College – Alli Santmyer

College

College Tips & Tricks

April 11, 2017

Hi everyone! Welcome back to Allison in Wonderland! Today, I’m bringing you some of my best tips and tricks for college. Over the last three years that I’ve been in college, I’ve learned a thing or two and I wanted to share it with you! Let’s get started.

Join clubs and organizations. During my first semester at James Madison University, I must have joined at least eight clubs. I wanted to try everything and it ended up being a little bit too much, but I’m so glad I put myself out there from the start! By the end of that first semester, I had found a really wonderful fellowship on campus that helped me secure my place at JMU and I’m so grateful that I was able to be surrounded by great people so early on.
Get an internship! At some schools, it’s a requirement that you do an internship before you graduate, and I’m 100% supportive of that! I got my first internship the summer before my junior year and it was incredible. Not only did it affirm the industry I want to work in when I graduate, but I got to work with so many terrific professionals who were more than happy to talk about my future career!
Move off campus. This is a big one for me! I lived on campus my first and second years and now I’m living off for my third and fourth. My college experience really changed when I switched from living in a dorm to living in an apartment. It allows you to feel so much more independent and it gave me the separation between school and home that I was looking for.
Live with people you know. It’s really important in college to live with people who you know and trust. Bad living situations can affect every aspect of your college life and it can so easily be avoided! If you have to live with people you don’t know, be sure to ask around about them and see what kind of people they are before you commit.
Have fun! Don’t get me wrong, academics have to come first but it’s also important to not let yourself get too stressed out. At JMU, we have a really great gym that does all different types of workout classes and they’re such a great stress relief. Once you find a couple hobbies, you’ll be good to go!

I hope you enjoyed these college tips and tricks! Let me know if you’d like to see another post like this closer to my graduation. Have a great week!

College

My Summer Internship: A Summary

August 2, 2016

Hi everyone! August has arrived and even though it’s only the first week of the month, unfortunately, it’s the last week of my summer internship. I began this journey with 12 long weeks ahead of me that could’ve been extremely awful or extremely wonderful and I’m very blessed to say it’s been one of the best experiences of my life.

For the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity of being an intern at a marketing firm in Annapolis, Maryland. They (whom will remain unnamed for privacy reasons) are a full-service marketing firm that services clients such as Duracell, Splenda, and Mars Drinks (plus many others). I went into the job thinking I would mainly shadow and assist my co-workers with whatever small tasks they needed help with but I thought wrong. From the moment I walked in the building on my first day, I have been working on things that I’ll actually be doing in my career. How cool! From the little meetings I’d had before beginning the summer, I knew my days wouldn’t usually be filled doing typical intern tasks such as doing coffee runs and making copies, but I had no idea the level of respect and kindness I would receive from the employees at this company. Throughout this internship, I’ve been challenged more than I thought I ever could be in such a short amount of time. In addition to being challenged design-wise, I feel like the classes I’ve taken at JMU helped prepare me for this summer, and I also feel that this internship will help me in my future classes and that’s a really neat feeling!

This internship has also greatly improved my design self-esteem. One of the classes I took this past year was pretty much a class version of this internship. I was designing invitations, infographics, logos, etc. and I hated it. My professor didn’t like my style of design and the comments and grades I received made me rethink my future so much that I didn’t even have an interest in graphic design anymore. So, when I got here this summer, I was secretly hoping I’d mostly work with employees in other positions such as the copy editors and trade marketing professionals. However, I ended up falling into the design position and it couldn’t have turned out better! Not only did I realize that what I originally wanted to do is still what I want to do, but I realized I have the drive and the talent to actually be able to do it. This summer, one of my designs was actually chosen for a company’s new logo! Your future does not depend on the opinions of one person and you should never forget that.

Ending this internship, I’m kind of in a state where I feel so ready and prepared and excited for my future that I just want to be in it already! I want to be working full time at a job I love and traveling on the weekends, and I’m already doing that! It’s definitely going to be difficult driving away from here on Friday and heading back to school at the end of the month but that just means I’m that much closer to being where I want to be.

Although I don’t think anyone from the company will ever read this, I’d like to thank them as a whole for maintaining such an open and friendly environment that was so inviting and comforting to me this summer. Incredibly, I’ve been invited back to intern again over my winter break, so it won’t be long before I’m back at it and you can trust that I will be counting down the days until I return!

Thank you for reading this post and please let me know in the comments if you had a great summer internship as well! See you next week! 🙂

College

How To: Survive Finals Week

May 3, 2016

Hi! Today, I’m back with a post about how to survive finals week when you’re in college! I’m actually writing this in the middle of my finals week so all this advice is definitely real – I’m using it right now! 🙂

My first bit of advice is to make sure you get enough sleep. It’s so tempting to feel like you need to pull an all-nighter before your exam, especially if it’s an early exam the next day and you’re stressed that you might not do well. You want to study for as long as possible (maybe because you put it off until the day before) and feel like you can retain the information better if you just don’t go to sleep at all, but sleep actually helps us to remember and sort out the information we’ve learned that day and will make your mind more alert when you go to take your exam. I always study right up until I go to sleep the night before and then study more, in the morning, right before the exam. That way I’m alert and able to take the exam with a clear mind, but all the exam information that I studied is fresh in my mind.

Second, take time to make sure you look like yourself. I know throwing on sweatpants and a t-shirt is convenient and quick when you’re busy and stressed but if you don’t go through your normal routine and dress how you usually do, your brain won’t know it has to perform. Getting ready as you do on a daily basis signals to your brain that your day is beginning and things are happening. If you never go through this process, your brain will still be in “sleep” mode and won’t be ready to take a test. This is something I’ve started doing and paying attention to recently and it’s mentally helped me out a lot!

Third, make sure you’re eating healthy and drinking plenty of water. When we’re constantly on the go, we can easily forget to eat and drink as we should. Eating healthy takes more time and energy than just grabbing a Pop-Tart, but, in the end, you’ll be glad you took the time to take care of yourself when everyone around you is getting sick! Emergen-C can also help you out a lot. It’s just a little extra boost for your immune system that could make or break your health during finals week!

Lastly, recognize that your final exam grades don’t define who you are as a person. It’s hard to be in college and not fall victim to the idea that you aren’t as successful as your peers. We constantly compare our own grades to our friend’s grades and, in reality, most of the time we aren’t even taking the same classes so we aren’t comparing the same thing. Some college students are better at certain subjects than others and, as long as you’re doing your best, that’s all anyone can ask for. Getting good grades is very helpful, but I think any employer would value hard work and diligence over knowledge anyways. 🙂

I hope this post helps you take a moment to relax and take a step back from your hectic finals week! Let me know in the comments below what your best finals week advice is and I’ll be sure to comment back! See you next week!

College How To

How To: Plan a Formal Event in College

April 12, 2016

Welcome back! Today’s post is going to be all about planning a formal event when you’re in college, whether it be for a sorority or fraternity or campus club! Over the course of this semester, I have been a part of planning my sorority’s spring Formal, and I’m going to share the steps we went through to make it the best it could be!

The first thing my committee and I needed to decide was the location. In the past, my sorority has had our Formal at churches (we’re a Christian sorority), at banquet halls, many different places! Since our budget this year was very small, we wanted to keep it on campus since booking a banquet room in a James Madison building (for a student) is free. After deciding this, we could go forward with planning the theme!

We discussed a lot of different themes but eventually decided on a carnival theme! Usually Formal is more, ya know, formal, but we wanted to make it more interactive this time around. We didn’t have a lot of money given to our committee to throw the event, so we got most of our decorations from Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Dollar General! Fortunately for us, most of the places we went had actual sections set aside for carnival parties!!

We decided the main things we wanted to have were games and a space designated for pictures. For games, we bought supplies for a can toss, corn hole, and a balloon pop – all typical things you would see at a carnival! None of these were difficult to put together and they ended up being so, so fun. For the balloon pop, we filled each balloon with confetti so, when it was popped, confetti burst out! As far as the photo space, we bought two big rolls of red and blue carnival tickets and hung strips of 40 tickets to make a backdrop. After that, we hung a multi-colored banner on top to add some more color! We included props, such as clown noses and a boa, on the side so everyone could get some silly pictures too!

Our photo backdrop with some of our props we made!

Of course, we had more things like balloons and a popcorn stand and jolly rancher center pieces (for the tables) but those were the main decorations that made up our party! Even though it was stressful envisioning everything, we had a blast putting this together. I hope this post helped with your future party planning and I’ll talk to you next week!

College

What I Eat In a Day: College Edition

April 5, 2016

Hi everyone! This week’s post is going to be a little bit different. Lately, I’ve been really into reading blogs and watching videos about what different people eat in their day. Everyone is in a different situation, whether you work a 9-5 job or are constantly traveling! Being in college, I thought it would be interesting to document everything I eat and see what areas I need to improve in and what areas I’m doing well in! Keep reading to see how I’m doing!

My classes begin pretty early in the day; I have an 8am two times a week and a 9am three times a week, so I always need to make sure I have breakfast before heading out the door! Lately, I’ve been loving the Dannon Light & Fit Protein Smoothies (they’re more like yogurt smoothies than protein shakes). I’ve been buying the strawberry and strawberry banana flavors and they are both so delicious! It’s nice to be able to quickly grab something on my way out the door that will keep me full for a couple hours before I have the chance to eat something else. Another breakfast option for when I have more time is avocado toast. Recently, people have been going crazy about avocado toast and they’re completely justified in doing so – it’s amazing! All you have to do is toast a piece of bread and slice up an avocado and layer it on top! I like to add pepper on the top of mine for some more flavor but you can choose whatever spices you like!

I usually eat lunch pretty early, around 11 or so, and, if I’m being honest, I always go for a sandwich or wrap. At my university, we have a make-your-own sandwich place and it’s great! My favorite combination is tuna on a whole wheat wrap with lettuce and tomatoes! It’s fairly healthy because of the protein and great for keeping me full until my classes for the day are over.

As far as snacks, I always, always, always keep Wheat Thins and granola bars stocked in my kitchen. Both of these snack options aren’t awful for you and are good for giving the energy boost you’re looking for! My favorite bars are Nature Valley Oat & Honey bars and Quaker Chewy Granola bars. Both are also easy to stash in your bag in case you get hungry on the go! Another tip for the Wheat Thins… If you feel like you need a little something extra, try dipping them in Nutella – so yummy!

My dinner schedule always changes. Some days I eat at 5 and some days I eat at 8, it all depends on what I have going on that day. I really love switching it up all the time for dinner because, at least at James Madison, there are a ton of different food options to choose from! My go-to dinners are pasta and salads. I usually get marinara sauce on my pasta instead of alfredo sauce, so that saves me a ton of calories! As far as salads go, I usually prefer a chicken caesar salad, or a mandarin orange salad. Both are really yummy and are healthier than a lot of other options!

That about wraps it up for my “What I Eat In A Day” post! Thank you so much for reading and let me know in the comments foods that you love to eat! Make sure to come back next Tuesday for another post!! 🙂

College

College Date Ideas

March 22, 2016

Welcome back!

In this post, I’m giving some fun date ideas for when you’re living in a college town! Constantly coming up with new things to do when you’re stuck in one place for months can be challenging, so I’m going to share some of the things my boyfriend and I like to do when he comes to visit! Keep reading to find out my top 5 date ideas!

Our first visit to Switzer!

The first activity we always like to do is go hiking. If you go to university in the mountains like I do, there are plenty of beautiful trails to choose from! A hiking date works well for a first date or for couples who have been together for a while. You’re doing something active, but consistently have changing scenery, so there’s always something to talk about! Plus, when you get to the top, you have a gorgeous view (of both the mountains and your date!). If you go to school in or near the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, I recommend the High Knob Fire Tower trail or going to Humpback Rocks! If you go to High Knob, definitely check out Switzer Lake on your way – you won’t regret it!

My second activity is going downtown! Unless you go to a very, very small school, your town or city probably has a pretty established downtown nearby. In the downtown by my college, we have restaurants, places to take art classes, and tons of cool shops! This is the perfect date opportunity because it’s a very laid back atmosphere and you can spend as long (or as little) time as you want there! In Harrisonburg, VA, where my school is, we have a couple antique shops that we always love checking out every now and then!

It’s fun to visit a college that neither you or your significant other go to!

The next date idea that I have for you is to check out a different college campus. We’re so used to our own campuses that sometimes it feels worn out when we’re trying to find new things to do, so why not go somewhere where everything is brand new? With Charlottesville only being an hour away from James Madison, my boyfriend and I have gone to the University of Virginia campus on a weekend and spent the day pretending we were students there! It was fun to experience the different culture that they have there and get a taste of what it would be like to attend another college!

Something my boyfriend and I have wanted to do for a while now is go to a drive-in movie! We haven’t gotten the chance to go, but we are so exited for when we finally do. Depending on where you go to school, you might not have one close, but the two I know of that are relatively close to JMU are the Family Drive-In Theatre in Stephens City, VA and Hull’s Drive-in in Lexington, VA. With movie tickets being so expensive, this is a nice (and cheaper) alternative to sitting in a normal movie theater!

My last date idea for this post is going on a picnic. It sounds so simple, but with spending half of the year trudging through the snow and rain, when a nice day comes along, you have to take advantage of it! Grab a blanket, some take-out, and your special someone and head to a good lookout spot! It’s a nice getaway from studying AND you get to spend good time together!

Thanks for reading about my college date ideas, I hope you got something out of it! Be sure to check back for another blog post, coming soon!

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