Category: College

Yesterday I spent the ENTIRE day in bed with a heating pad. During our flight home our plane hit an air pocket and turned completely on its side and then quickly flipped all the way to the other side…like a complete 180 in a plane…that was flying. The rest of the flight I was SOOO tense …my neck is all sorts of messed up as a result. I have a massage at 11am and I am PUMPED to get theses knots out before spin tonight. With school starting in just a few weeks I wanted to share with you some of my studying tips.

Nursing school is hard…really hard. If you aren’t a good student, nursing school will chew you up and spit you out in the first semester. Here is the thing with nursing, yes you are studying to pass the class but more importantly you are studying for a patient you will meet seven years from now. Everything builds on another so you can forget ANYTHING. Cramming just will not work.

Most of my tips will be geared towards nursing students but they will work for any major.

• Get a planner. As you know my favorite is The Purposeful Planner by Corie Clark, but I have also used Lilly and Kate Spade in the past. Come up with a system…I like washi tape…a different color for each class because if your professor changes exam dates you can just move the tape. You could use gel pens or highlighters if that floats your boat. The second you are handed your syllabus you need to go through your planner and add in due dates. Im tell you this is KEY! I swear that all my exams fall in the same week every semester…but I know that ahead of time so I can plan accordingly. GET A PLANNER.
• Pay attention in class. Take notes. Ask questions. You are paying for education so appreciate it. Record your lectures and listen to them…you will be surprised at the amount of information you missed while taking notes or while going to the bathroom or in the ‘two seconds’ you zoned out.
• Re-read your notes after class. You will forget what that little cartoon was about the next day. Clarify while the information is fresh.
• Find out the way you study best. Once you master a technique don’t challenge it or change it because something else works for your roommate. Do you boo.
• Get an old school kitchen timer…like the kind you physically have to turn…not digital. Time your studying/homework/shower/free time. I give myself 40 minutes on, 20 minutes off when I study. For those 40 minutes I have ZERO distractions…my phone is on airplane mode, my computer is off. Before I set the timer I make sure I have a warm cup of coffee, three bottles of water, a green juice and gum. During those 40 minutes I make sure to focus on rewriting my notes, making an outline or doing practice questions. For me, I need to hand write everything…It doesn’t sink in unless I write it out…and surprise each outline is a done with a different color combination and washi tape.
• Find a stress reliever. I need to go to the gym or the studio everyday. Find something that calms you and make you happy…trust me this might be the most important. If you aren’t doing something that is just for you at least 4 days a week you are going to be miserable and your grades are going to show it. Don’t be afraid to have fun. You won’t learn anything if you are a total basket case 24/7. Can you tell I’m very particular about my study set up? It helps me stay focused and waste less time. How did you figure out how you learn best… You know that I WANT to know. Leave me a love note, kay?

xoxo,

K

With everyone going back to school and the tribe of kids I used to babysit starting their freshman year of college (does that make me old? Unclear.) I wanted to share my tips and tricks for a successful year outside the classroom. Plus I have been in bed alllllll day and I am vvvvvvv bored. I have all my study tips ready for another day, but I think this is way more fun.

Tip 1: Be friends with everyone. Going into college I only knew TWO people, one of my three roommates (pictured above) and a guy from my brother’s lacrosse team. I left with dozens of friends and I didnt play sports and I wasn’t in clubs. How did I meet so many people? I put myself out there. The things that are weird in high school…aka liking to cook…made me different and helped me stand out in college.

Are you ready for a slightly (totally) embarrassing story? I met most of my friends from sliding into the DMs of two guys down the hall….and no it’s not what you’re thinking. I heard they had a lax tournament coming up and I (like my mother) believe the dinner you have the night before a game makes all the difference. I sent John and Al a message asking if they wanted a home cooked meal the night before their game. Friday I delivered them chicken parm, baked ziti and killer some garlic bread. The next they texted me saying they won all three games…John (the goalie) didn’t let anyone score on them all day! Next thing I knew we were all friends and they introduced me to soooooo many people. Sure looking back it may have been a tad weird asking to make someone dinner, but hey I met most of my favorite people on planet earth because of it so who is the real winner?

 Trick 2: Make your room feel like home. I was the cook, but my roommate Shannon was the Queen when it came to decorating. Our room was very cozy and I LOVED coming home from a stressful day to a comfy place. We moved our furniture around the first day and spent a lot of time decorating. I had wallpaper and pictures everywhere. I made sure my bedding was glam and not too busy. We both covered our furniture with contact paper to brighten it up a bit. Shan had an American Flag tapestry and her decor was more bohemian. Some how they blended nicely. We also had a big rug, faux candles, christmas lights which were so much better than the harsh overhead lighting that was in our room.

Tip 3: SMILE on campus. Resting Bitch Face is real and people don’t typically talk to girls with RBF. Be friendly and nice..people like a welcoming smile.

Trick 4: Always always ALWAYS drink your own alcohol. If you are going to a party, bring a cup with a lid. Roofies are real. I have never experienced it, but I have close friends who have.

Trick 5: Always have a plan to get home if you are drinking. If you are the sober sister don’t drink. Call the uber early on and make sure someone knows you are leaving the party. One thing I can say about my friends is we were ALWAYS safe about getting home or sleeping where we were drinking. It helped that our best friends were the guys throwing the parties but even if we were going home they always made sure we were safe and walked us to our uber.

How  low quality are these images….I wasn’t planning on being a blogger when I took them haha…But they are some of my favorites. Do you have any additional tips? Are you a freshman with questions about college? LET ME KNOW FAM. Leave me a love note in the comment section or slide in my DMs.

xoxo,

K