Time Management Tips for the Procrastinator

     I am not sure if I would call myself a procrastinator. I don't complete an assignment the day it was assigned nor do I wait for the last minute to do things. I fall somewhere in the middle. Personally, I think how we manage our time varies from person to person. I can say personally, that the transition from high school to college was mainly based on how you figure out to manage your time.In college you have 10 times more free time than in high school, but you have 10 times more things to complete. It takes longer for some people while others just fall right into a great routine.

     The past year has been hectic. Between 4 classes, giving tours, rugby practice and games and keeping up this blog it is sometimes easy for me to get overwhelmed. I am busy person, so I figured I would share some of my time management tips for all you procrastinators out there!

1. Use a planner! I write down every tour, every homework assignment, every practice and everything in between in my planner. I use the space for each day in my planner to write down what needs to get done for that day, while my monthly calendar is color coded to tell me large events and assignments.
I personally have a Lilly Pulitzer planner, and while expensive, I use the living heck out of it. For me, it was well worth the money that I spent on it if it means keeping me organized.

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2. Schedule some "Me Time". I know, it may sound kind of weird, but for me, it is a necessity. My "me time" during the week takes place from Friday after my rugby practice to Sunday at noon. It may make me sound like a horrible student, but during this time I will not do homework. I do a ton during the week so I use this time to do other things like write blog posts, catch up with friends, do laundry or sleep (most of the time I am probably catching up on sleep).

3. Keep you professors informed! The lovely thing about professors here at SMC is that they are always willing to help you out. If one week is particularly crazy, it is best to keep them up to date on what is going on in your life, especially if that means having to hand in an assignment late. Hey, it happens. it's not going to be the end of the world if you ask for an extension on an assignment.

4. Prioritize! Every one's priorities are different, so I am not going to sit here and tell you that homework needs to come first. For me, I have a pretty unique perspective on my GPA. While I aim to keep it as high as I possibly can achieve, I am more concerned about gaining life experiences and making the personal connections with my professors, employers and peers. While I do my absolute best to keep my grades up, not doing so well on a test or quiz  is not going to kill me. As long as I work as hard as I possibly can and do my assignments to the best of my ability, I am happy with my accomplishments. 

Moral of the story is, figure out what works best for you! 

Love,
Susanna


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[I hope my readers don't take this post as unappreciative of my education. My education means the world to me. I wouldn't be here it if I didn't find it to be important.  I value my education, but I also value real world experience and gaining connections that will be able to propel me in life. It is a give and take between the two.]

Spring Break!

Helllllooooooo, is this thing on?! Just give me a moment to dust off the cobwebs that have blessed this lovely blog that I call mine. I have been busy lately with classes, rugby, tours so Spring Break last week was much deserved. 
     I have not been home since January so it was really nice to go home again to see my family and my dog! I was planning on taking the MegaBus on Thursday at 3:45 to Hartford, but on Wednesday night into Thursday we got a MASSIVE snow storm here in VT. When I say massive, I mean we got 2 feet of snow in a night. So, naturally, my MegaBus was cancelled  to go home on Thursday. But all was ok because my lovely friend Sharon (read her blog HERE), offered me a ride home. So on Friday Sharon, her friend Shawn and myself packed into her Subaru and headed toward New York. I finally got home around 8PM after my dad picked me up from Marist College (where Sharon dropped me off) and after a quick pit stop at my uncle's house. 
     Saturday was fairly uneventful. I went shopping with my mom in the morning then went shopping again with my best friend around noon, then went back out shopping with my mom later in the day. It was all Target's fault, it was just calling my name the whole time I was home. Needless to say, it was a fairly good day. Sunday was sort of the same, minus all the shopping. I just stayed at home with my puppy for most of the time. 
     Fast forward to Thursday. Mom and I packed into the car to head up to Massachusetts to attend an award banquet for my Yiayia (grandmother). She was being honored as Quincy Citizen of the Year. My mom's whole side of the family was in attendance which was really nice. Earlier in the day I also attended a class that my Yiayia teaches at Mount Ida College. She gave me a quiz at the beginning and I got a 60. Good thing I was not actually being graded, but I still did better than I thought I would. 
    On Friday I hopped in the car with my Uncle Ted, my Aunt Cindy and their two dogs, Tupelo and Tessie to make the trek back to Burlington. It was really nice to spend time with them on the car ride up.Saturday I headed up to Smuggler's Notch with my dad, my Uncle Emmett, my Aunt Paige and my cousin Finch for a wonderful powder day. The conditions were great and no one was there which made the lift lines almost non existent. After a day on the mountain my dad, brother and I headed over to my Uncle Emmett and Aunt Paige's house for a big dinner that was delicious. 
     Here I am, finally, on Sunday sitting at my desk in my dorm room in Alumni writing this post before I start some homework due for this week. I could not have asked for a better week at home and now I feel refreshed and energized to finish the last part of this semester. 

Love, 
Susanna

P.S.: Saint Michael's Women's Rugby will be playing on Saturday March 29th at UCONN at 1pm! If you are in the area, be sure to check it out! More details will be posted on our Facebook page closer to the date!

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On the Hunt: the Job Hunt

     It is that time a year again. Job hunting season. Thankfully I have already been blessed with a fantastic job this summer and I am honestly counting down the days until summer camp, but for those without jobs, this might be of some help! One of the major points of being a grown up college person now is that you will need to get a job. This not only provides you with money, but it also provides you with something to put on your resume, work experience and the opportunity to network and meet new people. Last year around this time I started looking for a camp counselor position because I knew it was what I wanted to do. It gave me the opportunity to get my resume and applications to as many camps as possible while still leaving me some wiggle room for scheduling interviews. It is also a perfect time because spring break is right around the corner and, assuming, you are looking for a job close to home, you won't have to take time off of classes to go home for an interview. Here are some of my tips to nailing an awesome job.

1. Ask yourself a few questions: What exactly do you want to do? Do you want to be outside or inside all day? Do you want to be at a desk? Do you want to work with kids? What are you interested in? This will help you narrow down your search to find something that you are interested in doing all summer. 

2. Work on your resume: Make sure your resume is up to date and professional looking. SMC has a great service in our career development office where they will help you organize a professional resume. Set up an appointment HERE. (In general, our career development office is amazing here on campus, they are bunches of help and I suggest checking out their website HERE!)

3. Check what is needed when you apply: This is a crucial step. Make sure that if you have to submit a cover letter with your resume and application that you do so. If you don't, it may look like you do not know how to read directions and it will look poorly on you.

4. Research: Research the places that you apply. I spent hours perusing Youtube, Facebook, twitter and the company's websites to find all of the information that I could about them. This is crucial if you get an interview so that you can ask the questions that you really want to get answered. 

5. Google yourself: I know, this may sound really weird. Now a days one of the first things that employers do is Google and applicant to check what they do online. So before they see something that you aren't particularly proud of, go on a quick mission to clean up all of your social media sites and online activity. This is especially important if you plan on working with children like I do at a summer camp. You are there to be role models and a reflection of the place you work, so don't make it look bad!

6. Do a follow up: After you submit your application, give it a few days but then make sure that the employer received your application. 

7. Dress the part: If you have an in person interview, make sure you look nice. Most of the time they will tell you how to dress for an interview, whether it be business casual or business attire. Whatever the case, pull yourself together a bit. Sweat pants and sneakers are never an option, just remember that. 

8. Don't get frustrated: I applied to many places before I found one that loved me as much as I loved them. It may take time to find the perfect fit. Just don't get frustrated. Some place wants you, just stay positive! 

Helping my A session girls during an evening activity. They had to wear as many articles of clothing as possible. I believe our count was around 107 or so. 

My C session girls. This was after an evening activity that consisted of paint, water, flour and tons of fun!

Those are some of my tips to landing an awesome summer job! I followed these tips and I found a place that I adore working at. Last summer was an absolute blast and I cannot wait to go back. Shameless plug, if you want to work at a summer camp, DO IT. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had and I recommend it to anyone!

Love,
Susanna

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Who Doesn't Love a Discount?

     One of the perks of being a Saint Mike's student, or a college student in general, is being able to get awesome discounts just by flashing your snazzy school ID. I mean, who doesn't love a good discount? I know that I love getting a discount on things. There are tons of businesses that offer discounts, here are a few of the ones that I think are really great!

- Amazon Student: With Amazon Student, you get a free trail of Amazon Prime for a year. This includes unlimited two day shipping that is free on all orders and a one-day shipping upgrade for only $4!

- Amtrak: If you sign up for Amtrak's student advantage card, you can save 15% on all ticket fares. So for the avid traveler or for those that use the train to get home for school breaks, taking advantage of this could save you a good amount of money!

- Banana Republic, J. Crew and Madewell: All of these wonderful stores offer a 15% off discount in all stores with a valid school ID. This is an awesome one to take advantage of because these stores can tend to be on the pricey-er side of stores. 

- Goodwill: If you are not into the stores posted above and are more interested in thrift shopping, then Goodwill is the perfect option! At most Goodwill locations, you can get a 10% off discount with a valid student ID!

- Eastern Mountain Sports: For the outdoorsy people, EMS offers a 15-20% off discount This is an amazing deal as the majority of their stuff can be a bit expensive!

- FedEx: As a student, you can get a 20-30% off discount on shipping.

- New York Times: As a student, you can get a subscription to the New York Times for a reduced rate.

- Chipolte: Receive a free drink with a purchase and a valid student ID!

- Buffalo Wild Wings: BWW offers 10% off your total with a student ID!

Another thing that is special about the KnightCard, our student ID card at SMC, is that it acts as our bus pass for the CCTA bus system here in Vermont. The CCTA is our form of public transportation to all of Chittenden County. Our KnightCard is also taken as a form of payment for places like Cumberland Farms right next to campus and Sweetwaters downtown on Church Street, along with other places!

     See, there are a ton of perks about being a college student! Another good thing about SMC, is that most of these stores are in close proximity to campus. So whether you want to grab a quick bite to eat, do a little shopping, or find an easy way to get home, there is always the option to do it at a discounted price! What could be better than that?

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Smugg Life

     Here at Saint Mike's you get the awesome opportunity to live the thug Smugg life. I'm talking about our amazing ski and snowboard opportunities here at SMC! I have been on the mountain since a very young age, but sort of got out of touch with mountain life during high school. As of now, I am so grateful that I learned how to ski at such a young age because going to Smuggler's Notch is one of my favorite winter weekend activities here at SMC. 
     At SMC, we have an amazing deal on a full adult season pass to Smuggs. A normal adult season pass for Smuggler's Notch is around $530. As a student of Saint Mike's you get the exact same pass for only $65. That is less than a normal day ticket! How crazy! It is an amazing deal and I recommend that any student take advantage of it. 
     This past weekend I went up to Smuggs with some friends and it was a great time. There were no lines at the lifts and it was a beautiful sunny day. The temperatures were high and the trails were great. We mainly stayed at the Madonna and Madonna 2 lifts all day, but towards the end we ventured over towards Sterling, which I had never been on before. We ventured over there not only to see the gorgeous views, but my Aunt Paige was running a competition over towards that side of the mountain. It was so cool to see a slopestyle competition and it was great to see my cousins!

Sterling lift is to the right. (photo taken from www.smuggs.com)

Photo by Jennifer Langille Photography. Check out her AMAZING photos HERE.
This is a photo of  the whole group at the competition. It was so cool to watch these kids ride for a little while. They are all amazing at what they can do on skis and a snowboard!
Check out the Northern Vermont Series of USASA HERE

     Overall, yesterday was fantastic. I was so tired by the end of the day that I fell asleep at 9 o'clock and didn't wake up until 9:30 this morning! But it was all worth it!
     If you come here as a student, I totally suggest taking advantage of the pass to Smuggler's Notch that we have available, even if you don't know how to ski or snowboard. Now is the perfect time to learn! 

Chairlift pictures are my favorite especially on beautiful days. 

As you can see, the view is beautiful from basically anywhere at Smuggs! 

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Frozen.

     So this past week it has been quite chilly up here. On Friday, we got hit with a pretty large snowstorm which brought us at least a foot of snow. It was snowing all day long on Friday. It was snowing so bad, that the scavenger hunt that I signed up to help with for Founder's Society got cancelled (I was really bummed about it). There are some upsides to the snow though. 
     One of the amazing things that is offered if you are a SMC student is our sweet deal to Smuggler's Notch. As a student, you get a $65 adult season pass to Smugg's. This is INSANE seeing as a regular adult season pass will cost you over $500. The great thing about this pass is that it gives you 50% off rentals and lessons, it gives you discounts on food, unlimited access to the mountain and access to the pools and hot tubs at Smugg's. The other wonderful thing about it here at SMC is that on the weekend there is a shuttle that takes you from campus to the mountain and back. What is not to love?! So many students take advantage of that here at SMC. 
     Another thing is that the snow looks beautiful. While sometimes it can be a wee bit chilly, the snow on campus never fails at being gorgeous. Campus looks like a mix between Narnia and Frozen, what is not to love about that?!
       Speaking of Frozen, I believe that I am one of the few people that has yet to see it. All of my friends that have seen it absolutely adore it. The other day I was perusing YouTube like I normally do and I found this video and just HAD to share it with all of you! It is amazing!

     Sledding. I mean, who doesn't love sledding? On Friday in the middle of the blizzard some of my friends and I had the wonderful idea to go sledding. Across the street at the view is a hill and we thought it would be the perfect place. Now, none of us had sleds. So we used cardboard boxes, old Alliot trays and the lids to some of our storage boxes. The old Alliot tray proved to be the best method. We had a blast as we froze. It was definitely a ton of fun! One of my good friends, Lida, has an amazing camera and takes great pictures. Here are some that she took that day!

I'm always posing. Why? I have no idea. 

Candice giving Kelsie and I a little push in hopes of us gaining enough speed to go off the jump at the bottom. UPDATE: it didn't work. We missed the jump. 

(l to r: Courtney and Candice)

(l to r: Courtney, Candice, Me, Teresa and Kelsie)

That is pretty much it for now! 
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Why Didn't You Tell Me This Earlier?

     I suppose this title is self explanatory, as it should be. Now I am slowly approaching the end of my sophomore year and I feel like I have college life pretty figured out (sometimes). Even though many people tried to give me tips and tricks to having a successful college career, I was always the one to just shrug it all off. Looking back, I wish I took all of their advice sooner. So, seeing as it is almost time for the class of 2018 to make their final decisions on where they will spend the next 4 years of their lives, I figured I would let you in on all the things I wish I had known before college. 

1. Making real friends takes a good amount of time. In your first week you will find someone who you automatically click with. They will become your instant BFF. All the normal things will occur, like you calling your mom to say that you have found your absolute best friend. Beginning of second semester you awkwardly pass them on the way to class and think to yourself, "why were we even friends to begin with?" BEEN THERE. DONE THAT. This happens ALL THE TIME. It is basically impossible to become best friends with someone in a matter of hours. Finding people that will always be there for you may even take over a year. I am so blessed that I have been able to find a group of friends that are always there for me. Sure, we have had our ups and downs, but they will always have my back. 

2. It's hard being away from home. If you would have told me this back when I was filling out my college applications, I would probably have laughed in your face. As much as I love my hometown, I was so desperate to get out. While I don't regret my decision to come to SMC one bit, at times it is hard to be away from home. I don't want to go home every weekend to do my laundry, but it would be nice to go home to see my dog occasionally or be there for my best friend's birthday without a 5 hour drive each way. I love SMC more than words can describe, it has become my home and I am so thankful for that. I am also so thankful for technology because it makes being away so much easier. 

3. Classes can (and will) be challenging. Who ever said getting into college was the hard part, boy were they wrong. My first couple of semesters showed that. The purpose of being in a place of "higher learning" is to be challenged and to think in ways that you never have before. Its not supposed to be a repeat of high school, and if it is, then you may be in the wrong place. All of the information you are learning is advanced information so it is expected that you produce high-quality work. Be prepared to spend hours studying for one thing. The thing that I am grateful about here at SMC is while my classes are challenging, they are classes that I am extremely passionate about. My first couple of semesters, I was in a major that I chose just for the heck of it. I wasn't until last semester that I found a subject that I am truly passionate about. While at times spending hours in Bergeron seems daunting, I wouldn't change it for the world. 

4. Go to Office Hours. Everyone told me this. I even tell people this every Monday when I give tours (come take a tour with me!) Practically everyone that I met told me this little tidbit of information but I always just brushed them off. I tend to be fairly shy unless I know you really well. I had it in my head that I was not going to go to office hours. BIG MISTAKE. I didn't go to my professor's office hours until after Thanksgiving. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING SUSANNA?! Professors can be intimidating, you can't find their office, you don't have time. Before you know it, the excuses just start building up and it is the end of the semester and your grade isn't all that hot. Go to their office hours a couple of days a week where you can just talk about life. Let them get to know you outside of the classroom. I love talking with professors here at SMC. While I was nervous at first, it totally helps. Before you know it you will be eating lunch with your professor or talking about the latest episode of Scandal.

(P.S.- I wish I took everyone's advice. I didn't and my GPA would be much higher if I did.)

5. Everyone changes their major. Ok maybe not everyone, but a lot of people do. I know that you have loved the business world since second grade and that you always wanted to be the next Donald Trump or Oprah Winfrey. But then you start struggling in your classes needed for a business major and begin to question everything. And this my friends is why Liberal Arts schools like ours exists. They help you figure out where you fit the best. Go from education to business to media studies. Take classes outside of your comfort zone and test your boundaries. This could help you realize a new passion. Changing your major, even multiple times like me, is completely normal.

6. Don't judge a person by their Facebook profile. Being a media studies major, this is one lesson that I have learned about social media. In May, I was added to the Class of 2016 Facebook page and instantly went into creeper mode. Ask my friends, I am seriously the best Facebook creeper ever. In the midst of doing that, I made assumptions about people that were completely false and inhibited me from getting to know the real them. Some people that I thought were totally weird are actually some of the nicest people I know. I guess that the 2014 way of saying don't judge a book by its cover would be to say "don't judge a person by their Facebook profile."

7. You will make mistakes. You will fail at things. You may fall down the stairs. You may set the fire alarm off in your room because you burnt popcorn. But then you will achieve at things. You will get up after you fall. You will learn the exact time it takes to pop a perfect bag of popcorn. Mistakes are how you learn. Maybe brushing off studying before your macroeconomics final wasn't the best idea. Or eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream in one sitting (even though it was delicious). You try and try again until you can finally get it right. In college you don't only learn things about biology, philosophy, journalism or all the other subject areas. You also learn things about life. 

This blog post might have been a little heavy, but it is super important. To make things a little lighter, I will leave you with a wicked pretty picture of SMC, because it is the most beautiful and magical place on earth!

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