It's the beginning of spring semester for a lot of people! It's time to start getting prepared to start classes back up for most. Being organized for school is one of the most important things to do to have a successful semester. Personally, if my desk, planner, binder, and notebook isn't organized... studying and doing school work is hard for me. I guess that's the OCD in me! Oops! Here is a list of posts from fellow bloggers and myself that have amazing posts on getting organized!

Written By Me:

Helpful Study Tips

How To Create A Great Study Guide

Organizing Your Planner


Written By Fellow Bloggers:

Making a College Syllabus 'Cheat Sheet' by Caitlyn from ChemGradBoom

School Supplies for Spring Semester by Megan from Bowtiful Life

Intense Study Tips by Carly from The College Prepster

How I Organize My Planner by Kirsten from Organized Charm

How to Organize Your College Binder by Caitlin from The Holladay Life

How I Study... in an Organized Way by Jessica from Blondes and Louboutins


I hope everyone has a great semester! If you're not in school, then I hope this helps motivate you to be organized!!

xo
Olivia

How To Create A Great Study Guide

Finals are coming up within the next month and I know a lot of you are stressing (including me). Something that I like to do around this time is to start making a study guide. I like to make my study guides this early because I won't have to stress when it comes to studying for finals. Here are some tips that I find helpful when making a study guide!

Outline

Creating an outline is essential to making a study guide. It helps you be able to visualize what you need to know for the exam quickly without having to look things up right away. It also helps you be able to organize the material in a way that you find helpful. I like to bold the key concepts and then list the terms under each concept without defining them right away. Defining them goes with the "real" study guide. This is just an overview of what needs to be learned and memorized.

Color Coding

This is soo important for when it comes to the actual study guide. For me, I like to take the key concepts and list the terms underneath it. However, this is where I actually write down the definitions and the extra material that will be needed for the test. Color coding is my favorite study tool. I use colored pens for everything. Key concepts are in one color and the key terms are in another. Sometimes under each concept I make each term a different color to help differentiate between all of them.


Leave Room For Other Notes

There are a lot of times where we either forget to write something down or learn something later on after making the study guide that we want to add in. Leaving extra room is very important for this. It makes it a lot easier to keep all of your notes in order without having to look around for a term when you need it.

Examples

Writing down examples when you're able to is a great study tool. Whether it's an example that helps you learn what you need to learn or whether it is an example that might be a question on your exam. Examples are great ways to learn your class's material. Having multiple examples increases your chances on getting a better grade on the exam!

Practice Questions

Practice questions are great to add at the end of the study guide to take you to the next level in studying. There are soo many ways a professor can ask a question on an exam. Having practice questions that will stimulate your brain are great ways to learn.

Memorize, Memorize, Memorize

Now that you're study guide is made... it's time to start learning the material. Going over your study guide once before the final isn't going to make the grade. Going over the material is going to be super important when studying. This is why I think it's best to make your final study guide a few weeks in advance. I know some of the material hasn't been covered yet but that's why we give extra space... to add more information in! Typing the study guide helps too! Studying what you've already learned now probably will bring you a step ahead of the other students. And who wouldn't want a better grade?! I know I do!

I hope this helps everyone! Good luck getting ready for finals in a month!

xo
Olivia

Family Weekend At USI

I've been super busy with school work this past week so I never got around to putting up a post about my awesome weekend visiting my sister! Last weekend my mom and I drove down to stay with my dad Friday night. We had a great time and my dad made one of my favorite foods: stuffed mushrooms! He's an amazing cook and I definitely miss his cooking. After playing with my dog, Sasha, for a few hours we all got exhausted and went to bed. The next morning we took the 2 1/2 hour drive from my dad's house to Evansville, Indiana where University of Southern Indiana is. That is where my sister is a freshman! It's soo weird that she's in college now!

We had a relaxing day filled with a LOT of food and a LOT of shopping. I got a few new sweaters (you can never have too much) and some jeans. I also got an awesome new headband for the winter to keep my ears warm from Target! Emma had to make a paddle for one of her sister's in her house since she's officially in Alpha Sigma Alpha! She's soo excited! I got in the mood to do an arts and crafts too so I just painted a pumpkin that is actually really cute! After I finished with mine, I helped her with the paddle. It turned out really good! Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it..

We had a great, successful family weekend! Definitely was hard leaving but we had a great time and can't wait for next year's family weekend!!

xo
Olivia

Back To Long Distance

Kyle and I have been dating for almost 1 year now! YAY soo exciting!! However, when I'm at school (most of the year) we are in a long distance relationship. When I'm not at school we live just a train ride away from each other (he's in the city and I'm in the suburbs). The school year is starting up again on Monday and that means it's time for me to leave. I know super depressing. But it seriously is!
            Last night was our last night together. We had a great time! We went to Flat Top Grill for dinner. If you haven't been there before it is kind of like a stir fry kind of restaurant. It's super yummy and has these amazing Roti Prata Bread which is their signature item!! (I'm gluten-free and can't eat this but Kyle loves it)! What is also great about this place is you can keep going up for more food and only pay a flat fee!! 
           Anyways... after we had dinner at Flat Top Grill we went to see a play with his family friend. We saw the play Intimate Apparel at the Athenaeum Theatre. I've only gone to a few plays (I wish I could go to more) and this happens to be one of the plays I have seen before. I took a theatre class my freshman year of college for my gen eds and this play happens to be one of the plays that was mandatory to see. How crazy is that?! The 2nd time seeing the play was sooo much better than the first time! 
            After seeing the play that was 2 1/2 hours long (yes, it was that long), Kyle and I went back home to his apartment because it was late and he had work in the morning. I was completely fine when I went to bed... waking up was when it all hit me. Kyle had to get ready for work and we had to say our goodbyes. Let me tell you, I've never cried as much in the past as I did this morning. I literally had tears streaming down my face and Kyle just held me until he really had to leave (stayed home a little longer than normal and was getting late for work). It was a super hard goodbye knowing that I wouldn't be seeing him for 2 months!! I'm sure I'll see him sometime in between that time but that's the only planned break that I have on my schedule so far. Now that I'm back to long distance I'll start posting tips about how to make long distance work as well as other random relationship stuff!!

xo
Olivia

Surviving A Long Distance Relationship

 LDR... the relationship idea that everyone thinks will NOT work. However, those people are wrong. I am in a long distance relationship. The only difference between long distance relationships and regular relationships is the distance. Regular relationships might not work and long distance ones might not work. The key to keeping a long distance relationship is trust. While being in college it might seem harder because there are always the well known "frat boys". Then there is the well known "slutty sorority girls" (Just noting the stereotypes). If you trust your boyfriend or girlfriend then it should be easy not to worry if they are doing anything with anyone else.

Communication is one of the most important ways to survive an LDR. Texting your significant other in the morning when you wake up is a great way to say "good morning" without being in person. It also helps the other to know your weekly schedule.

Visiting each other is of course important as well. My boyfriend and I try to see each other every 3 weeks. While there are times when it is hard to travel to the other with work and school work (not to mention travel expenses), it is important to keep visitations pretty regular.

Doing things together is definitely a large part of the relationship. I know its hard when you're far away from each other. However, there are many ideas you can do while apart. My boyfriend and I watch TV shows or movies that are on TV together. At commercial breaks we call or Skype each other to talk about what is going on on the show. Its a great way to spend quality time together thousands of miles away.

Creativity is also a key aspect. Something that I have done in the past is writing letters. I know it is very old fashion to do this but it seriously is great. I would randomly write a hand written letter and send it in the mail to his apartment. It's always a great thing to read when you're really missing your significant other. I also have written letters for different situations. These are some ideas for what to write.

I hope these ideas help!! Feel free to write me for more advice!

xo
Olivia

Start Of My Junior Year

Today I thought I'd share some of the fun things I've done so far in my junior year of college at Indiana University (go Hoosiers!!). The slideshow above shows a few of my favorite things that I've done. The first party that I went out to this year in August was at a Fraternity. The theme was jersey themed so I obviously am repping the Chicago Bulls. It was a lot of fun and I got to see all of my friends that I haven't gotten to see this past summer since they live all over the country. 

I threw in the picture on the left from this past summer at Country Thunder. It was the end of the summer and was a blast! Basically it is a 4 day concert filled with tons of famous Country stars in Wisconsin. I got to see Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Brantley Gilbert, Thomas Rhett and soo many more. My friends and I camped out in a tent the entire weekend and I kid you not I've never felt soo dirty in my life. The showers consist of a hose and the shampoo and conditioner that you bring.  The entire weekend I only showered once. I know it sounds disgusting but it was soo hot and everyone didn't shower if you were camping out. We played football (I got better the more I drank) and played a TON of drinking games. If you're not a fan of country music but you're friends are still going, there is an after party that plays more electronic music. That's fun too!

 Most of the other pictures are from different parties. The pics that I'm wearing a red IU shirt and jean shorts are from the tailgate. It was soo much fun! We don't go to our football games because we're not good. Except that we beat Mizzou this past weekend!!! Our tailgates are crazy and huge. They're a lot of fun and can be intimidating. Pregaming for tailgates are probably one of my favorite parts because everyone wears crazy IU clothes and just has a ton of fun drinking and dancing!

This past weekend I went home to see Ky. We had a great weekend together. We lasted a month without seeing each other.. A whole month!! That was the longest month ever and I'll have to make sure that we don't wait a month to see each other again. My mom came down to Chicago on Saturday to hang out and she gave me a ton of presents. Gotta love moms for giving you presents when you're home! On Sunday I went to the Cubs game with Ky and his parents. It was my first baseball game ever!! I know I live in Chicago, we have 2 baseball teams and I've never been to a game. Everyone freaks out when I say that I've never been to a game. It was a great time going to the game even though it was kinda rainy and cold. We stayed until after the 7th inning stretch and then left to make sure I didn't miss my bus going back to IU. Great weekend!!! I'll keep posting more fun things that I get to do periodically!! Have a great day everyone!!

xo
Olivia

Preparation For College

 I’ve received some comments from people who wanted to know some advice for seniors in high school getting ready for college. First off I am SUPER jealous of you guys because my freshman year of college is one of the best years I’ve had so far. I know you guys are all stressed about getting ready. This is a totally normal feeling. I was definitely nervous getting ready for college. The first thing is applying. This can be a brutal process, I know. I would start by taking an entire day (or 2) to do your college apps. When writing the essay portion you should really take your time. This could be very important in whether they decide to accept you or not. I had a problem writing my essay in the short amount of words that they required but it’ll all work out!           
           Now you’ve applied and are waiting to hear back from the colleges. I’ll admit.. I probably checked my email at least a hundred times a day to see if they responded. The key to this is to keep you busy. Always keep yourself busy with schoolwork, extra curricular, or other activities that you like. It is very important that you don’t slack off your senior year. Trust me, I know it is hard since senior year is always known as your slack off year. I know from experience that if you slack off your senior year, then your freshman year of college will be extremely hard. Going from doing nothing to always being busy and stressed is a very hard transition. So try not to slack off!!

(Fast forwarding to after you find out where you're going to college)

           The most important thing about your last year at high school and the summer before you go to college is managing your time. I know this may be hard because all you want to do is hang out with your friends. Of course you should be hanging out with your friends! However, hanging out with your family is also very important. It’s going to be weird not having your mom and/or dad not with you and you’ll start to appreciate them more once you leave. I also found that getting a job your last year (if you don’t already have one) is important. It’s very nice to have a little extra money with you for entertainment, food, or shopping!
Welcome to college!! You're going to love it!!

xo
Olivia

Getting Ready For College

If you're going to college for your first time you might be a little stressed. If you're anything like me, you're probably very stressed. I'm pretty anal about making sure everything is ready ahead of time that I had numerous panic attacks whether I forgot something or not. The key to getting ready is making lists. 

I cannot stress enough how lists are one of the best things to stay organized. I make lists for everything... to do lists for a day, for a week, for a month, grocery lists, shopping lists, and any type of list you could think of. When you finish something on your list you can cross it out. When I cross things out on my lists it is the best feeling knowing that I have accomplished something.

The second thing that helps is journaling. When you're getting ready for college you have a lot on your mind. Leaving home for your first time, leaving your boyfriend or girlfriend, leaving your friends, and leaving your family. Journaling helps keep all of those thoughts in an organized place that you can look at later when you have time to actually think about them. Not only does it help organize your time but it helps when you talk it out or in this case.. write it out. Your journal will eventually become your best friend.

Finally, trying not to procrastinate. I know it seems hard to not procrastinate and believe me I have a hard time with this. Waiting till the last minute seems great when you're doing other things. However, when you get down to actually having to do something, you stress about not having enough time. Try doing little things here and there so that you don't have to do everything at once. Procrastination=stress so try and keep stress away!

xo
Olivia
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