Month: October 2019

How I Got My Internship

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

If you haven’t read my post from yesterday, you wouldn’t know yet that I got a fall internship! For the next few months I will be an online student intern/ambassador with RaiseMe, and I am so excited. To learn more about RaiseMe I suggest you visit their website or read my post from yesterday, but today I’m going to be discussing exactly how I landed my position. As a disclaimer, I’m not sure how prestigious a RaiseMe internship is (I know it’s a position already reserved for high schoolers and is offered to many people per season) but there was still a (short) application process and I wanted to share my experience.

I gave a brief rundown of the online application in yesterday’s post, but today I’m going to explain it in as much detail as I can. Since I have an active account on RaiseMe, I was sent an email notifying me of the opportunity to apply when the application first opened. At first I was a little confused, but once I read the description and realized it was online and fairly low-commitment (compared to most internships) I decided it would be a good fit for my schedule and sounded like something I would be interested in. What really drew me in was the ability to create content for their social media accounts, which I’m super excited for!

The application was an online form through a link in the email (I believe you could’ve found it on the website as well) and it didn’t take too long to fill out. It asked for basic info at first: name, high school, grad year, home address, and email address. There was only one short answer/essay question so that was probably the most important factor; it asked to describe your leadership at school and the activities you’re involved in. I pretty much listed all of my activities because I figured this was an instance where the more I included, the better. Lastly, you had to choose a picture for your profile if accepted, agree to their terms and conditions, and choose a referral link attached to your RaiseMe account.

I feel like all of that information is pretty basic and easy to give out; however, the one thing I was iffy on was the home address. After reading their FAQ, I realized the reason for giving it was because interns receive a RaiseMe swag bag when they are accepted! I’m looking forward to receiving that, and I will definitely post something about it when I do.

I have no clue how many people applied and were chosen for this internship, but I have a feeling it’s not the hardest to get based on the simple application. That being said, it’s still a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to gaining some work experience from it. I truly think RaiseMe is a great platform as I’ve been using it for almost a year now, and I think it’s amazing they offer so many internship opportunities.

If you’re looking for other internships in the future, the application processes most likely won’t be like this particular instance. However, I would definitely recommend applying for a RaiseMe internship if you’re interested! I believe they open applications for each season. I will posting more information about it soon, but let me know if you have any questions!

-Brooke

I Got An Internship!

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

As you can tell from this post’s title, I have a wonderful announcement to make. I am so excited to say that I have been accepted as a fall intern for RaiseMe through their ambassador program! This post is not necessarily a promotion for their platform (I did not list my blog in my application, therefore they are not aware it exists), but I would like to say it’s a great website that you can sign up for to start earning micro-scholarships for college. Every season, RaiseMe sends out emails to lucky students with active accounts on the website inviting them to apply to become an intern for a few months.

I’ve listed RaiseMe as a great website for college resources multiple times on my blog; in case you’ve never heard of it, it’s a website that allows you to input grades, extracurricular achievements, standardized test scores, etc. and earn potential scholarship money from it. There are about 100 colleges that you can earn these mini-scholarships through and follow on the site. Even if the colleges you’re interested in aren’t scholarship partners, it’s still a good idea to sign up because new partners are adding often, and there’s a useful college search tool on the site that includes most colleges (not just partners). I first heard about the site last winter from my school’s counseling office newsletter and signed up just to see what it was about, and I’m glad I did.

I got an email about a month ago inviting me to apply for their Fall 2019 internship, and I immediately filled out the form. It was a fairly simple online application; I believe there were only a couple short answer questions. The only question I really spent time on was the one inquiring about what extracurriculars I had; I pretty much listed everything I do (since I don’t do too much) outside of school. I received an email on October 2nd that I was in! It obviously is an online-based internship meaning most of my tasks will be related to social media or further promoting RaiseMe in my community/at my school; I will not be reporting to an office or having strict hours. It’s supposed to be a pretty flexible commitment where you can put in as much time as you want/have, which was also huge for me.

The internship kickoff call is in a couple days, so I will be receiving a lot more information about what my exact duties will be and how I can get involved with the organization soon. Once I find out more and get started with the internship, I will make another post with more details and possibly a guide on how others can apply for next season. I encourage any of you high schoolers out there to make a RaiseMe account; that way, you might have the opportunity to get this internship in the future!

-Brooke

Bathroom Renovation: Pictures!

BrookeLeave a comment

Good morning everyone!

I recently mentioned in another post that the bathrooms in my house were under renovation. I am excited to say that the downstairs/first one is officially finished with renovations, and I figured I would share some pictures. Here is the finished product:


I apologize for the slight mess of toiletries on the counter; I cleaned up most of it for this picture, but I am currently using this bathroom as mine is the next one to be renovated.

Some quick details: the countertop is quartz but meant to look like Carrera marble, the drawer knobs and soap dish are from Homegoods, the little rug is from Cost Plus World Market, and the mirror is from a local vintage store. The shower was formally a normal tub/shower deal but my mom wanted a walk-in shower since no one really used the downstairs tub and it was a pain to clean. Let me know if you guys have any questions about the materials used, I’m happy to help 🙂

I’m no design expert, but I enjoy watching HGTV and reading home decor magazines, so I figured this would be something unique to share. I’ve written about organization and similar things before, so it’s not too far of a jump in content. This week is actually my homecoming week, so there might be a couple more personal life posts coming up. If you guys are interested I can also write a similar post to this when the other two bathrooms are finished. Have a wonderful and productive day!

-Brooke

Coffee Can’t Give You More Hours In A Day

BrookeLeave a comment

Good morning everyone!

I’ve never been a big coffee drinker; I don’t love the natural taste, I don’t like relying on caffeine to keep my energy levels going throughout the day, and I was never a big Starbucks fan in the past *everyone gasps*. However, one fateful day at yearbook camp where I was running on around 5 hours of sleep, I decided to head to the on-campus Starbucks and get a pick-me-up. I tried the iced caramel macchiato for the first time and kind of fell in love. Ever since then, I’ve been making semi-frequent trips to Starbucks to fuel this new mini-addiction.

I know I’m a bit young to drink coffee regularly which is why it’s more of a treat for me, but surprisingly, a lot of my friends do drink it almost daily. I even came across a Time article titled “Should Parents Worry About Kids Drinking Coffee?” that stated the percentage of Americans ages 13-18 who drink coffee every day has risen to 37%, according to recent studies. For every day consumption, this seems like a huge number. This left me wondering what was responsible for such a large jump in numbers.

I did a little bit more research and there wasn’t a clear-cut answer, but the same things were repeated throughout the articles I read: students having a lack of sleep from staying up to do homework/other work and needing energy throughout the day. Why are students being so overworked? Well, it’s all the same reasons I’ve previously discussed on my blog. Pressure from parents, self-pressure, and competitive college admissions all cause teens to take on a little too much regarding hard classes and lots of extracurriculars.

Coffee/caffeine seems like a way to bring more hours into the day, to get more time for students to get everything done. However, this is obviously not the case. Coffee is definitely a nice treat that we can all enjoy indulging in once in a while and may use from time to time for an energy boost, but it’s dangerous to rely on it. Becoming caffeine dependent at such a young age isn’t a favorable position to be in, especially when it still won’t solve the common problem of not having enough time.

I understand the productivity struggle; we’re all going through our own time-management issues. However, there are better solutions. Yes, of course you can still get your Starbucks drink for a treat- I know I will- but it’s important to know that coffee and staying up late isn’t always the answer. If you’re looking for productivity tips, read the last couple things I’ve posted on this blog! Hopefully that helps you all out- have a wonderful and productive day.

-Brooke

Why Do We Brag About Our Lack of Sleep?

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

The other day my AP Euro teacher made a comment along the lines of, “You guys are always bragging about how little sleep you got and how many hours you spent studying for Euro. It’s a very odd competition, stop doing that!” This got me thinking: why do students constantly bring up the amount of time they spent working instead of sleeping? I know this is a very common thing, so I wanted to address why we do it and why it’s a problem.

  • Wanting validation – If you stay up all night and come to school exhausted, you’re going to want some recognition for it. You might think others will respect you more, or they’ll think to themselves, “Wow, what a committed student.”
  • Believing the more time spent working, the more successful you will be – Some people equate the time they put into something to how well they will do with it. Time is definitely an important factor, but only if it’s productive; just because you spent a certain amount of hours on something doesn’t mean they were hours well spent. Especially if you’re forgoing sleep to keep working, the quality of your efforts may decrease.
  • Competition aspect – School can be super competitive these days with college admissions and such (another topic I’ve written about a lot!). You may feel that it’s necessary to pull all-nighters studying in order to get the best grades in the hardest classes and feel like you’re doing more work than others. This is a dangerous game, but it may make people feel like they’re one-upping everyone else in the moment.
  • Peer pressure – It might just seem like the thing to do. Everyone is staying up late and studying, so you want to contribute to the conversation. Because obviously the person who gets the least sleep is the coolest, right?
  • The prevalence of workaholicism – I feel like there’s this stigma against letting yourself relax if you want to be successful. People feel like they have to be doing something all the time, and it’s almost like you’re considered lazy if you’re not. Yes, you’ll have to put some hard work in to be successful; however, you don’t have to stress yourself out all the time. It’s dangerous to keep perpetuating this idealized image of never-ending work.

Remember, sleep is important!!! I know it’s a lame thing to say/remind you guys of, but I feel like I should nonetheless. Stopping work for the night and going to bed early when you’re tired is nothing to be ashamed of; it’s probably a better choice for your mental and physical health. I’ve written a lot about productivity lately, and I promise different content is coming soon- that being said, have a wonderful and productive day.

-Brooke

5 Productivity Tips That Will Transform Your Day

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

Time- we all wish we had more of it. I know I’ve spent countless hours searching through videos and articles to find the secret recipe of productivity and saving more time. If you’re having trouble checking off everything on your to-do list, or getting all your homework done before you get to the point of exhaustion, this one’s for you!

  • Just get started – It’s scientifically proven that it’s easier for you to tackle and finish tasks when you’ve already gotten started and completed part of it- it seems less daunting that way. Take 5 minutes and start your most intimidating tasks; once you do, it will be so much easier to keep going.
  • Work in short chunks of productive time – Set a timer for 50 minutes of work and then take a 10 minute break. If you have trouble staying disciplined with this, there are lots of productivity timer apps you can use. It’s important to work smarter, not harder. Stay focused during these periods of work.
  • Break down your to-do list by categories – I think it’s helpful to have a running to-do list (possibly a Google doc even) so that you don’t have to keep making new ones, but besides that, it’s also helpful to separate items by categories! For example, separate homework from household chores, and have a separate category for sports/extracurriculars. This way your outline is more clear and you can tackle things category by category instead of being all over the place.
  • Have a cut-off time for work – Set a time where you have to stop working (not exactly a bedtime, but close to the time you’ll want to be heading to bed). By doing this, you ensure that you’ll get a semi-good sleep, and you’ll usually increase your motivation to finish all your work before this time. I find that setting mini-deadlines like this puts enough pressure on me to pull through and finish the work, but it’s very low stakes so I won’t crumble.
  • Prioritize and don’t pile on too much – Don’t expect to finish a week’s worth of work in a day. You’ll just feel frazzled and frustrated. Set time-frames for each task and know what’s absolutely necessary to finish that day. Get all of those necessary tasks done, and then start to work ahead on things that have longer time frames set.

These tips have really helped me increase my productivity recently. I know things can be crazy when schoolwork piles up on top of everything else in our busy teenage lives, but it doesn’t mean you have to be slaving away every second of the day. As I said earlier, the goal is to work smarter, not harder; hopefully we can all get everything we need to done today!

-Brooke

Quotes to Give You The Motivation You Need Right Now

BrookeLeave a comment

Good morning everyone!

I’ve found my motivation lacking lately; maybe it’s the excessive amounts of homework or the lack of relaxation I’ve had in the past few weeks, but it could honestly be anything. I know a lot of you are probably experiencing similar feelings and similar levels of stress, so my goal with this post is just to help you find some inspiration and rejuvenate.

  • Appreciate where you are in your journey, even if it’s not where you want to be. Every season serves a purpose.
  • Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some come to clear your path.
  • Two things you are in total control of in life are your attitude and your effort.
  • If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.
  • It’s a slow process, but quitting won’t speed it up.
  • Be the kind of person that makes other people want to up their game.
  • A goal should scare you a little, and excite you a lot.
  • Keep going, because you did not come this far just to come this far.
  • You will never always be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined.
  • Your current situation is giving you an opportunity to re-evaluate what you want.
  • Wake up with determination, go to bed with satisfaction.
  • Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

I know it’s a bit cheesy, but we all need that little pick-me-up sometimes. There’s no rest for the weary, as my mom often says to me, but you can use the little moments to cheer yourself up. Have an amazing weekend, and use the time to recharge!

-Brooke

How to Deal With Sharing a Bathroom With Your Whole Family

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

The bathroom that I normally share with my brother is currently under construction, and in the meantime we are both mainly using my parents’ bathroom since it’s more convenient than using the downstairs one. This means my whole family is basically sharing one bathroom- luckily the master bathroom is the biggest one in the house- but it’s still been a little frustrating. I realize that I am lucky to have the privilege of having a Jack-and-Jill bathroom attached to my room, a privilege lots of other people do not have, so I figured I would make this little guide on how to make bathroom sharing a little easier!

  • Schedule time – This doesn’t work for everyone, but I know it’s worked for a few of my friends. Have a specific chunk of time in the morning where the bathroom is all yours and you can get everything done- hair, brushing teeth, shower, etc.
  • Work around other people’s schedules – For me, this usually means taking a shower a lot earlier than I normally would- around 5-6pm, right after I get home from cheer practice. On weekends, I usually shower a lot later than I normally would.
  • Get a shower caddy/something similar – This is usually more for dorms, but it might prove helpful even in your own home if the space you’re sharing is small. You all probably have a sizable amount of toiletries and steps in your routine, and the bathroom can get crowded when everyone has all of their stuff in it. Having a caddy that you can easily carry in and out keeps all your stuff together (and no one can steal any of it!) without making a mess.
  • Keep most of your toiletries in your room – Similar to the caddy thing as far as trying to save space- keep things like makeup in your bedroom, because you can easily apply makeup in your room as opposed to a bathroom. It’s one less thing for you to do in the bathroom, and you don’t have to worry about transporting it in your caddy.
  • Use the bathroom elsewhere whenever possible – This is kind of random and may not be realistic, but I found that it helped if I went to the bathroom at school during the day; this way, I wouldn’t have to go before school or as soon as I got home. It sounds weird, but if you’re at friends’ houses, take advantage of having the bathroom to yourself!!
  • Streamline your routine – This means having the least amount of steps you have to do in the bathroom possible. Like I mentioned before, apply makeup in your bedroom instead of your bathroom. Try to get your bathroom routine down to 15-20 minutes or less; the main things you need to do are skincare, showering, brushing your teeth, and actually going to the bathroom, so you can work on doing it quickly!
  • When all else fails, run in and lock the door – This may not be in the spirit of being a fair sharer, but it has to happen at one point or another. If you need extra time, you’ll probably have to do this in order to fight off your other family members.

As with any type of sharing, bathroom sharing can be hard. Usually everyone has to deal with it at some point, and I’m kind of glad I have to deal with it right now- it prepares you for future dorm life/roommate life in college! I’ve always shared a bathroom with my brother, but I’ve never had to share with anyone else before. I’ve definitely learned a lot about my family’s schedules and habits… even more than I thought I would, and more than I needed to…

-Brooke

My Dilemma: Why I Don’t Want to Do School Cheer Next Year

BrookeLeave a comment

Good morning everyone!

Today I’m going to be discussing a more personal issue that’s been swirling around my brain lately. I’ve made multiple posts about my experience being a high school cheerleader (go check them out if you haven’t already!) and I am currently on the JV team. It’s the middle of football season and almost homecoming so things are kind of crazy right now, and with my already busy schedule I’ve had to think a lot about how I want to be spending my time. School sports are huge time commitments and they take up a lot of your energy and focus, so I’m leaning towards not doing it next year. In case you’re in a similar situation with your sports, I figured I would give you some things to consider and just to give an idea of where I’m at.

  • I don’t need to continue- At my school you need two years of PE credit to graduate; by the end of this year, I will have fulfilled those credits from being on cheer both fall semesters of my high school career so far and doing PE both spring semesters. Lots of people at my school end up quitting their sport after these two years.
  • Junior year is going to be crazy on its own – This is another reason why a lot of people at my school end up quitting their sport after sophomore year. Junior year is just so much work with all the AP classes and standardized testing and starting to think about college, and I’m not sure it would be realistic for me to continue cheer on top of all of that. I don’t want to overwork myself if I don’t need to.
  • I’m not the best at it – I know you don’t have to be a superstar to do a high school sport and it’s more about enjoying it, but this has been a personal struggle for me. I’m not very athletic and the program has intensified its expectations as far as stunting, and I don’t want to disappoint my teammates/hold anyone back by not being up to a certain level. Also, there’s no guarantee I would make it next year- juniors and seniors have to be on varsity (our school separates the cheer teams by grade), and there’s so many other good people.
  • It’s just so much time – I’ve mentioned this so many times, and it will continue to be one of the main things that deters me from wanting to keep cheering. I feel like for the amount of time I put into it, I’m not getting enough fulfillment out of it. I’m probably more physically in-shape, but that’s about it. I’m always tired after school since we have practice or games everyday, there’s so many extra events on the weekends/over school breaks, and it’s just a huge commitment.
  • I might get a part-time job or internship instead/there’s a lot of other things I could put the time towards – I have a lot of other interests I would like to pursue, but I currently just don’t have the time and don’t want to stretch myself too thin; a lot of the reasoning for this is cheer. When I think of how much money I could make if I worked for the same amount of hours that I cheer, it makes me question my priorities. There’s a lot of other things I could put that time towards.
  • The people aspect: coaches, team dynamic – I’m not the biggest fan of my coaches, point blank. They definitely know what they’re doing as far as cheer, but they play favorites and I am not one of them, and there’s a lot of other stuff going on behind the scenes. It’s kind of a mental struggle… I’ll go more into depth on this once I’ve exited the program.
  • The reputation – People don’t really like cheerleaders; teachers assume you won’t work hard, peers assume you just want to be popular, and it’s overall not the best way to make a good impression on people. I’ve tried to not let this affect me and prove to people that I’m more than a stereotype, but it’s still there- we have to wear our uniforms to school every game day, and there’s just that certain image.
  • I’m not in love with it anymore – This has been the hardest thing for me to come to terms with. Cheer has been such a huge part of my life for the past couple years; I fell in love with it in middle school, I was ecstatic to make the high school team, and it’s been a major component of my high school experience thus far. I’ve had a lot of amazing and crazy experiences that I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t decided to give this sport a try, and that’s why I wish that I could be naturally talented at it and/or still in love with it.

I hope this gave you some insight on where I’m at with cheer/high school sports right now. This is just my personal experience of course- I figured it may help some of you out there in similar situations though. It’s okay to want to quit something if you don’t enjoy it anymore, even if you’ve done it for a long time. You just have to make sure it’s the right decision for you and that you can leave with no regrets (and hopefully on good terms)!

-Brooke

How to Succeed In Writing-Heavy Classes

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

This year I am taking AP European History as my history course, and there is a LOT of writing involved. Our main activities during class are listening to my teacher’s lectures and taking furious notes, practicing writing DBQs, and writing out long lists of terms for our study guides. Writing and AP classes are both time consuming on their own, so together… let’s just say I’ve spent many hours each week on writing assignments for this class. If you’re taking a similar course, this is the post for you!

  • Break it up – This is crucial. I know we all love to procrastinate, but you CANNOT leave every paper/essay/huge assignment until the last minute in these classes, because there’s just too many assignments like that. I highly recommend working on these things every day for at least 20-30 minutes (more if you can!!), specifically covering the parts of the material that you discuss in class each day.
  • Record lectures to give your hand a break sometimes – Hopefully your teacher allows this (mine does), but in these types of classes, especially history, a lot of information is covered; it can be very useful to record lectures so you don’t miss any minute details. You can also use these to take revised notes later.
  • DO EXTRA CREDIT – I say this in every school advice post no matter what class it is, but in these types of classes it’s especially important. Writing is so subjective that you may not always be sure of how you’re doing in the class/what grades you’ll get on assignments- this is why extra credit may save you. It’s always nice to have the extra padding regardless.
  • Mainly study formatting; otherwise, PRACTICE is your best bet for studying – If a lot of your grade is based on in-class essays and writing assignments, there’s not always a way to “study” for those. I recommend always looking over the format the night before and even right before you go to class so it’s fresh in your mind. Other than that, I would suggest you do as many practice writes as you have time for; I know that’s not always realistic timewise though.
  • Use highlighters and make keys – This can really help you figure out what you’re actually writing and what you’re missing. My teacher makes us do this, and it helps so much. Use a bunch of different colored highlighters and make a key; break it up by thesis, evidence, important people/events, etc. Your strengths and weaknesses in your writing will come across much clearer this way, and you can easily see if you forget something.

The best thing you can do is to keep writing; the more you practice, the more you improve. These types of classes have a lot of time-consuming assignments, but as you get used to the pace it will be a lot easier to keep up (that’s what I keep telling myself!). Try to stay on top of the work and do your best, because that’s all you can do. If all else fails, write as much as you know and ask your teacher for help- they want you to succeed too!

-Brooke