Finals Week & Stress

“Stress: The confusion created when one’s mind overrides the body’s basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some jerk who desperately deserves it.” - Lee Iacocca.

At this point in the semester, some (if not all) students have dealt with stress. There’s worry about finishing assignments in time, passing finals and passing classes. Not only is there worry, but there’s the want to rush through exams so they will be done and summer can finally begin. Stress is a big problem that can get in the way... a lot. From what I’ve learned through this Academic year, high school stress has absolutely nothing on college stress.

There are two links that I have found that can help with both cases: stress during finals and college stress in general. Seeing as finals are coming up within the next two weeks, it’s a good idea to make sure to keep stress at bay.

How to Reduce Stress During Finals Week is the first link, providing a list of examples to try to lower stress. There aren’t many examples given, but the ones they do give can be helpful. The idea that I like the most is making a list and writing down everything. Writing down everything can make a person feel less stressed, as they have a clearer perspective of the week to come. One of the examples that I do not suggest, however, is spending 15-20 minutes doing something fun. It’s not that I don’t like the idea, because I do; but I’m sure that I’m not the only person who knows the outcome of this. You’ll give yourself a 15 minute time limit, then when it gets to that 15 minutes you’ll move it to 20, and so on until you have spent over an hour watching YouTube and playing a video game. It’s a good idea, just not for teenagers.

How to Reduce College Stress is the second link that gives tips on everyday stress. The tips given in this link are self-explanatory and should definitely work. Some of the tips are kind of common sense: get some sleep, get some food, and get some fun. When stressed some of these things don’t come to mind though, so it’s best to follow the advice given.

I wish the best to all students with their finals. Only a little more than a week left before the end of the semester!

Be Prepared for Finals

     Once more we get to that time in the semester where we worry about upcoming finals and fear that we may not receive the grades that we hoped to. Here are some ways to prepare for finals (provided by this website).
Start early
Preparation for exams should begin earlier than the day before the test. You can’t cram an entire unit of information into an all-nighter. Get started at least a week before the exam.
Organize
Begin by making yourself a calendar outlining a daily schedule of topics for review. Cover a small amount of material for each class each day. Every time you complete a topic, give yourself a mini review.
Outline
Once you have decided what you need to study and how much time you need to spend studying, it is time to actually study. One of the best ways is to make succinct outlines. As you read over your textbook and class notes, write a brief summary for each topic. Highlight the areas in your outline that were most troublesome. When you have finished with all the material, you will have an outline you can review.
Make flashcards
Similar to outlining, making flashcards is a really helpful technique for studying. By writing down the information from your outline, you are already doing half the studying. Once the flashcards are complete, you will have a portable study packet to look over.
Sleep
You need at least seven hours of sleep a night to function. Tests are designed to make you think. If you are sleep-deprived, you won’t be able to remember any of the information you worked so hard to cram into your brain.
Stay calm
Do not panic at the exam! Even if at first glance the test is overwhelming, remember to breathe. If a question seems too hard, answer all the questions you know, then return to the ones you left blank. Remind yourself that you are prepared.
Don’t rush
You have spent at least two weeks studying, so what’s another couple of minutes? Work through the exam slowly and read all the questions before answering them. If you are done before the time is up, look over your answers.
Relax post-exam
Don’t let panic overwhelm you. Even if you think you bombed the exam, worrying will not change your score. It may, however, affect your mindset for your next final. Zone out the last test and stay focused on the next one. Odds are, you didn’t do as badly as you think.
     Other ways to prepare can be planning your schedule out (doing this can make you feel secure about things that have to be done that week), and utilizing the sources that are available to you. Campus has sources available for a reason: so you, the student, can be successful. Hopefully these tips will help you prepare within the next few weeks before finals!

Classes

It’s getting closer and closer to the end of the Spring 2012 semester. Students who have slacked off at the beginning of the semester are now kicking it into high gear to raise their grades before this semester ends. One thing that I have learned this semester is to make sure you keep track of how many days you can miss, and if you’ve gone over that limit. Also, keeping track of tardies is also a good thing - some professors count two tardies as an absence. At this point in the semester, I don’t think that students want to end up dropping out because their tardies added up and caused them to fail a class.
In comparison to last semester, I feel that I’ve improved a lot as a student. Keeping my grades up hasn’t been a problem, but getting them to where I want them is now my goal for the rest of the semester (along with passing finals).
If you’re unaware of your grade in a class, I would suggest emailing your professor asking them what your grade is and, if it’s low, how to improve it. It may seem like improving your grade will be an extremely hard task, but it may be as simple as getting a good grade on the next exam (depending on your grade and where you want it, it could be harder than that).
For some students, dropping out seems like the best option. However, despite that it may seem like the best and easiest option, it is not the only option. It is best to improve your class standing now rather than later, as there would be less pressure/stress.

“Chemistry is a class you take in high school or college, where you figure out two plus two is 10, or something.” -Dennis Rodman

Procrastination

Have you ever had one of those assignments that you thought you could let slide for a few days? You think that you have enough time to do it but end up procrastinating till the very last second. The entire time you’re thinking, “I can finish this tomorrow,” but you keep pushing it off until it’s a few days before the due date. I see nothing wrong with this, however, when it starts to pile up - that’s when you know it’s time to stop.
I’m going to be completely honest, I’ve pushed homework off until the last second like most people. You have an essay due in two weeks. Rather than doing it a week in advance, you’re sitting there the night before typing everything up and lying about the date it was written. I’m positive that everyone has done that at least once in their lifetime. The only problem with doing this is that your work tends to suffer; whether it suffers a lot or a little all depends upon the person and the quality.
As we near summer, I’m starting to do this more and more. There’s an assignment due in two days, but rather than working on it then - I choose to push it off until the day before. There’s that moment when you feel like what you have to do is more important than the work itself; but trust me, it’s really not. Suffering grades are not something that everyone wants to experience.

Here is a list of things to do if you cannot stay focused on your homework and the due date is approaching.
1. First off, stay away from the television. Unless, in some odd way, it’s a part of your assignment. The best thing to do is to turn off the TV and focus primarily on the task at hand: homework. You may think that you can focus while watching TV, as you are a great multi tasker, but trust me when I say that it’s for the best.
2. Turn off the computer. Of course, some may have online homework - in which case, close everything but the homework. The internet can be a great place but it can also be your downfall.
3. If you’re in a loud or crowded area, head for the library. The library can be a fantastic (and quiet) place to get work done and study. You won’t have to worry about anyone shouting, any noises (including a stereo being played) disrupting you, or neighbors being obnoxiously loud.
4. Put away everything but your school books. I believe this one is a bit obvious. It’s easier to focus when you just have the work in front of you and no distractions.
5. Turn off your cell phone. If it’s important, they will call/text you back later. There’s no cell phone involved excuse that should make you miss your homework. Cell phones can be used as a way to avoid your homework on purpose; don’t do it. Just turn the phone off and put it out of sight until the homework is done.

Hopefully my tips have helped you in avoiding putting homework off. If not, and you find tips that do work for you, please let me know! I would enjoy to hear some other ideas on how to avoid procrastination.

Spring Break

The pollen count is high, the sun is out (for the most part), and it’s getting warmer each day... it’s official - Spring is in our midst! We are more than midway through the semester, Spring Break is next week, and the end of the Spring semester seems to be getting closer a lot faster than last semester. Whether this is a good thing or not, I do not know. For the time being, however, I suggest we bask in the greatness that is Frostburg weather and patiently await the upcoming Spring Break!

Top Ten Things To Do/Not To Do This Spring Break gives great examples of things to do/look forward to do during your Spring Break, as well as things to avoid. Or, if you’re a geek and would rather not do the things on the first list, I suggest this list of Top Five Things to do on Spring Break.
Also, if you’re low on money (like myself), there are some cheap things you can do as well while on Spring Break - as shown in 10 Cheap Things To Do Over Spring Break. My favorite from that list would have to be number 4.
4. FINISH THAT…
Finish reading that book you started but never got around to finishing during school. Finish that art project that you weren’t able to find time to do. Finish watching that series that you started but got too busy to watch every week. Instead of taking this time to try completing a new project in a week, take this time to get older things done. Don’t overwhelm yourself with the task of completing everything! Choose one or two things you’d like to complete and get to work.

We set things aside for classes, exams, and college life... why not pick up everything you started but never finished? It seems like Spring Break is a great time to finish, especially if you want to relax.
I hope that these links have helped those of you who were clueless about what you were going to do this Spring Break. I, for one, know that I’m going to start reading the Hunger Games - due to the recommendation of a friend.

Have a great Spring Break! : )

Thanks!

A special thank you to all of those who have read my blog within this Academic year! I truly appreciate it and hope that my blog is helping in any way possible! : )

Some Humor

Finances

Almost halfway through the semester! Winter is nearly over, Spring is coming in, and Summer should be here in no-time! Though, as we near the beginning of March we realize that we only have so much time to do everything. There’s classes, tests, homework, studying time, worrying about filling out scholarship information, FAFSA, figuring out the living situation for next semester, etc. But it’s times like these when a person has to get his/her priorities straightened and make time for each important event.
Remember to make time to sit down and fill out the scholarship information (which is online this Academic year). The deadline for 2012-2013 is April 2, 2012. The FAFSA deadline, however, is March 1st. March 1st as in tomorrow’s date. I hadn’t checked my FAFSA, nor had I remembered any of my information, so I waited until the day before (today) to finish. It’s always good to make time and remember these dates just in case you go to fill everything out when it’s too late.
Figuring out how to pay for college is one of the most important things during this time, so it’s always good to be punctual with the deadlines.
If any of my readers have an idea for my next post, let me know via SMT Facebook, Frostburg Email (cawarnick0@frostburg.edu), or comment below!

“When we make college more affordable, we make the American dream more achievable.”
-William J. Clinton.

College/Social Life

There is one question that has been bugging me for awhile now:  is it possible to be in college and have a thriving social life? Some would say yes, actually - a lot would say yes, but as of right now I’m starting to believe otherwise. Classes don’t take up a lot of my time but homework and studying do. This may just be the teenager in me speaking out, but even as students we should have free time to spend with friends (aside from the weekends). So now, I must ask another question: how do we fit in that free time?

A lot of people have told me to invest in a planner. I know that planners work for some people, but never in my life have they actually worked for me. The only way that I would be able to use a planner is if it was the size of a five-subject notebook and made a loud buzz to remind me to check it. Maybe it would be smart to invest in an electronic planner or something similar. Planners are a good investment, if you can actually remember to constantly check them and write everything down.

5 Easy Ways to Balance School and Life in College is a helpful link that I have found. I like the idea of color coding a schedule - it seems like it could be extremely useful. The same with having a ‘master list’ that I could hold on to. It would be a good idea to type everything in a word document, create a checklist, and check each off as I pass the event. Saying no when people ask me to do things, and I don’t have the time, is a big problem that I have. I need to practice the art of telling others no when I do not have any time.

Finding the Balance in College is a blog that also appears to be useful. I especially like the last helpful hint the blog gives: study in a public place. I’ve never studied outside of my dorm - which is not a good thing. The dorms, especially freshman dorms, are noisy and extremely hard to focus in.

I hope that these links and tips have helped some of you out there. I’m definitely going to try and adjust myself better, in hopes of having more time to spend off campus.

“You can't learn in school what the world is going to do next year.”

- Henry Ford

Budget

    After a week of being sick, and finally making it back to my classes, I’ve overcome my inability to inhale through my nose.  Thanks to this experience, I’m going to start taking vitamins like normal healthy people do.  Being sick twice in one month, adding up to almost three weeks of illness, has to be a new personal record.  Take my advice - please - and start taking vitamins.  One of the worst things that could possibly happen during the semester is getting sick.  I’m not even going to get started on allergy season... yuck.
    Rather than listing off the same information I had the last time, I will just give the link to my past blog on being sick.  I know for sure that I cannot be the only one who was/is currently sick.
    Now, onto a better topic:  budget.  Being college students, we don’t have a large amount of money to spend.  In just two weeks I’ve spent a lot of money, though I’m not sure how, and I’m not going to share how much money it was.  I will, however, share how to control spending.  Seeing as I need to learn this life lesson, and some of you probably do as well, I’ve looked up ways to control it!

Here is a list of links that can help you control your budget/spending:

Control Spending In College

5 Tools To Control Spending

CollegeTips - This link will lead to a list of tips and extra links.

I hope that these links will help you, as well as me, in maintaining a different budget for the semester.

Have a good day and good luck!

“The lack of money is the root of all evil.”

-Mark Twain

Welcome Back!

    Welcome back FSU students! It may just be me, but it felt as though Winter Break would never end! Not that we would want it to... I hope that all of you have had an amazing break and are ready for the Spring semester!  I know, for one, that I couldn't bare the thought of classes starting and tried to prolong coming back to campus for as long as possibly I could.  Now that I’m here, I don’t understand why I was pushing it off for so long.

    This semester is going to be a bit different from the first, not only because it’s my second semester as a freshman, but because I’m also taking an online course.  I’m sure that some of you are getting into the swing of things while others are trying to figure out how to manage themselves this semester.  My fear at the start of this semester was that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my online course; now I know that said fear was irrelevant, as long as I make enough time for myself and the class.
    Some of you may already be having trouble with your classes, but do not fret, for it is not too late! There is still time before it’s too late to drop/add a class; so I suggest that if you don’t feel as though you’re capable of handling a class, then make a decision on whether you should keep it or drop it.
    In addition, a special thank you to those who have read this blog and contacted me about it! : ) I enjoy getting feedback on how I’m doing and learning whether the tips I give are complete garbage or not.
    Good luck to all of you this semester!

“We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.”

- Stevie Wonder.