University Studyblr

I’m entering my junior year of college and have been creating a list of things I wish I knew earlier than now, like back in middle school or high school. Learn from me with these things, and feel free to add-on whatever you think fits!

Buy Victoria’s Secret underwear and bras. The quality is way better than anything else and definitely worth the money.

Go to the movies by yourself. It may seem weird at first but it really isn’t. Plus you don’t talk anyway. Treat yo self.

Begin saving money early on. Save it all up. Travel with the savings.

Don’t waste all your money on cheap clothes. Don’t solely shop at stores like H&M and Forever 21. Get the latest trends from there and that’s it.

Spend more money for higher quality clothes. Especially for jeans. But don’t buy $200 jeans. $50-$100 is plenty.

Work hard. Get a job. Even if it’s crappy. The experience (and money) is important.

Study hard. Even if it sucks. I regret not trying harder in high school and am pushing myself more now in college (thus this studyblr). Learn all the things.

Simple basic items for clothes look cleaner and are easier. Don’t wear tons of patterns.

Buy yourself a flannel. A good, soft one too. Flannels are amazing.

If someone doesn’t make you feel good about yourself, don’t spend time with them. It’s not worth it.

Don’t keep tons of knick knacks. You don’t need them.

Keep a decorative box and put small memories in them each time you do things. Ticket stubs, wrist bands, fliers. Then when it’s full, go through it and enjoy all the memories. Then, throw them out after and start over.

You don’t owe anyone anything. No explanations. No apologies. (Except maybe your family). When you choose to give them those things, it will mean more because you will actually mean it and want to mend your relationship.

Watch the sunset. It’s fucking beautiful.

If you are not comfortable, don’t do it. Leave the situation.

Learn the balance between school, work, social, and personal lives. Put equal time into all four. Even your personal life.

You are your own best friend and will have your own back, so spend time with yourself. Treat yourself (but not too often) and enjoy your own company.

Talk to yourself. It is good to be able to have a conversation with yourself and think things through fully.

Sometimes you have to be impulsive. It takes just three seconds of spontaneity to get yourself out of your comfort zone. Sometimes this means making new friends or overcoming a fear.

I recently read How to Win at College by Cal Newport, and it has super helpful tips for college, so I thought I would share the complete list of chapters/tips.  I recommend this for anyone in college or going to college!  I will bold my favorites :)

Don’t do all your reading

Create a Sunday ritual

Drop classes every semester

Start long-term projects the day they are assigned

Make your bed

Apply to ten scholarships a year

Build study systems

Befriend a professor

Become a club president

Read a newspaper every day

Do one thing better than anyone else you know

Avoid daily to-do lists

Learn to give up

Never nap

Sign up for something your first week

Always be working on a “Grand Project”

Take art history and astronomy

Blow the curve once a term

Ask one question at every lecture

Jump into research as soon as possible

Pay your dues

Study in fifty-minute chunks

Schedule your free time

Dress nicely for class

Decorate your room

Start studying two weeks in advance

Write outside of class

Eat alone twice a day

Find an escape

Take hard courses early on

Don’t study in your room

Don’t study in groups

Join an honors program

Do schoolwork every day

Attend guest lectures

Exercise five days a week

Stay in touch

Tack on an extra major or minor

Meet often with your advisor

Don’t get a normal job

Use three days to write a paper

Don’t undersleep, don’t oversleep

Relax before exams

Make friends your #1 priority

Don’t binge drink

Ignore your classmates’ grades

Seek out phenomenal achievers

Learn to listen

Never pull an all-nighter

Laugh every day

Use high-quality notebooks

Keep a work-progress journal

Seek out fun

Inflate your ambition

Get involved in your major department

Care about your grades, ignore your GPA

Always go to class

Set arbitrary deadlines

Eat healthy

Volunteer quietly

Write as if going for a Pulitzer

Attend political rallies

Maximize your summers

Choose goals, explore routes

Don’t take breaks between classes

Don’t network

Publish Op-Eds

Use a filing cabinet

Find a secret study space

Study with the Quiz-and-Recall Method

Empty your in-box

Relax before sleep

Start fast, end slow

Spend a semester studying abroad

“Don’t have no regrets”