Studying in Style

Hello! We’re actually also starting our first semesters of college this fall, so this question is on our minds as well. A tip we’ve heard from college students is that you won’t know what supplies you will need for your classes until the first few days of classes. Some classes might be completely electronic, while others might have very specific requirements for notebooks and binders, so we are planning on waiting to buy our school supplies until our classes have begun. For cute school supplies, we love Muji! You can also find a lot of cute and affordable stationery on Amazon and at Target! For some slim notebooks, we love these ones, and here is a cute planner! 

I’ll admit I’m not the best at saving money, but here are a few things I’ve learned over the years: 

1. Save every 5-dollar bill you come across and put it in a mason jar. Don’t open it until it’s full. 

2. Use programs like Mint to track how much you are spending on certain things. This will help you become more aware of how seemingly small amounts of money spent on certain things (e.g. Starbucks lattes, food) add up over time. 

go through your belongings and get rid of what you don’t need. donate books you know you won’t read again, and donate old clothes you never wear anymore. 

in the book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” the author Marie Kondo says to only keep the things that spark joy. otherwise, donate it or throw it away.

find all of your old papers. do you really need all of your math worksheets from seventh grade? probably not. if you tend to hang onto lots of old papers, look through all of them and recycle the ones you don’t want.  

go through your laptop and phone. delete those history readings and old handouts you don’t need anymore, and get rid of apps you don’t use. these things tend to pile up and eat up all of your storage. re-organize all of your files into clearly labeled folders. 

get rid of toxic relationships. don’t keep people in your life who are making you unhappy. find ways to distance yourself from them and you will likely feel a lot better. 

Hi! We’re actually going to be freshman in college this fall as well! Although we’re also going to be figuring things out during this transition, here are some things we’ve found helpful to us so far:

1. Step out of your comfort zone and try lots of new things! Joining clubs, sports, arts, etc. can be a great way to meet new people that share the same interests as you.

2. Be open to meeting new people! Some of our best friends are people that we never would have expected to be friends with early on. Simply being open and friendly to everyone can go a long way!

3. Don’t worry if you don’t find a squad right off the bat. Everyone else is also figuring things out freshman year, and it can take a while to find the kinds of people you want to spend your four years of college with. You’ll have so many opportunities to meet new people every day!

Sign up for lots of new clubs and activities! This is a great way to make new friends and find things you enjoy doing. 

Don’t worry if you don’t find your group of friends right off the bat. I met a lot of my closest friends sophomore year of high school!

Manage your time well. Stay organized so you always know what you have to do and where you have to be. Don’t procrastinate, and don’t overload your schedule. 

Give yourself time to relax. It’s important to have free time to destress and clear your mind.

no matter how hard high school is, it’s important to always take care of yourself. here are some of the ways I’ve found to keep me a little happier and healthier during the school year. 

sleep. getting enough sleep is SO SO SO important, especially in your teens. I definitely struggled to get enough sleep in high school, but I definitely performed best when I was well-rested.

sleep deficit adds up over time-- one short night isn’t as bad as 5 short nights in a row. 

the best way to consistently get good sleep is to stick to a schedule. Set a time for yourself to go to sleep and wake up, and stick with it. 

keep your phone away from your bed at night. it’s distracting, and blue-light interferes with sleep.

if you struggle to wake up when it’s still dark outside, find a sunlight alarm clock like this one. the brightness will gradually increase, slowly waking you up.

try lavender essential oils geared towards helping you sleep. you can use these in aroma diffusers, baths, or put some on your pillow. 

do the things you love! don’t do activities you hate just because you think it will help you get into a good college. sign up for clubs, try out new sports, find volunteer work, play an instrument. find something that makes you happy and stick with it! genuine passion shows through on college apps.

take breaks and give yourself scheduled time to unwind. I find I am able to relax best when all of the tasks I needed to do are complete. take a bath, get some fresh air, spend some time with friends and family, read a book. do things that take your thoughts away from school for a while.

exercise is also a great way to relieve stress. it clears your mind and brings more oxygen to your brain. find ways to get moving that you actually enjoy, whether it’s running outside or playing badminton with friends

make an effort to spend time with people you care about. Hang out with friends, family, extended family. Don’t waste your time on toxic people or relationships-- it will just add more stress and unhappiness in the long run.

save money. it’s easy to feel like you need to buy all these new products because you see people on instagram and youtube using them. just remember it’s part of their job to recommend those things, and you don’t actually need them. 

track your spending with apps like Mint. this will help you become more aware of where you are spending your money, and keep small expenses from adding up without your knowledge.

make a budget plan and stick to it. 

use programs like Unidays and Honey to search for the best deals and discounts, but don’t use coupons or sales as an excuse to spend even more money.

hey guys! it’s Hana. I graduated from high school this June and I wanted to share some tips I learned throughout my time as a student. high school can be a struggle and there were many ups and downs, but I definitely had fun along the way and figured out some ways to make it slightly less tumultuous. whether you are just starting out as a freshman or entering your senior year, I hope you can find this post helpful! 

use a planner! it’s so helpful to keep all of your tasks and events together in one place so you can plan ahead. I personally prefer physical planners or bullet journals over digital ones. Here are some planners I like: 

Erin Condren LifePlanner Undated -- this planner is great because it leaves room for customization if you like the creativity of bullet journaling but don’t want to make super involved spreads for every week. 

Personal Planner -- this is definitely a pricey option but I have a few friends who swear by these planners! I definitely struggled to find planners that suited my needs before I got into bullet journaling, so this seems like a great way to create a planner that works for you.

Muji Monthly Planner -- I seriously love this planner. it is so simple and minimalistic, and you can add in the months and dates yourself. I use this along with a bullet journal; I plan weekly/daily schedules in my bujo and longterm events and projects in this. 

Essentials Grid Notebook -- my favorite bujo of all time! the pages aren’t as yellow-toned as other notebooks so they look better in photos, and as a leftie I prefer bound notebooks to rings.

keep all your papers organized. personally, I keep a folder for each class in my backpack. at the end of each unit, I transfer all of the papers that are unit-specific (e.g. not the syllabus, reference sheets or general info) into large 3-ring binders like these. these papers come in handy when I’m writing essays or studying for finals.  

find ways to use time more effectively. it’s so easy to procrastinate or work inefficiently, and those things only make you more stressed.

you could use something like the Pomodoro Technique to help you work in focused intervals. my violin teacher told me that when I’m trying to practice for over two hours, I should practice for 50 minutes and rest for 10 minutes, and repeat that cycle until I finished. 

vary your study spaces; I know people who study best at home, or who can only study in libraries or coffee shops

take breaks! studying all the time decreases the amount of info you retain and the work you are able to complete. give yourself time to rest and recharge. 

meet with teachers. ask questions when you are confused. it will show them that you care, and help you better understand the material and their expectations.

one bad grade isn’t the end of the world. don’t beat yourself up for it-- it won’t determine your gpa or college admission. that being said, use it as an opportunity to think about ways you can improve the next time around.