NerdNamedKat

monday to thursday - semester six, week three

《Psychological Tests》//《Day 16/100》 •° This trimester is going way too fast and is kicking my butt 🤯 I swear it took me at least 2-3 weeks to get back into my comfortable and productive study zone because I spent the last year on leave. Now it’s week 5 starting on Monday and I’m like 🙃🙃🙃 Come on, brain. Get with the program 😅

Can you call up a therapist and be like “hi, I’m therapist shopping”? Can you schedule an appointment with a therapist and then be like “actually I have some questions and I want to spend part of this appointment talking about your practice and whether or not it is garbage?”? Are you expected to phone interview/screen your therapists if you are shopping around for a therapist?

1) When you call them up (or email them, which I prefer, because PHONE, EW), you ask if they’re taking new patients.

2) If they say yes, say something along the lines of “Great! I’m looking for a new therapist. Would it be possible for me to schedule an appointment so we can see whether we’d be a good fit for one another?”

IF THEY SAY NO, THEY DON’T DO ‘INTERVIEWS’: they’re a dick, you don’t want them anyway, don’t bother to make an appointment

3) Assuming everything is a go, head over to the appointment. Bring your notebook, pen, and questions. Also, if possible, have a very brief rundown prepared of what you’d like to accomplish with your therapy (or even what you think your biggest issues are).

4) Introduce yourself. Reiterate that you want to see if the two of you would be a good fit, so [a nice little social laugh or smile here, while holding up your notebook] you brought questions.

IF THEY DON’T LIKE THAT: they’re a dick, you don’t want them anyway, cut the meeting short

5) Give the rundown of what you want, what your issues are, whatever. See how they react.

IF YOU FEEL WEIRD AT ALL ABOUT THEM: they may not be a dick, but if you don’t feel comfortable with them, then it’s going to be a shit therapeutic relationship

6) Ask your questions — about their therapeutic approach, why they entered the field, whether they feel comfortable working with *your* needs (I, for instance, specifically told my awesome therapist that I needed her to tell me absolutely nothing about her personal life or experiences — as much as possible, I needed a blank wall to bounce things off of. It’s been years now, and I THINK she’s seen at least a couple of episodes of Doctor Who. I THINK. That’s all I’ve got. It’s amazing).

AGAIN, IF YOU FEEL WEIRD ABOUT THEM: go with your gut — your therapy is not the time or place to try and soldier through

7) By this point, you’ve probably hit the 45 minute mark, and you’ll know if you want to see this person again.

IF YES, say that this was a really great meeting, and you’d like to set up a regular appointment.

IF NO, say “Thanks for meeting with me.” If it wasn’t too terrible, feel free to add in whatever social niceties you want to lessen the blow (“I have appointments with a few other people, still, but thank you again!”), or you could just skedaddle as soon as possible.

IF YOU’RE NOT SURE, go a bit heavier with the social nicety: “I still have appointments with a few other people, but I really enjoyed our meeting. I’ll let you know as soon as possible if I’d like to schedule another one. Thanks again!”

Regarding current therapists: If they’re toxic, get rid of ‘em before you even start interviewing others. Nobody needs that kind of garbage. Otherwise, you could keep seeing them while you interview others, and then the second you find one you like (and you schedule your next appointment), get rid of your current one. You don’t have to say why — just say that you’d like to cancel future appointments. Do it over email, if you want. If you like them, you can tell them that you just need something different now, but that you “really appreciate all the work we’ve done together” or something. If you don’t like them, just cancel. They don’t need to know jack.

IF YOUR CURRENT THERAPIST SAYS SHIT ABOUT YOUR LEAVING — and I mean anything other than a positive hope for you in the future — then they were a dick and you were right to find someone else. Who needs passive-aggressive bullshit from a therapist? Nobody, that’s who.

31.05.18// 56/100 days of productivity

I got some amazing free printables from @emmastudies that have been saving my life!! (For real check her acc out she’s amazing)

I keep my weekly planner in my binder and just use post it’s to plan out my week (so i don’t have to keep printing the schedule over and over, let’s save the planet 😉💖)

a teeny post for my favorite person’s birthday 🌹

some planning from the start of the month + my study buddy 💭✨

Yes I have a t-shirt with bananas

Instagram: lilacpancake

You and your roommate might not get along.

Just because you woke up early every day in high school doesn’t mean you will be able to in college.

Conversely, you might just realize you are a morning person in college. 

You should learn to examine your personal biases. Ask yourself why you have a certain opinion.

There are plenty of students who have taken 17, 18, 19 hour course loads and they have been successful; however, it may not be financially feasible. 

Searching for scholarships doesn’t stop when you get to college. Keep looking for them and applying for them. Create a separate email account to receive and correspond to scholarship emails. 

Don’t put off visiting your academic advisor. Mine absolutely saved me when I was going through the lowest point in my life.

Let your mom/dad/parental guardian (if applicable) make your bed on move-in day. 

Get involved, but only if you want to. Student organizations in college are much more time-consuming, so be certain that it is something you really want to do. 

Have fun. You don’t have to go out every single weekend. But go get coffee or study with a friend. Have some sort of interaction with others. 

Getting a job really eased my financial burdens and I made friends, and established references. Having money just feels good. 

Wash your face. Keep make up wipes close to your bed for nights when you are just too tired to go through an elaborate skin care routine. 

Communal showers suck, but we all have to endure them. I promise you will get used to it. But you gotta bathe, friend. 

Be honest with your support system. Many times, those closest to us would help us in a heartbeat, but they never knew we needed help in the first place.

Utilize services your tuition covers. These include, but are not limited to, tutoring, legal services, medical services, etc. 

Sit in the front row. Just do it. Seriously. You will be less inclined to get on your phone/not pay attention to lecture/discussion material if the material is two feet away from you. You can also see better on those days when you forget glasses, or run out of contacts. 

Your MWF life does not know your T/TR life. You can totally hit those clothes with some febreeze and wear them on heavy rotation.

Speaking of clothes, everyone washes clothes on Sundays. It’s a fact.

You really don’t need to bring all of your clothes, expensive jewelry, trophies from that time you did soccer in 2nd grade, etc. to your dorm. Just enough clothes to fit in your drawers/closet for all seasons, and a couple sentimental items to remind you of home.

Save the boxes you use to move into your dorm/apartment. You will need them come move out.

Live and die by the syllabi, but know that professors will change things up randomly. They will also announce things in class that are not on the syllabus at random. 

Do invest in some good plates and Tupperware.

Drink water. 

The freshman 15 is real and it is coming for you. But it’s okay. You’re still awesome. 

Parking in college is universally limited and unforgiving. Be mindful of this. 

Many retailers will have sales on microwaves and mini fridges when fall comes around. Invest in them. 

Storage containers are a must. 

Respect quiet hours. 

If you will be living on campus, and your campus is dry - RESPECT THAT. Seriously, it’s such a dumb mistake to make. I have friends who started out on probation because they decided to drink in their dorms their freshman year. 

Get a power strip. Or three.

There’s no dress code in college. So you can totally wear that crop top. But be mindful that those surrounding you are potential professional connections. A lot of college is networking. 

But, in all honesty, no one really cares what you are wearing. 

You are an adult now, so setting boundaries is necessary.

Don’t stay in that toxic relationship.

Keep in touch with your friends/family from back home. 

Do ask your professors questions in office hours, during class (if able to), or via email. 

Use protection.

Stand up for yourself, what you believe in, and others.

Get the number of at least one person in each class during syllabus week.

Expect to stay the entire 2-4 hours of your lab. 

Be respectful of your roommate’s space. 

Be respectful of other’s differing opinions in Blackboard discussions. 

Be a point whore. Do the extra credit. Do it. 

Remember that college is a new beginning. 

Realize that grades do not define your intelligence.

Realize that sometimes we fail classes, but it does not mean that we are not “smart enough.”

Know that college is not for everyone. 

It’s okay to take a couple semesters off to better yourself. I did, and I am so thankful that I made that decision.

Buy your textbooks and access codes and lab manuals as early as you can. 

Use a planner!!!!!! 

Mental health is just as important as physical health.

This post is just my personal opinion and everyone will have their own experiences so keep that in mind as you read.

If you are applying to veterinary school or any other medical program it helps to reach out others going through the same process. You start grasping at any shred of information that may give you a leg up during the admissions process and there are thousands of posts you can read that claim to help you decode what your rejection letter reads, how to get into specific schools, etc.

march 24, 2017 | 4:10 pm | 17/100