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Friday, November 28, 2014

Thankful


I know I'm technically a day late on the thankful post, but a busy day yesterday spent with family meant I had no time to write. Yesterday I was able to reflect on quite a few things that I am truly thankful for. This semester I have been dealing with some health issues, and after many, many, many doctors appointments and tests, we finally came to the conclusion that my gallbladder is the problem. I have surgery scheduled to have it removed over Christmas break. I am thankful that this should hopefully be a fast and easy fix to my health issues. Over the course of all my doctors visits and tests, I had a HIDAscan, which tests how well your gallbladder functions by injecting a radioactive substance, or tracer, into your arm. During this test I was able to tour around the department that housed all of the radioactive testing. It was such an awesome experience and only reinforced the fact that I want to have a career in nuclear pharmacy.

I'm thankful for my awesome readers and blogger friends, and all the opportunities that my blog has given me. Thanks y'all for all of the support!

I'm also thankful for:

  • living in the greatest country on Earth
  • my family
  • my friends that have become my family
  • my sweet church family
  • Fall weather
  • warm coffee on cool mornings
  • sparkles
  • the color blue
  • getting to meet new people
  • monograms
  • people that tolerate my monogram obsession
  • big t-shirts and leggings
  • no dress code in college
  • snail mail
  • pizza
What are you thankful for?

Saturday, November 22, 2014

How To Survive Finals


Finals time is upon finally upon us. *Insert collective groan from entire student population.* Every semester we know that finals will inevitably be here before we know it, but somehow we never seem to be prepared. In honor of finals coming up, here are a few tips to help you survive!

Music
Music is a huge part of studying for me. Personally I listen to film scores because they don't have distracting lyrics, but it also doesn't put me to sleep like classical music does. A great way to hear a bunch of awesome film scores is to listen to the Harry Potter film score radio on Pandora. Another station a lot of people like is the Hans Zimmer radio. No matter what I kind of music you like, I would definitely recommend something without lyrics or anything super distracting for intense studying!

Caffeinate and Snackinate
I totally made those words up, but don't forget to keep your body fueled! Of course coffee is the natural go-to (because caffeine, duh!), but don't forget to drink plenty of water as well! (I like to drink 2 bottles of water for every cup of coffee) and eat plenty of snacks, but don't forget to eat real meals as well!

Plan Plan Plan!
When it comes to finals time, planning is key! Plan out your study times and when you are going to study for each class. First, make sure you write down when and where every single one of your finals is. As well as writing everything in my planner, I also printed out a calendar to hang on my wall above my desk so I have it readily available. I like to plan to study an hour then take a ten or twenty minute break (to read My Life As Hayden, duh!). Make sure when you are studying to be completely off of social media! I've found that putting my phone across the room (on silent or vibrate) is the best way to not get distracted! Don't forget to study plenty in advance (aka NOT the night before!) your final!

Write in all of your due dates and finals so it's easily accessible!
Make Your Space
Whether you're working at your own desk or at the library, a clear work area is a must! Not only does it help keep you from being distracted, but it helps you feel more productive as well. I like to spread out all of my notes and other study materials because it helps me feel less cluttered (and ultimately more productive) and I like to be able to see everything at once. Make sure you have everything you need (pens, notes, computer, flash cards, post-it notes, etc.) before you start studying so you aren't constantly interrupting your study time.

Learn How To Study
Figure out how you study best and utilize it! For me, color coding and flash cards help me best. Flash cards are my go to study tool (try Quizlet if you are in a pinch and want to use online flashcards), but if I can't do flash cards, I love to rewrite my notes and color code them. There are some awesome study tips on Pinterest that I would definitely utilize!

Study Comfy
I am a huge believer in oversized tshirts and leggings. If I'm going to hunker down for some intense studying, I want to be as comfortable as possible. Please, avoid wearing your onesie to the library at all cost, but make sure you're not dying because you're in "real pants"!

The Day Of…
Dress for success! On the days I have tests I love to dress up (aka wear real pants and not a tshirt) because it makes me feel like I have my crap together. There's nothing like walking into an 8 am exam looking -and feeling- super confident even though you stayed up until 3 the night before studying. "Dressing up" always puts me in a "YOU GO GLEN COCO" state of mind, which I think results in better test results!
When it comes to studying the day of the test, don't. Yes, you heard me right! In my first semester of college, my calculus professor told us "Cram, cram, cram the night before if you need to, but on the day of the test, take it easy. I wouldn't even open the book!" Now while I don't intensely study the day of an exam if I can help it, I do review the test material. Usually I'll make flashcards or an outline of important topics and quiz myself. In doing this, you are calmly going over the test material without the added stress of cramming the day of. Just relax, and you'll be in a better frame of mind for taking the test!

Stay hydrated in the cutest way possible…with a Future First Lady koozie!
Don't forget to reward yourself after studying, either! Head over to Future First Lady and get 10% off your purchase with the code HaydenL. Finals only come once a semester, it's totally ok to treat yourself with some retail therapy ;)

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

How To Survive A Group Project With BAND


Group projects are the bane of every student's existence. There's nothing worse than trying to communicate with a group of people to get together to do an awful project worth a good chunk of your grade. Group texts don't always get delivered to everyone, GroupMe chats are way too hard to follow, and Facebook is a huge hassle.



That's were this awesome app comes in. BAND is the best way to communicate with just 2 or even 1,000 people. It gives you the best of all the social media worlds with things like a post feed, group chat, calendar, polls, and even file sharing.

It's super easy to invite everyone that you need to!
With the calendar option, there is no more miscommunication about meeting times and locations! You can even add an RSVP option so you know who all will be there!


Instead of arguing over which kind of pizza to get, you can add a poll option and let everyone vote. No more "I don't care, whatever you want" answers! The polling function can also be useful for determining things like topics for your group project.

Because pizza makes even group projects better!
You can share pictures and load them into individual albums, and you can also share files! Sharing files through BAND is way easier than trying to email everyone files, and BAND even has a desktop site for easier access to these files!


If you need to chat with your group, utilize the group chat feature! It's great for when everyone needs to communicate all at once!

BAND isn't just for group projects, either! I have a BAND with a group of friends that meets every MWF for breakfast, and it's been a great way to communicate (aka send screenshots of each others funny snapchats, plan our "Monday's Suck" pizza parties, and share Buzzfeed quizzes.)



So go download BAND right now (band.us) and tell all your friends about it to save the lives of group projects everywhere. You'll be everyone's favorite group member. #beyoncestatus


Let me know what you thought about BAND and how you survive group projects! Use #bandtogether and share the love on social media!

*This is a sponsored post and all opinions are 100% my own, but I'm sure Beyonce would agree with me, too. *does hair flip*