Getting through Finals

As the semester draws closer to the end, we all find ourselves packing and getting ready to go home for the holidays, but there is one thing that is standing in our way: Finals. In the next week I have a couple tests to take and some projects to turn in before I am free for almost an entire month! If you're thinking about how you are going to survive through the next week or so, you have come to the right blog post. I have compiled a list of 10 tips & tricks that you can follow to make it through finals without having a mental break down.

#1: Dig out your syllabus

Remember that packet you received on the first day of class? You know the one that the teacher spent an entire hour going over it's importance, but you decided to tune it out? Yup, that's the one. 9 times out of 10, the teacher will include a calendar of what topics you'll cover over the semester and important things that will be mentioned. The syllabus is a great tool when trying to remember what you learned those first couple of weeks. Not only does it outline the topics, it will often tell you information regarding the final: What to bring, what to expect, how it will effect your grade, etc.

#2: Study with your friends or classmates

I find it easier to study with a group of people. You can bounce ideas back and forth and hear from other people and how they interpreted/understand the material. It's also great if people wrote down other notes than you or if you missed something and someone else wrote it down. This was especially helpful for myself when I took a Philosophy class. The atmosphere is a lot lighter if you find yourself with other people who are studying the same topic, and if you have questions you can ask the group. I think that groups can be a great tool but can also be a distraction if you fall off course from the study session, so be careful and study with the right people to keep you on task.

#3: Take breaks

Don't study for hours upon hours without moving from your spot. I suggest studying for 50 minutes then taking a 10-20 minute break. Get up, move around, use the restroom, grab something to eat. Then come back and study for another 50 minutes and repeat the process until you feel like you got a good session in. I would only do this for around 3, maybe 4, hours a day, but you can do more or less. Don't push yourself too much. Listen to your body and remember to allow yourself time to relax and do other things.

#4: Don't procrastinate

Kind of an obvious one but I am guilty of waiting until the last minute to look over notes or complete a project. I suggest starting to look at your notes from the entire semester like last week. You can break it up into sections if you'd like, or take it day by day. 

#5: Use different colored pens & highlighters

This will help you identify important parts of the notes. I use different colored pens when it comes to vocabulary; this way it highlights the main focus and then breaks it down afterwards. Using pens is a great way to show steps in math, especially graphing. Overall, I think using different colors will help you stay focused and make it more exciting since everything isn't all black and white.

#6: Listen to music

I find that having some background noise helps me concentrate a bit better. I suggest listening to the Hans Zimmer list on Pandora or any nature sound station on either Pandora or Spotify. You can use any music app or website that you enjoy, but I highly recommend the music to be instrumental; this keeps you from humming/singing along if you recognize the track. It also keeps you relaxed and focused.

#7: Get plenty of sleep

Although we tend to stay up just before the sun rises to cram in extra studying, let me tell you that it is not worth it. I recommend going to bed around midnight and waking up around 8am. You'll get in your 8 hours of beauty rest and feel refreshed and more focused to study. If you don't get enough sleep your body won't function properly and your brain won't retain information as easily. I try to get to bed around 10:30-11pm so that my sleep schedule stays on track and won't throw my body off. 

#8 Drink lots of water 

You definitely want to stay hydrated throughout the day. This will help you stay alert and focused. You will be able to remember information better and won't be as tired.

#9: Make sure you EAT

Believe it or not, I sometimes forget to eat. I start my day off in the morning and get so distracted that I miss lunch and before I know it, it's going on 5 o'clock and I haven't even thought about dinner. I recommend preparing snacks that you can nibble on throughout the day to make it easier to remember. I know for myself, if I do look up from the clock and realize that I should eat, I take a trip to the kitchen, open up all of my cupboards and the fridge about 3 times before giving up and sitting back down. In this situation, it would be a good idea to cut up some fruit, prepare yourself a sandwich, or grab a handful of almonds.

#10: Breathe

Don't stress out about the final.. Sure this could make or break your grade; something you'll been working on for 3 entire months, but there's nothing to worry about. Honestly though, you'll remember a lot more than you think and you need to stay positive & breathe; everything will be okay.

To end this blog post I'd also like to leave you all with a trick that I'm sure you've probably heard about but never given it much thought; Chew mint gum while you are studying, and then again while you are taking the actual test.. it will help you remember what you were studying during those sessions you've been doing for the past week or so.

I know this post is basically last minute and I'm sorry, but it's better late than never! I hope you all do well on your final exams! Just hang in there, you've almost made it.. give it one final push! 

Much Love! Xx  

New Beginnings

I never liked the idea of change; It's a scary thought. Stepping outside of my comfort zone is intimidating and having anxiety doesn't help my cause. When a lot of things are going right I never want things to change. But how can you move forward when you're holding onto the past? I've unfortunately had a lot of hardships in my 19 years of living and I knew that college was the perfect opportunity to start over. My first year of college wasn't what I expected. During my senior year of high school I made the mistake of applying to only one college. I waited my entire senior year to find out that I was put on a wait list. Determined to go to college that fall I had no choice but to attend a local UW college. Long story short, I hated it; it didn't feel like college, it still felt like high school. I got extremely depressed and my anxiety flared up. For the first time in my life I failed classes. I knew I needed to change something with my life. It was a scary thought but I needed to take that leap of faith. So in a short couple of months I applied to Madison Area Technical College - got accepted, transferred jobs, and got an apartment 5 minutes from the UW campus and my brothers house.



A year ago a never would have imagined me being where I am today. I've had a lot of thoughts about backing out and going home but that would be too easy. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it and I am so blessed for everything I have in my life. In the past year I have gone from a college that held me back rather than going forward, to a place that has motivated me to do better and become a better person each and everyday. I always told myself that technical colleges were for those who slacked in high school and that I wouldn't fall down to that level. Boy was I wrong; MATC  is one of the best decisions of my life. Every thought that I put into my head about a technical college was false and I can't believe how ignorant I was being. Any thing that you choose to do in life is better than doing nothing at all. The first month of the semester has flown by so quickly and each time I exit those doors I pat myself on the back and smile because I am a step closer to where I want to be in life.


In the past year I have grown up so much, all thanks to those who I surround myself with. I am so blessed to have such amazing coworkers that support me and push me to do better. Without them I don't know where i'd be. My parents were also such a huge part in pushing me to do what is best for myself & my future. Each and every day I find out more about myself and how capable I am to complete goals if I set my mind to them. Moving on to another college was one step, but taking the leap of faith and moving to a whole new city, two hours away from my parents, and living on my own was a giant leap. But I don't regret it; It's life and we are here to live it. Owning my own place is extremely exciting but also a wake-up call. I've had to prioritize my time and money to keep up with the bills and the dishes. One thing I do regret is not taking the opportunities to cook with my mom in the kitchen. I quickly found out how much I know about preparing a meal: almost nothing. I literally thought it was a good idea to put bread in the microwave to make 'toast' (because I didn't have a toaster), you can probably guess what happened... Yeah, not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Regardless, I am ecstatic with how far I've come in the past couple of months; from living with my parents to living on my own. A giant step anyone and everyone should be proud of.



Recently I made the decision to change it up quite a bit; I decided to dye my hair. I looked at it as a new beginning, a way to close a chapter of my life in order to start a new one. A new life, a new look, a new me. A healthier me, with ambition to achieve, and motivation to keep moving forward. It was a big decision, but it was something I wanted to do for over a year now and I thought now was the best time to do it. I went from a medium brown that faded out at the ends from highlights, to a dark rich chocolate brown that is warm and has depth. I was so scared for this change since i've never done anything so drastic. I also got it cut just below my shoulders in order to get rid of all of my dead ends I accumulated over the years (A trip to the barber was a rare occasion for me). I did some research before getting my hair done because this was a big deal for me and I wanted to have complete trust in the person who would be doing it. I ended up in the hands of Ric, an amazing beautician who was professional but personable. I couldn't be more happy over my decision to wait and get my hair done at this salon. It was a much needed change and it turned out just how I imagined/hoped. They say that when you go through a big change in your life you tend to change your appearance. And when I say appearance, I mainly mean your hair.

After

Before

All in all I'm not exactly where I want to be, but I am where I need to be and that's all that matters. I'm a step in the right direction and each day I am getting closer; this is just the beginning.