This Is A Summary Of College Only Using Two Pictures; Expensive As Hell.

My favorite paragraph from my school English textbook, up on my wall ☘️

Studying in bed is me dozing off 60% of the time

so one thing that totally stressed me out in first year of uni was the emphasis on auditory learning! personally, i’ve never been able to learn when i’m just being talked at or told information, my brain just doesn’t work that way. 

if you’re like me, here’s some of my top tips on how to get the most out of lectures when you suck at listening:

01. always come prepared

preparation is key when you know you won’t be concentrating for the full duration of your lecture. the night before a lecture, your priorities should be to print off your lecture slides, read over them and look over the extra readings (if any have been set). i always find that it’s easier to listen and i’m more likely to pay attention in a lecture when i know the basics of what’s being talked about! it’s a lot easier to learn and pay attention when what you’re being told about is building on some basic knowledge that you already have. if i’m going into a lecture completely blind, then i’m going to get distracted in the first ten minutes and the rest of the lecture is a write off!

prepare, prepare, prepare!!!

02. sit where you lecturer can see you

if you sit in teacher’s line of sight, you’re going to be 100% more aware of what you’re doing and how you’re acting in your lecture. being conscious of what you’re doing is really helpful in stopping yourself becoming distracted and letting your mind wander! if i make eye contact with my teacher and i’m not totally concentrating, it’s zones me back in and i can continue trying to listen

03. take audio recordings of lectures

even if your university provides recordings for you, having personal audio copies of your lectures will be a life saver. recordings give you something to constantly refer back to when you have gaps in your notes and knowledge because you couldn’t pay attention in lectures. listening back to them can also reassure you when you were listening but weren’t sure if you understood the concept at the time!  i use a combination of voice memos on the iphone and audio recorder on microsoft onenote, depending on whether i have my phone or laptop with me

04. stay hydrated

having to stay focused on one person talking for hours at a time can be really draining and exhausting when that’s not what your brain likes. being dehydrated can also make you tired and irritable too! if you can tackle one source of your tiredness then you’re going to feel invigorated and ready to learn, so drink lots and lots of water! a bottle of water will stop you feeling sluggish and boost your productivity during lectures

05. invest in textbooks and key texts

i mentioned before how preparation is key, but continuing your learning after your lecture ends is just as important! in my first year, i made the bad mistake of getting angry that i struggled learning content during a lecture so i just left the lecture and didn’t go back to it again. i now know that it’s so important for me to access the course’s key books and texts and use them after the lecture to consolidate what i heard and to expand on some points i was struggling to understand during the allotted lecture time! textbooks have completely saved me ass this year

06. reflect when you’re distracted

if you find yourself becoming distracted or you can feel your mind beginning to wander, take a second to stop and ask yourself why you’re getting distracted and why you’re not learning. most of the time, the problem is going to be something small that can be fixed there and then. if you’re struggling because you’re hungry, have a snack! if you’re struggling because you’re thirsty, have a drink! if you’re struggling because you’re uncomfortable, stretch your legs and your arms and try again!

obviously all of these tips are personal to me and things i find helpful so they might not work for everyone, but i still hope i’ve helped at least one of you non-auditory learners out here! 

The choreography in “Rewrite the Stars” is honestly genius.

The whole scene is staged in such a way that for the first half of the song, Phillip is continuously trying to pull Anne back to him each time she tries to pull away. He’s trying to hold her in place at his level, on the ground. Even when she soars up into the air, he keeps trying to literally pull her back down: grabbing on to her hand, her waist, the rope, her hoop. Anything to keep her in place with him. 

But for the second half of the song, Phillip stops trying to hold her down and instead follows after her into the air, basically saying through the choreography, “If we can’t be together in my world, can we be together in yours?”

And only once they’re both in the air - the space that reflects the freedom the circus gives them - does Anne allow herself to consider the idea that they could actually be together. Phillip stops waiting for her to stay on the ground with him and puts in the work to be with her, literally scaling the walls of the theater to reach her. In more ways than one, they end up finding a balance and supporting each other’s weight for the rest of the song.

What I’m trying to say is that the choreography in The Greatest Showman is not only absolutely gorgeous, it’s also incredibly deliberate and tells a story through movement and I love it so much. 

so i finished my first year of college last month and thought i’d share things i learned and advice on entering and starting your first year 

keep a planner

take advantage of student id discounts

try to go to class as much as possible

in cases that you don’t go, make sure you have a friend, or at least someone who will fill you in and give you notes, in each class

network as soon as you can and as often as you can

wait a week or two until you purchase your textbooks, people aren’t lying to you, they’re expensive as fuuuccckkk, you’ll want to wait for multiple reasons because in some cases you never even end up using the book, or your library has it and you can just borrow it for free

wear flip flops in the shower if you don’t have your own bathroom

speaking of, go to the bathroom before class

set multiple alarms

take advantage of as many opportunities that come your way as possible

MAKE CONNECTIONS

have a very, very open mind

watch your drink

watch your friend’s drinks too

never, ever, ever, ever, ever, under ANY circumstances, drive while intoxicated or get into a car with a driver who is 

get to know your professors

do the extra credit, it’s rare

back up your files

if you take your laptop with you somewhere bring your charger as well

take the stairs, seriously, a little goes a long way

99.9999% of people don’t give a shit about what you were in high school

try to plan and work ahead

never travel alone late at night

don’t hesitate to ask for help—material that took a week to learn in high school can be taught in one lecture in a college class, no one will slow down for you or help you unless you speak up

participate in class

again, talk to your professors, it’s good to in general, and you never know how they can help you outside of class

if you have a problem with your roommate, if you’re not getting along with them, or it’s not working, do something about it ASAP

keep in touch with those you care about, don’t burn bridges

it’s ok if you don’t make friends immediately, it took me awhile to find people i could truly be satisfied with, sometimes it happens when you’re not looking

take this to heart: do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do before. the best things i did this past school year were things i never tried in high school, going on trips with people i didn’t know, who i now call some of the closest friends i have, and going on service work trips out of state

build up your gpa in the beginning by taking classes that are not as tough in your first semester, a gpa is harder to bring up than to knock down, tldr; start strong, start easy

grades matter, BUT, don’t sacrifice your health and well being for them

get enough sleep, you can, i did

don’t base your decisions off what other people would think but if something goes against your morals, stick with your morals

take care of yourself and your body, just because it’s free does not mean you have to eat it, college is the perfect time to make your physical health crash and burn but it is also the perfect time to start having a healthier one

take the time to check over assignments you’re submitting

ratemyprofessor.com is your bff, use it and reference it

sign up for a variety of activities and test out the water to see what you like most

early classes are not that bad

attend campus events

know what’s going on on campus, don’t be clueless in your own environment

get involved in clubs and groups that are associated with your major…but also stuff that isn’t

and if a group/organization that’s associated with your major, like for me PRSSA, has a membership fee, it’s probably worth it

explore your city, campus, downtown….

try to get an internship before it’s required

get a LinkedIn account

always keep an umbrella and a phone charger on hand

make friends with as many people as you can, but don’t “collect” friends, ya know?

go to job fairs/career fairs

it’s ok to stay in sometimes and just j chill

decorate and personalize your room

when preparing to register for classes, make a mock schedule first

find a mentor(s)

first impressions are a big fucking deal

you don’t have to put on a ball gown, but put an effort into the way you represent yourself

make a budget 

Things that keep me going😚

My semester starts from tomorrow *sigh*. Three more months of working & working & working.

No better way to spend rainy days

everyone is getting into relationships and growing up and I’m just getting lazier and finding more tv series to watch