• How to Organize Your Essay Writing

    An Undergraduate Guide.  Writing is challenging. It does not matter who you are or what you do. Skilled writers can feel overwhelmed! As an undergraduate, you can’t always be perfect, but you can set yourself up for success. Writing can be hard. Frustration can stem from multiple classes, unclear instructions, procrastination, or perfectionism. And that’s…

  • Conference Reflections

    A Personal Update from SECOLAS   In Fall 2018, I took a course called World War II: Germans/Lat Amer in Texas. In that small seminar, we built a series of interconnected papers and eventually submitted them to SECOLAS, where we presented them the following March in Oaxaca, Mexico. I’ve attended SECOLAS every year since—except for…

  • How to Read a Scholarly Article

    without drowning in it At first glance, reading scholarly articles might seem simple, but it can actually feel confusing. Dense writing, new terms, and lots of citations can make it hard to get started. Often, the real challenge is your mindset, not just understanding the content. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed. Try to develop a…

  • How Undergrads Can Reset Their Semester Without Starting Over

    Academic Reset Momentum slips fast in the first weeks of a semester. You start on a roll, then there’s a tiny slip. If you haven’t slipped up, this post may not be for you. Most undergrads don’t need a full restart; you need a reset that feels doable. A reset begins with taking stock of…