As a freshman at NCC, I found out that the college “adjustment” isn’t as bad as a lot of people make it sound. Nevertheless, I have learned a couple things.
For example: don’t join too many things. If you end up making that mistake, make sure you still find time to finish all your homework. I’ve also found myself addicted to caffeine to try and stay awake as much as possible. So, please enjoy my little how-to series of hacks, tips and alternatives that I’ve learned so far to try and make the college experience a little bit simpler.
One of the many wonders of life keeps college kids wondering how to not fall asleep in the most boring classes. If you need some guidance, check out these tips and try them out for yourself. If you find one of them works for you, share it with a friend. Odds are, they’re probably struggling as well.
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Sit by a friend. If one of you puts your head down or starts falling asleep, kick each other to stay up. Teamwork makes the dream work!
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Take a snack. This is DEF not an uncommon trend for us Italians, but this is a great idea for everyone. Before class, go to the vending machine or grab something from BoHo or ABP and continue to snack throughout the class.
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Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat coffee. Listen y’all, it’s no surprise that coffee tastes nasty, but it be like that sometimes. Priorities. So load up your coffee with sugar or your fav creamer and keep sippin’. Doesn’t have to be coffee, could be green tea, something with caffeine. No judging if you walk in class with a Mountain Dew.
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Make your notes pretty. Whether that means doodling, writing with different color pens or making boxes around vocab words, keep yourself busy and aesthetically pleased.
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Dress for success. You’re a college student. Dress like it! It’s so easy to come to school in sweats, but I cannot stress this enough: dressing nice will keep your life together. Not only are you going to feel more confident, but people will start to notice, and the compliments will come flying in.
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Time management. If you haven’t gotten a solid schedule yet, don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Write out your schedule for the week. The best part: the professors will think you’re taking notes for their class. The most difficult part of the schedule is sticking to it. Try your best and if it falls through, try again. This could also help you find more time for sleep and then BOOM. Problem solved.
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Write. Write a song. A poem. A book. A letter. A question. Your favorite lyrics. Bucket list. Anything! Explore your writing creativity while still listening and focusing in class. Try to come up with a creative title. Write down all your thoughts. This can also help if you are overwhelmed with school or events. Writing things down is such a stress reliever.
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Walk to the bathroom. I know, totally random. But getting up and walking around to get the blood pumpin’ isn’t the worst idea. Plus, it’s a total cop out! Wanna get out of class? Go to the bathroom. Can’t focus? Go to the bathroom. Bored? Go to the bathroom. Snapchat not working in the classroom? Go to the bathroom. It works for everything.
