Dun Dun Dun… Midterms!

As midterms near closer students start to wonder where the first half of the semester went. Well have no fear, since I am a senior I have complied some great study tips for all sorts of tests and projects.

Here are my top 5 tips:

1. My first tip might be a risky one but depending on your work ethic procrastinating is okay and it is natural for it to happen. For most people as the deadline moves closer they are more concentrated at the task at hand. This isn’t to say that you should start it the day before but starting a project two weeks out is not always necessary.

2. Try the 50/10 rule when studying. This rule is that for every 50 min. of studying one does they get a 10 min. break. Most likely check social media cause thats what my generation likes to do. This rule is also great because I know especially for me after a couple of breaks I am already caught up on my social media, and I also get into my work so I am less likely to take breaks.

3. There are different kinds of studying for each school topic. For math, practice makes perfect. For History, creating a timeline poster out works great! For general knowledge like psychology, flash cards are the winner. The tip here is to just show that you have to modify your study habits depending on the topic. If you are having a tough time doing well in a class, try and be creative with study habits and change them up. Maybe the way you are studying just is not helping with your memory.

4.Studying with friend is a great way to learn and understand information. By teaching information to someone else or even just talking it out helps the person studying understand better. Caution: Only study with friends who have studied before, this way you are not wasting time trying to get people caught up.

5. Lastly, Always study the night before the test. Many people think that pulling an all nighter will work but psychology studies show that sleeping the night before helps input the information in your brain. Also, having a full night sleep will help improve your physical, mental, and emotional parts of your body.

I hope these tips help you do well on your midterms! What are some of your favorite tips for fellow midterm takers?

Snowdaze

So remember how I said sometimes it gets nice in North Carolina during the winter? Well this week we had about an inch of snow and about three inches of ice, or at least it seemed that way. Not only did we have 1 snow day, we had two! Not only this but Guilford County Schools were off the whole week including presidents day! Im from the north so I was prepared for this weather (Nonslip shoes, heavy coat, gloves) and was ready to proceed with some snow day activities!

Snow days, especially in college are fun! The night before our snow day we ended up sledding with our cushions ( Sorry HPU) down some hills. Boy, do those things go fast! Even though it was freezing rain outside it was a ton of fun and it was like a high point community event! Since it was a snow day the next day people had no concerns or worries and may have possibly stayed up later than expected!

The thing about snow days in North Carolina is once there is snow on the ground people are basically immobile for a couple of days!  Since we were stuck to the campus my friends and I had to make up some snow day activities! My snow day consisted of tons of movies, making chili, and some nice hot chocolate! It was a great relaxing day after being sore from sledding. What are your favorite things to do on a snow day? I personally do not mind the snow but for all of you snow-haters out there what do you guys like to do on snow days?

6 more weeks of winter.

After Punxsutawney Phil told us that there was 6 more weeks of winter I have been craving for spring. Last Sunday was beautiful with sunshine and the temperature being 70 degrees. Now, North Carolina weather is anything but stable. It could be 80 degrees one day and 15 degrees the next. But, the warm weather gets me excited to do spring activities such as bike riding, swimming, and hiking. Hiking is one of my favorite activities especially during the fall and the spring when the flowers and trees are beautiful.

In North Carolina there are tons of options for hiking.I personally have been to Hanging Rock State Park and Pilot Mountain. Hanging Rock State Park has a ton of trails, one of which actually goes down to a waterfall. On a warm day people like to swim in the waterfall or feel the breeze from it. This walk is on a very man-made path but it can be challenging. Some of the inclines at this park can be challenging but my personal opinion that almost anyone can take it! The views at the top are amazing and are worth the climb!

Most recently I went to Pilot Mountain. My friend and I decided to do the strenuous trail. This trail was man-made but it was very narrow and it definitely felt more like hiking. While we were walking there were rock climbers, who, I give a lot of credit to because I could never do that kind of thing. Below is a picture of me right off of the trail! Luckily this was on one of those nice Carolina winter days!

Since I am so excited for the spring weather and to do more hiking I decided to research some other fun trails in North Carolina. According to Everytrail.com these are the top 10 rated hiking trails in North Carolina! This website tells you about the trails, how easy or hard they are, and the duration of a normal hike which I think is a nice feature!

1.Waterfall Tour of Hanging Rock State Park, N.C.

2.Blue Ridge Parkway to Grandfather Mountain summit

3.Summit trails at Pilot Mountain State Park, North Carolina

4.Stone Mountain Loop – Stone Mtn. State Park – N.C

5.Campbell Creek and Lanier Falls Trails

6. Uwharrie/Dutchman’s Creek Trail Loop

7.Harper Falls – Wilson Creek area

8.Little Creek Trail at Raven Rock State Park

9. Linville Falls-Erwin’s View Trail

10.High Falls and Triple Falls Tour – Dupont State Forest

This is only one of the things that is great to do during the Spring! But, I am always ready for a new adventure so I am interest in what kind of things do you like to do during the Spring?

Long weeks short days!

This semester I am taking twelve credits and a four credit internship. Only one of those sixteen credits do I really need to be taking, and the rest are just to fill in the holes to be a full time student. I had the impression my semester was going to be super easy, which it is, but it is also incredibly long. I work fifteen hours per week for my internship which does not sound like a lot but with two full days of work 8-5, and two full days of classes the week feels long, but the days go by fast! Part of me is happy about this because I am getting used to the work life but at the same time am I wasting my senior year?

I have come up with some ways to live my senior year to the fullest while also being a responsible person in the “work force”. First I have made sure to do something fun each night, whether that be watching a movie with my roommates or going of campus to do something fun like bowling! Of course I cannot afford to go off campus every night but making the effort to not fall asleep like I would love to do, and do something that I can create memories with is important!

Another thing that has helped me get through the work week is I created a senior year bucket list. On it is a bunch of random things that in a normal life I would never do but since it is my senior year and last year in High Point, NC, my friends and I have created this list to do some fun things around town. For example, the local pawn shop “Coins n’ Things” and the “Super Buffett” and “High Point Museum”. I would encourage all seniors to explore the town they are currently in. There is only one time in your life you can do silly things like this and the bucket list also helps people to look forward to things. One thing I am especially excited for is to go zip-lining in Kersey valley! I have made a promise to myself to not let days get away from me and to appreciate everyday I have left at “The Bubble”. Never again will we get to experience a free steakhouse, an incredible support system from teachers, and some of the nice dorms/ apartments you will ever see!