Even though my end goal is to become a teacher, I’m still a student! I still study, read, and write essays. Being a student isn’t always easy, but in my few (16 years) of going to school, I’ve learned a thing or two. From time management to how to get over feeling defeated, and everything else in between, scroll through and read to learn how to survive various aspects of being a student. 

---

When You Feel Like Nothing Is Going Right:

If I told you guys how many times my world felt like it was crumbling around me, you probably wouldn’t believe me. To be fair, I do have accelerated worrywart tendencies, however, there were some real things that happened and when they did, nothing ever felt like it could go right. But whenever I start to feel this way, it tries to bring myself back to a place where I was in the exact same position – and I managed to get through it. It is fairly easy to get stuck in a mentality where your thoughts on are on a negative loop and you start to lose hope. But, if you can remember a time that you managed to get yourself out of whatever you were going through, it will make all the difference. It will remind you that you are strong and capable, that this feeling is only temporary. Sometimes you wake up late, you forget to do an assignment, you have personal things going on and it all feels like it’s happening and once and those gloomy days just won’t stop coming. It’s normal to feel that way, and it’s okay to take a step back. Maybe go for a walk, write down how you feel, call a loved one. Doing one small thing that can make you happy and remember that you’ve been here before and survived won’t make it all better, but it’s a start. As long as you try to keep a positive mentality and remember your strength, you’ll get out of that rut and things will start to work out; just remember, one day at a time.

---

When You’ve Procrastinated (& Are Stressed):

Well, hello fellow procrastinator. I, too struggle with this (to this day!). You get an assignment or you’re on a deadline, you put off that essay, you waited to study for that test until the last minute and now you’re stuck. You feel stressed out, frazzled and honestly a little upset with yourself because you wish more than anything that you could go back and just get started (remember this feeling!). Of course these are totally normal feelings and we all go through it, so the first thing I want to say is relax. You’re not the only one who put that one thing off, we all do it. Some of us are good at working under (self-induced) pressure and some of use are not, regardless you are not a “bad” noodle just because you procrastinated. You (and me) just need to make some changes in habits and I think the most important thing is to just prioritize and use your time wisely. Don’t focus so much on what you could have or should have done better, it’s over already. You can’t go back and change it, so now you just have to move forward and work. Instead of freaking out, I plan. I write down all the responsibilities I must take care of, along with their deadline. I then either make a calendar for myself or use my planner and start planning out what I’m going to work on each day leading up to the deadline.

Let’s say I have two papers due and a project, they’re due in less than two weeks and look who procrastinated…AGAIN. After a small moment of panic, I just get to planning. I write down each day of the week leading to the due date and dedicate each alternating day to one assignment and alternate until I reach the due date. I write down each component that needs to be done that day and I stick to it – you have to, at this point. You (and me) made the decision to put it off, so now you have to put in double the work to get it done. Again, tt doesn’t mean that you are a bad student, but life happens; you get tired, sick, you want to hang out with a friend, you feel like you need a break. Don’t be so hard on yourself, just write out a game plan for however many days you have until the due date and get it done. It really helps to make a checklist format so when you finish, it makes you feel a little more accomplished and takes one less thing off your shoulders. This system may not work for everybody and their level of procrastination, but either way, writing down a plan helps you solidify what you have to do and in a way, forces you to stick to it…because you have to…because you procrastinated.. and me, too.

I hope this example helps for when you’re in a jam and realized you procrastinated a little too much! It happens to everyone, just make sure you’re in a position where you can fix it and don’t absolutely wait until the night before (even though I know this happens, too).

---

When You Failed:

This is a hard one. The feeling of failure or not doing enough is probably one of the lousiest feelings. Whether you failed an assignment, a class, you failed at being a friend, etc. No matter what it is, that feeling is never a positive one and it can put you in a dark place…if you let it.

I think, with this, the most important thing to remember is you can always do better. If you sit dwell on the fact that you experienced a failure, it is easy to stay in that mind frame. It is easy to convince yourself that you are not that great, smart, or capable. Reflecting on that moment for punishment and for growth are two different things. You can think about what you did wrong or what went wrong, you can feel defeated, you can feel disappointed, but you can’t dwell on it; learn from it and fix what didn’t work the first time. My freshman year, there were a few terms that I didn’t do necessarily well in a class or two, and it really got to me. I was always a good student in high school, I always got good grades (except math. Remember what I said about math), I always did what I was supposed to. But, I think coming into college, I didn’t really understand the standards and what was expected of me; so sometimes a paper of mine got a D or I didn’t end up with the grade I thought I would in one of my classes and it brought me down.

I started feeling like I wasn’t cut out for college, as though I didn’t belong and maybe I wasn’t as smart as I thought. At that point, I had two options – I could either sit there and continue to dwell on what I didn’t do right, which doesn’t help. Or, I could change certain things in the future to fix it; and that is what I did. During the Spring Term of my freshman year, I was so tired of feeling like I wasn’t doing as well, so I buckled down. Instead of hanging out with my friends after dinner, I would go back to my room and just work on my homework. Instead of taking a few hours of a break after classes, I would just go back and do my assignments to get them out of the way. Instead of staying up until two in the morning laughing in the lounge, I started getting organized and used a planner. I began asking for help when I was stuck, I began to discipline myself. This isn’t to say I didn’t have fun or that you can’t have any fun and take breaks, you can. You just have to manage your time, get the priorities out of the way, and then you can have fun.  Nobody else was going to put in the work for me, nobody else could write that paper or take that class, I had to do it. You can either sit here and feel like a failure OR you can take those feelings, work hard, and make sure that you never feel that way again. There will always be ups and downs. There will always be periods of success and failures, but the difference will always lay in how you choose to handle it; you can either pout or put in the work. Prove to the world you’re not a failure, prove to your instructor that you’re not a failure, but most importantly, prove to YOURSELF that that is not who you are.

---

When You Feel On Top of the World:

You made it! Please enjoy this moment. Take it from me, I have spent way too much time not enjoying and being present in moments where I feel accomplished and on top of the world. I spend more time not accepting that I did it or glossing over the accomplishment because I focus more on the harder aspects or when I felt like a failure. Don’t do this to yourself, you made it! Whatever the success, you were able to do it and you deserve to be happy. But, don’t forget this glorious feeling when you’ve hit a low point and things aren’t going so well. These good moments are the ones that will be able to help carry you through and give you hope when you feel otherwise. These moments should inspire you to work harder and do better because you know you can. Enjoy it and use it as a learning experience, continue to grow from it. Congratulations! Be Happy! I’m proud of you! 🙂

---

Time Management Tips & Tricks:

You probably won’t like this answer, or you’ll probably roll your eyes; either way, the best way aided in better time management was getting a *drum roll please*

PLANNER! Woo-hoo!

In high school, students used to roll their eyes at the thought of a planner. I won’t lie to you, I did often, too. I didn’t think it would help, it was just one more thing to carry and remember. I used to think, “I’ll remember this assignment, psssh, why do I need a planner?”  Now I laugh at myself because, well, because YOU DO PAST VANESSA. Having a planner, especially in college is the best way to help manage your time. I use it constantly now and I can’t believe I blew off this idea in the first place. There are two tactics that I used to organize myself:

1. On Fridays, I will sit down and look at all the upcoming assignments I have for the week. I’ll write down the due dates and just get to working. It is so much easier to plan out your day and time when you have it organized and can see it. Sure, you can remember stuff, but what happens when you have your plate full and accidentally forget about your midterm on Friday? In order to avoid that heart sinking and gut-wrenching feeling, I would just suggest you write stuff down.

 

2. You could even kick it up a notch and write down all your assignments you have due for the term upon receiving your syllabi. I have taken to this tactic more this year and it is much easier to manage my time (I’m not just saying that!). I bought a bigger calendar to fit in my binder so I can see every day of the week for that month. I then color coded my classes/activities so that I could just write down whatever I needed to (and I would know for what class it was.) It really helped; I was able to see what I had going on for the whole month and I could easily plan ahead or according to schedule to get stuff done. I can see how this might seem a little excessive but if you find yourself struggling hardcore with time management, this method has really helped me. I hope this helps! Now go do that thing you’re supposed to be doing.

 

3. Now, I will admit that sometimes I get lazy about it and I won’t write in it. But if that does happen, ill just write stuff down in my notepad on my phone. That way I can see it, it’ll remind me and at least I have some way of managing everything I need to get done.

---

Annotating/Close Reading Tips & Tricks:

Annotating and close reading are probably one of my favorite things to do. I think it’s really neat when you can look at a text, dissect it and come up with a whole slew of interpretations and readings of what the author was trying to say. Let’s face it, you will never know what an author’s intentions are, but that is the fun of close reading and annotating – the possibilities and meanings are endless! From the work I did with Dr. Kate Myers in her World Literature class, I will be sharing here my tips and tricks that I gave her class on these matters. I hope you find them helpful!

• When you’re working with/trying to figure out intention:
  • Here’s a little quote I found from good ol’ Wikipedia:
  • “In literary theory and aesthetics, authorial intent refers to an author’s intent as it is encoded in his or her work. Authorial intentionalism is the view, according to which an author’s intentions should constrain the ways in which it is properly interpreted.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorial_intent).
  • Try not to confuse intent with intentionalism.
• Deciphering between Summary and Analysis:
  • I touched on some of this in my “All Things Writing” section, but here is some more information:
    • Summary: covering the main points succinctly (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summary)
    • Analysis: a detailed examination of anything complex in order to understand its nature or to determine its essential features: a thorough study. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/analysis)
    • A summary is only getting to the base of the text. Summarization should be used for your comprehension of the basic understanding of the contexts.
    • When you analyze, you are breaking down what the text means; what does it do
  • When you’re frazzled about the time it takes to close read:
    • This little tip is going to be short and sweet:
      • Unfortunately, there is no way to get around this. The only way to become a stronger close reader is to practice.
      • The more you do it, the more you’re able to recognize these patterns and elements that make for successful close reading.
      • So just keep practicing and keep those pens near!
      • (Hint: this is where doing background research comes in handy for me when I’m feeling stuck.)
    • Familiarize yourself with figurative language:
      • Knowing and understanding the elements of figurative language can be super helpful when close reading. It will allow you to spot out things like metaphors and similes, etc with ease! You can start with this if you’re feeling stuck!

---

How To Survive Midterms/Finals:

“It’s the most stressful time of the yeeeeear!” And I’m not talking about Christmas.

Midterms and finals are something that I have always struggled with. Small anecdote: I got into real big trouble when I was in middle school for not taking my finals seriously, and now I understand why; because I did it again when I first came to college, obviously I didn’t learn my lesson, tsk tsk. I thought if I could make it through my magnet high school’s midterms and finals, I could totally work through/around a college level midterm/final, right?

WRONG…at least for me.

If anything, these are more intense and pressure filled (especially if you’re taking classes like biology or philosophy, even some of my English major finals have been super stressful). Either way, this is normally a high-tension time around campus and all we want to do is make it out alive. Like I said, I kind of blew them off my freshman year and it really did come back to bite me. Not because I failed, but more because I made myself stay up until 4 in the morning trying to get all the knowledge in my head, when realistically, I could have/should have done it a lot earlier. I know sometimes its hard to manage every assignment and test, it’s hard to plan and get a grasp on things. But if you are that serious about wanting to do well on these exams, you will make time.

Even if it means:

• Making flash cards to take with you to study on the go.
• Writing notes to yourself on the important information from a class and read them every now and then.
• Sitting down for fifteen to twenty minutes to study
• Collaborating on a group study guide with a few classmates
• Spending some time in the library or a coffee shop for quiet or environment change

 

Doing a little something to help prepare before your test will make all the difference. I am not saying you have to start studying for finals in Week 1, however, when you know the time is approaching, start writing notes and putting yourself into a study mode, so that you don’t have to stay up until 4 am. Some tests and subject matters honestly may require that, especially if you struggle with them. But it doesn’t have to be a miserable time. Take these preventative measures and do yourself a favor – start little by little and it will make all the difference!

---

First Day Jitters:

In my case, as well as the many other incoming freshmen who are living in the dorms, this first day is equally as important as the first day of college classes. I wanted to spend a little bit of time talking about both of these first days.

From the moment I moved into my dorm on campus and started my first day of classes, everything just seems like a blur. I had to move all my things, I had to get settled, make my room my own all while sharing it, meet tons and tons of people I would be living with, it was a high paced day and really nerve-wracking. I was scared but I knew I needed to try and be social. I was going to be living with these people for the next nine months, I had to make some friends. I am definitely a person who is super quiet and shy, so this was definitely going to be a true test of coming out of my shell. I think I did okay for the most part. I tried to branch out and talk to the different girls on my floor and get to know them. We spent the night going into each other’s rooms, seeing how we decorated, talking, listening to music and just getting to know each other. Before I knew it, I realized that this was not as hard or as scary as I thought. Eventually you make your friends, you find a routine, and you start to feel comfortable. Even though it seems scary and hectic, it really will be one of the best experiences. Despite some quirks, it was a really fun time and it helps to know that you’re not the only one feeling afraid and lost. You are all living together and in this together, eventually, it will work itself out. So, if you’re moving into the dorms for the first time, just be yourself and be nice. The right people will gravitate toward you and vise versa. You will find your people, you will get comfortable, you will get tired of dorm food and the bathroom situation, but I don’t think you’ll regret it, it’s an experience and a fun one if you let it!

As far as the first day of classes, my first thought was, “I am up way too early.” I didn’t understand why I signed myself up for an 8 AM class. I guess I thought, like most people, that if I could be at school at 7 AM in high school, I can totally do an 8 AM class, and I was wrong, so. I’m not sure why it’s so hard, but if you can avoid it, I suggest it. Maybe try 9 AM, those are a little easier to manage. Anyway, I woke up at like 6 in the morning to do my hair and makeup (ask me how long that routine lasted). I got dressed and was on my way to start my day. At this time, the UO had an app where you could interact with all the incoming freshman. Tons of students would post their schedule and dorms so that we could get to know each other and see if we would be running into each other at all. I posted my schedule and managed to find a few nice girls in each of my classes. We decided to meet up before class, that way we wouldn’t feel so lonely or scared. I did that for most of the day and it went relatively smoothly. My classes seemed interesting, my new friends were nice, and it didn’t feel that different from high school, just more people and it was bigger. My last class let out at 7:20, which was not all that fun. By the time I got back to my dorm, my friends had already eaten, so usually, I would just get some dinner, take it back to my room, and watch Netflix (ask me how much as changed.) If you can also avoid late classes like this, I would also suggest it. It’s just a drag waiting all day for class when mostly everyone is done. Overall it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be in my head. It helped that I had made a few friends ahead of time. So, for the first day, just like the dorms, don’t sweat it. Be nice, be kind, be open. If you can’t arrange to meet with someone beforehand, be brave and talk to the person next to you, chances are they are just as afraid as you are. Eventually, you will get into a groove and your own routine, it’ll become second nature and you won’t even miss a beat, I promise! You got this!