Let me start off by saying this is a personal blog post and I am not talking about fashion students as a whole (surprised?). However, many of you will relate to this.

This semester has brought on so many conflicts, surprises, newness, and of course: stress. There was a lot of good and some bad, but all in all; I am alive, healthy, and well, so that’s all that matters at the end of the day, right?

I would wake up pretty much every day at 6 and 7 to get ready for class (I’m a terrible sleeper and my roommates like to party, so I can barely catch a wink of sleep on the daily), carry my heavy school bag from my residence hall to campus, and sit for three hours and try to take as many notes and take in everything the professors would say at one time. After that, I would run to the E train and commute for an hour to get to work. By the time I got home at the end of the day, I was so exhausted that I could barely even stay awake to make myself dinner!

The most exhausting part were my classes. Every semester, every student is neck deep in school work, but for some reason I had homework in almost every single class every week. Now, that doesn’t really happen. Usually, you’ll just have a project that you can work on for part of the semester and try to get it over with, but I was always constantly working on something from August and still as I am writing this article. For my math class, I am on Excel and using my calculator almost every day. I had a homework assignment that I tried to finish five damn times and got different answers for every question, as I’m putting together outfits for a styling photoshoot that was in like ten minutes.

One thing I’ve learned this semester would definitely be that I have to schedule more and learn how to time manage better. Usually, I have everything written down in my planner and I know exactly what I have to do when it needs to be done, but when your workload in school and at the work place doubles, you have to adjust. Does anyone have a suggestion for a better planner, perhaps?

I’ve also realized that things can happen unexpectedly. I never thought that where I am right now would be where I would end up, and although I worked like a dog and am so exhausted, I’m happy that I’m here. I got promoted to Visual Merchandising manager at the Style Shop (I’ll miss ya Christina!) and I also got an internship for PVH Corp. in Tommy Hilfiger as a Store Operations intern. I have A’s in all of my classes. I still am breathing. I’m also so proud of my friends who got accepted to study abroad, got offered internships as well, who are the best in their classes. Also what I’ve learned is that once you surround yourself with people who are a good influence on you, it’ll rub off. If you get bad vibes from anyone, you don’t have to stick around. You should be around people who make you feel confident, who are proud of what you do, and who accept you for who you are.

With no time to even breathe, it’s been hard to keep up with my hobbies as well. There’s nothing that I love more than to sit and write, and I haven’t been able to lately this semester. It’s so sad because it’s one of my favorite things to do. I guess that also ties into my time management rant, so, like I said, someone please recommend me a planner. I’ve been dying to put more effort and time into this blog and my other fashion and food instagram that I co-own with my friend Julie (@sohautenyc — follow <3), but obviously, school comes first.

So now, let’s talk about money. When it comes down to it, it’s probably the most stressful thing. Especially when you’re constantly learning about new trends and just fashion in general when you’re in class, and also when you’re just a shopaholic all together. I talk about the latest this or that in fashion all the time; in classes, with friends, at work. When you only save a certain amount of money and plan out your budget for the semester, there’s no extra room for shopping (even though I made a ton of room, oops). Self control with money is probably the hardest thing anyone can master.

Now, let’s move to what I did when I actually had some time to myself. I made friends, I became closer to friends, and I also lost friends. Like I said before, you never know where you’re going to end up. You don’t know if your sworn enemy will become your best friend the next day, and vice versa. Word of advice for everyone reading this: don’t trust easily, or even at all. Don’t just assume that because someone is your “friend”, that they’ll stay by your side. At the end of the day, the only person you have is yourself, so you have to stick up for and stand by yourself. Also, don’t be afraid to speak up. Wouldn’t you rather get what’s bugging you off of your chest instead up bottling it up?

Anyway, back to my free time. Although this semester was stressful, I did try to make some room for fun. There’s only a matter of time before you crack when you’re inside all day just studying. I went to so many new restaurants, I went to the parks as many times as I could, I explored as much as possible. I live in the city and still am amazed by all of the new things that I continue to discover day to day. It was definitely good to just get out after a long study session, I highly recommend it.

Finally, at the end of the semester comes the worst thing: FINALS (scream). Everyone looks like death warmed up and looks completely hollow. It’s like we’re all programmed like robots by the end of our classes. Last week, the night before my class, I completely forgot that I had a final project due. Thank god my friend texted me and told me about it. I had no choice but to do it right then and there, even though I was studying for another exam (good thing my professor is an easy grader). I keep thinking about that damn planner.

I’ll sum up my semester and what I’ve learned in a few bullet points for those of you who didn’t thoroughly read this novel that I just wrote…

• You never know where you’ll end up, because so many unexpected things happened to me this semester.
• Remember to catch up on your sleep even if you weren’t able to finish a project or if you didn’t study enough. Losing sleep is not worth it, especially by the end of the semester.
• Stay on top of your classes, it’ll pay off. I’d say it did for me, since I have A’s in all of my classes.
• I really overworked myself, so next semester I know I have to take it down a notch.
• It’s not worth it to overthink; it’ll lead to unneeded stress and anxiety.
• Don’t focus on drama or someone else; focus on yourself and what you need to do for YOU!
• Keep track of spending and DON’T buy unnecessary items.
• I really didn’t time manage as well as I possibly could have, so I need to work on that.
• Stay positive, or neutral at least. If you’re always a downer, those vibes will definitely come your way and stay there.
• Surround yourself with positively influential people.
• Take a time to breathe and to go out and explore. I definitely did, but I wish I could have more.
• Study ahead of time and don’t cram. Trust me, I’m doing it right now. It is NOT worth it in the slightest.
• Wake up with a clear head and start the day like you’re going to take on the world!

xo, Desirae