A College Students Guide to Surviving Dead Week and Finals Week

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End of the Year

It’s that time of the year again, the week before finals, and finals week is coming. When you see this post it will be after I’ve taken my two finals for spring semester and you’ll be able to see the whole process of what I did to prepare and give you tips and tricks in order to survive Dead Week and Finals Week.

Dead Week

This was my first dead week with “real exams” and take-home exams. I of course had papers and final projects so it wasn’t too bad. I got all of my projects done during the beginning of the week along with one of my final portfolios for my Creative Writing class. Not gonna lie, it was hard but I was able to get my papers and projects done before having my final exams. So my piece of advice is to get your final projects and papers done well before you have to study for your exams. That way you can have more time to study for your exams. I also made sure to take care of my mental health so I didn’t burn myself out for finals week. Get a good amount of sleep because you need to be at your best when it comes to dead and finals week. You then give yourself more time to do practice tests and create study guides for exams.

Finals Week

I only had one in-person final and a take-home final. So I spent the majority of my time studying and hanging out with friends. I didn’t try myself out because I knew most of the material on my tests. One of the things I didn’t do was burn myself out. Mostly because it is not good for your mental health or your physical health. I of course was nervous for the test, but I made sure I didn’t overdo myself. Right before the test, I put on my hype music to hype me up. This helped a little bit but also having most of the material I had learned in class. I was also very nervous after handing in the test but I also didn’t feel like I did terribly. I didn’t really study for my take-home final because I knew most of the answers would be in the slide shows and stuff we talked about in the discussion. I did good on both of my exams passing my class with A’s and one B, which is perfectly fine.

Closing Thoughts

I’m very glad that the school year is over but I’m also sad that it’s over. I also hope that these tips can help out with everybody dealing with finals and studying. These helped me get through dead and finals week. Hope you enjoyed reading this and got some useful advice from this post. Happy end of the first year and enjoy summer!!!

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First Year Coming To An End

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End of Year

You know what time it is, the first year is ending. It was a good ride but it also meant many stressful things arose. This post will discuss my advice about classes, homework, social life, self-care, and moving out. These things are coming up as the semester ends and summer is coming.

College 101

Classes

I’m not gonna lie; I’m counting down the days left until the end of the semester, which means I also have to keep track of my classes. Even though I’m done with half of my classes, I will still take time to finish them strong. Rather than looking at my classes as a chore, I see them as a time to experience college before summer comes. Doing that may seem extra, but it helps me know what days I need to attend class and how each subject I’m learning corresponds to my final grades. When reviewing your syllabus at the beginning of the semester, look at the attendance policy for each class you take. Some of my classes require attendance in lectures, while others only require attendance in discussion sections. That is how I can know when and what days I have to go to class. Now this may seem lazy, but it can benefit different courses differently. This is also a time to reflect on what is and is not working for you to succeed in your classes. After seeing my midterm grade, I changed how I needed to study in my theatre history course.

Along with my developmental science course, I brought some new study methods to the table to help with my second midterm of the semester. Changing something that may or may not work can help you finish your classes because each professor, ta, and graduate student teaches classes differently. These tips can significantly help your grades and help you complete your second semester strong.

Homework

I wish I didn’t have to do homework leading up to finals week, but beggars can’t be choosers. The way that I keep up with the homework I have to finish over the rest of the semester is to make an end-of-year to-do list. This helps me see what needs to be done and what days things need to be done. Over the semester, things sometimes change because of falling behind or going ahead of schedule. I regularly keep my end-of-year to-do list updated daily because of a slight change in the syllabus of some of my classes. You can make time throughout the days and weekends to finish assignments, quizzes, papers, and projects. This can help your stress levels if you get stressed about things like this. I worry about a lot of things, so being able to put in front of me what I need to do before the semester is over helps me out a lot. I understand that this may not be the best thing to do, but trust me, checking those items off your list will be satisfying to make it less stressful by the end of the semester.

If you also lose focus on what you must be doing, try setting a timer or getting yourself a reward. I do this a lot when it comes to stressful times. Even if I finish the most minor task in the world, I still take time to give myself a break and reward myself with something good. You can even make the reward something later in the week to look forward to something in the future.

Social Life

You can still have a social life, even when the semester is about to end. Even though you might not go out during the dead week, you can still make time to study with your friends. It’s a technique called body doubling when you set aside time to work on your homework, projects, and assignments. I plan to set up body doubling sessions with most of my friends because we have similar and different classes. My people who also like to go out might not like this stuff, but it will help you stay on top of classes so you feel accomplished by the time the end of the semester comes around full circle.

For example, I have two friends who have birthdays during the last few weeks in April. We are making time for them to hang out before we go home. One of the birthdays was my roommate’s birthday, so it gave some of us an excuse to hang out as a small group and just take time to talk, hang out, and do whatever we wanted. You don’t need to isolate yourself from your friends during these last couple of weeks because you don’t need to. They are your college family, and you need to spend time with your family.

Self-Care

Could you do this during these last two weeks of the semester? It is essential not to burn yourself out because you can’t be your best. I do several things to keep up with my self-care. I like to do my skincare, watch tv, color, and write whenever I need to do some self-care.

Regarding skincare, it can sometimes take work to find time because of either being too tired or wiped out after a long day of academics. I do an in-depth skincare routine on hard days but I won’t get into that. I much rather do my skincare in the morning to feel good about the day. I like to wash my face after a long day on campus. Taking care of yourself also means taking care of your body and being able to use it for good.

Generally, during this time, I like to go to my comfort shows like Criminal Minds, Modern Family, and other tv shows. Mostly because I know what is coming, and I’m not surprised. It is good to watch a little bit of tv after you have done a lot of studying and academic things during the day. Though sometimes, if you are like me, you can get hooked on something and never want to stop watching your favorite tv show. I like to set a timer for how long I need to take a break. Afterward, the timer is up. I close out Netflix or whatever app I’m watching something on. This helps me a lot to keep track of time.

Coloring is therapy for me because it calms my mind. I love it and always do it whenever I need to escape the world of screens and social media. I have gel pens of different colors and coloring books with mindful and motivational things inside. Try this because it can get you back in touch with a time when we didn’t need to be entertained by social media and other items. I like this and have been coloring for a couple of years whenever I feel stressed.

Journaling and working on my novel is amazing self-care for me. Writing is also another type of therapy for me. Even if you are not creative in any way, journaling can help you so much. It can help you reflect on the day beforehand, manifest what you want for the day ahead, and an overall way to clear your mind. I do it often because I go through at least 900 different emotions daily. It’s always good to brain dump because keeping those thoughts in your mind can and will drive you crazy. Speaking from experience, it’s always good to let your mind experience the activities from the day. Do this if you think about these different thoughts, and do not let your mind rest with non-toxic feelings.

Moving Out

I’d be lying if I said I was relaxed about moving out of the dorms. Mostly because I got so many more things when I was in the dorms than I did at my house. I’m nervous also because of finals coming up; I’d appreciate it if you could give me advice for that will be in a later post, but I also need to move out at least 24 hours after your last final. I could rant about handling this better, but I don’t want to. One thing that keeps me sane during this stressful time is friends. If anything fails, we can ask each other how exactly moving out will work. It won’t be as stressful as it looks on paper, but I still haven’t been able to go to our floor move-out.

Summer

I will spend my summer in my home town, but I plan to do many things during that time. I plan to work as much as possible and earn as much money as possible. I also have summer classes that will be online because I cannot stay up in Iowa City. It’s gonna be weird being back in my hometown for this long, but it will be fun. I also like to make a “summer bucket list.” It’s not an actual bucket list but a fun list of things I want to do before returning to college. I’m gonna be missing this campus like crazy, but I’m gonna be bettering myself to succeed in my second year of undergrad. You should choose whether or not you want to go home and work, hang out with friends and family, or start looking for jobs and internships. I’m gonna use my time to work and do school as well.

Closing Thoughts

It’s still so crazy that my first year of college is almost over. Yet I don’t want it to end. Mostly because I’m gonna miss my friends like crazy and miss the campus so much. It’s also gonna be stressful with finals and moving out coming soon. I hope some advice can help you survive your first year of college. You got this, and thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you all have a fantastic day, week, month, and year. Remember, SELF-CARE IS IMPORTANT, and DO NOT BURN OUT EVEN IF IT COSTS YOU A GRADE.

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Spring Has Come (Fun Spring Day Activities)

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Spring Has Come

We are finally in springtime, my third favorite season. It’s getting warming, which means we are getting out of our seasonal depression funk. This is one of the more exciting times for me to be able to look forward to. Mostly because were are almost done with the semester, warmer weather, and getting through the first year of college. This has been a fantastic year and semester so far, and the warm weather gives me a reason to keep going and finish the semester intensely as more outdoor activities are also happening. So in this post, I wanna talk about spring activities, prepping for finals, and how to stay positive during these stressful times.

Spring Activities

Sitting or Sleeping On The Pentacrest

Once the weather starts getting better, that means getting outside to enjoy the weather. One of the things I did during the fall semester was sitting or sleeping on the Pentacrest. Either on the east or west side. Mainly because of the nice breeze, the sunlight, and the multiple activities to people watch. I’m not an outside type of person, but I like to admire nature and the people within Iowa City. If it is nice, I like to bring a book or homework to work on. Sometimes I’ll bring food to snack on or get coffee from one of the many coffee shops around campus. I’ll sometimes sleep on the Pentacrest but not for very long because there are many things around downtown Iowa City. Even though it may seem cliche to have your main character moment when spring is coming, take it because we all deserve it. I’ll tell you, it’s so relaxing to just watch the world go by and see nature in general. So definitely go on the Pentacrest once it gets warmer.

Take A Walk

If you’re like me and can’t get to the gym all the time, then take time to walk around campus or downtown Iowa City. Even if it’s just after class to clear your head, it will help. Once it started getting warmer, I started walking around after I was done with classes. Sometimes if some of my friends aren’t busy, we’ll go on walks together. Mainly because we all have different schedules, so we try and spend as much time together as we can. If I’m feeling anxious, I grab my purse and earbuds and start walking around different places on the east or west side of campus. Mostly to just get out of the school air because it can be very stuffy at some points. Even if you work out most of the week, exercising while looking at the campus is still fun. I highly recommend that you guys walk around campus and downtown Iowa City.

Picnics On The Pentacrest

During OnIowa week, my friends and I would sometimes go grab something to eat and gather around on the Pentacrest. It’s fun grabbing some sodas or eating some cookies with your friends. Recently a couple of my friends and I had a mini picnic. When the weather is nice and warm, it makes it easier to eat outside in the warmth. So have a picnic with your friends because they are your chosen family.

Events Downtown

There are going to be several events going on in the downtown area of the city. Especially in the outside regions because of the nice weather. I know that I keep saying this but go and enjoy the nice weather because then the humidity will go up, and then it won’t be fun anymore. The farmers market will start soon, so you can get healthy foods. Street performers will start back up as well. Plus, everything will be much more lively around the shops and restaurants. This also gives you and your friends an excuse to go shopping and enjoy campus before the end of the year. So enjoy the events downtown along with the nice weather.

Melting Away The Seasonal Depression

Spring is my third favorite season, after summer, because the weather is getting so warm. Once the weather gets nicer, my seasonal depression is no longer there. Mainly because the sun is warming me up, I can freely walk around without fearing freezing my butt off. During the start of the semester, it’s cold, and you can’t really do much outside, but once it gets into the 50s through the 70s, that means it’s time to go outside. For me, at least, my seasonal depression starts to melt away when I don’t have to wear layers to be comforting. Even if you are still feeling down in the dumps, doing some simple activities can turn your whole mode around. I know it does for me. I understand how it can be challenging to get out of that mind state, but if you simply do self-care acts for yourself, you can have a great spring and end the semester strong.

Closing Thoughts

Once it started getting warmer, I started feeling so much better. Going on walks, sitting on the Pentacrest, and having picnics with friends. These may seem like simple things to do, but they really help. Going downtown to see the activities happening always will help you a lot. The warmer weather and getting out more can help you so much and not get you in a funk before you finish the semester. I know that I will be taking care of myself a lot in these upcoming weeks so I can finish strong. Thanks again for reading this post; I hope you all have a fantastic day, week, month, and year!

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Coming Back To School After Spring Break

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Spring Break

I hope all of you had a great spring break, but I’m not here to talk about spring break but how to get back into college after a pause. Spring Break is a time to relax before finishing the rest of the semester strong, or at least trying your best. I pretty much spent my spring break doing nothing. Mostly because I needed a break from the academic work and college stress.

Back On Campus

Honestly, I didn’t want spring break to end, primarily because of being able to be back home with my family and my dog. But once I returned to campus, I understood why I love this school. One of the first things I did when I was back on campus was hanging out with my friends after we were done with classes. We talked about our breaks and how we were also struggling with our classes returning. I sometimes find myself unable to put my discipline as a student into gear very fast, but I like to listen to a playlist I haven’t heard to in a while, change my surroundings, and try some new things.

Listening to new or old songs I hear occasionally gets me back in focus mode because I’m distracted by the music or the lyrics. Sometimes this doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me. I have multiple playlists for my specific moods, along with instrumental music. Particular playlists help me focus because either the songs are upbeat, or I’ve heard them so often that they are just white noise. You don’t even have to listen to music. It can even be white noise like rain, a fan, or a fire burning in the background.

I like to cafe hope every once in a while when I have long days on campus when I don’t wanna go home. Along with trying different places or going to places I haven’t been to. Staying in your dorm is unsuitable for your mental health, so even if it just takes a walk around the residence hall or campus, it’s good to surround yourself with different surroundings. Whenever I’m stuck in a place from studying or even after classes, I sometimes walk around campus. It gives my brain a break from looking at a screen and is a great way to clear my head.

I didn’t like walking because I feared being unsafe, but I feel much better when walking with people during the day or at night. Mostly because I’m out in nature and away from the inside stuffy school air. This is a way to clear your head and get the fresh air because it’s getting warmer. Spring is coming, and I hope it’s staying because that means summer is coming.

Studying

Sometimes I like to do a reflection halfway through the semester to see if I need to change anything when it comes to my study methods for my different classes, along with the struggles of getting back into studying after a week-long break right in the middle of the semester. But one thing that keeps me going when it comes to finishing a semester is knowing all the hard work I put into the semester will come together in a new pretty or semi-pretty bow. With being able to have the week-long break, I’m able to understand and change studying for each of my classes.

I know it can be hard to be able to finish studying with coming back with a lot of work on your hands. It’s a struggle, but you can make it through the semester strong.

Take Time To See Your Friends

You only have a couple more weeks with your campus family, so spend as much time as you can with your campus family. Trust me, you’ll understand when it comes to the end of the semester. I’m doing my best to spend as much time with my friends as before the end of the year. Because you may or may not be seeing them over summer break, make the most of your time before the semester wraps up and make plans with your friends to visit each other over the break.

Closing Thoughts

Just make sure you guys take care of yourself. Along with being able to know that C’s get degrees. With the fact that you guys got this semester and that we can finish strong together. Hang out with your friends, take a walk, or just unplug. Remember that you guys are not alone, and you guys got this. Thank you for reading this post; I hope you all have a great day, week, month, and year. You got this!

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Midterm Season

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Midterm Season

My friends, you know what time it is; it’s time for midterms. Plus, that means we’ve hit the middle of the semester. I have a couple midterms in my classes, so I’ll tell you how I study for them and prepare for midterm exams, projects, or grades in general.

Exams

In two of my classes, I have exams to test what I’ve learned in the class. My Developmental Science, we have two midterms and a final exam. My Theatre History class has one midterm and a final exam. I study for these classes differently because they teach different things, which means other study methods. You need to learn each subject in how you best understand the content. Using that as an academic weapon will make you pass your exam and gain more of the content.

Developmental Science

I study Developmental Science by asking myself active recall questions along with vocab terms. I sometimes like to rewatch the lecture at 2X speed while studying. This is an excellent way to learn the content and remember certain things. We are dealing with many theories about the human mind, but we can look at ideas and data over the years of developmental psychology work. We learn about the brain, and I constantly review the different parts of the brain and their functions. The material within the class is primarily lecture-based, with a little bit of information from the book, so I study the lecture slides more than the book. This helped me a little with my midterm, but I still didn’t do as well as I thought. I plan to dedicate more time to remembering and learning the upcoming chapters’ content to help with the next midterm.

Theatre History

When it comes to any history class, I always love studying it. In this class, we are learning about different plays and performances during ancient history in places like Greece, India, Egypt, China, and other locations worldwide. We understand how each location puts on different plays while reading a play from that time. For our midterm, I’m pretty sure he will test on the performance and the history that was going on in the country at the time of the play’s performance and production. I’m interested and nervous about what we will be doing for the midterm itself, but I plan and looking through the slide shows, peer presentations, and looking at plays once more before going into the test.

Projects

None of my classes this semester have midterm projects, but I have had midterm projects in the past. Start planning at least a week or two in advance because college students tend to throw things to the last minute. Don’t wait till the last minute to start a project, but do it over short periods before it is due. This gives you time to reflect on your work before rushing to turn something in on time. Plus, these projects are an excellent way to take what you’ve learned and how you understand the different concepts within the class.

Grades

Don’t worry too much about your grades during midterm because it only reflects what you know. It’s just a way to keep you on your toes, but it doesn’t show how you will do near the end of the year. It never hurts to check your grades during the middle of the semester to see how you are doing. Don’t dwell on a bad grade too much because it’s not worth your time. By dwelling on that grade, you’re not getting better in that subject. Just look into how you’ve been studying for that class and if it needs to change so you can do better during the rest of the semester.

Midterm Burnout

This is also the time when people are getting burnout from their classes. One of the ways that I deal with burnout is by taking breaks, which reward me for the work I did that day. Even if I don’t feel I deserve the reward, I give it to myself anyway. Plus, studying isn’t about learning harder but smarter. It’s wise to let yourself take breaks, then not allow yourself to take those necessary breaks.

Last week, I didn’t go to classes because of making myself sick from burnout. I knew I needed to take a break; otherwise, I would have had a mental breakdown. That’s why taking time for yourself is essential, doing okay on your exams and well in your classes during midterm season. Along with being able to hang out with friends, whether studying with them, game night, or sitting in silence, it’s a great way to ensure you don’t run the risk of burnout. Just take some time to rest and reset, so you don’t end up hurting yourself and your grades in the long run.

You got this, friends!

 

Closing Thoughts

Thank you again for reading this post. I hope you all have a good day, week, month, and year! Studying for midterms is hard, but as long as you take your necessary breaks. Don’t dwell on bad grades, and don’t work too hard that you make yourself sick. Remember, nothing matters if you’re not feeling your best; you’ve got this!

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Galentines Day (The Superior Valentines Day Celebration)

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Valentines Day

Aw, Valentine’s Day is either the best or the worst day of the year. I have always loved when Valentine’s Day comes around. Mostly because I get flowers, stuffed bears, and candy from friends. This is always such an enjoyable holiday for people emotional because of the concept that society put on the holiday. But this holiday isn’t just about the love for a significant other, it’s about the collective love between friends, family, and significant others. I love this holiday a lot because of the love between the people you love and I hope that you guys have a great Valentine’s Day.

The Ghost of Valentine’s Day Past, Present, and Future

Past

In the past, I had a hard time understanding why Valentine’s day was such an important holiday. I remember back in grade school when we gave individual candies themed around the day and give them throughout the class. I still have a bunch of things from when I was a kid, like name tags from the different people within the class. I remember having a lot of fun during the celebration because of getting a bunch of candy from friends. Mostly because we didn’t have the pressure of having a significant other. We were kids, and we didn’t have that in the stars for us, mostly because we weren’t thinking about dating during that time of our lives. Then fast forward to middle school time, people were starting to date and try dating, which is when the pressure of having a valentine started up. I never dated much in middle school and in high school, mostly because I wasn’t thinking about it. Still, that pressure of having a significant other or someone to be your valentine was something that was very known within middle school and even in high school. Back in middle school, I used to think I’d be “forever alone” because nobody in my small town wouldn’t be my partner. I then realized that there is a whole world filled with my potential partners for the future. I got older and realized that your valentine doesn’t have to be a significant other but rather someone with who you’re willing to share the love. This is where my brain transitions into how I feel about valentines day in the present.

Present

Now I look at the fun with friends and the potential for having a significant other. Mostly because last year Valentine’s Day really changed the way I see and celebrate Valentine’s Day. Last year I went out to dinner with a friend and he got me, flowers, a sugar cookie, and a valentines day bear for that year. I of course got him some candy and wrote a sweet card for him. He just asked if I wanted to go out to dinner for Valentine’s Day. We weren’t in a relationship together but he still wanted to celebrate the holiday. He really changed the way I saw how to properly celebrate this amazing holiday. He taught me that this holiday wasn’t just for significant others but rather that it’s okay to show you to someone that you’re not romantically involved with. Right now as a freshman in college, I still see the holiday like that. That’s why I’m going out with my friends to celebrate this amazing holiday that gives love to the people in your world.

Future

The future is unknown but I like to think that I’ll look at Valentine’s Day the same way I did as a 19-year-old. All I know is that Valentine day’s in the future will be different. Hopefully that Valentine will still have those cheesy chocolate boards, valentines day bears, and of course the sour patch kids that every single person in the world eats on that day. Just to overall keep the spirit of giving the world and the people in your life the love that you feel for them, whether that’s with friendships or relationships.

Closing Thoughts

Valentine’s Day is a special holiday and deserves to be celebrated even if you are “forever alone” even though you truly aren’t. So whether you’re spending the day or weekend with the love of your life, some best friends, or with a pint of ice cream that you so deserve, just know that Valentine’s Day isn’t just about having someone romantically involved in your life, but rather the collective love that you have for significant other or your best friends, you deserve to have a good day. Thank you again, for reading this post and I hope that you lovelies have an amazing day, week, month, and year. Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

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Seasonal Depression (How To Get Out Of A Funk)

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Seasonal Depression

It’s everyone’s least favorite time of the year, SEASONAL DEPRESSION. This is when my seasonal depression hits hard. I’ve always had seasonal depression, but it only got worst when quarantine happened. Now I’m doing good at managing my seasonal depression but it can always kind of kick me at the worst times. Here are some things that I like to do to get out of my seasonal depression.

Change of Scenery

For me, if I’m in one spot and one place for too long I start to feel I don’t want to do anything. During winter break, if I wanted and needed to get out of the house I would hang out with friends, or go to my local coffee shop. Sometimes I would take my car and drive around listening to music. Changing where you are can significantly affect your mood and how you feel. Surprisingly I didn’t have much seasonal depression when I was home but being back on campus I always try and change my scenery at least two to three times a day. This is a great way for you to be able to not dig yourself into a hole. Plus, having multiple happy places is a great thing for you mentally and physically.

Do Things That Make You Happy

One of the ways I was able not to be in one of my depressive episodes was I wrote a current original book I’m working on. I finished the first draft and it still needs a lot of editing but I did get it done. Writing makes me feel super happy because when I write I feel so much better just in general, whether that’s just journaling or drafting up a future book, it helped me with my seasonal depression.

Another thing I did was recharge my social battery by hanging out with friends. Specifically, my best friend who goes to a different college came down and we hung out after Christmas and just tried to hang out as much as possible. Being able to hang out with friends is a great way for you not to fall into a funk and it improves your overall feeling. Even if you don’t feel like being social, just start out with studying or not even doing anything too stressful with someone you love.

I also read, watched tv shows/movies, and played games. I mostly read audio books because I couldn’t decide on a physical book then, but since I’m back on campus I have a physical book in mind. I love reading and it helped me escape my seasonal depression. Mostly because when I read, I feel myself looking into the character’s world. This helps me not get too sad during the cold months. Criminal Minds was my top show throughout the break along with other shows. For me, a comfort show is a way for me to put myself in a good mood. Whether it’s a show or even a movie, sometimes rewatching something that you love is the best thing for you. I like to also keep myself busy with computers, and video games. I played a lot of Mario Kart over break because I wanted to do something that was fun and not too boring. I don’t like to play too many boring games because it puts me into more of a funk.

All these things helped me a lot on break not to fall into a depressive state. Being able to find something that makes you happy is hard, but once you do find it, don’t ever let it go. Finding things or people that make you happy will help you not fall into a depressive state.

Stop And Take A Breathe

I know that this sounds like an obvious solution to the problem but it’s more complicated than it looks. I get that this is also a controversial thing to say to someone nowadays but I promise it can help. When I use to have mental breakdowns a lot, I’d find it hard to breathe and decided to take the time to calm myself down and take deep breaths. It helps me a lot in stressful situations and whenever I can’t get to sleep. I also understand that if you can’t find something to help slow you’re breathing, try putting something near your heart like if you lay down, grab a stuffed animal or something to help you out. If you find yourself not being able to breathe just stop and take some deep breaths.

Closing Thoughts

Seasonal depression is nothing to mess around with. It’s hard sometimes with the weather not being the greatest but it doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve love. Being able to use most of these methods will help you not feel down during these cold months. I hope you all enjoyed reading this post. Have a great day, week, month, and year my lovelies.

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How I Prepare For New Semester

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Preparing for New Semester

I started planning for this new semester a couple of days after the new year. I’m a planner at heart so as soon as I had a schedule for the next semester, I started to think and plan to be right for anything that came my way. Even though I can’t control everything during the first week of school, I can observe and change my habits to flow better as a student. Most of the time when it comes to planning a semester I look at the syllabus, study methods, and sleep schedules. Along with being prepared for the unknown and being flexible with your professors and TAs.

Getting Good Sleep

I don’t know about you, but my sleep schedule is nonexistent when I’m on break. But one thing I can do is give myself a week or two before classes start to get back onto a good sleep schedule. My earliest class this semester starts at 11:30 which is excellent because I’m more of a night owl than an early bird. I mostly like to do my hair in the morning and get some semi-good sleep. I try and shoot to go to bed around 11 to 11:30 and wake up around 7:30 to 8 am now that I have a later class in the morning. Plus being able to have a good sleep schedule you’ll be able to get more things done throughout the day. Depending on your schedule, there is a way to make sure you get good sleep. I have heard of several ways to make sure you get good sleep. You can either sleep for 6 to 8 hours or if you don’t have the time to sleep you can sleep in 90 minutes cycles because that is one full REM cycle. This is the only piece of advice I wish everyone would take because sleep is the most important thing to survive as a human.

Creating Schedules

School

Whenever I make a schedule for my classes, I always ensure I have at least a little break before each class. Like I’ve said before my earliest class is at 11:30 in the morning and all of my classes end around 3 to 4 ish in the afternoon. I decided to keep most of my classes together with some breaks in between to give myself time in the morning and in the evening to finish homework, projects, and quizzes. This helps me keep on track with the classes and not fall behind with the material. Plus being able to keep on track with my classes helps me not be too stressed out. I highly recommend that once you have the syllabus worked out you can have a pretty good setup for how you want to get homework and assignments done in time. This goes with the idea of making study schedules for each course.

Study

For the first week of classes, I don’t have a study schedule because I’m still feeling out what the class and the materials are going to be like. Then after the first to the second week, I make a study schedule week by week. This helps me know what and when items are due for certain classes. Plus putting the time of when items are due helps me keep on track so I don’t have something late. You don’t have to have specific things within the subject, just set aside time to work on a certain subject if needed. If you like to plan out when to do certain assignments or work on a single subject then I highly recommend making a study schedule.

Work

So I have a job where we make our own schedule with the different places we need to go and review. We’re given a time like breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late at night. In turn, we get five places on campus for each week we need to review. I make my schedule around my class schedule based on when and where my classes are on campus. For example, I live on the east side of campus so the places on the east side are easier for me to do at the beginning of the week. If I need to go to the west side, I try to go at the end of the week. There are always certain places I love to go to because they have good service on campus but some places I don’t like going on campus. So I plan out my work schedule week by week like my study schedule. If you don’t have a job on campus then you don’t have to worry about this but know that if you do want a job on campus, your supervisors are super understanding about how you’re a student first and employee last.

Hanging Out With Friends

At the end of each first week of school, I make sure to spend time with friends and celebrate getting through the first week of a semester. This is something I did back in high school with my friends. I decided to carry this with me into college because it gives me time to charge my social battery and take a break from the stress of school. I love my friends and some of them read this blog so I hope that you enjoy hanging out with me as well. Most of the ways I hang out with friends is by joining them for study sessions, lunch, dinner, and even for social events. Your college friends are going to be your mini family away from your family so make time to hang out with them.

Updating My Notion

You know that I love using Notion for everything in my life. As course sites are opening up I put the syllabus in my notion template to keep me organized and ready for the upcoming semester. Once I get the syllabus into Notion I can settle for a bit. As the semester goes on I make changes when needed. This helps me keep on track with my assignment, test, quizzes, and other items in my life. This is a great tool if you don’t like to carry around a physical planner all the time. It is easy and student-friendly with creating the perfect online workspace.

Closing Thoughts

Everyone prepares for a semester differently and I hope that you all have a fabulous next semester. These were just some tips and tricks that I like to use whenever I prepare for a new semester. Remember, don’t stress yourself out, and if you find yourself stressed then find something to help you not stress out. I hope you all enjoyed reading this post and I hope you all have an amazing day, week, month, and year. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! Let’s let 2023 be the year for growth and happiness.

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What Time Is It? It’s Final’s Time

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Finals Season

That’s right my friends it’s time for the most stressful two to three weeks of your life FINALS SEASON. I personally have a love-hate relationship with finals and the respective classes I’ve taken in the past. I have either passed my finals or failed terribly but one thing that I always tell myself when it comes to this time period is “it is what it is.” You can only study for certain times of the day otherwise you risk feeling of being burnt out. That’s why I want to talk about habits I like to get into when finals season comes up. Along with some apps and items that have helped me get myself together for this stressful time.

Make Study Schedules

example schedule (created in notion)

This seems obvious but let’s just say that college students love to leave things to the last minute. Mostly because we have a billion other things going on in our heads during this period of the semester. I can’t stress this enough, plan out your time from when and what subject you will be studying for. I’ll give you guys some examples of what you can use for classes or help you will finals season. My plan is to dedicate 90 minutes to my final concept map for my class called Contemporary Environmental Issue. It’s not due until finals week itself but it’s good to get a head start on getting it done before the due date itself. Since this is one of the harder classes I have this semester I dedicate more time to it than my other classes this semester. Then I’ll dedicate at least 60 to 90 minutes to my Creative Writing Portfilo because this one is due earlier within the ending weeks of the semester I’ll focus on this one more than the concept map while my final speech for my Rhetoric class I’ll dedicate at least 30 to 60 minutes on perfecting the speech itself. This is my plan to succeed to the best ability and it may not work for you so just make sure you know exactly how you study and learn the content in your respective classes.

Apps That Students Need (I Use These Apps)

Note-Taking

If you’re like me and don’t really like writing your notes on paper and pen then you could use a tablet or iPad and use GoodNotes or Onenote. I use Onenote because I use a surface pro to write my notes with my mac book to take the note off of. If you have an iPad then you can use GoodNotes because it is only compatible with apple products. I love using Onenote to insert my lecture slide show into the different notebook sections and paper. That way I can look at the slides in front of me not worrying about if I’ll miss something on the slides. You might be thinking well do you re-write all the slides, and the answer is it depends on the subject. For more content-heavy classes, I rewrite the notes in my own terms so it makes sense to me and only me. Mostly because if you don’t know how you study then that can throw you off when you’re trying to study for college classes. I will say that it might just be easier to get a tablet of some sort because we do live in a world of technology. I’ve found that I find myself using it so much more ever since I started college, but I do keep a notebook just in case I need to be in a class that doesn’t use technology.

Focus

If you guys are like me then you have a hard time focusing. Some people will tell me just to sit down and do it but I can’t just do that without some type of reason to sit down. That’s why I use this app called Forest to do this study technique called the Pomodoro technique which is typically 25 minutes of work with a 5 minutes break but I typically don’t do that. I usually do either 60 to 90 minutes of work with a 20 to 30-minute break depending on the subject I’m working on, but let’s get back into what Forest is. Forest is an app that you set a time to while you have a tree growing. You can choose what kind of tree you are growing during the study time. You can put labels on classes, reading, cleaning, or even working. I use it a lot to give myself something to look forward to whenever I grow a tree for my Forest. You earn coins and once you earn enough coins you can buy more trees and plants to plant in your forest within the app itself. I got this app after one of my favorite study YouTubers recommended it to me who is also a college student as well. It’s a great way to reward yourself if you don’t have the motivation to study or just want something to look forward to when you plant different trees, flowers, and other items. The only thing about it is that it does cost $4.99 upfront but I still highly recommend using Forest because this is one of my favorite apps to use when studying or working on projects for school items. Along with keeping me on track and it’s a great way for me to remind myself to take those much need breaks.

Writing

Grammarly Icon

I’m pretty sure if you’re a student you have gotten at least one to million ads about Grammarly. I use Grammarly a lot but I use the free version. I’ve thought about getting the premium version that helps will spelling, reworking sentence structure, and grammar of course. I do think that this app is very effective when it comes to writing assignments, emails, and even blog posts. Grammarly is checking this post when I write it, when I left, and do more editing. I mostly like using this but it can get a little repetitive at the same time this is a very helpful tool, but I will say that you should also reread those your assignment and just anything you write. Being an English major I do use this program a lot because it makes my writing seem more professional in many ways. Grammarly is free but you can also get a premium version that helps with more things to help with your writing. Do I recommend this app, yes I do but start with the free version and if you do have the money I suggest that you upgrade if you can. For my purposes and status at this moment I use the free version just perfectly fine.

Productivity or To-Do List

Notion

If you guys are on study tube then you have probably heard of Notion at one time or another time during study vlogs. I pretty much do everything with that app and it’s some fun. It’s completely free and you can customize your boards to your liking. I took inspiration from Breanna Quan’s notion template and I’ll put some pictures on the post because I love using this app. I organize my school items, daily items, my podcast work, and other items. I have weekly schedules and course schedules for the semester so once this semester ends I’ll make one for the upcoming one and revise it if needed. I highly recommend getting this app because it’s free and it’s easy to use and customize. And if you don’t know what to start out with a board then you can always use templates that notion has made or even people on youtube who use notion. Anyways, if you need an organization you should use Notion.

Google Calendar

I use Google Calendar to remind myself to go to classes. It seems like an obvious tool but sometimes people don’t understand how useful this really is. I put in the classes shown on my syllabus and input it into my calender with times, locations, and a timer to let me know to go to class. It’s very useful because if you have classes that are canceled you can just remove the event to remind yourself that you don’t have class. I use my email to connect to my google calendar to access the calendar on my computer. It’s super useful to keep you on track if you lose track of time easily. Mostly because it holds you accountable so you’re not late to class. I suggest using this to remind yourself to go to class so you don’t fall asleep or forget about your class.

Studying

Quizlet

I’m pretty sure you guys know all about Quizlet. I recommend this app because it’s so useful. I use this to make flashcards, learning tools, and sometimes test functions. Plus if you are in college or are in high school you can look for pre-made sets for certain classes. That’s what I did and do when I don’t have time to be able to make a set of flashcards or need some help with my exams. I’ll get you an example of how I use it. For my Cultural Anthropology class, I had a year ago, I made sets for different exams and used the learn function to learn the content I put into Quizlet. I’ve used this since middle school because my teachers would have us use it for Quizlet Live and other things to learn the content. I recommend using this along with looking up pre-made sets for certain classes if you don’t have time to make a set for a certain class.

Khan Academy

When I was doing math classes my teacher would put clips from Khan Academy to use as extra help when it came to learning concepts. I won’t be able to take a math or science class until my sophomore year so I’ll more than likely take some crash courses through Khan Academy. I’m an English major so math isn’t my strong suit but I like to keep my head within math. I’ll more than likely take the courses over winter break to keep in the study loop so I don’t lose my flow. This may even help with getting concepts in your mind about subjects that are hard to grasp. This is a pretty good source when it comes to trying to figure out concepts that you struggle with in different subjects.

Take Breaks and Self Care

I can’t stress this enough but it’s good to take your breaks and not overwork yourself when it comes to Finals Season. I know that it can be hard for us to let us have a break or even take care of myself but I’ll get you guys some tips on how I take care of myself when Finals Season comes around.

Take Breaks

As I’ve said before I like to use the Forest app to keep myself focused on a take for 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the subject. During those breaks, I either read, watch youtube, tv, play games, or just walk around. Typically when I work for 90 minutes I take a 30-minute break to either read or watch an episode of a tv show and during that 60-minute work time, I take a 15-20 minute break. During that break, I either watch a youtube video or walk around and stretch. It’s important to always walk and never stay stationary for too long. If I’m walking around, I normally walk around my dorm hall and the neighboring one. If I’m studying in a different building around campus, I walk to the bathroom and take a walk around to get back to my spot. Plus even taking these breaks may seem like you don’t deserve this but trust me you deserve a break.

Self Care

I know that during Finals Season you may or may not think you deserve to do some self-care, but trust me you deserve it. When I do self-care I either continue writing one of my books, my skincare routine, take a nap, or just put on a comfort movie. I’m an English major so I’m currently working on a book I want to publish in the future so writing comforts me when Finals Season hits. Even if you don’t feel like you deserve self-care trust me you do. You need to take care of yourself in order to have yourself at your best.

Closing Thoughts

Make sure that you hang out with friends and always take your breaks. Finals Season can physically and emotionally destroy you, don’t let that happen. If you take some of these tips or have your own way of taking care of yourself then that’s good. I just wanted to end off by saying you guys got this. You’ll all pass your exams and do good on your projects. I hope you guys do good on your finals and have a great winter break. Thanks again, for reading this post, and hope you all have a great day, week, month, and year.

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Planning Out Your Courses

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Introduction

It’s about halfway through the year which means it’s almost time to register for Spring Semester classes. I’m pretty sure we are all nervous about the next semester but the one thing college kids love is picking their own classes. I was kind of roped into certain classes for Fall Semester so this semester is important to me because I’ve picked all of my classes and have potential schedules ready. When it comes to the University of Iowa, we have a thing called schedule builder which makes several class schedules you can choose from along with talking with your advisor.

Schedule Builder

This is a great tool for us whenever it comes to picking classes. You can choose different classes that you’re interested even when it comes to open majors, or if you already know your major or double majors. My intended majors are psychology and creative writing so being able to pick classes for my major helps out a lot in many ways. Mostly because I’m an open major but I want to do creative writing and psychology. I have three schedules that I’m thinking of for the Spring Semester which is good. This leads to my next point of making an appointment with your advisor to be approved for classes.

Meet With Advisor

For first years and second years most of the time you meet with your advisor so they can approve of your course. My advisor approved my classes and just told me what to do when it came to registration day. I registered on November 11th at 8:30 pm, so I can register for classes during or after that time. Plus it’s my birthday as well on the day I register I’m going to be ready to press that blue button on the schedule builder and get the classes I want. I have backup schedules if they fill you quickly. Early registration opens from Nov 7th to Dec 2nd for classes for Winter 2022 and Spring 2023. So I’m to be typing very fast to make sure I get all the classes I want.

Always Have Backup Classes

The typical amount of hours is 15 semester hours. All of my classes at the moment equal 15 semester hours which is right on the money for being able to graduate in 4 years as an undergrad. I don’t know if I want to do graduate school here yet but that’s a story for another time. The 1st schedule I’d like to have is Creative Writing Studio Workshop, MoneyWise, Academic Seminar II, Beginning Jazz, Introduction to Developmental Science, and Theater and Society Ancients and Moderns. This is the number 1 schedule I would like to have and if I’m lucky enough to get it then I’ll be grateful. Plus certain classes will draw you in so just take a chance if your major has something to do with engineering try a creative class and just see how it goes. It’s recommended that you take at least one class that is not related to your major in any way or shape possible. But once you have scheduled it’s important that you have time in between classes or time to study.

Make Sure You Have Time In-between Classes

I personally like to have at least an hour to 2 hours in-between classes to calm down or get ready for the next class. Since most of my classes this semester are in the morning I get all of the afternoon to study for papers, quizzes, and readings. Next semester my earliest class with start at 11:30 am which is fine but I’ll still have time in-between to study or get ready for that next class. I will say, even though in high school you might have 8:30 classes, 8:30’s in college is not it. I struggle to get up in the morning but I do get to class on time. I also suggest that if your classes are back to back make sure they are near each other or at least in the same building. One of my friends has at least 10 minutes in between classes and walks up and down the hill within a matter of 3 to 5 minutes.

Closing Thoughts

Play around with what your schedule is going to be mostly because it’s easy to get so overwhelmed that you can forget about what you’re in college in the first place. Also, make sure you look over sample plans for your major because you’re on your own kid. You have to keep track of your own gen-eds and electives because your advisors are meant to help guide you in the right direction but you always have to make sure you are on your own. Try out different schedules and make sure you get at least one gen-ed within your schedule and balance. Thank you all for taking the time to read this post, I hope you guys got some much-needed information.

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