My Favorite Off-Campus Spots

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Hey everyone!
I’ve been branching out recently and exploring Iowa City a bit more, so I thought I’d share my favorite places here that aren’t part of campus!

Tspoons Coffee and Treats:
I first went here during On Iowa! when I signed up to do the coffee crawl, and since then have found their cold brew with cinnamon and vanilla cold foam to be my go-to coffee when I need a fun drink for studying.

Midnight Coffee:
My friends and I absolutely love this coffee shop! They have amazing caramel vanilla lattes, and it goes so well with their avocado toast. Midnight Coffee has quickly become a staple in our study habits.

The Sunday Flea Markets:
The flea markets here truly have something for everyone. There are places to find clothes, crafts, candles, pottery, and more. I recently got a bookmark and a sweatshirt from the flea market that I love dearly. On top of all the cool stuff you can find there, it’s always nice to spend a Sunday walking around downtown with your friends. I definitely recommend going to at least one!

K-bap:
I discovered this little restaurant inside the Old Capitol Mall while attending orientation this summer. When I’m having a rough day, and the food in the dining hall is just unappetizing after eating it all the time, I go straight to K-bap to have a delicious and comforting meal. I am a firm believer that there are very few problems a good, warm meal can’t fix.

Blick Art Store:
I have always been and always will be an artistic person, so having an art store nearby has been a lot of fun. Even though I don’t buy stuff every single time I go in the store, I often get inspired just by walking through it. They also have a student discount if you sign up with them!

I look forward to continuing to explore Iowa City. I’ve only been here for two months, but it’s already feeling like my home. If you’re ever feeling bored, check out any or all of these spots around the city.

Have a great day, everyone, and I’ll see you all next time!

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Experiencing Fall at Iowa

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Hey everyone!

Fall has finally begun settling over campus! With the transition into sweatshirt weather and pumpkin spice season, I wanted to share a few of the things I’m most excited for about this fall.

  1. Wearing sweatshirts to class and around campus
    When the weather was super hot and humid, I was constantly wearing shorts and T-shirts everywhere. In my head, going to class and studying has always been a comfortable clothes type of deal, so now that I’m finally able to comfortably wear all my sweaters, I feel academic and ready for my upcoming midterms.
  2. Halloween!
    My friends and I have been discussing Halloween since the semester started. I’m still not 100% sure what costumes I plan to use — so any input is appreciated — but I am so excited to celebrate with my friends! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays by far, and I can’t wait to see what Halloween is like in college.
  3. Scheduling and registering for spring classes
    This one might be a bit of a hot take, and I can understand why. However, I’ve always found myself enjoying planning for the future, and planning what classes I’m going to take is no exception. Iowa has so many courses that look interesting, and every semester has the opportunity to provide something new.
  4. Fall-flavored foods
    While I absolutely despise pumpkin-spiced drinks, I cannot get enough of pumpkin-spiced foods. Every fall brings back pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and more. I also have a special place in my heart for apple or apple spice flavors, too. One of my favorite investments was buying packets of instant apple cider to bring to school, so I could make hot apple cider with my Keurig. I definitely recommend looking at Trader Joe’s for some fall-flavored goods, because they have all sorts of specialty items.

There’s definitely a lot more to be excited about here as fall goes on, but these are some of my favorite fall activities. Thanks for reading!

-Jayden

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What I’ve Learned About Studying in College

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It still feels so strange to be at Iowa, but I feel like I’m finally settling into a routine here, especially with doing classwork. It truly is an entirely different ballgame from studying in high school. For example, in high school, I would study 2-3 days before the test just by rewriting my notes from memory and then correcting them until I got everything right, or doing practice problems in review packets my teachers gave me. This has not proven to be effective so far in college. I haven’t had any tests yet, but after just one week of classes, there’s already been enough information in some of my classes to fill half of a chapter of material from a high school class. With the amount of information I’m getting from each class every day, my old study habits are just not enough. I can barely remember anything just a few hours after the lecture, let alone understand it for a test.

So, instead, I’m trying something new this week. Since all of the required readings for the entire semester are listed in the syllabus, I spent Sunday and Monday taking notes on all the information for all of my classes this week. Then, when I go to class, I can use a different color to add information the professor brings up in class. This should theoretically create cues for the information, which will help me remember it later. Then, I plan to study all the new material with flashcards and active recall later in the week so that when the exam comes, I don’t have to try to cram all the content into my memory.

If you’re wondering how I came up with this system, it’s easily Google-able. I found tons of videos and articles from students, teachers, and psychologists describing similar methods and then combined them to fit my schedule. If you’re also struggling, even though it’s only the second week, you should do some research on effective study methods that might help you!

Thanks for reading, everyone,
Happy studying!

-Jayden

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