Summer is Over

Yeah, not really what you want to hear, I know, but it is the truth.  Incoming freshmen, are you excited?  I know when I was there last year, I couldn't stop thinking about what it was going to be like when I finally got there and had all my things moved in.  You are going to have a ton new found freedom and, not to scare you, but it's rough.  Remember, it's good to have fun, but you need to get the important stuff done, too.  (Refer back to earlier posts about time management.)  I know you can handle it though.

New seniors: you are the top dogs now.  That's just as exciting as starting college.  Have fun!  It's your last year in high school, but much like those starting college, get what you need to get done, done first.  It's important to keep your grades up this last year.  Your grades from all four years matter to schools.  Just because you got accepted into a school does not mean they cannot change their minds.  If your grades slip enough a college can decide they do not want you after all.  Do not screw that up!

I really hope you all do well this next year. 

It's been so long

I had the sudden urge to blog again. I even forgot I was doing this blog to begin with. Good thing I don't have like any followers. I need to change that. Anyways, back to the college issue.

High school seniors and juniors I'm trying to reach:

You have officially moved on to the next stage of your life. For you seniors, that means you're finally going to college whether that is away from home or at home. For you juniors, you're where those seniors were last year. Me, I have survived one full year of college with minimal damage to my sanity.

I was going over my two other posts on here and realized I actually had given some really good advice and even though I forgot I started this blog I realized I really kind of followed my own advice for once. I really hope if you found this blog you can follow it, too. I really want to be helpful in ways I wish people could have helped me.

Surviving the first year of college really is not all bad. It does require some focus but you can still have a little fun. I will admit that the first semester of it I really didn't follow my own advice. I sat around in my room a lot and focused way to much on school and still ended up doing really poorly because, I realize now, I was cracking under the pressure of it all. So going back for a second semester, I promised myself I would do better. And I did. I hung out with my friends a lot more but managed to still find time to focus on my studies. Helpful little tip; if you share a class with any of your friends, start a study group. Even if you're not in the same class exactly, meaning you have the same professor for the same class at a different time, it still works out. Chances are, they are either a little bit ahead of your class or a little behind so you will be to cover material one of you does not know yet. (Side note: That's how I got closer to my boyfriend. I didn't even know he was in my class until he said he was failing Bio. We started dating after we formed a study group with another friend.)

Here's some things that might help you not make the same mistakes I did my first semester.

1. Once you establish your group of friends, start planning little get-togethers with them. Friday is always a good day to plan a movie night for everyone to enjoy since it is the end of the week and everyone is thankful to be done with classes for the week. This does not mean slack on your homework. Make sure that gets done before any fun starts.
2. Plan a separate day where guys spend time together while the girls spend their time together. Maybe base it around a T.V show. This will give the guys time to have their "bro time" and girls to have little vent sessions with each other. It also saves the guys from having to hear about your latest crush or female problems.
   
3. At the beginning of each week, create a new schedule. Don't write it in stone though. Maybe get a white board designated specifically to your schedule. This gives you a little flexibility to change what you're doing from week to week. It also helps with time management. Put it somewhere you will always see it so you know what you have planned for the day and the upcoming day. Don't schedule it by time unless you are someone who works better under time constraints.

That is about all I can think of right now. I really hope it helps someone out there. College is not hard but it is not easy either. Whatever it is, you have to make the best of it because you are going to learn so much more than academics, especially if you are living on campus.

Make New Friends

For those girls who have been in Girl Scouts, you know what little song I'm referring to here. "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the others gold." If you are anything like me and super shy, this is a little easier said than done. You know from experience it was hard to make the friends you have now but college is different. It's a time to step out of the shell you've been hiding in all your life and branch out to other people. You'll find there are a lot of other people you can relate to other than your friends.

Coming to college and leaving my friends behind was probably the scariest thing I've done in my life thus far but I knew I had to do it. I was dependent on my friends being around for something to do. You can't live like that and I learned that the hard way. Guys, and girls, you need to meet people. That's how we network and get our names out there for jobs and projects.

Since coming to college, I've met a ton of people I consider friends but much like at home, I have very few close friends. Much like home, I have three or four people I love being around but unlike home, I'm not depending on them being around to find something to do. I'm not waiting around for them to get out of class so we can go get lunch or go to an event on campus because that's no way to get anything done. It's also time to get to really know my other friends.

Try talking to people. As stated in my last post, get out and find at least one club you're really interested in because then you find friends that have much of the same interests as you. Talking to people can't make things worse, only better. Find your voice and muster up all the courage you can. You may just find a new best friend.

Just remember not to replace your old best friend.

We're Starting Over

Right, so this is where I delete all posts from the pasts and start fresh. Part one, check. Part two, in the process. So in order for this to be meaningful, there will be no complaining on my part about how bad my day was or what not because that is not what people care about and if you do care about my problems, apparently you don't have enough of your own to deal with.

I'm into my first month of college and as exciting as it has been, it's also been a real stress-er. For the record, I don't think that's a word, but thanks to lovely Firefox and it's spell check, it says it is. I'm not sure how many people are going to get a hold of this blog but for the record, I think I'm going to aim this towards seniors in high school.

Guys, if you ever find this, I was in your shoes last year. Trying to find the perfect college for you is hard. Finding the perfect major is even harder. Especially if you have a crazy mother like mine who wouldn't let me pursue what I really love: photography or dance. Apparently you can't make a career out of it. Who knew?

That's why you need a back up plan just in case your parents are like that. I didn't have a back up plan so I did what every girl seemed to do and go for education. Let me tell you now, if you don't do well with stress or people throwing a lot at you at once, this is not a major for you because it's certainly not one for me. I'm sticking it out simply because I have a teacher in my family who's been-there-done-that and can keep me somewhat sane while I try to do this.

But here's some tips on finding your school and finding your major.

1. Don't pick a school simply because all your friends are choosing it. Break away from the pack and choose to be different. You can't always follow along with the crowd and it's good to be your own person. You can always see them too. Invest in a Skype account and a webcam and you can chat whenever. I've heard there are other sites too for chatting like that with your friends but I'm not sure what they're called. Anyways, it's helpful to stay in touch even though everyone has a Facebook or cell phone.
   
2. Decide what you really like doing and go from there. You don't want to be stuck doing something you settled with because someone told you you couldn't make something of yourself doing what you really love to do. If you want to be an artist, go for it. If you want to start a band and make it big, go for it. As long as you have the drive to do it, anything is possible. Make a list of your interests and look to see what majors could possibly fall under any of them if college is really in your future. Once you find your major, that's when you look for your school.
3. Pick your school based on your major. Schools are known for their programs. A lot of schools in Pennsylvania are known for teaching. (A little fact I learned from someone here; it actually produces like twice the teachers needed and has to "export" their teachers.) Look for the school that specializes in your major. The better they are at teaching you that, the more you're going to learn. You also have to pay attention to the placement rate for that job from that school. You're going to want a job after college.
4. APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS! I didn't do it. I'll admit it but it was a stupid thing to do. NEVER PASS UP FREE MONEY. If you are eligible for a scholarship, apply because that's less money coming out of your pocket or a loan. Loans are your last resort. If you can't get enough to pay for school through grants and scholarships, then turn to loans. Just remember, at one point or another, you have to pay them back so only take what you need.
   
5. Buy used books. A lot of schools now even rent out books for the semester. You just need to decide if you're going to need that book later on. If you do, buy it used. If not, rent it. It's a useful way to save money. Books for college are not cheap. You can even order them online from school. The sooner you do that, the more likely it is you'll get used books. New isn't always the best.
   
6. You don't need to listen when they tell you to join clubs. I'm not telling you that joining clubs is bad because it's not. It's a great way to meet new people, but it's not necessarily important. If you're someone like me who needs to focus on school work because you have a fear of falling behind, I suggest you find one club you're really interested in and join it but don't worry about joining a ton. Only take on what you can handle.
   

That's all the tips I can think of for now, but I'm sure there are more to come. Like I said, it's only been a month of college for me. If there are high school seniors, or even juniors, reading this, follow this blog because I'll be sure to put up some more useful information for you. It's not adults telling you what's best, it's someone a little older than you who has recently gone through what you've gone through and is going through what you're going to go through if you choose college. If you ask me, and I suppose this is bias, but that's the best way to learn, by asking someone else about their experiences.