College: Preparations

College

My time in college has been one of the most memorable moments that I could have experienced. Meeting new people, joining clubs and organizations, spontaneous trips with friends, relationships, education, and growth. College is a time where you learn more about yourself and what best impacts your future. These are the times where you want to do everything and anything. Meet new people, explore your campus, join clubs/organizations, explore the city, etc. Live it to the fullest because these 4 years will not come back. 

Advice/Preps

If there is one thing that I can tell my college freshman self is to organize everything you need before the first day of class. You definitely got to plan ahead. Not a lot of college students use planners and I can tell you that a planner saved my life. This helped me by organizing any big midterms, exams, papers, or projects that classes required. Best way to differentiate is to color code your classes when making these labels and writing down the important assignments. I have seen TikTok's about college students making an assignment tracker on Google Sheets or Excel to help them complete all of their assignments and that is another perfect way to prepare for the semester. 

One of the biggest tips I will give you is one that I am glad I did with my sorority sisters. We went to campus together to look for our classes before the semester started. If this is your first semester (or 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year)) at college, I highly recommend you do this as it also helps you get to know your campus a little better. For any commuter who is going to check out the location of their classes, this is a perfect time to check out what parking structure is ideal for you. Me personally, I would always park in the structure that was the closest to my last class of the day.

Supplies

One thing about college is that it is nothing like high school. You do not need a notebook for every class you take or a binder. A laptop, iPad, maybe 1 notebook will be fine. On your first day of the semester you will see that a 90% of the students uses either a laptop or an iPad to take notes. The remaining 10% will use a notebook to take notes. It is always good to carry a notebook and a couple pens/pencils, you'll never know when they will be needed. Depending on your major or classes that you take, a notebook might not be needed. 

If you are a science, exercise science, math, or kinesiology major, an iPad is ideal for classes as there will be lessons where you will need to annotate. If you are a communications, psychology, business, engineer, computer science, finance, liberal arts, political science, or criminal justice major a laptop will be the most ideal. I have seen students from the listed majors have a laptop, iPad, or both to take notes or do their assignments in and I can tell you right now that it is also a preference in which item you want to use. Some people prefer an iPad because it is lighter and easier to take with you. Others prefer a laptop as it is easier to be have an overview of all your tabs being open and it is easier to be working on reports/essays/papers. 

Night Before

Prepare your backpack/tote with any supplies that you may need. Have your iPad/laptop fully charge. If you are staying in campus for a long period of time, it is handy to have you chargers with you. The chargers can be for your phone, laptop, iPad, headphones, etc. If you're taking lunch, have that ready too. Sometimes getting food on campus can be a bit pricey. For my college women who are commuting, please please please have an mini emergency bag with you at ALL times. Carry any hygiene products that you use because you never know when you or someone else will need it. I always had one and I think I barely used it for myself but I was always prepared to help others. Always have cash with you, it is a lifesaver!! 

WIML

Weekly Workouts

I hate Mondays and this may be straight to the point but I had to say it. I can't sleep in and I love sleeping in. As much as I hate Mondays I do not let it get the best of me. Every Monday is a reminder that I have the opportunity to restart my routine for the rest of the week. The best thing for me to have the rest is by working out. I've been trying to stay consistent going to the gym 4 times a week but it has been hard thing to keep it as a habit due to my current work schedule being very wonky. I do plan to go before or after my shifts to not miss out on my routines. Mornings I attend the gym and in the evenings I do at home Pilates. Discipline starts from day 1 and I refuse to slack off. The best way for me to be motivating myself is to reward myself at the end of the month with either a new workout set or any workout apparel to get me excited for the following week.

Gym Routine

Throughout the 4 days of going to the gym, there is a split schedule that I like to follow so that I do not overwhelm my body with an excessive amount of exercises at the gym. This is a way to perfectly balance upper body and lower body workouts. The schedule that I have planned out makes it easier for me to follow through specific exercises that I want to do and what machines I want to use. This is how I have my workout schedule planned out throughout the 4 days.

1. Monday: Leg Day (Hamstrings + Glute), Cardio (Stairmaster)

2. Tuesday: Arms/Shoulders (Biceps + Deltoids) , Back, Core, Cardio (Treadmill)

3. Wednesday: Leg Day (Quads + Calves), Cardio (Stairmaster)

4. Thursday: Arms (Triceps), Chest, Core, Cardio (Treadmill)

At Home Routine

On top of the days that I attend my morning/afternoon gym sessions, I like to do at home Pilates as it has low impact exercises that have helped me work on core strength, stability, posture, muscle control and breathing. I personally haven't taken an in person Pilates class but I do find the at home Pilates videos to be a perfect start if you're interested in attending classes in the future. The videos that I like to follow along can be found on YouTube but I have my preference on 2 instructors. Pilates by Izzy and Melania Antuchas are the instructors that I like to follow along. Pilates by Izzy are perfect if you are beginning your Pilates journey. All you need is a yoga block, small weights ( I use 3 lbs.), yoga ball, and a mat. Melania's videos are a bit on the intermediate level but if you like a good challenge, I recommend her! You will be using a yoga block, weights, resistance bands and weights. If you have any recommendations on Pilates instructors or recommend any Pilates studios in the LA area, let me know as this is something that I want to try out!

Blog Postings

Goals

I hope you have enjoyed the first 2 (now 3) blog posts!! I have been enjoying writing them and working on Instagram posts that tie in with every blog. I am working on multiple drafts that need to be edited before publishing this week and next. Same applies to the Instagram and TikTok will be updated soon as well!! One thing that I will be adding in future blogs are journaling prompts. I did add one in the previous blog and that is something that I want to continue adding as it entails back to my topic of mental health (which will be known as “Self Care Sunday”).

Schedule

On Monday I started working on my schedule for postings on social media and here on my platform to not keep you all waiting on the next post. As of right now there is a schedule for the blogs that will state when and what time they will be published. This schedule is set to have blogs being posted at 1:30pm. If blogs aren’t being posted at this time, I will be posting updates on my Instagram if posts will be published later. When I publish a new post, it will be shown in the main page and the previous blog will be up on their designated tab.

This will be my current schedule!! At the start of every month I will be adding a “Welcome to (month name)” to give you a little bit of a refresh. Thank you for enjoying my blogs!! ✨🪐

WIML

 

Week In My Life✨<3

Post grad life has been really interesting as I now have a lot of free time. There has been so much going on from graduation until now that there is a lot to catch up on. After graduating, I knew that finding a job was not going to be easy and applying for something that ties in with my bachelors makes it a little harder. That is not making me give up and I will not give up until I get a job to leave my retail journey. I'll miss those discounts and sneak peaks to new collections but it is time to say goodbye. Thankfully I have gotten back from 3 places that have asked me to do an interview and scheduling those have been super easy but there are 2 places that I am really interested in. Updates on that will come out soon once I get the job!!

With all this free time, I have been trying to catch up on reading my books that I have been pushing off for some time now. Made myself a goal of 12 books to be read this year and so far I have 5. With 4 months remaining I believe I can meet my goal. This current reading slump needs to disappear ASAP because I will only be adding more books into my tbr list. I will be starting The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros and I am so ready to let out the tears!! After reading A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole, I practically sobbed my life away. My cousin warned me about that book and I took those warnings but damn did that book destroy me emotionally. I'm hoping that this new book can get me there and can't wait to journal about it!! 

Journaling has been one of the biggest habits that I want to implement in my routines. It can be morning, evening, or night routine. I pretty much do all 3 and not only does it help me clear my mind, it also helps me spend time away from my phone. Especially at night. Incorporating a journal prompt right before I go sleep has helped me relax my mind and body. Also helps me practice my writing and use all the stationary that I keep collecting. If you aren't journaling morning, evening, or right before bed, you should definitely try it!! Might have a journaling prompt waiting for you on the left side panel.

Intro

Welcome to Jaz Adventures!!

Hello I’m Jaz!! I’m 24 years old and have graduated from college!! I have my bachelors of science in kinesiology and I will soon be starting to get my volunteer hours for OT school!! These blogs will be a start to my journey through post grad life as I want to bring my experience to current college students and post grad students!! I will be publishing my experience on college life and post grad life!! 

Starting this blog has been an exciting and frightening experience as I am starting something new. From designing the layout to creating my very first post has been a bit overwhelming but one that I have enjoyed every step of the way. This introductory post is the perfect start to what I'll be writing about in future posts.

MY NICHE/TOPICS

My blogs will focus on my college experience and balance. College classes, sorority experience, personal lifestyle, and mental health are the topics that I will be focusing on writing about (every week is a new topic).  I want to be able to help/guide someone who may have questions or may feel lost throughout their college adventure. My experience will not be similar to yours but I do hope that my experience can be your reason to try something new. I will also have current adventures of where I am now with my degree and life.

Life doesn’t stop after college and there is so much more I want to see, experience, and share. This is an adventure that I can’t wait to start and one I can’t wait to see grow. This is only the beginning and an adventure that will be growing over time. Let’s start this adventure together!