Students blog

Juggling friendships, school, work, and hobbies in college can seem impossible. These factors can especially affect your roommate relationships. As a junior living with three other roommates, I have faced these challenges personally.

However, through a system of teamwork, kindness, and respect, I’ve found that maintaining healthy roommate relationships and boundaries is achievable. The key is to remain in constant communication with the people you live with. Instead of waiting for a conflict to arise, put those preventative measures in place beforehand.

I’ve never had any serious conflicts with my housemates thanks to organized cleaning systems, clear boundaries, and a consistent line of respectful communication.

Start with Clear Communication

That line of communication started almost immediately after we arrived at our house in early August. Given the stress of arranging furniture, it made sense to also clarify important boundaries.

For example, I arranged an alternating cleaning schedule with my roommate for the bathroom we share. Especially considering it is more frequently used by guests, we wanted the space to remain tidy.

Be Open About Your Shortcomings

I also made sure to tell my housemates that I can be forgetful. It’s important not only to set boundaries but also to be transparent about your faults.

As a busy student with several part-time jobs, I sometimes leave things around the house or forget to do my dishes right after a meal. After I spoke with my housemates about my shortcomings, they knew how to help me going forward.

Quick verbal reminders have been a fantastic way for me to work on those bad habits. It has now been several months since move-in day, and I can confirm that with the help of my friends, my forgetfulness has decreased significantly.

Remember It's a Shared Space

Above all, the single most important thing for a harmonious living situation is staying aware that everything is a shared space. On days when I struggle to be tidy, I’m reminded that my needs cannot come before my friends' needs. To care for my roommates means doing everything I can to keep our home a place of rest, safety, and peace.

By extension, that translates to doing my fair share of chores and cleaning, at the very minimum. And thankfully, the four of us have remained close friends ever since moving in.

This has not only relieved a lot of stress for us but has also freed up our schedules and cleared our heads. We know that regardless of the situation, we are a team. The quickest way to have a peaceful life starts with having a peaceful home!

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What is the one thing all employers want from students, but students struggle to obtain? Experience.

When applying to entry-level internships or jobs, it is common to see employers asking for one to two years of related experience. When seeing this, most students are confused; they think, “How am I supposed to gain experience if entry-level positions require experience?”

For engineering students, there is a solution: your university’s Formula SAE Electric (FSAE EV) club.

What Makes a College Club Great?

With all of the assignments and schedules competing for your time in college, it’s important to determine what will make a club membership worthwhile for you. For engineering students, this means opportunities to apply course concepts to physical designs and develop leadership skills by managing real budgets and deadlines. A great club also allows students to collaborate with peers from other disciplines, like business and marketing, and validate design decisions through testing and professional feedback.

If a club can meet these requirements, students will gain the necessary skills and experience to contribute meaningful work in their first technical job. Luckily for engineering students, FSAE EV clubs meet all these requirements.

Real Industry Experience

An FSAE EV club feels more like a fast-paced startup than a school club. The competition involves designing, manufacturing, and presenting a product every year: an open-wheel electric race car that can reach speeds close to 100 miles per hour. This means members and leads work at all hours to achieve the club’s goals.

At SDSU, our goal is to compete in every dynamic event at the competition, a first for our club. This requires late nights, early mornings, and weekend test days from the start of summer until the end of the school year. Of course, this level of commitment is not for everyone.

The great thing is that these clubs are what you make of them. If you only want to show up for a couple of hours each week, that is all you have to do. You won’t get the same amount of experience compared to someone who shows up every day, but that is how the industry works.

Competitions and Networking

The annual competition is a great event for all students involved. It gives clubs the opportunity to compete against one another and let their hard work speak for itself on the racetrack. It is also one of the best networking events of the year.

More than one hundred teams show up, with each team typically having thirty members at the competition. That means roughly three thousand like-minded, driven, and talented students are all in the same place for a week. This is where you can build your network, learn from your peers, and make meaningful connections.

Many industry professionals also show up as judges or guests. This makes it a great place to meet engineers from top companies. You might even land an internship or job.

Preparing for the Future

For students looking to turn ideas into reality, there is no comparison to an FSAE EV club. It provides the knowledge, the experience, and the network to launch you into the next stage of your career.

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Once upon a time, “dressing professionally” meant stiff suits, painful heels, and neutral colors. But Gen Z has looked at that old rulebook and said, “Yeah, no thanks.” Now, they’re rewriting the dress code one stylish and comfortable outfit at a time.

From Conformity to Creativity

For Gen Z, what you wear to work isn’t about blending in; it’s about standing out. This generation grew up with stylish Pinterest boards, Instagram feeds full of aesthetic inspiration, and TikToks that turn “Get Ready With Me” into an art form. Naturally, they’ve brought that creativity into the office with wide-leg pants, trendy kicks, eye-catching accessories, and exciting colors.

The Comfort Revolution

Comfort is another big win in the Gen Z dress code revolution. After countless Zoom meetings in business-on-top, pajamas-on-bottom outfits, young professionals learned that productivity isn’t tied to a pressed shirt. Now, it’s all about polished but stylish comfort-core. Think soft fabrics, relaxed fits, and outfits that look good on both a laptop camera and in a conference room.

More Than Fashion: A Shift in Values

This shift isn’t just about fashion; it’s about values. Gen Z is calling out dress codes that favor any one gender, ethnicity, or cultural identity. They’re bringing authenticity and inclusivity front and center.

Natural hairstyles, cultural clothing, and gender-neutral looks are becoming part of what “professional” means today. They’re proving confidence and competence shine through, even in comfy shoes and an outfit with personality.

The Social Media Runway

And let’s not forget social media’s role in all this. Platforms like TikTok and Pinterest have turned “office outfit ideas” into their own genre. You’ll find teachers rocking wide-leg pants and chunky loafers, tech workers in pastel cardigans and gold hoops, and entrepreneurs mixing thrift finds with luxury staples.

The Future of Office Fashion

So what’s next for workplace fashion? Expect even more creativity. As Gen Z climbs the career ladder, we’ll see office style evolve into something flexible and expressive. Thrifted finds, sustainable brands, and even tech-inspired pieces will coexist.

The future office might not have a dress code at all, just one golden rule: wear what makes you feel your best. Professional style is changing fast, and Gen Z is the one setting the dress code.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

High school prepared me to face many challenges. Unfortunately, managing my free time alongside the emotional stress of becoming an adult with real-world responsibilities was not among them. Even when my parents explained it, the reality might not have fully hit home. I often enjoy my downtime a little too much and struggle to find the motivation to get started on my responsibilities.

Those “random bursts of energy” only work so often, and sometimes not when I need them most. Still, I value my free time and don’t plan on getting rid of it, so I gave myself a reason to be productive during those lulls: my hamster. Now, in an apartment with fewer restrictions than the dorms, an animal provides a motivational responsibility with a serotonin boost.

A Newfound Freedom

Coming into my sophomore year, I felt like I was in a completely new universe compared to my first year. There was an unbelievable amount of freedom and free time. Living in a dorm and being on my own was a huge wake-up call in terms of becoming an adult.

Of course, the dorm had many restrictions for good reason. Pets were completely off the table, except for service animals. Now, I find myself in my apartment, often wondering what to do with my free time.

I needed to find the school-home balance I’d been seeking, and I could only annoy my significant other so often. I got my pet inspiration from a TikTok I had seen about a specific animal that was entertaining and relatively low-maintenance: a hamster. Just my luck, there were Labor Day sales coming up, so the timing could not have been more convenient.

Productive Pet Care

What better way to give me a boost than watching a tiny creature run in a little plastic ball, knocking into things? Using my free time for the upkeep of an adorable animal gives me the satisfaction of seeing results. Completing these smaller, real-world tasks helps get the ball rolling for that “burst of energy,” but it’s no longer random. It’s my way of tricking my brain into staying productive and giving myself a purpose that is both selfish and selfless.

Finding Your Balance

Balancing free time with responsibilities is a common struggle in college. While everyone’s solution is different, my hamster provides the structure and satisfaction I need to stay on track. Whether it’s a pet, a plant, or a new hobby, finding a small, meaningful responsibility can be the key to building the momentum you need.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

College life is busy, chaotic, and full of temptations to eat out every single day. Between late-night study sessions, club meetings, and squeezing in time with friends, it’s easy to grab fast food or hit the dining hall without thinking twice.

But learning to cook even a handful of simple meals can be a real gamechanger. It may not feel like a priority at first, but cooking for yourself offers benefits that go far beyond the plate. It isn’t just beneficial—it’s empowering.

Stretch Your Budget

Cooking saves money. The fifteen dollars you’d spend on a single takeout meal can easily cover the ingredients for two or three homemade dishes.

Staples like pasta, rice, vegetables, eggs, beans, and chicken are all inexpensive and incredibly versatile. With a little planning, you can turn one bag of groceries into several days’ worth of meals.

When you do the math, it’s clear how much money is lost to fast food, campus cafés, and delivery fees. After comparing the difference, cooking feels less like a hassle and more like an investment in your health, wallet, and lifestyle.

Connect and De-Stress

Cooking while in school can actually be relaxing. Preparing a meal is a great way to unplug and de-stress amid a hectic schedule filled with deadlines and digital overload.

There’s something calming about chopping vegetables, stirring a pot, or seasoning your food just the way you like it. It forces you to slow down and focus on something physical and creative.

An unexpected bonus? When you cook for or with your roommates, it becomes more than just making food; it becomes a moment of connection. Sharing a home-cooked meal, even something as basic as spaghetti, creates a sense of comfort and community that a cold slice of pizza in front of your laptop just can’t match.

Start with Something Simple

You don’t need to be a professional chef to get started. Start small. A one-pan stir-fry, scrambled eggs, or even overnight oats for breakfast are all beginner-friendly options.

Look up a few student-friendly recipes or watch short cooking videos online. There are tons of resources for college students with limited time, space, and equipment.

Slowly but surely, you’ll build your confidence, expand your recipe collection, and improve your skills. Before you know it, your dorm or apartment might smell like a five-star kitchen.

The next time you’re tempted to order in, take a moment to think about what you could make instead. You’ll save money, eat healthier, and reduce waste. You might even discover a new hobby you didn’t expect to love.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

The Brink of Burnout

As if college was not overwhelming enough, I decided to major in nursing, which is college on steroids. I was stuck going to lectures, studying for quizzes and exams, cooking for myself in the dorms, and somehow still trying to have a social life. This cycle went on for two semesters until I finally said, "enough."

I started searching for ways to deal with the built-up stress and anxiety. That is when I came across the term ESA, which stands for Emotional Support Animal, and my life completely changed.

A Furry Solution

One hundred dollars for an ESA certificate later, I was living with a three-month-old Dachshund named Luka. He probably wished his new mother were not an eighteen-year-old college student living in a small dorm. However, this did not mean he was less loved or taken care of; it was the opposite.

I quickly gave up on crate training, and he became my sleeping buddy and, eventually, my everything buddy. Luka made getting out of class something I looked forward to, made grocery trips less dreadful, and became my own little de-stressor.

The Chaos and the Cuddles

Taking care of another living thing during midterms was a unique experience. It was a balance of cleaning up random messes while flipping through a massive pathophysiology book, but it was always worth it.

It was especially worth it when I felt Luka cuddle up next to my leg at 2 a.m. He did not care that it was way past our bedtime, only that he was as close as possible.

Since Luka was a puppy, he still needed all his puppy shots. Juggling his appointments with my class schedule also required some creativity. I remember telling my pathophysiology professor that I had a pressing family matter to attend to, so I could not stay for the entire class. In reality, my "family matter" was a weenie dog who had been sleeping all day and would trade me for a spoonful of peanut butter.

A Lasting Bond

I still loved every minute of it: carrying him like a baby, kissing him, and giving him his first piece of steak. We made many memories that I will cherish forever.

To this day, he is my faithful companion who greets me with a wagging tail that could hit a home run and a bark that could intimidate a lion. I love you, Luka, and thank you for your unwavering love.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

Midterm season is right around the corner. With several big events for clubs and organizations coming up, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Stress is a normal part of a college student’s life, but you can still handle it productively and even use it as motivation.

During this busy season, it’s more important than ever to stay positive and take care of yourself. After all, a healthy mindset leads to better results and, overall, a happier you.

Reframe Your Stress

I’ve learned that the first step to turning stress into motivation is to understand that it’s inevitable. Even if you finish a semester with twenty credits, three clubs, and several job interviews, stress will never leave. That’s because stress is inherent to life, not just college.

Recognizing this can turn a setback into an opportunity for growth. It’s like dipping your feet into cold water before fully submerging yourself; you’re preparing yourself for what’s to come. Instead of avoiding it, I’ve learned to approach my stress as a form of exposure.

This mindset shift helps me stay calm in chaotic times. I know that by experiencing stress now, I’m learning how to adapt and handle it later on. By embracing this pressure, I’m building resilience for the future.

Master Your Time

Another way I’ve turned stress into productivity is by using it to improve my time management. College has taught me how important structure and priorities are. Between my classes, meetings, and assignments, I’ve developed skills that help me both in and out of class.

I’ve started organizing larger projects into to-do lists with smaller, manageable tasks. This approach has introduced me to helpful platforms like Google Calendar, Notion, and GoodNotes to keep track of all my deadlines.

I’ve also learned to manage my energy by tackling harder tasks when I’m most alert and saving easier ones for later. Although it can be tempting to tackle everything at once, I’ve found it’s more effective to match my tasks to my energy levels.

In a way, stress has been my unofficial teacher, pushing me to improve my habits and stay focused.

Prioritize Your Well-being

Lastly, I’ve found that stress has encouraged me to adopt a healthier lifestyle. My college schedule and extracurriculars are completely different from my old routine, but that change (and stress) has forced me to grow. I’ve started valuing sleep, eating balanced meals, and setting aside time for self-care.

I realized my productivity depended on more than just motivation from stress; it also depended on how I treated my body. As a result, I began prioritizing rest just as much. It’s funny how stress, something we usually try to avoid, can actually encourage beneficial habits.

Ultimately, stress is an inevitable part of the college journey, but it doesn't have to be an entirely negative one. By reframing your mindset, mastering your time, and prioritizing your well-being, you can turn pressure into productivity. This midterm season, don’t just push through the stress; embrace it as an opportunity for growth.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

Imagine eating instant noodles in your dorm, dreaming of going home soon for your mom’s chicken adobo. For many college students, including me, this is a reality. As a foodie, it’s hard to look at a cupboard of dwindling instant-noodle packages. Not only did eating the same thing get old, but it also wasn’t nutritious.

College life is often depicted as having an empty wallet and surviving on instant noodles. However, I learned that it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are my best tips to eat well in college while keeping your cash intact.

Find Your Campus Food Pantry

Many universities have a food pantry to combat student food insecurity. On days when I ran low on groceries, I took advantage of the one on my campus (shout-out to Pack Provisions at the University of Nevada, Reno).

Using the pantry, I could get ground beef or chicken once a week, which kept my belly and wallet full. These proteins are versatile; you can make burgers or a stir-fry with the right seasonings.

The pantry also provides eggs, milk, cereal, bread, and other foods that can last for weeks. I highly recommend checking if your university has a food pantry. It’s there for you!

Score Free Food at Events

Have you ever walked through campus and seen a crowd around a table? Chances are clubs, organizations, and companies are handing out free food to attract students.

As a hungry student, I’d do almost anything for free pizza. Stay updated on events offering free food by following your university’s social media accounts. I follow nearly fifty campus organizations and enjoy a variety of free food at least once a week.

Expand Your Budget with SNAP

During my first year, I worked as a server for twenty-four hours every weekend (bonus tip: work at a food establishment for free meals). One day in the library, I saw a local organization helping students who work at least twenty hours a week apply for a government program called SNAP.

SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides food benefits to supplement an individual's grocery budget. Since I was eligible, I set up an appointment, and they helped me apply.

Every month, I get money on an EBT card to use at SNAP-friendly businesses. This card allows me to eat well and buy exactly what I need within my allocated budget.

Final Food for Thought

Eating well-balanced, nutritious meals as a college student can support other facets of your life, like your studies and workouts at the gym. Did I also mention that your immune system gets a nice boost?

For college students, proper nutrition is critical. You deserve more than a diet of instant noodles; by fueling your body, you fuel your success in and out of the classroom. Eat well, study well, live well!

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

I know that college can feel overwhelming at times. Between assignments, quizzes, and midterms, it’s easy to fall into a routine that feels repetitive and draining. I’ve definitely been there.

Then I started journaling. What started as a simple way to organize my thoughts turned into something much more: a space for creativity, reflection, and inspiration. Journaling has not only helped me stay organized but also reminded me to slow down and reconnect with myself.

Getting Started: Monthly Spreads

Journaling can feel intimidating at first, especially if you’re new to it. A good place to start is by creating monthly spreads: a comprehensive overview of everything you have scheduled for the month. You can jot down due dates, midterms, projects, social events, and hangouts—whatever is on your plate.

It’s a great way to stay organized and visually see what’s ahead. When I started doing this, it made such a difference. It gave me a sense of control and helped me mentally separate my academic life from my personal one.

Making It Your Own

Once you feel more comfortable, you can get as creative as you want. Depending on the month, try adding colors, doodles, or decorations that match the vibe.

For example, my July spread was full of all things summer. October, on the other hand, was packed with cute Halloween doodles: ghosts, pumpkins, and candy everywhere. That’s what makes journaling so fun; you can customize it to your own style and personality.

I’ve also found it helpful to create weekly spreads. These are perfect for writing down your day-to-day plans or smaller tasks that don’t quite fit on the monthly page. It’s a great way to stay on top of homework, chores, and other small tasks you might otherwise forget during a busy week.

More than a Planner

Now, journaling is something I look forward to. There’s something really satisfying about flipping through old pages and seeing all my plans, doodles, and deadlines come together. It makes me feel accomplished, like I’ve created something meaningful out of my busy schedule.

Even though it’s technically “productive,” it doesn’t feel like homework. It’s more like a creative break where I get to organize my life in a way that feels calming and personal.

Overall, journaling has been a simple yet powerful way to bring creativity and balance back into my routine. It helps me stay organized, but it also gives me a space to slow down and express myself without pressure.

Whether you love to plan everything out or just need a moment to breathe between classes, journaling can be whatever you make it. It’s your own little world on paper.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started!