Photo courtesy Torange.biz

What’s romantic, costly and red all over? That’s right, it’s that special time of year again — Valentine’s Day — and as it quickly approaches, you may find it shooting Cupid’s arrow right through your budget.

But that doesn’t mean you need to dread the day of love. There are plenty of ways to bargain without letting this passionate day lose its romantic flare and ultimately, its meaning.

Many people believe they need to dish out a ton of money in order to keep this holiday special, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. From an indoor picnic to nifty homemade gifts, you can still impress your significant other without shrinking your wallet.

Perhaps the priciest aspect of the holiday is the anticipated fancy dinner. But you don’t need to dress to the nines and take him or her to an expensive A-list restaurant. In fact, many partners would appreciate the thought of you whipping up a warm, do-it-yourself dinner rather than dealing with the hassle of reservations and traffic. Try looking up a recipe for a fancy, homemade meal and dine in your living room picnic-style.

It doesn’t take Bobby Flay’s skills to prepare something your loved one will enjoy; it only has to be a step up from a traditional weeknight meal. V Day is all about the considerate, selfless gestures performed for another person and he or she will appreciate it even if cooking is not your cup of tea. Countless recipe apps, such as BigOven, provide hundreds of thousands recipes that can simplify cooking by allowing you to track ingredients and even create a mobile, sharable grocery list.

There’s no doubt that many couples also tend to get carried away when it comes to finding the perfect Valentine’s gift. But sometimes, the less material a gift is, the more meaningful it can be on the receiving end.

Try your skills at crafting something handmade, maybe one that includes a memory you both share. This could mean anything from a colorful, crafty picture frame with a photograph of you both in it to a jar of things you love about your partner. In addition, ditching the store-bought card and doodling some of your own work on construction paper can personalize a loving message. The idea of store-bought gifts has been exhausted over time and can even give off a cold feel.

In a world full of endless material objects, the phrase “it’s the thought that counts” has never been more relatable, especially for the one you love.

As for that dreamy date night, some of the best memories are made absolutely free of charge. Consider a romantic evening stroll through the park or even through your neighborhood as a way to enjoy each other’s company. After all, time is money when you’re with the one you love, so why spend both? Quality time together is worth much more than an expensive getaway or an overrated night of luxury.

Many locations also offer a number of free educational or tourist attractions that can be made into a romantic day of sightseeing. Hiking and stargazing are perfect activities to bring two people closer to each other as well as with nature — entirely free of charge. These are just a few practical and cost-effective opportunities to woo your lover. They will undoubtedly remember any of these occasions longer than they will the generic dinner and a movie.

As you can see, Valentine’s Day isn’t all about extravagance and over-the-top gestures; in many cases, this can take away from the meaning of the day all together. Over time, Valentine’s Day’s reputation for romance has diminished as it becomes less personal and more materialistic. Keep the meaning in the day and use these tips to show that special someone love this 2/14 without breaking your savings’ heart.

Public Domain: Pixabay

Midterms are right around the corner and with Drexel’s fast paced 10-week schedule it can be difficult to keep up with all of your classes. The 10-week quarter system does have a lot of benefits compared to a regular college schedule, which is generally five weeks longer.

But even if you’re a bookworm like myself, sometimes the fast-paced schedule can still overwhelm you, especially when midterms are right around the corner.

The key to making it through each quarter alive is to stay ahead of your work as much as possible. Putting off projects and papers until the night before they are due can make your life very miserable during the quarter. This is why it’s important to make sure you have a thorough understanding of your class schedule. Quizzes and exams can creep up on you out of nowhere if you don’t keep track of the exact dates they happen on and how far away those dates are.

Most class schedules will tell you what material will be covered on an exam or quiz, so if you really want to get ahead of the work, you should start studying all the material that will be covered on an exam before your professor even gets to said material. By doing this, you’ll be well prepared for the exam and by covering all the material that will be on the exam, you will also be ready for all of the quizzes that come before the exam.

Prioritizing what you need to study, when you need to study and how much you need to study is also very important. Some classes require your time and attention more so than others, but this depends on several different factors. Two of the main factors that you will want to take into consideration are how much material a class has and how difficult the material is to learn. This is a good way to determine where you are going to want to put much of your studying time throughout the term.

However, this is certainly prone to change because you will want to switch your focus from class to class as exams approach. This is where we start to run into a problem though. Because exams generally take place during either the same week or a week apart from each other, it can be a real challenge to balance your time between the different classes when midterms start. But this is exactly why it’s so beneficial to study well in advance of exams.

At some point in your educational life, you’ve probably heard somebody say that on the day before an exam it’s a good idea to not do any kind of work with the subject that you are going to be tested on. Now, for some people this can work, but as a rule of thumb, doing this is not a very good idea. Not studying the day before an exam is usually fine if you’re prepared, but it’s a good idea to always review the material you’re going to be tested on. If you review the material, you’ll be better prepared for the exam and the information will also be fresh in your mind the following day.

Now, while I am saying that getting ahead of your work is important, you also don’t want to get ahead of yourself in the process. Everyone has their limit when it comes to how much studying they can do. You don’t want to study to the point where you become a zombie with no social life to relieve yourself from your work every now and again.

The 10-week schedule may move at a rapid pace, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take regular breaks from your work to go outside and do something you enjoy. You would be surprised by how much joining something like a club can help relieve the stress that comes with midterms and exams in general.
Drexel’s 10-week schedule can be rather intimidating, especially for a freshman like myself, but it really just boils down to utilizing your study time wisely and knowing when to take a break from your work.

Public Domain: Pixabay

Taking a gap year to focus on getting to a better place mentally is choosing to invest in ourselves, rather than slowly disintegrating.

But this concept is widely stigmatized.

It seems that even when we pull through and make a decision about our own well-being when no one else is there to help, the negative reception finds a way to come back and haunt us, as the idea of taking a gap year is deemed to be “foolish” and “lazy”.

The concept of a gap year is just one method that many people use to get back to a better place in their lives. Taking a year off for mental health can do wonders, despite the ignominy often associated with the idea.

College is a risky period in a person’s life; it’s a place teeming with stress, overwhelmed students, lack of sleep, caffeine and in certain cases, depression. Mental illness is a growing crisis and the epidemic continues to progress as the stigmatization grows stronger. The issues become more severe as the feeling of hopelessness and loneliness sets in, making the symptoms very prominent during college years.

Transitioning from high school to college is a feat in and of itself. Moving away from home, taking on new levels of work, staying up endless nights attempting to study something that seems impossible to grasp, and being pressured to focus on a future that you can’t even comprehend yet. This can all break a person and many times, the rest of the world doesn’t realize that.

Gap years give students the chance to do a psychological cleanse and regain a happier state of being by focusing on themselves and their own well-being.

As unfortunate as it is to admit, mental illness still remains a taboo within society and its stigmatization continues to occur as those who suffer continue to maintain their silence. Problems within our body seem to be a valid reason to be exempt or excused from certain classes, yet if it’s a problem within our brain, we are faced with disregard.

No consideration is given because that’s simply a “you problem.” Something that affects our emotional, physical and social well-being and can inhibit us from leading a normal life — as our behavior, thinking and mood are altered — seems like something that should also be thought of as detrimental to a person’s health.

The truth has been and continues to be that our progress as a society in accepting the verity behind mental illness is at a standstill. The repercussions of this are felt through those who suffer and deteriorate internally, simply out of fear that their panic attacks, anxiety and depression will be degraded to an episode — leaving them feeling more alone than they felt before.

Within cases where an individual coping with mental illness makes a drastic decision for their own betterment by themselves, they seem to be the only ones who truly support it.

College forces us to neglect our human needs, such as eating and sleeping, and aims our attention towards our future goals that may seem unattainable at times as the work just continues to pile up. By taking a year off to alleviate and relieve ourselves of the stress and anxiety experienced during high school, an individual can go into college feeling more prepared and ready to tackle the work as they are at a better, happier place.

If we feel overwhelmed and depressed right out of high school and transition into college right away without being content with ourselves, the stress and mental trauma builds on top of each other until the ultimate breaking point.

The American Gap Association says that 92 percent of students who take a gap year did so to increase their skills and also to grow as a person and become satisfied with the person that they are. Not only is a student more motivated to succeed by taking time off, but they also found balance within their lives in which they were able to figure out just how they can effectively function without falling apart.

Gap years also increase academic performance within college because once you get that time to focus on yourself, you enter college with the same mindset rather than focusing on those around you. If travelling is part of your gap year, it can bring a peace of mind and satisfaction. Skills can be mastered and passions can be discovered.

Having time to reflect, refocus and regain control is what a gap year can offer.

Society believes it is just a way to continue being lazy, to give up, to be a failure and to stop trying. Believing any of those reasons adds fuel to the fire, promoting the degradation of mental illness. By shaming mental illness and associating it with laziness and failure, another person has just backed away from talking to anyone or considering their well-being.

My question has been the same from the very beginning, why is it okay to rest and take time off of work or school to let a physical injury heal, but a mental injury is irrelevant and an excuse? The answer is simply that it isn’t okay.

Gap years are giving people the opportunity to take the time off that they deserve. It doesn’t make an individual lazy or a failure. It means they put their well-being and sanity first. It should not be stigmatized; it should be celebrated.

If society accepts the fact that a break is deserved, whether that be between high school to college or even during college, the mindset will contribute to a healthier and happier community.

Maggie Fedorocsko: The Triangle

In the wake of the election, there was a social-media firestorm.

Multitudes of angry liberals and people who disapprove of having a hate-mongering game show host as our president took to various online platforms to express their disapproval and contempt of the President Donald Trump.

But in Trump’s America, especially with a Republican majority in congress, vitriolic tweets will not be enough. If you care about racial, economic, social and environmental justice, mobilization is imperative to combating the policies that will be put forth by this administration.

One exemplary instance of people coming together at a grassroots level to let their voice be heard is the women’s marches Jan. 21. The Philadelphia women’s march was started and organized by Emily Cooper Morse.

Cooper Morse detailed in her speech at the march that she worked in supply-chain management and was a mother and wife. She’d seen that there was going to be a Women’s March on Washington and wanted to go, but it wasn’t feasible because of other obligations. She realized that this would be a problem for many other people in the Tri-State area who wanted to go and decided to organize a march in Philadelphia.

This is a testament that one regular, but extraordinary, woman can organize and mobilize thousands of people to stand in solidarity with one another and fight for the change they would like to see.

The only way to fight against this administration’s regressive policies is to mobilize and protest, and Morse should be an example for everyone.

In this day and age, social media clearly is the means of organizing with the highest efficacy.

Via Facebook, one has the ability to start events, share events with their friends and let friends of friends see the events — which, in turn, creates a chain-reaction of a cause permeating through an innumerable amount of timelines. Not to mention, there are also groups on Facebook that have thousands upon thousands of people who share the same views and beliefs as you, creating an effective means of networking.

I predict that the next four years are going to be marked as the age of the protester: normal people standing in solidarity with one another, protesting the abhorrent policies and actions of the Trump administration, creating a change. Many people may be disillusioned with politics since the advent of Trump’s presidency, but it is more important than ever to care. We need to care for women, for people of color, for immigrants, for Muslims, for the economically disadvantaged and, most importantly, for those marginalized all throughout the country.

The best way to show we care is to mobilize and protest, to show Trump and the GOP that we won’t stand for their corporatist, intolerant policies.

I urge all of my fellow leftists to not lose hope and to keep on fighting the good fight.

Public Domain: Wikipedia

Everyone said it couldn’t be done: there was no possible way that Donald Trump could follow up on his racist policies, including building a wall on the Mexican border and instituting a Muslim ban. Some people may have thought that the Constitution would block him from attempting to put these policies into effect.

Well, despite all our best efforts, it happened.

Over the last two weeks, President Donald Trump has signed 17 executive orders from topics as diverse as the construction of the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines to the now-infamous Muslim travel ban.

The ban will cut off access to non-American citizens and visa holders in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, which currently affects about 90,000 people.

While some of these executive orders are within his rights, such as removing the Affordable Care Act and permitting the construction of the two most controversial pushes towards fossil fuel dependency, some people feel Trump has now blatantly abused his power. Banning people of Muslim majority countries, then later giving explicit priority to Christian refugees, is not just beyond insanity, but it violates the separation of church and state in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

This is not what America is supposed to be. This does not even define who is an American. We, as a nation, were built on the backs of immigrants — people who came into the country fleeing from religious persecution, or even just seeking new opportunities in a new country that everybody believed in. Why would we want to deny the same opportunities to this generation that our ancestors were once given, that Donald Trump’s own ancestors were most likely once given?

The answer is simple, yet complicated. Fear. It is the primary emotion and tactic used by the Trump administration in order to control the masses, even on the campaign trail. Chants of “build the wall” were encouraged, and those who protested silently were kicked out. Even the acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, who was fired shortly after she made a statement that she was not convinced “the executive order is lawful” regarding Trump’s Muslim ban. She was branded “an Obama administration appointee who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration” by the Dana J. Boente .

So, what can we do to stop this from being put into full effect, considering the fact that some of the biggest names in government have already stepped up and fallen to Donald Trump?

Well, I believe we can take a page from the Chinese, or more specifically, their translation of “crisis”, which is composed of two characters. One character means “danger”, and the second translates to “opportunity”.

With every crisis, there comes a danger and an opportunity. We have already seen the danger. Donald Trump has made it perfectly clear that there is a massive group of people who are in danger in more ways than one (persecution, potential racist attacks, etc.). Now, it is our time, no, our opportunity to rise up. Not in a massive protest, no, because Trump has demonstrated that he will not listen to the people of this country.

It is time to step up and show the rest of the world that America is not defined by the man in charge. We must love others in order to undermine what Trump is trying to do. What we need to do now is take the opportunity to increase our kindness and generosity to those who are affected by the travel ban. Take them into your homes, feed them, talk to them, comfort them. It is our duty, as Americans, to defend the oppressed.

Avtar: Pixabay

In the age of digitalization and social media, science is available to everyone — at least, that was the case until Donald Trump took office.

Just hours after Trump’s inauguration, word got out that several pages had been removed from the official White House website, including the pages about climate change, LGBT rights, healthcare, as well as the Spanish version of the entire website.

And then, less than a week later, the war on Twitter began. Trump issued an executive order restricting the information that government agencies such as the National Parks Service, Environmental Protection Agency and NASA were allowed to share publicly on their Twitter accounts.

Personally, I think this is an outrage. Limiting the sharing of facts and purposefully hiding information from the country’s people seems like a move done just to show power, and I can’t imagine any situation where restricting people’s access to science is done in their best interests. And, clearly, the scientists at these agencies feel the same way — because ‘rogue’ Twitter accounts started popping up almost immediately after the ban.

These accounts are unofficial and technically not affiliated with the agencies they represent, and include disclaimers as such. However, they are run by staff members from these agencies, sharing this now illegal information on their own time, making it free and accessible to anybody who looks at the account. And since they’re unofficial, there’s no way they can be censored.

On Jan. 29, the rogue EPA Twitter account reported that 25 to 35 percent of plant and animal species on Earth are at increased risk of extinction due to global warming. They also reported that more than 2.4 million pounds of carbon per second are released into the atmosphere, and that as a result of this, oceans are becoming more acidic, which is harmful to marine and water based life. Conversely, the official EPA Twitter account has not posted since Jan. 19.

Looking into these statistics further, there are many other sources online backing up this information — the average temperature of the planet has risen 1.38 degrees Fahrenheit since the 1800s, a bigger increase than at any time in the past millennium. The same trend is true of carbon — atmospheric carbon levels are above 400 parts per million for the first time in history. And when carbon dioxide from the atmosphere reacts with seawater, this produces carbonic acid, which is toxic to many fish.

These are definitely issues that the average American should be aware of, so that we can all do our best to make a difference and reverse these issues. Refusing to allow the government to talk about these problems will not make them go away.

It seems to me that these rogue Twitter accounts are upholding the U.S. Constitution far more than Trump is — they’re exercising their First Amendment right to free speech, as well as upholding Article 1, Section 8, which promotes the progress of science. We all live in this world, and we have a right to know how our planet is changing, particularly when it comes to matters such as global warming that will have a major impact on our future.

Besides, Donald Trump uses his Twitter to fight with people he doesn’t like — why shouldn’t these agencies do the same?

Typographyimages: Pixabay

Climate change is a term we hear far too often.

It is also something we constantly witness and experience. And yet there are still politicians that believe, and have tweeted, that “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”

According to statements released Jan. 18 by the World Meteorological Organization and NASA, 2016 was the hottest year on record.

This is not a singular change, as over the course of the last three years, each year has been hotter than the one previous. Even Philadelphia has felt the change, with 2016’s average temperature reaching 58.6 degrees according to Weather Underground, which was 0.8 degrees higher than 2015’s average.

It is such a simple phenomenon.

Naturally, the most common element on Earth that gets passed around from the atmosphere, to the grass, even to all animals and humans, is carbon. It’s a well known checks-and-balances system that maintains the planet. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide and, more importantly, carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing the atmosphere to thicken, trapping more short-wave radiation, producing an increase in average temperature.

The consequences reach far and wide, some of them even reach close to home. At the current rate which greenhouse gases are being emitted, Camden and South Philadelphia could be significantly flooded within about 50 years. In another 50 years, much of Center City would also be at risk, potentially displacing millions.

Not only that, but species are going extinct at a faster rate than at any other time in modern history. Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert described climate change as well as its numerous symptoms as a “sixth extinction,”, but unlike mass extinctions of the past, humans are the cause, and worse still, humans as a whole are aware that we are the cause.

So the question remains, why have we still not taken action? This despite the fact that 97 percent of scientists agree that climate change is real, man-made and an immediate threat.

The main problem comes from the 3 percent of scientists who believe that climate change is not real. According to them, it is just a fantasy, an absolute hoax. This is the opinion that 36 percent of Americans are receiving, whether it be from their local news source, their local politicians, or even from the president of the United States himself, who, mere minutes into his presidency deleted information from the White House website on global warming.

Even President Trump’s pick for secretary of energy, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, has described climate change as “one contrived phony mess” and a “so-called science.” Perry’s even gone so far as to criticize the Department of Defense for dedicating three pages to climate change, describing it as a national security risk.

However, the overwhelming evidence shows that the 3 percent of scientists and the 36 percent of Americans are wrong.

Plain wrong.

This is not up to interpretation, and this cannot be decided in a poll. Those who don’t believe that climate change is real and is either a hoax or an overreaction are plain ignorant of the facts.

We need to take action immediately if we want to not only save ourselves, but our future generations. Even doing simple things such as turning out the light as you leave a room or supporting your local politicians who believe in making clean energy more affordable can help.

As the adage goes, “we only have one Earth, so we better start taking care of it.”

Syd Wachs: Unsplash

Creating good study habits is hard and keeping them can be close to impossible. The easiest way to establish these study habits is by creating a study schedule that you can maintain. While not every student needs to have a schedule that they follow, many students can benefit from it. Personally, I have always found that the use of a schedule makes college life a lot easier.

A large part of having a good study schedule is time management. In my first term at Drexel, whenever I would receive a lengthy assignment for one of my classes, the first words to come out of my mouth would be, “I don’t have time for this.” While this seemed true then, I quickly realized that I had plenty of time; I was just managing it poorly.

When setting up a schedule, you should consider how much work you are normally given weekly, along with how much time you will need to complete any extra or unexpected work you may receive.

Picking days and times for a schedule can be difficult, so don’t overdo it with the number of hours you are going to study for. You’ve probably heard people say that you should study roughly three hours for every one hour you spend in class.

This is a good place to start, but it varies a lot depending on the person. Studying too much can be very bad for your brain, so when you are picking the number of hours that you are going to put into studying daily, pick a number that is comfortable for you. The number of hours you select should allow you to get all your work done by a reasonable time and it should keep you from studying to the point where your brain turns to mush.

Devote certain times and days to studying certain classes. For example, I have a math lecture in the morning every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I’m up early enough in the morning to have breakfast and study the material that will be covered in class that day. Some people like to go to class first and then study the material afterwards. While this does work, I find that studying prior to class is more effective because it gets your brain functioning in the proper mode. It will also improve your ability to focus in class.

As important as studying is to be successful in college, we must also remember to set aside time for ourselves and our daily needs. We all have things that we like to do in our free time; a good example of this would be watching Netflix.

Netflix can become our best friend in college, so we’re going to find a way to get around to it regardless of how much work we must do. However, it is generally best to save an indulgence like this for the weekend. The reason for this is that if you try and cram your daily dose of Netflix into a weekday, it’s probably going to end up taking you away from your studying.

There are some people who can fit something like this into a weekday if they have enough free time, but some of us can’t. If you hold off until the weekend you will be able to binge watch your favorite show uninterrupted, which is far more enjoyable than trying to watch two or three episodes each night, when you’re more likely to be interrupted by something or someone. You will also have already completed all of your work, which is a nice feeling.

Now, once you have put together a study schedule that works well, it can be incredibly difficult to stay true to it. I was all over the place during my first term, and there were times when I completely broke away from my schedule, which did not end well for me.

A solid way to keep yourself from deviating from your schedule is to start out small. Don’t immediately tell yourself that you are going to stick to your schedule for the entire term. That’s a good way to end up getting discouraged about a quarter of the way through. Start out by trying to go a few days with the schedule, then try a week, then try two and continue to work your way up from there at a pace that you are comfortable with.

The main reason behind having a study schedule is so you can work at a steady pace, avoid cramming and develop strong study habits all at the same time. And believe it or not, it will also keep you from having to deal with unnecessary stress — a college student’s deadliest foe.

GLady: Pixabay

Moving cross-country isn’t really as terrible as it initially seems. Yes, for some it could mean spending hundreds on shipping to make sure they get everything, but for others, it means squeezing what you can into a suitcase (which, honestly, is pretty cathartic) and moving on.

It also means starting over.

One of the arguably greatest perks of college is being able to reinvent yourself or spend a little time soul-searching and figuring out who you really are. Granted, this is applicable to most students, not just those who come in from thousands of miles away, but there’s a certain beauty to leaving one version of yourself vibin’ in the land of Hollywood and sunshine, and creating another to explore the nooks and crannies of a city as endless as its skyline.

When I moved to Philadelphia from California, I have to say it was a bit unusual. I kept asking for slushies and being told it was water-ice; I awkwardly stared at the first person to use “jawn” in a conversation with me; and quickly became a coffee addict, impatiently rushing to class and weaving through the crowd like a pro.

I adjusted to the fast-paced environment pretty easily, but it was the independence that got me. It was the little things: doing my laundry, organizing my desk, splitting chores, realizing that for once in 18 years, I’d have to share.

Even though I was forced into this independence, it taught me a lot about autonomy — more so than my close-to-home counterparts who have the ability to go home whenever they wish. If they’re in the need of groceries, or want to swap their wardrobes, or even if they just are feeling homesick, they can get home without flying 2,000 miles. Whenever I need something, I must seek it out myself through intricate plans using the subway and multiple Ubers.  I don’t get to hop on a train and surprise my friends on their birthday, nor do I get to spontaneously decide to visit my parents on a whim.

After all that, I didn’t ever consider going back to California, as glammed up as it is, because in Philadelphia, I’m becoming the person I always dreamed I would be. The appeal of tanned surfers and celebrity sightings is a bit overrated; I’d much rather be the quirky girl breathlessly hailing a cab, coffee in one hand, cluttered bag in the other.

Needless to say, I’ve learned a lot since coming to Philly. I used to think I was involved and doing what I could as a millennial, but that was nothing compared to the activist I’ve become now. Everything from protests to women’s marches, consider me there. I no longer sit idly by and watch history happen; I become it. My biggest worry isn’t making sure my outfits are up to date, but rather, making sure I’m warm enough to patiently await the arrival of Hillary Clinton and President (yes, president) Obama outside of Independence Hall.

I’ve learned to be cautious and self-aware, often catching myself mindlessly wandering in some unknown corner of the city in the dark. I don’t take things for granted like I used to; I fully appreciate the value of a freshly cooked meal and a stocked fridge. It does get difficult at times, since I don’t get to visit home whenever I’m feeling the least bit homesick, and the best I can get is a FaceTime call.

Nonetheless, I think I can safely say this version of me, this chocolate-croissant loving, hat-hating, “oh-my-gosh-it-snowed!” version of me is the best there is.

I love beaches and palm trees as much as the next girl, but somehow the allure of a twinkling skyline is much greater to me. And as I lay on my stomach on my twin-XL bed and look over the city, I know it’s mine, with absolutely no regrets.

Photo courtesy NASA

Space is cool. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t think space is cool, and I don’t think I want to. Everyone loves it when NASA releases its gorgeous, high definition new images of faraway galaxies, swirling colors punctuated with stars. Galaxy print has taken over the fashion scene, on everything from leggings to backpacks to laptop skins. And, of course, there’s been a massive resurgence of both “Star Wars” and “Star Trek,” with each franchise releasing two new movies in the past few years.

And, for the most part, this fascination is reflected in science. Space travel has progressed incredibly rapidly in the past seventy years, from the first man in space in 1961 to the Mars rover Curiosity landing in 2012. And people want to take this even further — the idea of Mars colonization has been talked about among everyone from astrophysicists discussing the serious logistics of the idea, to businessmen hoping they can make a lot of money from space tourism.

But is this actually realistic, or is this one step that humanity isn’t quite ready for?

Currently, the average surface temperature on Mars is about -67 degrees, well below the freezing point of water. But atmospheric scientists have recently determined that millions of years ago, the atmosphere on Mars could have had a high proportion of methane. While the current carbon dioxide- and hydrogen-based atmosphere is well below the freezing point of water, when the methane is added, the chemical forces that exist between the methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen molecules are able to absorb far more light.

This could have led to a process similar to the greenhouse effect on Earth — where the atmosphere easily takes in radiation but is too thick to allow the reflected radiation back out, trapping the heat on our planet. This happening on Mars could have created conditions warm enough for water to flow and complex life forms to evolve.

The more we discover about Mars, the more evidence there is for the fact that the planet could once have sustained life. And if it’s had that potential before, then maybe it could again.

Of course, this is such an exciting opportunity that despite all the risks and the things they’d be leaving behind on Earth, humans are literally queueing up to live on Mars. When a private crowdfunded company, Mars One, offered people the chance to apply for a lifelong Mars mission in 2013, it received over 200,000 applications.

But, we’d have to start completely from scratch to build a civilization, without even livable temperatures or breathable air. Experts have suggested that we could import massive quantities of ammonia or methane from the atmospheres of other planets or moons, and pump them into the Mars atmosphere to increase pressure and artificially recreate the greenhouse effect. Single celled organisms such as phytoplankton and cyanobacteria could slowly convert the carbon dioxide in the Mars atmosphere to oxygen for humans to breathe.

However, these processes are on a massive scale and would take hundreds of years to implement. And even though they’d work theoretically, nobody has yet come up with a practical, realistic plan of how to make them happen. And Mars One, which promised to take humans to Mars as early as 2022, is already well behind schedule.

I definitely see why the idea of colonizing Mars appeals to people — it’s a chance for a fresh start, to build a new planet without the environmental problems of Earth, and a chance to really make a difference to the future of humanity. And with how fast technology is advancing, I think it’ll absolutely be a reality someday —- but I don’t think it’ll be within our lifetimes.