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College 101

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What I learned my Second Year in College

5/28/17

School is over! Honestly, it could not have ended soon enough. This year was different for sure. For one, I still lived in a dorm but with fewer people this time. As a freshman, I lived with 7 other people and as a sophomore, I lived with only 3 other people. Also, I had my own room and my own bathroom, but shared a kitchen with my roommates, so no more meal plan. The bad thing is that I don't know how to cook... although I learned a lot from this year (I had to go grocery shopping on my own and buy kitchen supplies), I learned how to cook some stuff but I definitely can't say that I ate well. Overall, sophomore year can be a weird year in college because you are not a freshman. You already know the ropes, yet things are still relatively new and there is still a lot to learn. Below is a list of things I learned as a sophomore in college.


  • Explore courses in the fields that interest you if you are undeclared or not sure of the major you are currently in. It's okay to change your major a few times, I changed my mind so many times on what I wanted to do as well.
  • Enjoy living on-campus and take advantage of the opportunity. There have been tests that prove that living on-campus is better for your grades. So take advantage of living close to campus and go to the library or join clubs. Students that commute to school have it harder so make sure to get involved in school if you can.
  • Friends are not always going to be there for you, but God is, so "cast all of your anxieties on him because he cares for you." That is one of my favorite bible verses. Some friendships don't last but new ones spring up. Don't be discouraged when you hear less and less from your friends. God is by your side all the time! But do treasure the friends who are there through thick and thin!
  • Have fun! One of the reasons why I didn't really enjoy this past year was because I did not really do much. I did go to a school event once at the beginning of the semester and I had a lot of fun, but after that, I did not really do much. I did go see a couple plays though and I am glad I did. I knew I enjoyed going to plays and dance concerts as a freshman so I tried doing that my sophomore year as well. In my defense, I don't have a car so there was not really much I could do. But if you can, get your friends to go out with you and visit different places at your local college city or town. 
  • Have a positive attitude. I know I have mentioned this before, but I still think it is extremely relevant. You have to have a good mentality about everything you do. Whether it is being positive about a class you think you might not do so well or being positive about a club that you are not sure about joining or just being positive about the whole school year in general. I think having a positive attitude makes a huge difference in whatever you're trying to do. I find I do much better when I am positive about a class I am a bit wary about than when I am negative about it.


How to get ready for a new semester in college
January 22, 2017

 I know that for some of you, school has started, but some still have 1-2 weeks left of winter break. Here are some tips I would like to give you in order to have a successful semester ahead.

 1. Get a planner
I know what you're thinking, and I know you have probably heard this gijillions of times, but this step is very important. If you already have one, great. You're already ahead of the game. But are you really using your planner? Make sure to list all your classes in your planner as well as any other events like club meetings, or just a day to hang out with your friends. Remember to treat yourself! I recommend you also write in designated time slots for studying a specific subject. Make sure to leave plenty of time for studying. Lastly, spice up your planner! I found that when my planner looks cute, I am more likely to use it.




2. Make a list of your goals

Take a piece of paper and write your goals for the future semester, whether it's academic or personal. If you want, you can write them on sticky notes and put them somewhere visible, that way you can see it every day and remind yourself to strive for that goal. 

Once, you have your goals set up, it's time to plan for what you are going to do in order to accomplish those goals. Do you need to spend more time studying? Go visit more professors on their office hours? Invite a friend over for lunch? You need to make these goals a reality, but you must start with a plan. 



3. Get your books
Get the list of the books you're going to need next semester and start researching prices. I feel that it's better to get the books sooner rather than later, that way you don't have to worry about missing any material the first few days of school. The most commonly used websites are Chegg and Amazon. You can also look into other websites. I also recommend using SlugBooks since they compare many different websites that sell textbooks so you can find the one with the cheaper price! If you want more suggestions on how to get textbooks cheaper, check out this video on YouTube. I'll put it right here. The guy on the video has lots of videos about college, so you might want to check some of those out too.



4. Start thinking positively

I think one of the best ways to feel better about anything is to have a positive mindset. I know school is tough and we're in college. Whether you're a senior in college or a freshman, we're still learning many things and we're growing up. Life happens. We have ups and downs, failures and successes. Yet we can't let those failures get in the way. Maybe last semester wasn't so hot, but it doesn't mean things are always going to be the same. You can totally turn things around. You got this! Start the semester feeling confident about yourself, even if it means writing it down over and over again on a piece of paper. Remind yourself that you can accomplish ANYTHING you want if you just keep trying. Every day you wake up, don't forget to tell yourself that you will have a great day ahead and everything is going to be alright. One more thing, surround yourself with people with a positive attitude! It really makes a difference. Don't forget that you are amazing and that you are in college for a reason, which is to succeed.



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