Tips for Graduating Seniors

As these last few days come to a close, I would like to give my words of advice to my fellow seniors (and trust me, I will use my own advice too).
1. Keep your head up: don’t let one rejection letter get you down
2. Laugh often: positivity goes far in life
3. Don’t forget the people that got you to where you are now.
4. Use your connections wisely: you never know who knows someone with power to get you where you want to go
5. Everything happens for a reason! We just may not know what it is yet

I hope you all had a great time in school. It is the happiest times of our lives and apparently it is supposed to all be downhill from here. Too bad we are the generation that will change that.
Find a job you love and don’t settle for less. A day at a job that you love isn’t work, it is happiness.
Good luck out there and I hope we meet again soon.

Poems for Procrastinators

So I have been listening to Christmas music to get me through these last days of school so I decided to write a poem/song for all of you out there! **clearing throat**

School is almost done and gone,

And gosh we have been here way too long.

The years we have been here, five or six for some,

Have made us anything but a bunch of bums.

From campus food to shuttle riding,

Oh these years have been so exciting!

We had our final snow day to celebrate as kids once more,

Now its time to go and be adults with real life chores.

Sleeping in, staying up late,

And don’t forget that awkward first date!

We made so many memories, we made our mark,

Now it is time for us to embark.

But oh wait… we still have finals,

Don’t forget our dreaded archrivals.

We must pass these final classes

Or else we will be out on our asses.

So we study our brains out till they’re stuffed,

But then they clearly have had enough.

Years of learning, why one more week?

If I see another flash card I just might shriek!

So what to do to pass the time?

Facebook? Twitter? No, I’ll rhyme!

I’ll make poems for my friends for them to share.

All to entertain the slackers out there.

They’ll beg for more of my fabulous lines,

But it looks like I am out of rhymes.

I suggest you get back to opening a book,

But I thank you for giving my blog a look!

Good luck to all my fellow seniors out there with their FINAL finals!!!! We can do this!!

Checked Out Yet?

Hang in there. Just one more week of classes and one week of finals and BOOM, we are done!

Since it is final project time and everyone is not supposed to be online and searching the net, here is some halftime entertainment for those projects.

21 Signs You’ve Checked Out

Trust me, it is worth the look.

Write your thoughts below on what you think of my new find! I certainly fit all of these but I would love to see what you think!

 

Keep Calm? Not Gonna Happen!

Graduation is ONE MONTH away!

One month? How could this be? Only 30 simple days separate me from being a college alumna. It seems so surreal to say that in one month, we will be walking across that stage, waving to our parents and finally going back home or maybe off to another place. I, for one, am nervous, excited, anxious, nervous and so much more all rolled into one. I am supposed to be the baby of my family, yet I am so grown up now. I am already applying to jobs, scheduling interviews and preparing for the future. That degree is within sight and we can’t just let it go unnoticed!

But what about the NOW!? Even though a month seems like a while, there is so much still to do! I feel like the rabbit off of Alice and Wonderland: “I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date”. There’s so much to do and such limited time left!

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have so many things still on my bucket list of what I want to do while still in college. So many restaurants that I have never been to, trails I haven’t hiked, wineries with my name on them and so much more. How will I do it all?

What are you going to miss most about being at college?

Sunday Funday!

So, it’s a Sunday afternoon and a lot of my friends are working on projects that are due soon and getting a head start for the week. I figured this is a good idea so I got my laptop, notes, flash drive and anything else I may need and got in bed to do some work. 

Well, there were three clear problems with this. One, I wanted to do my homework while laying in bed so I would be comfortable. Two, the television was on when I started this plan. Three, this was about two hours ago and I have not accomplished a thing. 

Is it sad that I would rather just watch Christmas movies on Lifetime, Friends for hours open hours and anything but my homework? I know it will eventually get done, but is a break good for people or should we stop procrastinating and just get work done?!

As a senior, I feel as if I have the credentials to answer this question. So here is my ‘professional’ opinion. I think that a movie and lazy day is required for at least 5 hours on a Sunday. This gives our brain a good time to shut off and rest up for all that work that will be accomplished later. I think working continually on projects all day just isn’t very mentally satisfying.

Sundays are for relaxation and rest according to the Bible, and myself for that matter.  So, if your parents question why you aren’t being productive with your day, you can say that you are getting in touch with your inner spirit, supporting the economy by using cable and eating out and that you are doing what God wants you to do- REST!

So, now that you know what I have accomplished with my day, or lack thereof, what are you doing on this fabulous Sunday? 

Stressed? No, You’re Blessed!

During these last FIVE weeks of school, there is so much to do in so little time. Almost every teacher thinks they are “the one and only” to give you a final project, so they are big projects. Sure, we have known about them all semester since the day we received our syllabus, but who starts early on those? It’s our senior year, we shouldn’t be forced to work on tedious final assignments (especially in those random classes we picked up for electives). Yet, the fact of the matter is, they won’t just disappear so we have to attack them some time or another.

But now we are to the next question: when? When do we, the graduating seniors, have time to work on frivolous  projects in all the other hubbub going on. Thanksgiving is two weeks away and we have to plan out when we will drive home, what to make to contribute to dinner, what family members to see, what to pack… Clearly there is no time to do a silly paper or presentation now.

So how about after Thanksgiving? Oh wait, then it is going to be cold and icky outside and we won’t want to venture too far outside unless absolutely necessary. Oh, and we can’t forget to get presents for all of our family members for the next holiday coming up. How will we have time to go shopping during the graduation craziness? I guess we should do that now. But oh wait, what about those darn projects?

THIS, my friends, is how extreme procrastinating can cause stress. We need to just get it done, and get it done NOW. Do it before all the holiday stress comes along and adds to the items circling around in your head of things to get done.

There are FIVE WEEKS LEFT! Five weeks! Then we are done with college forever! (Except for those of you that are doing grad school. In that case, may God be with you.) If you have made it this far, just push the extra mile and finish strong. According to one source, only 26% of Americans graduate college. You are so blessed to be where you are right now and to have the financial help to pay for the tuition, Starbucks addiction and Taco Bell runs. Make sure you finish strong, make your family and friends proud and recognize them all for their help throughout the years.

What are you most thankful/blessed for this holiday season? Feel free to share below!

Keep Calm and Just Graduate

We are officially at the 40 day mark for graduation! This is the time to PANIC!!!!

Just kidding, stay calm and push through. We can do this together!

Time Management

My coworker this morning was discussing how she has perfected her time management and now has tons of time for herself, spending with her kids and whatever else she needs to get done. I understand that she is a mother and I am only a student, but then it hit me. What if seniors could manage our time this well too??

So, here are the tips that my coworker shared with me, but in terms of senior scheduling.

1. Make a chart with the days across the top and hours going down the side (similar to most class schedules)
2. Cross off the times that you are scheduled to be in class and/or working
3. If you are involved in any extra curricular activities, sororities or fraternities and anything else similar, cross those times slots off as well
4. Allot specific times for homework and projects so these won’t get in the way later
5. Leave at least an hour a day aside to job searching and professional development
6. Use the rest of your free time wisely!

Make sure you follow step six to a tee. This is where your “senior time” is designed. My suggestions for step six are to relax and not stress, see your friends that you will not see as often if you are moving away after graduation and, most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Just Breathe

I have realized lately that my friends all seem to be a bit testy and
on edge about every little issue. Our school recently had Homecoming and a lot of students were busy with all the festivities and events going on. In my opinion (and I dare anyone to argue their position against me) the most overused phrase last week was, “I can’t wait until this week is over.” This is because the stress of juggling school, work, events for their organizations and the older students just simply trying to enjoy their “last Homecoming” by doing all they can to soak in the ‘awesomeness’.

So, now that it is finally the week after, why is everyone still so
stressed and ready to be over with this week? Will this vicious cycle
ever end???

After discussing with a fellow student today, we finally figured it out. It’s very hard to focus on school work, submit top-notch applications to
future employers, and live it up like every soon-to-be-grad should.
So here is my advice, you can use it or lose it.

1. Relax: set time aside for yourself every day. This can be just watching TV, eating a nice meal, reading a book or whatever else you can think of. As long as you have time to turn your brain off and relax you are on the right track.
2. Stay active: similar to the Freshman 15, we seniors are struggling with finding time to stay active and get moving. Join an aerobics class or just go on a nice jog. If you say you don’t have time for this, do what I do and bring your assigned reading to the gym and ride a stationary bike. It really does help!
3. Don’t procrastinate: after years of college you should know that success does not come from putting things aside. If you get your classwork done in advance, you will not be as stressed when employers contact you for interviews or have a huge project thrown at you last minute.
4. Designate one day your ‘fun day’: it is key to get rid of your stress and have fun with friends at least once a week. You need to get your brain off your worries and enjoy the time you have left at school. You never know where you will end up after graduation and if you will see these people again.

Make Each Day Count

Senior year can be a tough time, but it is also an important time. Here are some things you need to prioritize and figure out what’s important to fit into these next two months (or 7 for those graduating in May)
Friends, applications, work, assignments, final essays, resume building, cleaning up your online presence, interviews, and much more.

What do you think is most important?