The Survival Guide of a Chronically Stressed Hedgehog

Phase 1, Me Pretending I Know What I’m Doing

During Phase 1, it was honestly just me trying to survive because I didn’t really know how this class works. I kept thinking I was already behind even when I wasn’t. So I tried to stay ahead because once I fall behind, that’s it, game over. I don’t really have free time, but if I see even a small window, I sacrifice sleep just to keep up. I already know I mess up a lot, so I try to prevent future problems before they happen, even if that means stressing myself out early.

Time Management, or Lack Thereof

If I could redo Phase 1, I would manage my time better. Maybe actually use lunchtime to read ahead instead of thinking I have “plenty of time.” Because I thought the computer assignments would be quick. They were not quick. You open it and suddenly there are like 10 steps and if you miss one tiny thing, it’s wrong. The syllabus was already available before class started, so technically I should have prepared more. I also couldn’t access the MOS program at first, which did not help my stress level. I should have watched more videos early on because the videos actually helped me understand what the exam would look like instead of

going in blind.

Chapter 4, The Citation Police

For my topic I want to talk about 4.10.1 Citations and References, especially APA 7th edition formatting. Professors really love citations. I’m not even joking. You can write amazing content, lose sleep, pour your soul into it, and then lose points because the spacing is wrong or something isn’t italicized. And you’re just sitting there thinking, seriously? I still think content should matter more, but I get that formatting is part of being professional. I just need to accept that references are not optional and that tiny details matter whether I like it or not.

MO-110, Controlled Panic

For the MO-110 Word exam, I already took it. What I did was basically spam C.2.1 to C.2.6 assignments over and over again. If I got something wrong, I redid the video in the course and reviewed it again. I also redid Practice Exams A and B at least 2-4 times each because I didn’t trust myself. I probably reviewed four to six hours before taking the exam because in my head I was already preparing for failure. Somehow I didn’t fail, which honestly surprised me. But Excel? Excel is going to destroy me. I already know it. Excel and I have history and it’s not good.

My Survival Manual

If I want to share something, it’s this. People always say, oh this class is easy, accounting is easy, IS101 is easy. For me? No. It’s not easy. I STRUGGLE. My schedule is literally my survival guide. If I don’t follow it, everything collapses. I use checklists because I need to physically see that I did something. Crossing out tasks makes me weirdly happy because at least I accomplished something that day. I don’t feel prepared most of the time. I just do the work and hope for the best. If I pass, that’s a win. If I don’t, at least I know I tried.