College survival, no Ned's Declassified

Recently, I took a poll on my Instagram whether the next blog post should be about college survival or advice, 79% voted for college survival, so here we are. Honestly, I am not even sure if I am surviving college right now, this online learning is definitely a struggle for me, I prefer interactive environments, but I am making the best of it. 

Now, I am not trying to be Ned’s declassified on this post(only some will get this joke) but I think I have some tips on how to survive the struggle of college. I might forget some things, but I am going to try my best to add everything. Also, if you all would like to add anything, drop it in the comments below.

So here is the inside scoop to save your college struggle

1. SAVE YOUR SYLLABUS 

-I know a lot of us do not keep up with paper, but professors post their syllabus digitally as well. A syllabus will save your life, it helps you keep track of upcoming assignments/due dates, midterms/finals, and big projects. Now, that majority of us are online we can stay ahead of course work. 

2. BALLIN’ ON A BUDGET 

-I currently live in an apartment, so ballin on a budget is definitely my go to, but you can ball on a budget in a dorm too. So I am going to make this specific tip for two different audiences...

*IF YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT HERE IS HOW YOU BALL ON A BUDGET 

-WHEN YOU ARE BUYING GROCERIES THE CENT DIFFERENCE MATTERS 

For example, if you buy a bottle of hot sauce, one brand might be $1.45 but another brand might be .89 cents. Save money, go with the generic brands with some items because this can help you save some coins, and most of the stuff will taste the same without the name! (See below for the picture I took at Walmart)

-CHECK OUT THRIFT STORES 

-Y’all be sleeping on thrift stores! There are so many great items far as furniture, and anything else you might need to bring your apartment alive. I have this dresser in my apartment that holds up my mini-fridge, I got it for $4 at the thrift store, it has drawers to hold anything else I need, I also repainted the color this year, it was originally brown. But I then had it for about two years! So check out some local thrift stores in your area (See picture below of my dresser)

-CHECK OUT YOUTUBE DIY (Do it yourself videos)

-Most items you might buy, you probably can make yourself for a cheaper price. For example, I made myself a headboard for my bed here at school and it only cost me between $30.00-$45.00 in total to buy fabric, and get the pieces to construct the headboard. Save yourself the headache and your pockets to find out ways to do things yourself. (And Yes I made this headboard myself with a little assistance from my mom)

-TRY TO COOK MORE INSTEAD OF EATING OUT 

-Now this one is a hard  because when I don’t feel like cooking, I definitely will be ready to spend some money! But let me tell you now, the college broke is a different feeling, one time I was surviving off $25 for the whole week because of my bad spending habits. But experiencing how to manage that low amount of money teaches you the importance of saving. So try to go out to eat maybe 1-2 times out the month. If you do have busy days, meal prepping is the way to go! Plan you a meal for a few days, therefore you can just warm your food up!

*IF YOU LIVE IN AN DORM HERE IS HOW YOU BALL ON A BUDGET

-DO NOT SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY ON DECORATING YOUR DORM 

-Most of the time, we are all excited about dorm decorating, but after the first year, you will be ready to move off those dorms! Therefore, once you reach the grade level to move off-campus, most beds are full size instead of twin size. Therefore, all the items you may put into your dorm, you might not be able to use or want it after a few years for your apartment. 

-DO NOT SPLURGE ON YOUR MEAL PLAN 

-So maybe you don’t have great dining halls on campus, maybe you prefer the restaurants on campus instead. Use your meal plan wisely, budget how you will spend it because you do not want to get through half the semester and don’t have money for food!

Back to the survival guide, 

3. The SCHOOL BOOKSTORE SHOULD BE YOUR LAST OPTION FOR BOOKS

-If this is your second or third year in college, then you probably already know that you should steer clear away from the school bookstore to buy textbooks. So, this is more for incoming students, the bookstore is always overcharging. You can always find cheaper books at Amazon, Chegg, or search for the pdfs for your book. Just make sure the ISBN  matches. Also, most of the time you do not need every textbook for class!

4. SOCIALIZE

-This is so important, it’s good to go out to meet new people. College is all about exploring who you are, and trying out things outside of your comfort zone. Also, you’ll be surprised how many people will look out for you on campus. For example, in my freshman year I became friends with a senior, she would invite me and my friends over for home-cooked meals because we lived in dorms at the time. Also, she would help give tips on how to receive scholarships, and it helped because I won a few since I was at school. I know academics are important but so is social life, it’s all about balance. 

5. APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS 

-I can’t stress this enough! I wish I would have applied to more in high school, but there are tons of scholarships for college students, either on campus or browse through the internet. One great scholarship website is Going Merry, they have tons of scholarships and can narrow down to scholarships that fit your description. (I am dropping the photo of the scholarship I won earlier in the school year)

6. USE YOUR RESOURCES ON CAMPUS 

-Sometimes you might wonder, where is all your money going towards the school? Well, most of you may not have noticed that you pay for the resources on your campus (activities or health fees however your school is set up). USE THEM. Freshman year, I used the tutoring services in the library. I have also used the fitness classes in my school gym, classes such as Zumba. I have also talked to my career advisor looking for internships, I did a resume critique workshop. There are so many gems on campus, take advantage. One thing for sure, I will always get my money's worth!

7. EXPLORE WHO YOU ARE

-College is the place to figure out who you are and what you would like to do with the rest of your life. You don’t have to have it figured all out when you come into college, be open to learning new things, talking to new people, etc. I can’t tell you exactly how to do this tip, this is just something you have to be open-minded about and figure out what’s your limit to exploring. 

8. BALANCE 

-With all the tips I just gave, this is a combination of balance. It’s alright to have fun. That's a part of college, but you have to make sure your priorities are together. Don’t get in the habit of partying until 4 AM and have a class the next day at 9 AM. Academics first, then party later. Trust me it makes the party more fun because you don’t want to be at a party at 9:55 PM and then have to stop dancing to your favorite song because you have a paper due at 11:55 PM. 

Well, those are my major big tips on how to survive college! Besides the coffee or energy drinks, those 8 tips are essential to making it! Thanks for reading.