Loved In Retrospect

This year, I want you to be unapologetic when you create.

Don’t apologize for your writing, drawing, music, designs, films, sculptures, cosplays, knitting, sewing, cooking, and anything else I might’ve missed.

Don’t apologize for the quality.

Stop being afraid of what you can accomplish. You might think you can do so much better, well guess what? You will. You’re always improving. But if you start to apologize for the best you can do at this moment, then you might restrain yourself, stop yourself from taking risks that will help you.

I know this is a hard thing to stop. I do it all the time. When I submit art to people that I’m not so confident about, I’ll apologize in advance.

I am risking nothing

I AM SORRY FOLLOWERS, I LOVE MY MOMMY

Will not risk.

write down every deadline!

get someone’s number in every class, in case you have to miss a class or need a study buddy

don’t buy textbooks before you go to the first class – you might not even need them

same with notebooks, binders, folders, etc

live on campus for at least a year if you can – you’ll make more friends and get more involved that way

apply for a work study job  – your boss will be way more understanding about taking time off to study than if you work off campus 

put yourself out there, especially in the first couple of months. go to club interest meetings, hang out with people from class, introduce yourself to your hall mates

if you don’t like the free t shirt, don’t take it. you’ll never wear, no not even to sleep, and you’ll just end up stressed out about your lack of closet space

don’t go straight back to your dorm after class – study in the library, hang out in union. don’t coop yourself up in your room all day!!

start your work as soon as you get it

always carry a water bottle

don’t leave the dining hall empty handed! grab some fruit or cookies for a snack later

keep a travel mug in your backpack so you can get free coffee from the dining hall instead of starbucks

coordinate with your roommates on big stuff – fridge, coffee maker, etc

apply for fafsa the day it opens!! if they need any extra info you’ll wanna know asap 

lay out your clothes the night before, so you can sleep a little later

use the resources available to you!! go to the gym, the campus clinic, etc because you’re already paying for it!!

go to sporting events even if you don’t like sports, it’s a chance to really appreciate your school + get away from homework for a bit

start your work as soon as you get it!!!

take classes that interest you!! even if they’re outside your major

study hard but don’t forget to take a break!! spend time with your friends and make memories!!

always keep $20 in your car for emergency gas or food

you’ll probably switch majors. that’s okay.

if you decide you want to ~party~, take it easy. always go with people you trust, and don’t be afraid to leave early if you’re getting a bad vibe

don’t wear a lanyard. sure, they’re convenient, but at what cost?

speak up in class, but don’t be a know-it-all. if you’re speaking over all the other students or acting like you know more than the teacher your attendance grade is going to be the same as if you hadn’t talked at all

don’t sweat your gpa too much. it’s not like high school, and unless you have to have a certain gpa for a scholarship it doesn’t really matter what it is

keep your room clean. seriously it’ll make your relationship with your roommate much better and will keep your space from stressing you out

avoid all-nighters like the plague

you don’t need as much as you think you do

seriously, if you don’t use it at home you won’t use it at school except for:

shower caddy + shoes (invest in a sturdy caddy)

robe

earplugs/sleep mask if you’re a light sleeper

get a comfy mattress pad!! it doesn’t have to be expensive – mine was $25 from bed bath and beyond 

Clorox wipes!!!!! 

a sleeping bag + sleeping pad is great to have for guests or last minute camping/road trips

 don’t be afraid of random roommate pairings!! it worked out great for me, and even if you don’t end up bffs you can still get along

communicate with your roommates!! set expectations up front – how clean will you keep the room? will you need to call before you have guests? is their food up for grabs? can you share clothes?

pack as light as you can – you can always grab more stuff over break, and chances are you’ll have less storage than you think

related: don’t bring every pair of shoes you own. one pair of each type is good – sandals, dress shoes, workout shoes, etc

keep some snacks on hand – popcorn, granola bars, cereal are all good for snacking + sharing

those ikea rolling carts are great for storage!!

the dollar store is great for finding little bins for wrangling pens, nail polish, hair ties etc

have an extra set of sheets, because it would take an act of congress to get me to actually do laundry and make up my bed in the same day. 

bedding: you can get it super cheap while still being nice/durable!! my quilt was from a west elm outlet for around $30, my sheets from tj maxx for $18, and my backup set was $7 from walmart. i used throw pillows and blankets i already had and bam, super comfy bed.

you’ll probably wanna stay away from white comforters, bc your bed’s gonna be the main seating in your room and you/your friends will wear shoes on there/drop a slice of pizza/generally get it really gross 

throw pillows!! my friends laughed when i moved in and had a bunch, but guess who was begging to watch movies on my super comfy bed??? they’re not essential, but it’s nice since you’ll be sitting on your bed a lot

be selective about the school supplies you bring bc they get heavy fast

start hoarding grocery bags!! they’re perfect for desk sized trash cans

bring a lamp (and not just for your desk.) dorm lighting is seriously depressing (esp if you end up with cinderblock walls) so bring your own!

you’re probably not going to have much time for reading, so don’t bother hauling a huge box of books up the stairs. 

have a couple extra cups/mugs on hand for friends, but don’t bring your whole cabinet!! you won’t have much space so you don’t want gross dirty mugs hanging around your desk

sponges > dish rags

bring two of each: plates, bowls, silverware sets, travel mugs.

bring a small hamper!! if it’s too big you’ll run out of clothes before you run out of space 

tide pods will make your life so much easier

bring some pictures from home to hang around your desk, but leave some room for new pictures!!

keep some extra command hooks/picture strips on hand after move in

cleaning supplies to keep on hand: broom or small vacuum, clorox wipes,  and lysol (for when the flu inevitably goes around your hall). that’s honestly all you’ll use/need.

bring anything you need for your hobbies; guitar, paint, yoga mat, etc

wait a couple days after move in to hang up stuff on the wall; you’ll probably move furniture around for a few days still

honestly, you’ll be moving furniture all year

I think we can all agree that the mere idea of having holiday breaks from boring lectures and all-nighter study sessions sounds like heaven; although this romanticized idea of having so much free time often turns into wasted summer days, oversleeping, and basically an anti-social teenage version of house arrest. so, to help you out (or, more to help Myself) here are some things I do to keep myself busy, on a budget (kind of), and mentally healthy during long breaks from school.

continue your morning routine. this is important; by this I mean to basically treat your summer mornings as you would your school mornings, without the rush and alarm. brush your teeth, brush your hair, start/continue a skincare routine, get out of your pajamas and into real clothes, make your bed, make some coffee, eat some breakfast, do it with some music on, whatever you want. this keeps your mind and body into a daily routine. don’t let all your precious no-class mornings of summer go to waste!

savor sleeping in, but not too much. I know its super tempting to go to bed at like 2 AM and wake up the next “morning” at 12PM, but trust me, you’ll regret fucking up your sleep schedule once you actually have to set an alarm and get your ass to class next fall. I’m not saying you should force yourself to set a summer alarm (although, if you really want to train yourself this isn’t a bad idea tbh) but for the love of god, at least go to sleep and wake up at reasonable times. don’t waste your entire day!!

force yourself to see your friends a couple times a week, even if you really don’t want to. obviously this excludes mental health days, but I’ve found that spending time with my friends actually distracts me from any anxiety I’ve felt during the past week. I love my alone time, but human interaction is super important both mentally and physically. as college students we’re all pretty much broke, so don’t underestimate the power of free things- watching netflix at someone’s house, having a boardgame night, going to parks, you name it. as long as you’re with your friends, you’ll have a great time!

clean out your music library + make a playlist or two. y’all know I love a good playlist. this is something totally 100% FREE, and a perfect way to make use of your free time. delete all the stuff you don’t listen to anymore and make a few playlists of your favorite songs, or even go with playlist themes to organize your songs. it’s fun and your future self will probably thank you later for getting rid of so much audible junk.

get back into reading. this is something that was on my personal summer to-do list. I haven’t read a book for myself (aka not for a class) in sooo long, and let me tell you- I don’t know why I ever stopped reading. I know for a fact that once the semester starts I’ll have zero free time to read for myself, so summer is the perfect time to get into a new book or two!

eat your three meals a day +hydrate. I mean this. its very easy to skip/forget meals when you really don’t have any set schedule whatsoever, so plan your meals into your day. even make an alarm if its necessary. also: if you don’t know if you’re drinking enough water, you probably aren’t.

deep clean your room/workspace/closet. I’m super guilty for putting this off but, long breaks like summer are the perfect times to deep clean! what makes it easier for me to clean my room is to go section by section, which means not doing it all in a day (because that gets hella overwhelming and stressful, let me tell you). grab a garbage bag, put on some tunes, and pick a section to clean that day; you’ll be done with the entire space in no time!

outfit plan. for someone like me who has way too much in my closet and somehow still “never has anything to wear”, this is essential! set some outfits out on the floor/bed and take pics of them on your phone so that you can look back on them for some style inspo the next time you have “absolutely NOTHING to wear”.

find a new hobby, even if you’re bad at it. make some collages of your friends, make a scrapbook, learn photoshop, paint a little, learn how to sew, garden, cook, practice your phone photography skills… if there was a time for you to try out new things, it’s NOW.

make a post about all the shit you should do. I’m doing it right now. literally. you’re reading it right now. its not a bad idea.