College Essentials

Some people already know what they want to do when they grow up, BUT lots of people don’t. And that is okay. On the other hand, there is other people who think they know what they want to do but end up changing their mind. That is also okay. For example, I love helping people and I went into college thinking that I wanted to major in psychology (I had not done any research on it). At some point I was told from a psychology masters student that you cannot really do much with a psychology degree, you actually have to go for your masters and possibly your doctoral. That statement turned me off from psychology because I did not want to be in school for a long time so I had to think about what I liked and what I was good at. I am good at math, I am very observant, and I love creating ads. I ended up changing to marketing.

I want to share a 3 tips about what you can do to choose your major…

1) Pick a major based on passion, interests, values, and ability

What is it that you enjoy doing? Is it something you would like to do for a living or is it just hobby? Now a days you can do almost anything and get paid for it. This link will share 15 weird people get paid to do.

Know what areas you have skills in, what are your strengths? But do not completely eliminate anything that you lack ability in, those skills can develop over time.

Your major should align with your values. You do not want to be in a field where you constantly have to do things that you do not believe in and hate it.

2) Consider the future

Will you still enjoy it years from now?

Is it employable?

Will it be around later in life?

Will it pay?

3) Give yourself time… Do not rush into choosing

You have all of high school if you start planning soon but you also have your first 2 years of college where it is mostly basic classes you have to take.

If you feel like you are running out of time DON’T. You can always take a semester off and explore and think.

4) Get help

If you absolute do not know what you want to do you can always ask for help

Collages have advisers and career advisers you can talk to, it’s their jobs to advice you.

Talk to your peers

They can give you tips about hot the decided on their majors and insights on their major. Who knows, it might be something you are interested also.

Talk to your parents

You parents might know you more than you think. They might be able to make suggestions.

There is a chance that they were in the same position as you are now and can share tips with you of how they overcame that.

College is not just about studying and figuring out what you want to major in, it is also a time to explore and having fun. My biggest regret was not exploring new things on and off campus. I would always make an excuse and say that I had work and did not have time, I had too much homework, or I was too tired. Unfortunately, for most people college only lasts 4 years, and they go by fast. By your senior year its almost too late to take advantage of a lot of on campus activities.

These are a few things I think everybody should take advantage of..

1) Explore off campus

Take a trip off campus and get familiar with what new restaurants there is and new fun activities you can try out in the future.

2) Attend panels/speaker events

It does not have to be something that is related to your major or potential major. They can be something you are interested in and if it does happen to be about your major you can use the opportunity to network and gain more knowledge.

3) Join an organization

This organization can be something you are interested in (autonomy, animals, etc.) or something that relates to your field of study. These organizations usually do a lot of group activities and you might find your best friends there.

4) Study Abroad

I have always wanted to do this but never got around to it and it also one of my biggest regrets. Who does not want to travel???? Sure you have to “study” but you are in a different country meeting new people, it’s an adventure. You might be thinking that its most likely very expensive and you can’t afford it or you are too busy. Well yes they might be expensive but they are defiantly affordable. Colleges offer many different scholarships to pay to study abroad.

5) Attend football games

If it is something that you are not into at least try it once. It is amazing seeing the student body taking price in their school colors and singing their song. Also, you might see some amusingly strange things. For example, at one of the football games I attended I saw a student dressed up as a squirrel. Yes a squirrel, and it was a hot day, I can only imagine what that dude was feeling.

6) Take a class that does not relate to your major

This class can be something really helpful in the future like a personal finance class or something that just peeks your interest like a Greek mythology class.

I know college can be stressful and hard. You are taking multiple classes that have tests on the same day and the homework is due at the same time. It’s almost like the professors plan to make the college experience 10 time more stressful. The whole situation is very overwhelming. Luckily you will get through it!

Here are the top 4 ways to reduce stress (in my opinion)...

1)      Get enough sleep

I know that you have a lot of homework and it is all due around the same time. You are tired and you might be thinking minimal work is better than no work, something is better than a 0. But in reality having little sleep can increase your stress levels. The best thing to do would be to plan out your week early so you won’t have to stay up so late. In the end more rest will lead to better grades and less stress.

2)      Exercise

No, I did not say extrafries. I know that a lot of people hate the concept of working out, I used to be like that. In all honestly it really helps clear your mind and stay focused with lower stress levels. You don’t have to do something that you absolutely hate like running. I am sure that your college gym offers a variety of fun classes to take: yoga, kickboxing, cycling, swimming, etc. Stop by and take a look, there will most likely be something you will enjoy. And the best part of exercise is that it is a natural energy booster.

3)      Get emotional support

Like I mentioned before, sometimes college is very overwhelming. There is probably some students who feel like nobody can help them because nobody will understand them. It is not good to hold your stress and emotions in. I know that sometimes it can be scary to ask for help and to let your walls down and be vulnerable. Talk to a trusted friend or family member about what going on. Just venting will help in making you feel better. When I was going through my hardest semesters I would call my boyfriend crying because I felt like a failure. Just venting and hearing his encouragement was enough to make my worries go away. In addition, colleges offer counseling for situations like this. Make an appointment and just talk to them about everything that is going on. They are trained professionals that have gone through school just like you, if you feel like nobody will understand they sure will.  

4)      Try not to overload yourself

I am guilty of this. A lot of students take a lot more than they can handle like 5 classes, being part of multiple organizations, and full time work. When will you do homework, study or sleep? Don’t be scared to drop a class or leave an organization because that would pile a lot of stress on you. Also, don’t be scared to say no when people ask you to attend events or for you to do something that will add on to your full plate.

Staying organized in college can be challenging. Life happens and sometimes all you want to do is party or relax. But then your project/assignment is due and you have not even started. What do you do? You can either take the 0 or rush to get the project/assignment done even though it is not going to be great.

The #1 thing to do to stay on track and have time for working out, social activities, work, and everything else is…. getting a planner.

That planner is going to be your best friend. When you get your syllabus from all of your classes take the time to write when assignments are due. I personally get the planners that have a monthly calendar and then individual day/week sections. This way I can write huge important assignments on the monthly calendar and everything else on the daily calendar. I know it takes some time and it might seem lame but it helps a lot. Besides, It will probably only take 30 minutes to an hour which is ONLY .04% of your day. Once you have everything written out you get a visual representation of what your month/week will look like. As you complete the assignment cross them off with a highlighter so you can see what you have done and what you still need to do. Having the visual representation will give you the ability to plan ahead so that you can have time for everything your heart desires.

The picture above is my personal planner. I do include personal, work, and school stuff in one planner so I can have a bigger picture of what my week will look like.

Bonus tip…

For each class use a different color pen so there won’t be any confusion as to what class your assignment is due for. I do not do this step on the picture above but it is something I have been incorporating now. 

If you want more organizational tips click here… This article goes more in depth than I do and presents 45 tips to staying organized. That’s 44 more tips!

College is expensive but it will be one of the best investments you will ever make in your life. Knowledge is key in the world that we live in. I started working when I was 17 so that I could start saving up for college because my family was not going to be able to pay for it. My biggest mistake was not taking advantage of scholarships that high schools offer. It was very hard managing college and working between 30-40 hours per week. If I add up all the money I spent on college and college related supplies it equal to purchasing a brand new car outright. Even though I worked a lot and was a full time student I was able to develop time management skills and I will be debt free.

Today I will be sharing tips on ways to be able to pay for tuition!

1)      Fill out the FAFSA application

This application is need based, but hey its free money from the government.

2)      Research scholarships and grants

This is money that you DO NOT have to pay back.

Grants are also need based and the FAFSA application can help in determining which grants you qualify for.

There are a lot of places you can find scholarships on

University scholarships (academic, athletic, club based, leadership based, ethnic, etc.)

Community Scholarships

Local business scholarships

Free website

Fastweb.com

Collegeboard.com

Finaid.org

Ed.gov

Private donors

Just be mindful when applying for scholarships. You should never pay to apply for scholarships and DO NOT give out your social security number when you apply.

3)      Research work opportunities

Research shows that the students who work between 15-20 hours a week have the best GPA and it teaches time management.

Work study gives you the ability to work while you study. For more information talk to the financial aid office in your college.

Off campus part time jobs

4)     Savings Account 

I want to start my first post by giving a little background about myself. I am currently on my last semester of college. Which is the main reason why I am starting a blog (it is an assignment for my social media marketing class). At first I was really scared for this assignment because I am very insecure about others seeing what I am writing. I am scared about others judging my content. I talked to one of my class mates and she made a good point… She said that in her opinion the way to be successful is by putting yourself out there. I have been thinking about that a lot lately and she is right. This assignment is the perfect opportunity to put myself out there and work on myself.  

Anyways…