Fashion on campus

I like to try to look nice, no matter what I'm doing. I am a girl and I am proud to be. I like wearing nice clothes that fit nicely; it makes me feel better and happier. So, that is why I will now share an outfit with you that I could wear to lectures and exams without looking like too lazy to care about looks. Mind you, these photos were taken in a forest near my house (so not on my university), during a short walk. I think the style is mainly casual, but with a neat touch.

What I wear on these photos: skinny jeans that fit comfortable; cognac brown boots with a 5 cm/ 2 inch heel; dark grey longsleeve; black blazer jacket, and a red bag. I also wore a belt in the same colour as my boots with a simple silver buckle, but the jacket falls over it, unfortunately. The longsleeve has buttons from the top through about halfway down. 

This look is comfortable and suitable for moderately sunny weather, when the temperature is about 16/17 C or 60-63 F with little to no wind. 

I might post some more outfits in the future when I think it's something other people my age could or should wear. Obviously, since I am a girl, similar posts are probably more interesting for girls than for guys! 

How to rock your studies academically

The new college year has recently started or it is about to start for most of us. Whether you are a freshman looking for advice on how to succeed in college or an older student who has set goals and resolutions for this year in college, I am here to offer some advices for success. However, if you have severe problems with studying, it might be more helpful for you to see a counsellor or any other advising person at your department.  


First of all, it is important that you do something you like. If you like the topics covered in your courses, or at least the majority of them, you will become intrinsically motivated, which means you are learning for the sake of learning, rather than that you are learning to have a good grade on your final (= extrinsically motivated). However, if you have chosen a course you happen to strongly dislike for the bigger part of it, I would recommend to orient on switching majors or courses. 


Academic rock is a new music genre that will be popular this fall. It includes the contents of textbooks as lyrics being put on the music of the hottest artists and bands. This way, studying your statistical formulas, anatomy, economical models or international treaties becomes much more fun. Okay, I initially meant this to be a joke with the title of today's post, but it has been said that singing the boring stuff to the melodies of your favourite songs actually helps you remember the stuff better.


And that was only the beginning of studying tips you may or may not have expected. Another one is to change locations while studying. According to experts, your brain matches the incoming information with the context and physical surroundings. The necessary variation can be created by switching between studying on your own and studying with friends; studying inside and outside; studying with or without background noises, and even by changing seats during lectures and other classes. So, do not take the same seat in the same wing in the same building every day.


As I told you before, I always have text markers in my pencil case. If you have them, why not use them? Marking the important lines in a text makes you read with more attention, so that you can mark the important sentences afterwards. Using a different colour for each subject will help you remember everything better. 


Pretend you are the teacher and read your textbooks aloud. Also try to explain your subject matters in your own words. Many of my teachers have actually recommended this method, although I feel my throat getting strained when reading aloud too much. However, I do try to explain stuff in my own words if I am not sure I understood the paragraph and it makes the not-so-well-understood stuff simpler for me. 


As with skin care, I can also recommend it here: living healthy! Call me a health-nut, but I really function much better if I sleep at least 8 hours per night; get enough vitamins and minerals, aka eat and drink healthy;  do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercising (including moving to and from the lecture room), and go outside for the same amount of time. I also have the window of my room opened all day long if the weather allows it and since my desk is next to it, I catch a nice deal of fresh air, keeping my mind fresh. Feeling physically and mentally well is almost a condition that must be met before you can start studying well.


One of the more well-known advices is that you should not cram all studying for an exam into the one night before the exams. It is better to spread your studying sessions for an exam over a week (if possible) and to do one subject in the morning and another in the afternoon. In order to make this possible, it is important that you keep up with reading for your lectures and practical classes. Stick with the schedule your teacher hands out or make your own schedule; either way, it is necessary to make sure you do not have to read all stuff the night before your 9 AM final. 


I think I have now mentioned the funniest and best tips. Feel free to comment if you have additional advices and tips, or if you have a funny experience with any of these tips. If you have actually written your statistical formulas or whatever on lyrics to a certain song, I love to read these! I am always fond of song parodies! 

Why we'll never have so-called perfect skin and skin care rules - also for guys!

I think we have all had moments when we wished we could have flawless and smooth skins like the main characters in TV-series or the models in beauty advertisements. Forget it. You will never get that, and I will explain you why. However, there are a few rules that can help you get your skin naturally smooth and healthy. They will be given after the reasons why our skins just cannot look like those on TV and fashion/beauty adverts. 


Firstly, the people on TV and fashion/beauty ads have likely had a facial before the cameras were turned on. They have also been in the make-up seats for at least 60 minutes and the average college student does not have so much time when lectures start at 9.00 AM. On top of that, this make-up and the hairdos have been done by professionals and, while I believe some college students can do amazing things with make-up or hair, we are no professional make-up artists or hairdressers. And this is only the beginning.


There is something else that makes the skins of celebrities stand out from ours: perfect lighting and angles. If a top model has a few pimples on the right half of her face while the left half looks fine, the camera will not zoom in on this right half or the light technician will make the light fall on the model's face so that the pimples are hardly visible. However, we cannot always control how others see us and we cannot always control the lighting in the lecture rooms. If this nice guy or girl decides to sit beside us on the side which has the most pimples, we can hardly tell him/her to take a seat on the other side of us, especially if that seat is already taken. So, face it: we will not always be seen in the best possible lighting and from the best possible angles.


Last, but not least (and I am convinced we all know it although we hope it is not true): airbrush and Photoshop. These technologies can remove pimples, freckles, unwanted fat, and anything that is not desired on a certain photo or in a certain scene. They may also add a close to unnatural shimmer to the model's/actor's face and hair. I personally could not believe that modern technologies were used for such purposes until I saw this. These photos showed me how modern technologies are used in order to make people look better on pictures. Check the 'before'-shots and you will find out that your skin might not be so bad after all.


So, now you know why you will never reach the perfection created during photo sessions and film recordings, it is time to find out what you can do to keep your skin in a healthy condition. The guidelines are simple, in my opinion, and they do not demand the use of make-up at all, although they may require some discipline.


Rule number 1 is that you should wash your face twice a day. This is more than just splashing some water in your face when you wake up; you better get a face cleanser that actually kills bacteria, too. Especially if you like to wear make-up, water alone is not likely to wash away everything you put on your face. The leftovers of make-up may clog your pores and so cause pimples (this also goes for other types of 'dirt', but make-up is a good pore-clogger, too). In addition, I like to scrub my face once or twice in a week. A scrub peeling cleans your skin a bit more thoroughly and gives a fresh gloss as it removes many dead skin cells.


Rule number 2 is easy, as well. Now you have washed your face with more than just a splash of water or you have just come out of the shower and the skin on your face may feel a bit strained. Time to bring out a nice cream or oil! It will depend on your skin type which cream or oil works best for you. Those with a more sensitive skin might benefit from buying organic and natural skin care products, but it really depends on what ingredient your skin is most sensitive to. A good cream or oil hydrates or nourishes your skin so that you don't get lines in your face from dehydration, nor do they cause a pimple outburst from being too fat for your skin. Some brands have creams that go for both day and night; others have separate creams for day and night. As soon as you notice lines under your eyes, a cream for your eyes might be needed. When you are in your twenties, the lines you may spot in your face are not wrinkles, but lines caused by your skin not being nourished/hydrated enough. They do, however, give you an idea of where to expect wrinkles by the time you are old enough to have and how they look on you. If you are unsure about your skin type, do not hesitate to ask the lady at the shop where you like to buy your skin care products.


Rule number 3 is another easy one. It is probably a predictable and lame one, as well, but I want to mention it anyway, since skin care does not only rely on what you do on the outside: live healthy! I define living healthy as getting enough sleep; eating many fruits and vegetables and leave the meat alone every now and then; drinking water and maybe fruit juices; going out in the fresh air for at least 30 minutes on a daily base, and work out. This work out is not necessarily a boot camp or fitness session at the gym; it may also involve hiking in the forests nearby your town or going out for shopping. Living healthy also includes catching sunlight with moderation. Too little sunshine will keep your face pale and pimples will never disappear (trust me: they hate sunlight like vampires!); too much sunshine will make you look like sunbathing is your #1 occupation, it speeds up the ageing-process, and it increases your chances to get skin cancer.


So, these are the basics of skin care for students. I follow all of these myself and since I know how much Photoshop and airbrush can do - even to a skin - I am actually much more content with the state of my skin.

A must-have list for college - just so that you can study

It's a lovely rainy Sunday where I live, and I figured that I would have liked a must-have list for college, even while it may seem easy to buy school supplies. 

First and foremost, college =/= high school. Your teachers probably will not require you to have a separate notebook for each subject or to have (within a subject) separate notebooks for lecture notes and homework. 

Secondly, it is likely that you will not have as many subjects each term as in high school. Whereas I had between 7-15 subjects throughout the year in high school, I now have 3 or 4 subjects each term. This may differ for each course: for example, I know that the Bachelor Law school in Groningen works with about 6 subjects per semester, but Educational Sciences has 3 or 4 subjects per term, which is half a semester in time. So: count your subjects!

So, then, what do you need?

1. Your textbooks and syllabi / readers / whatever your teachers call them. Without your textbooks and syllabi, you do not have the literature available you have to know for your exams. If you cannot afford buying all the textbooks and readers, I would recommend to look at the library of your university or faculty, to see if you can loan the books there. Make sure you can have them available when you need them, either way. 

2. Notebooks! Yes, you still need notebooks, but probably not as many as in high school. How you value technology and neatness might influence how many notebooks you need. If you prefer reading from your laptop screen, you just need to have your laptop ready during lectures and if you do not mind having Constitutional Law notes next to International Law notes and other things, you can get away with 1 notebook. They are available in many price classes and designs. If you can afford it, buy some notebooks that suit your style. That way, it will be much more fun to use them. 

3. Stuff to write with: pens in different colours, pencils, an eraser, a ruler and text markers are things I have always with me. I personally like to have the number of the lecture in red on top of the page and the key words in blue. For drawings, I still prefer a good old grey pencil and a ruler in case rectangles and square shapes must be drawn in the notes. Text markers are handy to mark the most important words in a text from your book or syllabus. 

4. A diary. Not necessary a school diary though, since your life might continue during traditional holidays, but a diary is necessary. College students are busy people; we have to study, work, be on boards and committees for our CV, keep up with friends, take some basic care of ourselves, etc. Again, there is a wide variety, so it depends on your budget, preferences and style which one you take. I personally like my diary to be not too big, but still big enough so that a decent amount of activities fit. Preferably with the hours of the day, because I am somewhat lazy. The photos below are from my own diary.

5. A few email addresses of people in your class and your teachers' email addresses. Questions may arise while you're studying a topic or when you're working on an assignment. In such cases it can help a lot if you can ask someone who is involved with the same topics and assignments as you. 

6. Folders and/or binders. For the tidy, neat and organised people among us, not so much for the techno students who do everything on their laptop. As subjects advance, your teacher might hand out more stencils and paper work or (s)he will put them online for you to print. Once printed/received, it is tempting to put them on your desk and eventually have them drowned in plenty other stuff. This does not make for a successful academic career, so it is more efficient to have a folder or binder in which you can put away your prints. I have planned to buy one notebook this year, but put all my notes and prints in a binder, with a tab for each subject. 

So, that is my list of must-haves to succeed in college (or at least pass your exams). Remember this blog is young, so there is much more to come, but if you think I forgot something important regarding this subject, please let me know =) You are also welcome to share your thoughts of course or just randomly drop by and say something. 

Introduction

So, the holidays are almost over. Monday, September 5th, I'll have my first lecture at 9.00 AM. So goodbye days off and holidays and hello textbooks and lectures! Being a Dutch student, I have to do a minor in the first semester of the third year of my Bachelor. It might seem easy to choose one, but it isn't. Sure, some courses require their students to do the in-depth minor of the course and then there's not much to choose, but most courses (at least, at the University of Groningen) allow you to broaden your horizon by offering you the possibility to take classes in another course or even another faculty. 

Now, as with studies, there are many minors to choose from and each one seems more interesting than the one before, or so I felt when I had to choose. I had already taken the easy way by having chosen the in-depth minor of Educational Sciences, but then there was an announcement on the website of our faculty about a minor in Sociological Research. I skimmed the text quickly and saw that all students with a propaedeutic certificate from our faculty were eligible. Since I wish to apply for the Research Master of our faculty after having obtained my Bachelor's degree, I thought that a few extra Statistics-related lessons could be handy.

This minor also allows me to consider whether or not I really want to take so many Statistics and Methodology subjects during my Master and whether or not I can do it. Ambition is one thing, ability is another and in certain balances they can bring wonderful results. Either way, I'll have to take my Statistics book from the shelves and review it when I have time left to be prepared for subjects like Advanced Statistics and Model Building. Other subjects I'll have are Research Practical, Text Analysis for Social Sciences, Behavioural Theories of Sociology and EU Decision Making. All in all, it's not just about numbers and funny calculating signs, but also some actual Sociology-related subjects, which sound really interesting to my knowledge-thirsty brain :) 

I've already seen my timetable, which looks manageable. I've already put it in my diary and next week it's time for me to get some sort of notebook, the textbooks and syllabi and maybe some other useful things. I like to be prepared for the new year in college and I'm looking forward. If fate doesn't mess with me too badly, I'll actually have a title by the end of this year and the subjects I'm going to have make my heart beat just a tad faster, which I think is a good sign. I'll soon put up some more general and universal posts =) 

Welcome to my world

Hello and a warm welcome to everyone who has found this blog! It doesn't matter how you came here; what matters is what you're searching here. This blog is not just about college life, because I know you would soon be fed up with wisdom like 'don't get wasted the night before an exam'. Also, I am a girl, so there will be stuff about fashion on here too, although I might give an update on the Dutch football competition and Champions/Europe League too. Past week I actually developed the etiquette for hooligans watching a soccer match at TV, which I might post up here as well, just to keep guys interested. 

I just want to share my experiences as a college student and I hope that others are interested in that. Besides, I would like to offer general advice for the student audience in general. As universal as I'll attempt to be, everyone's experiences are different, since we all have our own backgrounds and lives, so my advices may not count as a general, universal and undeniable truth :) 

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this blog, because this is something I plan to continue. I already have a few interesting items in mind about fashion, music, movies, college life and other issues. Have a nice weekend and I hope to see you around in the comments section :)