Hello Bears and welcome back to the blog for this week. I hope the last few weeks have been kind to you and that your classes are going well.  

The semester is going well for me but it’s a little bittersweet because this is one of my very last blog posts before graduation in May. However, I am taking everything one day at a time because rushing things never works.  

I wanted to start the semester with a blog post about someone who inspired me growing up and continues to do so as I get older. That person is American civil rights activist, Ruby Bridges.  

Ruby Bridges  

Ruby Bridges was one of the first African American students at the age of six to integrate a school in the south. Ruby integrated a school in the south because in 1954 the Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. The Board of Education ordered that all schools desegregate. She was one of a few students that passed the entry exam given by the state to see if African American students were on a similar level as their counterparts. Ruby and her family endured a significant amount of racism every day that she attended school. She had to be escorted everywhere and couldn’t even go to recess with the other kids. Ruby was the only student in her class because parents pulled their children out of the school and only one teacher, Barbara Henry, agreed to teach her. Ruby never stopped going to school so as time passed she paved the way for other African American children to attend schools that were desegregated like hers. Today, Ruby Bridges is 68 years old, a mother, and wife, as she remains a lifelong activist for racial equality.  

Why? 

Black history is a big part of what I learned in school and what my parents taught me about when I was at home. The first time I heard about Ruby Bridges I had to be around seven or eight years old and I was just starting to learn and understand more about black history so I didn’t have any idea about who she was. When I learned about Ruby’s story and what she went through as a little girl, I just never forgot about it. A young girl and her family endured so much and regardless of that, they stayed strong. I couldn’t imagine someone just being six years old and having the strength and willingness to do what she did and go against so many that hated the idea of desegregation. Ruby Bridges and so many other people contributed to my future in terms of my schooling and education making it easier for me to be where I am today. Without people like Ruby Bridges, I wouldn’t be able to have met the people that I have, attend Missouri State, or just be given the same opportunities as everyone else. One of my goals had always been to go to college and graduate but without people like Ruby Bridges that might not have ever been possible. I’ve learned to keep my head up, stay strong in the hardest of situations and be the change that I want to see. Ruby Bridges is an individual that has inspired me with her achievements, resilience, and overall dedication to achieving her goals. 

Takeaways 

There are a lot of people that have helped me to become more successful but without any inspiration, drive, or motivation I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far. I hope that sharing someone who inspires me could make you think about who that someone or something could be for you. Feeling inspired can play a role in your everyday life from creating ideas to just taking action and doing something you’ve always wanted to do. Your journey as a college student is going to have its moments but having some sort of inspiration can get you through it. Finding inspiration can be a bit hard so try looking in the most unexpected places.  

Be sure to take a look at some past blog posts and be on the lookout for all new topics.

Happy Week Six!!! 

~Alexandria 

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a Senior Business major at Missouri State University.) 

Welcome back to the blog! 

The last few weeks and the next couple of weeks are going to be crazy. I have so many assignments, projects, and things that I want to do before our Thanksgiving and holiday winter breaks. I can honestly say that I’ve done a good job keeping up with everything and getting my work done so far this semester. However, I have been struggling with burnout and a teeny tiny case of senioritis. To deal with this, I’m taking one day at a time, so I don’t get overwhelmed or stuck in a loop. The topic for this week is some tips to stay positive, because at times like this positivity is very welcome.  

The Light at the End of the Tunnel: Tips to Staying Positive   

Motivate yourself  

It’s helpful to celebrate the small wins and the big ones so that you don’t feel like you haven’t accomplished anything at all. I’ve always struggled with getting over my losses and not celebrating when I’ve successfully done something whether that’s a personal skill or college related. Sometimes you might not like to or don’t have the time to rely on others, so you have to show up for yourself and reward yourself. 

Surround yourself with people that care and are positive  

If you didn’t know already, I’m originally from St. Louis and while I’ve been attending college these last five years my immediate family has been back home. I like to keep in touch with my family and friends through the phone, text, and even facetime. My family and friends motivate me to push forward and to think about my own wants instead of other people’s. It’s worth talking to the people that know you so when you do need some type of positive message or affirmation those people will be there for you.  

Drop negative habits  

Throughout life and your college career, you most likely will adopt some bad or good habits that could be affecting your life. You have to make sure that you are creating good habits and that you’re regularly evaluating whether or not you have some habits that you need to address. These would be habits that negatively affect your well-being, your academics, your work, or other parts of your life. You want to drop the bad habits so that they don’t develop into something you probably can’t control and prevent you from being successful. Detecting bad habits, especially your own can be hard so try to observe yourself. Take notice of the things that negatively affect you or an issue that you continuously encounter that triggers the things that you do. You can excel mentally and physically and not waste your time or energy if you go along with this tip.  

Try to start your days or weeks right  

I like to typically do a Sunday reset where I do the things that I probably wouldn’t have time for during the week like my laundry and meal prepping. My Sunday reset sets the tone for the week because I’m managing my time in advance, looking over my classes for the upcoming week, and taking time out for myself. Starting things off right doesn’t have to look the same as what I do but could just be some small additions like making your bed, morning meditating, or just making your environment around you clean and welcoming.  

Takeaways

Being positive can help you when you’re feeling down or even when you have experienced something that you’re not used to. You gain skills to help yourself with your resistance and stress levels so that you can overcome some of those hard challenges that college and life like to throw at you. I’m going to continue to utilize my own tips and still learn just how much positivity can impact my outlook on life. I’m going to leave you with this quote by Willie Nelson, 

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”  

~Alexandria  

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a senior business major at Missouri State University.) 

Welcome Back Bears

Everything is starting to get back into a routine after Fall Break weekend but that means that classes are back in session. I don’t know about you but for me, midterms and class assignments are still rolling in hot. This is my fifth year at Missouri State and believe it or not exams, quizzes, or anything standardized really make me nervous but I’ve learned quite a few things to help myself out. Things like finals, quizzes, and exams are all a part of the college experience but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t appreciate some good tactics. For my blog post this week I wanted to give you some effective study tactics to survive midterms or any exam for that matter.  

Effective Study Tactics: Surviving Midterms   

Check-in with yourself  

Studying while you’re trying to maintain your other classes and your personal well-being can be hard, so check in with yourself. That means that you are taking time to assess how you’re doing emotionally and physically. Carve out time to eat, take care of your personal hygiene or do the things you like to keep yourself moving forward.  

Plan effective times to study 

College courses really differ from each other so you’re constantly altering how to study for each of your classes. It definitely works to plan out when you study in preparation for an exam, especially if there is a lot of material to cover. Cramming doesn’t work for everyone, and you want to be able to alleviate some of that stress early on. Planning effective study times also keeps you prepared and ready for the questions you’ll be answering

Teach an imaginary lecture  

While you’re studying it’s important to remember that there is a mixture of memorization and repetition going on. It helps to imagine that you are teaching someone else or a group of people the material that you are studying. During an exam, you could recall your imaginary lecture when you are stuck figuring out the answer to specific questions.  

Don’t be overwhelmed with material 

When you get overwhelmed with everything, you’re attempting to study you can potentially forget things that you know or even want to give up on the entire studying process. Make sure you’re taking breaks and breaking the material up in order not to feel like you’re studying everything at once

Study in comfortable environments  

Personally, I like to study in a quiet environment with a large table where I can spread my study materials. Find study environments where you can comfortably study and not be interrupted by outside factors. You’ll be able to retain more information, be able to interpret information and of course, focus.  

You can check out some of my other tips that can help you during the exam period for relieving stress and studying in my Tips and Tricks for Relieving Stress and Studying post. 

Midterms or any college exam can be really scary because you want to do your best while maintaining your ideal grade. However, it’s always good to remember that it helps to have different strategies. You want to get through midterms and exams unscathed, but you also want to learn your dos and don’ts for studying as time passes. I’m going to be wishing you all luck on your future exams in the hopes that my tactics can help you out in some capacity. This week I’ll leave you with a quote by Colin Powell,  

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure”.  

~Alexandria 

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a sophomore business major at Missouri State University.) 

 

The semester is really rolling by but I’m excited to enjoy the last of my experiences as a senior. If there is one thing that I’ve learned about being a college student, it’s that you always want to do things that make your life a little easier. To make things fun this week, I wanted to list some of my all-time favorite campus life tips that I utilize throughout the semester. The tips that I’m going to list can save you money or time or just give you more of a sense of what Missouri State offers to its students. 

Campus Life Tips 

Coupon book 

Believe it or not, the MSU Bookstore has a free coupon book usually offered near the entry or exit doors. If you don’t see them there, you can ask the Bookstore staff. The coupon book offers deals for the Bookstore, some fast-food options, and other Springfield area places. You can save money and use those university coupons whenever you stop by the Bookstore to grab some BearWear.  

Dining halls 

If you live in a residence hall, then you would be required to have a meal plan that gives you money for Boomer Meals and access to the dining halls. Due to past circumstances, the campus adapted take-out boxes and cups. I’m usually on the go so I like to grab food at the dining halls using the take-out boxes. If I’m not hungry but will be later, getting takeaway to save to eat later saves me time and money on the fast food that I might have otherwise bought.  

Powder detergent  

In my experience when it comes to detergent, the powder is better in comparison to liquid detergent. With the powder, you get a lot for your money and can make the detergent last for a long time especially if you do your laundry on a schedule. I’ve used both liquid and detergent to wash clothes and personally my clothes get a lot cleaner using powder, especially for stubborn stains.   

Dryer sheets  

This tip is one of my favorites because I didn’t realize until recently that you can make your clothes smell great even with one dryer sheet, split into two pieces. Previously, I used two dryer sheets when drying my clothes because both pieces would get around the clothes in the dryer. I got curious one day and just ripped one dryer sheet into two. From that experience, I quickly learned that my clothes still smell really good and I save money in the long run by using one less dryer sheet.    

Cup scrambled eggs  

I’m living in a residence hall again this semester and using the kitchen every other morning can get really tiring. In order to save time in the mornings, I make scrambled eggs in a coffee mug. I add two eggs, bacon bits, salt, and pepper, just stir everything together, and microwave for about two minutes. You have to make sure to watch the mug in the microwave so you don’t overcook it and the eggs don’t overflow. Everyone’s microwave is different so cook the egg in increments to make it easier to pinpoint when the egg(s) are cooked.  

Takeaways 

I like it when I’m able to make my life easier because I’m always running around and getting things done. Classes take up lots of time and I really like to have my own personal time to do the things that I like to do. The life tips that I’ve listed are things that have been a part of my everyday life for the past five years and have helped me to better manage my money and time. I’m hoping that these tips can help some of you out too or encourage you to create some of your own. 

Be on the lookout for the rest of the semester’s blog posts and some new peer mentors that are ready to take the blog by storm.  

~ Alexandria  

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a senior business major at Missouri State University.) 

 

Welcome back to the blog everyone. It’s literally only been a week but who’s counting, certainly not me. This week I chose a topic that is really special to me and has become increasingly persistent in my life these past few weeks. If you have read the blog post before, I always list information about myself and my family at the end of each post. My family is a big part of my life because without them I wouldn’t have the motivation to continue my education or even want to learn new things. I’m extremely close to my family members and these past two weeks have been hard because my younger brother is turning eleven and my younger sister is having a hard time adapting to her new fourth-grade class.  

Drawing from these experiences, I’ve created a list of things that I do to manage my homesickness and keep myself grounded and looking forward to graduation.  

Managing Homesickness 

Call your family or friends 

It might be hard at first but keeping in contact with the people that you care about can really make you feel better. You shouldn’t cut yourself off from talking to others but make more of an effort to stay connected with everyone. You can start to feel more alone if you don’t put in the effort to maintain the relationships that you have. So, call, text, or even email your parents, siblings, or friends as much as you can.  

Do the things that make you happy  

College is no fun if you can’t continue to do the things that make you happy or smile. You can think about your family and care about what happens outside of class, but you have to prioritize yourself. I’m at my best when I’m able to express myself and do the things that I like.  

Let your emotions out  

It’s better to get your emotions out than to keep them in because at some point you’ll just explode. It’s okay to cry, scream into a pillow or journal about how you feel. You hurt yourself more emotionally and cause yourself stress when things remain pent up.  

Stay productive and busy  

Distracting yourself with your classes and even a job (if you have one) can help your mind not to wander. You chose to come to Missouri State for a reason so keeping your goals in mind can help you to stay grounded. You can eliminate stress and work in a way that gives you more time to do what you want or take naps.  

Give yourself something to look forward to  

It always helps to bring yourself some happiness whether that is your favorite food or some new clothes you ordered. This can be a form of reward for yourself and can keep your mood elevated as you go through the semester.  

Self-Care 

One of the best things to do from this list is self-care because you’re the one that’s experiencing homesickness. Self-care is all about keeping yourself healthy so you shouldn’t avoid it but welcome it into your routine. For example, take relaxing baths or even put on a face mask to end the night. Self-care can eliminate things like stress or depression while increasing happiness and improving your energy.  

Takeaways  

I realized after being a student for so long just how important it is for me to stay happy because the world doesn’t look the same when I’m not. I love my family and how they support me and want what’s best for me. The connections I have with my family and friends help me to be a better version of myself. Homesickness can come out of nowhere or just be at the forefront of your mind for weeks but doing things like this helps me to become more aware of myself and just how much I can handle in order to reach my goals. Being a big sister, daughter, cousin or friend is always going to bring some challenges, and managing homesickness is just one of those challenges.   

I’ll leave you with this quote by Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care:  

“MAYBE YOU HAD TO LEAVE IN ORDER TO REALLY MISS A PLACE; MAYBE YOU HAD TO TRAVEL TO FIGURE OUT HOW BELOVED YOUR STARTING POINT WAS.” 

~ Alexandria  

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a senior business major at Missouri State University.)