Curate, connect, and discover
School is starting back so I've asked around and compiled some advice and tips to help you do amazing this semester!
Make a calendar and put your class times in it. Schedule in lunch and dinner (and hopefully breakfast) and see what you have left. Schedule in study and homework time, social time, work time, sleep, and chores. I know this is a lot and can be overwhelming, but having a time table helps you to keep to due dates with minimal stress.
Join a club! Make connections. The club doesn't even have to be in your field, just something you enjoy. It helps you make friends, feel more comfortable, and gives you something to look forward to!
Look at your library's calendar. A lot of libraries have events like therapy dogs, book sales, free lunches, and the like that are always fun!
Always have a snack with you. Sometimes that project takes a bit longer than expected and snacks make things so much easier. You can't work well on an empty stomach.
A lot of campuses have trails and stuff. Find them and walk them at least once.
Experiment with your style and identity. Literally no one there cares. Everyone is just as tired and focused on graduating as you are and they won't remember how your hair was or what shoes you wore yesterday.
It's ok to drink and party and have fun! There seems to be a stigma around partying in the academic circle. You can go out every now and then and do stupid stuff and still get good grades.
Do not buy that brand new $2,000 laptop. You don't need it.
Buy that $30 umbrella that won't break in the wind and is big enough to keep you and your backpack dry. You will need it.
Go to office hours. It's a great way to get that recommendation letter.
You failed a test? Oh well. You failed a class? Retake it. Don't stress. This isn't going to be the end all. I promise these things don't matter much after you graduate.
Your GPA isn't a reflection of your abilities. Life happens and you will fumble and fail.
Participate in class. You're paying way too much so take advantage of that. Drain every bit of information from that teacher. I promise they love it.
Take a class that isn't directly related to your degree. If it sounds cool, take it!
Stress eat an entire cake at least once.
Dollar tree seasonings work just the same as fancy, fresh market ones.
Walk campus a few times. Learn where things are. I promise you'll find something weird. My campus used to have a small clown shrine in the woods.
Find someone who has a pet and befriend them.
Learn to cook a vegetable.
Make a Google doc with all the class info and email the link to your classmates. Tell them they can add to it. Notes questions, whatever. At the end of the semester yall will have a giant document with literally anything the teacher could put on a comprehensive final.
Don't buy your textbooks until after the first week or two. 90% of the time you don't need the textbook. A lot of classes (and all common core classes) are required to have a mandatory textbook. But like I said, they probably won't ever use it.
Buy the textbooks and field guides you like and keep them!
Get sleep. Every night. Bragging about not sleeping or hardly sleeping is stupid and very bad for your health.
Slow down. Life goes too fast and I hope you don't have to learn what's actually important in life while at a funeral wishing you spent more time with someone. Please slow down. You don't get time back but you can always make up ah assignment or a class.
Take a semester or summer off. No one cares if you graduate a bit or a lot late. You won't ever get this time again so enjoy it
Have fun! You have an opportunity not granted to a lot of people. But that doesn't mean to work constantly. You should enjoy yourself.
And lastly: calculus made everyone cry it's ok. No one will judge you for it I promise.