How To BeRoomie Goalz

How to Be “Roomie Goalz”

In college you will most likely have a roommate at some point, whether it be in a dorm, or your first apartment. Here are some little tips on how to be a good roommate (because it really needs to be said.)

Learn each other’s boundaries. My freshman year, I thought my roommate and I were going to be absolute best friends. However, tension grew when I found out she took a picture of me sleeping and showed it to our mutuals. This absolutely infuriated me, because I am very sensitive about my skin and obviously did not have make up on. I also didn’t find out about the picture because she showed it to me - I found out from the aforementioned mutual friends. The tension was palpable for a week until she moved out. I never got another roommate and had the entire room to myself. Bottom line: I felt uncomfortable in my own dorm because of her actions.

Be respectful of the other’s schedule. Is your roommate a night person or morning person? For me, I am definitely a night person. In my dorm, I would make sure that lights were out so that my roommate could get a good night’s sleep before her morning classes. Also, be mindful that your phone alarm will probably also wake up your roommate. They may be able to go back to sleep, but if you are constantly hitting the snooze button, this will probably disturb them IMMENSELY. 

Be respectful of the other’s space. For me, this means don’t have people over when your roommate is really trying to study quietly, don’t blast music in the mornings when you know your roommate is sleeping off an all-nighter, etc. Do NOT lock your roommate out of a shared dwelling when you have a friend ;) over for activities not school-related. The sock on the door thing is not a thing, don’t do that to someone. Also, not slamming doors, even if you aren’t intending to slam them. 

Don’t make decisions about your shared space without consenting your roommate first. This means decorating, having a party, etc. For decorating especially - remember that your taste is not always your roommates taste and you want to involve them so that you can each feel at home!

Share responsibilities. Taking out the trash is a big one. Be upfront about delving out chores so that there is no “ok, I’ve taken out the trash like 7 times in a row.” 

Keep it clean. Dirty dishes in the sink, trash on counter tops, not cleaning up after yourself after you cook, not unloading the dishwasher, leaving clothes in the washer/dryer, leaving stinky shoes in the common area, etc. can come across as majorly disrespectful. Be mindful that while you might not mind a little clutter, your roommate might like things kept clean and orderly.

Establish what is communal and what is personal. Will you be sharing dishes? Food? Cleaning products? Establish those boundaries ASAP so as to avoid the “dude, why are you using my laundry detergent?!” conversation. Have the who is bringing what necessity the day you agree to live together!

Return borrowed items in a better condition in which you took them! Actually, this goes for all walks of life. 

Establish house rules. When are quiet hours? What will the AC be set at to ensure that all roommates are comfortable? Who will do laundry when? If you share a bathroom - who will shower when? 

Do little things to be nice! The two roommates I had in my first apartment and I would spontaneously leave cookies out for all to enjoy, or purchase an assortment of treats for holidays! We would also bring in each other’s mail, leave little notes (even though we weren’t that close and hardly saw one another - literally never knew if they were home or not), etc. They were the best roommates ever! I loved living with them. Not that I don’t love living with my best friend now! But if you are living with basically complete strangers, do your best to develop a good, amicable relationship. 

Hope these little tips make your living situation during your collegiate career go smoothly! Happy studying, realistic students!

firstly, thank you so much for 100 followers! you are all sweethearts <3

so, 2018 is pretty much over. this was my first year as a university student and i learned a lot of things, not only academically but about how to deal with being a full-time college student. so, these are my tips you, precious souls that are about to start college too (or any college student, actually). these are drawn from my experience, but i really think they could help!

find a coffee shop that you like. find out if they have students discounts. if they have it, hold them close to your heart and never let go. my favorite coffee shop is in the mall next to my campus and they have 10% off for students of the universities nearby. i think at this point all the baristas know my name, because i go there almost every day. trust me, you will need the ally.

actually, students discounts in general are your best friend. in my country, every student has 50% off in cultural activities such as cinemas, concerts, museums, theaters, basically everything that requires a ticket. there are places where you can get discounts from all sorts of stores. in my university, we have access to language classes for a really cheap price. look them up, research, and that will save you a lot of money in the long term.

on the same note, find out what you have access to. dedicate some time to walk around your campus and the other campi your university may have in the city. talk to other students about programs, events, everything from big things, like internships and scholarships, to small ones. my university, for example, provides free transportation from one campi to another, since it has multiple campi all around the city, and that has saved me a lot of bus tickets. those hacks are usually things you can only learn from experience, so get yourself out there asap.

get to know the surroundings of your campus, especially if you’re new to the city. knowing what is nearby, what kind of stores and restaurantes you have within walking distance, which public transportation stops or stations are close, if there are any cute coffee shops, museums and such. you’re going to spend a lot of time in that area, so get to know it.

use! google drive! for! everything! google products like google drive, google photos, google docs/sheets/slides are a MUST-HAVE. they’re completely free and they will for sure make your life 100x easier, seriously. i used google docs for LITERALLY every single group project i had this year.

LEARN HOW TO USE MENDELEY!!!!!!!!!!!! it is a sources and references manager that will make dealing with research papers and papers in general actually your whole life SO. MUCH. EASIER. i used it to write a huge semester-long scientific article last semester and it saved my life. here is a video on how to use it, and i might do a post later on how i use it, but download it and get acquainted to it because it’s MAGICAL and people don’t talk enough about it.

go to every possible class in the beginning of the semester so you can skip classes in the end of it without having to worry about attendance. in the end of the semester, you will be so burnt out and stressed that you will BEG yourself a day off, but if you have skipped classes back in the beginning of the semester you won’t be able to skip them now because of attendance, and you’ll want to punch yourself in the face. so please. resist the temptations and don’t skip classes in the beginning of the semester unless you really have to.

that’s a cliché one but try and be one of those people that join things. clubs, projects, events, meetings, there’s something out there for everyone. find something that you like and join. not only you’ll probably get credits for it, it’ll be an opportunity to get to know other people and to understand the dynamics of the academic world. and, in the end, it usually ends up being a lot of fun! and, if fun for itself is not enough motivation, remember i got two (2) paid internships in my first year because of the extra activities i had on my resume. just remember to make to be doing something that you like and that makes you feel comfortable and enjoy the ride!

and lastly, but most importantly:

don’t! feel! pressured! to! do! anything!

you don’t need to prove yourself. no one is keeping scores, even though it sometimes feels a lot like it. take your time. if something is making you uncomfortable, leave. you don’t have to do something just because everyone else is doing it. you can always try again in the next semester. repeat with me here:

college is NOT a race.

college is NOT a race.

college is NOT a race.

College Executive Functioning Tips

Fair warning: this post is not really about doing homework, rather ideas for successfully acquiring/accessing more general living and organizational skills while dorming. Also, my first semester has been a shitshow so idk how qualified I am to give advice on the matter, but take it as you will. In a way it’s “things I learned the hard way”/a reflection on my first semester.

That being said, here we go:

1. To remember to bring the correct notebooks and materials, get a hanging clothes organizer and label for the 5/7 days of the week. Place the books/materials needed for each day on each labeled shelf. If you need certain books on multiple days, you can put index card placeholders or label what should be in each compartment.

2. Alternatively, you can get a mini days of the week dry erase board or a computer printout and write what materials you need on which days and which classes you go to (in order.)

3. This tip also works for homework: in college, the workload is much more predictable week to week, so if you always have online math due Monday, put it in another weekly table and schedule days to work on it in advance.

4. Schedule your asssignments to be done ahead of time. It’s a lot harder to get deadline-related accommodations in college and if you’re like me you feel uncomfortable asking for them. I’ve only needed to ask for one non accommodation included extension this semester, and it’s largely due to this.

5. Get. Your. Accommodations. In. Order. Before. The. School. Year. Starts. (if at all possible)

Learn from my mistakes. To be fair I didn’t have another option because my school requires everything to be done in person but it took me a month to get my letters which resulted in some awkward/discriminatory situations. Oops.

6. College accommodation processes are different than high school. There are no 504s/IEPs/under the table stealth accommodations here. Some colleges require retesting for your documentation. All require you to fill out a bunch of forms. You are largely responsible for knowing what helps you (though your liaison will likely make suggestions) so make a list of what worked for you in high school and will fly in college and request those (bring it with you to the meeting if you will forget). Also, your parents are generally forbidden from getting involved unless you sign a consent form, which is a huge change. You will need/be forced to develop self-advocacy skills. I definitely did. You also generally need to request to renew your accommodations every semester, and it’s your responsibility to remember. Set a reminder on your phone/digital calendar.

7. Post its are your friend. For me, they’ve been a valuable asset to my sucky working memory and using them minimizes resulting anxiety.

8. Laundry is hard, especially when you have physical disabilities. Double check your pockets or you might accidentally send your favorite pen through the wash and induce a meltdown. (To be fair I do check- which is why I said double check)

9. Choose specific dates/times to do your laundry, and set reminders. If you alternate lights and darks and do it, say, every Wednesday morning (pick an off time- Friday nights are great) you are a lot less likely to end up with a month’s worth of laundry and nothing to wear when you really need to look nice. Also, your suitcase can double as a rolling laundry basket.

10. Try to eat around the same times every day. Set alarms if you forget. Try to go on the off hours and eat as healthily as possible.

11. Clean your room before it gets too messy. This should go without saying but my drawers got junky by the end of the semester. Try scheduling a day of the week to do a quick clean up.

12. Your space can be a reflection of your mental state. I need things visually organized, but when I’m not doing well mentally I stop cleaning off my desk, putting my clothes in the laundry basket, making an attempt to make my bed, you name it. I’ve learned to recognize that this is a sign of stress and that tidying up a bit will make me feel a bit better.

13. College is not conducive to sleep, especially for work heavy majors. You. Need. (around) 8. (ish) Hours. Get them. It’s hard but everything else will fall apart if you don’t.

14. Make “ routine cards” for things like showering. Write down everything you need to take a shower on an index card and your steps for taking a shower (you can set a timer) so that you don’t take half an hour to get out your shampoo.

15. Drink water. Carry a water bottle so you have the visual reminder. Drink a glass at every meal. Schedule “teatime” and make an event of staying hydrated.

16. Allow yourself to relax. This is hard because the college environment demands you be “on” at all times, and this resulted in me feeling guilty for not studying when I was, well, not studying. I’m trying to work on scheduling times to work and times to not work, and to remember that I need to do fun things to take care of myself.

17. If you dress nicer than usual, you will apparently not look as depressed (assuming you have depression in the first place…). Use this to your advantage.

18. If you have un/undertreated/situational depression, get help before it gets really bad. I know a lot of college mental health offices push people away but put your self advocacy skills to use and get that counseling or whatever.

19. In the same vein, if you are struggling in a class (for whatever reason) don’t be ashamed to get extra help/sign up for tutoring. Especially if you’re like me and never needed to study a day in your life before this because the courses are structured differently.

20. Recognize your accomplishments. College can be really, really hard for people with impaired executive functioning, mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, etc. The change is hard and the learning curve is steep. But you’ve made it this far- so congrats! Celebrate!

If you liked this, please consider following my blog for more related content if you are not already. I post advice and sensory product reviews/suggestions.

School tips 🍒

1. Do all assigned reading - This is beneficial for many reasons but basically, it’s because it gives you a basic knowledge of what’s discussed in lecture. However, although reading alone is very helpful, I suggest taking notes or using whatever other methods you can that aid you in your learning. For example; taking notes, writing in margins, reading farther into what you don’t understand from other sources, writing down questions you have, and once you’re done summarize everything you read in your own words.

2. Prioritizing assignments based on the long-term effect it will have on your grade. For example, if you are assigned two papers to write, with one being crucial to your overall grade in the class VS one that wouldn’t have much of an effect, you need to decide which one is more important. Obviously, the first one is the best choice. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t even bother to do the second one, all it means is that it won’t be your best work. When the next essay is assigned in that class, just promise to do better. Ask yourself; Which one would have a larger effect on my grade if I were to fail it? Whichever one that is, that’s the one you should give the majority of your attention.

3. Record the lecture on your phone. Check with your professor before you do this. If they don’t want you to record, then just don’t do it. However, if they don’t mind, this can be a very useful tool. Anytime your professor says something that you believe could be helpful for you in the future, (while studying for your exam, doing homework, etc.) mark the time at which they said it on your notes. After class, go back through and take thorough notes on whatever it is they said. This is especially useful for when professors go off on tangents of important info and it’s hard for you to get it all down on your notes. 

*Also, if you have a commute to work like I do, then what I find very helpful is to listen to the lecture recording on the drive.*

3. Take sloppy notes in class, touch them up afterwards. While in class, scribble all important information down. Don’t worry about making it pretty. Afterwards, go through and organize them into clear, concise notes that give you an excellent summary of the lecture. By doing this, you’re focusing more on the professor rather than looking down at your notebook.

4. Do all practice problems. This may sound like a no-brainer, but a lot of the time there are practice problems deemed optional by your professor. Because of this, many people decide not to do them. Seriously, just do them. Practice, especially when done right after class, really helps the information soak in.

5. Proofread essays with different font and size. When you reread the same Times New Roman 12 point font paper over and over, your mind become used to it, therefore skipping over little mistakes and typos. If you change the font as well as the size, your brain will stop skipping what previously looked familiar (ie; a typo that you’ve been skipping over the whole time)

6. Think of school as your job. If you aren’t a good employee, you’ll get fired. If you aren’t a good student, you’ll fail. In order to avoid getting fired, you make a good impression on the boss, work harder, etc. Apply that same concept with school; make a good impression on your professor, turn everything in on time, etc.

- - -

I am very excited for this upcoming school year to start. I have set many goals for myself and I hope you all do the same. Expect much more studying/educational posts for me as I’ll be using them to motivate myself and hopefully others. Good luck to all of you in your studies this year! ✨

Easily Paleo-ified with some tweaks to the stir-fry sauce.

Love healthy food & fitness? Follow Awesome Fitness Recipes on Instagram

some tips from your local depressed college student

cheap paper towels + hydrogen peroxide = acne treatment (just be careful not to bleach your eyebrows unless you’re into that idk)

use the acne face soap on your chest, upper back, and shoulders instead, since it doesn’t do shit for your face (or at least not mine)

no one is stopping you from bushing your teeth in the shower except yourself (just eliminating that extra step of going to the sink makes it so much easier for me)

did you know you’re actually supposed to put on stick deodorant at night??? It has time to absorb while u sleep or stare at the ceiling in dispair whichever works best for u

carrots and/or apples dipped in peanut butter = dinner (or just plain peanut butter but it helps to get a lil something extra if you can manage it)

if you give yourself an allowance of skip days (i’m talking like 3 or 4 max) then it can be easier to go to class if you remind yourself “i only have 2 skip days left, I’m gonna save them until I REALLY need them” (think of skip days like non-essential items in a video game - you could use them now, but what if you really need them during the final boss battle later on??)

the velveeta microwave dinners aren’t great but they’re cheap and better than some other options out there. the mac n cheese w/ meat ones can smell a bit like dog food but they still taste pretty good

if you like peppermint hot chocolate - save the after dinner mints you get at places like Chik Fil A and italian restaurants and such and then drop a couple in your mug before you put it in the microwave. boom. 

if you’ve got a sore throat, just take a spoonful of honey (or squirt it directly from the bottle to your mouth if you’re a heathen like me) and go find a hot drink

for essays - highlight/number/circle/whatever you want to do to make ‘em stand out the quotes you want to use in your paper, then go take a shower or get something to eat or just watch like a 15-20 minute video on YouTube and then come back to your paper, pop those fuckin’ quotes in the right order, and write in the smart bullshit around them

okay actually the one thing that I will spend a little extra money on is cough drops bc i get a sore throat all the damn time and the only kind i will buy anymore is Halls Breezers they taste like candy instead of koala shit my personal favorite is cool berry but the orange creme ones are good too honestly these cough drops have saved my life at least six times now

coffee is gr9 but don’t forget to have some water every day too dehydration is NOT FUN (speaking from very painful personal experience)