College Tips - Tumblr Posts

A few tips from a fellow Audhd who just moved into college for the first time (these won’t work for everyone but they’ve helped me)

- Put your medication in those weekly box things old people use, does wonders to help you remember if the meds have been taken or what day you will run out

- Put doodles on your calendar/planner that match the event. Adding a little doodle helps me remember to actually put things down because it makes it fun

- Painters tape and sharpies do WONDERS to help organize things, they may not hold posters up that well but they sure are good at marking cabinets

- Don’t sit in your bed when you have break time, you will have a hard time getting out. If your dorm has a common area with a couch/chairs sit there or sit outside and enjoy the fresh air

- Use what I like to call “the summer camp rule” in the dining hall. You gotta drink one full glass of water before you get your “fun drink” like coffee or soda. (This was the rule at my summer camp and it did wonders usually I just wanted more water afterwards and didn’t even get the fun drink)

-Back to the painters tape MARK YOUR KEYS. Use some tape and pen to label what key goes where and some extra info on them (dorm room, mailbox number etc)

Will update if I learn any more tricks

hi, jeff! today i saw your post about making art and it motivated me to send this ask. i've missed two years of college due to mental health reasons and now i'm working on my first application ever. i'm already feeling down that i wasted two years that i could've been in art college, and now i fear i'll get rejected by my dream school. how do you feel about going to college for art? is it necessary? sometimes i feel like it will make or break my worth as an artist. :^( any advice???

Hey! Okay sorry everyone for this long response, and sorry to everyone to whom I cannot respond. My life is very busy and I can’t always do this. Hopefully this post can address other peoples’ questions in some way.

I think that going to college for art is a great experience. It will provide many opportunities for a career, but it’s not necessary. I know very talented professionals who never attended college. College is tremendously helpful for a career, but not necessary.

There is no correct way to become an artist. Whatever path you take is your own true path. Worrying that you should have done it differently is unfair and unkind to your true self. 

You don’t have to worry about wasting time. Any time spent being alive is valuable. Those years are full precious experiences that make you into the person you are today. That’s essential for making art.

In my opinion, taking care of your mental health is much more important than being a talented artist. I have found, personally, that making art as a means of replacing self-care with external validation can be very painful. It can be the act of giving up our love for ourselves, allowing the judgement of others to determine whether or not we get to feel valid. Positive validation is so powerful that we may forget the pain of rejection, and continue this path, crawling through a dark abyss of sorrow, hoping desperately for the next glimmer of light. An exhilarating process, but an exhausting one for sure.

As a person with self-esteem issues, these are all lessons I’ve had to learn for myself. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling very bad about myself, particularly during college, even while being very productive artistically. I have had to reevaluate my relationship with art and myself in recent years so I can feel mentally healthy again. (things are getting much better btw!)

Talent comes with experience. It doesn’t equate a person’s value, it just reflects hard work and the willingness to grow through moments of pain.

There is no mandated time by which an individual should achieve a certain level of success. You don’t need people to like your art to feel like you are a good person and a success. These notions can feed feelings of worthlessness and impede the process of growth that leads to such perceptions of success. Ironic huh?

Don’t fear rejection. It will happen many times in our lives. It is only a sign that there is work we can do to grow. I hope you continue to pursue your dream, even if you have to try multiple times. Rejection doesn’t mean we can’t continue to love ourselves and to keep trying.

College Packing Tips from a College Student

So I know COVID has prevented A Lot of us from going to college, or we just chose to not attend college. And that’s fine!!! You do you boo!!! In case you are, in fact, going to college this year and happen to be moving into a dorm (this also applies to moving into a new apartment) here are some tips for packing (and what to pack) when moving in. 

- pack a small bag for stuff you’ll need when you immediately arrive. This means disinfectant wipes, a mop/broom, paper towels, and command hooks if you happen to be needing them (you will, idc what you think, you will need them)

- bring command hooks!!!!! a lot of college dorm don’t allow nails in the walls for hanging things. I can already hear people saying they don’t need to be hanging any decorations and ooooohhhh boy you are in for a treat. Winter gear???? You want your coat on a heap on the floor???? towel???? you want the thing you dry your beautiful body with on the dirty ass floor????? bring command hooks coward

- wash your dishes before you get there. I know this isn’t possible in every situation, but if you can, wash your dishes/travel mugs/tupperware before you move in. one less thing you have to do 

- speaking of which, you will never have enough tupperware. you think I’m kidding??? I’m not. you bring that shit everywhERE you go, and you smuggle as much food as you can because your ass is paying for that, and by god, you will get your money’s worth

- communicate 👏 with 👏your 👏roommate(s) 👏 and this applies to apartments too. who’s bringing the mini-fridge?? who’s got the microwave??? are you having those in your dorm?? do they go to bed before or after 11pm??? comm👏un👏i👏cate

- bring,,,and extra,,,,,set,,,,of,,,,everything. towels, sheets, pillows, do it. yes it means a little more room in your bags, but pleaaaaseeee do it

- you will never have enough kitchen towels. I mean it. you will use those little shits for everything. wiping down a spilled drink, dusting, oven mitts, everything. I used them to wrap breakable things in my other bags

- I can’t believe I have to say this, but bring,,, shower,,,,shoes. If you are in a communal bathroom, there are probably dozens of college students using that same bathroom,,,,do you want foot fungus???? I didn’t think so

- door stop!!! sometimes dorm rooms don’t have these, always a good idea

- if you live in the north like me, and winter is a thing that happens for 6 months, think about bringing a shoe mat/tray for your boots. Doesn’t have to be a big one, but those boots are gonna be tracking in so much salt and snow and dirt, you want to put them somewhere

That’s everything I can think of off the top of my head, but please please please feel free to add more!!! stay safe!!!!! bring masks!!!!!! 

ur future nurse is using chapgpt to glide thru school u better take care of urself

Study Tips that Aren’t Bullshit

Ok. Listen. I just graduated college on time with two degrees, a minor, and a 3.9 GPA, and now that it’s back-to-school time for some of you folks (my grad program doesn’t start until September) I’ve been seeing some study tips that are half-useful but mostly bullshit. So I’m here to give you some tips for collegiate success as a person who was pretty successful in the collegiate realm.

1) The Three to One Rule is Useless

Here’s the truth. Some classes are going to require minimal effort. Some are going to require more than three hours of outside study time per credit. It’s not a good rule of thumb because different people have different skills and take different amounts of time to do shit. For organic chemistry, you might be spending more 9 hours per week studying (and according to the success rates of some of my peers, I recommend you spend at least that much time on o-chem). But there’s also, say, Oceanography. I took that class. I studied/put in work… maybe an hour per week, and it was a three credit class. But I also took a class that was 3 credits called 18th Century America, and I would say I probably put something like 10-15 hours per week doing the readings and assignments for that class. It just depends, you guys. Figure out what works for each class and then distribute your time accordingly (and don’t waste time studying for something you very obviously know and have already aced). 

2) Study When You Can

Sometimes you have to cram. I don’t recommend it, but it happens. If you do, use the whole day before to go over stuff and test yourself. Do not do it the morning of, don’t do it right before the test. That is useless. If you have a good memory, you can study the night before/two days before.

That said, if memorization and improvisation aren’t your strong suits, do go over your notes at the end of each day, and if you don’t get something, as your prof or your TA or your friend who definitely knows what they’re doing. Talking about it will only help you remember it more.

Overall, study when you can find the time. Sometimes that means staying off twitter for a few minutes and reviewing your notes instead, but if you’re paying good money for higher education (and I assume you are), don’t waste it by never studying or blowing off an exam. 

3) Manage Your Time, But…

Just because you manage your time to make school a priority does not mean that you should let the other things in your life fall by the wayside. People often forget basic self care when they put school before everything else. Remember to shower and brush your teeth and take a minute for yourself because life is a lot and school is just a small part of your life. You cannot let time management become a synonym for school > everything else. It just means that you need to spend all of your time wisely, whether that’s getting some socialization in there or eating dinner or doing homework or taking a shower.

4) You Are Allowed to Forget Stuff

Look. I recommend always having more than one writing utensil, but you can forget one day. You can forget a notebook or a textbook every once and a while. I did, and yet I succeeded with flying colors. Definitely try not to be rushed all the time, but don’t freak out if you grabbed the wrong notebook. Just take down notes and staple them into the right one, or however you do it. 

Also, yeah, your college profs aren’t here to attend to your personal needs, but if you have a class on one side of the campus and only ten minutes to get to the class on the other side of the campus, see if you can leave early or let the prof know that you’re going to be a few minutes late because you can only cross a mile so fast. Professors are far more understanding than they let on (some of them aren’t, but they’re just dicks, and you’ll either have to deal with that or be prepared to challenge them).

And, of course, if you’re struggling, ask for help. Profs want you to succeed, actually, and if they don’t, then it might be time for a discussion with the chair of the department.

5) Stay Organized, Whatever That Means

Some people stay organized with color-coded pens, tabs, and a designer planner. Some people have the patience for bullet journals. Some people write their assignments down on their phones, or set a google/apple calendar alert. However you remember things, just remember them. What’s organized to you won’t be organized for someone else, and what’s organized for someone else might not look organized to you. There is no objective way to stay organized. I don’t recommend trying to store everything inside your head, but you’ll figure out what works for you. 

6) You Don’t Always Need to Read/You Don’t Always Need to Take Notes

Some classes are really important, some are not; some textbooks are really useful, some are not; taking notes can be effective, or they could be useless to you by the time the exam or essay rolls around. I took very light notes for my Brit Lit class (and did 75% of the reading), my World Drama class (90% of the reading), my Monuments in History capstone (20% of the reading), and I got A’s in all of those classes. I took heavy notes for Biology and Western Mythology and read about half of what was assigned. I took no notes for my Anthropology of Sex & Reproduction class, but I read absolutely everything. 

It will probably take you about three weeks to figure out your prof’s teaching style. If it’s an English class, you’re gonna need to read most of it. If it’s a science class, maybe not. If you only have a midterm and a final, and not tests i between those, you might want to keep the textbook handy. But different classes have different requirements, just like they do with the number of hours you spend studying. So you know, act accordingly.

7) Read The Assigned Chapter Before Class, But Don’t Read Ahead

Look, most profs are gonna tell you to read the chapter before class on Monday, or maybe they’ll give you until Wednesday, so you should read in advance. But unless a prof says to read ahead, you really don’t need to read ahead, especially if you have content-based reading quizzes. It just gets really confusing and getting ahead is only necessary when you know that otherwise you’ll get behind. I mean, read ahead if you want to, but know that you probably don’t have to.

8) Show Up, For Fuck’s Sake

Look, showing up is the easiest thing in the world. And I know what having those 8am/9am classes is like. I’ll admit, I didn’t show up half the time to my 9am freshman philosophy class, but I bet I wouldn’t have failed two tests if I’d shown up (I still got an A in the class, don’t worry, there were a lot of assignments and one test didn’t count for much). I just wanted to sleep. But if you show up and pay attention, you’re more than likely going to get a lot of out of the class.

Oh, and if your prof takes attendance. Show up. Especially if it’s a small class. Trust me, they’ll notice, and it will be so embarrassing. 

But also, don’t sweat it if you’re sick one day or sleep through the alarm. It fucking happens, and like I’ve said before, profs are pretty understanding most of the time. 

9) Take Notes However Works For You

Some people use that weird method of dividing the paper in half hot-dog style, and that’s fine. Some people scribble shit down that no one else can read. Don’t feel pressured to rewrite your notes unless you can’t understand them. Do not review right after class - give your brain some fucking time to process that shit. But maybe review in the next 48 hours, it’ll help you be ready for the next class.

10) Don’t Be On Your Phone

Unless you’re literally not learning anything. I spent more time in my Geography class on my phone or computer getting useful things done or playing games than I did actually learning anything from the professor. In my Asian History class, the teacher was mediocre at best, so my friend and I sat there in the front row and played hangman (which was kind of disrespectful but we were idiots at the time so). But if your grades slip because you’re on your phone and not paying attention, or if your teacher has to tell you more than once to get off your phone, you might have phone addiction. See someone about that, k?

11) Review? Maybe

If you choose to review your notes, do so in a quiet, calm, and un-rushed manner. Don’t just look at them - actually try to absorb them. Otherwise there’s no point in reviewing them. 

12) Study When You Can

Wait, didn’t I already have this one? Yeah. But! I saw a thing that said study early and often, which is great if you can make the time, but the truth is that if you study too early you’ll forget everything, and if you study too often you likely won’t be able to focus on other things that require your attention. So study not too long nor too shortly before the exam, and don’t study so much that your brain explodes. Give yourself a break. Have a kit-kat.

13-14) Flashcards? Mnemonic Devices? 

Use them if they work for you, and maybe try color coding them. That can help with memorization. But if they don’t work for you, don’t use them.

15) Don’t Rewrite Your Notes

Unless you can’t read them. Then definitely either rewrite them or type them up, so that they’re actually usable. 

16) Consolidate

This suggestion was actually pretty okay. Making lists and/or tables or whatever can really help, especially if you’re a visual learner. But if they don’t help you, don’t use them, because then it’s just a waste of your time.

17) Teach It To Someone Else

Yeah, this one is good, too. But make sure the person you’re explaining it to doesn’t have a lot of background knowledge, because it’s being able to explain it correctly to someone who hasn’t heard it before that really counts.

18) Is There Even Such a Thing as a Good Study Environment?

Some people can’t study on their own. I sure have a hard time of it, especially because I get distracted on my own. For me, studying with others for exams has saved my grade. But there are times or assignments that are best done on your own.

What I will say, is that when you study with other people, sometimes it’s best to study with your friends who are studying something else. My friend Breea and I had completely different majors and classes, but we made the best study partners because she could explain science to me and I could explain anthropology and history to her, and that’s how we knew we were good to go. 

19) Sleeeeeeeeeep. Plan. Deal. 

Get a good night’s sleep before an exam and try not to be late. Mean profs will not let you make up a missed exam. Good profs will, even if it was just a traffic jam. But generally speaking, try to prepare for all worst case scenarios when you have an assignment due. 

20) Ask. Questions. Jesus. Christ.

Look if you get something wrong, don’t be embarrassed or ashamed. Ask why you got it wrong, and if you think you did something right but the TA or prof just graded it wrong, feel free to point out their mistakes (in private, though, not in front of the class). Go to office hours and make use of that time, or make an appointment with a prof so that you don’t have to skip class to go to office hours.

21) Midterms and Finals Are Different. Or Not.

Ask your prof at the beginning if the final will be cumulative. If it is, keep reviewing that midterm material through the end of the class. If not, feel free to forget most of the stuff from the midterm and earlier. Each prof is different and some finals aren’t even exams, they’re papers or projects. So, you know, plan accordingly. 

22) Don’t Keep Your Fucking Textbooks

Look, unless you fell in love with a text (happens to English majors), sell back your books. And after a few weeks (or once the next term starts) throw out your notes, especially if you can’t read them or if they’re for a class you had to take for university credit but didn’t actually need for your major. 

SELL. THOSE. BOOKS. I can’t say it enough, you won’t make much, but it’ll be nice to get that lunch after finals are over. But remember, don’t sell the book until you’ve taken/turned in the final. 

23) Talk to People!

I saw something that said not to discuss grades/quizzes/tests/exams with classmates. Fuck that. I mean, try not to talk about it before the exam starts or whatever, but fucking talk about that shit. In my Mediterranean Archaeology class, we all talked about the readings before class on Fridays because we had a reading quiz and no fucking idea what the reading was about (those were some of the hardest readings ever). It was really helpful to discuss and summarize to make sure we got the point of the article. Also, like, if you’re comfortable with sharing grades, do, and if you’re not, don’t. It’s your grade, you can do whatever you want with it.

Also, if you’re unsure about something, you can ask a classmate. That’s probably a better first resource than a prof, who will get annoyed, especially if you didn’t do the reading.

THAT’S IT.

Well, I hope this fucking helps. This was basically how I survived college, except add a lot of caffeine. Every major is different, some things are universal. So. You know. Go ham.

College Cafeteria Etiquette

Hello! For those who don't know me, my name is Roomie, and I aim to let people know some things they may not know about dorming life. This blog comes from a place of no-shame! Remember, I'm an American, so these largely culture-based rules may not apply outside of my area.

Let's get into it; the public cafeteria, and a few rules of thumb. Remember, the word 'rules' is being used very lightly here.

-When picking a seat, consider your group size and pick a table accordingly. Smaller tables for smaller groups, to leave larger tables available for larger groups.

-Approaching someone can be a great way to make a friend, but remember to ask before taking a seat at someone else's table.

-Don't pick up food with your bare hands, for sanitary reasons. If utensils like tongs are provided, use those. If not, a fork or other utensil of your own will do, so long as it's not been in your mouth or other food. Remember to be allergy-and-germ-conscious. If you use a fork for some scrambled eggs then the same fork in the pancakes, you may be contaminating the pancakes for someone allergic to eggs, for example.

-On a similar note, don't place tongs and other food-grabbing utensils on the counters, put them back in the dish or on whatever plate they may have been on before. The counters usually aren't as clean as we'd like.

-Pay attention to where your dishes are meant to go when cleaned. Is there a set area to take your dishes? Take them there! Don't leave a big mess for the kitchen staff, they've got a lot to do already. "But it's their job!" is no excuse to make their job harder. If you've gotten crumbs on the table, sweep them onto your plate/bowl/etc. as you get up.

-If you spill something, make an effort to clean that up, too. Don't be that guy that makes a big mess and then walks away.

-Many cafeterias may have rules against taking food outside of the cafeteria. However, in this case, if you see something... don't say something. If you're an American like me, odds are your college is getting thousands of dollars from your attendance alone. Someone may not want to eat in the cafeteria for a good number of reasons, and that's none of your business.

-The final rule from me here: refrain from commenting on the eating habits of others. Everyone's coming from their own home life and culture, so the way they eat may be different. If they're not hurting anyone, then it's none of your business how someone else is eating.

Hope this helps! Is there anything I missed? Anything that doesn't apply where you to go college? Let me know!

And, as always, be patient with yourself. It can take time to learn new behaviors, and some of these may not apply to everyone. Everybody makes mistakes, myself included. Once, the soft serve machine in my cafeteria blew up on me, and I was just awkwardly standing in the splatter, trying to wipe it up with napkins. Thankfully, the cleaning staff came almost immediately.

college tips from someone who survived their first year, and got themselves off of academic probation

study every day ( reread your notes, run through your flashcards)

it helps to avoid cramming around finals season

do assignments when you get them, it doesn't matter that its not due until the end of the semester, you will forget, you will get busy, you will get caught up with doing something else so do it when you get it, so you won't have to worry about it later

don't study in your bed, its a bad habit, it will make it harder to study and make it harder to sleep

go out at least once a month, to a party, to a club, on a late night walk

carry a knife if its legal ( not just for safety reasons)

join class group mes

go to office hours, even if you don't need to, lie and say you didn't understand something so the professor knows your name

its okay to skip a class occasionally, just never two in a row, and don't make it a habit

omg hiiiii i am here from cat (@luvdsc) wondering if you could offer any advice about college apps 🙏 especially about the uc piqs? thank you so much i hope ur doing well!!!!!!!!

yes yes hello friend !! 💝 miss cat directed you to me because i did my college apps last year !!! (yikes one year passed already?? why does that feel ages ago 🤧)

first of all, congratulations on making the decision to apply to college !! i know it’s been hard for a lot of people our age to figure out the college situation recently, so i’m proud of you for choosing to take the extra step this summer to buckle up and write those essays 💞

i’ve compiled a few tips on answering the PIQs (i was actually in the middle of typing this up when i received your ask haha), but some of them can be applied to other essays, as well !! they’re all under the cut (because, unfortunately, being brief is not my forte) 😊

(and for reference, the prompts i chose were #2 (creativity), #6 (subject), #7 (community), and #8 (anything) !!)

tip #1: understand the prompt.

before you even begin writing, it’s important to understand what the question is really asking. for the UC PIQs, this will look different depending on which four prompts you decide to do.

in question one, for example, they want to know about your skills in leading others, but notice that they’re also curious about your resolution abilities and teamwork experience. or in question two, they don’t want to know that you paint and that you love painting—they could be asking how resourceful you are, how you think outside the box when you have an idea.

once you know the question you’re going to be answering, you can move on to brainstorming!

tip #2: write down three (3) key takeaways.

these are like the most basic, not-even-a-sentence answers you would give to each question. so for me, in response to question eight (“what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for the UCs?”), my answers were perseverance, courage, and character. i had a story about that, so i wrote about my experience with martial arts.

i recommend you do something similar. decide on three things that you want to communicate to your audience, and write them in the footnote of your document. your goal is to cover all three points so that, if anyone were to read your essay, they would walk away understanding those three things about you.

i found this strategy really helpful for keeping my essay streamlined while writing—if a sentence didn’t relate to any of those main points, i would cut it since those words would take up valuable space in the word count. stay focused on what needs to be in this essay, and if you have extra words left in the word count later, you can add those details back in.

and once you’re done with your essay, make sure to refer back to your takeaways and check that you covered all of them sufficiently!

tip #3: highlight your stories.

i sent cat an ask a couple days ago with a few pictures of my response to an end-of-year college counseling survey that referenced this tip (you can find it here). basically i said that, when choosing what topics to write about, pick things that interest you! if you get excited talking about it, your audience should get excited about reading it, because they’ll pick up on the passions you have and then everyone’s excited !!! :D

i’ll tell you a secret: everyone you meet, everyone you see, has countless unique experiences that few others may have. me? i spend hours making mashups out of kpop songs. i earned my black belt years after a traumatizing experience during training. i get russian harry potter and spanish dr. seuss books from the library. and i created a collaborative online google photos album for my classmates that now has thousands of entries. although these aren’t necessarily unique to only me, they’re still special enough to the point where, when you put them all together, you get a better image of the person i am, and what i value.

so find a story, a habit, a hobby that makes you different, because i believe that everyone has them. give them some food for thought, or that one-liner that sticks in their brain and won’t go away. and remember: these stories don’t all have to be extraordinary—they should be about people or moments of special value to you, because that’s what matters.

personal tip: when i was brainstorming ideas, i decided that the best way to get ideas out there was to go on a rant (because sometimes it helps to just have a conversation with yourself !!) and i recorded myself, so i could replay what i said !! this was so so crucial to me finding my own voice for writing essays. notice the way you word things when you talk—a good line or two may make it into the final draft :)

i found it helpful to read sample essays as well! they give a lot of great ideas on the kinds of topics people write about. (also, it’s kind of fun, because who doesn’t love a good story?)

but the people reading your essay won’t be there to just enjoy your story; what they really want you to do is to tell them what you learned from your experience. they want to know whether you’re teachable and willing to grow both as a student and as a young adult. so make sure to take note of the life lessons you learned, experience you gained, character you built, etc.

minor tip on ending your essay: if you’re telling a story that happened in the past, then close with what you learned and how you can apply that to your life moving forward. if you’re telling a story that has no definite end yet (like a passion or dream you have), you probably don’t have everything figured out (and you can say that in your essay!), so it might be better to close with your hopes for the future.

tip #4: ask your family for help.

peer-editing is one of the most effective ways to detect errors and inconsistencies in your writing, because, after staring at your essay for so long, you might gloss over glaring contradictions. for all of my essays, i printed them out and asked my parents to help me revise them. we’d meet every other night (or every night, depending on how much time was left) to review and discuss improvements.

i actually kept some of those printed drafts (only the first and the final ones for comparison), and let me tell you from experience—you’re probably going to have a lot of drafts (i think the most i did was seven? but you don’t need to go that far!). this part of the process does take some time, so remember to be patient and kind to yourself :) these essays won’t happen overnight!

enlisting the help of others also helps keep you accountable. one of the struggles many seniors face while writing essays is just... setting aside time to do them. and even though the constant reminders from your parents will definitely get repetitive and a bit stress-inducing, i can tell you from personal experience that i’m so glad they did; otherwise, i don’t think i’d have my essays done in time :’)

while writing college essays is challenging, your family will be there supporting you each step of the way. chances are that they’ll have their own pointers to pass on to you, since they probably remember doing this process themselves! and, out of everyone in your life, they probably remember the most about you (because you probably don’t remember much when you were four or five), so they might have a couple starter ideas for topics when brainstorming. you can rely on them for their advice and their experience.

tip #5: self-editing.

here’s the part that takes the longest time.

use action words. this is probably something you’ve heard all throughout elementary school where they didn’t like you to say “said” because it was “boring”… but honestly, the difference between “doing my own version” and “infusing it with my personality” could go a long way. also, use words that you would actually use in an essay—then it’ll have your own special flair, and not sound like it’s taken from some stuffy 80s textbook!

here are some of the words i used (once again, you shouldn’t use these words if they don’t sound like something you’d write/say): potential, overlay, wrestle, launch, analogous, weave, infuse, experiment, outlet, revel, fascinate, satisfaction, pursue, expand, distinction, capture, range, archive, engage, beyond, build, adversity, cultivate, preserve, commit, explore, convey, naturally

also, be on the lookout for repeated words. i once wrote an essay without noticing that i used “hope” three times in the same paragraph. don’t do that! use synonyms :) personally, i tended to run short on synonyms, so i always kept a tab or two open on my computer reserved for searching up new words.

side note: unfortunately, during my search for synonyms, i discovered that thesaurus.com just didn’t give me what i was looking for. i highly recommend using wordhippo instead; it has so many more options and they’re grouped by the different definitions of your word! i found the synonyms i needed really quickly and it was very satisfying!

avoid the passive voice! my teacher gave me this tip for theses or any other college-level writing. here’s an example of the passive voice: “there was a large part of me that wanted to turn back.” that’s twelve words taking up precious space in your word count! instead, say something like, “i considered turning back.” you’ve just freed up eight words :)

tip #6: final revisions.

this is the step where you fine-tune your essays. meet that word count.

read your writing out loud. does it sound like you? it should. every writer has a different voice, and you need to ensure that yours is pervasive throughout your essay. feel free to use contractions—not only do they reduce your word count (this was a good thing for me, since i had a problem with getting under 350 words), but they also give a more casual tone to your essay, as if you’re telling a story to someone in the room.

next, pretend to be an admissions officer and have someone else read your essay to you. do you get excited hearing about this student who shares your name? if you do, there’s a good chance the real admissions officers will love your essays, too. this also gives you a chance to review to your essay as a whole. pay attention to the overall flow. is there a clear beginning and end? do you resolve the issues and overcome the trials you brought up? listen to it as if it’s a story, and take this time to enjoy what you’ve written. you worked hard!

final thoughts / encouragements.

oh my goodness, did we make it to the end? honestly if you did, thank you so much 🥺

okay but despite my relatively optimistic tone throughout this post, i’m still going to be honest with you—the college essay writing process is difficult. it requires you to look inside yourself and analyze the “why” behind some of the things that you love, and that isn’t easy to do at all. it’s intellectually and emotionally challenging, because not only do you need to use so much energy writing, but you also have to dig deeper to understand yourself, and that’s not easy, either.

but i wanted to encourage you, too. no matter what you may think of yourself at 12am, 2am, 4am writing these essays, believe you have a personality that others love and will love when they meet you. you are an interesting person with unique experiences who deserves to share your thoughts with others. you have so many people behind you, supporting you during these next few months. and when you find that you can’t write any more, remember to take time to care for yourself. have a warm shower. go to bed early. i could go on and on about why sleep is good for your brain but i’ll spare you the details in this post 😉

one last thing: keep the bigger picture in focus. remember, by december or january, you will be finished with most of the application process. that’s no small accomplishment. you can do it. 💝

i really hope you found tips that you were looking for, and that they’re applicable to your own PIQs and other essays !! if you have any other questions, feel free to send in another ask (i promise my response won’t be this lengthy LOL) 💘💓

oh, and if you feel comfortable enough reaching out about anything in particular, i’m only a DM away 💕 i wish you the best of luck on writing your essays and i hope you enjoy your final year of high school !! 💗🌸💟💖

Potentially Helpful Things I’ve Learned as a College Student

1. Time management is difficult - it’s a learning process. Chances are, you won’t get it right the first time and that’s okay! Once you try new things, you will learn what works for you and what doesn’t.

2. Your goals matter more than anyone else’s. People may not like your major or think you should do more schooling when you only want a basic degree, etc. All that matters is whether you feel accomplished in your goals and like the goals that you have set for yourself. 

3. Being an Honors student or not does not mean you are smart or dumb. It is a choice if you want to pursue an Honors college or an Honors curriculum, but that doesn’t mean you cannot be intelligent with either pursuit. Personally, I am an Honors student, but that was a decision I made. It’s not a competition. You are smart regardless <3

4. It takes a while to get used to living in dorms. Many commute to community or local college/universities and that is totally valid! However, for many, college means moving away from home and living in dorms that, depending on the college and what the requirements/accommodations are for living on campus, are often smaller than expected. Usually, there are roommate(s) in dorms and that takes getting used to as well. Seek out help/advice if needed. Everything is new and that is okay. We’re all learning.

5. You can change your mind. Whether that’s about if you want a side job or if you want to change majors, THAT IS OKAY! I stress this because I wish I had felt comfortable enough to do this when I started higher education. As long as nothing is last minute, there is no problem with changing one’s mind.