Spring Break is over. I know. Miserable. But, the good news is, there are only four weeks plus finals until spring semester 09 is OVER. But we do have all those final projects, tests, and final studying to do. So...how do we get through? Here are some tips.
1. Take it a week at a time. Don't waste time crossing off the days...just the weeks. Seriously, if you just think in terms of weeks, it will all just flow into the end. Do this four times and before you know it, the final week will be here.
2. Put forth effort. If you try on everything you are doing, you will care about it. If you care, it won't seem so monotonous and boring. You will do a good job, get deserving grades, and lack that despising hatred for the final weeks that you know so well.
3. Stay focused. Do what you must. Don't let your mind wander too much. If you do nothing but dream of the end of the semester, it will seem even further away. If you go ahead and keep your thoughts here for the most part, summer will be knocking sooner than you expect it.
4. Plan for the summer. Go ahead and look forward to the sweet times awaiting you in a few weeks. As I said in three, don't dwell on it. But let the smell of what's ahead help you push through. If you have something to look forward to, you will see the light at the end of the tunnel.
5. Bide your time. Enjoy the aspects of being on campus that you like. For example, go to the FREE fitness center or HPESS. Or go sit and read at the fountain, even if you have to study while doing so. If you aren't from Jonesboro, go hang out at some of your favorite town sites. Just enjoy it while you are still here!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
8 Things to Do Over Spring Break
Finally! Spring Break is here! It's time to go out, go home, or go away....either way we want to get fare off from ASU for a while, right? Just a good old break from the pressures of the classroom, dorm, caf, and campus in general. So when you get wherever you are going...what are you going to do? Have a plan so you are sure not to waste it! Here are some ideas...
1. Rest and relax! This has got to be one of the most looked forward aspects of the break. Time off from working so much! So make sure you make time to chill on the couch, sleep in, read a book, and watch some of your favorite movies.
2. Serve. There are opportunities out there that give us the chance to serve the community. Get involved while you have a little extra time! Go out and help out at an animal shelter or food bank. Try looking for ways to help those in need.
3. Prepare. This one isn't as fun, but this will be a good chance to think ahead and ready yourself to end the semester out strong. Maybe even try looking over some notes and studying a bit.m
4. Hang out! I love this part. Find some old friends or new friends and just go be young. Go out and have fun! There are tons of fun adventures to partake on this week. Even just a night in town at the movies will be a good time.
5. Spend time with your family. As your college years progress, you will get to see your family less and less. So take advantage of this chance to go be with them. Nothing special, just time. Enjoy hearing about their lives and tell them about yours.
6. Catch up. I know, this is lame too. But if you have fallen a little behind due to procrastination or something in school, use a bit of this time to be responsible and catch up on it so you can return to shcool all ready to finish strong.
7. Activities. Play sports, climb mountains, go to the lake or beach, or something! There is so much to do around here! Go take advantage!
8. Work. This is good for saving. We all want or need money. When you would be in class, throw in some hours somewhere and save it up. It'll come in handy later and you wont have time to work as much when school starts again.
1. Rest and relax! This has got to be one of the most looked forward aspects of the break. Time off from working so much! So make sure you make time to chill on the couch, sleep in, read a book, and watch some of your favorite movies.
2. Serve. There are opportunities out there that give us the chance to serve the community. Get involved while you have a little extra time! Go out and help out at an animal shelter or food bank. Try looking for ways to help those in need.
3. Prepare. This one isn't as fun, but this will be a good chance to think ahead and ready yourself to end the semester out strong. Maybe even try looking over some notes and studying a bit.m
4. Hang out! I love this part. Find some old friends or new friends and just go be young. Go out and have fun! There are tons of fun adventures to partake on this week. Even just a night in town at the movies will be a good time.
5. Spend time with your family. As your college years progress, you will get to see your family less and less. So take advantage of this chance to go be with them. Nothing special, just time. Enjoy hearing about their lives and tell them about yours.
6. Catch up. I know, this is lame too. But if you have fallen a little behind due to procrastination or something in school, use a bit of this time to be responsible and catch up on it so you can return to shcool all ready to finish strong.
7. Activities. Play sports, climb mountains, go to the lake or beach, or something! There is so much to do around here! Go take advantage!
8. Work. This is good for saving. We all want or need money. When you would be in class, throw in some hours somewhere and save it up. It'll come in handy later and you wont have time to work as much when school starts again.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Six Ways that College Transitions Us
The average student graduates in four years. They come in straight from high school at about eighteen and embark on a new season of life: college. But what they don't consider immediately is how this season will be thrusting them towards a new one, a more permanent one, in a quick eight semesters. Suddenly, it's graduation day and, looking back, an entirely new person has arisen inside of the once immature and unexperienced high school grad. So what ways should we be keeping a lookout for? Just how are we being transitioned over time into the people we will be when we walk across another stage?
1. We learn to cope with major responsibility. Most teens have little stress over having a busy schedule and deadlines to keep up with. Once college kicks in, we are loaded down with papers, exams, and major requirements that boost our capability to handle loads of important pressures in the real world.
2. We are also gaining work ethic this way. We gradually come to terms with the fact that more studying and harder working rewards with better grades and success. Therefore, when having significant need to provide for a family or even just for yourself, you are set with priorities in mind and the ability and motivation to do what must be done.
3. Aside from pushing us towards something new, college pulls us from something old and ready for retirement. Without even realizing it, we are becoming less childish in our actions, desires, and mindsets. For example, have you yet caught yourself turning in early simply because you know that you have somewhere to be early?
4. As we stray from the kid living in us, we reach for someone new to emerge. As we do this, we are slowly becoming someone altogether different. We become comfortable in our skin and at ease with who we are. We set our own standards and use this as the guideline for what we ought to pass, rather than the approval of others. College helps us to reveal our true self.
5. Meanwhile, we are gaining vision. A clear and realistic vision for our lives. We think beyond our graduation and plan ahead. We decide what values are important to us and what we do not want to pursue. Within four years, we go from caring about what to do on a weekend to caring more about what sort of standards we want to set in our homes.
6. Another major transition is status. A large number or students meet their spouses in college. Meeting this person will automatically change the outlook on life. We accept compromise and we draw from their perspective of what we are planning for after those four years end.
College can be a time to party...or a time to grow. Usually, we start with the former and end up with the latter, whether we realize it or not.
1. We learn to cope with major responsibility. Most teens have little stress over having a busy schedule and deadlines to keep up with. Once college kicks in, we are loaded down with papers, exams, and major requirements that boost our capability to handle loads of important pressures in the real world.
2. We are also gaining work ethic this way. We gradually come to terms with the fact that more studying and harder working rewards with better grades and success. Therefore, when having significant need to provide for a family or even just for yourself, you are set with priorities in mind and the ability and motivation to do what must be done.
3. Aside from pushing us towards something new, college pulls us from something old and ready for retirement. Without even realizing it, we are becoming less childish in our actions, desires, and mindsets. For example, have you yet caught yourself turning in early simply because you know that you have somewhere to be early?
4. As we stray from the kid living in us, we reach for someone new to emerge. As we do this, we are slowly becoming someone altogether different. We become comfortable in our skin and at ease with who we are. We set our own standards and use this as the guideline for what we ought to pass, rather than the approval of others. College helps us to reveal our true self.
5. Meanwhile, we are gaining vision. A clear and realistic vision for our lives. We think beyond our graduation and plan ahead. We decide what values are important to us and what we do not want to pursue. Within four years, we go from caring about what to do on a weekend to caring more about what sort of standards we want to set in our homes.
6. Another major transition is status. A large number or students meet their spouses in college. Meeting this person will automatically change the outlook on life. We accept compromise and we draw from their perspective of what we are planning for after those four years end.
College can be a time to party...or a time to grow. Usually, we start with the former and end up with the latter, whether we realize it or not.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Six Suggestions to Securing Your Graduation Date
I'm almost a junior. It's been on my mind lately, am I on schedule to graduate when I plan to? I've heard horror stories about friends who have thought they were on the right track before finding out they were behind by just enough hours to keep them here another semester. So, to prevent such a horror story in my own life, I wanted to do everything I could think of to make sure things are squared away. Here's what I suggest.
1. Talk to your adviser! It is so important to have a relationship with them. Be in contact through email and make sure they know who you are specifically. Make appointments to drop in every couple of months to be sure you are on the right track. They have the paperwork proving exactly what the school knows about your progress. And it's their job!
2. Be open to taking a summer class or two if you have to. It sounds terrible, I know, but if it is what will get you on track, it is worth it. I'm not saying take them, I'm saying never shut out the possibility. It'll be nice to have a fall-back plan if needed.
3. Don't procrastinate! Take your important classes when recommended and try to stay with the four-year plan set out for your major. Don't save all of your hard classes until your last few semesters. The worst thing would be failing one and letting that set your entire schedule back for graduation date.
4. Stay informed! Actually know what the requirements are for your major. Get started on this right away. At latest, by your sophomore spring. Do you need to declare a minor? How many total hours do you need? What are pre-reqs for your upper-level courses? Stay on top of things!
5. Find someone you know fairly well who has your major. Someone who is about to graduate. See their advice! Ask them what they did right or wrong. Which classes are best paired with which others? When is the best time to get this course out of the way? They have just gone through it. It definitely cannot hurt to ask.
6. Have a plan! Start on this early! Know what you want your final semesters to look like. Will you need a part-time job? Are you planning to do an internship? Is a full load possible? Should you even out your remaining hours so you are not stuck with too many in the end? Think about these things! Write it out and keep it somewhere that you'll look at again. It's your graduation! Don't prolong it if you don't have to!
1. Talk to your adviser! It is so important to have a relationship with them. Be in contact through email and make sure they know who you are specifically. Make appointments to drop in every couple of months to be sure you are on the right track. They have the paperwork proving exactly what the school knows about your progress. And it's their job!
2. Be open to taking a summer class or two if you have to. It sounds terrible, I know, but if it is what will get you on track, it is worth it. I'm not saying take them, I'm saying never shut out the possibility. It'll be nice to have a fall-back plan if needed.
3. Don't procrastinate! Take your important classes when recommended and try to stay with the four-year plan set out for your major. Don't save all of your hard classes until your last few semesters. The worst thing would be failing one and letting that set your entire schedule back for graduation date.
4. Stay informed! Actually know what the requirements are for your major. Get started on this right away. At latest, by your sophomore spring. Do you need to declare a minor? How many total hours do you need? What are pre-reqs for your upper-level courses? Stay on top of things!
5. Find someone you know fairly well who has your major. Someone who is about to graduate. See their advice! Ask them what they did right or wrong. Which classes are best paired with which others? When is the best time to get this course out of the way? They have just gone through it. It definitely cannot hurt to ask.
6. Have a plan! Start on this early! Know what you want your final semesters to look like. Will you need a part-time job? Are you planning to do an internship? Is a full load possible? Should you even out your remaining hours so you are not stuck with too many in the end? Think about these things! Write it out and keep it somewhere that you'll look at again. It's your graduation! Don't prolong it if you don't have to!
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