Midterm Mayhem

Learning all about the world of economics

Hey everyone! These past couple of weeks at Stanford University have been extremely stressful. Lack of sleep, high levels of caffeine, and absorption in textbooks are traits seen throughout the student body.  Why you may ask? One word--midterms. In high school, there were plenty of homework assignments, projects, papers, and tests going into your grade, so the stress levels were lower for each individual assignment. However in college classes, there are only one or two midterms (every test in college is called a midterm even if it is not in the middle of the term--weird right!) or papers and a final that makes up the majority of your grade. This means that one midterm or paper could make or break your entire grade in a class! Talk about pressure! Since I am a typical Stanford student, I take my midterms very seriously and have been studying like crazy! Last week, I had a midterm in calculus and I have a midterm in economics next week. While I'm reviewing the latest recession theories, one of my roommates is studying hard for her chemistry midterm and another is writing a research paper that serves as a midterm in her writing class. Safe to say, midterms are unavoidable tense time in every college student's life. Luckily, there are curves in most college classes, or introductory ones at least. That means that if a test is really hard, and the majority of the class struggles on it, then the average will be rounded up to anywhere from a B or C and all the other grades will be adjusted as well. Even though you could get a 78 on a midterm, which is usually a C, this could still count as an A in the grade book because most of the class did even worse. This serves as even more incentive to work hard no matter how difficult the class is. Plus, having study parties with your friends is the perfect way to learn and socialize. My dorm even has a couple of upperclassman students that act as tutors to help us with difficult questions in math and science. If I can't study in a group, I love to go to the library. It's a great environment to make sure you get things done and are not distracted.

Working hard or hardly working?

Study party at the library

Even though midterm time is stressful, that doesn't mean students don't have time to let lose and burn off some steam from studying! Last week, we played Oregon in football, one of the best teams in the country, and won! It was so fun watching this extremely close game, and we even got to storm the field afterwards. Also, this weekend we had frosh formal! This was like a high school homecoming dance but at the college level--it was the perfect excuse to dress up, take pictures, and dance the night away with my friends! 

Storming the field - Stanford victory!

Stanford wins 26-20!

Roommies at the game

Stanford fan section! Can you find me?

Walkway to the formal

Girls headed to Frosh Formal

Dorm loving for the formal

Although midterms can be rough, the experiences I've had in college outweigh any pre-test stress. I can't wait to share more of my Stanford adventures with you!

How do you study for midterms or tests? What do you like to do for a study break? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Midnight in Madrid: Senior Prom

Hey everyone! High school Prom is one of the biggest events of senior year and mine was held last weekend! Prom is an opportunity to get dressed up in long dresses and tuxedos and have a great time dancing and celebrating our last few weeks of high school.

My friends and I met first to take pictures close to the beach and then boarded a “Party Bus” to take us all together to the Prom. Prom was held in a venue right outside of Disneyland which made it even more special. During the night one Prince and Princess from the Prom Court were selected as the King and Queen of Prom. It was a really fun night and one of the highlights of senior year! 

What do you do at the end of your school year? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Events and Education

Hey everyone! Although AP tests are just around the corner, the seniors of Laguna Hills High School can still have fun and stay involved on campus. Three big events have happened on my campus recently that all the students are loving taking part in!

The first event was International Week. Students from all four grades represented different countries from around the world. At lunch, there were dances and music from countries along with a booth set up to display food from that country that students could eat! It was a great way for students to learn more about foreign nations while staying at school and eating yummy food! Check out the pictures below of some of the booths. There was even a Norway one!

The Peru booth that I worked

The Mexico booth

The Norway Booth

Next was the Powderpuff football game. This is where the girls of the oldest grade (the seniors) play the 2nd oldest grade (the juniors) in a flag football game. It is a great way for all the girls in one class to bond, increase school spirit, and learn good leadership and sportsmanship. Plus, it is so fun to run around the field with girls from your school. Of course, the seniors always want to beat the juniors and there is a big rivalry the entire week of school leading up to the game. This year, my grade the seniors won! It was great to win because it is the last Powderpuff game I will ever play in! Check out some pictures below!

Official Jersey Shirts

Finally is the API dance. When our school does really well on state testing at the end of each school year, our school rewards us with a free casual dance! Casual dances are always fun because everyone dresses up according to a theme and dances the night away in the school gym. This year the theme was Tropic Like It's Hot (drop it like it's hot pun, clever I know) so all the students dressed in rainforest attire! My friends and I dressed as rainforest animals. Check out the pictures below!

The Theme Poster

As you can tell, school has been keeping me busy, both socially and academically. I can't wait to move onto the next academic aspect of my life, college!

How do you socialize during a busy week? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Formal Festivities

My friends and my puppy

Strike a pose

Hey everyone! This weekend was the end of our first semester and the end of our final exams! To celebrate, our school threw a big Winter Formal Dance! The fun part about this dance is that girls ask guys to be their date. This means that all the girls asked guys to the dance. Once the girls have carried out an elaborate and cute way of asking the boy, they must start to prepare for the day of the dance! Since it is a formal dance everyone gets their hair and makeup done, and the dates buy each other matching corsages and boutonnieres to wear. The boys get suits with ties to match their date's dress. It's a fun way to coordinate! And don't forget to get together with your friends and take pictures before.

A big Winter Formal picture group

Also, the dance took place at Soka University this year, so there was a lot to do along with dancing. There were casino tables set up with pretend gambling, along with food and drinks, a chocolate fountain, and even a swing dance room with a live band for more formal dancing. Overall, this was a great way to celebrate the end of final exams with all my friends!

How do you relax after a stressful week? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Party Prom!

Hey everyone! This weekend my school celebrated a highly anticipated high school event, prom! Prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance that occurs at the end of the school year. At some schools, only seniors are allowed to go but at most schools juniors and seniors can attend. Girls wear long formal dresses and receive flower corsages from their dates. Each year, a prom court of 5 princesses and 5 princes is selected by the school faculty and a queen and king is voted on by the students at prom! It is always fun to see which seniors win.
People go all out for the event, before and after, by taking pictures at fancy locations like the beach, riding in a limo or party bus, and going to an after party! Everything before and after adds to the event as a whole. Prom is always a night to remember!






Do you have prom at your school? Would you go to prom? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo