Staying Motivated in College-- Spring term

Honestly, I wish I had an appropriate word for spring slack, but I don’t. It’s similar to senioritis. Spring term can lull you into this state of chaos without you even realizing it is. This state of chaos is both laziness and the pressure not to have that laziness so your mind is constantly whirring with stress or you are completely in that state of chaos where everything is fine because you don’t care. You should care. Don’t aim for a C when you know you can get a B.

I had someone have a breakdown because they were suffering from their lack of motivation and after helping that person, I thought it might be helpful to share my thoughts with you!

Some simple tips I have for staying motivated even when summer is slowly approaching are:

• ENCOURAGE YOURSELF. Even if you don’t 100% believe it or are at the brink of losing your mind and all faith in the institution that is education, tell yourself you can do it. Remind yourself of all the awesome accomplishments and skills you have already garnered. And at this low, you might not see any positive aspects of yourself, but do not deprecate yourself. You are in college that is a feat in itself. 
• BREATHE. I know that the end of the term can be a mental overload and a physical toll, but please, just breathe. Take a moment to just inhale and exhale. It sounds completely cliché, but that moment of serenity will alleviate you of some stress.
• WRITE DOWN YOUR OBLIGATIONS. If you write out everything, you will get a sense of what needs to be done and from there, you can plan your course of action. When I said everything, I mean everything— all of the assignments you need to submit, the hours you need to work, the meetings you have to attend, the tests you need to pass, and other responsibilities. Physically writing and seeing these items in front of you might stress you out at first, but view the list as a step to getting to where you want to be. See it as a challenge and tackle it.
• REMIND YOURSELF OF YOUR GOALS. People do not reach their dreams by just sleep. It takes action and none of that laziness, self- loathing, and procrastination is enough to get there. Do you want to help others? Do you want to make your family proud? Do you want to make 6 figures and provide? How will you do that if you’re not trying 100%? Competition might be an unhealthy form of motivating yourself or setting a goal, but if it’s not hurting you or anyone, go for it! Graduate summa cum laude, study your butt off to beat the usual #1 in class, or just show your ex or your current’s ex, how great you are— whatever it is, remember that you want this and remember that you have to work for this.
• ACT. After these steps, actually do those things you wrote so you can continue to be who you encouraged yourself about and so that you can realize your aspirations. Do it. 
• TAKE BREAKS+ REWARD YOURSELF. If you need to relax, relax. Working in a condition that is hurting you will not be as productive as it should be. Say you're a balloon and say pressure and stress are extra pumps of air… If a balloon is overinflated, it will burst and all of that air will just spread throughout  the whole room and that balloon cannot be put together again. If you over- stress yourself, you are risking your health and honestly, not working to your true potential. If you do this, it might just blow up in your face, making all of that pressure surround you instead of you keeping it in control and contained. If you do something, reward yourself. You deserve to feel fulfilled after you act well.

What’s in my school bag ?

Everyone is curious about the contents of other people’s bags for some reason.
I think it gives some insight about the person so here is a peek into my school soul. It also shows some of the college essentials!

(From top to bottom then left to right.)

• BLUE CONTENT BAG: this little pouch is dedicated to girly items— sorry if that’s a cringe factor! It keeps all of those products concealed& organized. It’s a must- have if you want to discreetly go freshen up. Taking your bag is just not an option since that screams, “I’m bleeding” or “I’m leaving”.
• BOOK: it’s bulky and I bought it at full price hence the gift wrap covering; I have to make it last and keep it in excellent condition if I want to resell and reuse it for the second section. This course actually comes in two parts, one beginning and the other advanced, so the book is used for the next class also so I definitely have to cover it. My professor made it mandatory to have the book each class for references and in- class cases and problems. If you can get away with not carrying a heavy book, I envy you!
• CALCULATOR: this is a basic, scientific calculator. I have one of those huge graphing ones too, but I’m not taking a math this term (both fortunately and unfortunately). It’s good to be prepared and several other classes require calculations that I don’t want to do by hand so I have my handy- dandy calculator to compute those for me.
• BACKPACK: it’s hipster- esque according to my boyfriend, but I find that it looks cute and I love the compartments. It’s easy enough for me to access my belongings, but has too many closures for anyone to mess with my stuff without notice. However, this bag’s strap on the bottom is slowly tearing, so I suggest you invest in a strong backpack and expensive does not equate to sturdiness. 
• 3- SUBJECT NOTEBOOK: 3- subject notebook really means 1- subject notebook in half of the classes I have so beware! I find the cheap ones an honest alternative to the ones that cost a few more dollars. Notes, notes, notes so this is essential. Buy multiple when you see them on sale!
• PLANNER: this is my favorite school supply and has grown in necessity tremendously. Time management is so vital to me and my planner helps me track all my obligations. Even if you have a calendar, nothing replaces handwriting items down and having them pop out at you.
• PEN: it’s necessary, period. I prefer writing in pen, it feels smoother and it lasts longer. 
• PENCILS: tests and a majority of work might be required to be completed in pencil so buy a pack. I only use #2 mechanical pencils for efficiency, convenience, & comfort. 
• ERASER: this isn’t exactly a required material, but I find it useful and I hate bad erasures so I opt to just buy a quality retractable one.
• BEAUTY ITEMS: I don’t carry an arsenal of makeup with me at school, but I admit to bringing a couple beauty items. These would be my necessities. I don’t wear makeup every single day— I don’t have time for that when I’m trying to maximize on every minute of sleep/ be lazy. I carry these items mainly for retouching if I need to on the days I do get ready, if I feel like I look like the walking dead, or I need to look more presentable and impress someone. The short list of items is: an eyeliner pencil, rollerball perfume, a folding brush/comb, and a pigmented lip balm.
• HAIR: below the beauty products is a small group of hair claws (those grabbing clips) and a hair band, just for those days.
• STAPLER: it isn’t the most used item, but when you have a strict professor, you might need this. I have one of the highest grades in class, but that didn’t prevent my professor from putting me on the spot for not having a paper stapled. There’s not much leniency in college and I’d rather not get grilled over a tiny piece of flimsy metal again.
• USB: this is a must- buy. There is no way of getting out of buying one of these and I carry mine in my bag just because if I don’t constantly keep it in a specific spot it’ll go missing like the hundred cases of missing lip balms. You’ll use it for an endless number of assignments and other needs.
• WALLET: as broke as a college student is, I usually bring my wallet with me for ID purposes or in case I need to spend money… Or often, want to spend some. I love my wallet, but I understand it’d be better if I brought a smaller one. 
• PORTABLE CHARGER: this is the barely recognizable black block below my wallet next to the mints. I use my phone a lot, maybe a little excessively and combined with the quick drain of the iPhone’s battery, I need this if I have a long day ahead of me.
• MINTS: fresh breath, a way to calm nerves, a method of concentrating, and a mid-class snack. I like having either mints or spray in my bag to be prepared and avoid any possible stanky situations and I personally love the taste.
• HAND SANITIZER: this is just a simple hygiene and safety protocol to me. You’re constantly in an environment full of people while at school so that means a pool of germs to fight. It’s easy to just have this measure to feel and be cleaner when you feel like you need to be or before a snack, etc.

These are my essentials for most school days!

I hope you enjoyed this post.

My favorite site to find out about the class & professor is:

Rate My Professors.

Just look at the course information for the class you’re interested in, check the professors listed, and search them through the database by their name or by your school and the subject. 

The site will give you an average score out of 5 based off the reviews by students on:

• Overall quality
• Helpfulness
• Clarity
• Easiness
• Hotness (yes, as in if they’re gauging if they are attractive enough for you not to mind sitting in class for hours! Denoted only by a pepper not a number, haha.)

You can also read the individual reviews and look for those specific to the course you’re researching on! Based off of that information you can determine which class you want to register for.

This is a resource to tap into every time you register for classes!