My journey to college was slightly unconventional. I attended three different high schools in three different states, so I knew that finding the right college for me was important. Four years and three schools later, here I am at Florida State! Getting to where I am today was definitely full of its trials and tribulations, but it’s always a story worth telling if there are others going through the same experiences. In a way, I’ve always had someone to look to for advice on transitioning into college and finding the right school for me, whether it was Facetiming my older sister, talking to my school friends, or even a dinner table conversation with my mom. That being said, I know not everyone has that source to look to for guidance when it comes to these things. That’s when I knew I wanted to be that source for people and Frances Nichole was born.
Courtesy: Frances Nichole
My blog is named after me because I am my own brand. I like to think I am real and honest, and I want to connect directly to my audience. The making of my blog was a long and treacherous process, but one that was worth the blood, sweat and tears. With being a blogger in college, here are a few things that go into my life as a college blogger at Florida State University.
1. Finding Inspiration
God only knows that my most serious relationship so far in my life has been with my Pinterest account. She is my tried and true, my pride and joy, and my best friend. If I am ever in a rut prior to going on Pinterest, that is definitely not the case when I close the app. But Pinterest can only provide so much inspiration for blog content relative to my niche if you will. Nowadays, my main source of inspiration happens to be my peers. The people I go to school with, although I don’t know many people personally, media allows me to see what kinds of questions people are asking and what information they’re looking for. Being a part of the class Facebook group helps a lot in terms of being able to see what class recommendations people are looking for, students asking about dorm life, and even people trying to navigate the phenomenon that is college gameday. Seeing questions allows me to come up with content relative to the college lifestyle, especially for incoming freshmen who are curious about what they’re getting into.
2. Prioritizing and Time Management
I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle with balancing my classes, my blog, my campus involvement and my own personal time. My blog has been dormant for a while, simply because the first semester of the year is always seemingly the most hectic. With managing your time, I find it always works for me to do things in order of importance, which unfortunately puts my blog lower on the list sometimes. Personally, I find that putting my blog low on that list can be beneficial to my content because while I’m having to neglect it for a little while, I find that when I go back to it I have quite a bit of content to upload and put together.
Courtesy: Frances Nichole
3. Picking and Choosing What to Address
College is crazy, especially going to a party school. When it comes to posting about my personal experiences, I try to be as honest and transparent as possible. The truth of the matter is, I am a major homebody. Do I like to party and be social? Absolutely. With that said, I like to be smart about where I’m going, who I’m going with, and what I’m doing. I am lucky enough to have friends who are on the same wavelength when it comes to partying and whatnot, so I don’t feel pressured to participate in questionable activities simply for content or even bad judgment. Of course, there are questions to be asked about the party and social aspect of the college lifestyle especially for people just beginning to gain exposure to these things and who want to know how to go about it. I know my experience in navigating the social scene in college has been confusing and I know I would have benefitted from having prior knowledge.
My experience thus far as a blogger has been interesting and very rewarding, to say the least. I love getting DMs from people wanting to know more about FSU and the college experience in general. I want to use my blog as a platform to help people and make their lives easier, along with easing their nerves and worries. So, what’s next? I plan on picking my blog back up and producing content more frequently, and I’d love to have people contribute and be featured as well. You can find my blog here, and be sure to follow my socials (@francasaine) for more content and to keep in touch!
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