest, but the most crucial tip because printing out your schedule gives you an overall view in how your schedule is going to look like for the semester. Decide to take the 5 minutes out of your day to print out your schedule and keep it somewhere you can find it (because you are going to need it later). Or, if you don't want to waste any ink printing it out, another great option is to write it down in your planner or agenda so that it is easily accessible and you can easily reference it. 2. Buy your books (two weeks in advance) If you've been in college for a while, I'm sure you've heard to wait to buy your textbooks until the first day of classes just to be sure that the professor assigns the right textbook or just in case anything changes on the first day of classes. My opinion is that if you find out which books you need from your classes from either the bookstore or the professor themselves, just buy them early. If it is the wrong textbook, you can always return it. There is nothing worse than arriving to class the first day, receiving an assignment to read x amount of chapters and not having the book. However, if you absolutely have to wait until the first day, maybe ask the professor if they could put up the first couple chapters in your school's portal while you are waiting for your textbook. If there is more than one student like this (and usually there is) the professor might be more inclined to do this. 3. Set goals/ intentions Before the semester begins I think that it is very important to set goals or intentions for the semester. Without setting goals and/or intentions you may run the risk of falling behind on your classes, not having your time managed, and you might be more stressed out. Make it a point at the beginning of each semester to write out at least one goal for every class. At the beginning of the semester, evaluate your classes try to see which ones seem more challenging than others, and based off of this, set some goals/intentions. For example, one goal can be for my Statistics class that I will go and see the professor before every exam to make sure I have and understand all of the information that will be on the test. Although this is something relatively simple, I think that it can definitely change the course of how your semester goes by setting goals. 4. Maintain healthy habits This is probably the tip that gets taken for granted the most! (well, at least for me) It is so important to maintain healthy habits such as exercising, eating right, and also getting enough sleep. When you're in college it is so easy to brush off these things for the sake of academics. From my own personal experience, I have skipped many workout sessions and just used snacks as a source of fuel and energy. This really took a toll on my physical and mental health. So before the semester begins, take a look at your schedule (see point #1) and make healthy habits (i.e. exercise, sleep, and healthy meals) a PRIORITY. If you don't make these things a priority your schedule will take control of you and your time and you could find yourself burnt out by the amount of stress. 5. Put everything into your calendar/agenda Referring back to point #1 again, once you have your schedule put all the dates and times in your planner. Then put in dates for extra-curricular activities, volunteer/work hours, upcoming events you plan to attend, and also those healthy habits. Once you have all of these dates set and planned in your calendar it will be much easier to see what you have coming up. This way you won't double book yourself for a meeting with your advisor that interferes with one of your classes. So that's it! These are five easy ways to prepare for the upcoming semester. Let me know what you think. Leave a comment below on what kind of tips you have in order to prepare for the semester. ~Stephanie Starting a new semester can be exciting, yet very overwhelming. At first it starts off slow, and then all of a sudden you have two papers, three exams, and a presentation all falling on the same week. Since I have been there and done that, I realize that it is a stressful time. And during those times, I have found various methods of coping with the stress in my life during the semester. So here are ten different ways to de-stress this semester, so that you can stay sane! 1. Exercise This is probably the most undesirable one to do, but exercise really does help. You know those things called endorphins that fitness junkies are always talking about, well its true, and it does make you feel better. Even if it is just taking your dog out for a walk, a little physical activity can go a long way. 2. Prayer This is something that I find helpful in my life personally. I find that prayer gives me peace of mind in any situation that I'm in. If you have a religion that you personally affiliate yourself with, this may be helpful for you. 3. Sleep If you haven't already, check out my post on how to get a good night's sleep. Because sleep really does affect the way we feel especially in regards to stress levels. The less sleep we get, the more likely we are to feel irritated, sluggish, and less productive, which is not helpful if you know you have a lot of work to do. 4. Do something creative For all of the artists, and non-artists (like myself). This is for you. Now, I would like to think that I'm creative person, and I like doing every DIY project under the sun (check out my DIY pinterest board). You do not have to be an amazing painter, artist, or DIYer to be creative, so let your creative juices flow and forget about everything that needed to be done yesterday. I think that art and other creative processes are a very therapeutic way to cope with stress. 5. Write it out Now this is obviously my most used creative outlet. But there are so many other things that you can do. You can write out all of your thoughts in journals, poems, songs, or even books! And it doesn't have to be published. It may be helpful for you to get out all of your frustrations about your calculus professor on paper. 6. Me Time This is something that I have to legit remind myself to do on a daily basis. And its not always because I'm working, working, working, but I just don't think about taking care of myself as much as I should. And if you're anything like me (hopefully not!) then you need to make time for yourself too. This could be anything that you like to do, the main idea is that it is for you. 7. Read or watch TV This is probably something that I do the most. Honestly, my favorite pastime is reading or watching TV (especially TV). Things like this can really clear your head when you feel like so much as happening at once. Just don't over do it. 8. Slow down Take a breather! by this point you've probably worked yourself to the bone to the point where you can't even think straight. Do some deep breathing or yoga or both. You probably need it right now. 9. Listen to music Another one of my favorites :) Music has a powerful way of making you feel some type of emotion, whether it's energized or relaxed. So here's an idea, make a playlist on Spotify for specific moods that you may be feeling for an extra dose of good vibes when you are feeling overwhelmed. 10. Change your environment Sometimes its just good to get out of the environment that you are in. Change your environment, change your perspective. Take a step back and enjoy the scenery. Stop and smell the roses as they say. By changing your environment it allows you to change your mindset and re-focus on your priorities. I hope that you use the tips that work best for you, and that this post has helped you de-stressed in any way during this semester.
Keep calm and keep moving forward. ~Steph I have been a commuter student since I started college. But what are commuter students? (you might ask) Commuter students are those that do not live on campus, but travel to school from their residence. The reason that I am a commuter is partly due to the fact that A) I didn't go to a college with housing as a freshman and sophomore and B) the college that I currently go to is not that far from where I live, so it didn't make sense to have on campus. So whether you drive to school or take the bus, in this post I am going to lay out some essentials for every commuter student. (besides the obvious things like keys, unless you tend to forget those things and the supplies that you will use in class)
1. Headphones Whether you are trying to listen to the latest podcast, or need a little quiet, zen time, this is an essential. 2. Book (preferably one that is fun to read) With all of the readings that professors give us, it's nice to just relax with a good book that you won't be graded on. 3. Water bottle No explanation necessary.. 4. Lunch/money for food Since you are most likely not on a meal plan if you are a commuter, it's good to bring a lunch with you (or some money for food) so that you aren't starving during class. 5. Small notebook (to jot down notes/ideas) I find this helpful especially when I have a random thought that pops in my head and I want to remember it. But this can be used for anything. 6. Extra clothes (for just in case or going to the gym) I always bring extra clothes with me just in case I have some extra time and I want to go to the gym. 7. Umbrella Since I prefer to not get rained on, (it rains pretty infrequently where I live) I always have an umbrella just in case. 8. Emergency cash Again, no explanation necessary. This can really help you when the unexpected happens. (you'll thank me later) 9. Canvas bag/tote I find this helpful in case you need to carry something extra that won't fit in your backpack. 10. Extra snacks Late night study sessions at the library happen, do yourself a favor and pack some extra snacks so that you don't starve. I realize that elements of this list might be different for every student, and that is okay! You should modify this list depending on your commute to school (whether it be by car or public transportation). I typically take public transportation, so these are the items that are useful to me. I hoped that this list helped give you some ideas on what to bring with you if you are a commuter student. If you are a commuter student, let me know some of the essentials that you always carry around with you. With midterms rolling around, now its time to calculate that GPA to give you a little less anxiety. But what is a GPA? Your GPA is your grade point average, which measures your performance in your classes. By knowing your GPA, you can stay on track if everything looks good or it can show you if you need to work on your grades. Calculating your GPA is super easy to do, it just requires a little math :) So to get started here is a letter grade chart: So what you do is take all of your classes and figure out the credit hours for each class, and then add them together. Then multiply the number of credit hours for each individual class, by the grade you have in the class (see: letter grade chart). After you have the total number of points for each class, add all of them together. Then take the total points and divide them by the number of credit hours you have. There you have it! a GPA that is calculated. In case that was hard to follow, here's a visual:
Let me know if this helped! or gave you more anxiety....
~Steph If you've been in school at all, then you've dealt with teachers/professors that you didn't really like. While it may be hard to even listen to them talk sometimes, they are still the ones that give you a grade at the end of the semester. So instead of tuning out of the lecture and letting your grade suffer. here are some tips to help you deal with the professors you just don't like. 1. Follow their directions. We usually have a tendency to go against whatever a person says if we don't like them, but if you're dealing with a professor it will make the semester a lot smoother if you just do what they say. Even if you think it's the dumbest thing you ever heard regarding an assignment or a project, just do it. At the end of the day, it's better to end up with a good grade in the class even though you hated it, then to have an awful grade in the class just because you were being stubborn. 2. Try to visit them in their office hours. It may sound crazy to meet with a professor that you don't like in their office, but maybe if you start talking to them one on one they may not seem so bad. Try to get to know your professor to see what their personality is like. When you visit a professor in their office you will probably see a different side to them, and then they may not seem so bad after all. All I'm saying is try to be open minded with this person. Teachers have good days and bad days just like us, so just try to give them a chance. 3. Pay attention in class. It's so hard! I know! But try to listen to what this professor is saying. Even if it may sound like complete nonsense, there might be something that you agree with or something that you may think is funny. But if you really can't pay attention and it feels like utter torture, just show up and do the work, so that way your grade won't suffer. 4. Try to focus on the subject. If it is a subject that you really like, but the teacher just does not do it any justice, just try to focus on the subject and try to learn it your own way. Coming from my own experience, I found this to be very helpful because when I just thought about the subject by itself without the teacher involved I was still able to love it, and that way I could still contribute to the class discussion because I knew the subject and I tried not to think about the teacher when I was doing it.
If you try all of these suggestions and they still don't work for you and you still can't stand your teacher, just remember that the class will come to an end, and you won't have to see that professor again. Hopefully. ~Steph If you are in college right now then I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from. After my first week of college I felt like I was not prepared at all. It was all a learning experience for me during that time (and even now) so now I am going to tell you what I wish I knew before going to college, and why it would have helped. 1. Using Rate My Professors Can I just say that I love rate my professors, (I'm sure they don't, but I do ;). Going into college I wish I knew about this website because I could have avoided some (for a lack of a better word) taxing professors. In my first semester of college, my advisor just showed me some courses to take, and asked me which times I wanted to take them. However; I was not told which professor I was getting until I saw my schedule. That would have saved me a lot of stress if I could have chosen a different professor for some of my classes. Since using this website after my first semester, I still consider it to be very helpful in choosing my professors. There has only been one professor that I've had that had good ratings on RMP but that I didn't really like. Overall Rate My Professors has been proven to be very useful to me. (BONUS: a lot of the reviews are hilarious, so you'll probably get a laugh in while reading a review :) 2. I didn't need to buy brand new textbooks For all of you college veterans that are rolling your eyes right now and reading this thinking that's a "no brainer" I will speak explicitly to the novices here. For some reason, in my brain, renting my textbooks seemed awful, I didn't want anyone's used up book with highlighter markings all over it. But honestly, if you have a substantial amount of tuition to pay buying all of your books brand new is probably not a good option. Now I'm the type of person who wants the brand new book to take to the first day of class, but sometimes I need to be realistic, even buying used books is another solution for those of you who are still cringing at the thought of renting another book (I know I am). The perfectionist in me wants the brand new book, but a used one (or rented) works just as well. A semester can fly by quickly, and before you know it you're stuck with with a book on The Economic Systems of America, when you're a Psychology major. Bottom line, you should probably only buy the books that are related to your major or ones that you can genuinely see yourself using in the future. 3. Comparing Textbook Prices Most colleges have their own bookstores, which is where they obviously want you to get your textbooks. BUT, I think it is a very good idea to look at other places like Amazon, Chegg, or Ecampus. By comparing textbook prices you can see whether or not you are getting the best deal. And everybody wants to save money, especially when you are in college. Even though your college may have a book store that doesn't mean you have to buy your textbook from there, if there is a better deal somewhere else it's better to save your money. 4. Being Minimalistic I am the type of person that over prepares for everything, which is a good thing most of the time, but when you are in college you can't just put your back pack away in your locker like in high school, you have to carry it around all day. Which can give you some serious back problems if you are taking more than one class that day. So what I am saying is you probably don't need a notebook for every class (getting a three or five subject notebook works). You probably won't need to bring your whole make up bag to class, or every thing that's in your wallet (smaller wallets that attach to your keys are amazing!). Overall, just try to downsize what's in your back pack if you really can't part with it all together because you are essentially carrying your locker on your back, which can be less painful if you take out things that you don't really need. 5. Making my own schedule It may sound amazing to sleep in till twelve o'clock in the afternoon on Monday when your class starts at two o'clock. Or having a two hour break between classes to do whatever you want, but honestly I really wish I hadn't planned it out that way because it gave me more excuses to do everything else besides homework. If you're a morning person take morning classes (same for a night owl) and put them close together so that when you're done you're done, and then you can go home or do whatever else you want to do, so that way you're not wandering around in the library avoiding doing homework or some other obligation. Now personally I am neither a morning or night person, I function the best in the after noon, so now I plan my schedule to where I can take classes within the mid morning so then I can go home in the afternoon. At the end of the day, just pick a good schedule that works best for you and your lifestyle. These are some things that I wish I knew before going college. (which I have learned from). I hope that you will learn from my trials, and have a more enjoyable college experience. Stay tuned for my next post! ~Steph Going into my first semester of college (let alone getting through the whole year) was extremely scary for me because I had no idea what to expect. This was my first time going to a new school. Thankfully I was able to learn the ropes quickly and how to utilize that knowledge to my advantage. So for all the first timers starting college or for some of you that are returning to college, here are a few tips that I learned during my first year of college. 1. Knowing the Colleges resources Colleges have a lot of useful campus resources. Workshops, tutoring, mental health and wellness centers (just to name a few!). And guess what? They were all FREE!! so use them to your advantage. Even if it sounds like something you might not need, try it out, you might be surprised. So how do you find out about all of these wonderful resources? Here's a tip: READ. everything around you. seriously. all college campuses have flyers everywhere talking about events and other things that are happening at the college. And if you are a freshman I recommend that you attend any/all welcome events that are happening in your college, so that you have some idea of what resources your college has. 2. Talking to People This may sound extremely obvious, but if you are anything like me you will not go out of your way to talk to people. Or you may try to avoid socialization as much as possible to keep your social anxiety in check. But stepping out of your comfort zone once or twice can and will help you. News flash: there are a lot of people who are afraid of talking to other people too, you're not alone! A majority of the time, especially with freshman, nobody has any idea what they are doing. So just try reaching out to someone even if just to say "Hey, do you know where this place is?" and if they are by them self ask them to come along with you so that you both have some company, and then you won't feel completely lost. Bottom line, life opens doors when you talk to all different kinds of people because it gives you so many opportunities that you didn't have before. 3. Learning how to Study This is very important because going into college I quickly realized that I had no idea how to study for anything. When I was in high school the teachers just gave me what was supposed to be on the test, so I did well on tests because everything I had to know was on one paper right in front of me. In college, sometimes I got a brief study guide, but there were still other things that I needed to know that were not on the study guide, which I learned after the test. Talk about confusion. I didn't know if I should just trust my teacher and rely on the study guide alone (wrong!). Or try and memorize everything important from the book, which could be anything, (wrong!) So I was stuck, going back to my first point about knowing the colleges resources, my school had a lot of workshops that gave a lot of effective tips on how to study. So that was my saving grace. 4. Being Organized/Time Management Organizing is pretty much in my DNA, but when I got to college I really had to sharpen my organizational skills. I took four classes in my first semester of college, which to me didn't seem like a lot. However, I didn't realize that there was a lot to be done in sixteen weeks, so for me, everything seemed pretty fast paced. Then in my second semester I took five classes which was even more hectic! This is when I learned time management. I still haven't mastered the art of time management, but I do pretty well at managing my time. It's all a work in progress. Here's a tip: GET A PLANNER. I swear it will make you more organized. If you have a hard time being organized just start with a planner (it will help!) ;). Those were pretty much the top four things I learned my first year in college, and I'm still learning and working on those things in my second year. Because let's face it, life is hard.... I hope that these tips help you as you are going into your college journey, as they have helped me. :) ~Steph |
Hi, I'm StephanieI am an undergraduate psych major who enjoys creative writing, collecting stationery, and watching The Walking Dead.
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