Blogging in College

Hey there loves!

It’s been a whirlwind of a semester so far. So if you haven’t seen me on social media, that’s why. But as spring break is coming up, I’ve got a little more time to get back at it!

If you’ve ever wondered what it is like to blog in college, I’m gonna give you a run-down on how it is! It’s a lot of work, dedication, and emotions. It’s a ball of wondering if you’re cut out for it or not. But it’s so worth it in the end.

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1. There’s a lot of juggling between homework, studying, writing, social media, etc.

Trying to find the time to write a blog post or take pictures for social media while you have hours of homework and tests coming up is nearly impossible. But when I do find the time, like now, I take advantage of it.

The biggest thing for me is that school comes first. And that sadly puts the blog on the backburner sometimes. I make the most of my time between classes to promote the blog and get homework done. I have to force myself to dedicate a limited amount of time to social media so I can get other things done. And yet, the blog is still thriving.

2. Whenever you think of a new idea, you write it down immediately.

I have over 22 draft blog posts because I write down ideas as soon as they come to mind. And that helps to make sure I always have something to write about (when I get the time to).

One of the things I really love about blogging about college is the fact that you can almost blog about anything. College is a phase of a life and there are so many things you can read about to help you get through it. Therefore, writing for a  college audience is wonderfully broad and inclusive.

Like I said before. Finding time to blog is hard. So I don’t really have the time to be brainstorming ideas when I have the time to write. By writing down ideas as they pop in my head, it really saves time later.

3. Blogging time = Netflix time

If you haven’t got this yet, college keeps you busy. So like blogging, I don’t get a lot of Netflix time. But me being the multitasker that I am, I use my Netflix time as my blogging time. And vice versa.

Honestly, I find that it helps me to write better. Sitting in silence while blogging makes me overthink and I hit a wall. Plus, why not enjoy Netflix at the same time?

4. It’s a little hard to find blogger friends.

Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of parenthood bloggers or food bloggers? As much as I LOVE them and appreciate their work, it makes it hard to find some blogger friends.

I think college blogging is one of the less common niches in blogging. I’ve met some college bloggers, and I’m discovering more and more everyday, but it’s just not as common. It’s a little bit of a lonely niche.

[ Related Post: College Tuesday: 5 College Bloggers to Check Out! ]

5. Investing in your blog just doesn’t happen.

I haven’t invested in a owned domain yet because I just simply don’t have the money for it. And if I have the money for it now, I probably won’t have the money to renew it later.

I’d love to put more money into this blog. I’d love to buy my own domain and find better ways to promote the posts. And I’d love to have better photos and what not. But it just isn’t going to happen for now.

I think that makes the growth of the blog even more important and special though. When I see impressive growth, I know that it is completely organic.

[ Related Post: A Quick Gift Guide: College Student Edition ]

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I don’t have a lot of time or money to grow this blog to its full potential. But I know that I am doing my best to keep it going and I’m happy with the progress there is. I love blogging and the creative outlet is provides when I’m beyond stressed out.

If you are in college and thinking about starting a blog, do it. It’s a lot of work, but it allows you to grow as a writer and a student. You’ll learn to time manage better and you’ll develop different skills that you can apply to other areas of your life.

Have any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Stories? Please share! I love hearing from all of you!

Love,

 

What to Send in a College Care Package

Hey loves!

So, let’s be honest, we all love getting packages in the mail. It’s like a little mini Christmas each time. But I think it’s especially exciting to get packages in college because you know, money is a little tight.

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that my mom sent me a care package earlier this week. She does this a lot and I appreciate it every time!

But if you’ve never sent a care package to a college student before, it can get a little hard to figure out what they might need, or want. And of course you have to think about what they can or can’t have in their room (if they live in the dorms).

But that’s where I come in to help! So if you aren’t sure what to send, here’s some suggestions!

1. Snacks/Food

This is the easiest thing to send and it’s super helpful. This is mostly what comes in my care packages from my mama and it makes sense because college students need food.

I’m only on a 12-Meals a Week plan, so I have to come up with a lot of meals on my own. And sometimes, I just make snack foods my meal, especially if I’m on the go.

Just remember, if you are sending food, make sure it can survive in the mail. I don’t recommend sending homemade goods unless you are willing to spend a little extra so it gets their a little sooner.

Here’s some suggestions on food to send:

• Pop Tarts
• Pretzels
• Chips
• Granola Bars
• Candy (make sure it won’t melt in delivery)
• Oatmeal
• Coffee
• Tea
• Hot Chocolate (a personal favorite of mine to get)
• Microwavable foods
  • Ramen
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Etc.

I hope this little list is helpful for foods!

2. Holiday Decorations

This is really nice because it is hard to get in the festive mood when you have the pressure of college on you. And like I said before, the little money that college students have doesn’t really go to holiday décor.

If you are planning on sending a college student decorations, make sure that they have a place that they can hang it up. A lot of colleges don’t let students use thumb tacks or nails in the walls of the dorms, so Command Strips are what we have to use.

For my room, I have some decorations hanging on my bulletin board. I also have some Command Strip hooks on my wall so I can hang things on my walls that way.

3. Stationary Items

This is also another easy thing to send, plus it definitely comes in handy! Obviously, students go through a lot of pens, pencils, paper, highlighters, etc. So it’s nice to get some of that stuff in the mail.

I go through pens SUPER quickly, so I’m constantly am buying new ones. Plus, I like to have colored pens for my planner. So getting things like that in the mail is really helpful for me.

Recently, my mom sent me colored pencils in the mail because I wanted some to do some de-stressing coloring. She bought really nice ones that I appreciate a lot!

 

@cacocoblog

 

4. Pictures

I have a lot of pictures on my bulletin board and I’m still trying to get more to put up. I also have little frames that I need to put pictures in.

Pictures are a great way to keep a college student from feeling super homesick and are great for decorations. And you can never have too many pictures.

If you are wanting to send a more personal care package, this is something you should include in it. It’s a wonderful way to remind a college student that you miss them and care.

5. Little Notes

I have the little notes that my mom writes me hanging up on the bulletin board and I think they are my favorite part of every package.

In the end, when you send a care package, you aren’t just trying to help a student out. You are also encouraging them to keep working hard. So little notes are a great thing to include in a package to remind a student that college isn’t forever and the hard work you put in now is worth it in the end.

You also want your package to be as personal as possible, and this is a great way to do just that.

 

Alright loves, I hope this is helpful for sending your college student packages! And if you have any ideas, let me know below so I can keep growing this list!

Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? Let me know! I love hearing from all of you!

Love,

Why I’m Planning on Taking 8 AM Classes Next Semester + Next Semester’s Schedule

Hey loves!

We are SO close to the end of fall semester! I can feel it! And I’m ready for it!

One of my favorite things about the end of the semester is getting ready for the next semester. Probably because it gives me something to look forward to while finals slowly approach.

If you don’t know this already, I’m in the honors program here at my university, which comes with the special perk of early registration! So while my peers are still waiting to register for the spring semester, I’m all set!

Next semester I’ll be taking 18 credit hours! I know, I’m just a little crazy… But with no marching band in the spring, I’ll have more time to conquer some more classes, so I’m going for it!

But here’s the really crazy thing…

I’m taking 8 AM classes. Every. Day. Of. The. Week.

And I’m doing it willingly. Actually, I planned on taking 8 AMs before I even registered for classes.

I know. This goes against every single college blog out there. Everyone says, “don’t take 8 AMs, you’ll regret it.” And maybe I will. But I’m going to share with you the method to my madness.

So, first off, you should know that I went to school every day at 6:30 AM during high school. So, honestly, 8 AM doesn’t sound that early for me.

Secondly, I have one day a week this semester where I had to go to class at 8. And I’m not going to lie, I hate it. But I think there is a reason why I hate it:

My body’s internal clock isn’t used to it.

If I’m only getting up early once a week, yeah, I’m going to regret it. But if I have to get up every day at the same time, you eventually get used to it. It stops being as hard (as long as you are getting to bed at a reasonable hour).

But there’s really one main reason that I want to take 8 AM classes:

I will get more done in the day.

I’ll break it down for ya.

If I’m getting up at 6:30 AM and I have all of my classes before noon, that leaves me with the whole afternoon to go to discussions, labs, and to do homework. It means that I’ll actually get up.

If I don’t have a class tile 10 or 11, that means I’ll probably have classes in the afternoon, which means I’ll only have the evenings for homework, studying, labs, etc.

I know what you’re thinking. Why don’t you just get up earlier to do homework? I won’t. If I don’t have an actual commitment to do early in the morning, I won’t get up early. I know it for a fact.

So, that’s why I’m willingly taking 8 AM classes. And in all honesty, this is a little experiment that I’m trying. If it doesn’t work well for me,  I won’t try it again and I’ll find a different plan instead. And of course, I’ll let you all know the outcome of it 🙂

Now that you know my latest idea, here’s a look at my schedule for the spring!

What classes am I taking?

• Calculus 3
• Intro to Engineering Problem Solving
• Engineering Physics I
• Statics
• Honors Colloquium 2
• Symphonic Band

I know, it’s a heavy load. But I know it’ll pay off in the end.

My Schedule

Monday:

8:00 – 8:50 AM Statics

10:00 – 10:50 AM Calculus 3

12:00 – 12:50 PM Symphonic Band

1:10 – 2:40 Engineering Physic I

3:10 – 5:00 Physics Lab

Tuesday:

8:00 – 8:50 AM Intro to Problem Solving

9:35 – 10:50 AM Honors Colloquium 2

12:00 – 12:50 PM Symphonic Band

1:20 – 2:35 PM Calculus 3 Discussion

4:10 – 5:00 PM Physics Discussion

Wednesday:

8:00 – 8:50 AM Statics

10:00 – 10:50 AM Calculus 3

12:00 – 12:50 PM Symphonic Band

1:10 – 2:40 Engineering Physic I

3:10 – 5:00 PM Problem Solving Lab

Thursday:

8:00 – 8:50 AM Intro to Problem Solving

9:35 – 10:50 AM Honors Colloquium 2

12:00 – 12:50 PM Symphonic Band

Friday:

8:00 – 8:50 AM Statics

10:00 – 10:50 AM Calculus

1:10 – 2:40 Engineering Physic I

 

Well there you have it! My spring 2018 schedule! It looks a little intimidating, but I think I can do it. Especially since I’ll have Thursday and Friday afternoons completely free!

I hope you found this post interesting, and hopefully, you’ll consider not being so reluctant to 8 AM classes!

What does your schedule look like for next semester? What kind of classes are you taking? Let me know below! And as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to let me know!

Love,

 

 

Keep Calm and College On

The first day of college is a lot like your first day at a new school. New people. New teachers. New atmosphere. New buildings. Even the food is new. And for a lot of people, all this ‘newness’ can be overwhelming. Terrifying, even. Trust me, I know. I’ve been there. On my first day of college, I was so nervous. I had no idea where my classes were, if I was going to have classes with anyone I knew from high school, or whether or not my professors were going to do the whole “Look to your left. Now look to your right. These are the people you will see at the end of the semester” thing. For someone who doesn’t easily deal with change, all of this was so overwhelming to me, and I just wanted to get it done and over with.

Here’s what I learned though. You can’t let that newness overwhelm or scare you. Once you get past that first week, college can be an amazing place to discover who you are as a person in terms of your values and beliefs, and it’s an opportunity to expand your horizons and meet new people and try new things. My sophomore year of college I joined a sorority, something I never would have considered doing. But I did, thanks to some ‘gentle’ nudging from my mom. Mother knows best, right? Joining Phi Sigma Sigma was a starting point in discovering who I was, what I believed in, and finding myself. It also helped in bringing me out of my shell, and I got to meet so many amazing women, some of whom I’m still close with today even after graduating.

Part of surviving and growing in college is to take classes that are FUN. If you like music, take a music class. If art is your thing, take an art class! Taking classes in subjects that you are passionate about, those are the classes that you look forward to each week. Those are the classes that make it a little bit easier. During my time in college, I took several music classes and had the most amazing professor. I also took a summer class in which both professors, one a music teacher and the other an acting teacher, forced students to get up and move and interact with each other. We sang on stage. We pretended to be trees and frogs and alligators and purple spotted wallpaper (no easy task since none of us were actually wearing purple). It seemed silly at the time but it was so much fun. And that’s what college is about.

College is about having fun, forming new relationships, breaking barriers, and finding yourself. Every experience I had in college brought me closer to the person I am today, a person I am proud to be and a person I call friend. Academics are important too, and the best thing about college is that aside from your core requirements and major requirements, you also get to take some really interesting, fun, and exciting classes. College gives you the opportunity to travel overseas and learn about other countries. You get to learn new languages and learn about new cultures and customs.

College is the place where you get to branch out and explore. That doesn’t mean you should go crazy and do stupid things (drugs, stay out all night, get drunk until you pass out, and so on) but you SHOULD step outside of your shell and have some fun. Don’t be afraid and don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Take it day by day and if you see something that interests you, go for it! That’s what college is all about. Learning. Discovering. Growing. And when you join in, it makes the experience so much more fulfilling!