I'm back!

So keeping in line with the whole theme of this blog (HINDsight)... I apologize that it takes me forever to post here sometimes. But just remember, I have to live through these mistakes before I can blog about it so you do not make the same ones!

The spring semester is finally OVER! I am so incredibly excited, you have no clue. But I am also quite disappointed in myself for the way I prioritized things and justified things to myself throughout these past 16 weeks.

For instance, WORK. I became a bartender about midway through the semester because cash-on-hand is a college kid's best friend. Waiting every week or two for a lump sum paycheck, then subsequently paying all of your bills with it leaves you very little pocket change to survive off of (this is where Ramen noodles usually come into play). So "what'ad'happened'wuz" I was working at the bar from like 8pm til 3:30am.... with a 9:30am class the next day. Then, on the other end of that, my last class would get out at 4:45pm and I would still have to get my you-know-what ready for work. Where does homework and studying come into play during all of this? EXACTLY. Needless to say, the two courses which required the most amount of studying I fell short and will have to retake ($$$$$$$$). So mad at myself for not giving them the time they deserved.

Keep in mind that I do not take out student loans; all I have are federal grants... and at the university level they do not cover the entire cost of my tuition or the cost of textbooks, a parking permit, online homework programs (which are so incredibly frustrating), clickers, clicker software, and the like. So I HAVE to work to make ends meet. Oh did I mention my own household bills like: rent, utilities, food/groceries, and cell phone? Also, start saving for a coffee fund. Yes, JUST coffee. You'll thank me later. Actually, I'm thinking about writing Starbucks and asking if they'd sponsor me since their iced coffee keeps me running most of the time. Eh, it's a thought.

Let's just say I've, as of now, used up all of my "outs" (i.e. grade forgiveness). I have the opportunity to make these up, have the new grade put in and have the old grades dropped from my GPA... but I'm seriously killing my chances at grad school!

Not to mention my mid-life crises through finals week... ugh. I'm stuck between my two majors: do I stick with the biomedical science route, or dive head first into the political science side? The most difficult thing about a double major, or at least those in which they are complete opposite concentrations, is being able to flip back and forth between them seamlessly. For instance, the day Hugo Chavez (Venezuelan President) passed away, I was on my way home from class and ready to study biology like crazy... I come home and turn on the news to catch the weather, and bam. There it was as a headline. I couldn't concentrate on sciences for at least 2 days because I was so deep in thought as to the gravity of that situation. *Now don't go thinking I'm some crazy vigilante; my dad lived in Venezuela per a contract job for about a year, and he had nothing but great things to say about the country and their people. If you are interested further, I HIGHLY recommend watching "South of the Border" on Netflix. You'll see South America and the US's stance on foreign policy in a whole new light.

Anyway, back to college.

We all go through ups and downs throughout this ridiculously expensive journey (if you're parents pay your tuition, grovel at their feet every so often... they've earned it), especially through finals. I'm sure I was not the only person going through some sort of personal crisis during the 2-3 weeks of balls-to-the-wall/24hr library/assignments-due-everyday, and don't think that this kind of stress will not get the better of you!

It will.

Not in some creepy "it's gonna getcha" ax-murderer style. It's all in how you deal with the stress, and how well prepared you MAINTAIN your studies throughout the semester. Keyword: maintain.

Do the work as it comes to lessen the stress towards the end. Don't be like me and make excuses to procrastinate on homework, papers, assignments, etc.

Also, another HUGE HUGE HUGE lesson.... every. point. counts.

Seriously! I was 10 stupid points away from having a good enough grade to advance to Organic Chem. I blame myself for 2 reasons: letting points go, and not buying the second homework program because "orgo doesn't need it, so why pay $120 for a program I'm going to use for one semester?" Um, here's why: because it will help you pass the *#^$ class!!!!!

So now I get the pleasure of re-taking chem over the summer, Monday thru Friday at 8am.

Don't be like me!

5 Note-Taking Tips

Along with textbooks being provided to you free of charge, GONE are the days of your teachers giving you class notes to copy.  YOU, dear friend, are now responsible for writing down notes from spoken lectures in your classes. Do you have good note-taking skills? Let me give you a few tips on how to efficiently write notes in college:

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1.) If your professor repeats a phrase, or says it rather slowly or louder than usual (to ensure you write each word down), then write it down and highlight it! I've found that professors do this when students commonly miss questions on an exam relating to what they are saying.  *Note: Do not only write down these obvious hints from your professor! They alone will NOT get you by. You must actively pay attention and take notes throughout your classes.

2.) Always define terms (vocabulary) in  your notes. It is also a good idea to highlight defined terms in the same color highlighter that way you can easily spot them.

3.) Read the textbook section BEFORE coming to class (it will be stated in your syllabus)! If you have read the text assigned for that day, then you can more efficiently take notes by knowing what material will be covered, and how specific you should be when noting certain topics. Also, use chapter summaries to make sure you covered all the major learning objectives! For instance, in chemistry if you didn't read the text and your professor is explaining an example of how something works, more often than not you will hastily write down their elaborate explanation rather than the concise material via the text.

4.) Outline! Are you familiar with outlining? Check this out if you aren't: http://thatcollegekid.com/how-to-create-a-successful-outline/   Note!: Usually it is difficult to write a fluent, mistake-free outline while taking notes during lecture. The best outlines are made while you are studying with all the notes you took during class-time... that way you can organize your textbook notes, lecture notes, and examples in a clean and orderly fashion (and so they're all in one place for easy use when exam study-time comes around!)

5.) Abbreviate! This is a super helpful tip, just be sure to be consistent in your abbreviations. For instance, I use "b/c" for "because"... I use "para" (spanish, haha) for "in order to"... and in chemistry I use element symbols instead of writing out the whole word. Large annoying phrases like "significant figures" can be shortened to "sig figs," and "aggregate expenditure" can be "AE."