Using technology to benefit your life as a student

Lately, I've been thinking about all of the apps and websites that are geared towards benefiting educational and learning experiences, especially for college students, and it came to mind that we don't take advantage of these extremely handy tools.

Organization is definitely key in college, however, it can also be difficult to stay organized with such a busy and compact schedule. I came across an app called "iStudiez Pro. This app is for college kids who are looking to successfully manage a full time schedule regarding a their academic life. This app has five separate categories: Overview, assignments, planner, instructors and holidays. Using this app students can include course schedules, plan study sessions, and prioritize assignments according to due dates. This app can also keep tabs on a students GPA, keep them accountable and aware of their academic standing throughout the semester.  iStudiez Pro

In addition, another organizational tool that I found was an app called "iProcrastinate". This app allows students to organize to-do lists and tasks by listing the steps it will take to complete them, which in turn makes the projects and task seem more manageable. Users can also set priority levels using this app. This app can also be used for group projects, allowing information for certain tasks to be shared and managed by multiple users. iProcrastinate

Another cool app that I came across was "InClass". This is a free app that aids in learning as a study tool. using this app students can record audio, take text or video notes and create images of slides or handouts given in class. This app would be extremely beneficial in a lecture hall because you could record the lecture while taking notes so you have many study tool come exam time. You are also able to share materials with other students through Facebook and iTunes. Of course, you would want to make sure your professor is okay with you using this type of technology in class before you proceed! inClass

Quizlet also came to mind while I was thinking about this topic. Quizlet offers students a variety of ways to study course material. Students can either choose a flashcard set that is already programmed into the site, or create their own. After the set of flashcards are chosen, students are offered multiple different study mechanisms and tools to help further their knowledge. There is an app for Quizlet, along with a website for extremely easy access. Quizlet

 I hope you all take the time to explore a few of these handy, college student friendly, applications and websites! I really think it could help take some of the stress off of your academic lives! 

Online Classes

Well this week I started not only my first online class, but my first late start class. Prior to this week, school has already been stressing my out but recently I had begun to find a balance with homework and 'me' time, and the stress I was feeling was finally starting to diminish. However, that quickly changed when I started my late-start finance class on Monday. Since I enrolled in finance 100, I didn't think that it would require much attention-being that it would all be common sense, since it is a general personal money management class. Well yes, as you can imagine by how this blog started, I was completely wrong.

I logged onto moodle to begin this course and being that I have never taken an online class, I was oblivious to how the whole system worked.. which meant I had to watch an absurd amount of time consuming videos just to learn how to navigate the site. Next, I scrolled down and saw that we will be reading on average two to three chapters per week, along with three-four extended homework assignments and two quizzes... yes per week. I guess thats what you get when you sign up for a late-start class. Which is completely understandable-I was just caught up in the fact that I would only have to take this class for approximately nine weeks opposed to sixteen.

My advice to you is, make sure you are sure that you will have enough time in your schedule with school work, homework, and any other obligations you may have to add an extra three units of online work for yourself. Also really take into consideration your best ways of learning.. for myself, I am not so good at solely reading information and being able to retain it just from text. I am more of a hands on and audio learning type of person. I like to be able to see what I'm learning, hear it, and then be able to apply it using real life situations. However, if you are up for a challenge and want to broaden your ways of retaining information, online classes would be great for you! Just know that if you do happen to take a late-start class,you are in for a lot of homework!

As my mom said, "hey, it may be hard, but it will get you out of college faster and on to bigger and better things!"

Take a Step Back

Lately I've been hearing a lot of negativity and frustration around campus and around Isla Vista. I'm guessing this is due to the fact that we are in the midst of midterms and school is becoming a bit overbearing, as it does at this point in every semester. I know the struggle is real to keep the healthy balance between class, work, homework and friends aligned. But you can do it-push through! It's almost spring break and then when we get back we only have a few weeks left until summer! 

Here are a few things to keep in mind, now and later:

1. There's a reason schools teach Shakespeare instead of John Green; you make your own life, it's not written in the stars, you can't wait until you find the 'perfect' time to begin to embark on a journey, because that 'perfect' time may never come.
2. People are a lot smarter than you think. Take a step back and be the 'listener'-you never know, you might just learn something from someone whim you never expected too.
3. Getting close to people and becoming vulnerable is scary yes, but you know what else it is? Worth it.
4. The moment you feel your happiness being dictated by another person, take a break from them.
5. Feeling alone? Take a step back and look around. You have more people that are there for you than you think.
6. Growing up is going to happen and it is sure going to be tough. Just stay close to those around you, everyone in college is at the same point as you. We're all in this together!
7. Everything seems worse at night. Don't fall for it, it's deceiving. Just close your eyes and fall asleep, you'll feel better in the morning.
8. Stop avoiding things that need to be done. Get out of bed, get dressed, go to class, do your homework. You'll save yourself a lot of stress if you avoid procrastinating.
9. Headphones are great, but sometime you need to blast that song and sing aloud to it-it will relieve stress and help keep you motivated.
10. Boundaries are a must-dont let people walk all over you. No one deserves that.
11. You need to be happy with yourself before you try to make other happy.
12. Try and understand other's situations before you get judge them or get angry with them. Everyone's fighting there own battle, you don't know whats going on in their life at that time.
13. Tough love is necessary sometimes and that's okay.
14. You cannot fix people no matter how hard you try...
15. Surround yourself with people who love and support you; this is a set up for life satisfactory.
16. Listen to your parents advice. They have been in our very shoes, they've already attended this rodeo.
17. Be open to new things, you never know what path they might lead you on next. A closed book is never fun to read. 
18. "Some seasons of your life are harder than others. This too shall pass." -unknown

The Housing Struggle

The time has come when you need to decide if you want to renew your current lease, move complexes, move to Isla Vista, move to downtown....so many decisions.

This weeks stressor: Deciding where to live next year.

I have dedicated my week to finding a place to live for not only fall semester, but also in the summer. This has presented to be a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. First of all, a little piece of advice: don't wait until March to begin looking for places to live for the following year. I had no idea that people started signing leases for fall in January. So as I began looking, either a) all of my friends have already dedicated themselves to signing with group of girls who are maxed out roommate wise or b) leasing complexes have already filled up. So make sure that if you have not already began looking for housing for the upcoming fall semester...GET ON THAT! Anyways, I did however, find space at a complex in Isla Vista called Campus 880! Its a beautiful apartment complex that still has space available if you are still looking! It is a very modern and updated complex, so it is a bit on the pricey side, but once you see it, you'll understand why!

Another thing that has come to my attention through this whole housing search situation is that you really do need to make the best decision for yourself. My current roommate really wanted to move in together next year, and of course I wanted to as well... however, she was set on moving into an apartment downtown, and I have already been there and done that last semester and realized it wasn't for me (hint moving to Tropicana Gardens). Although I really wanted to live with her, I made the decision to go ahead and sign a lease at campus 880, because I knew that it would be the best possible option for me. So yes, I am going into a apartment of six girl, where five of them have chosen to live together and I will be the only one going in solo. Now earlier this year, this would have scared me, probably to the point of giving in and moving downtown with my current roommate, however, at this time in my life, I am extremely excited and cannot wait to make a bunch of new friends! College has been beneficial on so many ways, but especially in the fact that it has made me so much more confident and independent! My last piece of advice: Don't be scared to move in with people that you don't know.. You never know who you'll meet and college is all about expanding your life in ways that may be uncomfortable at the time, but hey, that's how you grow and learn!

Take a Break

I have been running myself ragged trying to keep up with school work lately. I have been depriving myself of sleep trying to get all of my studying done. I feel like I haven't taken a break from studying, besides going to class, in the last two weeks. It has really started to catch up to me. So today I decided to take a break and spend sometime doing something for myself. This included a -not rushed-  shower, and laying in my bed for an hour or so watching netflix and paying attention to my phone. All things that I have not been able to enjoy in the last couple of weeks. Anyways, during my break I came across a very great link on twitter titled "Take a Break". I'm going to share with you a few of the "break ideas" stated in this post. I'm taking time to highlight the importance of taking breaks and allowing time for yourself to regroup because his link couldn't have come across my newsfeed at a more perfect time for myself, and I know I'm not the only one who is feeling overwhelmingly stressed at this point in the semester.

1. Listen to music-dance
2. Take a bath
3. Read a book of your choice
4. Go to the beach
5. Rest-lay in bed-take a nap
6. Create your own coffee break
7. Call a friend
8. Write in a journal
9. Watch something funny
10. Take a drive (This is what I do when I'm stressed; I take a drive and blast some music!)

These are just ten of the things that really stood out to me in the twitter link--

I really do believe that taking a break helps in so many ways. First of all you give your brain time to rest and reset. Studies show that taking a break from school work actually helps your brain to further process the information that you're trying to take in. You'd be surprised at how much better you know the information after you have taken a break. Breaks also help you to 'destress' for a bit, you aren't so focused on all of the things you need to get done, you are solely focused on resting and well, taking a break! I definitely recommend taking a break once a day if you are extremely overwhelmed with school and homework. It really helped me today when I was on the verge of a mini melt down! 

One of the Greatest Feelings You May Experience in College

Today I had one of the greatest realizations that will occur in my college career. I came to terms with my love for my psychology class and realized that I would love to major in psychology. I have psychology Monday and Wednesday and every Monday and Wednesday I find myself eager to go to class. 

I think my love for this class really stemmed from my awesome professor. She is one of the best professors I've had thus far in my college career. She has really inspired me to do well in college, because she is so passionate about her work and her students. She likes to help her students gain knowledge on the subject and also goes out of her way to do research on topics that she isn't completely sure of to ensure that her students are learning, not only adequate information, but information that pertains to their interests also. 

I strongly believe that one of the reasons SBCC was awarded number one city college in the nation was because of their awesome professors. I have not come across one professor that hasn't been eager to help me excel in the course! If I had to go through the college choosing process over again, I would definitely not hesitate to choose Santa Barbara City College. There are just too many opportunities at SBCC to succeed and enhance your learning and knowledge. 

The things you start to appreciate in college

Lately I've been noticing that I appreciate certain things a lot more now that I am in college.

This weekend my family flew into Santa Barbara for a mini weekend vacation. We had a ton of fun roaming around downtown and checking out all of Santa Barbara's best beaches, and of course enjoying all of the great food available here in SB. I really enjoyed spending time with my family and  realized that spending time with them is something I really appreciate now that I'm in college. Don't get me wrong, I've always appreciated everything that my parents have done for me and have always valued the laughs and times I've shared with my sister, but when you move away to college, you really begin to appreciate your loved ones in a different sort of way. Living 2,000 miles away from my family, every minute I get to spend with them is valuable. I really do have the best family out there. They're always trying to make sure I have everything I need in any circumstances, and I want them to know how much they really are APPRECIATED!

On that note, there's also other things that you begin to appreciate more in college. For example, my mom packed a suitcase full of goodies for me: a pack of tooth brushes, my favorite shampoo and conditioner, razors, makeup wipes, and a bunch of little snack for me and my roommates to share. Now in high school, these were definitely things I took for granted in the sense that my mom would always go grocery shopping and pick up any toiletries that I may have been running low on. However, being in college grocery shopping is a rare occasion due to the fact that time is so limited and everything is so expensive. Getting a suitcase full of toiletries was one of the best gifts I could ask for...and that's what I mean by your appreciation changes as you grow older and start to live on your own!

My advice to you:

If you're still in high school, make sure to take in every second of the "mommying" you get from your parents, because before you know it, you'll be on your own and you won't have anyone to say "Okay I'll pick some deodorant up at the store for you in the morning". You have to make time you go yourself, which means you may not have deodorant for a few days....ew.

If you're in college, let your parents know how much you appreciate everything they've done for you and are still doing for you!