Friday Favorites

What an exhausting week this has been! Lots of things to do (with even more things coming up) and all I can say is thank God for coffee. I don't have any classes on Monday due to Columbus Day and my school canceled all classes on Tuesday too, which is even better!

+ the best tips for studying for your midterms

+ how to take charge of your money

+ free photo packs for creatives

+ five things you must do this fall

+ how to make the most of your mornings

+ eight websites every female entrepreneur should know

+ time management tips for college students

+ how to plan your college search

What are your plans for this weekend?

Tips For Studying at the Library


I was so happy when I finally figured out my weekly routine because I realized that I actually have so much time for the library, which I never thought I did before. However, the library is only helpful for studying if you use your time wisely -- which is why I've found the best methods.

u s e  s p a r e  t i m e
As mentioned on here before, I work Friday-Monday mornings. That means that I have Tuesday-Thursday off from work. My first class on Tuesday and Thursday isn't until 11:30, and my first class on Wednesday isn't until 10. It would be nice to sleep in and not get to school until the time of my first class since I wake up at 3:30 Friday-Monday, but I've realized that being successful in college is all about sacrifice. Instead, I wake up at 6 on my days off, get to the library by 7:30, and do homework for about three or four hours, depending on what day it is. Always being the first one in the library on those days and having to get up way earlier than I need to is kind of a bummer, but I end up leaving the library feeling accomplished and stress-free.

p l a n
I use a to-do list notebook to plan out each week. Every Sunday night, I write down every assignment I need to do for every class for the upcoming week. As I complete an assignment, I cross it off. Planning ahead gives me an idea of what I need to get done, guarantees I don't forget about an assignment, and saves me so much time because I'm not scrambling around to find my syllabi to see what I need to do.

f i n d  t h e  b e s t  m e t h o d
Find the best study method for you. Do you prefer to study alone or with friends? Personally, I need to be by myself and be in a quiet area in order to be super productive. If I'm with friends, I won't stop talking. If there's noise around me, I can't focus. My library has three floors that range by volume level: 1st floor is "noisy" and allows cell phone use and talking, 2nd floor is "quiet" and doesn't allow cell phone use but does allow whispering, and 3rd floor is "silent" and doesn't allow cell phone use or talking. I always go to the second floor. However, if you're the type of person who gets motivated by your friends, go for it!

r e w a r d  y o u r s e l f
When you get through a lot of assignments and studying, reward yourself! The reward could be something silly, like watching an episode on Netflix, going on social media for 15 minutes, or reading a chapter of a book. I like to reward myself with a chicken caesar salad from the cafe in the library (they are TO DIE FOR!), Reese's, or coffee. Just make sure your reward doesn't distract you!

These methods have worked so well for me this past month of school. It allows me to get ahead on assignments for the following week, and I usually don't have homework to do at night or over the weekend, unless it's studying. Getting homework done now allows you to have time for the things you want to do later!

What are your tips for getting things done at the library?

Why I Love Commuting

What most of you probably don't know is that I commute to school. When telling people where I go to school and the fact that I live at home, most of them had the same reaction: "Why would you want to commute? You don't get the full college experience." But I can happily say that I love commuting to school and I do fulfill my idea of the "college experience."

h a ve  l i t t l e  l u x u r i e s
Living at home, I still get to have the "little luxuries" that most of us take for granted -- using a clean shower, having home-cooked meals, sleeping in your own bed, having central air, and more. My twin sister attends school in Connecticut and came home last weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday; she loves her school and living away, but she was beyond happy to have all of those things for a weekend that she once took for granted. After a long day at school, I so look forward to being able to shower, throw on comfy clothes, and lay in bed.

w o r k
I get to work at my job still! As much as I complain about my job, it's actually a great feeling to not be the stereotypical "broke college student." I can still afford my daily coffee at Dunks and more. I do want to get better about budgeting my money, but at least I don't have to be so strict with how I budget.

b e  o n  m y  o w n  t i m e
I can be extremely flexible with my time since I have my car. If I want to get at the library at 7:30 AM, I can. If I want to stay at school to use the library, I can do that too. Or if I'm having a bad day and just want to skip class and binge watch Netflix (may or may not have done that last Friday...), I can do that too.

I think people think that commuters don't get the "full college experience." If I want to go to a party during the weekend, I can still do that while being a commuter. I can still join clubs. I can still make friends -- and I do have friends who live on campus. I still do everything that every other college student does, but I just do it on my own time and in my own way.

What do you love the most about college?

#makeyourmonth


I love that us female millennials are known as being go-getters -- creating goals for ourselves + pushing ourselves to complete them. The total definition of a #girlBOSS.

I love to set goals for myself and find ways to make my dreams become a reality. And I was even more excited when I found that Jacky, who I met through #nectarchat, is the same way.

Remember that exciting collaboration I was talking about a couple of days ago? Well, this is it! Jacky and I are so excited to bring you #makeyourmonth -- a monthly linkup for gals to share their goals + how they plan on completing them.

The first linkup will be on Sunday, November 1st -- feel free to join in + spread the love for others to hear about! We want to inspire as many women as possible to bring out the #girlBOSS in each and every one of us.

Hope to see you join in! XO

Rainy Day Essentials

The weather here has been rainy and cloudy for about the past week -- but I can't exactly say I'm complaining because I live for this type of weather. Being a college student, I've realized the importance of having the right rain gear this past week that has prevented me from getting absolutely drenched while walking to class.

R A I N  J A C K E T

R A I N  B O O T S

U M B R E L L A S

What do you consider your rainy day essentials?

#wearefireandlight Campaign


Do you have a passion that creates a fire in you? Do you dream of changing the world and making  big things happen? Do you believe in girl power?


This amazing movement was created by Ashley Beaudin, a creative entrepreneur who helps women make their business + movement ideas a reality. #wearefireandlight all started with the question, "What is your fire?"

Hundreds of women and I encourage you to participate in this campaign from October 19th-October 21st, which will be taking over social media. Tell the world what your fire is and what won't stop you. Encourage others to join in.

This is all about a sense of community, collaboration, and creativity. One spark starts a fire.

Life Update

Hi ladies! So I have totally been slacking on keeping up with the blog -- my apologies considering it was one of my goals to continue posting daily!

Adjusting to college has definitely been an adventure, but I'm loving school. It took me a couple of weeks, but I've finally got my perfectly weekly routine down. For those of you who are interested...

M O N D A Y
work from 4:30 AM-11 AM // class from 1 PM-2:15 PM // library from 2:15 PM-3:45 PM // class from 4 PM-5:15 PM

T U E S D A Y
library from 7:30 AM-11:15 AM // classes from 11:30 AM-3:45 PM

W E D N E S D A Y
library from 7:30 AM-9:45 AM // class from 10 AM-11:15 AM // library from 11:15 AM-12:45 PM // classes from 1 PM-5:15 PM

T H U R S D A Y
library from 7:30 AM-11:15 AM // classes from 11:30 AM-3:45 PM

F R I D A Y
work from 4:30 AM-11 AM // library from 12 PM-2:15 PM // class from 2:30 PM-3:45 PM

I spend a lot of time in the library, especially on the mornings of my days off of work. It would be nice to sleep in on those days, but I always get a huge feeling of accomplishment after spending so much time in the library and getting things done. The library opens at 7:30, and I'm always the first one there; plus, I choose to study and do homework on the second floor where no one really goes, so I basically have a whole floor to myself.

This schedule allows me to get a ridiculous amount of work done. I just use my extra time wisely, and because I spend so much time in the library during the day, I rarely have to do homework at night and I usually am able to get Monday's homework done before the weekend. Having my nights free of homework is amazing because then I have time to relax and read without spending hours studying and doing homework like I did in high school!

I apologize again for being MIA -- I promise there will be exciting content to come! Plus I have an amazing collab coming up soon that you won't want to miss out on. Stay tuned, ladies. XO