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collegechickadvice · 8 years

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The Start of A New School Year

It amazes me that I am officially a junior in college (yikes!). I am now taking all upper-division classes and the idea of being an ‘adult’ and getting a ‘career’ seems to be looming over my head. It’s scary and it’s exciting. Yes?

As far as what I’m going to be doing afterward, it still really isn’t decided. Right now, all I can hope is that my organic chemistry class doesn’t tear me to parts and I stay sane.

As per usual, I’ll start out with my thoughts going into the next school year.

Right now, I’m trying to focus on my time-management. I’m taking a heavy load of science right now and a lot of them cause a lot of memorization. I absolutely loathe reading my textbooks and rarely read them my first two years of college unless I felt the need to or if it was certainly required. All classes in college say in the syllabus ‘required text: _____’ and usually, I try and wait a week or so until I finally decide if I need a textbook. This year, not the case. I am living in all of my textbooks because I’ve learned that it helps the consolidating process for me. If I see information, hear information, and read the information, then I’m more likely to remember it later on . . . and understand it.

I also have a new roommate . . . which I’m beyond happy about. She matches my living-style more and is actually neater/cleaner than me and it makes me want to step up my game. My advice to you sophomores or freshmen, try and find someone who actually lives like you do. Are you messy? Find someone who is messy. Are you loud? Find someone who likes to blast music and stuff. Are you studious? Find someone who lives in the library or just studies all the time. Honestly, it helps, because then there’s no awkward passive-aggressive stuff that occurs throughout the school year. (By the way: When you start out, within the first few days or weeks of living together, be sure to address anything you know you don’t like in a roommate. If you don’t want your roommate eating your food, be sure to make a verbal conversation about it).

I also have more of a confidence this year. I know more people in my classes (because all of us share a major) and I just know the friggin’ campus better. I know the short-cuts and I definitely have better studying habits. I know what works for me and I know what doesn’t. I will have to admit that high school did NOT prepare me for college in any shape or form. Studying was optional for me in high school (depending on the class) and in college, it’s either study or fail.

I’ll probably post more later on, but I’m actually getting ready to head to my last class of the day. . .

I hope everyone’s semester started off really well. I also hope that all you freshmen are enjoying college and adjusting well (trust me, I still feel homesick . . . especially after summer).

Keep on keepin’ on. . .

#high school #college #freshmen #advice #school advice #college advice #high school advice #first day #first week #syllabus #classes #school #tips #helps #college blog #college admissions #college adventures #tips for freshmen #tips for college

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collegechickadvice · 8 years

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HI! I was wondering which subjects you take? And in case if it's not math/sciences, I was wondering what books you read for college? Thank you!

It’s been a hectic week for school since I started last Monday (8/22). Anyway, as a junior and a major in neuroscience I’m taking a heavy science load. I am taking cell bio, neurobiology of learning and memory, a writing class, organic chemistry I, and the lab that goes with it (a three hour lab). As far as books, it depends on the class and the major. I have read a variety of poetry books for a literature class. I have also read parts of Mein Kampf for a Nazi Germany class.

As far as other books, the standard is textbooks. I kind of live in a lot of neuroscience textbooks, but it’s also helpful to read the others before class (helps my learning process and remembering stuff).

Hope that helps!

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collegechickadvice · 8 years

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The End of Yet Another School Year

Hello all . . .

Man, has my sophomore year torn me apart this year. It’s been a long year and it’s had really great ups and it’s had really awful downs. And so did my freshmen year. And yet, I don’t know which one was harder. So this is my own reflection for the past two years of college.

It amazes me that I’m now 20 years old and I’m officially a junior in college. I feel . . . old. And I don’t mean like old, as an elder or whatever, but I’m in awe of how much I’ve grown in the past two or three years. It feels like I just graduated high school and somehow I’m almost old enough to drink (not that I do, oddly enough because I’m ‘boring’). I feel as though I’m not an adult and that’s because of a lot of factors that I won’t be going into.

I’ve learned over the past two years that I really do need my parents, no matter how frustrated I feel with them when I am home. I’ve learned that my friends are invaluable and they are blessings in my life. I have learned the value of studying my sophomore year because I haven’t needed to study as hard as I have this year for my classes. I’ve learned how difficult it is to live with someone who has a different life style than you. I learned what alpha decay is and I now can tell you how light microscopy works and what cresyl violet stains do and where the internal capsule is in a brain.

College is halfway done for me and I don’t know what else to say except for the fact that I’m happy and sad about it. I’ve missed being home with my friends. But I loved being able to be an adult on my own a different city and trying to meet new people. It’s been difficult at times but I wouldn’t really trade it for the world.

And now, this summer, I’m going to be having some fun adventures and I’ll be working again for the summer. I always feel super reflective after the years have gone by and it amazes me that one of my best friends is graduating high school and I met her when she started high school as a freshmen and I was a junior in high school. It’s weird and crazy to see people grow up because then I suddenly realize I’ve grown up too.

I would love to hear what you guys have learned over the past year of school or just life in general and you all should feel free to put it on my ASK and I’d love to read them. And if you’re brave or if you just want to, I would love to either put it up on my blog (no matter your age) and either not reply or reply and just have it up for other people to read!

I hope finals went well for everyone. I about wanted to smother myself after the last week because of my chemistry final, but it all paid off and that is one of the best feelings ever.

And as always,

Keep on keepin’ on. . .

#reflection #college #high school #advice #student #finals #end of the year #graduation #freshmen #help

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collegechickadvice · 8 years

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Being the Perfect Student

It amazes me how so many college students vary in what they value as a student. Some people value the idea of having a social life. Some people value being a healthy human being (y’know . . .NOT trying to gain that Freshmen 15 all four years of college). Others value volunteering. And then there’s those that value good grades.

I think it’s hard to define what ‘perfect’ is in any specific situation. There’s a different version of perfect for each category of something. And in all honesty, everyone has a different picture of ‘perfection’ in their head. Trying to encapsulate the perfect ‘student’ is hard because it varies from person to person and it also varies the kind of student you are. Maybe you’re in middle school or high school or college. Maybe you’re the type of student who likes to get involved in everything. Or maybe you shouldn’t be a student at all (you know who you are).

My point is, this particular post will be me trying to figure out what I think the definition of a “perfect” student could be. Now, as usual, my opinion is mine and mine alone so hopefully nobody finds this offensive just because my own opinion is different from your own.

I constantly tell myself the definition of a great student is one that focuses on getting good grades. I say this because grades seem to be what defines us when we are students. Hell, that’s why we go to school--or at least, that’s what it feels like. Going to school and then getting bad grades seems kind of pointless doesn’t it?

But is being a student primarily based on what are marks? Is it not based on our friends? Our relationships to our professors/teachers? Is it based on our involvement?

Well, I think so. I think the definition of a perfect student is just to be well-rounded and to find the balance for yourself. Some people study all the time and well, that’s their school-life looks like. Some people are extremely active in the school. They are playing sports, they are in clubs, and they volunteer. Other students just don’t care. And other students just try to have an amazing social life.

I’m not saying that it’s bad to be focused on one specific thing in school. I am saying that burning yourself out in school by studying isn’t exactly productive. I also think it’s important to give yourself some ‘me’ time where you aren’t volunteering or being in clubs or whatever and that could look like a lot of different things. I think it’s important to care about your grades and not continue to define yourself on your grades as well. I think it’s important to make sure your social life isn’t what makes you happy.

A well-rounded student is someone who gives themselves breaks between long periods of studying. Someone who finds time to hang out with their friends and just have a bit of fun (again, that looks different to everyone). A perfect student is also involved in some sport or club or activity. And maybe doing one volunteer-type thing. And honestly, I think that’s what most colleges look for in applicants. They look at how well you balance yourself in high school to make sure you can adjust to college well.

And everyone’s amount of extra-curriculars and studying is different. It’s just important, I think, to have all of it somewhere in your life. And just to remember that being a student is not the only thing you are as well. You are also a daughter/son. You are also a friend. And you could be a lot of other different things. A musician. An athelete. A volunteer. A sibling. An atheist. A Christian. A Catholic. A Muslim. So while you’re trying to be a well-rounded student . . .remember to be a well-rounded human-being.

Putting everything into one category of your life is exhausting. And becoming complacent isn’t exactly healthy.

With all that said, that’s all just one random students opinion. I’m not even close to being a well-rounded student. But it’s definitely nice to remind myself what I should be working towards. And now that I’ve taken my short break from class and studying, I should probably getting back to it . . .(unfortunately).

Hope you all are finishing off your semesters/trimesters/quarters well!

Keep on keepin’ on . . .

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collegechickadvice · 8 years

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I have a standard amount of college classes, which are even easier as they are in community col. and just gen eds. But I am having trouble just in those. And I also have a hybrid class (part online, part in class) that I haven't done... pt 1/2

Hi there!

I figured I’d just reply to this one since it was originally anonymous and just respect your privacy . . . but man you seem to be in a tough situation.

My first question to you is how many credit hours are you taking? Standard is typically about 15 and to me, that seems like a lot. I’m not sure what might be causing you to be having a tough time in your classes as it could be a lot of things, but in all honesty, sometimes a W is a lot better than an F. It might have been a waste of money, but what I look at it is a good lesson learned and probably a GPA saver. The thing about GPAs are they are super easy to watch drop, but they are super difficult to try and raise again. And in a college course, an F isn’t typically just ONE F. If the class is a 3 credit class, then you’re basically get the equivalent to three F’s in high school . . . which means you need 3 A’s to balance that out. Or . . . rather, an A in a 3 credit class. See what I mean?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed I would say it’s best to just talk to your dad and talk to your counselor about it and tell your dad ‘Hey, I know it’s really late in the semester, but I’m becoming really overwhelmed and stressed and full of anxiety this semester. I know I should have told you sooner and I know this is a lot of money, but I want you to know that I still care about school and this is why I’m talking to you about it’. Hopefully, he’ll understand. I mean, if this were me this situation, I would probably talk to whomever is paying my tuition (my dad or my mom) and say that 1.) I would work MUCH harder next semester 2.) I’ll help pay off what I owe you for the withdrawal of this class (chores, paying them back over a period of time, etc) and 3.) That you learned your lesson. Academic advisors and/or counselors usually have students’ backs when their in a tough binding like this and they can definitely help you out and try and guide you in the right direction.

If you’re in a semester college, you probably only have about a month or so left of class which isn’t much time to raise your grade if you haven’t done much in the class to begin with. In my own opinion, I would take a W. . . but that’s just because I couldn’t stand to have an F on my transcript. I can’t even look at C’s . . . so I can see how this can be tough for you. Also, it seems like you already seemed to overwhelmed with your other courses and to add that extra one might end up making all of your grades this semester suffer and that’s no good. My own opinion is a W/extra money (if you can afford it) makes more sense than several average/poor grades and a lot of extra stress and anxiety and other negative emotions. You can always pay your dad back and explain it to him and hopefully he’s understanding and he can understand that you know that you made a mistake somewhere along the semester.

I hope this helped and as I always say, my opinion is only that . . . mine. It’s not right and it’s not wrong. It just is. I just hope I helped you get some perspective and I really hope it works out in the end! (: Stick to you what you feel and feel free to ask other people for some extra help/ideas/perspectives!

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collegechickadvice · 8 years

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Finals

Quick update:

Finals do stink. A lot. And I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of paper, trying to make sure I don’t get any more paper cuts.

That is all.

#college #college students #finals #tests #exam #exams #homework #finals week #ugh #tired #exhausted

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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I'm a 17 year old girl. I've never been hugged let alone been kissed or in a relationship with a guy. I'm scared they will always see me as the nerd or some naive innocent girl. Any advice?

I just want to start with this simple fact:

I’m 19 and have also never been in a relationship. I also have a friend who is 18 and has never been in a relationship. I also knew a guy (he was gay and I talked about him in another one of my posts) who is also 18 and has not been in a relationship.

I tell this to myself and I tell this to my friend all the time: Just because I (you/she/he/whoever) have not been in a relationship doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with me. It just means that my time to be in a relationship hasn’t happened.

The best way to think about this is whether or not you want a relationship because everyone else is in one or if it’s because you’re lonely or if it’s been in a combination between everything else. The thing is, relationships are really complicated and in my own opinion and from watching other people date, dating in high school is rather . . . pointless. I mean, there are some benefits but ultimately, most people who date in high school break up after graduation at some point (because of distance and because you’ve met new people in college).

I know a lot of people think that the best thing about dating is you really get to see what you like and what you don’t like when it comes to dating and the opposite sex. However, again, in my opinion, it’s kind of irrelevant in a lot of ways because I think dating is probably BEST when you fully know who you are and the only way you know who you are is through living life on your own for a while.

The people I know who are my age who are dating people become melded into the person they date. They’re almost one and the same and the way I look at dating is it’s two WHOLE people who make each other better--it is NOT two HALF people making one WHOLE person. That’s not healthy and in reality, it’s not really helpful because if you end up breaking up with that person then it means your happiness and part of your being went when that person left your life too.

I wouldn’t worry about what other people think either. I would be confident in who you are. Just because you’re . . . “unexperienced” doesn’t mean you’re naive and it certainly doesn’t mean you’re a nerd. I probably know more about relationships than some people who have been in one because I’ve seen so many different kinds.

There IS someone out there for you and you just have to wait till you find ‘em. Just be patient and in the mean time, just be busy focusing on you. Don’t make your life become a waiting game either. Focus on stuff that betters yourself and hey, put yourself out there too. Who says you can’t go talk to guys too? I have this quote on my NOOK case cover and it says “Love sought is good but given unsought is better” ~William Shakespeare. I love it because it reminds me that when I’m not looking for love and it finds me, it will be much better than me seeking for it. I am not incomplete or naive or whatever because I haven’t been in a relationship and neither have you. And when love comes to you it will be so much better. If you’re seeking love, then that’s all you focus on and it’s really not enjoyable. Enjoy living, enjoy being young and learning.

And if you feel lonely--you aren’t. Who knows, maybe someone likes you RIGHT now and you just don’t know it. I know, it’s tough because I’m in the same boat and sometimes I have a lot of the same mentality, but I also know that I’m no less than some girl who HAS dated 8 guys. Keep your head up and it’ll all work itself in the end!

I hope I helped! (:

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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I was wondering if you knew any good programs or colleges that have good social sciences and psychology courses. I want to work as like a social worker or a psychiatrist. I'm only a sophomore but people I know already have like their entire life planned so I dont know..

I don’t think I ever got a notification that you sent me a question so sorry for not replying for such a long period of time!

I would talk to your counselor about colleges first before me and I only say that because I don’t know if it’s best for you to stay in state or go out of state.

Obviously the best colleges out there are your Ivy Leagues and hard-to-get-into colleges (Yale, Stanford, Berkeley Columbia, etc). I have also heard that University of Michigan has a good psych program.

However, I will address the fact that you’re a sophomore and you’re worried about college. I totally think that it’s a great idea to start thinking about what you want to do early, but you don’t actually start applying until your senior year which is awhile. I think the best thing to do is really consider all your options as far as social sciences and even other majors and minors and consider stuff about that. I just want to say that you definitely DO NOT need to have your whole life ahead of you when you’re 15 or 16 years old. I know 25 year olds here at college who still don’t know what they are doing after college (some people who are a little older in college) and I know some sophomores in college who don’t have a major declared. You have time to think.

I would also look at what kind of colleges you want to get into. Are you wanting to go to a college that’s in-state? Do you want a large college? Small? Private? Public? Research university? There’s so much to consider besides ‘a great program’.

I hope I kind of helped! I would ask someone more aware of good psychology programs around the nation . . . and that definitely isn’t me! I was originally a psych major also, but I decided to go to a public university for my own reasons and the college I chose still has a good neuroscience program too. But it’s all about preference!

Ask around with other students and do some research of your own and take your time with making decisions! You’ve got time! (:

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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An Update and Living With A Roommate Pt. 100 (Apartment Edition)

Hello internet!

I apologize for the lack of posts as usual. College does certainly keep me busy and a lot of the time, all I want to do at the end of the day (after all my lousy homework) is lay in bed and watch YouTube videos/Netflix. It’s a bad habit, but my brain is usually too mentally fried to do anything else that resembles anything productive.

So I’m basically halfway through my 3rd semester of college and it baffles me how fast it’s already gone by. Last year, it felt like it just went on and on and this year it seems to be going a little bit quicker.

This year I am taking only 3 classes (not including the recitations/labs that go along with those classes) and it’s been going well. I like not having too many classes to load myself with, but I did load myself with 8AM every day of the week except Tuesdays and that’s slowly killing me. I actually don’t hate 8AMs I just hate having to go to bed so early.

In addition to this, I am also working as a nanny for an 8 year old and I work three to four times a week for about 2 and a half hours each time. It’s an easy to way to get some extra cash to spend on groceries and such so I really enjoy it.

Once again, I do live in an apartment this year which I love a lot more than the dorms (because let’s face it, the only people who enjoyed living in the dorms are the ones that had parties all the time because all their sororities sisters/fraternities brothers lived next door). Anyway, my apartment is a 2 bed/1 bath apartment and it comes furnished and I’m actually using my financial aid to pay for the rent which is nice. I have my own bedroom which is even nicer because I don’t have to stare at my roommate’s decorations and I also enjoy not having to look at half of my room being black (my roommate’s goth). In addition, although I only have 1 bathroom, I actually get my own vanity which is really nice because I can leave my toothbrush out and stuff and all my storage area belongs to me!

Anyway, I am going to add that living in apartment does it has it downsides and those include a lot of different things from cleaning and just noise and all of that other junk.

So this is me talking about living with a roommate for the . . . 10th time or something like that.

My thoughts:

1.) If you don’t know how to do your own dishes within the same day that you use them, you should live alone. I cannot tell you how frustrated I’ve gotten when I’m home and I literally watch my roommate set her cereal bowl in the sink and doesn’t rinse or wash it or anything. It’s also frustrating when she puts dishes that aren’t rinsed off in our (not very good) dishwasher. Bottom line: Do your own friggin’ dishes.

2.) If you don’t know how to cook, you should probably learn. Once again, I really do hate it when I have to eat macaroni and cheese every night that my roommate cooks. Or you know, anything that’s simple and kind of boring. Be a little adventurous when you cook and find new recipes on Pinterest or just ask for recipes from your parents (if they cook).

3.) If you want to have your significant other, ask your roommate each and every single time you want them over. Just because they say ‘yes’ once doesn’t mean it’s a ‘yes’ every time. In addition to this, if you’re going to have your significant other over and you all wanna make out and do couple-y crap, do it in your own bedroom or do it outside of the apartment. I do NOT want to see you two sucking each other’s throats and faces because you haven’t seen each other in a couple of days. Actually, last I checked, MOST people don’t want to see that. So just be courteous.

4.) Offer to help clean common areas. This means the bathroom (if you share one), the living room, and the kitchen. Maybe one of you could mop and vacuum one of you could clean the bathroom. You get the idea. Just be helpful and be an adult about it. You share areas and nobody likes dirty stuff. It��s gross and it gets people sick and it makes certain areas of your house/apartment smell horrible.

5.) Offer to take out the trash or make a friggin’ schedule or, you know, just take it out when you see that it’s full. I can’t tell you how many MORE times I’ve taken the trash out compared to my roommate. And I can’t tell you how many MORE times her boyfriend (who, mind you, doesn’t live here with us) has taken out the trash with me than she has. It’s kind of sad. Maybe have one of you do it one week and then the other one do it the next week. Or you know, if the trash is full, just take it out rather than waiting until it’s overflowing and the other one is forced to do it.

So yeah. Those are my 5. I’m sure I’ll think of more later on, but I’m gonna do some chemistry homework so I gotta go and do that while folding some laundry. (P.S: To any of you using a communal laundry room in your dorms/apartments, if you can’t remember that you have shit in the dryer or washer then just don’t do a load. I will give you a 10 minute grace period and if you’re stuff isn’t out of there, your stuff is going on top of the dirty washers. Be courteous of those around you and don’t make them have to waste their time waiting on you.)

I hope all of you are doing well on all of your midterms and I’ll talk to you all later (hopefully soonish).

Keep on keepin on . . .

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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My Best Friend is Moving . . .

Hello internet . . .

Yes, it has been a while once again. The first 5 weeks of classes have been pretty good actually and I’ve been enjoying all of my classes, but of course, I’ve been busy working, doing homework, going to class, and giving my self some mental breaks and all of that. But once again, that’s no excuse.

I hope all of your guys’ school years have been going. For those of you started high school, I hope you’re enjoying high school and the new chapter of your life. To those of you starting college, I hope you’re enjoying dorm life and the beast and whole entire new BOOK of college!

Anyway, this post really wasn’t supposed to be much of an update on my end. In actuality, it’s another one of my vent-type posts and in reality, it’s also just an advice post that has to do with something that anyone can go through--no matter what age.

This past Tuesday, I was told by my best friend that there’s a large possibility that she will be moving approximately 2,000 miles away from me. There a lot of tears and for this past week, I’ve been in a perpetual version of melancholy/depression.

It really is upsetting to know that your best friend is leaving you. It’s depressing to think that you can’t see their face whenever the hell you feel like it. It’s aggravating to think that the circumstance even came about it in the first place (at least, in my case). It’s heart-breaking to think that the both of us feel like we’re gonna be so lost without the other one there. It’s tear-jerking to think that the other is so depressed because she knows she won’t be here to celebrate big moments with me.

Best friends like the ones I have are few and far to come by. The ones you rarely have arguments with. They are the type of best friends where you feel at home with. There is no judgement and there is a hell of a lot of love. These are the type of friends that you do stupid shit with but they are also the friends you call when you’re miles away from each other crying because you miss them or you had a really crappy day. These friends put a smile on your face and they will cry with you. These friends will be angry at the ones who hurt you. These friends are the ones who feel safe around. They are the ones who will go out on random food runs at 2 in the morning. They will keep your secrets. They are the type of friends who will hold you to your highest expectations of yourself. Inside jokes are in the millions with these friends. These friends are where your heart is most of the time. They are your sisters.

In reality, I’m just sad because for me, putting myself out there to become this close to 2 girls is really difficult for me. To lose friends like this is really hard because without them, I’m just going to feel even more lonely than I am now. I’ve had a friend move away before and that wasn’t easy either because I knew at the end of the day, the friendship would only maintain itself if we both tried as hard as we possibly could to keep in touch and to me, it didn’t seem like that occurred. In reality, we aren’t even half as close as we used to be in my mind and that’s really sad to think about. It’s extremely hard for me to comprehend the idea of two people becoming extremely close and then with time, it’s all forgotten in some really weird manner. It just came. I didn’t want it. I tried really hard and then I gave up because I couldn’t keep putting effort into something that just didn’t seem to want to exist.

I fully understand that two people grow apart. The only thing is, it doesn’t just happen. It just fades into nothing. There aren’t any goodbyes. There’s no warning. It just happens without any closure and it’s kind of sad to think that two people just stop talking. No reason as to why--or at least nothing it’s discussed. It just becomes a mutuality that was never talked about it and that to me just seems so inhumane and depressing. It’s apart of life, according to everyone who I’ve talked to this week, but I don’t want it apart of MY life. I want to say goodbye and let them know how much I appreciated them when they were in my life.

Needless to say, I am saddened by the news. I feel as if I’m going to be even more alone for a while. I feel like the plans I had with my 2 best friends are just going to fall through and it’s just really upsetting to know that I’m not going to see her as much as I used to, if not ever. . . because let’s face it, I don’t have the money to fly to see her. I just don’t.

Anyway, I guess this didn’t really end up being so much advice as it was me venting and voicing my opinion to anyone who was willing to read it all. Losing friends to distance is always a tough situation and to me it’s just a weird, depressing position to be in.

I guess in reality, I need to make more friends. The only excuse I have to that is I usually don’t like having anymore than like 3 good friends. After that, it’s too difficult for me to keep up real, genuine friendships with 10 people or whatever. And I have shit luck making friends in college, but eh . . . you guys get what I’m trying to get across.

I’ll probably more about this more when my mood is a little bit better, but I guess I wanted to write about it.

I hope all of you are doing well and I’ll try and think of other stuff to write about soon!

Keep on keepin’ on . . .

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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Hi. I am a chemistry major at a super small liberal arts school and I'm about to start my sophomore year. It's a school where almost everyone is the same type of person. After a year, honestly I started to hate the social culture there. My mom just got a job that will allow me to go to a medium sized public school for free. I love the education at my school, and I know how unique and special it is, but I worry about my science education. How do you think I should decide to transfer or not?

Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry I never saw this.

Anyway, I totally get what you mean. I have a school nearby me that’s a private school (Colorado School of Mines) and it’s basically made for engineering an the social vibe there is. . . not the best. However, I’m not sure what you mean exactly by “social culture”. It could be like my school where everyone is a hippie or it could be that you mean that nobody does anything.

I guess I just have a couple questions for you and one of them is what year you are. If you’re a sophomore then I would say give the school a chance and try really hard to meet people that you enjoy being around. Most small liberal arts schools I feel like, can’t be any less than 1,000 but I guess I could be wrong and haven’t heard of anything smaller. However, maybe it is smaller then perhaps you should switch because it is hard to find good friends with only 500 students (which is actually smaller than my high school).

So, if you’re school is that small, then I don’t see why you shouldn’t change. Are you trying to go to graduate school? Have you done research on the new school you could possible go to? If not, I would advise you to do that so you can see whether or not the academics are roughly at the same level. Just because a school is slightly bigger doesn’t necessarily mean that the school is bad.

I would look stuff about the school and do what you did when you were choosing a college in the first place. Go there and look around campus. Talk to one of the academic advisors there about transferring and what they think and then maybe talk to the academic advisors at your current school.

Ultimately, it has to do with what YOU yourself think is more important: the “academic” standing of the school v. the social life you have at school. And you know, in some ways, that’s a hard thing to pick--because with a lot of the schools, you pay for not only the education, but you pay for the EXPERIENCE. And if you aren’t enjoying your experience for the school you ARE paying for then perhaps it’s time to reconsider.

I’m sure that wasn’t much help, but I think it’s more up to you than it is to me. Just do some research and find out what you think is the best choice for you--and maybe get some friends to weigh in and family. They know you better than i do! (:

Good luck! And sorry for being a loser and not replying sooner. -_-

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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What To Bring To College Dorm

‘Ello!

Well it’s that time again. Everyone is beginning to leave for college to start their freshmen year of college and it’s a little nerve-wracking. And for everyone else, it’s another new school year and you’re hoping to make some changes and you’re could be nervous too.

But, to all of you who are starting college, I’d like to share what I learned about my dorm life over the past year and what I personally think is important to bring to college for your dorm (not an apartment and not a suite or whatever [yes, some colleges do have this])

I totally posted about this before, but I thought it’d be a great idea to add more to it and see what I think of now!

So, let’s get started!

You should bring: (I’ll be putting the most important stuff in bold)

Mattress pad (You would be surprised how well I slept after my dad brought me a 4in. mattress pad-->Those beds suck)

Extra storage (Those plastic storage drawers do wonders! I had 2--one small, one big one that was in my closet)

A fan (ESPECIALLY if your room does NOT have air-conditioning)

Extra lights

Decoration (i.e pictures from home, wall decals, posters, etc)

Printer (Definitely not necessary, but I liked not having to walk all the way to the library to print crap off. Or wherever else there was printing. However, sometimes I found time to do it too . . . )

Important Paperwork (Whatever you feel is necessary. I learned I needed my shots paperwork and all sort of other stuff)

Maybe an extra chair (Typically you’ll only get a desk chair for yourself)

Earbuds/Headphones (Kind of obvious as to why)

Earplugs (Some people are flipping loud)

TV (totally not necessary, but some people do have them and want them)

Extra sheets (You can put them on your bed when you’re washing your other ones)

Cleaning supplies (windex, wet wipes, etc)

Febreze (Or any scent spray. Just do it. You’ll thank me later--I actually used it in the bathroom sometimes)

Medicine (cold medicine, pain medicine, etc)

Humidifier (I liked having mine when it was dry in the rooms)

Books or an e-reader

Hobbies you enjoy doing (I don’t know. Kind of vague. Like if you like to draw, bring your sketchbook. For me, I like playing my instruments so I’m bringing my two guitars and we also have keyboard up there!)

Anyway, if I think of anything else, I’ll post it. If not, then, well, you guys can ask me stuff. I do think though that some stuff isn’t necessary. For me, where I live, certain clothes are just always necessary because it could start snowing as early as September or October and of course, that’s before break and before I can go home. But you get the idea. However, bringing a TV for the dorms definitely isn’t necessary (in my opinion) and it isn’t necessary to bring all of your clothes or all of your things that you own from home. So just keep that in mind!

Good luck to all of you moving into the dorms. I, myself, am moving into my apartment this upcoming Friday so that should be a fun day (not) and I’ll blog about it later on!

And good luck to the rest of you with school and such!

Keep on keepin’ on. . .

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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Hi. I'm in pre-calculus honors and I don't like it so far. I started five days after school began (because of medical issues and the school wanted to make sure I could attend the full school day) the teacher kindly printed out notes the class took but they make no sense to me and neither does the way she teaches. I asked about tutoring and she will only do it Monday which is the day before a big test. I can't get out of honors until a new pre-calc teacher gets hired. I don't want to fail a test.

Are you a math person? And a better question is, do you plan on taking calculus later on in your student career? Both seem like stupid questions, however, you certainly don’t need to take pre-calc if you’re 1.) Not taking calculus later on and 2.) If you don’t like math, then an honors class is probably not suited for you.

Anyway, you told me you can’t get out of honors until another pre-calc teacher gets hired, however, is there anyway you can just drop the class? I don’t know if that’s something you want to do, but that’s always an option, if you don’t think you’ll need that class later on. You can always a statistics class or something. So, there’s always that option.

You could email your teacher and ask for help looking over the notes just via email or you could ask someone in your class who understands the material really well and see if they would be willing to help you.

Another way to get help is seeing if your school has tutors. My old high school had place where you could go to get help with math from either 1.) different math teachers or 2.) students who are well far into math. Sometimes students are much more helpful than teachers because they understand that you’re a student like them and they can give you a different way to help you.

If I could, I’d be more than happy to help you with pre-calculus, but odds are, it’d be too hard to do, but there are always other students willing to help you--probably somewhere in your school or you could just look at your local library or something. However, one thing I learned to use the past two or so years is either Khan Academy (awesome YouTube channel AND website that helps you out with TONS of math topics that range from algebra, geometry, and ALL sorts of calculus and statistics). There are also other ways to help yourself via the internet. If you just look up the topic on Google you could probably find a well in-depth version of that topic (i.e hyperbolic functions or limits). These type of websites have saved me in Calculus 2 and stuff, so I hope that helps you too! And this is something a lot of college students use too (at least at my school) and sometimes it’s good to be self-sufficient as far as your own learning.

One last tip is to try reading your textbook. Sometimes that’s my last resort, but sometimes it does help--especially if there are practice problems that the book goes through step by step. That way, I can memorize the steps or just compare it to a similar problem and utilize it in the actual problem I’m working on. (Hopefully, that makes sense).

I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help, as I wasn’t sure what you really WANTED to know, based on what you said, but those are my tips for a . . . not-so-great teacher! We’ve all been there and sometimes you just gotta struggle through it! Math is SUCH a touchy subject and it’s unbelievably helpful to have good resources to help you out!

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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I don't have the 2/3 years of the same language I would have two years but two different languages. It's not my fault because one school offered French (got on home teach for a full year) and now my current school doesn't. I'm worried about that not letting me get into my college choices because they want 2/3 years. But I also have 4 years of math, 5 years of science, 4 years of English, and 3 years of social sciences. I'm totally freaking out because I apply to colleges this year.

Hmmm, yes languages are always a struggle for people, just because of those reasons or they decide to switch languages later on.

Well, last I checked, I had someone I was “friends” with this past year during college and he was behind a year in Spanish (so he didn’t have all of MAPS [minimum academic preparation standards]-->that’s what they call them at my college) and was still accepted because I think he had pretty good grades and everything. So, even if you are lacking in ONE subject, then you have no reason to worry, I think. Some colleges DO accept if you’re missing a year and you’ll have to make it up in college.

Another option, is you can certainly take summer classes (I promise, it isn’t that bad. . . especially because it’ll only be one) and you can put that somewhere in your essay(s) (some applications allow you to explain some discrepancies in your applications for grades and such, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be an essay) and it helps explain what you’ll be doing. Another option is to take them your senior year (can you change your schedule?) or you can take them your senior year at a local community college doing the evenings (there are also some ways to get the credits over winter break and such, the class will just be really long hours).

I don’t think I’m exactly qualified for this type of stuff as far as very accurate advice goes, but this is what I’ve personally heard for those who didn’t have all the requirements for college or even to graduate high school and wanted to graduate high school early (they just took classes at a community college). And this is also what I did when I didn’t a get a phenomenal grade in ONE class (my sophomore year).

Another way to get this question answered in a more complete and accurate way is to email the admissions office of the college (or call) or in my opinion, your high school counselor is the one who will help you with all of those types of questions. My high school counselor was super happy about asking any pre-college questions and application questions and all that, so I’m sure yours would be more than happy as well.

I hope I helped in some sort of way and good luck with all of your college apps!

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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Update--Sophomore Year?! WHAT?!

Hello guys!

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted because I’ve been enjoying my little bit of downtime for the past 2 weeks since I finished summer school!

So, I took two classes over the summer (intro to sociology and intro to statistics) and they were a piece of cake. I easily got 2 A’s (yay community college) and was able to save money by not even buying my book for one of them (I don’t suggest this unless you know you can do without it) and overall, it was enjoyable. Sometimes, it was extremely boring and it felt like it just prolonged everything, but I enjoyed my experience doing summer classes. It kept up me to date with being able to do homework over the summer and hey, I got 6 credits in 7 weeks--which is pretty awesome.

Anyway, it’s kind of insane to me that I’m a sophomore in college now. It’s kind of scary too. And I don’t really like the idea of being an adult. But let’s be honest, when are you really an adult??? Is it when you turn 18? Or is it when you turn 21? Or is it like, when you can pay for your own crap? I don’t even know.

So, this year, I’m going to be out of the dorms (yippee for that) and I’ll be living on an “on campus”--off campus apartment (the apartments are still owned by the actual university. The apartment is fully furnished and I no longer have to deal with retarded sorority girls on my floors throwing up in the showers and not cleaning it up.

I’m excited and I’m nervous still--just like last year. Mostly kind of sad because I just feel like I’m getting older and older. I’m hoping this year I’ve learned from my own mistakes and I can start utilizing that knowledge this year.

Oh. And I’m trying to get a job--as a nanny. I love kiddos so I’m thinking this is a great way to make some extra cash (and it’s a lot more than any regular campus job) and I’m hoping it’ll help me manage my time a little bit better. (Because, let’s face it, I spent way too much time watching Netflix).

So, I’m moving in August 21st into my apartment with my roommate. I start classes the 24th and I’m hoping that things will be easy for me to adjust to as I’ve done it all already. I’m sure I’ll post all about it again and it’ll be the same as it was last year (homesick and sad).

However, on the bright side, I know I won’t be getting lost as much (totally a plus). Oh, and I know people and I might be better at talking to people.

I hope all of you are excited for school to be starting soon and if any of you have back-to-school questions or even general college or high school questions, feel free to ask me them!

Keep on keepin on . . .

#collegechickadvice #college #chick #advice #high school #tips #sophomore #update

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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Poll-What Would You Like More Of?

Hi everyone! :D

I just wanted to make a poll because I’ve noticed A LOT of you readers really like my “Things I Wish I Knew Going Into High School” post which I’m really happy to hear and some of you like my college posts and some of you seem to be interested in what’s going on in my own life so I thought I’d make a poll to see which ones you guys wanted to see me post more of.

I’d also like to add if you guys have any SUGGESTIONS or QUESTIONS then you can ask me by going to my actual tumblr website and hitting “Ask Me” or . . . here’s the link:

ASK ME QUESTIONS OR GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS: http://collegechickadvice.tumblr.com/ask

If you want to answer my poll then you can go here:

http://www.poll-maker.com/poll372569x89424589-14

OR you can go to collegechickadvice.tumblr.com and click the “POLL” link on the header of my blog and it’ll take you straight to that link as well.

I just wanted to hear what you guys had to say! So if you want to, take the time to answer the poll and maybe I’ll think of more stuff to write about since I know what you guys are more interested in!

And feel free to write your own suggestions of things you’d like to hear me write about too! (:

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collegechickadvice · 9 years

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Hi! So I'm graduating from HS this year & there's a guy that I kinda had a thing with (didn't work out). He told me abt a college & I went on a tour. Turns out I really like the school & he's trying to convince me to go. The problem is, I feel like part of the reason it sounds so great is bc he's going to be there (not quite over him yet). Again I really like the school but I feel like maybe it would be good to get away from him. What do you think? Thanks in advance!

Oh boy. Relationships are not my forte (mostly because I’ve been single all my life), but I’ve definitely given my fair share in advice to my friends about boys and dating and all that junk. So, hopefully my opinion advice isn’t too “over the top” for you, as I have some pretty strong feelings on dating sometimes, but I’ll try and make it more generic.

I’ve had friends who do things based off of what guys want them to do and as a friend watching those friends, it really breaks my heart to watch because I happen to know that their own self-value does not come from a guy and their own happiness doesn’t come from a guy either. It doesn’t come from worldly things, that’s for sure. So, just keep that in mind as I’m saying the rest of it. Don’t go to that college just because he is going there and don’t go there just because you think that he’s able to make you happy and you will be happier with him.

To add to that last part, happiness in life is a temporary thing. There are going to be days when you are sad and there are going to be days when you are really happy. Having a boyfriend and having a boy in your life might make you temporarily happy, but there will be rough patches in a relationship and there will be times when things might be going great in the relationship but something else in your life makes you unhappy. So, just keep that in mind also.

If you really like the school, then that’s great. I don’t know how big it is, but I can tell you this much: I am going to a pretty large state university and a LOT of students from my high school are going there and I rarely see any of them, ever. So, if the school is big, there’s a good chance you won’t be seeing that person on a daily basis, let alone a weekly basis.

If you think that he’s influencing your school choice, then sit down and write down the pros and cons of all the schools you are interested in. For every pro, right a con and sit down and really think about whether or not you are trying to think of more pros for this boy that you can’t seem to get over quite yet. It’s hard to do, but it just takes some time and some talking. It can really help if you talk to your best friends or your family as well.

You can get away from anyone as long as you make the effort. I made a friend this past year and turned out we weren’t great friends and I don’t really like him at all as a person anymore and even though we currently still go to the same school, I unfollowed him on Twitter and Instagram and I really avoid Facebook anyway so I don’t see anything about him anyway. For the school thing, I did have one class with him, but I managed to sit far away from him and I didn't have one issue needing to talk to him second semester. It’s best if you really make an effort to avoid that person if you don’t think it’s healthy for you to be around them.

Another way to go about all this is talk to this boy. I don’t know how things ended with you the two of you, but it’s important to get some sort of closure with this person and sometimes the best way is just confront him from the beginning. Ask him why he wants you to go to this college or to be a little less confrontational tell him that you feel like he’s trying to convince you to go and you weren’t sure if that’s what he was doing. Just be honest with him and see where that gets you. And then maybe you guys can nip the problem in the butt before you feel like you have to decide where to go without really knowing if that’s what he was doing to begin with.

In reality, I think it’s best to keep your options when you’re looking at any school. You don’t want to shut yourself out from other colleges just because you think one is the best. Shop around for colleges and do other tours. See which ones have better financial aid. See which ones have the program you want and is known for that type of program. Look at the greek system at that school (if you’re interested), look at the weather, look at the location, the size, the demographic, the people, the class sizes, etc. There’s a lot more to colleges than you think! (:

I hope I helped a little bit! Boys can make life a little more hectic, but I think it sounds like you’ve got it handled and you just needed a little nudge in the right direction and just hear another opinion. You’ll figure it out and if not, I’m always open to more questions. Just be willing to talk it out with that boy and think about what you like about the actual college.

Good luck! (:

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