It's that time again, the one that all college students have been dreading, FINALS! I know none of us are looking forward to them, but we have no choice. I have some tips and tricks that should make your finals stress free and easy, or at least less stressful than usual.


1. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!
I feel like this one is kind of obvious, however so many people don't do it. To pass your finals, you have to study and I mean really study. Studying is not glancing over some pages in your textbook while you watch tv or play on your phone. To truly study, you must completely turn off all distracting technology and focus solely on the information you need to know. I personally recommend getting the app "Self Control" for your laptop. It blocks certain websites from your access for a certain amount of time. For example when I am studying for exams, I typically set the timer for a hour to 2 hours. Throughout that whole time, I cannot visit any websites that I have under my blocked list. These include twitter, instagram, tumblr and many many more. This is a great way to make sure you are completely focused on studying.

2. DO NOT CRAM
I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT CRAM. This is just the worst thing you could ever do. Your brain is not made to try to fit a ton of information in it within 24 hours. I advise studying a week before your exam. However, I know that isn't always realistic. So I would say begin studying at LEAST 3 days before the exam. You need enough time to really embed the information into your brain and 24 hours is just not enough time. By breaking up your studying into multiple days, you will be able to digest it better. SO DO NOT CRAM.

3. LISTEN TO MUSIC
Listening to music while studying for finals is great. It can be a way to help you recall the things that you learned. However you cannot just listen to any kind of music, studies have shown that rap, R&B and other genres do not help but rather they hinder you while studying. I suggest you listen to classical music. Yes I know for most of us that sounds horrible, but it truly helps. The least you could do is just listen to it for finals week.

4. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
I know many of us have the tendency to pull all nighters the week of finals. However thats not always the best idea. Yes, you want to cram all the information in before you take the test, but that can end up hurting you rather than helping you. You could do so much cramming that you enter the testing site and forget everything. I recommend that you get at least 5-6 hours of sleep before taking an exam. My motto is if you don't know by the night before the final, you just don't know it. You want to get some rest so you actually have energy to get through the test itself.

5. WATCH VIDEOS
There are videos on many subjects on Youtube. I personally like to watch the Crash Course videos to review for history or science. Sometimes you forget some of the concepts in class, and the quickest way to refresh your memory is to watch a video on it. This way you don't have to pull out your textbook and read. You just simply watch the video and take a few notes, and you'll be good.

6. BREAKS, BREAKS, BREAKS
I cannot stress this enough. TAKE BREAKS. It is so hard to keep yourself going for 2 to 3 hours at a time. It is okay to take a 10-15 minute break to look at your phone or get a snack. However, try not to let the breaks exceed this time limit because you will end up getting distracted. Breaks are important to give your mind a little rest from all the studying and hard work. Honestly, your brain needs to relax every once in awhile.

On the day of the test, make sure to arrive early so you can get a good seat and be comfortable. Bring a bottle of water and a piece of gum. Gum is said to make it easier to remember the information that you studied. Also, mint gum in particular can make you more awake and alert which is super important when taking an exam. Finals is the only thing standing between you and Summer break. Just take a breath, and ace that test! Good luck!

THE QUEEN HAS DONE IT ONCE AGAIN! Tonight Queen Bey dropped her new album as a hour long visual on HBO. Let's just say it was greatness. Hell, I don't even think greatness does it justice.

First, let's talk about the storyline. Each song went along with like a different category or idea. At first, I thought they were the different stages of grief. They were the different stages of grief, however they were the ones she personally went through in her relationship and life. I loved all the anger and sass that she showed throughout the video. Some of the things that we're coming out of her mouth had me like  "OKAY BEY. I SEE YOU."

Throughout the video, I was pretty sure that Jay Z had cheated on her. That part is actually still very unclear, because she basically went off the whole first half of the album about a cheating, no good man then switched up at the end of the album talking about forgiveness and love. In the first part, she even went as far to take off her ring and throw it in the "Anger" stage of the video. She kept me on the edge of my seat the entire 60 minutes. I had no clue what was going to happen next. Basically, SHE WAS JUST GIVING ME LIFE!

The storyline wasn't the only great part. The visuals were incredible too. Her directors did an amazing job. Each and every part was put together perfectly. There was so many meaningful images, and the pieces just flowed together. I truly loved how she incorporated her creole and Louisiana background into the whole piece. Not to mention, the fact that every single person in the cast was black was a huge plus. Then there was so many FROs, like it made me so proud to be a naturalista. Seeing black women truly embracing their roots and culture, it was amazing.

Speaking of beautiful black women, Beyonce had the greatest cast of all time. (Kanye voice) There was appearances from Serena Williams, Zendaya, Amandla Stenberg, Winnie Harlow and many many more. It was just one huge win for black girls. I mean all I could think was Black Girls really do rock. I was truly feeling the black girl magic tonight.


                                                    Yours truly,
                                                                    MPS

Hello lovelies. I know I been gone for awhile but I have a lot going on school wise. Luckily for me, next week is my last week of classes then I take my finals! I'm so ready to go home for the Summer. In celebration of almost completing my freshman year of college, I decided to do a reflection on this year. I definitely went through many trials and tribulations this year, and I think its always good to reflect on what I learned. So I hope you all enjoy.


This year was definitely an eventful one for me. Personally, I learned that I am waaaaay stronger than I thought I was. Between my health, my social life and making my transition to college, I had a lot of things going on.

My health certainly took a toll on me this school year. In November, I was diagnosed with Lupus after many tests and doctors appointments. At first, I didn't really know how to react because it was the first time my body had betrayed me. I have always been a healthy person so it was a huge adjustment. Initially, I struggled with taking my medication and monitoring the disease. It was just a lot especially with the other things I was dealing with. However, around January I got myself together. Mainly due to the fact that taking better care of myself was one of my New Year's resolutions. Looking back, I am thankful that my disease came to the light when it did. My doctors were able to get me on a treatment plan that will hopefully prevent the disease from progressing. Today, I am keeping up with my meds and managing the pain that I do experience.

Socially, I went through it. I literally did not have any friends my first semester and even the beginning of second semester. I started my year with what I thought were friends, but let's just say I was very wrong. Not even half way through the first semester, I moved into a single by myself. It was that completely broke me as a person. I didn't socialize. I barely left my room. If I did decide to go somewhere, it was by myself. Let's just sum it up as I was super lonely. It was really hard for me because I have never felt like that before. Personally, I have always had friends. I have always been able to socialize with almost everyone. In high school, I was known for always talking in class or being loud. It was like I had totally changed. During this time, I was definitely really depressed. I hate saying that because I feel like people use the word so loosely now a days. However, I was genuinely going through a depression. The worst part about it was I didn't want to tell anyone. I felt like I was burdening my friends from back home, if I bothered them with my problems. On top of that, I honestly felt ashamed. Everyone of my friends was striving socially and academically, I felt like I was the failure. I spent so many days & nights crying, just wishing the days away. Honestly, it was a rough time for me. All that being said, somehow I was able to keep pushing. This is not to say that I have fully overcome the depression, but I have made it a point to push myself to be happy. Today, I go out more. I try not to lock myself in my room as much. I have met some people who I think I can honestly count on to be friends with over the next few years. I even made the decision to have a roommate next year, instead of being trapped in a room by myself. Currently, I am filling out applications to join a few on-campus organizations. So, I think I have made tremendous improvements in a short time. Everyday I just try to stay positive, especially on the harder days.

Transitioning to college as a whole was an interesting experience. There is so many things that no one told me. Everyone always stresses how its the best years of your life. However, it can be so lonely sometimes. Many people surrounding me did not have my best interest at heart and I had to learn that. Personally, I cut off a lot of people. I found it very hard to open up with new people because of my fear of them treating me wrong. Not to mention, I do not like partying like that. Don't get me wrong, I can go out every once in awhile but partying every weekend just isn't my thing. Many of my classmates only care about partying and their social status, so it was super hard finding people who liked a good balance. Also I am extremely dedicated to my academics. I always put my school work before anything else. The struggle was finding "friends" that understood that. I have always been a person that stuck to my morals. Never letting anyone really influence me to do something I didn't want to do. Being a headstrong and different individual made it extremely hard for me to fit in. However, once I joined Honors College, I was able to find like minded individuals. It was super cool to be surrounded by people who love to have fun, but also don't play when it comes to their GPA. That's the type of people I wanted to be around. Currently, I am trying to find other organizations to join that are tailored to be strengths and likes.

College can be some of the best years of your life. As many before me have said, "It's what you make of it." After my freshman year, I can truly say that is an accurate statement. Once I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, I found so many different opportunities. I definitely have much more work to do. However, I'm happy with the growth that I have made over this year. I pray that next year will only get better. I just have to remember to keep my head up, and continue to do me. The only thing I am determined to do is graduate and make big things happen.

                                               Yours truly,
                                                               MPS