Showing posts with label school. Show all posts

Back To School: Packing For College Part 1

As some may know, I am going to be starting college soon. I actually don't start for about a month, but I know a lot of other people are starting earlier, so I'm sorry if you have already started school and this didn't help you but hopefully this will help someone. For me, the hardest part of going to college is the packing, because I have a lot of stuff, and at first, I didn't really know what to take, or what I could take. So I decided to share what I have learned about packing for college and hopefully it will help you guys out. I am in a triple dorm room, with a communal bathroom, so I am basing this list off of that, so if you are in a different type of room (apartment, suite, private bathroom, etc.) this list might be a little different. I decided to put this with my back to school series, because it is back to school related, but I will probably be making multiple packing for college posts (maybe a video or two, because it might be easier) because I feel there are multiple areas that I should cover. And I don't want this post to me unimaginably long.

  • Bedding: I would recommend buying 2-3 sets of sheets. Make sure they are XL Twin because that is what most dorm beds are. So this way you always have one to put on your bed. You can just take the dirty ones off and put on a clean pair right then. Then just wash your sheets and do the same thing the next time you want to change them. I also recommend this with pillow cases. For pillows, I like to sleep with a lot of pillows, but it's a personal preference, I would say to bring two, that way you can stack them up and lean against the wall if you're sitting on your bed. I also say to bring a body pillow, just to put between the wall and the bed for some extra comfort. Another thing, which is going to be a good investment, is a mattress topper, which is like an extra foam layer to go on top of your mattress. A lot of dorm beds are super hard and uncomfortable, so this just makes it feel a little better. Finally one of my favorite parts, blankets. I love using a ton of blankets, even though I live in California and it doesn't get too cold. I would recommend bringing at least two or three depending on the weather where you live. I would also recommend one of those be one of those fuzzy throw blankets, that way if you are just sitting at your desk or on your bed you can wrap up in a soft blanket, and it won't be too big.
  • Desk/Electronics: I'm not going to go into school supplies, and such right now, but I just wanted to mention a few things I think you should have on your desk beside school supplies. Firstly, a desk organizer. I think it is so important to keep your desk organized, and organizers just help make that a lot easier. They give you a place to put your pens, pencils, paper clips, and other supplies you might have. You also need a lamp, for all that late night studying. My school didn't provide one, but I would check with yours to see if you need to buy one. This next one isn't necessary, but I think it adds a nice touch to the room, and that is a plant. I feel having a succulent on your desk just makes you feel better and adds some life to your room. A printer also isn't necessary, but depending on how much you see yourself printing, you may find it easier just to find a cheap printer to keep on your desk, rather than always going to the library and paying for it. And the big necessity of college would probably be a laptop. There's going to be so much work you have to do requiring a computer, you are going to hate having to go the library every time you need to use one. Another thing you will quickly realize you need is a surge protector. With 3 people in a room, you will soon figure out there are not enough outlets for 3 phones, 3 laptops, 3 lamps, 3 printers, etc. 
  • Bath: Of course you are going to need towels. I would recommend getting 3-4. This is just so you don't have to keep constantly having to wash them, and you can have a few extras on handy. If you are in a communal bathroom like me, you will definitely need shower shoes. I recommend getting the flip flops with the holes in them because they seem to be the most convenient. I also would recommend figuring out if you are going to put on clothes after your shower, or if you are going to walk to your room to change. If you choose the later, I would recommend a robe or a towel wrap, just so your towel doesn't fall down while you walk to your room, but that is up to your personal preference. Of course, one of the must haves is a shower caddy, or it will basically be impossible to get everything to the bathroom, without making multiple trips. They have ones with removable portions, but it's up to you if you think you will need that or not. 
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Back To School: Dorm Room Decoration Ideas

Hello everyone! Today I am doing another addition to my Back to School Series. If you want to see the other posts in the series you can click here. This post is about decorating for your dorm room, or if you don't live in a dorm, your bedroom or house in general. These are some of the most popular ideas are found. Of course there a tons of other ways to decorate a room, and I might do a second post on some of the other ideas I find. Or I might do one on how I decorate my dorm, since I am going to be a freshman this year, and this is my first experience with decorating a dorm. So look out for future posts like that in the future and I hope you enjoy these decorating ideas.
  • Photo Wall: I’m sure we all have tons of photos on our phones, with tons of memories of our friends and families and good times. But since they’re just sitting on our phone, we never look at them. The solution, print a ton off and put them on your wall. You can go about this a ton of different ways. You can arrange the photos on your wall in shapes, words, or just by sticking them to your wall. When you put them on the wall, be sure to attach them in a way that won’t damage the wall, especially since colleges tend to fine for room damage. I recommend using taping. Maybe if you don’t want to do each one to the wall individually, find a frame, piece of cardboard, a corkboard, or giant piece of paper, attach all the photos to that, and put that on your wall. This would make it a lot easier to take down at the end of the year, and you can easily put it back up next year.
  • Quote Wall: A spin on the photo wall would be to make a quote wall. Instead of using photos of you and your friends, use photos of inspiring quotes, movie quotes, quotes you like, or even song lyrics. You can find pictures of these on sites like tumblr, or weheartit. If you can’t find one you really want, you can always create your own on an app on your phone. All you need is a background picture and whatever text you would like. To put these on your wall, just do the same as you would for the photo wall.
  • Fairy Lights: Or Christmas lights, whatever you call them (I like fairy lights because that sounds more magical.) You can hang these up around your room. They can go on your wall, around your desk, above your bed. You can also put some above your bed, on the ceiling, and put a sheet or curtain over them to make a cool glowing effect. Another idea, if you can find some small battery operated ones, would be to put them in a jar and create a fairy jar. Or if you can't find any Christmas lights, you can use the decorative ones that come in star shapes, or paper balls, whatever you prefer. 
  • Wall Flowers: If you want to add more to your walls, you can put some paper flowers on them. Just use a stencil from the internet, and cut out some flowers. Then you can fold the flower and tape one side of the flower to the wall. This will create a 3D effect and having the flowers sticking out from the wall. You can also do this in different shapes, like butterflies, paper cranes, hearts. And you can customize it to fit the color scheme in your room, and make the flowers in specific colors.
  • Plants: A way to add some life to your room are plants. You make think it might be a little hard to take care of soemthing, when you can barely take care of yourself, but there are many plants that are low maintence. As long as you have a desk or table by a window, you can most likely get a plant. There are succulents and air plants, which require little watering, and add some liveliness to a room. You can also decorate the pot or container they are in to add more decoration to your space.
  • Tapestry: I have seen a lot of people doing this, so I'm guessing its a pretty popular thing. That is to hang a tapestry on your wall. Most people do it by their bed, and it adds some design and color to the room. It is a pretty easy decorating technique because all you are doing is hanging up a piece of decorate fabric. If you don't want to put a lot of effort into decorating your walls, or if you have a wall that is just plain that you don't know what to do with, then I would suggest going this route. 
  • Pops of Color: I don't know if any of you have a color scheme for your room, or if you care about the color scheme, but I suggest using color. It will make your room a lot more lively. If you want to keep your room on the more neutral side, then just use pops of color, whether thats a few colorful pillows, or some colorful desk supplies. Or  if you are already going for a color scheme, add a few pops of metallic. Like a few gold pieces on your desk, or maybe silver or copper, whichever goes best with your room. This gives it more variety, and makes your room more interesting.
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Passing Finals

Since finals are coming up I have decided to put together a few tips that I have found to help me pass my finals and AP tests. I hope everyone find them to be helpful.
  1. Eat Good Foods
    • It is important while you are studying to eat foods that will give you brain power! Some of the best snacks are blueberries, nuts and seeds, and dark chocolate. You could make a little healthy snack mix to just keep by you while you are studying to munch on. In general, foods that help you boost your memory and brain power are eggs, avocado, fish, whole grains, and other things high in vitamins or protein.
  2. Color Code
    • While going through your notes, it is advised to color code! I use a different color for formulas, definitions, dates, and important facts that I NEED to remember. Color coding helps to differentiate different topics and facts in your notes, and will easily allow you to find a specific fact you are looking for. There are many different ways to color code depending on how you study. If you just reread your notes, then highlighting in different colors would probably be your best method. If you are like me, and like to make mind maps or rewrite your notes, I recommend writing in different colored pens.
  3. Mind Maps
    • Mind maps are a way to organize and rewrite your notes. I find them to be helpful, because as you rewrite the notes, it helps you to memorize what you are writing. They also allow you to think about how certain topics connect to each other, which allows you to get a better understanding of your topics, and also help you to figure out what you need clarification or more explanation on.
  4. Find What Works for You
    • Not everyone's brains think the same. I personally like to listen to music when I study because I can't study in complete silence. However, some people can't handle any type of distraction while studying. It is best to experiment with different locations and study techniques to determine what you like the best and what works the most for you.
  5. Get Enough Sleep
    • Do NOT stay up until 5 trying to study for a test you have the next day. Your brain needs to relax. It isn't healthy to stay up so late or to only get a little amount of sleep. The brain can also not fully function on such little sleep, which is why it is recommended to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep.
  6. Plan
    • Waiting until the day before your test to study is never a good idea. I recommend getting a planner, or some sort of organizational tool to help you plan when to study. I use a bullet journal to do this since it's more flexible than a planner. It is best to plan your week out at the beginning of the week so you can fit everything in and plan when you want to study and when you have time.
  7. De-Stress
    • Don't spend all of your time studying. Yes, you need to study to pass your finals, but the stress of constantly studying isn't healthy. Go on a run, do exercise, draw, paint your nails, walk to the store, have a coffee with friends. Allow your brain some relax time. Don't try to stuff everything in their at once and take a break every once and a while.
  8. Don't Give Up and Find Motivation
    • I recommend checking out studyblr on tumblr. It is basically a bunch of other students posting about their study tips, and all of their notes and progress. I find seeing everyone else's notes and mind maps and study habits helps to motivate and makes me want to study. To start off, check out my studyblr, here.
    • Also DONT GIVE UP! I believe you can pass all of your finals and tests and good luck to all of you.
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Back to School Haul: Kohl's and Papaya

The Clothes From Kohl's:







The Clothes From Papaya:
b2s fashion haul
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Back to School Haul: Target and Staples

Unfortunately, it's that time of year again. We all have to go to school sometime. And my favorite part about going back to school is the shopping. I love back to school shopping. I just love getting all the new things. It gets me excited for school, even though I don't want to go back. I was thinking about making a back to school video series, but I'm kinda bad at making videos. But if you do want to see a back to school blog series, let me know in the comments. Alright, enough of my babbling. Let's get on with the haul.
So I went to both Target and Staples, although I will probably go to more stores later. I don't really know what I need yet, but I got most of the necessities. I'll start off with Target. I got:
  • Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles in Neutralizer (Swatch Below)
  • Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 010 Darling (Swatch Below)
  • Up & Up (Target Brand) Super Blender

  • 2 Up & Up 7 Pocket Expanding File
  • Up & Up Pencil Box
  • Neon Sharpie
  • Xhilaration Cap Sleeve Dress in Top Hat Black
  • 4 1 Subject 70 Sheet College Rule Notebook  
  • Markings by C.R. Gibson Ruled Soft Leatherette Journal
  • Bic Neon Ink  Z4+ Roller
  •  3 Staples 100 3x5 Ruled Index Cards
  •  Zipit Monster 3 Ring Binder Pouch
  • Two Tone Double Pocket Insertable Plastic Dividers
  • Staedtler Mars Plastic Erasers
  • Paper Mate Clear Point 2 Mechanical Pencils
  • Bic 24 Mechanical Pencils
  • Pentel Super Hi Polymer Lead 90 Pieces
b2s beauty essentials
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