guest post with Andrea from pics-o-andrea

How's everyone doing? Miss me? Well I am having a fabulous time (and a fabulously busy time) at home right now. I can't wait to tell you all about it.  But for today, I have an awesome post for you by the lovely Andrea over at pics-o-andrea. Enjoy! And don't forget to head on over to her blog and say hello! :)

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Hello there, my name is Andrea and I blog over at pics-o-andrea. 

I am so excited to be able to help out Candace while she is having a blast visiting family back East.

Yes, it is basically summer [insert high-pitched squeel and happy Carlton dance here], 

but I know Candace is taking classes right now, as well as a lot of other bloggers. Also, there are many who are planning for college in the near future. What I’m getting at is,basically, the other night I was talking with a friend about when we were in college and our most favorite semesters and why we loved them so much and how we wished everyone could have those amazing experiences. College can either be really rough or an amazing and memorable experience.

Just because you (yes, you) are so awesome, I’ve decided to share some tips that I used to helped me in college to not be a major bum with no friends or life ...and still get excellent grades:)

1. Get involved. Don’t worry about who else is going, or if your hair looks perfect or not; If someone invites you to an activity, date, dance, BBQ, movie, party, bike ride, team cooking competition, laser light show, Super Smash Brothers showdown, breakdance competition, rock climbing, slip-n-slide, jam session, bridge-jumping, or  a picnic (and they are not a crazy/scary person and there won’t be crazy/scary things involved) GO! -Even if you don’t know the people very well -that’s how you make friends. Also, colleges want you to be social and, typically, they provide students with plenty of ongoing activities, so find what you like and get involved. This advice is especially important at the very beginning of a new semester.
*I may or may not have personal experience being invited by to all of the aforementioned activities in my college career.
**Even if you’re not single, stay involved and go out and have fun:)

2. Get To Know Your Roommates. Roommates are huge! (not literally ...usually) These are the people you live with. Of course they’ll seem kind of weird at first (they’re thinking the same thing about you). You’re living together, so you’re going to discover habits about each other that  may be difficult to handle at first (snoring, stealing food, getting home late, waking up early, smelly, messy, loud...) but you’ll make it much easier on yourself if you really get to know them and spend time together. That’s when you’ll really discover their amazing traits. It’s true, roommates can become some of your best friends. -either that or they just make for really funny stories:) (win win?)

3. Prioritize. Make sure you don’t make college into just a big party fest and forget all about your classes and homework. You’re paying for the classes, so make the most of it! Sure, a social life is important, but stay organized with your schoolwork so you can keep on track.

Some kind of planner is essential.

And you may need to make some sacrifices. Ex: If you have a huge test on Monday, wake up extra early on Saturday to study and prepare instead of going to the river for the day. Then, if you feel confident in your studying, maybe reward yourself by catching a late movie with your roomies. See? Not so bad.

To make college memorable, you need to put in the effort and have the right attitude:) Studying is important and has it’s place, but don’t hide in your room or a corner in the library all day. Make every semester an amazing one!

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Thanks Andrea!