Lovely Quotes

      Happy Thursday! Here are some quotes that have been inspiring me lately:

I hope these inspire you as well! Finish your week strong, the weekend is almost here :)

Keep it classy,
Brooke

Study Tips 101

      Happy Wednesday! I hope the first half of everyone's week hasn't been too stressful! I thought I'd share some of my tips for studying, which I've learned from my three and a half years of high school.

Study tips:

1. Don't procrastinate. I can't stress this enough. If you finish an assignment instead of looking at Pinterest for half an hour, your life will be so much better. In fact, if you can get ahead in a class, I strongly recommend it. There's nothing more stressful than trying to finish an essay or a project the night before it's due.
2. Take notes.  Taking notes in class always helps me to actually focus on what the teacher's saying rather than staring out the window and hoping for the best. It also helps to have notes when you're studying for the test, because in my experience I've found that teachers like to use what they talk about during their lectures in questions on the test rather than what's in the textbook.
3. Meet with your teachers. If you're struggling with a concept in class, you should absolutely go ask your teacher about it before school, during their office hours, or after school. Seriously, make an appointment with them. It may seem awkward at first, but I promise you'll thank yourself after the test.
4. Listen to music. This may not be a good tip for everyone, but I thought I'd include it considering I know so many people (including myself) who have to have music playing while they study. There are plenty of playlists on Youtube and Spotify that are specifically for studying. I personally love listening to movie soundtracks, Amelie and Harry Potter in particular.
5. Stay organized. Although you may think you can keep a mental list of everything you need to do, it helps so much to write everything down. As soon as I know what my assignments are for each class, I write them down in my Lilly Pulitzer agenda so I don't forget. That way I can check off everything on my list! I also recommend using a one-inch binder for each class with tabs labeled "homework," "tests," "handouts," "notes," etc. 
6. Manage your time wisely. This kind of goes along with not procrastinating, but time management is so important if you want to do well in high school. For example, today I knew that I would have to stay at school for rehearsal until 6 p.m., so I had to go to the quiet side of the library to do homework rather than talk with my friends.

I hope I've made this as simple as possible and I promise you will do so well in school if you follow these tips! It may seem challenging at first, but your reward will be your good grades! :)

Keep it classy,
Brooke

Here Comes the Sun

      Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day and long weekend! I had a pretty enjoyable weekend, which I think can mostly be attributed to the lovely weather we've been having recently. On Friday I did all of my homework (for once) so I wouldn't have to worry about it for the rest of the weekend, and later that night some friends and I went to a free 18+ concert featuring Man Man, New Politics, and Kitten which was a lot of fun but so loud. Not really my scene, but I'm glad I went.
      On Saturday I just chilled out and watched movies and babysat in the evening, on Sunday I went to the art museum in our area with my dad and it was so fun to analyze Medieval European art with him. Yesterday, I met a girl who might be my roommate at the University of Kansas next year and she's so sweet! Then I went to J. Crew factory for their 40-60% off everything sale where I bought a tartan blazer, a navy peplum top, and a white braided belt. After that I ran on the treadmill and it was rough but necessary.

      I'm looking forward to a great week and an even better weekend ahead (WPA is on Saturday and I can't wait!).

Keep it classy,
Brooke