Its Kind of Like a Movie...

Being prepared for class is probably one of the most important things to do in college. The fact that half of our teachers don’t even tell us what our homework is makes this a slight problem though. It is my mission to find a solution for this evil issue. You may ask, “How are you going to do this?” Sure I could go online and lookup how to be prepared or organized in a college setting but it is my mission to go one step further and get advice first hand from people going through the same things I am at Southern Connecticut State University.

            I plan on asking freshman how they are handling the work load they have. I also plan to ask what they think they can do to improve. This will hopefully give other freshman insight on common struggles in this new setting.

            To try to offer advice to fix the problem on hand, I will ask other students and faculty members how they face an overwhelming schedule. I hope that these older and wiser mentors will be able to connect with freshman to a point that they improve the academic lives we are leading. I would also like to see how they organize their schoolwork and what are there favorite places to focus and study. Hopefully from this video I will be able to solve my problem with scheduling and academic life as well as other students who find they have the same problem. 

Only 24 Hours in a Day?

            The self- study assignment given to us this week helped me figure out a great deal of things, mostly: that there are not enough hours in the day. While most of my time was dedicated to school or sleep, I also found that my schedule wasn’t what you would call “normal.”

            Most of the time you could find me up until midnight just hanging out with friends. Most researchers would say that this would be a problem. Something that is causing me stress. In my mind though, it is voluntary. My schedule doesn’t follow the wake up at 7am do all my work and go to bed at 8pm type of thing. Instead, 5 out of the 7 days, you will find me rolling out of bed around 9 only to go to one class coming back to my dorm so I can sleep until two. This might not be the most effective thing to do but it works for me.

            This got me thinking about the “normal” routine of people. How can one person with a PhD tell me that my schedule isn’t working for me because it doesn’t fit in societies idea of normalcy? There are so many blogs, articles, and how to books on how to be successful. But who says that following one or two different forms with automatically guarantee you success.

            Yes, I do admit that my schedule could use a little TLC, but for right now, I like it. I can wake up everyday, see the people I want to see, and set times to do my work. Although I may see my friends from the hours of 9-12, I do my homework and am in classes from 10 to 9. The only thing I can think of doing, when the time comes that is, is to tweak my schedule as I see fit, and probably add about 5 more hours to the day.

Always About Involvement

Southern Connecticut State University is all about getting involved. This week at the involvement fair we got a chance to see all of the clubs available on campus. Walking around you could have seen everything from language and math to modeling and greek life. Personally, I enjoyed seeing the greek life and getting a chance to see clubs such as RHA or best buddies. It was a good opportunity to hang out with friends and make new ones. 

Make the Cut?

            This week’s assignment is a little uncomfortable for me. Although teenagers are quick to judge, that is not who I am…for the most part. I pushed it to Wednesday’s blog date because it was so hard for me to think that I would have to read through a bunch of people’s personal blogs and tell them that their righting is horrible. As I red the first blog though, I realized, most of these blogs are going to be really good.

            The first blog that I read was Catherine Ranaudo’s. Her blog about her parents divorce was well written and made me think. One of my worst fears is getting a divorce and being in the pain that her mother felt. That’s what I consider a good post, something that can make me think. Something that can also make me feel different emotions.

            I chose to read Weston Gambardella’s blog next. I figured that considering he puts so much insight in class his blog posts would have the same effect. The first thing I noticed was his titles. Things like, “practice makes perfect, but nobody is perfect, so why practice?” That wasn’t my favorite blog though. My favorite on his pages was, “overcoming obstacles.” It made me think about something that we don’t think about nearly enough: the fact that we (each individual) are not the center of the universe. I believe this is something that we forget way to frequently and was very mature of him to put something so thoughtful onto a blog read by a bunch of teenagers.

            Bethany Castellano’s blog, “Boston Girl takes on Southern,” not only has a catchy name but it is also very well written. “Eat. Sleep. Success.” was the blog that I was most into. I really enjoyed how so explained how we need sleep whenever we can and not just when it is socially acceptable. For a girl who loves naps, this is a motto I live by! Her blog itself was very cute and drew me in from first glance.

            At the end of all of these blogs, I’m sure I could give you good parts about all of them. For me, these blogs were three that I was drawn into and held my interest.

Never Skip Class...

Lets face it, when we were going into college we had no clue what we are doing. I personally, along with probably most of you, spent days googling what to bring and tips on how to survive. There are books and thousands of websites that all tell you the same information.

            For me, the best advice came from my older sister. Jenna is 22 and is spending her days at the University of Connecticut for allied health and plans to go to nursing school. She is someone I look up to immensely so for me, her advice meant the most. The one thing she told me that sticks with me the most is her advice to go to class.

            A lot of college students, especially freshman, are baffled by their newfound freedom or simply do now know how to balance school and parties. Either way, their urge to actually attend class is very minimal. During the summer all I told myself was, “of course I’ll go to class,” but know that I am actually here, I see how difficult it is to pry myself out of my cozy bed every morning. In those moments I think about Jenna’s advice and everything that she has been through. Jenna is one of the smartest girls I know and someone who really knows how to put in effort but due to a lack in time management, some of her classes she needed to repeat. To see what she is being put through now four years later is what encourages me to go to every single class, even those annoying 8am classes…

            Making time for work is right up there with actually going to class. Everyday coming back to the dorm, all I want to do is nap. This doesn’t settle my nerves when I have four hours of homework to do though. I try to fit in homework in between classes and do most of it when I get out of them. This means that I actually need to pay attention to that I am doing during the week. I can’t go out to a party on a Tuesday night when I know that I have class and an immense amount of homework to do. These tips of paying attention, going to class, and budgeting you time responsibly will definitely help me be successful in my freshman year.

            What is life without a little fun though? I’ve heard stories of people that have hated their school because it was hard for them to meet. Some tips were given at orientation that I found very helpful. Being interactive is probably the most important. SCSU has so many programs to get involved in. finding one that you are interested in will introduce you to people that will already have things in common with you. Being friendly and interactive with someone I will always have to remind myself. It is easy to sit down and play on my iPhone but how will that make me new friends? Answer: it wont. I will always need to remember to get involved and be social.

            These are just some of the tips that I found helpful in the first few weeks here at school. I know as I continue I will be putting more and use. But for now I plan on fulfilling my current tips by being stubborn with school and relaxed with my social life.