I know I know, school and uni? Yuck. But c'mon, it's a sad thing that most of us have to deal with. But hey, we may as well do get through it as best as we can! Sit tight, this is going to be a long one.
- Invest in a good backpack! Yes, sometimes we all want to have cute outfits with matching handbags when going to uni and a 'dorky' backpack can throw off the whole aesthetic, but trust me, if you're trying to cart a heaving laptop, textbooks, study books, lunch, a water bottle and absolutely everything else in there, it's a guess of which will break first - your arm or the bag. I've found that using a backpack compared to a handbag lifts a lot of weight off my body and is easy to walk around with instead of bashing my friends with when I walk beside them. Don't necessarily just get one that looks good, make sure it's big enough for everything you need and has supporting strap and base which won't break once you've got your supplies in them.
- Work out a study schedule. I find it easier to study in the morning/afternoon/when it's still daylight outside because if I'm studying late into the hours, I find it very draining, my handwriting goes all over the place and I honestly don't remember a thing. Plus, I'm too anxious to get back into my bed. Try and set aside some time each day to study, or if you're like me and has to endure two-hour train rides, make some use of those and crack open that laptop/tablet/notebook/textbook/whatever! Don't wait months to revise or write down your lecture notes. If you write your notes sooner, rather than later, you're more likely to remember it.
- Handwrite your notes. When I am taking down lecture notes in class, it's usually on my tablet and most of the time I'm accidentally writing it down word-for-word. I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times before, but you need to write your notes in your own words. So this is what I do when I transfer my notes onto my notebooks. I find that hand-writing notes is more helpful, as well as writing down a list of 'objectives' that I need to learn. If you're lucky like me, some of your lecturers will attach these to the lecture slides which they will (hopefully) post online. Then again I go to a university of Technology, so my course is pretty much accessible online. Still, attending lectures is crucial to learning and you won't get distracted as much.
- Eat healthy! Well, we should all be doing this anyway, but I've found that going back to uni has caused me to put on a few extra kilos because a) I'm sitting on my ass more and b) I'm not eating right. I have to have early breakfasts and lunches dispersed throughout the day (with snacks in between), and I'm juggling between eating too much or too little, and honestly, my appetite is all messed up. But I'm trying to stick to healthy foods now such as fruit in place of snacking on a chocolate bar, and I'm finding that it's working. I'm still having to snack between or during lectures, but it's better to eat some carrots or strawberries instead of a poptart. Even making some extra leftovers from last nights dinner to eat the next day is better! (And cheaper too - provided you/your parents make a healthy dinner.)
- Making friends. Uni can be overwhelming and to me, going to a uni which literally nobody else from my high school goes to had started off as a scary and harrowing experience. But on my first day at orientation, the first person I talked to was actually a south cost girl like myself and we had some friends in common! We were even on the same train! Even though I've lost contact with her now, this initial encounter boosted my confidence and at the next big orientation day, I met two of my closest friends at uni who to this day, still remain that way. One was literally pushed by her friend into me, and the other just wondered over to say hello. Though, I wouldn't so much go with the first approach, the second girl's (I'm not saying their names for privacy reasons, hahaha), had the right idea in mind. Lately, I've been trying to do that more often, even if it's just asking whoever is sitting next to me in a lecture about the content of the lecture and making conversation. You never know how much of an impact that person can make in your life and what's the risk in saying hello?
- Don't forget about downtime. Like I said, I was the only one from my high school to go to my university and long train rides plus an intense study schedule (plus work), means that it's difficult for me to hang out with my friends. Thankfully now I only go four days a week (which is still a lot compared to three of my friends and my sister only going 2 days), but it's opened up more opportunities to see my friends, especially at the weekly trivia night at their uni/our local one. Also just lying down, relaxing, exercising, reading, and all that jazz is important too, especially if you're feeling like you're being overwhelmed. Even if it's only for half an hour in between study breaks. Trust me, it helps, and will get you back on track.
- Always bring a jacket and umbrella. Just trust me on this.
Wow, so I ended up blabbing for a lot longer than I thought, and it made me actually miss blogging. Hopefully, I'll start up again (with shorter posts), but more related to make-up reviews, fashion posts and day-to-day stuff. Fingers crossed I stick with it! Because I love blogging. Hope you find all of these tips helping, and comment if you want me to add or talk about anything else, because I'm sure I've left a lot out!
Alright, I'm off now. Love you all and take care of yourselves!
