How To: Long Distance Relationships

Being a military kid, I know what it's like to keep in touch for long periods of time over large distances. At least with friends. With them it's easy. I never worry about moving to new places and leaving my friends behind, because I know that I'll still hear from them all the time and eventually see them (if they're as good a friend as you think they are). Then if I don't, I just know that that person was never really a friend you were meant to have. 

When it came to ROMANTIC relationships I was the biggest cynic. 

As a senior I'd talk to my friends with boyfriends and ask, "What are ya'll gonna do next year?". They'd answer with the usual, "We'll just see what happens" or "We won't be that far from each other, we can visit each other all the time", etc. In my mind I would scoff and think, "Sureeeeee..."

To me, the thought was that a young long-distance relationship could never work.

But now I really hope they can.

I honestly never thought that I would be in this situation, but now that I am, I am going to make my first long-distance romantic relationship work. I think since I've dealt with separation and moving before, I'll be okay. But looking through websites and etc, these are the helpful tips that I am filing in my head to help me (and anyone else in a similar situation) through the long lonely nights away from my loved ones. 

1. Video Chats!

I see my roommate and her boyfriend do this all the time. They call each other and set up a time to Skype each other, then they make it. On time. Whether she has to take a break from studying for about 30 minutes, she will. 

So no matter how far away you are, you can always see each other

2. Communicate in more than one way!

Phone calls get old. But everyone loves getting mail, so be sure to send people you care about little small packages and gifts, maybe even a long handwritten letter or two (if you remember how to do those).

3. Remember, it's not all bad!

Now you have time to ACTUALLY do homework, study, see your friends, make new friends, spend time with your family, play video games... whatever it is that you like to do that you never had time to do before! Maybe you can even take up a new hobby, the possibilities are endless.

4. You can still do things together!

   <<-------------------->>





Watch a movie individually and call each other to talk about it when it's done, start a little mini-book club together, synchronize watches together... anything that you can do to still feel connected to them.

5. You can always visit!

Whether it be by plane, by train, in a box, or with a fox there is ALWAYS a way to get to see your loved one. Schedules get busy, work and school get in the way, even money starts to become an issue, but no matter how long it takes, you can always go see your special someone. Just take advantage of the time ya'll have together and have as much fun as possible.

There are so many people in long-distance relationships. Ask your friends who have already dealt with it how they did it (I know I do). Just remember to communicate, to be honest, don't be controlling, be patient, and know that it's only temporary. 

Slack-lining at UT Tyler

Before I came to college I had never heard of slack-lining  Ever. The closest I came to it was walking on curbs when I was a kid. 
But apparently, slack-lines are this huge thing on campuses all around the world! 

I had always seen people attaching these cords to trees at various heights and walking on them, so one day I actually tried it.

what it looks like

And it was so hard. Like crazy hard.
I couldn't even get my balance. I had to hold someone's hand to walk across!
But it was very exhilarating and very fun.

So when you come to school... please, at least once go up to the slack-lining boys and ask if you can try.

They're really nice and they'll always say yes(:

DIY Junkie

I literally spend the majority of my life looking at homes, decorating, and cute little ideas for homes. 

Apps like Pinterest and Houzz have been the first things my fingers go to when I have down time. 

I literally just sit there... and look at houses and rooms... for hours. And save images. (My roommate calls me an Interior Junkie)

So that's why at work, I get to play on Pinterest and share all the adorable DIY Dorm Ideaswith the world and all of those coming to school who need inspiration on making their rooms perfect!

For all of you who don't have a Pinterest, please save yourselves and get one now... then go follow UT Tyler and be ready to get inspired.

You'll become obsessed sooner than you know. 

I can't even get off of it. 

 A couple of favorites....

Who doesn't think these are genius? And so cute...

GO FOLLOW US NOW!

We Want YOU... to Work at UT Tyler!

Being in college, most of your parents are going to cut you off, or at least give you less money than they used to (as my mother has done). 

I have to beg her for a little $20, but that money disappears quick.

So getting a job was imperative. However, I have a really busy school schedule and no transportation. So I started looking on Patriot Jobs for jobs on campus. 

There are all kinds of awesome jobs to do on campus. I happen to love my job in the communications center, but if I could pick ANY other job, it would be to work in the Visitor Center. 

...and they happen to be hiring right now.

In the Visitor Center you'll get to work with all kinds of people, you'll get the amazing job of giving tours to prospective students, and just getting paid to share your experience and knowledge of your school with people. 

It's a fun job it looks like, and so simple. 

Plus, you'll be working on campus so that means no traffic worries, no worrying about your schedule interfering with studying, and you won't be working nights. On campus jobs are the best just because they cater to you as a student, but still allow you to make a pretty good salary. 

Imagine all the people you'd get to meet working for the Visitor Center? I'd love to do it. But hurry, because applications get sent in pretty quick. 

Check out Patriot Jobs to apply to work for the Visitor Center quickly!

Spring Party at UT Tyler

Recently SGA hosted their annual 80's themed spring party! As a senator, of course I attended and had a great time. I got little clips of everything that was going on and compiled it into a little montage for all of you(:

(It's my first vlog, be nice)

Advice to My CAP Students Coming to UT Tyler

CAP Students always want to know if it's hard, how the program is, etc.

I'm a current CAP student as well and this August I am 98% sure that I will have the GPA to allow me to go to Austin. (Fingers crossed. There's a month of school left)
That being said, I'm going to let ya'll in on a little secret...
It's not that hard. I promise.

Coming to college is NOTHING like going to high school. In high school, you had homework everyday, you'd get ready for tests every week, and blahblahblah. 

My first week here I swear, I was near tears thinking about how I wished I could just drop out. I couldn't handle it. It felt like soooo much. It's not even because we have more work, it's just so different from what I was used to.

Luckily, I stayed and I got the hang of everything.

It's all about time management and being on top of your assignment due dates and test dates. So PLEASE read your syllabus and have a calendar of everything you need to turn in. Your professor won't remind you like your high school teachers did.

Certain classes you find the best ways to pass them. 

English classes - Essays and papers are important. You have the Writing Center for that.
Math classes- Go to class. Do well on quizzes and you'll do awesome on the tests.
Science classes- Go to lab. 
Psychology- Read the book. Do the online studies. Read the notes.
History classes- GO TO LECTURES. And read the book. Go to SI. History's pretty hardcore here.
Political Science classes- Go to class. The professors tell you everything you need to know. 

 First semester I did awesome. Even though I was meeting all my new friends and had days when I really did NOT want to get out of bed or walk all the way to class, I would make myself do it. First semester I was SO motivated, because all I was thinking of was Austin. 

Second semester... ehhhh. You get into the hang of things. Once you get comfortable you start slacking, I won't lie. 

Please don't do this. You still have to maintain a 3.2 GPA. So you still have to do well! And if you're anything like me, that just means you have to do EXCELLENT your first semester so that you CAN chill out a bit your second semester. However, with my major, I don't have to apply to any particular college in Austin. I'm automatically accepted. 

For those business majors and other majors where you have to get into a special college, you'll need a higher GPA. And make sure you get your essays and everything done on time. Keep in touch with our Admissions counselor, Carlos Alvarez. He'll look out for you.

There are a LOT of CAP students who come here. Everyone comes in with the mindset that, "Oh, it's just two semesters, it's just a year, blahblahblah", however, some people end up really loving Tyler. I know a lot of my friends who have decided that they're going to stay here. You meet all these amazing people, we're at a really good school, and this type of environment just ends up suiting you. 

Don't ever feel bad about wanting to stay. It happens to a lot of us. 

So, to all of you, congratulations and good luck! I didn't know anything about Tyler when I chose it as my university. I just knew it sounded bigger than my other choices. I ended up falling in love with this school. I've enjoyed my time here and I truly believe they've helped prepare me for Austin. 

Come, work hard, study, and have fun! You can do it! Just don't forget to truly experience Tyler while you're here!

My Experience Becoming a Freshman at UT Tyler prt. 1: Housing

Coming to a new place is always terrifying, obviously.
I had no idea what to expect moving hours away from my home and family to Tyler. I tried to do a lot of research and see where I was going to live, what there was to do, what the people might be like, everything.

Every time I come to work I feel awesome that I can help someone with making their college experience by sharing mine. However, some people don't know to call or what to ask when we're on the phone with them.

So here are some things I had questions about when it came to  making decisions about financial aid to housing to just where to hang out.

If I tried to stuff all of that information into one blog, it would be way too long, so here is the topic for today: 

HOUSING

Housing was one of the things I was most excited about getting done. I was so ready and so excited to get out of my house and be on my own (no offense Mommy). 
There are a lot of options when it comes to living on or off campus.
It's required here at UT Tyler that freshman live on-campus if they live more than 50 miles away.
I know it's a good money saver to live at home and commute if you live close enough, but your freshman year I definitely feel like you should live on campus. 
That's not to say that you won't have a good experience living off-campus at all, because I have a lot of friends that commute here. (You'll be the one everyone calls for their kitchen and when people want to go out on weekends)

But when you take into account convenience and parking and just the freshman college experience, I'm so thankful I live on-campus.

Bingo Night at UT Tyler!

UT Tyler CAB (Campus Activities Board) recently held a Bingo Night here at the Patriot Zone. 

The first night I didn't go because I was busy and in all honesty, bingo has never appealed to me. 

When I got back to my room, my roommate started raving about bingo night and all the awesome prizes they had, and etc. So she told me I HAD to go to the next one, and thanks to the awesome job I have that allows me to check out campus events (and get paid for it), I went to my first Bingo Night.

It was in our Patriot Zone and open to all students. They had a table FULL of prizes. A lot more people went than I expected. 

 

Now, playing bingo when I would play bingo as a little girl I never won ANYTHING. 

The first round we played, guess who the winner was? ME! 

I was so excited. However, you can only win once to give everyone an equal chance.

Which was fine. I didn't mind. Because I still won first, making me the Bingo Queen. 

When there are more Bingo Nights, trust that the (self-proclaimed) Bingo Queen will definitely be in attendance. 

Beware the Donut Cravings in College

Today I was watching Wreck-It-Ralph.
In one of the videogames that was candy themed, two donut policemen walk into the candy king or whoevers castle. (I was obviously paying SO much attention)

Anyway, upon seeing the donut cops I started craving donuts. Normally when I crave something I go out of my way completely to go get it.

So I look up the nearest Shipley's (they're my favorite) and head over there before my next class.

We get to Shipley's and it's closed!

We go to the donut shop down the road and it's closed too!

I don't know if everyone in the world except me already knew that most donut shops close around noon, but I had to find out the hard way.

So I went the day donut-less... and I'm still craving them.

So to all you fellow donut lovers...

They're open from 5 am - 12 pm or 1 pm

Get em' while you can.

P.S. Totally went to Shipley's the next day and got my donuts! :D

Best Spring Break Ever- Freshman year at UT Tyler



Boyfriend and brothers

First off, a word of advice to everyone coming to college planning their awesome spring breaks down by the beach, DON'T do what I did and wait until a week before spring break to decide you might want to go to the beach. No. Plan ahead. And save money, because no matter where you go, it's not cheap.

I did not take my advice (obviously), and instead spent spring break at home in San Antonio, hours away from any sort of coast.

Even though I was kind of hoping for some sand and sun, I ended up having the best spring break ever.



I didn't even realize how much I had missed my best friend and family until seeing them again. And it wasn't even just my parents, brothers, and cousins. My grandparents, thousands of other cousins, and aunts came down to come stay with us for the week.

On top of that my boyfriend even came to stay with us.

My beautiful mother, aunts, and cousins

It was a full house and it made me realize how much I had missed them and made me grateful for the time I got to spend with them all.

 It's not that I forget how important family is, but sometimes you kind of take them for granted. Personally, my family is everything to me and I wouldn't have spent my spring break any other way.



Little brother and cousins learning to be nice to each other



My awesome little cousins



So make sure you call your mommy, your dad, your siblings, cousin, grandma, step parents, ANYONE you consider family and let them know how much you appreciate them(:



A Word of Spring Break Advice

It's finally the time every student here has been waiting for...

SPRING BREAK!!!!!

Just like half of my classmates here, my brain has been shut down for about a week now and my sleeping schedule is all thrown off.

I know a lot of people going to the beach or some other exotic location for spring break, and I urge you all to PLEASE be careful.
However, I also urge everyone, regardless of whether you will be home, working, partying it up on the beach, or hanging out at a lake, to GET SOME SLEEP.

It's only a week, and with the spring time change everyone should get a nap in on Sunday.

Monday is going to be horrible, I can already feel it.

I'm going to get as much sleep as possible over the break and I hope you all do too!

Bienvenidos a UT Tyler!

Queríamos escribir este blog para los estudiantes que se sienten más cómodos leyendo y hablando en español. Sabemos que a veces es difícil incluir a toda la familia en tu experiencia universitaria cuando no todos entienden  lo que está pasando.

Para los estudiantes, padres, tíos, primos, amigos, o quien sea, aquí les doy una pequeña muestra de nuestra universidad!

Aquí en UT Tyler tratamos de acomodar a todos los estudiantes. Entendemos que hay una comunidad hispana enorme y queremos que todos se sientan bienvenidos!

Primero, un poco sobre la universidad.

UT Tyler es una Universidad relativamente nueva, pero seguimos creciendo mas y mas cada año. Ofrecemos las más modernas instalaciones como nuestro centro de bellas artes y el gimnasio, el Herrington Patriot.

Tenemos un grupo de alumno muy diverso, con estudiantes de todas partes del mundo! Tenemos  estudiantes de más de 41 estados y 35 países.

Nuestra universidad tiene cinco colegios académicos: artes y ciencias, negocios y tecnología, educación y psicología, ingeniería y computación, y enfermería y ciencias saludables. Ofrecemos un catalogo diverso de clases con un ratio de estudiantes a facultad de 17:1.

Tenemos un bello campo donde se puede dar un paseo entre nuestros pictóricos lagos, montar en bici o caminar por uno de los caminos, o pasar tiempo tranquilamente en el muelle.

Nuestros estudiantes son muy actives y disfrutan  de muchas actividades y deportes como el futbol, voleibol, baloncesto, y más! Para a los que no les gustan los deportes, hay actividades en el Patriot Zone, donde tenemos billar, hockey de mesa, y juegos de video.

Hay muchas cosas que hacer aquí en Tyler! Y con nuestra proximidad a ciudades grandes como Dallas y Houston nuestros estudiantes nunca se aburren.

La Universidad de Texas en Tyler es una gran universidad. Siempre apreciamos y nos esforzamos a mantener diversidad.

Para obtener mas información, llame a nuestro consejero de admisión bilingüe, Teresa Ramires. También puede hacer una cita para visitar nuestro campo! Tenemos giras de lunes-viernes de 10:00 am a 2:00 pm.

Les ofrecemos a todos la más cordial bienvenida a La Universidad de Texas en Tyler!

Open Mic Night at UT Tyler

Recently UT Tyler had an Open Mic Night in the Patriot Zone, and it was amazing.

First off, we had one of the most creative poets I'd ever heard MC'ing, Odd?Rod.

When I walked into the room I could just feel this chill vibe in the atmosphere. Odd?Rod was on stage reciting one of his poems, there was great catered Mexican food (a huge plus), and one by one fellow students would go onstage to express themselves.

I was surprised by how many people actually went up and the great variety of things they did. Some people sang, some people danced, played guitar, some people even recited some of their own poetry. And they'd be people that you see walking around campus everyday! I always forget that the people around me probably have a million talents that I don't know about. Open Mic Night is a way to remind us of that, and definitely an amazing way to show the diversity on campus.

It was just an amazing night. I strongly urge our school to continue this tradition and for everyone to go out next time you can. The setting was perfect, the MC was inspiring, and the event itself was a hit.

Odd?Rod with the UT Tyler Patriots!

Homesick?

Lately I've been feeling a little homesick.
I'm from San Antonio which is 5-6 hours away from Tyler. I also don't have a car, so going there requires either catching a ride from someone going to Austin (because I know almost no one from San Antonio), or getting on a bus. However I manage to get there, it's not easy, so I don't get to go home very often. (Nothing near how bad Katrina had it though)

I also happen to have a VERY close family, so not a day goes by when I don't talk to my Mommy, or text my aunts and grandma. Being away from all of them is hard, but here is how I make it through

my lovely family visiting one weekend!

1. Call home when you miss it
Hearing your parent's voices is nice. Especially talking to your little siblings just to see how school is. It makes you feel like you're still at home.

2. Go socialize!
Do NOT lock yourself in your room. All you will do is think yourself into a sad hole.

going out with friends!

3. Go outside
Take a walk, ride a bike, go hang out by the dock. You always find something to do or run into someone interesting here on campus

walking around UT Tyler!

4. Let your friends know how you're feeling
Feeling homesick is normal. I'm sure they probably miss home too. Talking about how you feel helps out.

5. Talk to a counselor
When you feel like you can't talk to your friends, we have counselors available here on campus!

There's always ways to distract yourself when you're feeling down. Just remember that it never lasts for long and you always have someone to talk to!

United to Serve at UT Tyler

I've always been a fan of volunteering. Here at UT Tyler we try to give back to the community as much as possible. Recently, Student Government Association has announced that they will be participating in United to Serve through the East Texas Crisis Center.

They ask students to bring in toilet paper, paper towels, cotton balls, q-tips, and dixie cups to donate to the shelter that helps out with victims of family violence, sexual assault, and violent crimes.
Some of the senators will be going door to door at the housing complex to collect supplies, so I'm excited to see the results.
During Christmas time SGA ran an Angel Tree. I remember for a couple weeks I would sit out at a table in front of the Chik-fil-A with papers spread all over the table for people to come pick their "angel", or the child they would get Christmas presents for.
It amazed me that even though we were all students ourselves who could be worried about buying our own Christmas gifts for our own friends and family with the little money we have, so many students adopted angels. On the very last day there were only about 6 angels left.

The power of giving never ceases to amaze me and I absolutely LOVE the big hearts the students here at UT Tyler have.

Be sure to support Untied to Serve!

Local Hangout Field Trip: Andy’s Frozen Custard

Everyone pretty much has heard of ice cream. Most people are aware of frozen yogurt, and some aware of frozen Greek yogurt. But have you ever heard of Frozen Custard? If not and you love frozen confectionary treats, run to Andy’s Frozen Custard right away! I know it's supposed to be winter right now, but you won’t be sorry! 

What’s so unique about Andy’s? This custard is the softest and creamiest of all the frozen treats I’ve ever tried. Plus they are incredibly customizable! Although they only offer vanilla and chocolate custard (unless you buy one of four prepackaged pint flavors), they have a wide variety of topping for you to choose to have with your treat. You can get anything from a cone to a concrete, which is the topping of your choice blended into the custard.

What’s awesome is that although Andy’s is a franchise, the only one in the state of Texas is right here in our city, so it’s a pretty unique experience for Tylerites and our visitors. My sister and her boyfriend, who both live out of town, always ask if we can get some Andy’s as soon as they come in for a visit. It’s that delectable!

If you feel like grabbing some custard with your friends, you can definitely do that! Andy’s is known for being a local hangout for teenagers where you can get your custard and mosey around on the patio or grab a bench or two. The staff is always very friendly and the service is really great. If you’ve never been, what the heck are you waiting for?! In the meantime, I’ll just be here enjoying my cherry cookie dough sundae…

 If you are interested in other local good eats, check out this blog!

One Broke Girl

I recently just endured one of the most embarassing moments of my life.

Do you know what it feels like to have your card declined? How about when it's declined in front of your friend? How about when it's declined in front of your friend, your boyfriend, and ALL of McDonalds?

Well, that's what happened to me yesterday.
I go into McDonalds, I ask my boyfriend what he wants, trying to be awesome since he's always paying for me. I order two meals. I swear I have money because just Saturday I had my mom put in like $30. The meal comes out to be $14. I swipe my card and read the words, "TRANSACTION NOT APPROVED".

I start to freak out inside, but I calmly pull out my phone and go into my bank account... where there is only $12. (I forgot I had went to Walmart the day before and bought worthless junk)

I suppose I could have just asked the cashier to make the two meals I ordred into just sandwiches, but I had already tried to ball in front of everyone... so I took the low road.
I let my boyfriend pay.

And I was HUMILIATED. My friend relentlessly mocked me (because those are the types of friends I have), but I learned a lesson every college student needs to know.

EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!

Thankfully here at UT Tyler, it's only so often that I actually have to spend my own money. On campus we have free anything you can think of:
Free check-ups at the clinic,free gym membership, free events. free food every once in a while, we have these cute little free movies on the lawn... and it's not old movies I would see at home on my VHS, no. They're good, NEWLY RELEASED movies, saving me an embarassing trip to the movie theatre.

My mother always says to me, "You're in college, you're supposed to be broke."
This doesn't make me feel any better, but I'm so happy that my school accomodates people like me so that I'm not withering away in my dorm room.

Remember to WISELY spend your money (going here helps), check your bank account when you go out, and don't be ashamed to rely on the kindness of your friends.

How To Lose a Potential Valentine

I know I should only be focusing on school and classes, but with Valentines Day approaching, I figured this post was very much appropriate.
In college you're going to meet all sorts of people and talk to a lot of people interested in dating you. This guy made it very easy for me to decide that I wanted nothing to do with him.
So, here is how to get rid a potential date, readers, as experienced by me.

1. Say "lol" after absolutely everything.
And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING.

2. Blow up their inbox.
Sometimes people are busy. Sometimes they're sleep. They're not always ignoring you, I promise.

3. Be condescending.
You can be younger, older, smarter, not so smart, whatever. Take into account that the other person might know what they're talking about.

3. Not be yourself.
You shouldn't try to mold yourself to the other person's interests. Just be yourself!

4. Unneccesarily argue.
If we're already arguing, that's not a good sign for the future.

5. Be flaky.
Stick to your word. When you say you're going to do something, do it. If you say you're going to be somewhere at a certain time, be there at that time.

Basically, just be good to the person you're interested in. Treat your Valentine well. No need to be extravagant or extra-cheesy (unless that's what you like).
And remember that chocolate and compliments go a long way ;)

UT Tyler Back to School Blues

I am so glad to be back from break. As much as I didn't want to return to class, just being back in my OWN dorm room with MY bed and no little brothers messing with all my stuff has been a relief.

In the midst of basking in my regained freedom, I didn't realize that school was starting again so soon.
Just because I am not ready for school to start doesn't mean that school is going to wait. So, for all of you starting out the semester, GET ALL OF YOUR THINGS TOGETHER! Get your textbooks, read your syllabus, and believe that your professors will give you work the first day back. Seriously. I'm suffering now.

Good luck to everyone! This semester is going to be great!

Here Come Finals

There are less than two weeks until Christmas break here at UT Tyler, and that means... drumroll... FINALS!

I stress over tests badly, and I look enviously at the couple friends of mine who only have one or two finals to take. (I am however thankful that I am not one of the people who have more than one a day).

I have four finals coming up this week and I'm handling it the way any typical college student would: living at the library, pulling all-nighters, and drinking liters of coffee a day.

Many of you may be like my roommate, calmly studying in our room, going to SI sessions, taking lots of breaks and lots of naps, and eating 3 well-balanced meals a day.

I hope for the latter. Take care of yourself, get some sleep, and DON'T STRESS. A nice post I came across from earlier this year gave some awesome tips on how to destress.

Good luck on finals everyone! You can do it!