6 Tips for Surviving the Semester

Its crunch time! No I don’t mean Cap’n Crunch time, I mean the semester is almost over and I have to crunch months of grad school work into the next five weeks! I am sure that there are many other grad students out there who are in the same boat as I am and instead of writing/reading, you are on the internet! Don’t worry, I won’t waste your time here at The Daily Conquer! Today’s post is about 6 tips I use to survive the end of the semester which may also help you finish the semester strong!

1. Coffee – Enough said. I know that I can’t start the day without my morning cup. Sipping on some coffee in the morning gives me a couple of moments to allow the cobwebs to clear from my head and help me think clearly. If you don't like coffee have a cup of tea or juice. Something to help your body rejuvenate from the 7 hours of sleep (I hope) you just woke up from.

With that being said you should always…

2. Play to your strengths – We are not all the same nor do we all function the same so be sure the play to your own strengths. Personally, I cannot work past 11 p.m. If I do the quality of my writing and reading comprehension severely declines. I tend to wake up around 6 a.m. during the week and around 7 a.m. during the weekend. But this may not be the best time for you to work so ask yourself what are my strengths.Whatever your strengths are find them and use them to your advantage.

Cassie The Conqueror

Sometimes when I look back on my life I wonder, "have I actually accomplished anything?"

Usually my first answer is no. I tend to forget all the goals I have conquered in the past and only focus on the negatives. I am currently a graduate student who is working two jobs and taking nine hours of class (three of which are for my thesis!). Sometimes it seems like where I want to go in life is in a completely different direction from where I end up. Sometimes it can feel like I take two steps forward and five steps back!

But if I take a step back and think about it, I have actually accomplished some things in my life. So much so that you can feel free to call me Cassie the Conqueror. :) I was the first in my family to go to college and I was determined to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in four years - done. I had also set the goal for myself that I would get a job working with animals straight out of college - I was hired as a full-time Animal Trainer at the Texas State Aquarium before I had even graduated. 

Somewhere along the way I decided I wanted a change in life and spent half of a spring and early summer on Padre Island National Seashore protecting nesting Kemp's ridley seat turtles as a Seasonal Biological Science Technician. 

Here I am releasing a Kemp's who has a transmitter which is used to track migratory patterns

I also spent the last part of the summer watching young Aplomado Falcons take their first flight on Mustang Island for The Peregrine Fund as a Hack Site Attendant. Somewhere in all of that I was also part of H-E-B's Slim down Showdown weight loss challenge. Although I didn't win the competition I became a whole lot healthier and now weigh 56 pounds lighter! Not to mention I met some amazing people along the way!

After reflecting on everything it seems like I have conquered quite a few goals in my life and while my path hasn't always been the straightest it has been fun! My next goal is to get a Master's degree in Communication and marry my love of animals with my communication skills! I accumulate what I like to call "daily conquers" which get me one small step closer to that goal!

So follow me as I take little steps throughout life which will ultimately lead to greater victories! Along the way I will share all the knowledge I have learned about grad school, job hunting, and communication! I hope that one day you too can feel like calling yourself a conqueror!