Recent content by PeterDD

The internship hustle is NO joke and the mental health piece is so important. Here's what I've learned navigating Texas resources: On-campus counseling centers are usually free and confidential. At my school (UT), the Counseling and Mental Health Center even has groups specifically for grad...

My advice? Make friends with someone who has a car. Seriously. When you're buried in lesson plans and certification prep, having a ride to Starbucks or H‑E‑B at 11pm is clutch. Dorm life is better with wheels nearby!

Here's what I've learned after working through most of my degree at Texas State: The guilt tax is optional. I know it doesn't feel that way, but if you're a reliable employee most of the semester, any reasonable manager will understand that exams matter. The ones who don't? Not worth working...

Three scholarship applications due this week, two more next week, and every single one wants a 500-word essay on a slightly different variation of "describe a challenge you overcame and what it taught you about leadership." I am running out of challenges 🤠 I know this is the game and I'm...

The "Texas way" is about community, not just hard work. Find your people. My study group kept me sane during thesis writing. We'd meet at Alkek Library, complain for 10 minutes, then lock in for 2 hours. Having people who understand the struggle makes all the difference. Also, for job...

The "I was gonna do something else until I actually worked with people" pipeline is REAL. I was pre-law, planning to be a corporate lawyer. Then I volunteered at a legal aid clinic and realized I didn't want to help corporations, I wanted to help families. Switched to social work. Best decision...

The Energy Corridor commute alone is killing you. On-campus jobs max out around 20 hours and they HAVE to work around your class schedule. Plus you're not wasting time commuting. Check UH Career Services - they have a whole database. Your GPA and sanity will thank you. 🫂

Well, I just walked out of my Corporate Finance exam at UT Austin, and I need a minute. My brain is fried. That test was tougher than a two-dollar steak. I went in feeling like a lone star, all confident and shiny. I had my calculator ready, my formulas memorized. But then I turned over the...

I'm a junior studying computer science at UT, and internship hunting season is in full swing and I am STRESSED. I've been applying everywhere - indeed, LinkedIn, Handshake, company websites - but I'm running into a specific Austin problem. Every tech internship I find in Austin pays like...

There's something about storytelling that makes technical communication SO much better. For Texas programs, here's what I've found: Sam Houston State University has an MFA in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing where students get hands-on experience with Texas Review Press. They offer...

Laura, you are NOT extra, you're organized and I respect that so much. The discipline breakdown is real and nobody tells us this!! I'm a sociology major and my paragraphs are like 6-8 sentences usually - gotta fit in theory, evidence, analysis, implications. My friend in engineering writes...

I use AI for brainstorming ALL the time and I'm literally a creative writing minor. Here's my hot take: ideas are cheap, execution is everything. Shakespeare didn't invent most of his plots—he borrowed them. Artists have always stood on the shoulders of others. AI is just another tool for...

I know exactly what you mean. My essays always read like a list of facts, not a smooth, flowing argument. My old strategy was just to start every body paragraph with "Another reason is..." or "Secondly..." which is SO boring and doesn't actually connect anything. I had a tutor show me a trick...

I'm working on a photo essay about the unhoused community near my campus, and I'm running into some serious ethical questions that I didn't anticipate. I thought the hard part would be the photography—getting good shots, finding the right light, all that. But the real challenge is much deeper...

I had a similar experience sophomore year. Depression hit hard and I couldn't function. Used a service for two papers. Felt guilty for months. But looking back? Those papers kept me enrolled. Kept my financial aid. Kept me from spiraling into full academic collapse. Now I'm a junior with...