Ladies, it's time to give it up!

As 2011 is nearing its end and New Years approaches, I have been thinking a lot about my year and how much things have changed. I moved into a beautiful townhome, transferred to A&M, got out of a long term relationship, joined an amazing sorority, and learned that everything happens for a reason. I have never really had a good New Year’s resolution, but since I want 2012 to be the best year I have had so far, I have been thinking hard about what my resolution could be. While surfing the web, I came across a website called CollegeCandy.com and I was instantly interested in it. Here I found an article titled: 9 things that College Girls Should Give up for Lent. Although Lent is still a few months away, this article helped me realize some good resolutions for the New Year:

(http://collegecandy.com/2011/03/13/9-things-college-girls-should-give-up-for-lent/)

9. Ex-boyfriend freakouts. Let it go, move on. Stop giving the “psycho ex girlfriend” stereotype anymore material to work with.

Having just gotten out of a relationship, I can relate to this and I agree that it is important to close a chapter of your life when its done and move on in a healthy direction.

8. Hating people in relationships. Let’s grow up and be happy for our committed friends.

Although it is nice to have a significant other, I have never really had a problem with this one. I said I have learned that everything happens for a reason, and I strongly believe that if I am meant to be in a relationship that it will happen, but until then, I need to live my life for me and enjoy the ride!

7. Hating your body. Let’s chill out with all the phrases like, “I hate my butt” or “I have flabby arms.”

This is something that I think every woman is going to struggle with her whole life. We are all naturally competitive human beings and even the most gorgeous woman in the world may have insecurities with a feature on their body. But I do want to try harder to look at myself and not compare myself to any body else, because everyone is beautiful in their own way.

6. Facebook stalking people you don’t know.

This isn’t a problem for me, but I can relate it to looking at photos or status updates on Facebook and getting distracted from schoolwork. I definitely want to do better at staying focused.

5. Late night snacking.

It seems like college students have their own time zone and every meal is later than normal. Sometimes you are eating dinner at 10 o’clock at night. To create a healthier lifestyle for myself, I need to work on eating earlier and closing down the kitchen so I am not wasting calories on late night snacks!

4.  Smack-talk. Quit Gossiping.

I had the nickname “Gossip Girl”, given to me in high school, and although it may be silly, it is not a reputation I want to possess. I want to be known as the girl who is a good, trustworthy friend to all and who will not judge others.

3. Late night texting/Drunk Texting

Again…. Not really a problem for me. But I do need to work on turning my phone off at a decent hour and going to bed earlier.

2. All-nighters. Let’s stop procrastinating.

I have never pulled an all-nighter and I never plan to. I am the type of girl who NEEDS at least 8 hours to be happy. I will be working on NOT procrastinating so I can maintain my happy sleep schedule.

1. Blacking out.

Well, I have never “blacked out” before. In college and being around drinking and parties, it is sometimes tempting to take that extra shot just to look cool or play another game of Beer Pong to impress the guy you like. In the end, is it really worth it?

Since joining a sorority and representing a group of amazing girls at Texas A&M, I want people to look at me and think of me as a classy, mature woman. I don’t want people to see me and think about me with my head in the toilet or acting belligerent drunk at a party.

I know this seems like a lot of resolutions or suggestions of changes to make to your everyday life. But none of these seem too difficult to achieve. I hope making these little changes to my life can create a bright, new year for me! BRING IT ON 2012!!!!


What are some of your ideas for a New Year's Resolution for 2012?

My best friend Taylor and I at her New Years Party last year

Stu(dying)

Did anyone ever notice that the word STUDYING has the word DYING in it??

ATTENTION: Finals are occurring right now, if you didn’t know that already… However, if anyone is friends with a college student on Facebook or Twitter, I am guessing you have seen the many dramatic posts about this week from hell.

Here are a few of my favorite posts via Facebook:

“soooooooooooo this is what it feels like to be dead. #finals”

“Studying will be the death of me.”

“Can't...study...any....longer....Need...sleep...now.....”

Today in the car, my best friend/roommate Amalia made an interesting observation. If everyone didn’t post about how stressed they were, how much studying they’ve done, how many tests they have, and how tired they are, would “Finals Week” really be that bad?

This got me thinking… Are a couple of tests in one week really comparable to death OR do college students have so much freedom that when some of that freedom must be dedicated to intense studying, we freak out and over dramatize how tough our lives are?

This is my third time to experience finals (fall, spring, now fall again) and I would like to share some tips and advice that would be helpful to people for next semester.

1)   Get off Facebook/Twitter/Pintrest/AIM… anything that has nothing to do with your school work. Instead of posting that you are studying at the library or tweeting that you are pulling an all-nighter, turn off your phone and just DO IT. Every college student is going through the same thing, so there is no need to post about it.

2) Make flash cards! I would put my LIFE on flash cards. Repetition is a great way to retain large amounts of information. NOTE: Do not make flashcards the night before the test… make them a week prior to your exam

3)   Find a good place to study, with a good group of people. Let’s be honest, I am a sorority girl who could talk to a wall for hours and not think twice about it. I am very chatty and sociable, but when it comes to studying, it is important to set aside time to focus on schoolwork in a place that will not cause distractions. That’s why the library is the best place for me.

4)   Last, but most importantly, manage your time. I know that’s cliché and everyone will tell you that, but it is true. I have made it through 3 semesters without having to pull an “all-nighter.” It is possible to be in bed at a decent hour… IF you manage your time. Think about it: If you are in 15 credit hours, that means you go to school 15 hours a week. In high school you went to school 35 hours a week! Realize how much free time you have and make a plan to study earlier.

If you do all of these things above and improve your study habits, it WILL help you become a better student. Good luck to everyone in finishing up finals!!

TF