You Mean Senior Year Started?

This is me, H.B. Louise—

Hope you all are having a great start to September and looking forward to the cooler temperatures to come. Here in Indiana we are expecting a slight temperature drop, and I am ready to wear my sweaters, order my favorite holiday lattes, and see the leaves change colors in my backyard. Oh and by the way, I’ve been wearing sweaters since last September. When we were put in quarantine in March/April, I refused to accept that spring was back because I just stayed inside all day. I guess I still haven’t caught on to the outside temperature of 80 degrees because I’m even wearing a sweater today. Oops ;)

I thought I would share a little bit with you all about my first week and a half of senior year! For those of you who do not know, I am studying strategic communication and entrepreneurship and innovation. I am loving how the two complement each other and cannot wait to see where this semester takes me. So far, my work load is as expected: lots of reading, writing papers, group projects, and of course presentations. Although this year seems challenging with 15 credit hours and 20 hours of an internship a week, I am determined to make memories with my three roommates and friends on campus too. This will all be done safely, do not worry!

My roommates have been my three best friends here at school since the first day of our first-year. I do not know where I would be without any of them, and I am so happy we have this last year together in a house. You may be hearing about these girls in a future blog so be on the lookout to hear some fun and crazy stories from our time together and how we all met!

Thank you all for following along and taking time to read some more about my school “must haves” and best practices as a student:

1. COFFEE. Obviously by now you know I cannot go without it. I start my day with a cup of black coffee and usually result to a refill or two throughout the course of the day.

2. Blue light glasses. I just purchased my first pair back in March because I am constantly on my laptop for school assignments, Zoom meetings, and writing. Also, I have migraine and tension headaches so I wanted something that would help my eyes as they stared at my MacBook screen.

3. I try to keep a tidy desk so I’m not stressed out with clutter. This is HUGE for me.

4. I am a BIG fan of paper copies (I’m so sorry). I find that I do better when I can hold an assignment or reading in my hands. I also use lined paper to create “to do lists”.

5. I’m a morning person all the way! As some of you read in my last blog, I believe I am more productive in the morning. I motivate myself with a “special treat” if I wake up super early to start homework. This is usually a piece of coffee cake, croissant, or lemon pound cake.

6. To feel productive, I must get ready for the day.

7. When it comes to schoolwork, I ONLY listen to music when I write. I find that it distracts me too much to listen and read, so I have told myself that music is only allowed when I write papers, discussion posts, or emails.

8. I LOVE gel pens. All colors are welcome.

9. I keep all my files organized and labeled so that I can find everything when I need it. This has taken me some time to get used to because I work so quickly with different programs. However, I have noticed a great difference this past year when I would need to reference past assignments or handouts.

10.You can probably tell, but I am a huge planner gal.

All my thanks and love, H.B. Louise