August Goals

Can you believe that it's August already?? My summer internship ended last week, and all I have left is about 2 1/2 weeks before I leave for my last year of college. It's crazy to think how fast this summer went by.

To kick the month off, I thought I'd post some of my goals for August in order to hold myself accountable. There is so much I have to do in theses next couple weeks before heading off to school again, that it will be nice to have a "to-do" list of goals to keep me in check.

Goal #1: Edit My Resume

This is an absolute must before going back to college later this month. I have to update it with my new GPA from spring semester as well as with my internship experience that I had this summer. The job search begins practically right away when I get back to college, with the fall Career Fair coming up in the first week of September. I definitely want to have this out of the way before things get hectic and busy at the start of the semester!

Goal #2: Finish My Summer Reading

Okay, I don't have assigned reading for school or anything, but I did buy a bunch of books off of Amazon at the end of spring semester that I haven't finished yet. I read about half of them so far, but I'd really like to finish the rest of them before school starts and I don't have a bunch of free time anymore.

Goal #3: Finish Setting Up My Agenda

This is another thing I want to have done before school starts. Nothing beats having an already planned and organized agenda once school comes around. Organizing my agenda before school starts with dates and deadlines for all my classes, extracurriculars and work times will hopefully allow for little less stressful start of the year. Besides, being on top of things never hurt anybody ;)

Goal #4: Start Packing for College In Advance

The goal is to be all done packing prior to the night before I have to leave. The past two years, I've always waited until the very last possible minute, which always leads to me forgetting something and getting off to a very late start on the road. So here's to hoping my last year of college starts off on the right foot, with everything packed and ready to go before I have to leave.

Goal #5: Actually Blog At Least Twice A Week

Seriously, I am the worst. Here I was starting this new blog, and I just really fell of the bandwagon. Blogging is something I really want to start doing on a somewhat regular basis, and I'd really like to grow this blog. It's definitely going to be a lot of work, but it's all about the journey, right? Plus, with this being my last year of college, I'd definitely like to start documenting things.

My goals for August are pretty much just a mini to-do list for myself before I go back to college, but it's that time of year I guess.

What are some of your goals for August?

6 Places Other Than The Library To Study At During Finals Week

Well guys, we're really getting down to the nitty gritty of the semester and studying for finals has already begun. Although my official finals week is next week, I also have a final later on this week. *cue the anxiety* (p.s. here are some tips to help you tackle the end of the semester)

One thing I've noticed after my past few semesters in college is that the main university library can be absolutely INSANE during and around finals week. This can be a major problem. Unless you get to the library before the crack of dawn, it can be extremely difficult to find a seat, let alone a quiet space to study. And, if you frequent the library a lot during the semester, odds are you're going to be slightly annoyed to find randos you've never seen at the library before in "your" favorite spot at the library.

So how to avoid the library crowds during finals week and find a not-so-frequented place to study? I've got you covered. Here are 6 places other than the library to take advantage of and study at during finals week:

1. Non-chain coffee shops

Non-chain coffee shops can be some of the best places to study at, but I guess it depends on what the town or city is like where you go to school. I love the hipster/creative vibes that non-chain coffee shops and cafes have to offer, and since my university is nestled into a city, there are multiple different coffee shops around. A couple girls on my floor last year found a great one to study at, one that doesn't get too crowded. The coffee shop they found also has very nice owners, who even kept refilling their coffee. My friend and I plan on going there this week to study. So maybe you can do a little internet search and find some coffee shops somewhat close to your university, and then maybe you too will end up finding a hidden gem of a study spot.

2. Classrooms

There aren't any classes during finals week, so what does that mean? Empty classrooms! So if you have any classrooms you like in particular, maybe stop over there with a couple of friends and study there. At my business school, they keep a number of classrooms empty for students to study in, and the buildings even close later during finals week than usual.

3. Other "colleges" at your school (aka law school, school of architecture, business school, physics building, etc) 

Do you have friends who are in different majors than you, that talk about their favorite places to study within their major buildings? If so, go ahead and check them out! And you don't even need any friends in a certain school to study there. Last year my dorm was right next to the law school, and I found it to be a great place to study. Since a lot of the graduate law students lived off campus and just studied at home, the law school library was never crowded. Plus it was absolutely silent, something that I often need in order to study things that are hard concentrate on. I've also studied at my school's architecture school before, which has a great rooftop garden. So if you want, maybe try another "college" building on campus outside of your major. Some might be more crowded that others (i.e. I've noticed that the engineering buildings are always packed), but others won't be, so feel free to give a building you wouldn't normally go to a chance.

4. The tutoring rooms

On my campus, there are several tutoring rooms and buildings on campus for different majors and classes. I'm sure that other schools have similar types of tutoring centers too. Tutoring rooms can be a nice place to study at since if you need to ask a question on some of the material before the exam, you'll be able to ask it right there which is pretty convenient.

5. The gym

So I don't know if it's like this at all universities, but at my university's main gym, there's a lower level part of the gym that has a bunch of tables and chairs with lots of natural lighting around. I've seen some people there studying, but I think most people forget that it's there. I studied there a couple of times last semester, and it's definitely one of those hidden gem study spots. Plus, just think: maybe you can even sneak in workout afterwards :)

6. Outside!

Now that it's the middle of April, the weather is definitely starting to warm up. If you want to get some fresh air while studying, I'm sure there's picnic tables or grassy areas at your college campus where you can sit yourself down and study at. My school has a grassy quad shaped like an oval in the middle of campus that we all call "Oval Beach" when the weather gets warmer. Once the weather gets nicer, many people start studying outside at the picnic tables in the quad area or set up picnic blankets to study at (and/or tan at :) ).

I hope that this list of other places to study than the main library gives you some ideas of places to study at your college campus!

Where are some of your favorite places to study during finals week?

How To Tackle the End of the Semester in College

Happy Friday, all!

If you're in college right now, I'm guessing you're already starting to feel some stress coming on. There's only about 2-3 weeks left of the semester and we all know what that means: finals are coming up.

With finals looming over the horizon, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The end of the semester is coming closer and closer, but the mere thought of finals week can make anyone dread the end of the semester.

As a 2nd-year in college, I have a little experience now with tackling the end of a college semester. So here are some quick tips on how to make it through the last couple weeks of the semester while making it out on top:

1.   PLAN AHEAD

It's going to be very, very hard for you to do well at the end of the semester academically if you don't have a plan of attack. For some, this means setting aside extra studying time in an online calendar or agenda. For others, this means making some mean to-do lists. Whatever it is you decide to use in order to plan ahead, believe me, it will help you.

It's also important to relook over class syllabuses and what not to see exactly what else you have to do for each class for the rest of the semester, and make sure you know when exam dates and times are. Nothing is worse (or more stressful/terrifying) then not knowing when due dates and exam dates are, or not knowing what it is you need to study. Maybe it's just my type-A personality, but planning ahead will only help you, especially in making the last few weeks of the semester count.

2.   DON'T GIVE UP. IT'S NOT OVER TIL IT'S OVER.

Did you get a not-so-stellar grade on an assignment or exam in one of your classes early on in the semester, and now feel the pressure of knowing that you have to do really well on the final? Or do you have to do really well on your final exam or final paper in order to keep your grade in a class? No matter what your situation, don't give up hope. Even if it's going to be hard to do well, it's not as doom and gloom as it sounds. Just try your best, and remember that it's not over until it's over.

3.   TAKE BREAKS + HAVE A LITTLE END OF SEMESTER FUN

Okay. So I'm not saying go party it up all weekend before finals week and not study at all. What I am saying is that with it being the end of the semester, maybe try to spend a little time with friends who you might not see for a little while after the semester ends. I'm also saying that after all the studying you'll probably be doing for your last few exams, you're going to need to take some breaks. Breaks can help you take your mind off of the stress of finals for a little while, and can help you feel a more refreshed before hittin' the books once again.

4.   CLEAN A LITTLE.

If you plan on moving out and going back home for the summer, it's as good of a time as any to start going through your things. Now, this isn't meant to stress you out. In fact, the opposite. If you start weeding through some of the stuff you don't plan on taking back home with you and cleaning a little bit now, you will be saving yourself a lot of stress the last couple days of the semester. Especially if you live on campus, a lot of schools require you to move out right at after your last final. Since taking your sleep-deprived self and cleaning up your entire place and packing everything up at one time probably isn't something you'll be thrilled to do after taking your last final, it's a good idea to maybe try and lessen the burden now and start cleaning here and there before the end of the semester.

5.    WRITE DOWN SOME MOTIVATION.

   Because when it's 2 am and you still have more studying to do, you’re going to need it. It can be as simple as writing a positive quote down on an index card, writing a goal you want to accomplish at the end of the semester on a sticky note and placing it in your agenda, or do what I did last week and type up a few motivational phrases to stick on the wall above your bed. Whatever works for you. You might think this is a little cheesy, but who couldn't use a few extra motivational reminders?

I hope these tips help you as you get ready to tackle the end of the semester! 

Good luck :)

April Goals - 2016

Happy Friday and also happy first day of April! Is it just me or did these first few months of 2016 go by really fast?

For me, April marks the last month of the semester, aka the real make-it-or-break it time for college students. It’s going to be crazy and hectic, but even so, I’ve set a few goals for myself for the month. I always enjoy reading these sorts of posts on other blogs, so I thought I’d post my goals on my blog as well!

So let's get onto the goals, shall we?

1. Go to the gym at least 3x per week

Yep, the good ol’ fitness goal. Going to the gym at least 3x a week was one of the goals for 2016 that I made back in January. I was doing a pretty good job with it until Spring Break happened a couple of weeks ago. During SB and the past couple of weeks, I really fell off the bandwagon with working out and going to the gym. Now it’s time to get back on track in April, especially with summer right around the corner!

2. Start cleaning out my dorm room each week

My dorm room is currently a tornado zone. I’ve been living in a single this year and don’t have a roommate, so I haven’t been as motivated to clean up after myself as much as I should. I’m going to try to clean/pack more each weekend up until the end of April so that it’s not such a hassle and as much of a mess to clean up come move out day. Plus, after finals week I won’t be feeling too much like doing a lot of extra packing and cleaning, so I might as well start doing it and breaking it down into more doable chunks.

3. Finish 30,000 words during Camp NaNo

Have you guys ever heard of NaNoWriMo? If you haven’t, NaNoWriMo is a non-profit organization that helps motivate/foster a sort of writing community for people to write a novel in the month of November each year. I participated for the second time back in November 2015, and surprised myself in that I actually met the 50,000 word benchmark goal for NaNoWriMo. I’ve always loved to write, and although I made it past the 50,000 word benchmark, I never finished the book I was writing. 

So, this brings us to Camp NaNoWriMo. Camp NaNoWriMo is sort of a mini version of NaNoWriMo that runs during the month of April, and you’re allowed to pick your own word-count goal. I’m choosing to set my goal at 30,000 words because although I’d love to try to write more, with finals looming over my head and such, 30,000 words is probably already a little bit of a stretch.  But hopefully with Camp NaNo it’ll give me the little push to finally finish the first draft of the novel I’m writing.

4. Create at least 2 blog posts a week

I told myself before starting this third blog of mine that if I’m going to start yet another blog, I’m going to have to really commit myself to it. So far, I’m off to a bad start. I haven’t fully finished designing the layout yet, so things like an “about me” page will hopefully be up as soon as possible! But in the meantime, I would like to start posting at least 2x per week during April so that I can start getting some content out there and start building up my blog a little bit.

5. Drink at least 2 water bottles full of water each day

This goal was another one of the 2016 goals that I made for myself in January. And just like my fitness goal, I was doing really well on this up until SB. I’m sure I'm probably supposed to be drinking way more water than this, but hey, it's a start. Once I make sure I’m drinking more water regularly, I can build from it.

What are some of the goals you have for April?