#prepablr

Hi! I'm definitely a weird case bc I vaguely knew what I wanted to do going into uni and only switched majors once BUT i do know ppl who made dramatic changes or many small adjustments once they got to uni and it's absolutely okay!!

Depends on how uni in your country is designed but here in the US you have the option to be undeclared (i.e. exploring majors and not committing to one) or switch majors up to a certain amount of credit hours.

My suggestions are:

see if your interests converge. do you like your science classes, like helping others, and find random pimple popping videos on youtube interesting? maybe you'd like taking chemistry, health, anatomy, and forensic anthropology. or maybe you're into historical events, are a feminist, and like movies. maybe you could take gender studies with a focus on the feminist movement and feminist media! where these interests meet is where you'll find a passion. (for reference, i like science, helping others, public health, and lab work)

look at experiences outside of the classroom to determine your interests too! just bc you got an A in a subject in HS doesn't always mean you enjoyed it. maybe you got a D in physics but you really loved the logistics behind the NASA SpaceX launch!

go through your future uni (or a community college/uni close to you if you don't know where you're headed yet)'s course catalog/class schedule. pick out classes that interest you in the slightest. see which ones of those you could take your first term to help lead you down a path! my first term i took a nutritional anthropology class even though i knew nothing about it except that it seemed interesting and now I've taken 3 anthropology classes and enjoyed them! My friend enjoyed them so much she's getting an anthro minor!

remember you don't have to choose now.

if all else fails, the classes you take during your exploration can be used towards: general education requirements, electives, minors, etc. so don't worry too much so long as you're on track to graduate!

Hi y’all! I hope staying home hasn’t gotten to you too much during this time. I know it can be hard to stay productive, and it’s totally okay to have moments without any productivity at all! Here’s tips I’ve been doing while I’m studying from home and trying to stay productive, and I hope some of them might help you out too!

Go to classes on zoom when they are scheduled (even if there is an option to watch lectures later).

I know it’s not super fun to attend a 9am ochem lecture four times a week when I could just stay in bed but it gives me some sense of routine since I was used to going to that class when school was still in-person. Today is my one day of the week where I don’t have 9am lecture so I slept in and boy let me tell you.. today was extremely unproductive lol.

Create somewhat of a weekly schedule on Google Calendar.

When classes were still on campus I had them down pat in my calendar with times and such for my meetings and extracurriculars. Now things are a little different because I only attend one class (out of four) at its designated time because the professor does lecture during that time. My other classes I put on google calendar based off what I know I should get done that day. For example, I usually have 3 to 4 modules for psychology so I put in blocks of about an hour every other day labeled “PSY 202- mod 1″ or something similar. This then brings me to my next point which you know is my favorite..

Make a daily to-do list!

When I’m not feeling too productive I put my to-do list on a post-it note and stick it to my laptop but usually I make my weekly schedule on Google Calendar and then switch over my tasks to my bullet journal. I put about 3-5 things to do every day within the week, leaving out Saturdays because I learned this year in college that I should always take off at least a day from classwork entirely for self-care. I put due dates, zoom calls, calls I need to make, etc. on there so I know what’s up.

Work during productive times (and don’t continue working all day).

Even though I really dislike waking up early (or at any time for that matter), I know that my most productive hours are between 9am and 12pm with another lil spark of productivity from 6pm to 8pm. So I’ve developed a routine where I work on schoolwork from about 9am to 2pm when my mom gets home from work (shoutout healthcare workers!!). Anything I didn’t get done during that time either moves to the 6pm time slot if it’s something I can do from my room easily (since I do work in my dad’s office in the morning time) or to the next day if it’s not due too soon.

Set timers and take breaks.

If you saw my last post you know I’m currently in love with the Focus To-Do app because it’s the only thing I’ve found that keeps me truly productive. Forest also works well as a pomodoro timer, but I like to be able to pause without my tree dying in case I really need to take a break or something. So set your timer for a decent time (25 minutes seems to work the best for people), do your work during that time, and then take a break (5 minutes). I only really work through my breaks when I’m super close to finishing something otherwise I take my break. On these breaks, I walk around my house, maybe go outside for some sun, grab a snack, look at my social media, etc. Then it begins again! This really helps me not feel so burnt out by classwork.

Self-care!!

Y’all already know how important self-care is (it’s so important I dedicate my whole Saturday to doing only things that make me feel good, accomplished, relaxed, or happy lol!) and I don’t need to repeat it but here’s some self-care things I enjoy!

Go outside and sit in the sun.

Read a book.

Watch favorite youtubers.

Watch favorite shows (mine is currently Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist on Hulu).

Bake something (bonus points if its with the fam!).

Water your plants!

Do a mini-workout.

Journal/bullet journal.

a real-life example of self-care as a student

i usually write out my general to-dos in my bullet journal and then work through my tasks in the order i write them down in google calendar bc I've been needing a more structured routine this summer, but I got 3 of my wisdom teeth out last friday and since then studying has been really difficult.

so, today was a post-it to-do list kind of day! the top portion consists of what definitely needs to be done today, and the bottom portion consists of what I'd love to get done but understand that I might not be able to finish today.

self-care as a student is forgiving yourself for not accomplishing everything. self-care as a student is understanding your limitations. self-care as a student is being proud of little accomplishments!

as some of you may know, i passed my freshman year w/ flying colors even though there were some nasty classes thrown my way (gen chem third term... lookin at you bud).

so! without further ado, here’s some freshman year tips from your local friendly not freshman.

early morning classes don’t suck (usually)

okay so I might be lying a little because I never took a class before 8:30am but the point still stands. it was so worth taking calculus at 9am my first term of college because I would show up excited as fluff to learn and I always learn better in the mornings. HOWEVER, taking a class that early sucked winter term because it was still insanely dark out when I’d get to campus at 8:30 to my writing class which I despised and had only taken because my schedule was too full. so, lesson learned, take classes in the morning that you’ll love. DON’T take writing in the morning if you’re not a writing major/person. take classes that fit with your major better and make sure you drink coffee.

always, always, ALWAYS check ratemyprofessor.com

this should be like, in bold during college introduction but it gets severely glossed over. a good teacher makes a good student because they have a good experience. my last term this year, I made the choice to have chemistry at 3pm instead of my usual morning time of 11am BECAUSE i checked rate my professor. that professor had a 1.2 rating. i’ve never seen anyone that low and i hope to never see it again. turns out, this guy had been teaching for over 40 years with only handwritten notes, some of which you had to read BEFORE class because he’d spend class making jokes and not teaching. some of my friends had to endure his teaching and let me tell you, i dodged a bullet on that one. find people who are rated highly or at least whose faults you feel you can handle. you can take more risks if you have to after your first term/semester but definitely play it safe at the beginning.

advising occasionally sucks.

it doesn’t suck because you don’t want to go to see some dude who’ll tell you what classes to take. it sucks because it might make you question why you ever came to college in the first place. that’s totally normal. but don’t feel pressured into having your college experience fit into their 4-year plan boxes the way they write courses in. courses are flexible. you can retake, you can take a course during a different year (usually). make your college experience a happy and healthy one, don’t feel pressure or stress to fit into a box you don’t wanna be in. oh, and go to advising with ideas, don’t go emptyhanded.

living off campus with your parents isn’t lame (and any frat boy who tells you it is... is gonna live with his parents after college because #karma)

i lived with my family my first year for medical reasons and am deciding to live with them sophomore year too because you’d be surprised how many people in the dorms absolutely miss their parents and their home. homesickness never leaves and what better way to avoid it than to live at home forever? just kidding, i’ll move out at some point but take advantage of in-state tuition and no housing. your wallet WILL thank you for adulting early on. and for my chronic illness buddies, it’s extra helpful and will save you a lot of anxiety. one of my best friend had to deal with endo flares and ER visits at our university with me and friends instead of with the only person she wanted at the time (her mom) and it was heartbreaking.

self-care is extra important in college

my reusable water bottle saved me from dehydration many a time. also getting (and spilling) tea on campus helped me stay sane. going out to eat pad thai before big tests IS the ultimate form of self-care. next.

you can buy and sell your books on amazon (and you should because adulting, wallet, remember??)

slugbooks.com is a great place to find the cheaper alternative to your campus bookstore although occasionally the bookstore has had books way cheaper, but it’s rare. most of the time i end up on amazon for my books, and if you buy in very good or like new condition you can usually sell it back to amazon at the end of the term which i enjoy a lot. and most of the time you won’t need those books again, so definitely sell them if you’re able. ALSO rip to my chem textbook which i’ll never be able to get rid of it because it’s stupidly loose leaf and i hate her.

2020 Quarantine Challenge

I definitely missed quite a few days but am super excited to get involved in this challenge! Definitely recommend if you’re needing something to keep yourself occupied. :) (Also we should definitely make some studyblr group chats on groupme!)

Friday, March 27th (today): What is your favorite subject/topic to study at the moment?

My spring term doesn’t start until Monday but my favorite subject last term was Global Health (especially with everything going on right now those last few weeks were insanely insightful!). The subject I’m looking forward to the most this term is Organic Chemistry III as it’s organic chemistry as it relates to biological processes!

Older days I missed :(

Monday: Have you made a study schedule to help you study at home?

Yes! I use Google Calendar like I usually do during term, and I’ve made a few adjustments for online studying I hope to share with y’all soon!

Tuesday: How are you being taught your lessons?

We always use Canvas and some of lectures will be taught using Zoom.

Wednesday: What’s your favorite study snack?

Oooh I really love cheese so that’s up there on my list, also love gummy bears haha

Thursday: How are you keeping active?

I usually powerlift at my university’s gym but currently can’t so I’m doing home workouts (not enjoying them too much hehe but hopefully they get cooler soon).