There's a lot of books, videos, and blogs out there that outline effective study habits. They ask you if you're a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. They talk about putting away technology, listening to classical music, getting exercise, playing games, drawing concepts, repeating things out loud, studying in groups, etc. I mean they've pretty much covered it all. I only have two tips for you, and they're the ones I think are really important but people tend to forget about. And if you've heard of these before, well then I got nothing. lol (are you allowed to lol in blogs? I feel like there's an unspoken rule that you shouldn't. Anyways...)

Ask Yourself Why You're Studying & What Your Goal Is
When you've finished studying and reading all the chapters, what is it that you need to learn? It's not just about well I need to read all these chapters and pass this exam. You need to define what your learning objectives are specifically. Otherwise, you'll end up mindlessly wandering through the pages, trying to learn everything, but you're not really understanding anything. Typically in the beginning of every chapter of your textbooks are learning objectives that the authors want you to know by the time you finish reading the chapter. Instead of just going along with those, create your own to make it more tailored to suite what you want to learn. By doing this, you'll give yourself clear guidelines on what you should focus on when you're studying.

Mix It Up & Adjust
I get tired of doing the same things over and over again very easily, especially with studying. If I go to the same place to study and do everything the same way, I get bored and I can't focus. I like to change things up. I find different places to study. Sometimes I make up games. Sometimes I find that I can't study the way I used to. For example, I used to really like drawing and doodling to help me grasp concepts. After a while it just didn't work anymore, so I had to find a new way to understand what I was reading. We all get tired and bored of studying because it becomes a routine, and routines are boring. It's good to adjust and mix up your study habits. It breaks up the routine of studying and makes it a little more enjoyable or tolerable.

That's all I got. I mean if all else fails, there's always osmosis. I swear that's like every science teacher's favorite joke.

With love,
Lovely

Today was the first official day of my marketing internship and I WOKE UP LATE! Of all the days I wake up late. Either my alarm clock didn't go off or I just didn't hear it because I was exhausted from work last night.  I'm suppose to come in at 9AM Mondays and Tuesdays, and I woke up at exactly 8:15AM. Wonderful. I jumped up, panicked a lot, got myself dressed & ready, and by 8:30 I was running or driving like no other (please note that crazy maniac driving should only be performed by professionals, thank you). Thank god I took a shower last night before bed. I was shaking the entire time I was getting ready & driving. Luckily, I managed to get to the office on time unscathed. Score!

Anyways aside from that exciting morning, the entire day was pretty chill. We got a tour of the entire department and office. We set-up our e-mails and went over some of the programs we'd be using.  I got my desk (pictured above)! I'd be sharing with some of the other interns, but that's alright. Everyone is super friendly, and we all get along really well. Our manager let us off early because it was Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, which I completely forgot about. I stayed a bit longer just to organize some files and create a list of things I had to do.

Afterwards I went to Target to get a planner and some notebooks. Of course when you go to Target though, you leave with more things than you intended to, so I got some pajamas that were on clearance and other things. I went completely over my budget. I swear I don't know how Target does it. Today was also the first day of  the spring semester, but I only have class on Wednesdays so I didn't really think much of it. And that's how my first day as the marketing intern went. Note to self: Avoid Target at all costs and get a bigger, louder, more obnoxious alarm clock. sigh...

This semester I just might die.  Over-exaggerating?  Okay, I'll explode. One or the other.  Spring semester is starting next week, and I had this brilliant idea that I could manage to work part-time, go to school, AND do an internship.  It was all good in my head for a while, but as I'm inching towards the start of the semester I'm starting to realize that I have just signed my death certificate.

I'm graduating this year, and in order for me to graduate I have to fulfill an internship requirement.  For the past couple of months, I've been freaking out thinking that I'll never get an internship.  I became stressed and desperate.  I've learned though that when you've hit a wall and don't know what to do, you just have to run with every opportunity you see.  I've trained myself into believing that there's always a chance that I could make it rather than a chance that I could fail.  I filled out every application, went to every networking event, and got rejected along the way, but eventually it all worked out.

Even though it doesn't seem like it, I'm super happy.  Marketing is something I've always wanted to do.  My career goal is to work in marketing specifically for the hospitality industry, so I'm excited for this internship.  I still have to work part-time at my job.  The internship is unpaid and I have bills to pay ya'll, but I honestly love my job at the hotel.  This semester I'm also taking my capstone, which is the class you take during your senior year that combines everything you've learned in college into one big project.  Yep, like I said I might die this semester.  It's okay.  Last semester was really rough, so I can handle this! No big deal. I can do this .... !