What's In My Bag: Finals Week Edition

So it's not exactly my finals week but like a good student (hear that Mum, I'm a good student), I am starting to study 2 weeks before my actual finals week. Since the library has become my new home, I obviously have to pack anything and everything I could potentially need during my journey to the land of the books and procrastination.

Here are the contents of my bag:

1 pack of Sour Patch kids - a reward of course
Half a dozen pens in various colors
2 Highlighters
1 pack of Snapea Crisps - these are an amazing snack
As many of my notes that I could find from the semester in file folders
2 Legal Pads
My iPad
My Laptop
Every electric cord I could think of - iPad charger, phone charger, laptop charger
My monogrammed TI-84 Silver Plus
A few different colors of PostIt Notes
My Planner
A Cardigan
Secret Garden by Johanna Basford - it's a coloring book for grownups in case I need a distraction
Instant Coffee Packs
A Water Bottle

What do you take for your productive study sessions at your library?

4 Apps Every College Girl Needs

The one thing we keep on us at all times is our smart phone. We try to live without it but let's be real it's attached to our hand pretty much 80% of the time. We may as well make good use of the 15 GB in our lives.

1. Pocket Expense - This is an app that I use to track my finances. It's amazing to use for budget management, tracking your bills and keeping your accounts organized. I love it because it allows me to see where my money is being spent and where I'm going over budget. It enables me to adjust monthly and see a month in a review that shows me when I am spending more money than I have. 

2. Adobe Reader - I don't know about you but almost all of my professors send me articles, assignments and syllabuses in pdf format. When I use the Adobe Reader app, I can access all of these pdfs whenever I want. My favorite feature is being able to sort and save all of my pdfs. 

3. Quizlet - Flashcards are the easiest way to study on the go, but who wants to put up with all of the paper, I know I sure don't. Using the Quizlet app, you have access to all of the online flashcards from the Quizlet site as well as the ability to make you own! 

4. Your Chapter's Website Made into an App - So this isn't an app that you can find in the app store but it's certainly one you'll use daily. Both Apple and Android give you the ability to bookmark frequently used websites into apps on your home screen. Auto save your login information and have all of your chapter information at the click of a button! 

What apps do you use daily? 

Start the Semester Strong

Well first semester has come and gone and we are officially done with those classes - thank goodness! I know one of the biggest goals for this semester for many people is to maintain grades better than we did last semester. I have a few tips for to help kick off the semester!

During the first week of classes, go ahead a print off your syllabi for the semester and mark all of the important dates that your teacher gives you or really any dates your teacher gives you into your planner. Don't have a calendar? Utilize the calendar associated with your school's email address.

Bookmark the websites you will use most in the semester for completing school work and un-bookmark sites like Pinterest and Facebook. If nothing else, this helps you stop procrastinating by reminding you of homework regardless of the temptation of other internet sites.

Look at your class schedule and figure out where you have breaks to make it to the library to study. When you make the habit of heading to the library now, it makes it so much easier to wander that way when you feel unmotivated to get there.

Good luck in your classes! What are you taking this semester?

Sisters Helping Sisters: Academics

“Which professor is better?” “Did you enjoy this class?” Ah, yes. It’s registration time on college campuses all across the country. This is one of those times that makes me glad I joined a sorority. If it wasn’t for the advice of one of my sisters I never would have taken the economics class that made me declare a double major. Registration advice is just one of the many ways we can help our sisters succeed academically.

Setting up a mentor/mentee program within the house can help younger members connect to older members as well as help everyone with school. This can be a formal system or just informal pairings that people make themselves. My chapter assigns each new member to an upperclassman who has the same major as them. That way you have a go to person for academic help.

Listening to your sisters talk about their work load can help you find out if someone is struggling. Most people have a hard time admitting when they are in over their head. If you notice that a sister is constantly stressed and disappointed when she gets assignments back, it might be time to talk to her. You don’t want to make her feel attacked or reprimanded. Make sure she knows you care about her and that you just want the best for her. Suggest some on-campus resources or study dates to let her know you support her. And if you are the one in over your head, don’t be afraid to ask for help, whether it’s from a sister or your teacher.

As college women, we are here first and foremost to get an education. There’s a delicate balance between work and play that even many seniors still haven’t quite mastered. When you notice that you or one of yours sisters is dabbling a little too much in the play realm and not enough in the library, it might be time to intervene. Some people might just need a little warning to get back on track. Occasionally, though, you’ll come across a sister that needs a little more help. Some suggested ways to help are to increase their required study hours or to ban them from certain sorority social events until they can figure out their academic life.  

Academics can be a very personal issue for some people, so tread with respect and love when confronting someone you think is struggling. Every sorority values academics. Let your sisters know you do too by preforming to your fullest potential and helping your sisters to do the same. 

Power Through the Mid-Semester Slump

I don’t know about you, but I’ve already had two midterms. School is finally in full swing. The excitement of bid day and seeing old friends has been replaced with the stress of midterms and the anxiety of turning in parts of my thesis. Usually at this point in the school year I find myself in a slump, though. The work is piling up with no break in sight. If you’re going through something similar, here are some tips to help you power through your mid-semester slump.

Give yourself and your sisters a boost out of the mid-semester slump. (photo)

• Talk to your professors: Mid-semester is the perfect time to check in with each of your professors to see how you’re progressing in the class. You don’t want to get all the way to finals before you realize that your grades just aren’t where you want them. If you are struggling in a class, the professor can provide some tips on how to succeed in their class that might completely change how you are doing in the class.
• Form study groups: If you read my last article (find it here) you hopefully made a few friends in each of your classes. Now is the perfect time to get these people together for study parties. If you tend to be a lone wolf when it comes to studying, mixing it up with a group study session every now and then can really help your grades improve. Even classes that involve a lot of papers can benefit from group work. When you have a group of people to work with, you will all hold each other accountable to actually getting the work done.
• Realize that there is still time: If you’re grades aren’t where you want them to be, you still have an entire half of a semester. But make sure you are proactive about improving your grades. As don’t just fall out of the air. Meet with your professors, tutors, classmates, etc  or mix up your study routine. Don’t regret not working hard now when you’re struggling to get a passing grade at finals time.

Moving into Midterms

                         

As we move into fall we also move into one if the most miserable times in a college students semester. Midterms. These tests can be really easy or absolutely dreadful depending on the class so we have compiled a list of study tips to help ease your stress and help you prepare for your tests.

                                 

1. Review and rewrite your notes only this time write the most concise and most important points and lose the rest. See how small of a section of paper you can get your notes on. When you get rid of the fluff you will have a list of concepts that if you understand, you can figure out everything else. 

2. Make flash cards with vocabulary and concepts. Keeping these handy can enable you to study when you have five minutes on the bus or before class starts. 

3. Utilize practice tests. Review the questions and even make flash cards with the question on one side and the answer in the other. Use the wrong answer choices and write out on your test why they are wrong. You can even make more practice questions with the wrong answer. 

4. Take breaks so you don't overwhelm yourself. For every hour, take a 5-10 minute break. Stretch, check social media, walk around, anything to keep you free for a few minutes. 

5. Study in advance. When you start a week or even two weeks early it will be way easier to break your studying into chunks and you won't feel as stressed. 

One of the beautiful things about college is that you know exactly when you have tests from the beginning of the semester. It allows you to plan in advance. 

Take a breath and good luck on midterms!