Wisdom Teeth Removal

On Friday, August 29th, I had my bottom wisdom teeth and upper 2nd molars removed. I was really, really scared. But so far, my experience has been quite good.

On Thursday evening, I asked my sorority for prayers because I was scared and multiple girls told me about their experiences with having their wisdom teeth removed.

I'm going to tell you about my experience so that if you have to go through the same thing you will know what to expect and maybe you won't be as scared.

When I got to the oral surgeon Friday morning, they had me read, initial, and sign information about the procedure. My driver also had to fill out a form.

When they called me back, the first thing they had me do was rinse my mouth out with a very strong mouthwash. One of the nurses offered me a blanket which I accepted because I was a little bit cold. They had me on a lot of equipment to monitor my vitals. I had an automatic blood pressure cuff. They also put three electrodes on me to monitor my heart rate: two were beneath my collarbones and the other was near my hip. They put an oxygen monitor on my right index finger. They put me on some oxygen via a little tube thing that sat gently in my nose. Since I have asthma they had me take two puffs of a rescue inhaler just to be sure that my lungs were clear. They also took my temperature using an ear thermometer. The nurse asked who was here with me (my mom and my sister), my mom's name, and when I had eaten last (about 7 the night before; you aren't supposed to eat six hours before surgery).

The anesthesiologist asked me my height and most recent weight so that she could determine the correct amount of anesthesia to give me.

I think I was most nervous about the IV because I don't like shots. My anesthesiologist tied a piece of fabric around my arm to make my vein pop. She had me make a strong fist and then she put the needle in. I looked away while she did it. She said that I would feel a small pinch and to me, it was only a little bit worse than that. Then I said "Was that it?" and she said it was. She told me that the needle was out and that there was a flexible catheter in my arm so I could move my arm to be whatever was most comfortable for me.

The oral surgeon came in and the anesthesiologist briefed him. She told him that I was here with my mom, that I had eaten last night, that I have asthma, and which teeth we were removing. He looked in my mouth and then stepped out of the room.

The other nurse told me that when the anesthesiologist came back in and put the sedative in my IV, she would put a bite block in my mouth to keep my mouth open.

Shortly after that, the anesthesiologist came in and put the sedative into my IV with a syringe and the other nurse put a bite block in my mouth. I must have gone out quickly because I definitely don't remember much after that.

I do think that I might have sort of woken up during surgery, but I didn't feel any pain. I think I heard them talking and I felt a little bit of tugging but I didn't hurt at all. I don't actually know if I woke up or not.

When I did come to, I think the anesthesiologist said that I went under giggling and came to giggling and that was fine with her, but the whole time after the surgery was pretty hazy, so I'm not sure that she actually said that. I think that once I was awake, they removed the IV and all of the other equipment, but I don't actually remember that. I do remember them telling me that they were going to get my mom. They brought her in and told her that I had done well. They also said that I had three spots with stitches: two on the bottom and one on top. My mom asked if there would be a follow up and they said that a follow up wasn't necessary, but to call them if we had any questions or any problems. They asked me if I wanted chocolate or vanilla and I answered chocolate. Later I found out why.

My sister went outside and brought the car around. A nurse helped me into a wheelchair and then wheeled me to the front and helped me into the car and we went home.

They gave me a kit with things for my care. In the kit was extra gauze for my mouth, a cup of chocolate pudding, an irrigator (which I will use next week), a flosser, and a cold pack to ice my face. Not everyone gives you a little kit like this but I really appreciate it and think it is a great idea.

I was prescribed an antibiotic rinse, 800mg of ibuprofen, and hydrocodone.

In general, my pain hasn't been bad and I've had a great experience even though I was very scared. Plus I'm actually not that swollen!

Well Wishes,

Sharon

Sorority Stereotype

I've noticed all of my life that there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding sororities. It didn't really bother me until recently.

When people find out that I am a member of a sorority they often say: "You joined a sorority? You don't seem like the type."

Recently a friend of mine from high school posted on facebook saying "this applies everywhere - sororities and fraternities are idiotic, elitist, and downright meaningless." I commented on this post saying that this wasn't true of ALL sororities/fraternities and he deleted it, which is annoying but completely within his rights. But it's also within my rights to stand up for my sorority which is not idiotic, elitist, or "downright meaningless."

1. We are not idiotic. A sorority is just another kind of club. The main thing that unifies a sorority is that the members are all female. In my sorority, we are all female and we are also all believers in Christ.

We don't do hazing. I'm not saying it doesn't happen in other sororities or fraternities, because it does. I have heard horrible instances of hazing, I'm just lucky that I didn't have to go through that. And if someone had tried to haze me, I would have said no and reported them to the university and the authorities. If you were hazed, I am very, very, very sorry. If that did not stop you from staying in the sorority/frat, I beg you: DO NOT HAZE NEW MEMBERS. It is not okay. Break the chain. Hazing is abuse. It is disgusting and wrong. DO NOT LET YOUR BROTHERS OR SISTERS HAZE NEW MEMBERS. It just shouldn't happen. It needs to stop now. It reflects badly on all sororities and fraternities, JUST DON'T DO IT.

2. We are not elitist. I am assuming that he was referring to the normal process of joining. Typically, you go to a bunch of events and meet the members of the various sororities and you visit the houses and eventually bid day comes around and you find out which sorority/fraternity wants you. I admit, I have not been through this process. My sorority is not Pan-Hellenic. We do not do this process. We have events for prospective new members, but it is up to the new member: they decide whether they want to join or not. We do not turn ANYONE down. We do not pick you, YOU PICK US. For this reason, my sorority attracts girls from all walks of life. We are a very diverse group of girls who share a belief in Christ.

3. We are not "downright meaningless." My sorority is a huge group of supportive women. We support each other through tough times, we study together, we pray together, we worship together, we serve together, we give together.

All sororities and fraternities have philanthropies that they raise money for. SOME do bad things like hazing, but please don't lump us together.

Another thing I heard when I joined a sorority was that I was paying for friends. This person was referring to paying dues. All clubs need money to operate during the year. Dues are one way of collecting money for the operating costs of an organization. If I was paying for friends, I would be offering people money to hang out with me and that's not the same thing at all. My sorority hosts events and we go on retreats, these things cost money and our dues help to pay for them.

I hope you'll consider going greek this year.

Until Next Time,

Sharon

Evolution and Christianity - Through My Eyes

A little preface to this post:

This summer at the state park, I was talking to one of the park hosts and I mentioned that I had reconciled evolution and Christianity, although for me it was never too much of a problem. She said that I should write down how I reconciled the two, because it might help someone else. So I did. The result was about two pages, but it really is the result of my entire life in church and at least a year and a half of biology courses (I have taken even more since I reconciled my belief in God and evolution and they often provide additional support for my understanding). After I wrote this, I had planned to share it here, but I didn't plan to share it so soon.

Before my internship started, my parents and I stopped in Sonora, Tx at the little Methodist church there. The pastor talked to me beforehand and during the children's sermon, she asked if she could pray for me. One of the things she prayed  for was that God would help me to share my faith while at my internship, and I remember thinking "how am I going to share my faith as an intern at a state park out in the middle of West Texas?"

Well Saturday, I was speaking with the wife of one of the men who lives and works at the park and she mentioned that one of the campers had given her a Bible because they were talking about religion, and she is an athiest. She told me that she wants to believe because it seems to provide a lot of comfort to some people, but she just can't.

I've been thinking about how I can share this with her since then. My heart was moved and I really want to reach out to her. So this is my first step. I'm sharing it here, and then I am going to write her a letter and leave it in the Bible the camper gave her. It might be cowardly, but that is what I plan to do.

God conspires (I love that word) in strange ways.

If you are scientific and you are questioning Christianity in light of evolution, I hope this helps you. And if you are Christian and wondering how to speak to people who accept evolution as true, I hope this helps you as well. And for everyone, I hope you'll find this interesting and thought-provoking and I hope you'll learn something. 

As a biology student and a Christian, I realized early on that I needed to reconcile those two things. So I did some thinking and discussing with those around me. The evidence for evolution was strong. But the conviction in my heart that God IS real and that God created ME (and all of the beautiful things around me that made me want to study biology in the first place) was equally strong. The definition of evolution (change in allele frequencies in a population over time) was logical. But if the changes occurred to a great enough extreme, it would follow that a group of new, different, possibly reproductively isolated (the Biological-Species concept) individuals (yes, a species) could potentially arise. And this process could occur often enough to create the chain of organisms that scientists recognize. But, if this were the case, shouldn’t there be some sort of record of ALL of those intermediate forms (this would be Gradualism, of which, Darwin was a proponent)? Perhaps, the forms were indistinguishable from one another until the new species emerged? That explanation isn’t very satisfying; perhaps something else was going on?

Cue, Punctuated Equilibrium. If you don’t know, this is the idea that there were long periods of no change followed by shorter periods of rapid change. If the changes were rapid, then it would make sense that there would be few of the intermediate forms, and lots of the forms from the periods of stagnation. Makes sense to me.

Now let’s say we go all the way back to the very beginning of the chain of life on earth. We are taught in biology that life began with some sort of unicellular organism which could exist in an anaerobic atmosphere. Some sort of cyanobacteria came onto the scene, producing oxygen and maybe some bubbles of oxygen gas rose up from under water supplying oxygen to our atmosphere. Once there was oxygen in the atmosphere, further evolution could occur.

But we haven’t gone back far enough yet. What caused the planet to exist with an anaerobic atmosphere and that unicellular protist which eventually gave rise to all life? Depending on your school of thought, your answer may vary. Perhaps you’ll say the Big Bang. Or perhaps, you’ll say God. Let’s consider the former.

The Big Bang tells us that all matter was this huge ball of energy and one day it just exploded randomly forming the universe (which may be expanding or collapsing, go see a physicist for more, my understanding of the Big Bang is, admittedly, hazy) including our galaxy, including our solar system, including our planet.

So let’s go back even further. What caused the Big Bang?

…….

…….

……..

No, I’m serious, tell me, what caused the Big Bang?

Imagine a series of dominoes falling. The last domino has just fallen. What caused it to fall? The domino before it. And what caused that domino to fall? The domino before it…And eventually, what caused the very first domino to fall? Someone or something pushed the first domino which caused a chain reaction which ultimately caused the very last domino to fall. So what pushed the first domino? Let’s just say it was a finger.

The first domino is the Big Bang, by the way.

God is the finger.

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.

On the third day, God created seed-bearing plants and fruited plants.

On the fifth day, God created fish and birds.

On the sixth day, God created the animals of the land.

Evolution says that plants were one of the first lineages to arise. Followed, eventually, by fish. Which in turn were followed by amphibians, then reptiles, then birds, and mammals. Sound familiar? It is essentially the same order.

But the Bible says that creation took a total of seven days, while evolution says these same events occurred over millions of years. There is this funny thing about the Bible, it wasn’t originally written in English. It was written in a variety of ancient languages, including Hebrew. In Hebrew the word "yom" which means “day” has at least three meanings: the first is the 12-hour period from sun up to sun down, the second is the 24 hour period from sun down to sun down, and the third is an indiscriminate amount of time (it could be a very, very long time). So maybe, the “day” mentioned in Genesis is really hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of years.

So maybe Genesis should actually say:

In the first thousands of years, God created the heavens and the earth.

In the third thousands of years, God created  seed-bearing plants and fruited plants.

And so on.

Now, I know some of you are challenging me. Maybe that’s all good and well to you, but you think you have the nail that will seal the case against me: what if we keep going back, if God caused the Big Bang, who or what caused God?

Dear friends, I remember as a little kid, I sat and asked myself that very question, I thought and I thought and I thought. Perhaps, God has a mom, I thought. But then, God’s mom would have a grandma, and she would have her own mother and so on and so forth. Friends, I gave myself a headache. Eventually, I accepted that God just was and is and ever shall be. I know from a scientific stand-point, that’s not very satisfying. But, from a religious stand-point, it is. I don’t have to understand God to believe in Him. I don’t have to know what chemical reaction has to occur to change cookie dough into cookies, I just know it works. And for me, God works. It might not be satisfying, it might not be testable. But I, you, we are too complex to have occurred through some long, convoluted process that occurred simply by chance. God was there, God made it happen. God is the finger that pushed the first domino.

Depression

In light of recent events, I felt it was the right time to write this post. I am referring to the apparent suicide of Robin Williams on August 11, 2014. I had planned to write a post on Mental Health and, more specifically, Depression during May, Mental Health Awareness Month.

Depression is an important issue to me because in the Spring of 2012, I was struggling with depression. In fact, depression seems to run in the women of my family: my grandma, mother, both of my sisters and I have struggled with depression at some point during our lives. Depression is actually common, if you are depressed, you are NOT alone. There are many who are struggling or who have struggled with depression who you can talk to. Additionally, there are many places that you can go to get help. If you are depressed, please, please, please go get help. Talk to someone.

The two things that helped me the most through my depression were my counselor and my belief in God. I started going to counseling at my school. I went and spoke with my counselor once every two weeks. She gave me "homework" and we discussed the things that were bothering me. She was a sweet lady, easy to talk to, didn't mind if I cried, and really cared about me. If you think that people don't care about you, they do. 

Depression is common among women. Depression is common among freshmen and sophomores in college. This is because college students are under a lot of stress and they are experiencing an extreme change. The good thing about college is that most have free counseling centers for students. My school does. There is nothing wrong with going to counseling. Talking to someone is very important. Please get help. 

It is difficult for me to explain exactly how my faith helped me, except that it was very much like the "Footprints in the Sand" poem. I believe that the Lord was carrying me and holding my hand the whole way through my depression. There were days where I wanted to drop out of school and run away. I just wanted to give up. But I never did and I can't really explain why. I believe that God kept me going.

If you were depressed, and you have overcome it, please share your story with others. It helps to know that other people have been there. You can help to encourage other people. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Use your experience to help others. I shared with my sorority that I had been depressed and that I had gone to get help, when I shared this other girls shared that they had struggled in similar ways. One girl prayed for me thanking God that I had come out of "that black hole" and asking Him to help me to not be depressed again. Other girls told me that I could come to them if I ever started to feel that way again. And one girl hugged me for sharing. The reaction to me sharing that I had been depressed and that I had gone to counseling was completely positive and encouraging. Share your story with others, you never know who you might help.

If you are reading this and you are depressed and you feel that you have no one to reach out to: Please reach out to me. I care about you and I want to help you. I started this blog to help YOU in any way I can.

As for Robin Williams, his death is tragic and will be felt for years to come. He has made me laugh all my life and imagining the man who voiced and ad-libbed Genie not being in the world makes me very sad. To me, Robin Williams always seemed like a wonderful, happy man, but sometimes it is easy to hide things under the surface. I dedicate this post to Robin Williams, a man who made the world laugh. I never met him, but I will never forget him. We love you, Robin.

You Are Loved,

Sharon

Volunteering, Internships, and Jobs

One of the biggest things that I can tell you is that experience is in high demand and hard to get. One of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for life after college is to find an internship each summer. Each internship will provide different experiences and insight into different careers; they will open different opportunities for you. You will meet new people and learn so much about yourself and about the career you may go into one day.

But internships can be extremely competitive. How do you even get your foot in the door in the first place? Internships will often look at grades, but having good grades will not set you apart on paper. It is a good idea to volunteer in a similar capacity to an internship or job that you might want. For example, if you want an animal care internship at a zoo, it might be a good idea to first get some experience by volunteering at a local Wildlife Rescue.

A lot of students need jobs while in college. Since it is important to focus on school (like I said before, that's why you're in college in the first place), getting an on-campus job is often the best thing you can do for yourself. On campus jobs are typically more understanding that you are a student first and an employee second. They are usually more flexible with your work schedule, often building it around your class schedule. Not all campus jobs are created equally, I have a friend who worked in a campus job where she was not allowed to study even if she had finished all of her assigned tasks. Some campus jobs are okay with students studying if they've gotten all of their work done or are waiting for a customer to show up. Plus if you work on campus, you won't have to commute to your job - you'll already be there. Finally, some schools have limitations on how many hours a student can work during the week and that is a very good thing. For instance, at Texas State student employees are NOT allowed to work more than 25 hours each week.

If you can't find an internship during the summer, try to find some sort of job. You never know what kind of opportunities will be available to you just because you had a summer job. I worked over a year in a customer service centered workplace, and currently I am at an internship at a state park. I believe that one of the things that helped me to get the internship was my customer service experience because, in state parks, you have to know how to work with people, no matter what you are doing. Customer service is applicable to almost all careers. I have loved my internship and I am sad that it is going to be over soon. I have gained so much experience, had tons of cool opportunities, worked in a variety of capacities, and met many interesting people. My internship has opened my eyes to things that I never even considered would be a part of working for state parks. I have done so much this summer that I would never have done had I not gotten this internship.

Plus, internships are offered in almost any place and in pretty much in any field. I think I really needed a change of scenery and I was able to get it this summer through my internship. I am used to living in the humid, mostly flat but somewhat hilly (when you get into the hill country) part of central Texas. But this summer, I have spent my time in the mountains. You can see all sorts of stars out here. It gets cold at night. I'm approximately a mile up. The wildlife and the landscape was completely different and I think the change of scenery has been extremely restorative for me. Sometimes, you just need to get away and an internship can be a great way to do it!

Do yourself a favor, get an internship every summer that you can. You won't regret it.

Apartment Agreement

Have you ever watched the tv show, The Big Bang Theory? Do you know that Sheldon made Leonard sign “The Roommate Agreement?” Let’s look at some of the aspects of that contract:

·         If Sheldon becomes a zombie, Leonard cannot shoot him.

·         The Skynet Clause states the Leonard must help Sheldon destroy an Artificial Intelligence that Sheldon created that is taking over the earth.

·         Removal or addition of furniture must be approved by Sheldon

·         Sheldon must ask Leonard how he is once each day

·         The thermostat must always be set to 72 degrees

·         Roommates must give 12 hours notification if they want to have a guest

·         All ties will be broken by Sheldon

·         And many, many other items (seriously, this is a great show and you should watch it!)

Now with those delightful tid-bits in mind, what I’m about to say might sound ridiculous, but I suggested to my roommate that before we even moved into our apartment, we should come up with a roommate agreement. Now you may think I’m a crazy, tightly wound, control freak (like Sheldon), but the idea is a good one (and if you do a little google search, you’ll find it’s actually fairly common). And I think I know why, if you lay out reasonable expectations for a new roommate prior to actually living together, you are bound to avoid some disagreements and misunderstandings. Furthermore, it is not a unilateral decision, it is an open dialogue between two (or more) roommates, and usually a lack of communication causes failure of all types of relationships. If communication is open from the beginning, and expectations are understood, there will probably be far fewer problems in the future.

Here’s how creating the roommate agreement worked for us:

1.       I suggested we create a roommate agreement.

2.       She agreed.

3.       She emailed me a list of ideas for the roommate agreement.

4.       I looked over her list and got a little nervous about some of the things on it.

5.       I considered how I could change the things that bothered me, for example:

a.       She said: If one of us wants to have friends or family over, we have to ask the other roommate first.

b.      I didn’t like the idea of having to ask every time I wanted to have someone over so I countered with: We have “visiting hours” from 8AM – 10PM; if we will have someone over outside of those hours or overnight, we have to inform the other roommate.

6.       Then I added a few other things and sent the list back to her.

7.       She said she thought it looked good.

8.       Once we are both moved into the apartment, we will look it over again, do any final tweaking, print it out (possibly on pretty paper), and post it (probably on the fridge).

Things we are including in our roommate agreement:

·         How bills and rent are split

·         Visitors

·         Cleaning

·         “Open/Closed Door Policy: If the door is closed to their room, expect that the roommate is studying or needs privacy”

·         Be respectful- basically try not to disturb the other roommate if they are studying

·         Use of Roommate’s Things – basically don’t without asking

·         Groceries

·         Pets

·         Apartment temperature

·         Minimize electric and water use

·         Flexibility clause – it’s a “living document,” like the constitution!

·         Argument clause aka what to do in case of an argument

·         Keep the front door locked

·         Monthly check-ins (got this idea from another blog – Click here for the blog post where Lauren Conrad mentions this idea!

Admittedly, our Roommate Agreement is a little long (its 4 pages doubke spaced), and it’s still a work in progress, but I do think it’s a good idea. Hopefully, it will help keep me accountable with doing my part to keep the common areas of the apartment clean (I can be a bit disorganized). And hopefully, it will help to keep us happy and friendly with each other (we are friends after all). I think this is a good idea for anyone who is living together, whether in an apartment or a dorm. I’ll let you know how it goes!

I’m not sure what to say here,

Sharon

Too Skinny

I’m not sure if a lot of people can relate to this issue, but I’m sure there’s at least a few people out there who can. It’s sort of a “hot button” issue right now. Recently, there has been a movement toward accepting “all body types,” but I would argue that this doesn’t actually embrace ALL body types. In Dove’s Real Women campaign, they feature mostly full-figured women, there is all kinds of stuff on the internet saying “real women have curves.” I’m all for accepting all body types and acknowledging that all women (and men) are beautiful no matter what their body type happens to be, but there seems to be an idea that thin is not beautiful; some people say it is “unhealthy.” But, we women should love, accept, and acknowledge the beauty of women of ALL body types: thin, average, muscular, curvy.

Currently, I am about 5’5” and my weight fluctuates but typically stays under 120 lbs. All my life I’ve been told that I was “too skinny.”  All through junior high and high school, people asked me if I was bulimic or anorexic. Once I was even compared to Gumby. I’ve been told by people of all ages that I need to eat more. I eat a lot. That I need to gain weight. That I’m “too skinny.” Once, I made the mistake of trying to relate to a group of beautiful, curvy, college girls who were complaining that when they went home, their mothers griped at them that they needed to lose weight. I said something along the lines of “I know what you mean, my mom is always telling me that I need to gain weight.” I guess I can see how they wouldn’t see this as sympathetic, but I really was trying to relate to them in the only way that I could, and I guess that was a mistake. They all looked me up and down and said, “You do need to gain weight.” I walked away from that exchange feeling rejected, hurt, misunderstood, put down, and ugly.

Girls and women should not be made to feel like their body type is unhealthy, unlovable, and ugly whether they are curvy or “stick-straight.” I am just as beautiful as the next woman, even if I am small. I am just as worthy of being loved. I do not starve myself or purge myself to be slender, and even if I did, that wouldn’t make me any less beautiful.

We all have enough body image issues as it is. We don’t need to be adding anymore to each other. If you don’t want someone pointing at you and saying that you weigh too much, then you had better not turn around and point at someone and say that they weigh too little.

So, ladies, step off the scales, drop the measuring tape and look around at all your fellow women and see that they ARE beautiful, no matter the body type.

Stay Beautiful!

Sharon

Advice to College Freshmen from a Senior

So since its August, I’m gonna start with a post for all those nervous freshmen out there.

I remember my freshman year of college, even though I liked school and was commuting from home, I was really scared because I’m shy and I didn’t know anyone who I would be going to school with (admittedly, living at home probably only made this worse – living in the dorms is a blessing because it throws you in the middle of campus and basically forces you to make friends). Anyway, the guy I was dating at the time let me wear his cross necklace the first weeks or so of school to help me feel secure. He reasoned that it would be like he was with me. It helped me adjust, and even though I didn’t make many friends that first year, I felt comfortable at college.

That brief story leads into my first bit of advice:

1. If you’re really nervous about school, wear some of your most favorite, comfortable clothes the first few days, it’ll help you to feel, well, comfortable.

2. Find your classes before the first day of class. Don't be afraid to ask other people for directions to wherever you are going, most people are more than happy to help!

3. Go to class (do not skip - only miss if you seriously must), sit toward the front of the class (whether it’s a huge lecture or a tiny lab), take notes, study, and actually read the book. I know you want to have fun and you feel all free and independent, but the ultimate reason you are in college is to learn something. So please follow this piece of advice.

4. Be respectful. Of your professors, guest lecturers, your peers.

5. Get involved. Get involved. Get involved. Get involved in at least one thing, this will help you to meet people and make friends. If you are invited to the Honors Society for whatever you are studying, join it! It helps to beef up the ol’ resume, plus it will be a good place to learn about opportunities related to your major. If you believe a certain religion, get plugged into that group on campus, trust me, it’ll be good for you. I waited til my junior year of college to get involved with anything, and that was a big mistake! So try out some different student organizations and find one or more place that feels right for you and stick it out through the rest of your college career. Personally, I am (now) involved with Tri-Beta Biological Honors Society, Chi Alpha (a Christian Fellowship), the Wildlife Society, and Sigma Phi Lambda (a Christian sorority).

5a. Don’t just go around joining stuff, actually participate in the various events/volunteering/etc. that your organization(s) do throughout the year.

6. If you are having trouble in class: go to your professor’s office hours and ask for help (throughout the semester), take advantage of on-campus tutoring, go to Supplemental Instruction if it is available, ask a friend who is doing well in the class for help.

7. Go to some of the free, fun events for students, even if you have to go by yourself, just try it!

8. Know when to say no. If someone invites you out late the night before a test, say no. If someone tries to get you to do something you aren’t comfortable with, say no. If you already have way too much on your plate and someone asks you to do something for them, say no.

9. Don’t pull all-nighters, they won’t help you on the test, instead study all semester, make practice tests, go over your notes, and get a good night’s sleep before a test.

10. Remember to call your mom. She misses you and she will be sooo happy to hear from you.

I know you’ve probably heard some or all of that advice before, but I really believe it will help! If you need any specific advice, feel free to ask in the comments! I’ll help if I can.

Wishing you the best this year,

Sharon

Hello There!

Hello there! I see you’ve stumbled onto my blog! Please stay awhile and come back often.

First, allow me to introduce myself: my name is Sharon and I am a senior in college (AHHHHHH!!!!). I am studying Wildlife Biology at Texas State University. Don’t ask me what I want to do after I graduate, because I don’t know. I am 21, going on 22 and I know that my life is relatively short compared to many people, but I still think I have ideas/thoughts/etc. worth sharing (I know, I know, who doesn’t?). But please, give me a chance and if, after a few blog posts, what I have to say doesn’t interest you, you may go elsewhere.

Now I thought I’d let you in on my ideas for this blog:

• ·         Adventures in cooking – I love to cook and, especially, bake so I thought I’d compile a list of things I’d like to learn to make and tackle that overtime and share it here.
• ·         Adventures in apartment dwelling – Toward the middle/end of this August, I will be moving into my second ever apartment so I plan to share how I decorate it from room to room and out onto the balcony, plus other advice and things you need to know/do when living in an apartment.
• ·         Adventures in having a roommate – I lived in my first apartment alone (it was great!) but financially and socially (although I am an introvert) it seemed like a good idea to live with a roommate, so I plan to share what my roommate and I have done to prepare for a smooth living environment and how it works out. I am the youngest of four, but young adults living together is different than siblings living with parents. This is my first roommate, although she’s had a few before. This will also affect the prior category.
• ·         Adventures in college – this will probably mostly be advice based on my experiences and the experiences of those around me. My college experience probably wouldn’t be what others call “exciting.” But I LOOOOOVE talking to people about college, so hopefully that will come through here.
• ·         And just life in general. Which all of the above is really, but I’m using this as a catchall term for anything I might have forgotten.
• ·         Finally, I attempt to participate in NaPoWriMo offline every April (I usually get behind toward the middle of the month), and this coming April, I will attempt to participate online! Maybe having to post my poems online will keep me accountable and I’ll actually finish the whole month! Or not, but we’ll give it a go!

Well that’s it for my first blog post. I hope I did alright. Please provide feedback throughout my posts. I hope we’ll get to know each other. And on that note, if there is ever anyone who needs advice, or if there is anything I can do to make my blog more interesting to you, or if you are curious about anything about me, please, comment (now or in the future)! It might help me to write a blog post. If you don’t, I’ll try to write anyway, so you might as well help me cater my blog to you. To get the ball rolling, comment with suggestions on what my next blog should be!

Signing off,

Sharon