Surviving semester one

Congratulations! You’ve made it to college and now you’re on the hardest road you’ll possibly ever be on. This road is called “Adult Road”. Let me tell you: It sucks. There are times where you are ready to dive into a ditch just to get off this road. Balancing your life with all of these new adult choices can be really tough. Decisions such as moving out, going to college, living with a stranger/roommate, moving away, paying your owbalancing-rocksn bills, buying your own groceries (who knew moms did so much?), and so much more. Here are a few tips to help you balance your time and money this semester to help you stay sane throughout your life and semester:

  1. Never go shopping hungry. If you are out grocery shopping hungry, I guarantee you will buy double than what you intended to spend originally. When you are hungry, you see everything you like and it somehow ends up in your cart. When your grocery bill is double the size you want it to be, your money just drained from your wallet. So much for electricity for that month. Be wise and only buy what you need by going to the grocery store with a list. Plan meals ahead of time. Sit down on Sunday (or any day of the week) and write out a list of meals to eat so you’ll know exactly what to get and nothing more.
  2. Don’t get too overwhelmed. Take breaks. Between work, classes, a social life, a good night’s rest, homework and anything else that might come up (maybe a boyfriend for example) your life is booked. There is no time to mess around or party. Everyone has seen the triangle of life, right? Each side has an option: sleep, social life, or friends. You can only choose two. This triangle is beyond accurate. When you feel overwhelmed, your body starts to shut down. You start to eat (or not eat) like crazy, your mental capacity is beyond full, and your body is exhausted. Take some breaks within the day. Not everything has to be done in one day.
  3. DON’T PROCRASTINATE. As a second-year student, I can tell you right now that procrastinating will kill you. You will be more stressed than you ever thought was possible. You thought procrastinating in high school was easy? The teacher probably accepted it late because no child left behind right? Well, not in college. There are some professors that will not, except under dire circumstances, who will not take late work. You’re paying for these classes. You may as well pass them. Just do your work on time. I promise your life will run much smoother if you do so.