My first-semester senior year of high school has honestly been the semester I feel I have grown the most. Personally, I struggled heavily during my junior year trying to balance my academic and home life. When I was picking out my schedule end of junior year, I decided that I was not going to overexert myself and gave myself an early dismissal. This was probably the best decision I have made in my high school career and something I highly recommend future seniors do, especially for the first semester. I underestimated how much time college applications would take and having an early dismissal really saved me. Additionally, having an early dismissal allowed me to manage my time better. Having more time to plan out the rest of my day made me more efficient and got rid of being stressed every minute of the day. 

Another big decision I made was actually more recently. I decided to not take my next semester’s math class, Linear Algebra. As I am on this journey of learning my limits (live laugh love calculus jokes), I also have been prioritizing my mental health and happiness more. I had a great time my first semester, but my math class consumed seventy percent of my time inside and outside of school. Realistically, I could take Linear Algebra and just power through the class, this is probably what junior year Celina would have done. However, I have now come to terms with the fact that I simply do not like math enough to put myself through that for another entire semester. Further, it would be an unnecessary stressor in my home life since everyone was on edge about my MVC grade (don’t worry I pulled through on the final).  

Throughout my first-semester senior year experience, I also learned that I really enjoy the field of psychology. Before taking AP Psychology I never had exposure to the ideologies involved with the subject and always saw myself as a more math and computer science-oriented person. Yet, when Mr. Scott did his first psychological trick on us in the first week of class, I became fascinated with the subject. So much so that I think AP Psychology has been my favorite class this semester (sorry Mr. Williams).  My parents were just as shocked as I was when I randomly started pointing out the Freudian defense mechanisms they demonstrate at the dinner table. As the class continues, I find myself more and more enthralled by the modern applications of what I have learned. Maybe I’ll end up being a #WomenInPsych instead of a #WomenInCS. 

Mr. Scott’s enlightening class had also made me a more open-minded person in general. I thought I found my niche in middle school and never really allowed myself to continue exploring other interests. I always thought that I should know what my future career is as soon as possible so I could prepare in high school and college. Yet, as I have gone through high school and specifically my senior year, I finally gained an understanding that one does not have to be ahead of the curve or know their star factor in sixth grade to be successful. 

As I am re-reading what I have written so far I realize that I have basically been rambling about calculus and my climb up Maslow’s Hierarchy Needs for the past five hundred words. So I am going to end this blog with a total change of topic and some advice that I wish someone had told me before entering my senior year: college is a shot in the dark, don’t take it to heart. No, I am not just saying this because I got deferred from the one school in the state of Illinois that I actually like and wanted to go to 😥. But honestly, I have transformed into an optimist this semester. After crying for two hours after the fact, I realized that I still have the entire college process left and needed to suck it up and finish writing the rest of my regular decision applications. Which in turn made me feel better because as I researched more schools I realized how much I had put my early school on a pedestal and that other schools also offer amazing programs and courses. 

I now want to go and eat Cheez-Its, so that is the end of my first semester blogs! I hope to come back with a more stationary blog post next semester, see you then!

If you have been reading my blogs or have ever had a conversation with me, you know that stationary to me is like legos to a toddler. I discussed my collection of pens, however, that is not the only office supply I fascinate over. In this blog post I will discuss the different types of notebooks, but with a twist. Given my extensive knowledge of this topic, I will also speculate the characteristics of the person who uses each type of notebook. 

1. Walmart Final Sale Enthusiast

Let’s set the scene – it’s August sixteenth, ten pm and you just realized that you had not gone back to school shopping. Your mom is livid and the two of you go on a silent, tension-filled car ride. The only store open is Walmart, so you buy the last three 95¢ notebooks and a pack of Ticonderoga pencils.

I typically associate this notebook with “one-folder students”. As you can infer, a “one-folder student” is someone who cannot categorize for the life of them and dumps all miscellaneous papers into a singular folder. Two weeks into the semester, their folder is practically begging for a break or it is torn down the spine. 

The poor pen+Gear notebook is also in shambles. I picture the weak cardboard cover being bent and torn with the spiral wire jutting out both ends. Nonetheless, these students have a method to their madness. They know exactly where each sheet of paper is in their folder (roughly) and each question answered in their dilapidated notebook is correct. Personally, I have reverence for these individuals, if I cannot find one important worksheet I freak out. 

2. Five Star Multi-Subject Snob

Any student who owns a Five Star multi-subject notebook used to carry around a trapper keeper in middle school, no one can change my mind. These students believe it is revolutionary that the orange dividers also act as folders!!!

I expect the inside of this notebook to emulate unicorn throw-up with unnecessary and obnoxious color coding. Each line is emphasized with a different blinding highlighter and atop each page is a failed attempt at making their heading aesthetically pleasing. To be honest, I physically cringe even thinking about it. 

Additionally, these students swear by the Pomodoro Study Technique and incessantly make sure you know that they love it. As for their folder of choice – accordion style obviously. If all their notes are going to be in one place, you bet their worksheets are going to be too. As for me, my homeostasis is threatened when I see these students. For some reason, the sound of them sifting through each and every section in their portable filing cabinet triggers me. 

In the end, they split their repulsive trapper keeper into two. 

3. Adult iPad Kids

The latest and greatest trend is the Instagram study community – online notes. Apple Inc. released the Apple Pencil & iPad Pro combo and the world nearly stopped spinning. I will not lie, I see the appeal. Only carrying around a one-pound infinite notebook versus five pounds of five hundred sheets of paper? Seems like an obvious choice to me. 

I admit these students have their lives together. The strategic folder organization in the GoodNotes app trumps any folder system in the physical world. It is also impossible for them to not make their notes aesthetic. I mainly see this type of “notebook” in STEM majors. From math to medicine, the charm of being able to airdrop your notes to a friend is simply too enticing. Even both my brothers participate in this new study technique. As soon as the impracticality of the paper notebook in university became apparent, they invested in an iPad. They also invested in a costly protective case and paper-like screen protector (not to mention the supplementary money spent on the Apple Pencil). That is the main downside for these students, their notes are now worth a thousand dollars instead of ninety-five cents. No longer can they stuff their homework at the bottom of their backpack or let their backpacks get trampled in the classroom walkways. 

Although there are many more types of notebooks and students, these are the three most prevalent ones I have noticed. Hopefully, you now realize that I scrutinize every office supply I see you use 🙂 and if you were offended by this post, you have officially exposed yourself as a trapper keeper kid.