9 Tips All College Freshmen Need to Know

The first year of college is one of the most important years in a young person’s life. They meet new people, make early career connections and enjoy their first taste of independence. It can also be a stressful and confusing time if they arrive on campus unprepared. Here are nine tips all college freshmen need to know as they enter their first semesters.

Don’t Feel Pressured to Like Your Roommate(s)

Your child’s initial living situation doesn’t have to define their entire freshman year. If they realize they don’t get along with their roommate after a few weeks, they can reach out to their resident assistant to discuss a change of scenery. Living with new people is hard enough, but living with new people your kid doesn’t even like can ruin the whole college experience.

However, they shouldn’t let one negative interaction influence their decision too much. All roommates have disagreements. It takes time to establish boundaries and expectations that all parties can agree on. Tell your child to wait until everyone develops their routines, then determine whether their lifestyles and personalities are compatible.

Figure Out Your Sleep Schedule

Sleep is the most important – and often the most overlooked – part of a college student’s routine. Figuring out their sleep schedule early on will help with many other aspects of college life:

● Study habits

● Attending classes

● Class participation

● Reduced stress

● Better mood, energy levels and mental health

A consistent sleep schedule also prevents kids from falling into bad habits off campus. Partying and drinking all the time might seem appealing at first, but it often leads to many health and behavior problems that could ruin your child’s college career.

Become a Good Housekeeper

The hardest part of living at college is housekeeping. Your child and their roommate are 100% responsible for vacuuming, taking out the trash and washing dishes, depending on their living situation. Evenly splitting the workload is the fairest strategy.

While the above tasks are relatively straightforward, laundry is more complicated and individualized. On-campus laundry rooms are complete free-for-alls. Ensure your child knows how to navigate the laundry room and take care of their clothes.

Read the Syllabus

Each professor will provide a syllabus outlining the class’s full schedule and policies for the semester. Your child should read it the whole way through and then read it again. Knowing what comes next in the class schedule will help them manage their time and workload. It also ensures they remember the professor’s directions for writing papers and submitting assignments, putting your child in their good graces.

Participate in Class

Frequent participation is another awesome way to stand out to professors. Many students zone out and browse on their laptops during class, which makes for a poor learning environment. Encourage your child to put down their electronics, raise their hand and engage in discussions. They shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes or embarrassing themselves in front of peers. That’s how you learn and grow as a person.

Get Involved on Campus

A college degree is no longer enough to make people stand out in the job market. They need to get involved with extracurriculars on campus to make connections and grow their resume. Your child should look into part-time jobs, internships, clubs and athletic programs. If they’ve already decided on their major, they should reach out to professors and other students in the department and make a name for themselves.

Find a Quiet Study Spot

As the semester goes on, students will discover and overrun all the good study spots around campus. Encourage your child to plant their flag at a quiet location early on to avoid the big crowds. They should look for low-traffic areas in smaller university buildings. Their place shouldn’t be flashy — a simple table or bench is more than enough.

Take Care of Your Body

The freshman 15 is a common weight gain trend among first-year college students. Once they arrive on campus, they start drinking more, sleeping less and developing unhealthy eating habits. You can’t allow your child’s health to go off the rails in just the first semester. Make sure they take care of their bodies with exercise and proper nutrition.

Manage Your Expectations

Every wide-eyed freshman shows up to campus with lofty expectations. They expect to make a bunch of friends, enjoy all their classes, party every weekend and meet the love of their life. This overconfidence could cause disappointment in a few months when arguing with roommates and losing sleep over midterm exams.

College can be lots of fun, but it’s also a great responsibility. It takes hard work and dedication to get good grades, graduate and find a job. Kids looking for an “Animal House” or “Old School” experience are going to school for the wrong reasons.

Remember: It’s Just the First Year

Above all else, incoming freshmen must realize that it’s just the first year. They still have three-plus years to make connections and gain valuable experience. Embracing the ups and downs of their first year will prepare them for the real world and teach lessons that will impact the rest of their lives.

About The Author

Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find her in a yoga class, advocating for body positivity, whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, or smashing the patriarchy.

How to Study in College to Pass Tests and Earn Good Grades

Many students enter college with no idea about how to study effectively, and each year numerous students return to campuses after summer vacation still lacking effective study skills. The following helpful hints worked out by essay writers, though, can assist both new and returning students in learning how to study in college.

Create the Right Environment for Studying in College

Students should create the right environment for studying, meaning one that is conducive to studying and, therefore, to learning. Here are some guidelines for creating such an environment:

● Study in the same place each day (It improves concentration since the place becomes associated with studying).

● Establish a set time then tell friends and family not to interrupt unless there’s an emergency.

● Have materials and supplies nearby, for example, a calculator, dictionary, computer disks, note cards, and even snacks and drinks (nonalcoholic).

● Use background noise that isn’t distracting, for instance, soft music or a desktop fountain (White noise has been proven to aid concentration).

● Do not turn on the television, but do turn off the telephone or at least set it for voice-mail.

● Study in an area with good lighting (not too dim or too bright).

● Make sure there is adequate space for books and other study materials.

● Sit upright in a comfortable but not toocomfortable chair, a sturdy table, or a desk (Do not lie down in bed).

● If attention begins to wander, get up and walk away from the study area (reserve it for studying), stretch for a few minutes, or go for a short stroll, but return with renewed determination to finish what was begun.

Improve Reading Comprehension for Studying in College

Students have to read – a lot – in college, but many don’t realize that it isn’t necessary to read every word in a textbook to understand the main points and comprehend the most important information. Students can read only select parts of a textbook and still comprehend most, if not all, of the important material if they use the “SRR Method.”

“Skim, Read, Review,” and the method involves the following steps:

1. Read the entire first one or two paragraphs of a chapter since they present the writer’s central idea or ideas.

2. Skim the chapter, paying special attention to the author’s purpose (Is it persuasion, analysis, cause-and-effect, etc?); any subheadings, since they provide an overview of main points; unfamiliar words (jot them down or highlight them); and the first and last sentence of each paragraph because they help put the paragraph’s topic into perspective.

3. Review the chapter, underlying or highlighting the central point and main ideas within paragraphs; jotting down any questions that arise (Try to answer them when you’ve finished); pausing to look up definitions of unfamiliar words, and attempting to relate the author’s ideas to personal experience.

Use Mnemonic Devices to Help Retain Information for Tests in College

For example, the essay writing service review estimated that one day after reading a chapter in a textbook, most students have forgotten 46 percent of what they read; after 14 days, 79 percent; and after 21 days, 81 percent. Moreover, in a study conducted by the Cambridge Psychological Society, when participants were interviewed two weeks after attending a seminar and hearing a lecture, no one could accurately recall more than 10 percent of the lecture.

The point is, most people, not just students, have poor memories. However, there are tools people can use to help them recall information. These tools are mnemonic devices, and most students were introduced to them long before college. For instance, when younger, perhaps they learned their ABCs by singing the letters aloud or they learned to recall the seven coordinating conjunctions by associating them with the acronym “FANBOYS” (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Different Mnemonic Devices Students Can Use for Studying in College

Mnemonic devices include acronyms, acrostics, and visualization:

1. Acronyms: Acronyms are formed using the first letter of keywords in a phrase or title, for example, FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), or HOMES (Heron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, which are the five Great Lakes). By creating an acronym for important concepts or items, students then need to recall the acronym, which will act as a prompt and aid them in recalling the information for tests.

2. Acrostics: Acrostics are sentences, phrases, or rhymes that are created by using the first letter of each word or fact that someone wishes to recall, for example, “Every good boy does fine” for musical notes, or “In fourteen-hundred-and-ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”

3. Visualization: Visualization involves creating a story or mind-picture, which can aid in retaining information. For example, to recall a formula for a math class, a student might picture some components as hotdogs and others as buns; then he will develop a brief, even humorous storyline that will help him recall the correct solution.

In summary, students need to learn to study effectively if they wish to succeed in college, and by utilizing these tips they can improve their study skills and, consequently, improve their test scores as well.

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About the author

John J. Gregg is an experienced writer on essaywriter.nyc where he provides students with an opportunity to get high grades. Besides, He is fond of reading and playing the guitar. By the way, John dreams of traveling a lot and visiting as many countries as possible.

8 Dorm Room Decorating Ideas For College Students With Style

Dorm Room Adorning

Need decorating ideas for your dorm room? Going to college is an exciting experience. Finally you get the space away from parents that you’ve been craving. And you can live the final years of your education the way you want to. Getting your own personal space also means your own dorm room. And you can style it how you like. So it really shows off your personality to your future college friends and impresses your fellow flatmates.

If you’re looking for dorm room inspiration to give the ideal first impression to your roommates, we’ve got you covered. Spruce up your standard dorm room design. Or style out your storage solutions. And add some chic accessories that will make your dorm room really stand out.

Provide a welcoming atmosphere with calm pastels

Sometimes it can be easy to introduce loud and bold colours to your make your personality really stand out. However, it can come across rather aggressive and a bit too outspoken to others. Particularly when you consider that a dorm room is relatively small to a traditional sized bedroom.

Considering you’re just moving in, you’d want to make it inviting as inviting as possible so your flatmates and friends can feel welcome. Embrace light pastel colours and opt for a feminine colour palette to create a fresh and bright ambience. Your bed is likely to be the main focus of your room, so keep consistent with the pastel theme for your bedding.

Consider small, cute storage

Many dorm rooms are consistent with under bed and wardrobe storage. They have the same, basic design that isn’t too flattering on the eye. Try to add a bit of personality to your storage solutions and pick a storage choice that’s complimentary to your dorm room design.

Consider opting for a rolling shelf that can help you store small items easily. They come in many different designs that will help to accommodate your sense of style. You can also add your own stylish storage boxes to your rolling shelf to dress it up from the standard design.

Use head pillows as an alternate headboard

A frustrating aspect of having a dorm room is that the bed doesn’t have a headboard. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to make a custom one for yourself. Instead, try a pillow alternative by arranging textured, well designed pillows together.

Use assorted styles and sizes of pillows to give your headboard a different dimension. Mix it up with a bit of faux furs and metallic colours that tend to be popular for girl’s rooms. This clever trick will save you plenty of time and money.

Use various patterns to catch the eye of your visitors

Using solid colours around your room can help for better coordination and keeping things simple in your dorm room design. However, in reality it can make your room look rather plain and dull when using the same colour choices throughout the space. Instead, utilise the colours by mixing them with patterns to provide a different look to your colour palette.

For example, pick your chosen colour and add floral or polka-dot patterns to different pieces in your dorm room. This could mean a zig-zag rug or striped blankets. To prevent your patterns clashing, pick different sizes.

Purchase your own desk chair

As a necessity, your dorm room is going to come with a bed, wardrobe, desk and desk chair. These are going to be pretty mundane and basic types of furniture. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to change your bed and wardrobe but when you can bring your own personality to the room is through your desk chair.

You’re likely to spend hours at your desk chair whilst you write through your assignments and read up on several online materials. So, you’d want to make sure that it’s something that you can fit comfortably in to prevent problems such as back pain. Purchase a chair that’s adjustable and ergonomic to suit your posture to make sure that you can relax.

Jazz up your desk with a trendy organiser

A clear desk helps to create a clear mind. Considering you’ll be spending countless amounts of hours getting through your college work, you should avoid cluttering your desk. Opt for a simple and sleek looking desk organiser as a storage solution.

For a style that suits all, consider purchasing a clear acrylic option that helps you to get through the stacked up work without sacrificing your sense of design. It will match practically any design set up making it the ideal desk organiser to get you through the long all-nighters.

Make a coffee station a worthy addition to your room

Early starts and late night studying means your body will require plenty of caffeine to get you through the struggle of college life. To save you time, create a custom coffee station and play some music in your room so it stays in close quarters when you need it most.

Purchase a coffee maker and add a towel or mat underneath to prevent stains occurring on your table or desktop. Additionally, have a shelf dedicated to your caffeine needs. Store your coffee in decorative containers whilst hanging coffee mugs on wall hooks beside it.

Hang some art on the walls instead of typical posters

Go into any typical student dorm room and one of the things that’ll be easily noticeable are the trendy posters that are plastered from wall to wall. How about showing a bit of originality and hanging abstract art pieces to your walls instead. Abstract art can create a differing appeal to the eye and showcase meaning through their image.

The best bit about abstract art is that it can compliment the rest of your room effortlessly and doesn’t make you out to be some kind of art expert. Hanging up a piece of art throughout your college years will have you feeling an emotional connection that will stay memorable in the future.

Decorate your dorm room in style

Although you may have some restrictions with decorating your dorm room, it doesn’t have to be difficult. You may not have the luxury of adding a designer sofa or brand spanking new wardrobes into it. However, with these simple and manageable design ideas can have your dorm room going from basic to bonny in no time.

How the School Focused Girl Can Manage School With a Relationship

Hey, girl! I know that you are having a hard time balancing all your college tasks and assignments and making sure that your personal life is not in total ruins as the work piles up from chasing that degree.

You are driven, dedicated and practically married to school right now as you make that push toward earning your degree and moving into a career field of your choice. You are the overly focused girls and we all have at least one in our group of friends. In fact, you are so focused on school and all the work that goes with it to be successful, that you barely have a personal life with dating, partying and boys.

Come on girlfriend, nobody wants to be left alone and these are the best times of your life to have fun, meet new people and get into a relationship. For girls a little too focused on school, I thought it might be useful for you to have a little list of pros and cons of being in a relationship while studying at college.

Do Not Be Afraid

As you enter a new term at college, you will almost surely get overwhelmed with the number of papers and assignments that you will have to turn in. Each of them is accompanied by a rigid deadline, and writing them is your immediate job and responsibility. Thus, my first and best tip is to tell each other when you need to study. You have to be not afraid to tell your boyfriend when you need the time to study. If your boyfriend really loves you, he’ll understand that it is important for you, and it will not affect your relationships. I know, you sometimes think how good and convenient it would be to contact a term paper writing service and have everything done for you. And this is, actually, a good idea when it comes to combining your personal life and education, as a paper writing service may actually help you to save tons of time.

Just like any college assignment, relationships are a custom concept. You can adjust it the way you want in order to make you feel comfortable. If your boyfriend objects such a dialogue, you are almost sure to embark upon toxic relationships where there is nothing good waiting for you.

Planning Your Dates Is the Key

I am almost sure that you always plan your studies. You know that you have to go online and do research today because you have to turn in a paper in three days. Well, if you wonder what to do with your boyfriend, consider him to be another, long-term project that you have to work hard on to eventually polish it. Plan you dates in advance. In this way, you will be able to have your schedule organized like a professional. For example, if you plan your date for Sunday or Monday, you will have the entire week to deal with your college stuff and eventually enjoy your weekend. What is more, there is no point in having a boyfriend who is not ready to wait for you for a couple of days. Respect yourself, respect your time, and the others will surely respect you in response.

Study Dates

Who said that being in a relationship has to be an obstruction for your studies? Wonder how to balance relationship and studies? There is no need to, as you can simply combine them. The ultimate goal of every relationship is to progress as a couple. You have to help each other to get the best out of you in terms of developing yourselves as future professionals and individuals. Get on the study dates, and if you are good at math or English help your boyfriend to improve his grades. If he is better at something, he can also help you to pass the course with flying colors. You can write papers on the topics of your choice and provide each other with valuable and honest feedback.

Avoid Multitasking

Girl, remember you are not Napoleon or Julius the Caesar! You have to take proper health of your health — in order to keep up with the pace of your hectic life. Don’t you even dare thinking that you might become, for example, a brilliant writer if you don’t work hard enough solely on writing. Distracting yourself with a lot of different tasks — to be performed — over a short period of time is a mistake. Especially, this is a gross-gross mistake if you do it for your boyfriend. When posing yourself a question of how to balance between relationship and studies, you should always remember that there is no need for balancing between what can provide your living in the nearest future and the person who is not able to understand your needs and wait for you. You are not on service to your boyfriend. You are on service to your future self.

To Conclude

As you can see, there is, in fact, no disadvantages to combining education and relationships with your boyfriend. The point to be understood here is that a man, not a boyfriend but a real man, who loves you, will never dump or ditch you because of your studies. Your desire to become a professional should not offend anyone’s ego. When there is the right guy beside you, believe me, you will have no need to balance between anything. Your boyfriend should be happy that you spend your time hitting the books and not hanging out with the other guys. If this rule does not apply to your boyfriend, and he aggressively forces you to choose between him and your studies, you should almost certainly opt for the latter. Mutual respect is the foundation of any relationship, remember that!

The Pros and Cons of Getting Married in College

Marriage is an important step in everyone’s life and it’s something that should never be taken lightly. It has been a sensitive topic for decades and even today, people look at it with respect.

People used to marry very young so that they could settle down and begin their next stage of life. This is no longer the case because the social norm is for young people to complete their college studies before they get married. Those who choose to get married very young get a negative attitude from society as people believe they are not yet mature enough to have a life-long partner.

It’s not uncommon for people to begin a romantic relationship while in college, but often not quite reaching a commitment point of marriage. Having said this, there is a certain number of people who take their relationship seriously and decide on getting married in college. Let’s explore here the pros and cons of marriage in college.

The pros

1. Lasting marriage

People who get married fall in love and are compatible with one another. They realize from the onset that they would have a happy marriage for the rest of their lives. With honesty and transparency, they don’t see why they should delay their loyalty to live as a married couple regardless of their flaws and virtues.

2. Financial support

Most colleges recognize that married students require extra financial support as they are both attending college. Life can be difficult for the couple because there is no breadwinner when they are both students.

It’s great that colleges chip in to support the students who have decided to live together. Still, most students don’t get married just to get financial support from colleges as it’s based on their love and commitment towards each other, but having the additional financial support can be an advantage.

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College Student Gets An ‘A’ After Turning In Brilliant One-Sentence Movie ‘Essay’

If you’re a college student, you know that the end of the semester is upon us all—which means one thing and one thing only: finals week. Everything comes at us at one time and before we know it, we have 50+ pages worth of essays to write. How are we going to get it done?

Apparently, we should take notes from this one college student who was recently assigned an essay and, decided to turn in a one-sentence essay as her final. And, guess what? She got an ‘A.’

College student Allison Garret was recently assigned a movie review essay by her professor.

Instead of spending hours working on it, Allison decided to focus on a simple yet clever response from one of her favorite films.

Her essay reads:

“Fight Club
‘The first rule of fight club is: you do not talk about fight club.’
That’s it. That’s the essay”

She proudly submitted it to her professor.

In the comments of her submission, Allison writes:

“I saw an opportunity and I took it. I cannot say that I am sorry because that would be a lie. Am I proud? Yes.”

Fortunately, her professor had a great sense of humor and awarded the witty student an ‘A.’

The professor wrote back:

“I struggled over this grade for a long time. I finally decided you get a grade for a laugh and how relevant your review is for this particular movie.

Let me warn you: Do NOT try this kind of thing with other professors; they may not have my sense of humor.”

Allison later shared her success story on Twitter.

After her initial tweet went viral, garnering over 165K likes, the college student shared an important cause with commenters.

Allison used her newfound internet fame to shed light on her friend’s mom who is fighting a rare form of cancer. She also linked to the family’s GoFundMe where people can donate to the cause.

Needless to say, Twitter was obsessed with the clever essay.

She does have a point, after all.

h/t: Twitter, Bored Panda

10 Milestones That Are More Important For Women Than Having Kids Or Getting Married

For some reason, society has perpetuated a narrative for women that if you don’t get married or have children by a certain age, you have failed. And, if you are someone who believes that, I can’t help but laugh.

Not everyone in the world wants to get married, nor does everyone in the world want to have children. There are some people, in fact, who would rather stay single forever—traveling the world or building their own career empire. There are people who want to get married, but not have kids. There are people who want to have kids, but not get married. And, of course, there are people who want both. All of these options, there’s nothing wrong with any of them. However, what is the problem is that society claims that as a woman, if you do not want the latter option, there is something “wrong with you.”

F*ck that noise. Seriously.

There’s nothing wrong with knowing what you want and doing just that. No one should force themselves into a marriage or force themselves to have children just to satisfy someone else’s opinion. Horrible, horrible mistake.

And, if you ever catch yourself feeling like a “failure,” because your family is breathing down your neck, your co-workers keep inviting you to their weddings and, all of your friends say “no” to a spur of the moment road-trip because they have Mommy duties—take a look at the bigger picture of life.

There are tons of milestones you can achieve that have absolutely nothing to do with marriage OR children that are worth being proud of.

1. Getting a college degree/degrees.

Nowadays, it’s common that people get a college degree. But, just because more people are going to college, doesn’t mean that it’s not an accomplishment to graduate and receive your diploma. And, if you’re serious and further your education to obtain a second or third degree – even better.

You should always feel proud of all the hard work you put into anything you do, especially when it is something to better your life and make it easier to achieve your dreams and goals.

2. Moving out of your parents’ house.

Some people move out right after college, others stay home while they get a stable job. No matter when you decide to leave the nest – it’s a big step in growing up. You’re on your own – paying rent, paying bills, going food shopping – and, it is a big deal. It’s not like dorming at college – it’s real life.

3. Landing a job you really want.

Landing a job is hard enough nowadays with the job market being so oversaturated. Therefore, many of us settle for the first gig we’re offered, especially when we’re young. We’re afraid to leave because, well, we don’t want to be unemployed. So, when you finally land a job that you really want—it feels incredible. You enjoy what you do, which makes working less tedious and more exhilarating.

4. Buying your own car.

When we’re young, some of us start out driving our parents’ car. Or, some of us get a pretty crappy hoopdie handed down to us. But, when we’re finally able to buy ourselves our own car – or lease it even – it’s proof that our hard work has paid off in a big way.

5. Getting your first pet outside of your family.

When you move out and get your first pet—a dog, a cat, a bunny rabbit—it shows that you’re mature enough to care for someone else that isn’t just yourself. Sure, you may not be ready to have children – but taking care of an animal is a big deal.

6. Joining a gym and going regularly.

Joining a gym is a big step because let’s face it, we’re all lazy AF inside. No one wants to wake up at 5 a.m. when you have a full day of work ahead of you and run a few miles on a treadmill, but if you drag yourself out of bed and put in effort to take care of your body—you should feel proud. Health is wealth.

7. Quitting a job you’re unhappy at.

Like I said before, quitting a job when you don’t have a backup plan is pretty scary. But, if you’re truly unhappy with where you’re at – there’s no problem with leaving. In fact, I think it’s pretty damn great if you know what you want and don’t want in life and are brave enough to go after it.

8. Ending a toxic friendship or relationship.

Growing up, you learn who is good for you and who is toxic for you, even if it’s a friend or a significant other. Being able to learn what is negative in your life is a big part of moving forward. Being able to walk away from people who weigh you down also shows how far you have come.

9. Going on your first vacation/traveling adventure.

Sure, we all sit at work and Pinterest destinations we would *die* to travel to, but we also realize we’re broke AF and can’t afford to stay in a ocean-side Fiji villa. But, saving up for a vacation you’ve been dreaming about and then actually going on that vacation is something to be hella proud of. Relax, enjoy it, take it all in.

10. Building a solid credit score.

Building credit is really f*cking hard – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Some people grow up thinking credit cards are essentially “free money,” while others just never get a credit card at all. Either way, having a good credit score is important in life—especially when you’re an adult. Getting there, that’s even harder. If you have 700+, consider it a win.

This College Student Struggled So Much On A Final Exam That She Sent The Professor Photos Of Herself And Actually Got A Response

Anyone who has ever endured the utter brutality that is college finals week knows how trying it can be on the mind, body, and soul. Hours spent studying the same texts over and over, pulling all-nighters, consuming an ungodly amount of coffee, and many emotional breakdowns are just a few of the necessary evils that come along with exams.

One college student named Alana is no stranger to the trials of finals week. In fact, she became so overwhelmed after taking one of her most difficult exams that she emailed her professor a photo of herself crying and he actually responded.

If you’ve ever taken a college final you know exam week usually looks something like this:

And this:

University of Rochester student Hannah Foster and her classmate Alana Ferris are no strangers to these emotions and recently endured the horrors of finals week.

In fact, Alana was so overwhelmed by the difficulty of her chemistry final that she decided to share her emotions with the professor in a heartfelt email.

We feel you, girl.

Believe it or not, the professor actually responded and apologized for Alana’s strife.

Hannah later shared the entire exchange on Twitter.

my friend came out of our orgo final crying, took pics of herself, and then EMAILED THEM to our professor and he ANSWERED lmaooooooo pic.twitter.com/mvrI3KI0mV

— Hannah Foster (@hannahfoster07) December 24, 2018

And people could totally relate.

I feel this bc after my orgo 2 exam last year, I went and bought a pack of wine coolers at the grocery store and drank them all.

— ?????? ?? (@wiignewton) December 28, 2018

Lmao some shit I should’ve done ?

— Cheyenne (@CStaufen) December 26, 2018

Organic Chem is the worst – it crushes your soul ??

— Fran (@francesnic) December 29, 2018

Some even imagined what the professor’s real reaction was like.

your friend: i experienced emotional turmoil over this exam
the prof: pic.twitter.com/8dJpYLGbiE

— the grinch’s dog max (@max__dupont) December 28, 2018

“tHiS mAdE Me sO sAD” foh he’s sitting back like pic.twitter.com/w3rcUSIauc

— spooky mulder (@erineastcoast8) December 29, 2018

he said “that’s so sad alexa play despacito”

— chris chin (@visionsofleo) December 28, 2018

And one of the exam graders chimed in.

As a grader of this exam we all felt bad for her

— Francine Yanchik (@Frannchik) December 25, 2018

Hang in there, Alana! Maybe the next exam won’t be so bad…

No, I Do Not Regret Not Moving Away For College

Growing up, I always saw myself graduating high school and moving away for college. I could not wait to be out on my own and away from my hometown for school. Growing up where I did there was a stigma around staying at home and going to our hometown university after graduating high school. There was the idea that those who stayed at home for college would regret it and that they were not living up to their full potential or getting the true college experience. This made me want out of my hometown; I swore up and down that I would never go to the college in my hometown. But here I am, living at home and going into my junior year of college at that hometown school I swore I would never go to. Do I regret it? Not even the slightest. Do I think I am missing out on the college experience or not living up to my potential? Not at all.

I am going to a college in the same town I was born in. The same town where I was raised, went to school, and graduated high school. I remember meeting new people at orientation. The high level of nervousness and awkwardness made all interactions more like a game of twenty questions; the most popular one being “so, where are you from?” While all the kids around me were usually from at least an hour drive away, I was the only person in my orientation group who answered, “Here… I’m from here.” Apparently, no one was expecting a townie to actually stay in his or her town.

Now, I am not the only person from my graduating class to stay in our home town, there is actually quite a lot of us who did and I’m sure we all heard the same comments about our decision to stay. I am so happy for all of my classmates that have moved away for college, who are experiencing new things, but I would like to say that my life is just as full of new experiences as yours is. The only thing I lack is a change of scenery.

Even though I have lived fifteen minutes from this university my entire life, every time I step on campus I experience something new. I meet a new person, I take part in campus activities, and I learn something new. I do not feel like I am missing out on the “college experience,” I just feel like the one I have is a different kind. My story will probably never be made into a movie, and I am fine with that. Sure, I don’t live on campus with a dorm mate because I opted to stay in my own home, and no, I don’t have to take a shuttle bus to get groceries, but I still get lost looking for buildings or rooms. Most of my close friends moved away to go to a different school, so I have been searching for new friends just like everyone else.

I always told myself that when I graduated high school I would get as far away from this town as possible, but that idea started to not make a lot of sense the older I got. I will complain about this small town for the rest of my life, but the truth is that deep down I love this town. Every memory, good and bad, was created all over this place. Every friend, every enemy. There are so many people in this town who inspire me to live to my full potential, and as cheesy as that sounds, it is true. I love living close to my old high school because I get to continue to watch the clubs and activities I was in grow. I get to visit my friends who are still in high school. Old teachers, coworkers, and community members are all here to support me on my journey.

In addition, my knowledge of this town has even helped me make new friends at school. Those who are away from home and don’t know anything about the new town they are in love to friend us locals and have a tour guide, friend, and house to crash at all in one when their roommate drives them nuts. So no, I did not get to experience all the emotions of packing up and leaving for college, but I still feel happy with my choice every day. By staying at home, I saved money too; I chose a cheaper university and saved on room and board as well. I also do not have to worry about missing moments with my family because I am too far away to come home. I have yet to miss a holiday or birthday since my college life has started and I know this would not be true if I had moved away. I was here when my niece was born and got to hold her in my arms, I got asked to coach in my town because I was one of the few athletes who stuck around, I don’t have to worry about missing my fur babies when I am gone and I don’t have the fear of hating my roommate for an entire year.

I might not live here for the rest of my life, but I am glad that I chose to stay for a little while longer.