How being a senior is not like being a freshman.

Sometimes I wonder how I ever became a senior in college. And then I look back at my life as a freshman and I'm like "oh."

Freshman year:

• Somehow have all the money in the world even though you have no job. Let's totally drive to Vegas, back to Cedar, to St. George, and then to Salt Lake all in the same week and pay for all the gas.
• Craziest social life ever. Stay up until 2 a.m. watching your friends play Call of Duty until they finally let you play and then ridicule you the entire time and then never let you play again. Or watch all the Paranormal Activity movies in a row on the floor of a dorm room. Or wander around Walmart in the middle of the night for no reason.
• Be an idiot about dating. But all the older guys are into you because you're so cool (*clueless)!
• Never have homework. Or maybe you do have homework but you never do it? Or you just have no recollection of doing it because you spent too much time watching Call of Duty and now your brain is fried.
• Don't go to class but also don't fail class. Freshmen never go to class and they're totally fine! How is that even possible? Also what do they do when they're not in class?
• Eat a ton of food but never gain wait. Freshman 15 is a total lie. I could eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and I felt super great. Dining hall all day every day.
• Go home in the middle of the school day and take a nap. After all, you just live right across the street! And what else do you have to do?
• Keep the same backpack all year. You don't have any heavy books to carry. Most of the time you barely need a notebook, let alone your laptop. Sometimes you use your backpack to hold an apple you took from the dining hall.

Senior year:

• Work two jobs and never have money. Oh, you're going out for ice cream at Carl's Junior? Let me see if I have an extra 50 cents in my budget this month.
• No social life whatsoever. Sleep, eat, school, work, homework, sleep, repeat. And on the weekends, watch an entire season of New Girl on Netflix and don't talk to anyone unless it's your neighbor's cat.
• The only person you think about talking to is your boyfriend. At least you're not that clueless about dating anymore, I guess.
• Do nothing but homework. Write eight essays in two weeks. Oh and do a project, and write a speech, and then two more projects. But hey, also don't forget about your grad school apps.
• Go to every single class and have a full fledged panic attack if you have to miss a class for any reason even if it's valid. Oh my gosh did we have a pop quiz? What if I don't have the notes for the next test? Maybe the essay was explained and now I'm going to have no clue what to write. Life is over.
• Eat nothing but healthy food and work out for an hour every day and still gain weight. I swear I just ran fourteen miles so it's all muscle weight right? I knew I would never recover from eating all those crepes in France. But also... worth it.
• Stay at the school for at least 12 hours every day. There are a million essays to write and also who can afford the gas it takes to get home and back an extra time?
• Break two backpacks in the first three months of school. I don't understand why this $15 Urban Outfitters bag can't handle holding my laptop, five textbooks, and a massive planner. What a rip-off. 

Okay, okay, senior year isn't as bad as I make it out to be. It's actually a lot of fun! But it's definitely no care-free freshman year. I can't believe I only have one semester left.

College. Yikes.

This time of year can get crazy. Finals are coming up, projects are due, and you're trying to apply to college. Here's a list of ten pointers to follow when you're getting ready to submit those applications.

• DON'T panic. Deciding to go to college is a big step, especially if you're not sure exactly where you want to go. But don't worry, it will all work out. The more you panic, the more unnecessary stress you will put on yourself.
• DO apply to more than one school. Even if you do know exactly where you want to go, it's not wise to put all your eggs in one basket. If you don't get in to your dream school, you will want to have other options.
• DON'T only apply where your friends are going. If you actually want to go to that school for good reasons, go ahead and apply. But don't just set your sights on a school that might not have your hear just because all your friends want to go there. College is a new start and a good time to expand your circle of friends.
• DO apply to schools that you love. Even if it's not your parents' top choice for you and even if you won't know a single person going there. My choice fell in both of those categories and it worked out pretty well. In the end, where you go to college is about you and your life.
• DON'T wait until the last minute. Applications take time, and the sooner you get yours in, the better chance you will have of getting scholarships and other opportunities. SUU's priority scholarship deadline is December 1st, which is just around the corner.
• DO take your time. Most schools require essays as part of the application, and you definitely want to take the time to make sure you write a quality paper and don't just throw it together to get it over with.
• DON'T only look at schools online. Call or email your admissions counselors, talk to your teachers at school, learn from people in your community about their college experiences and what they recommend. 
• DO visit the schools you are thinking about. Take a tour, attend a class, get to know current students and what their life is like. At SUU, you can sign up for a campus tour any weekday and there are tons of upcoming events for high school students.
• DON'T worry about committing yet. Applying to a school and being accepted isn't a commitment until you make it one.
• DO attend events to gain more opportunities. For example, SUU has leadership weekends that showcase all of the leadership organizations on campus, and just by coming you will be placed in one. Many other universities have similar opportunities.

I know applying for college can be crazy and overwhelming. The thought of moving out and leaving your home and your comfort zone can be terrifying, but I promise it is worth it! I wouldn't change or take back the experiences I have had at SUU for anything. Don't worry. You'll make it.

On fire.

I have so much to do.

Two jobs, eight essays, two books, one project, two events, three tour hours, three grad school applications, two tests: one girl named Shannon. And that is just all I know of so far this month.

At work this past week we had a meeting about burnout and how to avoid it. Contrary to stress, which is mostly physical and involves trying to do too many things in a short amount of time, burnout is mostly emotional, more gradual, and involves not wanting to do any of the things you need to do. I'm not one to get stressed or burned out very easily, but I just wanted to share some of the ways I prevent it... for the rest of you who are in the same boat out there on the rough seas.

1. Exercise. I talk about this all the time but honestly I don't think there is any better way to combat stress and burnout. A lot of people think they don't have time to fit in a workout when they have mountains of homework and classes and meetings, but it doesn't even have to be long! You can find a million 15 minute workouts on YouTube or even get a free app like Nike Training Club that will guide you right through short exercises that can be as simple as stretching. I'm one of those weirdos in the library that always gets up to stretch because just moving your body for five minutes helps you focus better for the other 55 minutes of the hour. Plus, it keeps you healthier which makes it even easier to study!

2. Eat right. You have to fuel your body to be able to get everything done without becoming sleepy and lethargic. And that doesn't mean drinking two bottles of Coca-cola and eating a granola bar. It means taking time out of your day to prepare yourself an actual meal that will make you feel good. Just like exercising, this doesn't have to take a long time either. There are plenty of things you can make quickly that will end up making a huge difference in how you feel and perform. Here's a recipe I got from the Biggest Loser that is amazingly good - and good for you! Even though it sounds like it would be weird.

     1 sweet potato

     4 ounces ground turkey

     1/3 cup fresh salsa

     2 tablespoons jarred green salsa

     2 tablespoons fat free Greek yogurt

Poke the potato on all sides with a fork and microwave it for 6 minutes, 3 minutes on each side. (May need to be longer depending on the size of the potato.) Meanwhile, cook the turkey over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until it is brown on all sides, breaking it into bite-size chunks as you do this. Then, cut open the potato and load it with the fresh salsa, then the turkey, and then the green salsa. Top with the yogurt and enjoy!

3. Get enough sleep. I know that when I don't get enough sleep, not only am I cranky but I'm also super unmotivated. All I want to do is go back to bed. However, I have found that if I make myself get eight hours of sleep every night even if my homework isn't all the way done when I go to bed, I always have the energy and drive to get it done the next morning, plus I do a way better job on it than I would in the middle of the night. Sometimes when you're stressed it can be difficult to get to sleep, but there are lots of apps that will play soothing sounds for you to get your mind off of things. Or, try this website and add music in the background as well. It's so nice.

4. Budget. Money can be a huge stressor when you have to pay tuition, rent, car payments, gas money, feed yourself, and maybe have a little fun every now and then. Studies have shown that people who budget their money are happier, and probably less stressed as well! I'm all about apps today but there is this awesome one I found called Mint. Now that I can see where my money is going and plan how much I'm going to spend and save, life is so much less daunting.

5. Breathe. Just remember, you'll end up getting everything done, and even if you don't, life will go on. I find it helpful when times get tough to spend a few minutes breathing, stretching, or meditating. The best thing ever to do is look up a guided meditation on YouTube. You feel amazing after and they don't even have to be long. Plus, it can put you right to sleep if you have too much on your mind. Here is a short one and here is a longer, but good one.

Stress and burnout are real things that are definitely affecting me, and I'm sure it's the same for a lot of you right now. But I know that by taking care of yourself you can make it through... and even make life a little easier in the process!

We'll make it.