#studysmrter

01.16.17||Monday

I’m about to read this baby about biomass production for my bioreactors class. What a perfect way to start a day, no sarcasm here I’m serious plus my coffe is yummy.

Now that the rough draft of this has been sitting in my drafts for about six months, I think the new year is as good a time as any to finally get this published. So! Here we go!

THE BASICS

I’m Sophie. 

I’m a grandma compared to most of the rest of you at 24, but I’m still taking intro classes for my degree. (HINT: This is what happens when you choose a major solely on the fact that you ‘like to sing’.)

I’m from the U.S. - the Midwest, to be exact. (For those of you that don’t know, that’s the middle of the country that everyone likes to call flyover country. We in the Midwest are not amused.)

I’m a secondary education major (5-12) for American history, world history, and American government. I’m particularly interested in American history and government/politics, and would eventually like to get my master’s and doctorate specializing in Constitutional history.

WHY A STUDYBLR?

Like I said, I’m a lot older than the rest of you. (If there are any other “older” or “non-traditional” students out there, hit me up! I wanna know I’m not alone!) But because I took a detour with my education, I’m rather out of practice with sitting in a classroom for hours on end, having to study late hours into the night, and definitely not used to having to take tests like, ever other week. When I stumbled onto the studyblr and studygram community on Instagram, I saw it as a perfect way to not only get some inspiration, study tips, and motivation, but also to record my own journey and my own experiences.

FUN FACTS

Despite not making it as a music major, I really love to sing, and I’m actually a pretty good vocalist. 

Coffee. That should sum it up, to be honest. I am the Lorelei and Rory Gilmore of the real world: if I don’t have my coffee, I am not only useless but I am CRABBY. I should have called this studyblr something to do with coffee, but all the good URLs were taken. 

I’m going to a school that caused my dad, when I was a child, to say he’d disown me if I ever supported said school, because it was the rival school of his alma mater. I am happy to report that not only did my father not disown me, but he’s super happy that I’m back in school and finishing my degree. It’s also the university at which my grandparents met and fell in love. <3

When I was in high school, my backpack was always a mess. It was full of random papers, broken pencils, wrappers, crumbs ... you name it, it was in my backpack. And even during my first tenure in higher education, my bag was never something I was very proud of. Because of the mess, I was always losing papers, missing assignments, and scrambling to find a pencil to take notes with. It drove me crazy but I never was able to break the habit.

Last semester, though, I had a pretty serious chat with myself about the state of my backpack and how it had a big impact on my studies. I figured out that the secret to success isn’t just keeping your backpack clean, but to only keep what you really need inside. So here’s a peek at what I keep inside my backpack almost every time I leave the house!

Let’s talk about my backpack for a second. I use a Northface Women’s Surge backpack in grey heather/cerise pink. Let me just say: I love this backpack. I cannot say enough good things about it. It’s roomy, it’s good for heavy loads, and (bonus) it’s certified by the American Chiropractic Association. I also love that it has several “felt” lined compartments for my electronics so I know my iPad and phone won’t get scratched up. Here’s a link if you want to go check it out in detail - not a promo or anything, I just really really really love this backpack.

Let’s dive into the contents!

It’s nice to meet you too!