What to Do When a Plan Doesn’t Work Out

There are very few things in life that are certain. We always hope for the best, but there are just times when everything doesn’t go as planned. Life is going to throw curveballs at you from time to time, and knowing how to respond and adapt to these changes is crucial both in and out of college.

These tips will help you deal with the changes in your life and come out on top. Remember, change is inevitable. But it’s up to you to figure out what kind of impact changes have on your life.

Find the Silver Lining

One characteristic of positive people who adapt well to change is that they’re able to find the silver lining in nearly every situation. Maybe you didn’t get accepted to your dream school, but that doesn’t mean that your entire college career at another school will suck. Find the silver lining.

Instead of instantly thinking about all of the negative aspects that come along with change, spin your outlook and think of it positively. You and your best friend aren’t going to the same school? Use the change as an opportunity to make new friends and keep in mind that with text messaging and social media, you’ll still be able to talk to your best friend all the time.

 Look at the Big Picture

In the grand scheme of things, how much of an impact on your life does one change have? There are definitely situations where a change will have a lifelong impact, such as the death of someone close to you. But even in those situations, you have to think about the bigger picture.

Would that person want you to live miserably every day for the rest of your life? Or would they want you to celebrate the things they did while they were alive and live your life to the fullest? Think beyond just the current situation, and start thinking of things from a more holistic point of view.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Change is tough. Luckily, you don’t have to go through it alone. Reach out to people that you trust, or even consider talking to a therapist of you need to.

There are some people who are great at handling change and prefer to handle it all on their own. But most people will find that it’s much easier to adapt to a change when there’s someone in their corner to help them along the way.

Embrace the Change

Going to college is a huge transition that can be overwhelming for a lot of people. If you’re going to school out of state, you’ll have to deal with separation from your family, new financial responsibilities, and being away from some of your old friends.

Instead of freaking out about how the in the world you’re going to make it through the semester, embrace the change and accept it as a new part of your life.

Learn from the Situation

Use change as an opportunity to learn something new. When you’re used to something in your life being the same for a long period of time, you’re forced to have a new perspective after things get shaken up a bit.

For you to learn from a change, though, you have to go into it with an open mind. To quote Winston Churchill: "A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Relax

No matter what you’re going through, remember that it will eventually end and it’s just a part of life. Someone who has never experienced change hasn’t done anything worth doing. Being able to remain calm and avoid all the stress that comes along with change will help you get through it much better.

Your “Plan A” might not always work out, but that just opens up the door for something new. Sometimes we need a little change in our lives to grow.

The College Bucket List

Admit it: You already have a bucket list, that long catalog of stuff you’ve got to do before you kick the bucket. But if you don’t have a college edition of that same list, make one now and start working your way down it. Why? So you don’t miss out on any essential college experiences. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Road trip: : Isn’t this the first idea that comes to mind? If you’re looking for a good time, a road trip is pretty much old faithful. Just pick a faraway destination (say, a random fast food restaurant in a different state), get a pack of friends to squeeze into a car that’s on its last legs, turn up the radio, and go.

Sit in on classes you didn’t sign up for: To get the full college experience (on the academic side of things), why not sit in on a class or two? If there’s a course or two that look awesome but you didn’t want to sign up for, show up and take a seat, just once. What’s the worst that could happen? The professor asks you to leave? Chances are they won’t even notice.

Get on the roof: Whether it’s the roof of your dorm, the campus center, or wherever, there’s a way up there, and the view is no doubt amazing. Grab a couple friends and maybe a snack, find your way there (you might have to pick a lock or two), and appreciate it.

Karaoke: This should be on everyone’s bucket list no matter what.

Join a band: What student doesn’t love music? The answer: no student, because everyone in college loves music, and you’re not the only one who has a guitar or instrument lying around. So why not get together and see what you can do? Sad but true: it’s a lot harder to rock out when college is over.

Go streaking: Through the library.

Help out: Sometimes it’s not what you take, but what you give that has the biggest impact. So ask around regarding who or what needs some help in your community. It could be as simple as raking some leaves, painting a fence, or tutoring. Whatever it is, you’ll be glad you did it.

5 Life Lessons You Should Learn Before Graduating

If you’re graduating college (or will be soon), then consider this: at the very least you’re in your early twenties. You aren’t getting any younger and life is about to get far more real. In light of that, here are some life lessons to take with you when you walk across the podium with your diploma in hand:

Stay organized: Now that you’ve handed in an ungodly amount of term papers, sat uncomfortably while completing an innumerable amount of exams, and have slugged countless cups of coffee while cramming in some homework, chances are you might have learned a thing or two about how to organize your time. Now that college is almost in the rearview mirror, don’t leave those organization habits behind. Remember: the world only gets bigger as you progress, meaning you still need to keep track of your obligations and your time.

Keep looking for help: Whether you’ve sought relationship advice from a friend or have stopped by your professor’s office hours for help learning difficult class material, college has hopefully taught you that asking for help is often the best (and fastest) way to adapt or learn something new. With the real world on its way, you’re going to need a crash course on office life, renting apartments, navigating your student loan repayment, and way, way more. When encountering a new experience or something unfamiliar, keep your college spirit alive and look for assistance; there’s no shame in reaching out to make sure you get the job done right. Remember that the best resources you have are your professors from college, your friends (who will be going through the same thing as you), and your parents, who have years, and years, and years of experience.

Appreciate the small stuff: Any college student knows the perils of living and sleeping in the dorms—hot, stuffy, uncomfortable, and crowded. So remember: when you move on from college, be sure to appreciate the small stuff. Life may get real, and financially difficult, but at least you have a little more space, and maybe an air conditioner.

Friendships are meant to last: You’ve probably made some friends and have shared many bonding experiences with them. Don’t throw those memories away even though you might all be moving on to different places. Keep in touch with your friends and you won’t regret it. One truth most college graduates will tell you: it’s much harder making friends once you’re out of school, so it’s wise to keep some of the ones you have.

Keep looking for the next adventure: Just because college is over doesn’t mean you have to play the role of “boring adult.” Keep looking for facets of life that keep you excited to be human—travel when you can, eat good and weird foods, read more, watch old movies, or pick up a crazy sport like rafting or rock climbing. In other words: remember that life is short and you can’t take money with you when its over. 

7 things you should never do on social media

Facebook is both a blessing and a curse, so beware.

Social media is a mixed blessing, especially for students. Yeah, it keeps you connected with all your friends and family even if you’re far away or really busy. But it also turns much of your private life into a public spectacle. In light of that, never:

Trash talk your professors. You never know who you might offend even if your social media profiles are private. What you can’t control is information other people remember and pass along. That means, even if you’re not Facebook friends with a professor, they could still hear about it.

Trash talk or bully other students. Just don’t. Ever. It’s not cool and it’s not funny. Insulting people on the Internet has real world impact.

Get emotional. This is related to the two points above. Using social media when you’re upset is a recipe for disaster—that’s when you say things you don’t mean and your entire social circle sees it. New rule: avoid technology unless you’re in a good mood.

Trust your privacy settings. The privacy settings on Facebook and other social media sites are practically incomprehensible. If you don’t want everyone to see something, be safe and don’t post it at all.

Post anything illegal. While the best policy is always to refrain from things like underage drinking, it’s important to admit many college students have these experiences. But don’t post pictures or discussions about it online. It could come back to haunt you.

Post anything unprofessional—especially if you’re looking for a job. This goes back to your privacy settings. You just never know who will see it, even if your profile is private.

Ignore school policies. Know what you can and can’t do on the Internet if you’re using a school computer (in the library, for example) and if your school considers your social media presence reflective of their reputation. If so, posting opinions on politically or religiously sensitive topics could get you in trouble.

The Use Of Music While Studying

The issue whether the use of music while studying is good or not is inconclusive despite of so many and researches about the effect of music while people are studying. Perhaps this is because our learning capabilities are varied: some are auditory learners, while others are visual or spatial learners and so, the impacts of music to us are like-wise different.

But generally, concentrating on studying is best achieved when there is no any distraction around us. Concentrating is hard when your brain is processing other things aside from what you are studying.

However, if you prefer listening to music while studying because you learn better, just choose to play music without any lyrics, the ones that are called ambient music because they are more relaxing and soothing to listen or better yet, listen to these music before studying or reviewing something. Music that are said to enhance learning by creating a more relaxed mind are the classical music like Mozart.

5 Ways To Switch on Confidence

Fortunately, confidence is an art that can be learned with consistent practice. We can turn on the confident personality button anytime we want. There are quick and instant ways to just do that. You don’t need to suffer with low self-esteem all your life because of some negative beliefs you ingrained within.

The experiences you went through cannot be undone but what future you have to unfold is entirely in your hands. Confidence is the key to give shape to your future. Because when you show up for a job interview with confidence, you reflect success and when you handle the stress with confidence – you reflect wisdom. In any given moment, you can turn the tables around and be more confident, speak more confidently and express more confidence. Five simple steps to show up in the world with unwavering confidence are –

1. Breathe – We don’t remember how we breathe. We are unconsciously walking around with no idea of what we are actually dong with our lives. And the first step is to take a moment, stop, breathe in, breathe out and then take on life.
2. Positive Glossary – In everyday life we communicate through our words. Words be it from any language are either positive or negative. Words like happiness, joy, love, faith gives us positive emotions and words like stress, failure, anxiety, sadness return negativity. If you become a little aware of the words you use in everyday life, you can amazingly create changes.
3. Walk Faster – It’s a scientific proven fact that changing our physiological state can affect our mental state. Our emotions and our body postures are inter-linked. When you feel sad you are slouching or walking slow but when you feel confident, your gait is faster, clean and crisp.
4. When you know what you want to accomplish, your actions are driven with ease. But when you are not sure what you want the outcome to be things get clogged up. Be -clear on what you want in day-to-day life. It’s not about creating a list, it’s about being in the know what you want and then working to achieve it.
5. Write your results/achievements – Putting your past achievements and current results on paper is amazing. It creates an incredible bond with our own selves. When we count what we have done – from small to big – we create a momentum of doing and achieving more. Yes, you may have failed at times but failure is just an event and not your characteristic.

Why Extracurricular Activities & Clubs Are Important

Students who have difficulty managing their time between studies, friends and projects are often hesitant about joining college clubs and community organizations outside their academics. Well, it’s true that we need to evaluate our schedules and think before joining a group because there is a possibility that when we have too many extra-curricular activities, our academics will be badly affected.

But extracurricular activities, college organizations and joining community or civic group are somehow important in every student and any scholar knew that. Scholarship foundations consider the extra-curricular involvement of the scholarship applicants aside from their academic grades.

And not only that, when you graduate from college and you start looking for job, your resume will look better if you have extracurricular activities and organization memberships. Most new graduates do not have any work experience and the clubs you joined during college years are the next best way to prove yourself to employers.

And do you know why scholarship foundations and even employers consider these achievements? It’s because the capacity of a person can be gauge on his or her community or social involvement. Students with good grades and fair community involvement are most likely more responsible and committed. You also leave an impression that you can manage things and a good decision maker if you have those extra curricular involvements.

So if you plan to apply for college scholarships, join a few groups in your school and at least one in your community. This will increase your chance to be selected as scholar. And when you are in college, continue to do the same because these will be your asset in building your career.