Don't mind me, Just rambling on
I go back to school in less than a week so I am trying to knock out some organizational things while at home before the craziness of week one starts. I have started to organize my notebooks and planner, and get some packing done sooner than the night before my flight. In addition to packing and organizing, there are a lot of smaller things you might not realize you need to do between high school and college that could make a difference in your first semester. Check out my list below, and let me know in the comments if there is anything you would add!
Buy stamps, stationary, and envelopes- They'll always be handy to have around and you can use them throughout all 4 years of school. Family and friends will be writing to you a lot during your first semester, so be prepared to write back! And this means.... Let your family and friends know your new address- This way they can send you birthday/holiday cards, which is always a great surprise! Buy checks- Something I wish I had done a lot earlier. Sometimes organizations at school would only take checks so I would have to ask my parents to send me a check. It is much easier to just purchase your own checks, and since you won’t need them a lot there is no need to spend a lot of money and order a ton. They can save your butt when you don't have cash on you or if the place you are at doesn't take cards! Take pictures of important documents- Useful for filling out forms/applications with information you don't want to take to school. Organize your planner- Have your orientation schedule? Training for a team or job? Write it down! With the craziness of move in day/week, it is so easy to forget a meeting. Plus, having everything written down beforehand will reduce your stress levels. Make time for friends- This is more for returning students, but if you’re like me and have a crazy first week back on campus, it is hard to make time to see your friends for longer than a few minutes. Pencil in some time to catch up before classes start. Things to consider: Changing your billing address- This is something to maybe talk about with your parents. Changing the billing address of various mailings has pros and cons. For example, it is useful to have your bills (credit card, car payment, etc.) shipped to school so you can read them immediately, but then what do you do once you are away for the summer and can't check your school mail? Personally I have found it easier to have my bills shipped home; I pay them online and if anything important comes in the mail my parents can just let me know, or mail it to me. I did change the billing address of my magazines because I can survive the summer without them. Changing banks- It is really important to see if your bank has an ATM or branch near your school. If your bank is specific to your town, then you’ll need to explore options on how to deposit money and get cash. Changing banks is one option, but you can also think about using a mobile app and getting cash back at stores like CVS. My school sets up a “bank fair” where representatives from local banks (as well as big banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America) set up tables and will talk to students about their college account options. No matter what your situation, it is good to figure out what you are going to do while you are at home with your parents, who (in my experience) know a lot more about banks than the average college student. Again, please let me know in the comments if there is anything else useful you have done or wish you had done in the past. This list combines both things that I did, and DIDN’T do in advance that I wish I had sooner. Good luck to all of you starting school within the upcoming weeks!
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Amped to announce that I was nominated for my first blogging award, the Liebster Award! This award is given to bloggers, from fellow bloggers in order to recognize the hard work and passion we all put into the blogging community. Shout out to Ciara of http://theclumsyclover.weebly.com/ for nominating me! (Go check out her blog!)
Tradition is that everyone who gets nominated for the Liebster Award answers questions to share with their readers, so here I go! What inspired you to become a blogger? My friend Ciara who nominated me! She sent out a group text to friends showing us her blog and I absolutely loved it! I thought maybe I should start doing something similar since I am always searching for college related posts on Pinterest. What gave me the idea to start blogging about being a RA (and about college in general) was prepping for our hall theme for the incoming first-years at school. I thought it would be cool if I wrote down all of the different themes I had done in the past so that I could reminisce and not have any repeat themes. One thing led to another and now I have a RA blog! Why do you blog what you blog about? I blog about being a RA because I truly love my job. It takes a lot of effort, energy, and hard work, but that is what makes it so rewarding. I love helping out people especially with things I have just recently gone through, such as my first year of college. I want to help out those in college and especially those looking into being a RA! What is your background? Have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 20 years now! Still adjusting to change in my junior year of college outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Is blogging your full-time job? No just starting out! Would be an amazing way to share my passions though! What keeps you blogging? Knowing that there are so many other college bloggers out there that truly care about the people they write to. Sometimes I feel silly when I send packing lists or long texts with college advice to my high school friends, so it is reassuring to know that I am not the only one out there who cares so much about the college experience and helping others out. Dream vacation? For me, every time I come back home is a vacation. As much as I love my school, home is where I am meant to be. Hiking, swimming in the ocean, enjoying spectacular views, and getting sun is all I need to relax. Biggest inspiration in life? My uncle and my dad. Amazing men who are still very close 50+ years into their life. My dad has followed his passions from day 1, and it has lead him to an amazing life. He is a good person all around, and I have become so much closer with him now being in college and being able to bond with him as an adult. My uncle is someone who has always been there for me; someone who I could trust my feelings with. He has been a huge help in college, especially when I was first moving in and having doubts about being at school, which lead to doubts about my friends and my relationship. I know I can talk to my uncle about anything, from encouraging words to a good book suggestion. Best and worst blogging decision you made? Best: Having the guts to do it in the first place! It is a lot of work right now trying to jump into the game and get readers, but it is all so exciting at the same time! Worst: Not blogging my first year as a RA. I want to be able to look back at how I have grown as a college student and a RA, so I really wish I had more of my first-year RA experiences in writing. Would you ever consider rebranding? Someday yes. But as of now since I am just starting out, no. Now it’s time for my nominations! Make sure you check out their sites, I have had a great time exploring and learning more about them! Gabby and Hannah of https://theghswirl.wordpress.com/ Sonia of https://soniacwade.wordpress.com/ |
AuthorCalifornia girl rambling on about the ups and downs of RA life in Massachusetts. Archives |