WE ARE…college survivors

Say “NO” to Freshman Fifteen

Summer is right around the corner and many of you are still carry around the holiday weight or the infamous “freshman fifteen.” For college students, gym membership and always eating healthy could be a little pricy. I have some tips that everyone could do to have a healthier life style and they are totally free!

1. Be on your feet!

The bus system in State College is awesome. Blue and white loop are made for lazy people like me who doesn’t even have a 10-minute walk from library to downtown. But if you want a healthy lifestyle and didn’t have time to exercise, you might want to consider to start walking. Penn State is a walker friendly campus and walking uphill on Shortlidge will burn your calorie like nothing else. So next time when your wait for the white loop to come for 10 minutes, you could have already gotten to your destination with a sweat-free cardio.

2. LEARN HOW TO COOK!

As we all know, healthy food choice like a green salad or a chicken sandwich is not as affordable and satisfying as two slices of pizza. If you are struggling eating health with a budget, you should start cooking your own meal. Cooking is no rocket science, and you don’t need as many equipment as you think. Take your time and go to a supermarket to shop for healthy ingredients for salads and sandwiches. It might cost a lot more than a meal, but those ingredients will go a long way and save your money in a long time period. There are recipe websites and YouTube channels, and you’ll be surprise to know that you can make a cupcake just using microwave! Some people also found cooking as a way to release stress, so play with what you have and enjoy the satisfaction of feeding yourself!

3. DON’T DRINK YOUR CALORIEs!

Trust me, I know how satisfying it is to drink a bottle of cold beer or soda after a long day in school, or the craving for coffee every single morning. All these beverages, including orange juice and milk, will increase your calorie intake and they are unnecessary. Try cut down the consumption of beverages and it will save lots of money and unwanted calories. Water is the best way to stay hydrated and they are always free!

Finals Week Survival Kit

Source: news.psu.edu

Let’s admit it, finals week is a tough battle to fight. It wasn’t until finals week that we realize that there are so many due dates right in front of our face and so many textbooks that we haven’t read. Twenty-four hours a day suddenly seem too short and most of them are spent sleeplessly. Here are some tips for you to survive in this long battle of studying:

1. Location, location, location

A quiet location in which you can fully focus on your work is the most important during finals week. Wherever you study, make sure that there are comfortable chairs and

2. Appropriate Outfit

Put on your sweats and pajama, because I can’t stress enough that staying comfortable is very important when you. Don’t get embarrassed by your oh-so-casual dress code because everyone get the memo.

3. Water and Snacks

I know Steve Jobs once told us to “stay hungry, stay foolish,” but when you don’t stay hydrated and keep up with the nutritions during finals, you’re truly hungry and foolish.

4. Organized Reviewing Materiels

Either on your laptop or physical folder, it is always nice to keep all the materials together and organized in one, therefore you don’t have to carry a heavy backpack and won’t get distracted from the irrelevant stuff.

5. Headphone/earphone

Music is the brain juice for long- period of brain work. Study found that classical music helps to increase the productivity and I highly recommend to look up study/instrumental playlist on Spotify or customize your personal study playlist. Moreover, playing music with headphone helps to isolate noises and distractions.

Good Luck on Finals!

On-campus sexual assault needs to STOP now!

Be The Couple That Everyone Secretly/Openly Hates

There are two types of people in college, the ones that are in a relationship and those who are not. Many people dreamed to find their soul mates in college and grow old together, while some people are too afraid to commit to a level-two meal plans. There are no absolute warfare between these two because when love comes around, we inevitable fall for it and join the other side of army. When you’re so smitten by your other half and couldn’t stop thinking about him/her all the time, here are some extra you can do to be the couple that everyone hates to be around:

1. Make relationship your first priority

Drop everything else and hang out only with your partner. Cancel the meetings with friends and miss all the organization activities because who needs to have a life? Personality and hobby are overrated when your partner will love you unconditionally.

2. P.D.A. is the only way to show each other love

When you lovebirds are strutting our and about, you need to make sure the whole world to witness your love to each other is so pure and passionate. The only way to do it, it’s to display your affection for each other in front of your friends, family and even strangers. Trust me, your cuteness will overwhelm them that the have to take a break from looking.

3. Talk to your friends all about your relationship

From the moment that you guys look at each other in the eyes to the pun that he intended when texting you last night, your friends want to hear all about it. Make sure you don’t leave out any details because your friends are afraid to be left our from your intimate relationship.

4. Be financial dependent on each other

Because when has love, you should share the breads together. Open a bank account together and reach the ultimate relationship goals – no privacy. Every movements of your partner will be under your eyes and you’re going to be inseparable.

If your relationship fulfills all of the above, congratulation! Your friends probably secretly hate it and want to get you out of it. But who cares about them, they are just the people from the other army.

How to survive under the ever-changing weather in State College?

Just last week, everyone thought that summer is just around the corner and put away their winter clothes. My dear friend told me that people complaining on Yik Yak how students can experience four seasons in one week. Being an optimist as always, I commented “well, as least we didn’t have snow this week.” Yes, I jinxed it. In response to my heartless comment, State College decided to snow in the middle of April this Wednesday, and more than that, there was hail.

Coming from the southern China where the temperature never has been lower than 50 degree, I have barely experience snow in my whole life, let alone four seasons within a week. Here are some tips I have summarized as a southerner to help you survive this extreme weather.

1. Forget about UGGs, water-resistant shoes are your first choice

When celebrities in Hollywood first introduced us these Australian imported goods, we are obsessed and I assure you that nearly every girl one campus own a pair of these “fugly” boots. But let’s face the truth, all these celebs never have to worry about water and salt stain on their pairs and occasionally hail. So, boots with water resistance and anti-slippery(lets not forget about the black ice) features are your go-to kicks for 6-month-long winter.

2. Purchase multi-layer jackets

Since the weather is so unpredictable, we will never be able to update our wardrobe fast enough to keep ourselves in the right outfit. My suggestion is to buy garments that are wearable in different seasons. For example, jacket that has fleece or extra linen with it would be a good choice. You could layer it up if its getting cold or take a layer off when the sun comes out.