“Are we there yet?”
That is the question uttered wearily by every student during this point at the semester. Go on, ask one. They’ll turn to you with bleary eyes and caffeinated jitters, and repeat that same question.
Mid-terms has just past, like a great typhoon of late-night studying and flurry of readings and scribblings. The tide has drawn, but you never know when it’ll flood back with a storm of new papers and exams.
Boy, college is tough. But I’m not here to bitch. I’m here to share a few of my secrets on how to stay sane in the midst of all the stress and craziness.
Here are a few of my own personal guidelines (some I break, some I uphold like a religious commandment):
Sophia’s Ways to Maintain Sanity in College
Unfortunately, I still have 43 meals left to choke down in my school dining hall. Damn it. It’s already past half the semester, and I’ve only dined there for a total of 7 meals. And I’m already so, so, so sick of all the food there. I have, however, found the dining cafeteria a good place to study: Like say, granola in a bit of milk, with chunks of chocolate: So another time, I decided to do brunch, since how can anyone mess up brunch food, right? Wrong. Check this out: Salad is fine. Fruit is okay. Turkey sausage is blah. Frittata is blah. Omelet is waaaaay under-seasoned. Disappointed, I just filled up on frittata: It’s something about the fact that this lackluster meal cost me $11 that makes me stuff myself to the brim with lackluster food. Does this make sense? That in order to get my money’s worth, I feel the need to fill myself up to the gills! Poor Mimi. During our weekly Thursday meet-ups, I sometimes have to drag her to dine at the cafeteria. And they’ve been consistently bad. But we managed to find a few items that were actually edible. Vegetarian Shepherd’s pie that was all potatoes and no filling: On the brighter hand, I found out that Fridays was Asian-themed. Despite my ambivalence, the food wasn’t too bad: And second plate: So far, a lot of misses and a few acceptables. And I have 43 more rounds to go. God. Damn. It. I tried to swipe my friend in for a free meal, but they wouldn’t let me because I only have a partial meal plan. Huh?! I’ve never heard such complete bullshit in my life! To think my brother goes to Virginia-Tech, the school with one of the best on-campus dining, complete with lobsters and wood-grilled pizzas. Next time he complains about the food, I shall smack him and make him eat ours. Wow. How did this post turn out to be so negative? Sorry, I promised not to bitch, but as I said, bad food makes me grouchy! I’ll be back to my more chipper self by the next post. I promise! Question of the Day: Remember my 7 pm rule? What about you? Are you a late-worker? A procrastinator?
(This is my favorite rule. I stick to it no matter what. Even during mid-terms. Which is why you could see my blogging when I have mid-terms the next day)
(This sets me off for a good day. It is never a good idea to rush off to class right out of bed, because you’re just not in the right mentality to pay attention in class. Might as well sleep in. Also, without coffee, I’m a total…bitch)
(I’m still trying to get the hang of this)
(True story. I experience this all the time)
(I actually start on my assignments the day I get them. While my classmates are struggling to finish their essays, I have mine done 2 days ahead of time. Love the breathing space!)
(But not if you have a mandated partial meal plan. Like I do. Scroll down, and let me explain)
They have internet access and power cords for my laptop, so I just hitch my Macbook up and take advantage of the unlimited drinks and snacks. 
Warmed up in the microwave, the chocolate melts into the mixture, and the granola gets sort of chewy… 
Not bad, but it was too sweet. The first bowl was good. But after my second bowl, I thought I was going to puke.
Salad, fruit, turkey sausage, frittata, and omelet. With diet coke. 
How the hell does one mess up an omelet? Is this some crazy low-sodium rule that the school has? And where is the cheese I ordered? No cheese makes Sophia a very, very unhappy grouch. 
…And more frittata: 
And more frittata, with another sausage patty: 
And yet more frittata, with yet another patty: 
I used the same plate for the omelet, so it’s still there, cold and rejected. 
Some kind of Indian-spiced vegetable medley that was actually pretty good minus all the grease: 
Mango-Chutney Chicken salad with tzatziki sauce: 
Some kind of beef curry that was tough, stringy, and spat out: 
Boring egg salad and tuna salad: 
These totally needed hot sauce. And lots of it. 
Asian sweet-and-sour rice noodle salad, cheese pizza, tzatziki sauce. 
Pepperoni & Sausage pizza, lemongrass mashed potatoes, green curry with shrimp and white rice
There was not a hint of lemongrass in that mashed potatoes, so I suspect they just threw that in there to sound fancy and go along with the Asian-theme. The green curry was pretty good, though. 
And any tips for me to enjoy school dining food more?
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great tips
Chocolate and Granola are an awesome pair
I always get up at least an hour and a half early too. I neeed my coffee to wake up. relax. etc.
I USED to be “that girl” who always had everything done a month in advance… I seem to be suffering from a prolonged case of senioritis, though!!
<3 <3
Wow! I should really implement some of your sanity tips….no work after 7pm!? I don’t START my work until well after that sometimes.
I totally have the no studying after 7 pm rule too! It works like a charm for sure!!
And you’re a girl after my own heart–last yr in the caf, all I would load up on were the egg dishes..and tons of ketchup of course
I’m giving your list to my kid (now a junior in H.S.) She’s gonna need it because she’s a slacker. Yep, I said it.
Ooo. Shepherd’s Pie.
I love all of your tips Sophia! Especially the coffee one. I am a bitch without my coffee as well. I get up two hours before my first class and enjoy a leisurely breakfast with a side of blogging. Everyone thinks I’m crazy for getting up early, but I think it really helps me to focus for the rest of the day. I am the opposite of you, though, in that I rarely open a book before 7pm. I am an early bird as well as a night owl…what can I say?
Dining hall food sucks. I’m not gonna lie. Which is why I stopped eating it. Can you just go get veggies and stuff for side dishes to supplement your regular meals? I know in college we had a salad/veggie bar so a lot of people would just get a bowl of those and then save it to cook in other things. At least now you know for next semester what a waste of money the meal plan is!
best of luck with everything! i wonder if i would’ve done better in school had i eaten well…
I LOVE your rules! I agree with all of them
And I definitely do the 7pm thing and try to do the others as well!
And about omelets, I actually read somewhere that a lot of cooks consider omelets a true test of cooking skills. So it would seem it IS quite possible to mess it up
I love your college rules, especially the 7pm rule and the selective reading rule. (In college, figuring out the selective reading rule was a lifesaver for me! I was going crazy trying to get to everything when so much of the assignments were just “fluff,” if you know what I mean.
)
I had to laugh at your description of the beef curry! I’ve been there!
I agree with many of your tips girl! I can’t do the no studying past 7pm rule though, except my modification of that is definitely NO ALL NIGHTERS no matter what! I also find that I feel jipped when I start on my essays ASAP because the professor usually gives tips further down to road that can wreck a lot of the content I originally had. Instead, I hit up the TA’s ASAP and gain clarification on the assignment because ultimately, they’re the ones that grade the papers and they’re the ones who’ve seen all the mistakes made by previous students! Hit TA’s up early because later down the road, they’ll get bombarded by everyone else! Last tip (I promise!), go to office hours for the purpose of showing your prof your face. It will come in handy when you need your grade bumped up by a little teeny bit if you have a legit excuse!
Phew. Yeah dining hall food sucks. I have no tips for that.
Except stick to things that you can recognize…OH! Feel free to give comments to dining hall staff. Sometimes they’re really receptive!
The food at my university was pretty good. However, in your case, you need more hot sauce — EVERYTHING tastes better with hot sauce.
ah man, i’m sorry to hear about the crappy food, but i like the look of that diet coke! i like your rules, i could use them in my everyday life!
I love the IDEA of the 7 pm rule… in reality, I would never pull it off.
hey beautiful! sorry i have been MIA from your blog lately. i think things are getting back to normal.. i am SO excited for san fran.. and SO excited that you are going!
oh, and omelets just aren’t right without cheese.
xo
No work after 7! That’s genius…but definitely hard to pull off if you wait until the last minute for everything.
Oh Sophia, you know I am AWFUL with procrastination. I swear I never used to be this way! It’s totally senioritis! If I had a 7pm rule, nothing would get finished. I also know that I work well on deadlines, so I now tend to save work. No bueno for my sleep, but oh well.
Blaahhhh dining hall food! I seriously lived off salads and garden burgers for two years…plus whatever baked goods they had goin’ on! Oh, PLUS a ton of food I had stored in my room.
Hope your weekend was fantastic! xoxo
Good tips! But I can’t follow the 7pm rule. I’ve just got way too many hours of work, and if I stopped at 7, I’d never be done. Sometimes I don’t even get home from class until 5-6.
Sorry the food isn’t good
The food at my college wasn’t that great, either. I’m thankful I have my own place now with a kitchen!
I like your rules, but I wish I could use the 7pm rule. I go to rotations all day and have class at night, so I’m rarely home before 7 pm to even start doing homework.
Sorry about the icky cafeteria food. I don’t miss that part of college one bit! I’m so much happier cooking and eating what I like.
I’m not sure about the 7pm rule..
how is it possible ?!?! HAha anyways, GO VT!
Yes, we do have amazing food here.. another reason why you should come to my graduation in May
Great rules! And I think most of them would be approved by your professors…
As far as the food goes, I have had my share of bad cafeteria food, and I don’t miss it… I used to try to add as much flavor as possible with hot sauce and ketchup…
Good Rules! I like the 7pm one a lot. At work I really REALLY try not to be one of those people who works all hours of the night and burns myself out….totally pointless.
I like your rules so much. I am a procrastinator trying to be meticulous with work!!
You are my hero! I keep thinking that the semester is almost over but I still have two 17 page papers to write and a bunch more reading! I procrastinate like it’s my job. I love your 7pm rule but I never start doing my work until 7! I put it off and then freak out for an hour about doing it before actually doing it. lol
I know what you mean about being sick of school cafeteria food too. My school has a 5 dining halls, a zeps, an au bon pain, a sushi place, another deli, Sbarro, a Wendy’s, and a Green Mountain coffee shop, but I never want to eat anywhere! I don’t even live on campus and I’m sick of their food!
Oh no! Sorry about that lackluster dorm food. I must say, that has to be the most pale looking sausage patty I’ve ever seen. Tell the cooks they need to put a better sear on it.
That has to be the wildest Granola I’ve ever seen.. hehe I like school, love it, the more achievements I can get on paper… it boosts my self-esteem … no one can ever take a way knowledge..
i had that same 8pm rule in college!! NEVER stayed at the library past 8…my brain jyust doesnt work the same as it does in the morning and day time, even if I tried to study, It would just be in and out words, nothing would stick
I rememer food was certainly anything but exciting at the cafeterias, I started getting really into cooking in college due to that reason!
Good tips for college students. I have taught undergrad on ground campuses and I think these are all wise tips. Now I teach undergrad online and my students are non traditional and the classes are at night, so the after 7 pm rule may not be as practical for a grown up that puts their kids to bed at 7 and then is finally able to study, do homework and attend class (mine are online seminars). Otherwise, for traditional students they shoudl really pay attention to your advice.
My college had awful food, so being a vegetarian and at theat time there were little options, I was able to get permission to move to housing on campus that had a kitchen and I did not need to buy a meal package. I went back for my 5 years reunion and I was amazed at the changes and how good the food was. So moral being, leave comments and feedback whenever you can. It may make a difference.
I always did my papers at night in college, but that was because I was so involved in theatre. Makes me tired to think about it now!
i remember my college food being just “ok”.. not exciting, but it worked! i bet you anything a lot of other people around you are celebrating they get to pick from soo much food- but we foodies.. are a picky bunch! lol nothing wrong with that!
i am the SAME way as you.. i dont do ANYTHING besides relax after 8pm. My daughter goes to bed and i get to relax and take it easy for the rest of the night.. however long that lasts, lately its been lights out at 9 .. im an OLD LADY!
Great tips for the undergrads out there…
For those of us working and going to Grad school at night, I don’t think the 7 PM rule can cut it…
Most of the other tips are good though.
I wish I had read your tips when I was still in college. They definitely would’ve helped me out! I always rolled out of bed 10 minutes before my 8 am classes so I was 1/2 asleep most of the time.
I am an evening person. I get a burst of engery around 8:30 pm and that’s when I try to get some stuff done. I would love to wake up early and exercise but I just can’t do it!
Great tips! I don’t know too many people that can handle the 7:00 PM rule thoguht – lol
I really like how your granola looks…everything looks great.
Love how you keep yoru sanity, planning is the key thing to do.
I wish I had followed some of those rules when I was in college – life would have been much easier that way…
These days I’m much better about not procrastinating, but I find that I still revert to my old tendencies from time to time!
I was so spoiled with food choices when I was in college! We had lovely food – kind of like Tech’s, but in a smaller dining hall. Guess that’s why I’ll be paying those college loans off for the next 100 years
Whoa, I can’t believe you close your textbooks at 7! In college I worked and had an internship and took on a bunch of clubs in addition to classes, so I was lucky if I was starting work before 7!
Your tips are SO wise! Seriously, every college student should be given a laminated sheet with your list of advice to hang on their dorm room wall… I am incredibly impressed that you’ve figured all these smart college survival approaches in the first semester of your freshman year! Wow!
I was the same way with assignments – procrastinating stressed me out too much! So much less stressful to get the assignment off the list and then heave a big contented sigh of relief!
Unfortunately, though, I was not as wise as you about setting a “time to stop studying time” – in fact, midnight to 5AM was my favorite study time in college, which resulted in some massive sleep deprivation… :-p
Ah yes, the college dining hall… I love your method of studying and snacking there! (and oh my goodness, your chocolate granola looks SO scrumptious!
) I had the same problem in college – my school had a mandatory meal plan, and the college food was abysmal… I eventually came up with a method I liked, though – one thing the cafeteria did have was a lovely section of fresh whole fruits, so I would swipe in with my card, and just surreptitiously sweep a couple of oranges, a grapefruit, etc into my backpack, thus emerging with my fruit for the next few days! Such behavior was supposedly “illegal” according to school rules, but I felt I was being quite fair, as I was taking less from the cafeteria than most students would for a “meal,” but I was still saving money as well because I didn’t need to purchase fruit my whole 4 years in college! 
Those rules are great, I will be using them once I hit college. I’ll actually use them prior to that because I will be finishing high school AT a college, so these will come in handy!
Thanks, Sophia.
Sorry about the cafeteria food. I think any cafeteria is just… “blehhhghk!”
Take care, my love.
Have a wonderful day
Those rules are great, I will be using them once I hit college. I’ll actually use them prior to that because I will be finishing high school AT a college, so these will come in handy!
Thanks, Sophia.
Sorry about the cafeteria food. I think any cafeteria is just… “blehhhghk!”
Take care, my love.
Have a wonderful day
Those rules are great, I will be using them once I hit college. I’ll actually use them prior to that because I will be finishing high school AT a college, so these will come in handy!
Thanks, Sophia.
Sorry about the cafeteria food. I think any cafeteria is just… “blehhhghk!”
Take care, my love.
Have a wonderful day
Those rules are great, I will be using them once I hit college. I’ll actually use them prior to that because I will be finishing high school AT a college, so these will come in handy!
Thanks, Sophia.
Sorry about the cafeteria food. I think any cafeteria is just… “blehhhghk!”
Take care, my love.
Have a wonderful day
ummm i am pretty sure all your rules were broken by me in college
looking back, things would have been so much better had i followed them!
I’ve never been able to study in the mornings-I guess I’m just not a ‘morning person’!!
I never stayed in a hostel when I went to college in India-so,it was mostly home-cooked packed lunches(mad by mom). We had a small cafeteria that was being handled by the students of hotel management-it was like a practical class for them(quantity cookery)-and the food used to be amazing!! We had to get there by 12pm otherwise the food would be all sold out by 12.30pm!!
Oh dorm food. Snarl.
I like your rules, and you could apply them well beyond college. As to your photo montage, oh boy that is bringing back memories!
Love the idea of no more work after 7PM…will definitely stick to it
Your food looks wicked gross!
I never eat at my school’s dining hall so I’m not sure how their food is.. but it’s probably nasty!
I like that 7 pm rule – think I will try it tonight!
The coffee is an absolute must. Day does not start properly without it!
I have a tendency to work late. Sometimes it is blog stuff, sometimes it is actual work (since I work from home, sometimes it means a late night). It’s hard to just relax sometimes.
Great tips! I’m a procrastinator, unfortunately.
That shepherd’s pie looks so good! I’ve been wanting to make a veggie version for quite some time.
I like the 7pm rule. I need to use that.
I also need to stop procrastinating to make it effective. I’m far too guilty of still doing a tutorial sheet at midnight when I have a 9am lecture the next day
I don’t really miss dining hall food, but I do miss eating with all my friends, we’re so spread out all over the country now
I did like the soft serve ice cream bar though! I think my procrastination rule was don’t start studying until after 7pm – your rule sounds SO much better!
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