5 Tips for the Best Fall Semester Ever

Fall semester is my favorite semester now, but freshmen year it was nothing but stress, stress, and homesickness. Being prepared for what's going to come is a huge help, and I recommend finding out what life will be like at your particular college (your college's website and other blogs will help with this).

But fall semester can also be a ton of fun and more of a learning experience than a stressful one. Here are the five best things you can do to make your first fall semester awesome:

Talk to your professors during the first week. You'll hear this advice from everyone: your mentors, your peers, your professors, your parents, and especially your school. But it's the best advice you'll hear.

Establishing a relationship from the start gives you an idea of what your professors are like and what they will expect from you in class. It also gives you people you can come to during the semester. When you have three tests and a paper due on the same day, you'll feel better about coming to a professor and asking for help if it isn't the first time you've seen them out of class.

Figure out a time management plan. I always say my high school prepared me for the difficultly of my work in college, but not the quantity. I was a mess trying to get everything done freshmen year. I lived in the library until 6:00 except for class and lunch. I did not need to do this. I over-planned, thinking I needed to put more time in than necessary.

The next semester, I developed a plan that worked for me (reserving the library for my hardest work), but life would have been a lot easier if I did that sooner. So learn from my mistake. Set up your study/activity plan before all your "to-dos" take over your life.

Study outside the library. As hinted at above, my university's library sucked away my soul. (It looks like the 1980s touched it and never went away). But I assumed it had to be the best place to study- it's the library! Not until later would I understand how much better I worked at the Starbucks in town. When you're looking for a place to work, venture out from the library and try out several spots until you find the spot.

Go home (but not too soon). You need time to adjust to your new lifestyle, and going home the first four weekends isn't going to accomplish that. But once you make it a least a month (or two), feel okay about going home for your sibling's choir performance or your town's winter festival. Taking a break away from campus helps you to recharge, and some time with people you love.

Also, if you find yourself getting homesick (like I did- heck, like most freshmen I know did), you can also ask your family to come visit you. My parents and sister drove down to see me two weeks after I moved in for a Sunday lunch. It was such a relief to see them, but I avoided the anxiety of "going back to campus" you can get when you visit home.

Say yes to (almost) everything. Now this goes against what most of you have heard: "Don't be afraid to say no!" I'm here to tell you that fall semester is all about saying yes. When your floormate asks if you want to go to dinner, even though all you want to do is order pizza and watch YouTube? Say yes. When you're overwhelmed by the activities fair and just want to run in the opposite direction? Say yes to at least three sign-up sheets. When your classmate asks you to study together even though you already have the material down? You got it- say yes.

Fall semester freshmen year is all about new experiences. You'll never feel at home at your chosen university sitting in your dorm room day after day. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone this semester when given the chance. You never know what you might like.

Plus, meeting new people (even for you, introverts!) is so important those first few weeks. Friends going through the same changes as you make the whole process easier. Unless you know something will hurt you (i.e. a party the Thursday night before your chemistry midterm? Yeah, that's a no. Or if you're already an active member of two clubs and really can't take on a third), a "yes" will never be as regrettable as a "no."

What tips do you have for fall semester?

---

Below the Line:

• Four days until my big move in! I'm both excited and anxious for the new semester :)
• Took a food allergy test yesterday :( I feel like I need to stuff myself with bread just in case gluten is taken away from me...
• Cookie butter= DELICIOUS. But then again, what did I expect? It's called cookie butter. ;)
• Coming up on Friday: a post for all you organizational/stationary fans out there.

What I Read: We Were Liars (50 Followers Bonus Post!)

Before I get into the review, thank you SO MUCH for 50 followers! It's been a lot of fun writing this blog this summer, and I'm glad there's 50 of you out there who enjoy it :) What's a blog without great readers? In celebration, here's a bonus book review about one of the more talked about novels of the summer. I hope you like it!

4.5/5 pineapples

This review has been difficult to write. I finished We Were Liars in the beginning of August, but I just haven't been able to review it yet. It's a complicated book. Plus it straight out warns me to lie when people ask what it's about.

I don't buy into that sales tactic. So I will review this book as I would any other, without spoiling anything but still explaining what I do and don't like. The book is about the extravagantly wealthy family, the Sinclairs. Of course, they're a total mess (that's what makes things interesting). Cadence, the eldest grandchild of the Sinclairs, serves as our narrator. Due to some unspeakable accident, Cadence can't remember the summer she was fifteen on her family's fancy-pants island. We follow her thoughts throughout the book as she tries to figure out what happened.

First of all, Lockhart's writing style is refreshing. It has a lyrical quality to it, breaking up paragraphs and even sentences into short lines. She also inserts fairy tale inspired stories in between the narrative that provide insight into Cadence's rather messed up mind.

The plot is also intriguing enough to keep reading. This was a refreshing element, since recently I've had to drag myself through the books I've read. That plus the writing style makes its easy to get through this book in one or two days.

But my absolute favorite part of this book is the mystery. I love mysteries, whether in book or TV form. I like trying to figure out with the characters what different elements mean, and then going back once I know the answer and seeing what clues I missed. We Were Liars is one giant mystery. Cadence doesn't figure out what happened that "missing" summer until the very end of the book. It's a twist I didn't see coming at all.

I left feeling like I learned enough, though. This wasn't one of those cliff-hanger books, hitting you with big information and then simply dropping off the page. I wasn't trapped without a satisfactory resolution.

Yet, I couldn't give We Were Liars the full five pineapples. Simply because, like Gone Girl, it was an entertaining read but not a life-changing one. Still, it's an excellent book that keeps you guessing. Lockhart's writing style also keeps the  story moving and brings an interesting perspective on the truth versus the lies. I highly recommend it.

What did you think of We Were Liars?

---

Below the Line:

• I'm faced with lots of packing to do this week as I get ready to head back to school. Any packing tips would be appreciated (and yes, this is my third year- I still haven't figured out the best way to pack :))
• My back-to-school series resumes on Tuesday! More college knowledge (see what I did there?)

Reading for Fun in College

Let me be blunt: you won't have time to read for fun at college if you don't make time. I have 30 books assigned for next semester. THIRTY. 

So disclaimer: I probably will not be reading for fun this semester. These tips are more for people with reasonable reading assignments or who would rather give up eating than pleasure reading. And while no, I won't selecting what I read until December, most of the books I have to read are still great reading material. I typically like most of them. No textbooks for the English/History major!

But I digress. You're here because you want know how to read for fun at college. Or maybe you've just found yourself busy with your job, your high school work, your newborn baby, your car, your yard work- you get the picture- and want to fit reading into your schedule. Look no further: here's what you should try.

The most important thing to do is choose a book that can be easily put down for several weeks. It will be extremely difficult to read your book continuously over a couple of days. Last year, I brought along Life is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman to school. Over the course of the semester, I could pick up this book with weeks in between and not feel lost because of its building plot and memorable story.

I highly recommend any "auto-biographical" or "memoir" type book for that reason. It's fairly easy to jump in after being away for a long period of time. A couple other options are Ellen DeGeneres's Seriously...I'm Kidding (just don't listen to it as an audio book- surprisingly a bad idea) and Barbara Kingsolver's High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never.

You should also set aside a certain time to read. Even the most die-hard readers struggle to pick up a book spontaneously when faced with unfinished assignments and unread emails. In the past, I've set Saturday mornings as reading time. It worked maybe once. But I have generally stuck with Saturday mornings as my "chill" time. If I have a book I want to read during chill time, I totally can, guilt free. You can choose whatever time or frequency you want; it's all about what works best for you.

Finally, use your book as a reward. Tell yourself "if I finish this chapter before dinner, I can read Life is So Good for 30 minutes." Or, when the procrastination is running strong, tell yourself that every minute spent on Twitter is a minute lost on reading time. When you get your work done, you won't feel as guilty for taking time to read as you would when a blank Word document stares you in the face.

How do you find time to read for fun? What books do you recommend? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

---

Below the Line:

• Another great post on this subject is by Katie at My College Advice. She writes more about why you should keep reading in college.
• I FINALLY FOUND THE PLANNER. Whoosh, that was a frustrating, stressful process. I'll reveal my choice in another back-to-school post next week.
• The clock is ticking on summer days, and I have quite a bit left to do. Like the big stack of books next to my full bookshelf that still needs a home. And the stack of boxes in front of my closet. And all the blog posts I was going to write and plan ahead...

Unconventional College Packing List

I started out thinking I would write the generic "Top 10 Things to Bring to College!" post. It's the start of my back-to-school series (woot woot!) and what better way to start then with a list? But once I asked my Facebook friends for their suggestions, it turned into so much more than just a list (and so much better). The things my friends found as "must-haves" ranged from bed sheets and towels to a Time Turner and blankets for floor naps. From my friend Danielle:

Never underestimate the power of a comfy chair (or futon if you're blessed with space), especially for those introverts among us who enjoy studying in our rooms but not necessarily enduring the cold, hard reality of a desk chair for hours on end. Other than that, I would have to say I'm inordinately fond of my hanging closet shoe rack. It only takes up a little bit of precious closet space but can be used to organize all kinds of small non-shoe items.

And my friend Lydia:

A tiny but well stocked first aid kit and a tiny travel sewing kit! You might be surprised how many disasters can be saved by some band-aids or thread.

Then there's Grace, whose comments just can't go unrecognized:

I also always bring my SpUnKy personality and good looks.

As I laughed along or nodded in agreement, I realized how much stuff I use at college the lists online never prepared me for. So I compiled a list of all the Facebook suggestions, more or less in my friends' own words. The items in bold were suggested more than once, and therefore are the best stuff on the block. ;)

But enough of my blabbering! Without further ado, here is the unconventional college packing list:

What are your unconventional college (or uni, my European friends) must-haves?

---

Below the Line:

• Special thanks to my friends who generously offered up their must-haves: Grace, Lian, Kirstyn, Casie, Laura, Haley, Hattie, Jackson, Alison, Danielle, Erin, Erica, Kenzlie, Audrey, Kate, Sarah, Lydia, and Mary Kate. You guys are bam-kicking ;)
• Second installment of my back-to-school series coming up Friday! Hmm, I wonder what it could be...
• My family went on our annual trip to the Indiana State Fair on Saturday! My sister tried a deep fried Oreo and deemed it "really yummy." My favorite part was the penny candy- but then again, it's always the penny candy :)