Hello Internet!
I hope everyone is having a fantastic week! I know plenty of people are going back to school and college this week which eludes to my topic of this week’s Weekly Blog. But before we talk about that, I want to wish everyone going off to college a wonderful semester! Study hard, drink plenty of water, and take advantage of all those events with the free pizza. If you’re going into High School, I give you the same advice except there may be less pizza parties. If you’re still enjoying summer, I still think you should drink water as you hold on to the last moments of summer before going back to school. Anyway no matter what’s going on in your life, drink more water! Water is very important! Here on the website we had a fun week full of some awesome pieces. Last Sunday I published a Weekly Blog talking about my memories about the The County Fair as someone who was a part of 4-H. Go ahead and give that a read if love the County Fair. On Wednesday I published a Poem titled Ripples which is all about the small effects that we can have that leads to big things in other people’s lives. It’s a short and sweet poem. Then on Friday, I published a Writing Prompt titled End Game about a person bit during the zombie apocalypse right before the vaccine is created. It’s interesting and a little bit more heartwarming than you might think. Check it out if you haven’t already. There wasn’t anything published on Saturday, but keep an eye out for something tomorrow. There may or may not be a Bulletin Board post talking about some special stuff coming out starting in September (There definitely is). Just come back tomorrow. Okay? Okay.
Last week I rehashed my love for the county fair which almost lines up to 2017 when I did the exact same thing. Well I’m back with another topic I did a year ago which I will talk about again. In 2017 I put out a Weekly Blog listing some advice for College Students so check that out if you want some additional advice. Some of the stuff I’ll talk about will be similar to that Weekly Blog, but I also have some new information and some additional advice for college students. I have a list of five things I want to talk about so I better stop blabbing and start on the list.
Number one is that you should definitely GO TO CLASS and take is seriously. I understand that a lot of the people reading this may already know this, but for everyone who is a college Freshmen, listen up. Class is important. It’s the thing you are going to be paying thousands of dollars for. Not the parties. Not the time playing video games. Class is what leads to the degree in which you will use to dig yourself out of the debt hole you put yourself in at age 18. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t also have fun in college, because you definitely should, but going to class and paying attention is super important. If you know you’re not going to be motivated to go to 8 AM classes, then don’t schedule them (or at least do your best; sometimes it’s unavoidable). If you are taking classes that seem to easy for you, you can either 1) Test out of them and take other, more difficult classes or 2) Use this class as a way to create good study habits and time management skills. Don’t just use it as a blow off class and end up getting a C in an easy class. You can start off college right by building up important skills you will need for other classes in the future which will be more challenging for you.
The second thing is that when you are out of class, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVENTS that are going on and around campus. College is not only where you learn and earn a degree, it’s also a place to have fun. (See? I’m not just a wet blanket.) In College there will always be a ton of stuff going on around you that you might miss out on if you’re not plugged into the right outlets of information. Pay attention to posters and fliers as well as your college website and newspaper. If you live in dorms, there will probably be fliers for events posted there as well as all over campus. Most colleges are showered in events like free movies, concerts, mixers, trivia nights, karaoke, etc. You’ll have more access here to awesome, free events than at any other time in your life so take advantage of them. You don’t have to go to everything, but if something sounds fun, go to it! Also it’s possible that your Student ID gives you perks. Maybe you get discount tickets at the local theater or discount tickets to see the local sports team or go to the local museum/aquarium/zoo. All fun things that you can take advantage as a college student.
The third thing on my list is that you should EXPLORE THE CITY OR TOWN AROUND CAMPUS. This kind of ties into item number two because some events might be happening off campus, but this is more than that. It’s possible that you may be moving to a whole new city to go to campus. A new city means new possibilities. I know I grew up in a small town and my college was in a large city so the difference was pretty black and white. My freshmen year I spent almost all my time on campus, but as I grew older, I went out and explored more of the city. I discovered some awesome places, great places to eat, and some awesome events happening outside the campus bubble. Again you might have a lot of free time on your hands and that allows you to take advantage of a whole new city. I should advise you that exploring a city alone is not a good idea, especially at night. So do some research ahead of time and take some friends with you. Make sure you understand how you are getting home (Uber, Lyft, Public Bus, etc.) and stay aware of your surroundings. Most campuses are pretty safe, but sometimes the places around the campus can be pretty scary. Just be careful.
Number four pertains to something that a lot of college students seem to forget about: TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. If you’re going to college for the first time, you’ve probably heard about the dreaded Freshmen Fifteen. It’s true for a lot of people that you’re going to put on a few pounds when you go off to college. That can be the result of eating bad, not getting enough exercise, and spending a ton of time inside working on homework or just binge-watching The Office all day. It’s important as you go off to college that you are aware that no one is going to be taking care of you. You’re an adult now and being healthy falls under your responsibility. So sure you could order pizza for the fourth time this week or you could eat a salad and go for a jog. A lot of colleges offer free places where you can work out and exercise or have reduced rates with local gyms. So there’s no excuse why you can’t stay in shape. Even going for a ten minute walk everyday will help a little bit. Also I can’t tell you enough to drink water. Coffee and soda might help you get through the day, but water is free (yay free!) and so, so healthy for you. I actually started drinking water a ton in college because it was free and readily available and it helped me stay in shape. Also staying healthy pertains to mental health as well. A lot of people go off to college and find themselves dealing with depression, anxiety, and/or stress. That can weigh on people. Become aware with the mental services that your university or college provides and use those services if you need to. Also there’s no shame in taking some time for yourself to recover. Talk to your professors. I can’t promise anything, but if you explain your situation to them, they might be more lenient with you when it comes to getting an assignment done late or missing out on classes. Letting them know in advanced instead of after the fact will be a big positive for you.
The last piece of advice I want to give you is that when you’re in college, NO ONE CARES. That might seem harsh to say, but let me explain. This isn’t high school. People aren’t going to be gossiping about you and spreading your name around. They don’t know who you are and they have enough going on in their lives, that they don’t care about yours. If you’re walking down the sidewalk and you trip and fall, people might give you a glance and then go back to what they are doing. They don’t care. Just go out there and be yourself. Have fun. Don’t worry about the other people around you. They aren’t judging you. Again, they are stressed out, lacking sleep, and living off caffeine. Whatever you do, won’t affect them at all. You should always try to make a good impression on others, but no one is going to care if you do something embarrassing. Yeah your friends might give you crap about it, but the strangers will forget about it and you’ll have a funny story to tell years down the road. It’s a win-win.
Ok there are my five big pieces of advice I want to pass onto College Students. A lot of these apply to freshmen the most, but I think everyone can take a little bit of advice from here and apply it to their lives. To summarize, college is a special time in your life full of learning, partying, and ample opportunities. Take advantage of the stuff happening around you. Take some fun classes. Learn some cool stuff. And go to some awesome events. That’s what college is for.
I hope you enjoyed this Weekly Blog and learned some stuff if you are a college student. If you liked it, feel free to give it a like. You can even leave a comment down below telling me how much you enjoyed it. Or leave a comment with some more advice you have for college students. I’m sure they’d love to read it. Any compliments, criticisms, and critiques you can leave in the comments and I will make sure to read them. Also if you have nothing else to do, spend a minute checking out the other stuff on the website. There are over 270 other pieces here on the website including Weekly Blogs, Poetry, and Writing Prompt pieces ranging in a variety of topics, so I know you’ll find something you’ll love to read! Last thing I want to mention is that there is something special in the works which I will talk about tomorrow in its own Bulletin Board post, so keep an eye out for that tomorrow.
Thank you again for all your support and I hope you have a fantastic week!
-Allen_The_Writer
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Allen The Writer 