Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Dean's List

Woops, been slacking on my blogging game, sorry! But I'm back now and ready to add to my bucket list. My next entry won't apply to everyone and it's not as exciting as traveling to Australia but it is a personal goal of mine.
 
2. Making the Dean's List
My goal for second semester, and all of my following semesters, is to make the Dean's list. To do this, I must get a GPA of 3.3 or higher. In reality it shouldn't be too hard as long as I stay focused. I was .2 points off this semester from making the Dean's list, which motivates me even more to do better this semester. This might seem like a silly thing to add to a bucket list but recently, academics have become really important to me. 

Here's why:
In high school I wasn't a genius by any stretch of the imagination, but I was bright and typically I didn't like to do things half-assed. But at the same time I was also lazy, a professional procrastinator, and a really great BSer. This is how I survived-- I got decent grades and the teachers liked me, but I almost always could have done better. The came Junior year, also known as "THE MOST IMPORTANT YEAR OF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER," as my parents liked to remind me daily. This is when you're grades have to be really great because those are the grades that will either make or break your future. Those are the grades colleges look at. And those were the grades I failed at miserably. I feel like everyone goes through that rebellious phase where they do stupid stuff, make friends that are bad influences, and ultimately screw up and piss their parents off. I wasn't lying when I said I don't do things half-assed... I screwed up my Junior year so bad that my parents used to joke that I wouldn't even be accepted to community college. But when I realized that I was messing with my future, I got back on course. I got all my grades up, wrote really great college essays, and had my guidance counselor explain in her letter of recommendation that I was a good student who went through a rough stage at the wrong time. I was accepted to every college I applied to and that's when I realized how important academics really are. 
I know I'm smart, I just need to apply myself. And I feel as though if I succeed in making Dean's list once, I will have the motivation to make the list again in the years to come. I know I'm capable of it, but I need to prove it to myself and to my parents. 

So to do this I figured I just need to follow the basic steps:
  1. Prioritize:  Aka get what is due, done. And on time.
  2. Study: I've never been a huge studier but in college, you can't really pass any tests without studying so my new motto is study, study study!
  3. Go to class: even if the class seems pointless, I need to go. Even my 8 am's. Which I hate.  
  4. Homework: I don't have much homework in my classes, so when I do have some it must be a pretty big deal. It would probably be in my best interest to do it, and do it well.
 So I figure as long as those 4 things are accomplished, I have a pretty good chance of making the Dean's List and that's one more thing I can cross off my bucket list :) 
 

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Blogging Debut!

Congrats to all of you lucky enough to take part in my blogging debut;) Just kidding, this probably going to be a mess. But hopefully you find something interesting and worthwhile in what I blog about to keep you coming back for more! I guess the basis of my blog is going to be about my bucket list. Everyone should have one. Each post is going to be dedicated to one item on my bucket list, when I hope to achieve it by and why it's important to me that I accomplish it before I die. Some might seem ridiculous and silly to you but hopefully you can find one or two you can relate to!

1. Study abroad in Australia

Okay, this is pretty cliche, I get that. But for as long as I can remember, the one place I have always wanted to travel to is Australia. My goal is to head down under for my next spring semester of college. I'm pretty sure I saw a picture of the Opera house in Sydney when I was thirteen and have had this plan in my head ever since. There are so many different places in Australia that I could travel to but I think Sydney will absolutely be my first stop. I want to do tours of the outback, take pictures of kangaroos, learn to surf and meet a beautiful Aussie man with the cutest accent ever ;) What I really want to do is dive and snorkel around the Great Barrier Reef. I've read about some really amazing ship wrecks down there that you can take tours of with a diving instructor and that seems like an amazing opportunity to me. I want to take hikes, horseback ride and ski the Australian Alps. My older brother is a big traveller and he said skiing the Australian Alps was breathtaking, so obviously there is no way I could miss out on that. I think Australia is seriously the most perfect place to travel to, no matter what age you are. There is an endless supply of activities, history and beauty to take in. I have a feeling that once I get there it will be a huge struggle to get me back on that plane to come home.


Great Barrier Reef 
Opera House in Sydney










Heron Island shipwreck