Writers' Chasm

It's the first day of the semester for me, the last one of my undergrad years as I am now a senior. I was so busy packing and making sure everything's in order for my own first day that I didn't have time to think of a post for today. So here are my two "first day tips" posts compiled into one easy list.    #1: Dress to impress Wear something simple but nice. The most important thing is wearing something that makes you feel confident. If you feel confident, you'll look confident. Don't wander into class on the first day wearing a hoodie and sweatpants. It's okay to walk around the dorms or your apartment like that, but it's important to be more professional in the classroom. #2: Leave early  This is especially important if  you aren't sure where your classes are. Don't worry about arriving early; there's nothing wrong with that. I typically give myself a half hour to find my classes for the first week or so. It's better ...

Shopping for back-to-school supplies was much easier in grade school. There was usually a list detailing everything you needed, or at least a general expectation. Pencils, pens, notebooks, binders, folders, sometimes a calculator or a ruler. In college it's a lot trickier because what you need is determined by you. I prefer taking handwritten notes because I find that it helps me remember things better than typing or not taking notes at all. I've tried using a single notebook and keeping separate sections for each class;  writing all the notes into the notebook, coding them with the class name, and then tearing out the pages and putting them into individual binders; or leaving them in the notebook and typing the notes into individual documents. I haven't really found any of these methods to be very efficient. This year I think I'm going to just buy a notebook for each class. The important thing is to find the method that works for you. If that's handwriting, buy...

"College" is a series of posts for college students, present and future. It's based entirely on my experience as a current college student and that of my friends. It's that time of year again and I figured that meant I should bring these back.  If you're new to college and moving into the dorms this fall, you're probably trying to figure out what you need to bring. Here are a few things to keep in mind when picking the furniture for your dorm. Read housing regulations Different dorms have different rules on what you can and cannot bring. Don't grab that George Foreman grill only to arrive and find out they're not allowed. I'm not allowed to have candles or clip-on lamps, because of the fire hazard, so some things would be obvious on what's okay and what isn't. Rules can even vary between halls on the same campus, so make sure that your hall doesn't have anything specific. For instance, on my campus, custom lofts are allowed only in...

In an attempt to organize my life and make sure I'm staying on top of things for once, I've started a new routine. It seems to be working so far, though we'll see if I can stick with it as the year goes on. 1. Move to a different area  I'm used to doing my homework sitting in bed or on the couch, but I find doing work in a place where I would normally relax makes it difficult for me to concentrate. So I cleaned off and organized my desk and set up shop there. It helps to put me into a focusing mindset and cut down on distractions. For especially long study sessions, a trip to the library can be big for motivation. 2. Turn off the Internet  Shut down any open tabs that aren't related to your homework. It'll keep you from being tempted to click over to Facebook or Tumblr "just for a few minutes." If you give yourself short breaks, don't use websites that are known time sucks. I tried to use Tumblr for homework breaks, but I would give myself fi...

This is a partial reprint of my post from last September. It's cold season once more. I was sick two weekends ago and the cough is sticking around. At the same time, most of my roommates got sick along with half of campus. Here are some tips on how to get through it as quickly as possible. Drink plenty of fluids The biggest thing when you're sick is to stay hydrated. Keep a bottle of water or your favorite drink in your bag when you're running around campus. I also recommend tea, especially green tea. Peppermint is my personal favorite for when I'm sick, especially if there's a sore throat involved. Rest This is the best thing for getting better. If you have the chance to take a nap, do it. If not, try to relax and get as much sleep as possible. If you're sick, I don't recommend running around outside, especially if it's cold. The more running around you do, the more likely it's going to take longer for you to get better. Skip class onl...

Classes are starting and students are heading back to school. College isn't all classes and homework and partying. There are lots of clubs and events that students can get involved in. Start looking into your options early. If there's a club fair, go wander around and find out more about anything that catches your attention. Most clubs have interest meetings that you can attend without committing. Here you can find out more about the club and what they do. I recommend attending these meetings widely and then cherry-picking the ones that you're really interested in. Consider getting involved within student government. This can be a great opportunity for leadership experience, planning events, meeting people, and getting your voice heard. Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. Pick one or two clubs to begin with, keeping track of the time commitment involved. Some clubs require more time than others, especially those that put on a lot of events. Clubs typica...

Last year, I posted five tips for the first day of school . This year, now that the first day of the semester has come around once more, here are five more tips. #1: Pay attention to the syllabus I know it's boring and that, for the most part, they're all basically the same but it's still important. This is when you'll find out what the class entails and when major assignments are due. #2: Know where you're going Look up which classes you have when and what rooms they're in ahead of time. If you're like me and you're afraid you won't remember, write them down somewhere or put them into your phone. #3: Arrive early  Get to class early. I tend to be fifteen or twenty minutes early the first week, just so I know how long it takes me to get there and I know I won't be late. This is also a good time to meet your fellow classmates and sometimes the professor. #4: Sit toward the front Choose a chair toward the front of the room. Not only is ...

At the time of posting, I have four days until I go back to school. I've officially left the denial phase--(What do you mean summer is over? It's June! It can't be over)--and moved into the anxious phase--(So much to do and so little time to do it. How am I going to get all of this done? Why didn't I start earlier?). Here are some tips to help with that frantic week before. Get with roommates about move-in arrangements, if you haven't already If you're not commuting, then find out when you can move in and make arrangements with roommates. It's important to know who is moving in first and how things will go. If you're really organized, you can decide which side of the room each of you want or you can just do what most people do and first-come first-serve. Pick up last minute items If you haven't gone shopping yet (and if you're not waiting to get there so you don't have to ship all your stuff like me), then get out there. The closer to t...

It's almost back to school time. Back to school time comes with the semester tradition of buying textbooks. I'm weird in that I actually love the feeling of my textbooks arriving and flipping through them for the first time, but I still hate buying them. Here are some tips to get you through this textbook-buying season. 1. Shop around  Compare prices on a variety of different websites. Find out what your classmates use and recommend. I tend to buy my books from Barnes & Noble because A) I trust them, B) the pricing tends to be relatively low in comparison to other places, and C) my shipping is free. A good way to keep costs down is to rent textbooks instead of buying them, though I prefer the option of reselling mine at the end of the year. Also, if you're looking at other sellers on a website like Amazon, watch that they don't run out of stock before you place the order. 2. Remember to take tax and shipping costs into consideration When you're comparing...

It's here. The final stretch before finals week. In my opinion, this is probably the hardest few weeks of the semester. Not only are their papers to be written and projects to do and presentations to be given and tests to take, but the weather is warming up and it's getting harder and harder to settle into actually working. Here are a few tips to make these final weeks a little easier. Keep a list of all major projects and their due dates. I have an Excel spreadsheet of classes, assignments, and when they're due. Each day I take some of the assignments from the column and add them to a different column: everything I'm supposed to finish that day. It helps me to stay organized and on track. Don't procrastinate. This is probably the hardest thing, especially at this time of year. I can honestly say, though, that even though you may still have two or three weeks before a project is due, those weeks will go by fast. Plus college assignments have a nasty tendency to ...

Presentations are stressful things at the best of times. It's not easy to get in front of class room of people, especially alone, and talk. But presentations are a necessary part of college. I've lost count of the number I've had to do over the last three semesters and there are more to come this semester. Here are some tips on how to make giving a presentation easier. Make notecards Get a stack of notecards and list out all of your main points. I make these for almost every presentation, but I rarely ever use them. It's a good stress-reliever, knowing that I have them. If I ever get off-track, I know I can just glance down and check to see where I am. Make sure to number them, though, in case they get dropped. Breathe and read slowly This is very important. Don't forget to breathe. It will also help to slow you down. Take your time and speak clearly. Don't rush. Keep distracting behavior to a minimum It's easy to fall into repetitive behaviors wh...

Midterm week is upon me once again. It's also the week before spring break so I'm wandering around with a severe lack of motivation. Here are some tips on how to get through one of the busiest weeks of the semester. Keep strict track of all due dates and exam dates.  I'm keeping a running list in an Excel document of each day next week and the work that I have to have done before that day. This includes exams, assignments, assigned chapters, and essay due dates. It keeps everything in the same place and shows which days are the busiest.   Don't leave papers until the night before.  If you have an essay or research paper due during midterms, start it early. Leaving it off until the last minute can put a lot of pressure on time that you might need to study for another exam.  Start studying for exams well in advance.  A few days before an exam, start studying instead of waiting to cram the night before. Your brain will retain the information better and i...

In college, you'll probably be giving a lot of presentations. My freshman year alone, I had to make four or five of them. Some of them were as a group, but others were alone. Here are a few tips on how to make nice presentations. Most presentations will require visuals (I usually use Powerpoints), but some won't. This advice mostly caters toward presentations with visuals. Don't put all of the information on the slides.  You don't need to put everything in your presentation on the slides. Use bullets to jot down the main points. This will also help keep you on track throughout the presentation. Too much text is hard to read and looks cluttered. If using videos, add and test links.  If you intend to use extra material in your presentation, such as YouTube videos, add the links to your presentation and test them before giving the presentation. This will prevent any technical difficulties on presentation day. Pick professional, attention-attracting backgrounds....

I'm an English minor so many of my assignments involve reading books for class. Reading books in high school is not the same as reading books in college. Oftentimes in high school there will be a certain number of chapters assigned per day, sometimes chapters may be read in class, and in my classes there will be a sort of study guide of questions to answer while reading. College is not typically like that. Here are some tips on how to handle required novels. Step 1: Write down deadlines  This information may also be in the syllabus, but if it's not make sure to write it down. It makes it harder to forget and keeps it as an accessible reminder. Step 2: If the professor assigns chapters, keep up.  It can be really easy to say "I'll just catch up this weekend" and end up falling way behind. Don't let this happen. Step 3: If the professor just assigns a deadline, figure out how many chapters per day have to be read and actually read that many chapters  ...

In April, I blogged about how I roomed with my best friend even though everyone told me not to .  My advice to everyone was to think long and hard before deciding to room with your best friend. Now, a year and a half later, I've become one of those people who says "Do not room with your best friend from high school." Here are a few reasons why. 1. Your best friend is not necessarily the person you'll live best with. There are some things you just don't know about a person until you've lived with them for awhile. Even in the first few weeks or months things will be fine because you'll still be watching to make sure you're doing okay in your new home. After awhile, though, people tend to get complacent with each other and the bad habits really start coming out. 2. Rooming with your best friend doesn't encourage you to get out and meet new people. You still need to get out and make new friends. Living with your best friend can make it too easy ...

I'm going to start from the beginning with a story, I promise that this story has a point. For awhile now, I've been a little concerned about one of my teeth because it appeared to have a crack in it. It didn't seem too worrying and I don't have dental insurance, so I decided to let it go. And let it go. Until that crack started to get deeper. And turned into a cavity. But I still didn't have dental insurance. So, I let it go. Then, a couple months ago, the pain kicked in. Like couldn't sleep, was sitting around in bed with an ice pack on my face just to feel some relief, kind of pain. It lasted for about two days and then it disappeared. It was close to the end of the semester so I figured it could wait until I got home. I got home. The pain was gone so I kept waiting. Then, it came back. This time it lasted for five days. I popped pills like tic tacs until even a dose of Advil PM couldn't help me sleep. It stopped abruptly and the relief lasted...

There are some things that you don't realize you miss about home either A) You're back at home, or B) You're on campus and realize how much you miss it. Friends and family are a given, so here are a few random things that I always miss about home. 1. My pets. The lack of animal companionship is one of the things that I hate most about living in the dorms. I mean, sure, you can have a fish, but you can't snuggle up in bed to a fish . 2. The ability to lock my bathroom door 3. Actual food 4. Being able to retreat into my bedroom and avoid everyone if I want to. I'm a major introvert, so the fact that I have to be around people all the time without any real means of escape can be exhausting, no matter how much I love my friends. 5. Being able to listen to music in the shower 6. Long showers without having to worry about someone walking in 7. Not having to worry about loud or drunk neighbors (Though, I suppose this could be a problem at home depending on w...

It's that time of the semester again: finals. The time when the library is always packed and free time is in extremely short supply. Here are some tips on how to make the stressful time a little easier. Start studying early  Don't wait until the day before the test to read the chapters for the first time. Instead, start early. Make flashcards a week in advance and study them every night up to the test. The same thing works for notes. Every night before you go to bed, read over your notes. Studying often implants the information more deeply into your brain.   Study the way you do best Some people learn best by reading the information multiple times and others by listening to the information. Review notes, make flash cards, complete study guides, listen to lectures, review Powerpoints, read chapters again, have a study session with a friend in the class, and anything else that might help. Do whatever works best for you. Plan your studying Make a list of everything tha...

It's that time of year again. Time to start getting ready to go home for winter break. It's an exciting time, the break between semesters. Thanksgiving break isn't nice, but with the homework and stressing about finals, it's not really a break. Here is some advice on how to get ready to go home. Turn in any necessary paperwork  If there's anything that you need to turn in about going home or living arrangements for next semester, make sure to get it in on time. Pack anything and everything you'll need for home  Make sure you have any clothes, toiletries, personal supplies, electronics, chargers, and everything else that you need at home. If you're planning on bringing up extra stuff after break, you might want to leave a little extra room in your suitcases for it.  Make travel arrangements and don't forget to budget money for it  If you're not driving yourself home, make sure to find and settle plans with a ride ahead of time. Don't fo...

Thanksgiving is next week (I know, I'm in shock too) which means it's almost time to head home for the holiday! If you're lucky enough to get the whole week off, you might be on your way home already. If you have to wait until Wednesday, I sympathize. Here are some tips on going home for the holidays. Get homework done You might think that you'll have plenty of time for homework when you get home, but in my experience the holidays are the worst time to try to get things done. Home is nine hours away from college for me, so going home is a really big deal. My days tend to be packed with visiting people and going out. Therefore, check your syllabi and make a list of all the homework that you should get done. Get as much of it done before you leave as you can. Make plans with any rides/passengers early If you're catching a ride home or taking on any passengers, make sure you get all plans set ahead of time. There's nothing more annoying than having to wait fo...