Nerd's the Word....

This is the pattern I chose- I'm so excited!

So, since I'll be going back to school in January, and my lovely Lilly Pulitzer planner has come to it's end (see my obsession post here), I'm needing a new planner. After obsessively researching, I've decided to purchase an Erin Condren Life Planner. Y'all, I'm SUPERFREAKINGEXCITED. Like, this thing is the bomb.com. You can bet your butt I'll be doing another planner obsession post... Eventually. That is, if Abby ever gives me any blogging time.

Anyways, if any of y'all are thinking of purchasing anything from Erin Condren, PLEASE follow this link and create an account. Then, we BOTH get $10 credit. Like, yes please!

I ordered mine the other day (check the site for sales and coupon codes- I just happened to order on a day where everything was 25% off!) OR use my link to get your $10 off ;) which is a pretty sweet deal, honestly. (And yes, it's legit- I got my $10 off from using a link from someone else's blog, so I know it works).

She has tons of cute stuff besides planners, like notebooks, pens, stationery, etc. Check it out!

xoxo, a.

**disclaimer: The picture above is not mine, it's from erincondren.com and the links above don't earn me any money, they're just links to make things easier for y'all!**

The Dictionary Your Parents Need

A question for my peers: do you ever say something completely normal and your parents look at you like you just beamed down from a UFO?? Yup, thought so. Well, if you don't have one of those tooootally cool parents that knows every word you say (parents, if you attempt to talk like us, here's a bit of advice: don't.), send them this link so they'll at least have some idea of what you're trying to say. Warning: I am posting the PG-13 versions of all of these, and though most of them are really not bad, you still won't completely understand them, so please do not attempt to say them. Thanks.

• Typical White Girl: an activity that personifies the starbucks-loving shopaholic "oh. em. gee." teenage girl
• Can't Even: to be unable to comprehend or deal with a situation
• Bruh: dude. what. no. stop.
• Hipster: glasses. suspenders. indie music. you get the idea.
• Perf: there is nothing more perfect.
• Salty: jealous. bitter.
• Thirsty: desperate.
• Yasssss: absolutely YES
• Thot: well, it technically stands for "That Hoe Over There" soooo
• fr: forreal man, forreal.
• The Struggle (Is Real): life is so tough, first world problems, privilege kid problems, etc.
• (Eyebrow, Hair, Etc.) Game Strong: looking good! 
• Legit: this is real stuff.
• I Ship It: a relationship you totally want to happen.
• On Point: perfect and awesome and beautiful 
• Weak: laughter to the point of physical weakness. usually used much like "lol"- when you are actually not laughing at all.

Hope you enjoy these. There are many more, but these are the first ones that came to mind. 

xoxo, a.

Things They Don't Tell You In High School

Hello, world! Oh, how I've missed y'all! To those of y'all that actually read these posts, I really do appreciate it. And if y'all could like, spread the word about my blog and tell your friends and colleagues to check it out, I would be so super grateful. I just want a bigger audience, because I spend a lot of time on these posts!

Anyways... The other day, I got to thinking... What did I really learn in high school that actually turned out to be useful in college? My opinion: not much. I know, that sounds really negative, but it's true! Granted, I am only a freshman, but still. I'm fully involved in college. I'm in several clubs/organizations, I go to classes, I play (intramural) sports, and I have a social life. Plus, on top of that, I have to live on my own and take care of myself!

This isn't to say high school isn't important. It is. It sucks, as everyone knows, but it is somewhat important. I mean, you learn stuff.... But a lot of the stuff you learn is only applicable for actual high school. You're not going to have to remember what year Albert Camus wrote The Stranger, but God knows you'll need to have his entire birthday memorized for that test.

On the other hand, there are some important things that you need to remember from high school. And what do you know, I'm gonna make a list! Enjoy! And please, take these with a grain of salt. While many of my friends agree with me, these are from my personal experiences, don't get your panties in a wad if you don't agree. So here are the things I think you really need to take with you from high school to college:

• Regular homework is useless. Occasionally you will have homework in college. Rarely, though. Sometimes you'll have to do some terms, maybe a few online practices. Otherwise, most "homework" is just writing papers, for which you are given plenty of time to prepare.
• Pay attention to your syllabi. In high school, these were viewed as useless wastes of paper that your parents had to sign. However, in college, these literally will save your life. When you get your syllabi, go straight to the schedule and immediately write it all out in your planner. That way, you'll know ahead of time when you have tests, due dates, and cancelled classes! Plus, they tell you about attendance policies, which differ with each professor.
• Good note-taking strategies are an absolute necessity. Some college professors use power points, some don't. Some post their information online, some don't. Each professor is different, and unlike high school, they usually don't all follow the same curriculum guide. Some professors allow laptops for notes, others despise the use of any kind of technology in their classes. Here's my advice:
• Laptop Notes: I love taking notes on my laptop (Google Drive!!!!) whenever I can. That way, I can get the information written down quickly and reorganize it later if necessary. Beware: it's easy to get distracted!!!
• Written Notes: Yup, sometimes you're gonna have to take notes the old-fashioned way. Personally, I remember things better when I write them down, so it's not so bad for me. Unfortunately, sometimes we have those classes that just make it boring. I suggest using lots of colors!! Use one color for the bulk of the notes, then other colors to highlight, underline, draw arrows, illustrations, and whatever else you need! These make your notes look more organized and just a bit more interesting!! 
• Planners are not for geeks. As I'm sure y'all saw in this post, I am obsessed with my planner. It's the most insanely helpful thing I have. Time management is a huge thing in college. In high school, your teachers reminded you every. single. day. about that paper. But in college, you won't even see your professors every day, much less have them remind you about something you, as an adult, should already know. 
• Procrastination is not a skill to brag about. I'll never understand why we all decided to do our projects the night before the due date... Especially considering we had homework for 7 different classes that same night! In college, you'd think it would be easier, considering the fewer classes you actually take per day. However, the opposite is true. Papers and projects are not flexible in college. High school teachers are pretty nice, they'll pretend to believe that your dog died and give you an extra day. But in college? Heck no, you should have turned that paper in a week ago anyways!!
• Don't limit yourself to "school" friends. It's okay to not have a ton of friends in your classes. In high school, you got along with whoever you were stuck with in class. In college, you see these people a lot less often, so don't force yourself to make in-class friendships. This is the time to think about the long-term, not just people to entertain you in class.

There's so much more I could say, but for now, I'll step off my soap box and let y'all figure the rest out on your own. An early congrats to the Class of 2015. These next few months will FLY by. Enjoy it while you can, but don't dwell on high school. College is awesome.

xoxo, a.

The Best and Worst of School Technology

As school starts to get busy, I'm struggling to get posts online in time. I'm trying my hardest! And if anyone has any ideas for posts, please let me know!! I'd love to hear your suggestions!! Anyways..... Some high schools, mine included, tend to go overboard with technology. Some of their ideas are train wrecks, while others are very useful. Here are my reviews of stuff I used in high school:

The Best:

• Schoology: Okay, so this one is a toss-up. For high school, I loved it. But I'm not so sure it'll really be good in college. All of my classes could be easily accessed on my computer or on my phone, with an app that actually kinda works right. Occasionally, there were goofs, but as a general rule, this site was pretty cool. Hey that rhymed.
• Google Drive: I will literally swear by Google Drive. For starters, the interface is so simple, so you really don't have to learn anything new. Plus, you have plenty of free storage, and you can always purchase more if you really use that much (or just make another free account). Even better, you can access your files from anywhere with internet, and I'm pretty sure you can download your files for offline use as well (correct me if I'm wrong). 
• Canvas: I actually only used this for one class, so I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet. But so far, so good. It's pretty simple, and honestly it's very similar to Schoology, but more geared towards college students. 
• Air Printers: So now I can print from my phone? Maybe this should go on the worst list for feeding my procrastination addiction. I have started something awful, but wonderful: download google drive app, do work during class change, print from phone. Who said homework is meant for home? Due tomorrow? Do tomorrow (or the next day or next week or just never).

The Worst:

• Citrix: Throughout middle school, I thought the idea of being able to get to your school files at home was AWESOME or "awsum!!!!! (:" in middle school terms... However, after going through the pains of downloading twenty different virus-inducing softwares (is that a word?) and STILL not being able to get to my dadgum English project, I'm so done. Even at school, it took a good 10 minutes to load all my files, and half of them mysteriously disappeared. No thank you.
• Wyse Computers: They were the absolute coolest things in 2009 but yeaaaahhh no. If you find one that keeps all of its keys for a whole week, steal it, it's rare. 
• Sixteen Thousand Different Types of Computers: Why do we need to learn to use all these types of laptops that are going to fall apart and be replaced with something new in a week? Sorry if I'm partial to, I dunno, quality products.
• iPod Touch Carts: No, I'm not kidding. This is a real thing. Teachers at my school could check out a cart of 25 iPod touches for their class to use. Did they really think we're looking at an ACT Prep app when the selfie option is still there??? The iPad carts weren't so bad, but iPod Touches???
• Prometheus Smart Boards: If you can get these things to work, I guess they're actually kinda cool. But considering only the dorkiest, most underestimated genius teacher (who is also 6'8 and very young- yes I was totally crushing on him) was able to get it working, I'd say it's probably useless for the coach "teachers" and most public school teachers as well.

I guess that's it for this episode of "the greatest and worst school technology"!! More to come later!

xoxo, a.