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5 Teen Book Reviews in 5 Sentences

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

For today’s post I had a random burst of inspiration; I was rereading one of my old favorite book trilogies last night and this morning, and I knew I wanted to do something related to books. I used to constantly devour new books but in the past couple years I’ve rarely gotten the chance to read anything that’s not required for school. However, in summer I have the free time to explore and revisit some comforting favorites! I stayed up until 2 am reading the first book in the previously mentioned trilogy last night, and I finished the other two before getting out of bed this morning.

Clearly, I read in long and intense spurts. I will admit most of my favorite books and the ones I’ll mention today are more YA fiction and not necessarily “mature” picks or classic works, but I’ve always looked at reading as an escape and I am a teenager; therefore, I can easily get sucked into any interesting world portrayed in a story, and I do get attached to the characters found in these novels. Also, all of the books I’ll discuss are nicely lined up on my bookshelf right across from me at the moment and have been held dear to me for a while, so they’re definitely not new!

I wanted to talk about some of the books I’ve loved for quite a few years, but not have to go too in-depth or explain the plots. I actually read a lot of these for the first time in late elementary school or middle school so they’re not the most advanced, but I was an avid reader and had a slightly higher-than-average reading level back then so do with that what you will. I will review each book with one sentence summing up my favorite thing about it/the overall enjoyment I got from it. That’s why I came up with this idea; I can suggest a few books to you guys and explain why I liked them/how they made me feel, but it will be (VERY) short and sweet. Now that I’ve given you some background on my reading style and preferences, here are the reviews:

  1. The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass (the aforementioned trilogy): These books made me long for a prince of my own (stereotypical, I know), the characters annoyed me at times but I overall became very invested in the protagonist’s love life.
  2. Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie: My main introduction to dystopian novels, the classic plotline of breaking free intertwined with a love triangle was enough to keep me intrigued throughout the main character’s journey.
  3. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass: The ending (aka the reveal of the meaning of life) disappointed me at first but at the same time was the perfect conclusion to a touching story, it really did make me think about the meaning of life and how we find it in ourselves.
  4. A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin: I read this a longggg time ago, but it was one of the first books to make me genuinely cry at the end; the setting of an old-timey boarding house and carnival was portrayed so well and the beautiful yet tragic ending broke my heart.
  5. The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch: This series was different than most of the ones I read in that it was just randomly adventurous, but I enjoyed the narrator’s sarcastic tone and all the twists and turns through the books; a bunch of unlikely events led to a couple young kids making insane discoveries (I often wished I was in their exciting positions!).

I hope you guys enjoyed this new idea (I may do it again in the future or something similar but still changing it up) and learning a bit more about me and what I like to read! Definitely check out some of these books if you’re interested, or at least just take this as a sign to find something new to read. 🙂 Let me know if you’ve read and enjoyed any of these books and if you have any other book-related content ideas!

-Brooke

How To Have A Productive Day: My 10 Steps

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. Today I am going to be giving you some tips on how to increase your productivity and get more things done throughout the day, even in the summertime. Since I got back from my trip, I’ve constantly had lots of items on my to-do list and little things to catch up on. I’ve been slowly powering through all the tasks and I’m proud to say I’ve done at least a couple things each day, so here I am to pass on some advice to you!

Step 1: Write out your current list of to-dos the night before. Include everything, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant it is, just so you don’t forget. It will also feel nice to check off a bunch of things, even if they were small. This way you know what eventually needs to get done and once you see where you’re at during the day, you can pick and choose what to focus on.

Step 2: Use a planner or calendar to plan out appointments and such so you know what time is already blocked out from your day. I personally have been using Google Calendar during the summer, but during the school year I would use the planner my school provided. This kind of goes along with the to-do list since you have to keep updating it in advance, but it helps since you see what time you actually have to work besides the time you’re busy with actual engagements.

Step 3: Wake up early and start your day with a good breakfast almost immediately. It’s simple: if your day starts earlier, you’ll start getting stuff done earlier. Make a healthy breakfast and drink some water before getting ready for the day, and maybe go on a quick walk/get your daily workout in if you have one to get it out of the way. Then you can start tackling your duties!

Step 4: Group things that can all be knocked out at once. For example, if you need to buy a birthday gift and also an outfit for the birthday party, you can go to the mall later and buy both of these things. If you have to do a couple different chores at home, get them done during the same period of time. If you have to respond to a bunch of emails and also do some other tasks on the computer, do that all at once; I think you get the point now. This will have you completing more things within a shorter amount of time and also reducing the amount of places you will have to go to.

Step 5: Take breaks. You don’t need to be running around the whole day- if you’re insanely busy, at least make sure to take a lunch break. Recharge or even just work on the easier tasks like responding to texts/emails while you eat. This can also help you evaluate how much you’ve already gotten done as you reflect back on your to-do list and planner.

Step 6: Get the things you HAVE to do/most time-sensitive tasks done first thing, then more leisurely tasks later in the day when you’re starting to wind down. This will help you relax a little more while still keeping your productivity levels up, and it’s just important to keep your priorities in check. Something school or work related definitely comes before cleaning out your junk drawer, but as long as you manage your time, you can easily get both done!

Step 7: Eat healthy meals. I know I mentioned this before with having a healthy breakfast, but sugar slows you down and won’t make you feel good if you’re eating a bunch of it throughout the day. Eat your protein and veggies, and of course some carbs/sugar in moderation. As cheesy as it sounds, treat your body like the temple it is- you need to be in your best shape to keep working!

Step 8: For tasks that can’t just be completed in one sit-down, devote a block of time to work on them each day until they are finished. Put this block somewhere in your planner/calendar each day and give however many minutes you can/you think you’ll need (for most projects, 20-60 minutes should suffice). This way you know you have to work on it rather than procrastinate, but you won’t be sitting there working, bored and stressed for hours on end.

Step 9: Reward yourself for completing however many tasks you did during the day. I know there’s still a lot left on my to-do list (even with things being crossed off each day, there’s always things being added as well), but that’s just how it goes and it’s still great that I’ve been working to get as much done as possible each day. My grandparents are visiting and staying at my house so I’ve also been spending a lot of time with them, but I’ve still devoted a bunch of time to my daily tasks and other things I wanted to get done. Be proud of yourself for spending your day wisely, especially during the summer! Don’t forget that you have plenty of time to do all the things you need and want to do eventually- there’s no need to be stressed, continue enjoying the summer while you can!

Step 10: Continue to plan for the next day going forward and do it all again! Consistency and having a schedule really helps with productivity, so make sure you keep up with adding items to your to-do list and updating your planner or calendar. Have an idea of what you want to do each day, and make the most of your time (whether by doing a bunch of work, or just relaxing and enjoying the summer). I know you guys will accomplish great things either way, so just stay on top of your stuff and you will be golden.

I hope these steps helped clue you into how I’ve been trying to be productive this summer and how you can too! Let me know if this helped you or if you think there’s something I should add. I’ll talk to you guys soon- keep being productive.

-Brooke

Review- Spider-Man: Far From Home

BrookeLeave a comment

Happy 4th of July everyone!

I wasn’t planning on posting today, but I had some free time and I knew I wanted to write a review of Far From Home eventually. In fact, today I saw it for the second time! I saw it opening night with my friends and (spoiler!) enjoyed it so much that when my family went to see it I tagged along again. I don’t keep up with all of the Marvel movies and storylines, but I watched Spider-Man: Homecoming on the plane ride home from Italy. Prior to that I hadn’t seen any of the recent Marvel movies; I had seen glimpses of Homecoming and it looked funny, so I downloaded it to watch on the plane on a whim since it recently came to Netflix. You don’t have to be super into superheroes to enjoy it, so I highly recommend going to see it no matter what you’re interested in!

The movie focuses on Peter Parker and his struggles to balance his superhero responsibilities and his desire to just enjoy being a kid. It’s set in Europe (it starts in Venice so that was fun for me to see after just being there!) on his science class trip, coincidentally also at the locations of a bunch of attacks by “elemental” monsters that seemingly come out of nowhere. Nick Fury needs Peter to help fight them, but Peter just wants to tell MJ that he likes her and spend time with his friends. I thought the movie perfectly balanced both of these issues while incorporating humor, even in the more serious scenes.

All of the characters have their hilarious moments and witty one-liners, which I greatly appreciated. Tom Holland does an amazing job playing the role of a reluctant teenage superhero, and I adore Zendaya’s character just because she’s so funny. The chemistry between Peter and MJ was great and I really was rooting for them to get together throughout the movie. I also thought the relationship between Ned and Betty was cute as well, but it was definitely unexpected. There was a decent amount of romance-related drama in this movie, but that makes sense since it’s definitely geared a bit more towards teenagers than some other Marvel movies.

As far as the plot, no spoilers here! There’s definitely a turning point in the movie where it seems that the main problems are resolved and the story will come to an end, just as the plot thickens. The first time I saw the movie I definitely didn’t see the plot twist coming, but after seeing it today there were a couple clues I picked up; I’m just not very good at predicting those types of things.

Ultimately, I would rate the movie a 10/10! My little brother said a 9/10, but he’s extremely picky with movies, so I’d still say that’s a win. I know this review is a bit short (especially considering it’s a pretty long movie at over 2 hours, and there’s lots to talk about) but discussing most of it would give spoilers anyways and I’m trying not to give away anything! You HAVE to go see it if you meet any of the following criteria: you love Tom Holland and/or Zendaya, you love Marvel movies, you’re a teenager, you love movies in general. If none of those are you, I still highly recommend seeing it anyway!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July (even though it’s almost over), and go see Spider-Man: Far From Home!

-Brooke

50 Birthday Gift Ideas for Girls

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

A bunch of my friends’ birthdays are in the summer in addition to my own, so birthday plans and gift shopping have definitely been on my mind lately. If you’re in the same boat, this is the post for you! Here’s a list of gift ideas with something for everyone (hopefully). It will take off the stress of searching for the perfect gift and your friend will love whatever they get, so it’s a win-win!

*Disclaimer: these gifts vary in price range and creativity greatly, they are just ideas! You can give a great and meaningful gift without spending a lot of money.

  1. Money
  2. Gift cards to their favorite clothing store, restaurant, website, or a service like Uber/Postmates, etc.
  3. Scrunchies (you can get huge packs on Amazon for cheap!)
  4. Wildflower phone cases or any phone case
  5. Portable charger
  6. Streaming subscription (music or Netflix, etc.)
  7. Beauty products (eyeshadow palettes and Mario Badescu stuff are always popular)
  8. A personalized photo book or scrapbook from Shutterfly/any website where you can make one, or homemade
  9. Candy
  10. Hydro Flask and stickers to customize it
  11. Concert tickets for an artist you both like
  12. New phone
  13. New laptop
  14. Plan a day with them- some ideas are going to a cool restaurant for lunch, going out to a nearby city or beach, or going to get your nails done
  15. Candles
  16. Bath bombs (Lush ones are great)
  17. Shoes- Nike Air Force 1s and Doc Martens are really popular right now, but any cool sneakers or boots would be great
  18. New wallet or purse
  19. Jewelry- Brandy Melville has cute affordable jewelry, but on the pricier side there are trendy Instagram-popular online stores like Adina’s Jewels and Frasier Sterling (they have good sales though!)
  20. Fjallraven Kanken backpack
  21. Sunglasses
  22. Perfume- minis are good because they can get a feel for the scent and purchase a bigger bottle later
  23. Glossier products (Boy Brow and their Balm Dotcom are their best sellers)
  24. Portable speaker
  25. AirPods or any nice wireless headphones
  26. Skateboard
  27. Surfboard
  28. A guitar or any instrument if they want to learn to play (or a newer/nicer one if they already play and have one)
  29. A book they’ve been wanting to read, or one you think they would like
  30. Room decor- anything from knicknacks that match the theme of their room to new bedding to new furniture
  31. New hair tools (straightener, curling iron, hairdryer)
  32. Minifridge for their room
  33. A cute coffee mug (you could even get a personalized one with a photo of you guys on it)
  34. Bake them a cake or their favorite food and wrap it nicely
  35. Clothes!! If I get clothes for a friend I usually get them a shirt- popular stores are Brandy Melville, Urban Outfitters, Pacsun, American Eagle, Forever 21, and Tilly’s, but there’s also online stores like Princess Polly that have grown recently
  36. A nice set of pens or stationary
  37. Calvin Klein bra/underwear set
  38. Birkenstocks
  39. Framed picture or collage of you guys
  40. Fuzzy socks
  41. Bathing suits (Target, Forever 21 and Zaful are popular for cheap ones, Pacsun and Tilly’s have midrange ones, and boutique-y brands like Frankie’s Bikinis and Vitamin A have great pricey ones)
  42. Amazon Alexa or Google Home/any voice assistant
  43. A cute makeup bag or decorated storage container (you could fill it with goodies too!)
  44. A care package filled with their favorite snacks and lots of little gifts like small beauty products, or you could create a theme for it and give lots of gifts centered around that theme in it
  45. Minimergency kit (these are lifesavers, it’s a specific brand/product)
  46. Travel kit (essentials for traveling, travel-size toiletries, makeup bag, mini nail kit, etc.)
  47. Lululemon leggings or workout clothes from there in general
  48. Photo printer
  49. Polaroid camera
  50. Apple Watch

Those are all the ideas I have for you guys now! I hope you guys can get some inspiration for this or found a gift idea that will work for the person you have in mind. If you have any ideas you think should be added to this list, feel free to let me know!

-Brooke

Taking An Online AP Course: My Experience (so far)

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

Today I have some more school-related content for you guys! I’m going to be explaining why I chose to take an AP course online (during the summer!), how it’s going so far, and my recommendations/tips regarding the subject. I am currently taking AP Psychology through BYU Independent Study online, and I want to share my experience with all of you guys!

You may be thinking, why would you put yourself through extra AP coursework, especially over the summer? Well, I’ll tell you a number of reasons. First, AP Psychology is known to be one of the easier AP classes (lots of people self-study and take the test without taking the class!) and it was a subject I was very interested in, which overall makes it much easier to do. My school offers it and I knew I wanted to take the class at some point, but I wouldn’t have room for it in my schedule any other year so I resorted to looking at online options.

In addition to not having room for it in my schedule, this is due to my elective slot being taken up by yearbook. Yearbook is a CP class and all of my other classes for next year (besides Spanish) are honors or AP and therefore weighted, so yearbook is going to bring down my weighted GPA; however, taking AP Psych over the summer will boost my GPA again and make up for that. I also loved the flexible schedule of BYU’s online classes, so it made it much easier to commit to. Lastly, lots of my friends were planning on taking courses over summer through our school (namely chemistry, so they could move on to the diverse and more exciting science offerings at my school/AP science courses), but I could not do this since they started right away when I was on my trip. If I wanted to take a class over summer it had to be flexible and/or almost completely online, so that’s why I chose the one I’m taking!

So far my experience with the class has been great. BYU Independent Study uses this portal called Buzz for the online classes, and it organizes everything really well and is easy to access. You can view your grades there and it’s also where all the assignments, online quizzes, and readings are. The classes are split into two semesters (often called Part 1 and Part 2) and currently I am studying for the midterm after finishing unit 3 of Part 1. I have been taking the class for a little under a week, so it’s definitely easy to get through if you put the time in.

The structure of the class is straightforward: lessons have a reading and then a self-check quiz that doesn’t count towards your grade, and at the end of each unit there’s either a discussion board or essay assignment in addition to a multiple choice unit quiz. There is also a multiple choice midterm and a multiple choice final. Everything is completed/taken online except for the final which you must find a nearby proctor location for and go take the test there. My only complaints are constantly having to log back in since the sessions time out pretty quickly, and that the textbook wasn’t included- I should have figured, but I assumed there would be an online link or something.

Here are a few of my recommendations and tips if you would like to take a course (AP or not) online as well:

  • Choose a subject you’re interested in– this makes it so much easier to stay motivated and learn, especially if you’re taking it in the summer
  • Research different online providers and compare the specific classes– there are many good online course providers and it can be hard to narrow it down, so go by your own criteria (which has the best ratings for your specific course, which is the cheapest, or which has the best schedule for you, etc.)
  • Buy supplemental prep materials online– if you’re taking an AP course and planning on taking the exam, you will need these anyway; buy a prep book and possibly some flashcards (like the Barron’s ones) so you have extra resources
  • Unless it’s your favorite subject or an easier class to take online, don’t take a “core subject” class- I picked AP Psych because it was interesting to me, but also because it wasn’t a super intense course or a main subject like math or English. If you’re a math whiz then taking AP Stats over summer might be easy, but you should know your limits and if you’re concerned about the demands of a certain course, go for something with an easier reputation that will still be enriching.
  • Don’t procrastinate!! Schedule out time for your coursework– this is self-explanatory, but seriously try to stay on task and do your work. It doesn’t have to be stressful, but it will be if you have to do a bunch of work last minute. Stay on top of it and create a schedule if you’re having trouble taking the time out of your day to work on the class.
  • Use (but don’t abuse) online resources if you get stuck– if you’re using a popular provider, there will most likely be Quizlets for the course and other study guides or resources online. These can be super helpful for studying so I would recommend looking for them, but make sure you’re still doing the work on your own and actually learning.
  • If you need help, contact the teacher- just because it’s an online class and you’re doing the work independently doesn’t mean you’re completely on your own! If you’re struggling in any way make sure to email the teacher so they can clarify any confusion and help make the course work for you. My course has a special place where you can make a digital appointment to talk to the teacher- if yours has something similar utilize it, but if not email works just fine.

That’s everything I can think of for now! Personally I have found my course very easy so far as long as I pay attention to the readings, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in psychology or taking a course online. I will continue to update you guys how the course is going as I move through it. Feel free to ask me any questions about it or online courses in general; I did quite a bit of research before settling on this one. Hopefully this helped!

-Brooke

Summer Activities That Will Cure Your Boredom

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

If you don’t have any trips/other plans for the summer and are wondering how to spend your time productively but still have fun, this is the post for you! Personally, my vacation was at the very beginning of my summer, so now I have the rest of the time ahead of me here at home. I actually have a lot going on related to school activities (the summer cheer practice schedule is crazy), but I have a couple weeks of peace right now. I’m going to share how I’ll be spending this downtime with you guys as well as some other ideas, and hopefully it will inspire you to try one at least one of these things!

I definitely won’t be doing all of these things (I wish I had enough time to!) but these ideas will range from the more carefree to the more structured/productive type of activities. Some of them are more basic than others but I figured I would throw in whatever sounded fun. Here they are:

  • Go to the beach
  • Find a new or unique restaurant and eat there with friends
  • Try making a new food, find a recipe you like or make your own recipe
  • Take a class in something you’re interested in, whether online or in person (this could be anything- academic interests to extracurricular interests to just something random like yoga)
  • Take an actual academic class/summer school to get ahead in credits or boost your GPA
  • Take a class in an interesting subject at your local community college for college credit
  • Volunteer (this could be at a place you already have volunteered, you could try helping out at a new place, or you could start your own project)
  • Exercise and try different types of workouts (YouTube videos, etc.)
  • Go to the library and find books to read for fun
  • Binge-watch new Netflix shows
  • Have a movie marathon
  • Have a bonfire and make s’mores with friends
  • Experiment with makeup looks
  • Write for fun- you can write anything! Books, stories, poetry, etc.
  • Do your own research/learn about something important to you
  • Have a self-care/at-home spa day (face mask, bath, etc.)
  • Attend a camp or volunteer at a camp as a counselor
  • Practice any sports/instruments you play
  • Clean and re-organize your room
  • Tan by the pool and go swimming
  • “Clean out” your social media- go through your followers and posts, get rid of unnecessary accounts
  • Get a summer job if you’re old enough
  • Help out your parents/family members in any way that you can (running errands, chores)
  • Stay involved in your school extracurriculars- try and organize an event, project, or meeting over the summer or just do things related to the subject matter
  • Make a killer summer playlist that you can listen to at all times
  • Start a blog or YouTube channel and make content related to your summer or a more specific topic you’re passionate about
  • Clean out your closet
  • Have a barbecue or some other party at your house
  • Go on a hike and have a picnic near the scenery
  • Attend a summer program (you would usually have to apply or sign up in advance so it’s not really a boredom solution but it’s a great option for future summers!! There are programs for everything ranging from the more prestigious academic ones to volunteer / culture immersion trips to taking a course for credit on a college campus. I can do a post on this in the future with some explanations of options and other resources- I’ve never done one myself but I hope to next summer)
  • Explore your local city- there’s probably places within it that you’ve never been to or realized the beauty of
  • Find a new hobby or pick up one that you’ve always been interested in but didn’t have time for previously
  • Start a business! It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated; it could even be a lemonade stand.
  • Do your summer reading!!!!
  • Babysit or dogsit for people in your neighborhood
  • Go on long walks or runs in the morning
  • Go on an informal college tour if there’s any schools you’re interested nearby
  • Take a day-long road trip to a nearby city or town
  • Go to a concert or sporting event
  • See the exhibits at local museums

I hope these ideas got your imagination flowing and will encourage you to get up and out doing something active and fun! I personally am taking a class online (which I will be posting about soon), volunteering, keeping up with school activities, and hanging out with my friends and family. My grandparents (who live in Hawaii) are in town and staying at my house so I may not be posting as consistently but I will have more content coming soon!

-Brooke

Advice I Wish I Got Before Starting High School

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

This post is going to be a compiled list of the main things I wish I had known before embarking on my high school adventures. These tips will be from the more general advice to the trivial things and more direct suggestions, but also keep in mind this is based off of my school/experience. It’s definitely an adjustment from middle school and it can seem intimidating at first, but I promise you will be fine and once you’re settled in you will most likely enjoy at least some aspects of it! I know it’s a little early in the summer to start with back to school content, but I also know that I was already a little stressed about starting high school at this time last year; if there are any of you in that situation out there, this is for you! I was in your shoes not too long ago (I’m a rising sophomore) and I promise everything will be fine- you’re already ahead by doing your research and landing here!

  1. Get involved as soon (and as much) as possible. Technically I did this since I was involved in a school sport, but I wish I tried more activities besides that. Freshman year is the best time to try a bunch of new things since you’re already out of your comfort zone anyways, and it will introduce you to tons of new people. Also, it’s great because if you find the clubs/groups/etc. that you enjoy being a part of in your first year, you can stay committed for the rest of your high school experience and move up into leadership positions in future years. Try at least one type of activity, but more than one is even better since you can always drop them and this is most likely the year that you will have the most free time anyways. Don’t be scared like I was!
  2. Don’t worry about the upperclassmen. Seriously, don’t. I know there’s always scary stories or scenes in cheesy movies about seniors shoving the lowly freshmen into trash cans or lockers, but the reality is they just don’t care. In fact, unless you’re a) on a sports team or in a club with them, b) really smart and therefore in higher level classes that they would be in, or c) have older siblings/friends/acquaintances, you will probably barely come into contact with juniors or seniors. At my school, juniors and seniors both can leave campus for lunch and seniors can completely finish their day of classes before lunch if they were on time with credits. This means you will barely ever see them, except for in passing and maybe before school/after school, but barely even then because they will usually be in the student parking lot area. Most of them probably find the freshmen annoying, but they’re not going to do anything about it and a good amount of them would even be somewhat friendly if you encountered them since they have to be role models for the school and keep themselves in check for college.
  3. Utilize your counselor/other resources your school offers. At first I was scared to talk to my counselor, and I was unaware of a lot of the programs my school had. Once situations with schedules came up where I actually had to go in and see my counselor, I realized what a great resource she was and how much she could help with improving my school experience. That’s exactly why they are there, and they can help guide you down the right path with choosing classes and getting involved in different things at school that you may not have thought of before. It can be intimidating especially if you’re at a huge school like me (each counselor has about 400-500 of us to counsel, and sometimes it’s hard to get an appointment), but it’s so worth it and if you’re feeling really nervous just jot some notes down of questions so you’re prepared. It’s also great to get to know your counselor just so you have someone in your corner for all four years- teachers may switch around every year, but you’ll most likely have the same counselor, and they can eventually write you a (hopefully stellar!) recommendation letter for college.
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!! This is an extension of the previous tip, but seriously reach out and take advantage of the knowledge that your teachers have. Especially when it comes to higher-level courses like APs, your teachers (should) know the content front to back, and they will be happy to talk about it if you come to them for further questions. It will leave a good impression on them if you stay after class to ask for help and work towards getting a better understanding, and they’ll probably keep that in mind when it comes time for grading. In a lot of my classes, participation was either a small portion of your grade or something that could get your grade rounded up at the end of the semester. Participate and show your teachers that you care ESPECIALLY if you’re struggling, and they will like you ten times more, regardless if you’re not a perfect student.
  5. Keep your books at home unless you know you need them on an almost daily basis. Carrying around a bunch of stuff all the time will be very hard on your back throughout the year, and even taking multiple trips to your locker each day to switch out books can be a tedious task. I started out the year always bringing my books to each class and stopping at my locker to switch everything out a couple periods just because I had so much stuff, but I soon realized this wasn’t necessary. A lot of teachers will provide some form of online text or just simply won’t use the actual book that much; therefore you can either keep it at home or in your locker, but not actually bring it to class. I would actually streamline how many notebooks/binders you have too if possible, only having separate ones for teachers that absolutely require it.
  6. Reach out to others- you may have to put more effort into friendships and meeting people. This really depends on how outgoing you are, but for me as a somewhat introverted person it was definitely a little difficult to adjust to the high school social scene. There will be tons of new people and potential friends for you to meet, but it may not just fall into place where you immediately make a bunch of new best friends just because you’re meeting new people. From my experience, most people stayed rooted in their groups from middle school for a while; they mingled a little bit and then started to change around, but there was only a little initial change and then other changes were much more gradual over the year. If people are sticking in cliques and you were looking forward to forming new connections, you totally still can- you’ll just have to put yourself out there more. It’s much easier if you just bond with people from whatever sport/activities you’re involved in, but I know that not everyone meshes well with their team/group members so if that doesn’t work, do your best to start conversations with people in your classes. Be friendly, ask questions, and listen to whatever people have to say- sooner or later they’ll realize what a great friend you would be!
  7. It’s never as big or scary as you think it is. I go to a school with around 2,400 kids, a big jump from my middle school with barely 1,000. I was beyond scared to walk onto campus; I assumed people would be mean, the campus would be huge and extremely crowded (I mean it is large and crowded, but nothing as bad as I imagined), and I would easily get lost. Once I finally found my way around, the once enormous school seemed insignificant and small to me. Of course it’s definitely still large, but as soon as you settle in it won’t feel that way. Everyone’s going through the same thing or in the older students’ cases, has already been through it. If they can do it, so can you! Soon it will seem like no big deal, and the first days of school will be a speck in your memory.
  8. Always doing your homework and engaging in class can usually get you to at least a B, even if you bomb some tests. This depends on the teacher and the grading scale, but in most classes homework will at least account for some of your grade. It just doesn’t make sense not to do it, since it’s a small chunk of your time for basically free points that will help your grade. I know some types of assignments are much more challenging than others, but if you consistently do your homework there’s almost no way you can do super badly in a class. Sometimes you can even get some of it done in your class time- this often happened in my math class. If you’re still worried about doing well in a class, remember that homework is supposed to prepare you for tests and such- if you’re doing it, it will hopefully help you in doing better on tests and other assessments! Plus, your teacher will see you as reliable and a good student, so you’ll be on their good side.
  9. Appealing to your teachers and adapt to their individual teaching styles/personalities goes a long way. This can apply to any form of school, not just high school. What I mean by this is as you get to know your teachers better and spend more time in their class, figure out what you should be doing specifically to succeed in their class based on their teaching style. Find the best ways to study for their tests, the ways they grade assignments and the main things they care about in your work. Observe the things that may impress them or bother them in class (for example, some teachers love when you ask a lot of questions during lectures, some get annoyed). Besides just working hard and doing your homework, this is the key to securing the best grade possible and forming a strong relationship with your teacher.
  10. In most situations, a good night’s sleep is much more important than staying up late to study for that one test or quiz. A lot of people may disagree with me on this, especially since high-school students are some of the most sleep-deprived people anyways. However, sleep is one of my top priorities, especially since I started high school and realized how draining it can be; I realized quickly that I could not handle an 8 hour school day, a few hours of cheer, a few hours of homework with time left for eating and getting ready for bed if I didn’t get substantial sleep. You’re probably thinking, if I had all that stuff to do in the first place, then how did I end up going to sleep early? It’s simple: I would set a time I wanted to be in bed (not necessarily asleep, just everything done/put away for the day and me being able to lay in bed) and I would make sure I was in bed by that time. This made me work more productively, and if I didn’t finish everything I needed to do I would just do it in the morning before school. Though most of the time, I found this strategy just made me more efficient and I would end up completing everything in time for bed anyways- I highly recommend doing this, especially if you need your sleep like me!
  11. Bring lots of (healthy and filling) snacks with you for lunch, not necessarily a normal meal. This might just be because we don’t have a designated lunch area or many lunch tables at my school (there’s about 12 tables and a few benches), but no one really sits down and eats a normal lunch. In fact, lots of my friends don’t eat during lunchtime at all; we hang around a certain spot where most people stand, there’s a little ledge to sit but usually people only do so if they’re studying or doing last minute homework. They just eat inbetween classes or during the classes where it’s allowed. Personally, I can’t go that long without eating even if I do have a snack in one of my classes, so I just pack a bunch of snack foods so I can eat them whenever I get hungry (in class or at actual lunch) and they’ll be good for on-the-go. I can do another post on healthy snack ideas, but some of my favorites are apple slices or really any fruit, whole-grain crackers and peanut butter, and Skinny Pop popcorn.
  12. As soon as you find out your schedule, map it out and figure out the best way to get from class to class before actually getting there. This is obviously just for the first day of school, but it helped me on my first day so much!! If your school gives out schedule details before you actually get there on the first day, look on a map where all your classes are and figure out your path. You probably won’t find the best path until you’re actually there because once you get into the rhythm of things you’ll take into account the most trafficked areas or which ways your friends are going, but it will still give you peace of mind. Also, set your schedule as your phone lock screen and make sure you either have a picture of a map on your phone or a printed map in your bag- and highlight/circle/star your classes on it!
  13. Go to all the events you can and participate in spirit events like spirit week! This is kind of a personal preference; if you and your friends just aren’t into this by no means do you have to participate, but it’s supposed to be fun and make you feel involved in the school. Freshmen tend to be a little lame with school spirit because no one really knows what the deal is yet and the “culture” of this depends on your school, but since I was on the cheer team I had to be spirited either way. Rallies are super fun and there’s lots of performances to watch, plus there’s just such a special energy in the air when you have basically the whole school out of class and enjoying the event together. Also, go to football games!!! They are definitely the most fun out of any sports games (maybe I’m a little biased, but seriously- and I’m not even a football fan) just because everyone shows up and cheers like crazy and there’s always stuff going on after the game as well. The homecoming game and homecoming dance were probably my favorite memories of the year since I had the best time with my friends and there were so many exciting things going on at once.
  14. Try to enjoy it and remember even if things go wrong or you’re just not loving the experience, it’s only four years of your life. Last year went by insanely fast for me, and I regret not getting out and enjoying it more. Even though I was stressed and not the happiest with my situation sometimes, I should have made the best of it a little more because you’re only in high school once and there are a lot of experiences unique to this time in your life. Some weekends after a long, tough week, I would isolate myself and just lay around at home rather than hang out with friends- it’s totally okay if you need to recharge and sometimes I just did, but I definitely did it a little too much and missed out on some things. Go have fun and don’t stress too much like I did if possible, it’s only freshman year.

I hope these pieces of advice helped! For any of you incoming freshmen- feel free to message me or leave any questions that you may have, I am rooting for all of you to have the best year 🙂 Enjoy your last summer before the craziness of high school begins! I will be posting lots more school related content towards the end of summer, but this will most likely be the last post in that genre for now. Stay tuned for that, and for all my other posts coming soon!

Review: Riverdale Season 3

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

Today I am going to share my thoughts on the latest season of Riverdale- I know it was airing a while ago on actual TV, but I always wait to binge watch it on Netflix and it only came on there recently. I actually mentioned a couple times in my daily posts from my trip that whenever we were on a flight or train I was watching Riverdale, and I ended up finishing the entire season towards the end of the trip.

Just for some background, I LOVED the first season of the show. I thought by the end of the season it answered just enough questions to leave viewers satisfied but also waiting for the next season. However, I found the second season disappointing. It seemed much cheesier (sometimes I literally thought it was a joke) with the random sub-plots, and the whole Black Hood storyline wasn’t my favorite. It just reminded me of A from Pretty Little Liars but with more violence rather than creepiness. Overall, I would say the third season is kind of in the middle of the spectrum for me. I still enjoyed the first season the most, but this most recent one was definitely better than its predecessor.

Don’t get me wrong, it was still quite cheesy and ridiculous in some ways (an obvious play on the Breakfast Club, a musical episode…) and some of the plot lines seemed a little outrageous at first, but at least they were entertaining. The season was also much darker than the others, but that was the component that kept me on the edge of my seat while watching.

Here’s a short overview of some of the focuses and events in this season in no particular order:

  • everyone starts playing a dangerous board game called Gryphons and Gargoyles, causing lots of problems due to its dangerous missions that often end in death/sacrifice
  • some of the hardcore G&G players form a Gargoyle gang that overtakes the Serpents and Ghoulies
  • Toni and Cheryl break away from the Serpents and form an all girl gang called the Pretty Poisons
  • The Farm grows more popular and gains more members through recruitment at Riverdale High
  • Betty is convinced the Farm is a cult and that there’s something deeper going on so she continues to investigate
  • Hiram Lodge continues to wreak havoc on Riverdale and gets involved in the trade of a drug that causes seizures
  • Veronica opens a speak-easy within Pop’s called La Bonne Nuit
  • Archie gets put in juvie by Hiram and ends up in an illegal fight club there
  • Archie does boxing after getting out of juvie and eventually opens up his own gym
  • Jughead’s mom and sister move back to Riverdale so they are kind of like a family again
  • and much more, plus various side issues that spring up from these plot points above!

I would definitely recommend catching up on the show on Netflix if you didn’t already keep up with the season as it aired. I think you can also watch episodes on the CW app if you have an account or something; I know some of my friends did that during the year. It was definitely an action-packed season and every character had a lot going on in almost every episode. I was always looking forward to getting to watch it and figure out what was going on with the various mysteries, and it was satisfying that almost everything connected and made sense in the end. Speaking of the end- I won’t spoil anything, but it was crazy and of course, action packed! I enjoyed part of it, but part of it I thought was a little unnecessary.

Besides the cheesiness factor that I mentioned before, the other thing I didn’t like about the season were the random efforts made to try and make the characters’ high school lives seem relatable. In the middle of all the cult and gang craziness, there was an episode where studying for the SATs was mentioned and the characters were focusing on that. I know they have to have some high school background-type events since the characters are teenagers, but it just seemed out of place. There was another portion of an episode related to college admissions, where Cheryl’s mother was trying to prevent her from getting into her dream school. That part was a little bit more cohesive since it added more depth to Cheryl’s personal plotline at the moment, but it still came a little out of nowhere.

The last thing I’ll talk about in this review are the characters more specifically. I liked that the parents had all their storylines going on and their own secrets, especially since they ended up intertwined with that of their children. The relationships were a bit predictable; Veronica and Archie broke up but still had feelings for each other, Betty and Jughead stayed together, etc. I liked the dynamic between Cheryl and Toni a lot, I thought they made an interesting couple. All of the characters from the Farm were quite creepy, but that was obviously intentional. Hiram Lodge continues to be very evil and cause tons of problems for Archie (he reallllly hates Archie), and everything else you would imagine.

Hopefully you guys found this informative and will go check the show out if you haven’t already! I know I was a little critical of it but I overall really enjoyed the new season and hey, it IS a show targeted for a younger audience- it just needs to be entertaining. I’ll be doing more reviews on TV/movies whenever I get the chance, and I’ll have more content to update you guys with soon!

-Brooke

Attempting to Overcome Fear

BrookeLeave a comment

Good evening everyone!

Today I am going to discuss the subject of fear; I was inspired to write about this topic by the baby steps I took today towards overcoming one of my personal fears. I have always tried my best to not let myself become ruled by fear, but throughout my life I’ve had many phases where I deeply feared the “typical” types of scary things, and many of them I still fear today. Some examples would be spiders, snakes, and needles- which I will be talking about today. I know it may seem like a silly topic to talk about, but we all have our own weak points and fears.

Ever since I was very young, I HATED going to the doctor. Going to the dentist’s office never bothered me, but I would cry everytime my mom basically dragged me into the doctor’s office if I was sick or needed my yearly check-up. I hated seeing blood or anything even slightly gory when someone got hurt; therefore, it was only natural I was deeply afraid of needles. I had quite a few notable tantrums before getting shots or fingerpricks, one when I was five involving kicking a nurse in an attempt to deter the process (I was desperate, and don’t worry- I ended up writing a letter of apology). Even the idea of getting a shot made my arm start to hurt, and I went into utter panic as soon as I walked through the office entrance. My teeth would chatter, I would start hyperventilating, and in some cases just burst into tears as well.

To be honest, I’m not sure when this fear started or how it became so severe since I’ve never had that negative of an experience besides the actual freakouts before a shot/fingerprick/any appointment, and these things usually happened once a year at maximum. Either way, it was still definitely a huge fear of mine and even though my parents and I both hoped I would grow out of it and it was just something attached to being a little kid, I never did (but at least I handle it more maturely).

Bringing this issue into the present, I had three shots at my last yearly check-up in August 2018; one of them was a two-part shot and needed to get the second part before my next check-up. A couple days ago and much to my dismay, my mom called to finally make the appointment for me to get that shot. They gave us a couple options of dates with some as far into the summer as late July/early August before my check-up, and one as early as June 27th, today. I could’ve easily put it off until the end of summer since I was dreading it so much, but I decided I wanted to get it over with instead, a pretty mature decision for me.

I woke up early this morning and headed to the doctor’s office, and sure enough, the chattering teeth and heavy breathing returned as soon as my mom drove into the parking lot. I was there for the sole purpose of getting the shot so it was only going to take one second, but of course there was a long wait until they were ready for me so I just had more time to panic. I did some breathing exercises to slow down my breathing and it worked, at least until I was directed to one of the patient rooms and had to sit and wait for the nurse to get the actual needle and supplies.

I felt very babyish being a teenager freaking out in a pediatrician’s office and holding my mom’s hand for comfort all in the name of one pesky little shot, but the emotions of fear overcame me yet again. Luckily, the shot lasted one second (it actually hurt and my arm is sore, but of course everyone says I’m being overdramatic). However, I still feel that my response to the fear was better than it has been in the past (last year with the three shots I was bawling), and I was glad I made the decision to face it head-on and get it over with.

I know it may sound trivial to base this post on my overdramatized experiences getting shots that most kids have to get and have no problem with getting, but regardless of the actual issue at hand I wanted to draw attention to the fact that everyone has their own fears, the things that make them sweat whenever they pop into their brain. Sometimes they may seem silly to other people, but that’s why they are fears; they cause that dreadful emotion to the individual in which they affect. People have always told me my fear of needles is ridiculous at my age, but no amount of times hearing that could change the innate feeling of panic I get when I see a sharp, shiny needle on the nurse’s tray. Don’t feel stupid or babyish for being afraid of something and don’t listen to people trying to criticize you for it- instead, work on becoming more comfortable with whatever the thing is and take your own baby steps towards eliminating the fear.

About six to seven years ago, I was extremely afraid of being alone/sleeping in the dark. As long as I was with someone else I was completely fine; it could be pitch black and I wouldn’t even blink an eye, but as soon as that person left my mind would drift to nightmares of stalkers and murderers and other horrible monsters lurking in the shadows. I overcame it by slowly having less and less lights on when I went to bed, but it took a while for me to become truly comfortable sleeping by myself in the dark and not running to get one of my parents to check for monsters or watch over me. It may have been difficult for me to get to that level, but at least there was a simple strategy I could implement that eventually got me there in an effective manner. With many fears such as my fear of needles, it’s not that easy to just overcome- especially because I’ve had that fear a lot longer.

As long as you recognize what your fears are and you’re not just letting them have free reign over your thoughts, you’re already taking baby steps in the right direction. Remember that fears are created by us- any incident or event can trigger emotional reactions that turn something into what we know as a fear. Don’t let your fear rule you or hold you back; it is a mere obstacle in the course of life that you will eventually overcome with the right mindset. It’s almost always better to just push through and deal with the things you’re afraid of in order to move forward than to remain stuck and contemplating what to do. Another thing that helps is to focus on your dreams and goals, not your fears; if you’re thinking about whatever motivates you or excites you, you’re so much more likely to keep going and ignore the obstacles fear throws at you.

I believe in all of you and I know eventually we can overcome our fears together! If you want, comment down below what one of your fears is and one thing that you have done in the past or plan to do in the future to overcome it. I’m always here to talk about this topic (or anything else) with you guys! Also, please don’t make fun of me for being scared of needles- they’re scary and pointy and make holes in your skin, okay? Yes, I do kind of have the mind of a toddler. 🙂

Let’s Talk: Academic Pressure in High School, Summer Classes, My Experience

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my first non-travel related post- I know, I know, no one wants to talk about school during the summer, but I promise I have my reasons. Today I’m going to discuss the constant pressure that us high school students face today, my personal experience with it, and how I’ve tried to combat it (I’m still learning). Disclaimer: I am not an expert or qualified to give advice about high school since I am still an underclassman, I just want to share my experience and get this topic out there.

For a little background on me, I am a rising sophomore so I just completed my freshman year, and I would have to say I am kind of an overachiever. Not a superstar overachiever who’s perfect in every way, but just the type of person who likes to push themselves as much as possible and works overtime to do so. Since I was young I’ve always dreamed of just doing something significant in the world, but I’ve never known what I wanted to do; my dream school was Columbia which was very ambitious and I’m not sure how it originated, but Gossip Girl helped. As of now I still have no clue what I want to do and I don’t have a particular dream school (I would still LOVE to attend Columbia, but I don’t really know that much about any colleges yet). As for my current status in school, I didn’t take the hardest classes possible in my grade, but as far as the “standard” track goes, I took the hardest level of classes. (This means I wasn’t years ahead in any subject curriculums besides a couple credits from middle school that were both commonly taken as well, but I took all the honors classes and the 1 AP class that was available to me.)

My schedule was Spanish 2CP (I took Spanish 1 in 8th grade, and honors is not offered), honors geometry (1 year ahead of the standard curriculum but not too special because some people were in Algebra 2H or higher), AP Human Geography, honors English, and honors Biology. I was also on my school’s freshman cheer team (separated by grade, not skill level) which counted as my last period for the 1st semester of school, and for the 2nd semester I didn’t do another sport so I had to be in normal PE. It was a little difficult since the workload was a lot more difficult than my middle school honors classes, but I managed especially since I didn’t have many other activities besides cheer. Next year I will be taking a similar courseload but with an added elective- yearbook. My other classes will be honors algebra 2, Spanish 3CP, AP European History, honors English, and honors chemistry, plus cheer again (JV this year!). I’m not trying to brag by listing these classes; I’m just trying to give you an idea of where I stand academically before I state my case. I definitely work hard in school but that’s just it: I work HARD in order to succeed and I put a lot of pressure on myself while doing so, I am not claiming to be a natural academic standout.

Through hard work and studying, I managed to get straight As last year and I am hoping to do so again this upcoming year. I’m also taking AP Psychology this summer through BYU’s Independent Study website since I was interested in the subject; they offer it at my school to juniors and seniors but when planning out my courseload for the rest of high school I realized I would not be able to fit it into my schedule, so I decided to get ahead and take it now. This is where a direct example of continuous academic pressure comes in- I pressured myself into taking a class over the summer because a lot of other people were taking chemistry over summer and I felt like I would be behind if I didn’t, especially since lots of other people are already ahead in credits because of being in higher level math or language classes. I wasn’t able to take chemistry specifically because of my trip that conflicted with the in-class sessions (it’s a lab science so it must be taken in class), so I ended up looking for classes I could take solely online and that had flexible start times. That brought me to BYU’s program and AP Psych, since it was a fairly easy AP and one that I was already really interested in the subject matter of, plus the scheduling and flexibility was great. The class has been good so far and honestly really easy (hopefully it will still prepare me for the AP exam), coming from someone who’s never taken a psych class.

I wouldn’t recommend summer classes for everyone and it’s definitely something you have to commit to, but signing up for one made me feel more productive and better about my own summer plans. Hopefully by the end of the course I will still feel the same way! My school is a pretty competitive public high school (it’s ranked fairly well) and there are so many brilliant people there, and the graduating classes send so many people to amazing top 20 colleges each year. When I first came to high school I was mainly concerned about working hard in my classes, making friends, and just having fun with all the events and doing cheer, but by the middle of the year I discovered the world of college planning and it hit me like a bus. I’m not saying you have to worry about college in freshman year, and I’m by no means an expert anyways; however, when we began to register for sophomore year classes and taking summer classes came up, the topic of planning for college did as well. People were trying to get ahead in credits so they could take more APs next year and it just opened up this competitive world I had been oblivious to before. I began doing my own online research and fell down a rabbithole of college blogs and College Confidential (do not look there unless you want to feel very inferior) trying to figure out if I should be doing more.

The bottom line is: whether you’re planning specifically for college or not, high school is a lot when it comes to all the things on your plate. I didn’t even have demanding extracurriculars at the time and I was still a little overwhelmed, and once I realized I had a lot less committments and activities than other people, I felt MORE overwhelmed. Everyone around me seemed somewhat stressed about it as well, but they were able to plan accordingly and knew what they were doing whereas I felt completely lost. This is partially because most of my friends have older siblings or parents more involved in the school/college process so they genuinely had more knowledge, but it’s also just because I’m a very stress-prone person. I continued researching, combing through articles titled “How to Get Into the Ivy League” and “What You Should Do in High School to Prepare for College” and it honestly drained me so much; I felt stupid and behind in this college admissions race that I didn’t even know had started yet.

I’m still struggling with not agonizing over getting into college now, but I’m doing my best to live in the present. Even though I’ve realized there are certain things I should’ve been doing and it’s good I stumbled upon more knowledge that will help me in the future, in a way I definitely miss my obliviousness from before. Academics wise, I signed up for the courses I listed above and at my school all sophomores take the PSAT in the fall; activities wise, I made the cheer team again, I volunteer for Key Club at a local non-profit animal shelter, and in my free time I like to write, hang out with my friends, and take extra tumbling classes (gymnastics for cheer). I hope to get more deeply involved in activities this year (that was the main thing I was freaking out about after reading about the college process, I’ve never had a main “passion” or an activity I’ve been committed to since childhood), but I’m not sure what to join since I know it’s not good to just join a million things randomly, but I don’t have one or two strong interests to pursue either. I’ve been hoping for a while that my “passion” would fall into my lap or the right activity would come along and I’d get deeply involved, but nothing yet.

Everyone around me wants to get into a good school, and they seem to be on track to do so by getting good grades in high-level classes, having different ranges of involvement in fairly impressive and personally meaningul activities, and still managing to enjoy their life. I didn’t feel this way at all; I had my grades that I worked hard for, but nothing else to show for myself. I put more pressure on myself than anything, yet I also felt pressure just from my environment to do MORE and do BETTER. This made me spiral into negative self-talk and hopeless feelings towards the future, rather than just continuing to work hard and enjoying the rest of my time. It’s definitely gotten better the past couple months, but sometimes I still get down on myself.

One thing that really helped me stop freaking out about this whole process was to stop reading all the articles I mentioned. I also stopped watching YouTube videos that talked about the process, except for a few select college YouTubers that I enjoyed watching for other reasons or that were more comforting in regards to the process. My parents also could tell how stressed I was, so they scheduled a consultation with a private college counselor. I’m not saying you need to get one, but it just helped ease my mind and they had a lot of useful advice- if you have the resources and are just as stressed as me, I would recommend at least trying it out. Something I think every high schooler who hopes to attend a prestigious college or even just reach their goals while still maintaining sanity should do is read the book How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport. I can’t say I’ve been able to apply all of his advice to my own life (by doing the general activities I do, it kind of goes against some of his main points), but it definitely eased my mind and has been a great resource- I think it can really help others, especially if you really stick to the advice given.

Another thing is just to remember that school isn’t everything, and your mental health/happiness means way more. I’ve just always wanted to push myself and strive to be the best I can in school since I don’t have any other strong interests, but if you have a different passion that you’re already involved with- RUN WITH IT. If I’ve learned anything from this process, it’s that having something that makes you tick and you love to do will make things sooo much easier and so much more enjoyable. Pour your heart into what you love and it will pay off; as an added bonus, it will impress colleges later on. As for me, I have yet to find that special something yet, but I will continue to search and as for now I am just being the best student that I can be (and trying to relax and enjoy my vacation)!

I hope you all enjoyed this change in content and could relate to it in some way. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about anything I mentioned in this post or share your experience; if you ever want to talk about academics, stress, or honestly anything, I’m always here and I’ll always have a lot to say about these topics. 🙂

-Brooke