Trend Spotter: Back to School

Back to school is upon us and whether you are back at the books yet or not, I'm here with some style tips to help make the transition smoother!

(All you freshman out there, I'm wishing you a warm welcome to college! This advice is mainly geared towards you and I hope you find it helpful!) 

1) First off, campus temperatures right now are always awkward. The classrooms can be freezing but outside is still pretty warm. Keep yourself satisfied by bringing along a sweatshirt or pullover to class but avoid wearing long sleeve shirts. If you can't take it off, you'll end up being miserably hot later on. 

2) Even if you skip bringing along the sweatshirt, always be prepared for weather. A rain jacket and/or umbrella are must haves for your book bag. You never know when the weather will change! 

3) Think twice about footwear! Sandals or flip flops may seem like a good idea, but college usually involves a lot of walking around. Tennis shoes are your best friend. 

4) People aren't judging you like you may think. There's no need to wear fancy clothing or uncomfortable outfits to class. (Forever Loving Norts!) Let yourself live easier and dress down a little bit. But also don't lean too far the opposite way. Walking into class looking like a slob is disrespectful to the teacher. Find the good balance! 

5) "Dressing Down" doesn't have to mean completely casual. I loved rocking my Norts/Tee combo with various accessories. Do a bracelet stack or a watch and some studs! You'll still feel dressed up AND be extremely comfortable! 

6) Backpacks are not for geeks. Purses are cute but by the two week mark, you're going to be dying to rest your shoulder. Find a good backpack and dress it up, stylize it, monogram it, whatever! Just make it yours and rock it. 

I'll finish up by saying this. College is an amazing time to find yourself. Even though I love clothes, sometimes purpose has to come before vanity and I am telling you now, don't ever feel like an oddball for making that choice. That being said, it's also an amazing time to find your personal style and make it yours! So have an amazing first day of classes and get ready for an amazing adventure! 

When The Going Gets Tough

Something that has been a struggle for me lately is balancing my sorority with my classes. No I'm not failing, my grades aren't suffering terribly, however they're definitely not as high as they have been previous semesters. There is something so unsatisfying about getting B's on literally every, single assignment. It makes me feel for a lack of a better word, mediocre. However, what I know is that there's clearly no one to blame but myself.

I love my sorority so much, and it is the hardest thing to focus on classes when there's so many fun and exciting things going on within my chapter. I have been crafting non-stop; for my two perfect littles, worrying about what I need to get done for events coming up, and trying to focus my attention on running my own blog and writing for you guys on here. 

I always tell people that the name of my major should be changed to the "art of bullshitting" because I would say I definitely would receive a masters in that. What I need to regain is my self-discipline, I need to force myself to go to the gym more, I need to focus more time on school, and be mindful about the time I need to allot to my sorority. But it's not easy, and it is hands-down one of the most difficult things I've ever tried to juggle in my life. 

I need to try to put more effort into my school work because I don't want to settle for B's, I want the feeling of getting an A and knowing I earned it. I currently have a group project coming up for one of my classes and I'm so incredibly nervous for it because I haven't even read the book yet. [English major probs]. On top of that the past week has been so difficult for me with my Math class I'm taking which is supposed to be "so" easy but is definitely not easy for someone like me who is not so great at Math. 

I guess what I'm getting at in this post is that these next few weeks will be interesting to see how everything plays out. I'm learning stuff along the way, and I'm perfectly okay with that I just don't want to see any aspect of my life suffer because of any of the rest of them. With the end of our new member class's process coming up, some projects to accomplish, I'm interested to see how everything pans out. 

A Few Simple Ways to be Productive

Do you have the winter blues? All you wanna do is stay inside with your Netflix. If you're like me you have a hard time getting back into the swing of things after winter break. Here are some tips to help you get back on track:                            
 1. Wake up early: 
Even on week days that you don't have class or not until later in the afternoon still get up at a decent time. Try for 8 a.m. you'll be so surprised by how much you're able to get done when you don't sleep half the day away.    

 2. Get organized:
Have a planner, ect. And look at our post about getting organized.                  

3. Take breaks while studying:
Don't kill yourself looking at a book for hours. Instead take a few minute break every half hour or so. You'll retain more!   

  4. Get a good nights sleep. 
Try for 7-8 hours, it's hard to get things done when you're tired. Try having a weekday bedtime!                                                     

  5. Work then play: 
Things typically don't get done the other way around!               

6. Prioritize: 
Make a list of things you need to get done in order of due date, to ensure you don't miss anything.
Going back to school after a break is hard! However, you don't want a slow start to affect the rest of your semester. Keep it moving ladies!

Student Teaching

     These past few weeks have flown by. I have a third grade classroom right outside of my town of Kutztown. These kids all have grown to be people I look forward to seeing day after day. Being on Thanksgiving break and not seeing them for five days felt beyond strange. I didn't like it at all. It is nuts to think that a little more than a month ago I did not know any one of these twenty one beautiful kids. 
      Every single one of them has a spark. This spark is for their character, their passion, their drive, and their learning ability. No, we are all not perfect, but it doesn't matter, with these kids they can be. They try so hard and push to make everything they do the best they can do. I loved working with the whole class teaching pronouns, and about holidays or working one on one trying to improve students multiplication. 
      These twenty one students help prove to myself that teaching is the job I was always supposed to do. I came into the classroom with doubts, and being unsure that I had worked three long, hard years studying something that I didn't know was for me. I learned how much of a true teacher I am. I have discipline, I have strength, I have patience, and I have lots and lots of love. I couldn't see another future for the rest of my life other than teaching. It is such a rewarding career and one I know I will look forward to for the rest of my life.

My American Holidays Text Set 

Senior Year of Formal Recruitment

     Being a senior is a very bitter sweet time, especially right around recruitment time. Fall is our formal recruitment at my school and I am so sad that it is over. We have Meet the Sisters, Philanthropy, and Preference round all happening and then it is a blur. Preference round was when it all hit me that I am a senior and this will be my last moments as a sister and college student of Kutztown University. I couldn't help but cry when my sisters were talking about what my sorority means to them and how much our chapter has grown in the years I have been apart of it. My sorority is definitely not the same sisterhood it was when I joined, but isn't that a good thing. With every new person who joins our chapter we grow, change, and mold to the people who are now part of our amazing sisterhood. We pride ourselves with this quote a lot, "Individually unique, together complete." With my chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma, Zeta Omicron I am proud to say that none of my sisters are exactly the same but we do come together for the same purposes and strive to better ourselves through schooling and being involved.
     Bid day was amazing and we got an amazing group of twenty three beautiful women to welcome into Phi Sigma Sigma. With College Panhellenic Council we also raised our total at our school from sixty five to seventy five women. I am so excited to live this last year in college to the fullest and continue to watch this great sisterhood continue to grow and thrive. All sisterhoods have their ups and downs but it is how you work through them that make the sorority stand strong and true. Together we can have it all!
     

How do you choose the right sorority for you?

            It is half way through summer, which means for most sorority girls it is almost recruitment time! That means fun florals, bright colors, Greek lettered shirts, and lots and lots of sister time!
            Fall of 2011 I had no clue what the hell I was getting myself into when I walking into the Student Union Building planning to go through recruitment. I talked to so many girls and forgot most of their faces. I remember the second night I walked into a room and a girl walked right up to me and asked me "Brooke, how was your day today? I am so glad you came back out!" I was astonished! Why would this awesome, fun girl remember me? There were hundreds of us, and I even forgot their names but lucky they had name tags. Finding your sorority should be the girls that you leave an impression on and that they leave one on you. Don't get me wrong the day I chose what sorority I wanted to put first on my preference card was scary... It was like deciding if you liked a guy and he liked you back. Will Phi Sigma Sigma want me to be a sister of there amazing sorority? Not going to lie and say I wouldn't have been completely devastated if they decided to pick another girl over me but the next day at bid day I was beyond pleased to be holding a Phi Sig bid!
             When going through look for a group of girls you can connect with, sometimes all that glitters is not gold. Although there may be some cool sororities with fun colors, you have to find the best sorority for YOU. They are also trying to find the best potential sisters for them! My suggestions is try to find a connection with their philanthropy, an event, mission, creed, values, some of their sisterhood events, one of the sisters... there is so many different things potential new members can do to find their home away from home.
               One final piece of advice I would give a potential new member who is going through recruitment, is to research. Research about all of the sororities you are going through especially through their national website. Also, if your friend from another school said a Zeta Zeta Zeta sorority was horrible at hazing and they are always mean doesn't necessarily mean the one at your school will be the exact same way. Just like how every class in high school club is different, doesn't mean they all act the same way and all run their meetings the same. Talk to upper class men or different faculty on campus... they usually have a pretty good perspective but do not use Greek Rank. I personally think that it is very negative outlook on the Greek community and that it is also not very accurate... I mean at all.
              But go through recruitment & walk your own path... and if you don't like it you can create a new one, with it hopefully leading to the sorority of your choice!