Carley’s College Guide by Carley Palmer
I am so beyond excited to have Miss Carley Palmer on the blog this week:) Carley is one of the brightest, coolest, most creative people I know. She is is so gifted when it comes to graphic design, documenting the little moments in life and being there for anyone who crosses her path. I hope you enjoy her College Guide full of wise words that I will most definitely be bringing into my junior year this fall!
Hi all! My name is Carley Palmer and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Olivia through Katie McElroy (Liv’s high school bestie and my college bestie). A mini bio on me: I’m in my second year at UCSB where I’m double majoring in Communication and Economics and I’m originally from Orange County. I helped Olivia with this blog’s graphic design, doodling up the designs for this website. I’m thrilled to now be a part of Help a Girl Out in another way as well :) As I finish up my second year at UCSB I thought I’d share the little bit of wisdom I’ve gained here...
✨Carley’s (not at all extensive) College Guide✨
1. Embrace the dorm life 🏠
a. Living in the dorm as a freshman was one of the best decisions I could have made. Dorm life really forces you to dive headfirst into the college experience and I met so many fun, amazing people through my dorm. I met nearly every single one of my now best friends through the dorms! It felt like a ten-month long sleep away camp, in the very best way. Plus, sharing a bathroom with strangers and living in relatively cramped quarters makes you appreciate your future apartment/house/sorority house even more. Though not everyone gets as lucky as I did with my amazing roomie (shoutout Jillian) or room setup, I’m a huge believer that the dorms help you fully embrace the college experience.
2. Get involved 🙋🏼♀️
a. So cheesy, I know... but it really wasn’t until I started getting involved with UCSB that it felt like home here. At the end of my freshman year I was so excited when I was hired as a social media intern for the school. I now work around 12 hours a week right on campus (pro tip: on-campus jobs are so convenient) and help run all of UCSB’s social media channels, learning about the behind-the-scenes of social media marketing for a large audience. Not only does this look great on my resume, it also makes me feel like I'm really a part of this 25,000 person school. Joining clubs or getting an on-campus job is such an important way to find your community at your college.
3. Eat your greens🥬
a. Sounds silly, but when I got super busy during winter quarter the first thing to go was making nutritious meals. I would basically just eat yogurt, oatmeal, and PB&Js all day and not nearly enough fruits, vegetables, and protein. This in combination with the stress of schoolwork made me feel horrible for a couple of weeks. When I prioritized making more balanced meals (nothing crazy - I still frequent the trader joe's frozen food aisle) my life genuinely improved so much and I feel so much better day to day. Not a huge veggie girl... but TJ’s Power of 7 green juice is pretty yum!
4. You’re not going to be the smartest in the room 🤓
a. Going from high school to college, I went from being one of 1,200 students to one of 25,000 students. In college, being around so many motivated, intelligent people made me feel, quite honestly, pretty dumb at first. I was not used to such challenging material that required hours and hours of studying. After a couple of quarters, I’ve started getting into a groove and discovering how I can balance my college workload. I was listening to a podcast the other day where the guest said something along the lines of: “oftentimes it's good to be the dumbest person in the room, because then you know you’re around a bunch of smart people you can learn from.” An important reminder!
5. Be flexible🤸🏼♀️
a. I’m a very type-A person who had a very specific vision of what my college experience would look like. But things rarely go to plan! I had my heart set on a sorority, which I joined and ended up dropping. I’m in no way against Greek life – it's absolutely worth exploring if you’re interested – but if it's not for you (as it wasn’t for me), give yourself the freedom to drop. The same goes for majors: it is more than okay to change your mind about what you want to study and do with your future. There's so much value in trying new things while also being able to recognize what serves you and your goals and what doesn’t. This stage of life is all about trial and error – enjoy the process!
6. Do something different🎨
a. I find myself getting in such a repetitive cycle of school, work, and parties that all feel the same by the end of the quarter. Switch it up! Doing something different, especially on the weekends, makes life so much more fun and refreshing. Some ideas if you’re feeling wholesome: take a day trip somewhere cute, have a homemade pizza night, paint at sunset, play tennis at the rec center, thrift, etc. It's so important to strike a balance between work and play!
7. Be nice to yourself 🧡
a. Starting a new life away from your family and everything you know is hard. There is so much new-ness at the beginning of college that can be really overwhelming. If you’re struggling as a freshman, you are not alone (I think that having a few mental breakdowns before getting your footing is a pretty universal experience). All you can do is try your best to push yourself out of your comfort zone while giving yourself grace and time, I guarantee it gets better!
If you’re a high school senior reading this and going to college in the fall, congrats on this next chapter! My freshman year at UCSB had its ups and downs, but I look back on it with so much joy. If you’re not an incoming freshman, I hope this gives you a fresh perspective on wherever you are in your college journey/life. What an exciting time in our lives! Thanks for reading, I hope this can Help a Girl (or two) Out :) If you want to hear more of my rambling or see some more of my doodles, you can follow my blog-of-sorts, @Candidly.Carley (fair warning: I love to overshare). Thank you to Olivia for creating this sweet community <3
Wasn’t that a great read?! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and good luck to you (the wonderful reader) on your future endeavors. Whether that is high school, college, post grad, etc. these are healthy reminders that we can always use some freshening up on:) So much love for all of you and have a splendid week! xoxo HAGO
