Finals week is approaching!

Although it feels like finals are forever away with another whole week of classes left after this week, they are approaching must faster than you are anticipating. There is never as much time to study before finals week as you think there is. It is not effective to study just the weekend before finals like many people choose to do. The best way to truly be prepared for finals is to start studying now. It is not necessary at this point to be doing practice exams and hours after hours of studying, but start by reading over your noted from the beggining of the semester for about 15 minutes a night. If start to look over the stuff that you haven't thought about for over a month it will come back to you much more easily ten if you try to cram the weekend before finals week.
You may not feel like you have time for something like that when all of your classes are assigning final projects and homework assignments, but it will make your life so much easier during finals week so it really is worth it! Why not add a little extra stress on now so you aren't as stressed during finals week right? But really it will also help you to retain the material a lot better if you begin to reveiw it ahead of time. Our brains are not capable of remembering information that is coming in for hours straight which is exactly what ends up happening if you wait to study until the weekend before finals.
Finals week is also the last time you wil have to spend time with your friends before summer so wouldn't you like to have more free time then? On top of having free time, I'm sure you would be more enjoyable to be around if you aren't stressing about the cramming you need to do. So do yourself a favor and start preparing for finals now. It will make your last week of freshmen year at Penn State a lot more enjoyable and you will do better on your finals on top of it!

social life!!!

First semester as I was trying to get the hang of this whole college thing I didn’t realize how important the social aspect of college really is. All I could worry about was getting my school work done and maintaining a 3.4 GPA to stay in the Honors College. There is a lot more in life though than just working and academics. This semester I got involved in the Student Council of the Honors College and it has truly changed my college experience. To feel like you are part of a group that is making a difference but has fun while they do it is a great feeling. I would highly suggest getting involved in some sort of club because it makes you feel more at home in a school as big as Penn State. Of course getting all of your work done is important too. You will have time to do it though even being involved in a club. Club meeting tend to only be one night a week for an hour, and no matter how many classes you take you can definitely give up an hour each week. And then when you have extra time you can get involved in the different activities the club holds. I have been giving tours with the student council on Friday and Sunday afternoons, which is an example of fun little things a club would provide for you to do with a bunch of the friends you meet.

Building a social life in college is a great way to keep yourself happy which in turn will help you maintain your grades. I know when I am happier and having a lot of fun when I’m not doing my work it makes me more willing to get my work done and I can concentrate a lot easier. You’re around a bunch of other people your age through college so take advantage of it! Whether it is a club or just hanging out with friends on your floor, everyone needs a break from studying or you will never really get anything done efficiently. Make your college experience fun while you get a great education, and you will not regret it!

No more exams!!

This seems to be the last big exam week before finals!! It feels great to be done with midterms, but this is not the time to slack off just because you feel like you're done with most of your work for the semester. For most classes the finals are cummulative, so it is necessary to continue doing all of your work and learning all of the new material just as well as you learned the material for all of the other exams. On top of learning the new material you also need to be concerned with the stuff that was on the past exams so your work is not done by any means. The more you prepare ahead of time by studying for exams early, the less studying you will have to do when it comes to finals week. It will also keep your stress levels down for finals if you already feel like you've studied the material enough beforehand and all you really have left is to look over it just as a review a few more times.
That said- I think you definately do need to try to relax still and take in the last few weeks freshmen year! Sounds so weird I can't believe how fast it went. Anyway, if you relax a little bit the last few weeks of classes they you will be all ready to sudy very hard and do well on finals. It would definately be a good idea to try to get enough sleep now so that finals week you are all caught up and if you need to stay up later one night study then it won't be such a big deal. Its still important to get lot of sleep for finals so that you have a rested brain during the exam and you can think straight, but as long as you aren't already sleep deprived  then one night of late studyig won't hurt you much.
Remember still to always take some study breaks. Summer is coming up so go to the gym--get your summer bod back! That won;t happen by eating an entire can of icing but sometimes that is needed too =]

EXAMS!

Its another exam week, and its crunch time at this point because for most classes its the last exam before the final. Everyone wants to ensure that they have good grades going into the final so they aren't as stressed during finals week. Usually this time of year would provide very nice weather to distract the students but State College threw a curve ball with the snow yesterday. This weather though can cause lot of problems with people because it can be kind of depressing since it is supposed to be warm out. Still you just need to buckle down an remember that soon enough the semester will be over. You just need to try your hardest to give yourself a nice cushion for the final so that you are not as stressed with multiple exams all in the same week.
Having a few finals during the semester can obviously be stressful, but just study as much as you can and don't let silly things distract you. Something that helps me when I have a lot of work to do is actually making myself more busy. If I have studying to do then I always put it off until the last moment I have, but if I'm busy and I only have a certain time slot to study then it forces me to do it ahead of time. Then if I don't know the stuff as well then I can rearrange the plans I had to fit more studying in.
Good activities to fill your time with is working out, even if its just in your room, because it makes you feel better and helps you to concentrate better. Also just a quick 20 minute chat with your friends because it helps you clear your mind and be able to focus again. Some people also like to take a quick break to check their facebook or twitter or some other online account which can also help you to take your mind off of things for a little bit so you can focus again. Just remember, the end of the semester is just as important as the beginning, so don't throw away all the work you already put in.

Group Projects

In college everyone obviously has very different schedules and a lot of different activities they are involved in that take up time outside of class. Having a group project sometimes can cause a lot of stress with everyone having open time slots at different points during the day. It is possible to make it work though! One great way to keep in contact with your group is through a thread on facebook, because let's face it- everyone has a facebook and probably checks it more often than their actual email address. Also you may just need to meet with your group even if one or two people can't come. Its really not a big deal if that happens because the work will get done whether or not that extra person is there or not. Then the next time you plan to meet, make sure that the person who couldn't come last time is able to come. As long as everyone comes to a majority of the meetings you will always be able to get a lot of work done, and really sometimes its more productive to have smaller groups meet to work on the project because too many people can just get in the way if there are only small things to get done.
It is extremely important to make a schedule and a list of what each person is responsible for and when they need to have it done by. If no one knows what they need to work on outside of the group meetings than one of two things will happen- either nothing will get done at all or one person will end up doing the entire project which is not fair. Having set jobs for people were ensure that everything that needs to get done for the project will happen in a timely manner. Although roup projects may be stressful, you can definately accomplish everything that needs to happen to finish them as long as you are organized and stick to your plan.

Spring Break Hangover

After every break it always seems so hard to get back into the swing of things. The classes, homework, getting up early are never as easy after a nice relaxing break, but with only 8 weeks left it seems like its possible. It always makes things more managable when you can start to count down how many exams and papers you have left. Another thing that is causing some disraction from schoolwork is the weather. With the weather getting so much nicer and the sun shining, it is so tempting to just go outside and play some kind of sport with your friends. A good way to go outside and still get your work done though is to just do your homework outside. There are benches all over campus or you could always put a blanket down on the hub lawn and get some work done. I find it very relaxing to do homework outside and when I'm relaxed I am able to get a lot of work done. You can also skip going to the gym and go for a run, or play a sport with your friends but limit yourself to only playing for about an hour. You need exercise anyway and if you go to the gym for an hour, playing a sport for an hour will work just as well.
Don't let the changing season and  laziness from break distract you. The end is in sight so keep up all your hard work that you have put in. Use the sunlight to your advantage. I know when it stays light out longer it helps me to stay awake as I'm doing my homework. And just think if you do all of your homework through the week then you will have more time on the weekends to enjoy the nice weather! A saturday afternoon would be perfect to go for a nice walk around campus or downtown. And if you feel like you need to get out through the week and you just can't focus on your homework anymore, then taking a quick 15 minute walk while the weather is nice may clear your mind so that you are able to get work done again. Dpring is my favorite season and I can't wait to take advantage of it!

State Patty's Day

With State Patty's Day this weekend, it was very hard to get much work done. I had to work a bake sale from 1-5 downtown and after that I had planned on getting work done, but I just couldn't. The bake sale was tiring from standing out in the cold for 4 hours, screaming to try to get everyone to buy baked good, which were very appealing to them in their state of mind. Plus, after seeing everyone out and about, my friend and I just could not buckle down and force ourselves to do homework. I had a lot of work to do this week too with two exams and an essay due, so this week was a little rough.

Even though Spring break was coming up and I really wanted to try to see all my friends as much as possible before going home, I had to get my work done and put a lot of time into studying. It was hard at times, but knowing that at the end of the week it would all be over and I'd be able to go home and relax made doing the work a lot easier. A lot of my friends also had a lot of exams and other work too so we just banded together and got it done. We took short little study breaks to keep our sanity, and instead of going to the gym which can take a lot of time, we just did a short ab workout in our room. Doing a short workout doesn't take long and it makes you feel better so taking a break from studying to even just do 50 crunches is very helpful. It is impossible to pay attention and retain the information you are studying if you study without a break for more than about an hour straight. I got all my work done, I just need to edit my english paper, and it feels great. So just remember you will get through all your work, just do what you need to keep yourself from getting too stressed.

Post-THON

THON of course took up most of the weekend like expected, and it seems like all of my classes just dumped a ton of work on me for the next two weeks. With State Patty's Day this weekend and THON last weekend on top of the unordinarily large amount of work, it was definately neseccary to buckle down this week. Weeks like this happen though, and when it does you just need to trudge through. Getting stressed about it and complaining doesn't help at all. Having a mind set like that just makes you not be able to think clearly and causes your work to take a lot longer than it need to.

In order to make sure you don't get stressed, its best to make a list of everything that you need to do before you start your work. That way as you're doing one assignment you aren't thinking, "oh I can't forget to do my homework for chem". With a list written down, it will help you to just focus on one subject at a time and not get side-tracked by the other assignments you have. No matter what, while you're working on one assignment toyou need to make sure that is the only assignment you are thinking about. Sometimes I find myself worrying about another hommework assignment while I'm trying to read or something and it really doesn't help, it just makes the reading take longer so that you can't get to your next assignment as fast.

Once you finish one assignment, cross it off your list. This helps because then you can actually see the progess you've made. Soon enough you'll be down to just one or two more things to do and it'll make you feel great! Even when you have a ton of work to do in all of your classes, just remember the sooner you get it done the sooner you can truly relax! And spring break is coming very soon so then you'll be able to catch up on sleep and forget about all your work for a few days =]

Advertisments and their impact on everyday life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcfViklWRsU&NR=1

Attached is a link to one of the other dorito commercials that aired during the superbowl. I'll give a breif summary of what happens in case you can't watch it right now: There is a guy trimming his bushes and looking over them into the next yard watching someone eating salsa doritos and drinking martinis. The music is very catchy with a spanish flair and makes you think he is watching a couple of hot girls as they lay out and snack on doritos. Then his girlfriend comes over and gets his attention, and you hear someone call out from the next yard and say hi to her. The camera pans and you see that it is two gay guys that are laying out.

From the very beggining, the commercial catches your attention because the music draws you in. The fact that they are salsa flavored doritos and they have spanish music appeals to the audience because it creates a connection between two aspects of the commercial. Then they show the martini glasses and it creates logos because it makes you start to think about what kind of person is on the other side of the bushes. It evokes curiousity and you want the camera to move over, so you make sure to pay attention so that you don't miss it if the camera finally does move over.

Then when the guy's girlfriends comes over, it appeals to your emotions. For girls you feel bad for the girlfriend because you know she probably feels jealous that her boyfriend is looking at other "girls". The guys can relate to the man because they know what it feels like when they get caught looking at another girl by their girlfriend. Then when tyou hear them call out and say hi to the girlfriend and the camera moves to them and you see its a guy, it really surprises you and makes you laugh. This commercial appeals to just about anyone who is teenage age and older. Everyone has experienced these kinds of things after their teenage years and the fact that it is actually gay guys and not girls that he is looking at just adds a funny aspect to help the audience remember the product. With a little bit of laughter after the emotional appeal the dorito name sticks with you.

Everything at Once!

This has just been one of those weeks, as I'm sure it has been for many others. All kinds of exams and papers and lab reports and speeches are all piled and and due in the same week. Sometimes when a week like this comes it is necessary to drop everything else and just get your school work done. When you have an extrmemely large amount of work like that sometimes it does not even help to go to the gym because going the all you can think about the entire time is what homework you could be getting done. Rather than stress yourself out more, take a few days off from the gym because it won;t hurt. It can even be good for your body to take a couple days off from the gym every once in a while because your body needs time to repair itself. Skipping a few days during the week will alow your muscles to heal and then you can be back and even stronger the next time you go to the gym.

When youhave a very sressful week with big grades in all your classes it is also a good idea to skip going out at least one of the days on the weekend. Instead go to the gym one of the nights, especially after skipping during the week. Then you will feel better when you wake up the next mornng and you will be a lot more productive. After going out it can take you until like one or two in the afternoon to really feel well enough to get work done efficiently, so rather than waste time, just don't go out one night and get some extra work done, get a work out in, and then be productive the next morning and it will make you feel so much better because you accomplihed something.

This weekend especially is important to do something other than go out because its THON weekend!! Put your time to that if you need a break from homework. Fom what I hear it is life changing and definately worth your time. Canning alone had an impact on my life so the actual THON event I'm sure will be extremely influential.

Canning!!!

As many of you probably know THON is just two weeks away and this weekend is the last opportunity to go canning this year. I wanted to make sure I got involved with THON so I decided that I was going to go canning this weekend with the Honors College Student Council. We will be leaving Friday afternoon at 3:30 and getting back late afternoon on Sunday, so it is taking a lot of time away that I usually have on weekends to get some extra homework done.

Although I may say I'll get homework done over the weekend during canning, deep down I know I really won't. So I faced the truth and made sure that this week I got the majority of my work done. I still went to the gym though during the week because it is important to me to live a healthy lifestyle and the gym helps to relieve stress. Still, I made sure that I didn't put off assignments as much. I have online physics homework that is due every monday and I usually wait until Sunday to do it, but I already am about two thirds of the way done with it. Canning is a major part of THON and Penn State, so I wanted to have a great experience without stressing about school work while I did it. I buckled down during the week to make sure that a stress free weekend was possible.

It feels great to get your work done ahead of time when you know you will have little time for it later. There are times in college when you will have commitments outside of schoolwork that you need to attend to, so one week you may need to work harder than the next. Its just something you need to get used to, but it usually is worth it in the end. Now you shouldn't completely ignore your social life if you have a busy week because it is impossible to concentrate and study without human interaction. A good way to do it though would be to eat a 45 minute dinner instead of an hour and a half, and to make sure you get work done if you have a little chunk of time. Those hour time slots can be a lot more productive than you would think. SO if you have a busy weekend, make sure to get your work done ahead of time and you will feel so much better!

EXAMS!

This week I had two exams and the paper and podcast due for English. Of course I was a little overwhelmed at some points during the week, but weeks like this come and go. Plus once they are over you always feel great about everything you accomplished. In order to make sure I got everything done in time, I made sure to get a lot of my homework that was due during the week done on Sunday. Sundays are always a great day to get a lot f homework done because there isn't really much to do on Sundays anyway.

By getting a lot of homework done on Sunday it allowed me to focus a lot more on the little homework assignments I got through the week and then just studying as much as possible for both of my exams. I had the paper and podcast done on Friday so that was out of the way for the rest of the weekend. Then I had a chem exam Wednesday and a psych exam Thursday. Balancing studying when exams are two days in a row can be very hard sometimes, but you just need to focus on one subject at a time.

I would study for chem before psych in order to make sure I didn't get stressed while I was studying for psych before I had my chem exam. After I felt good each night about chemistry I would move on to psych and study that until I had gone over all the material. The other thing I find to be very helpful is taking study breaks because it is impossible to focus for hours on end especially if you are studying a lot of material for two different subjects.

A great study break could be hanging out with your friends and just talking for a half hour or going to the gym. Both are very good for different reasons. Talking with your friends will take your mind off your work and relax you so that it is easier to focus once you need to start studying again. Going to the gym can also be very helpful. The exercise is a good way to relieve stress. It also gets your blood pumping so it will wake you up so that you can concentrate so that you can study longer. Creating good study habits and giving yourself a break when you need it are extremely important and can help you to be a lot more productive in your studying. Even if you are stressed and have multiple exams to study for it is possible to stay clam!

A time of colds and flus

Getting the proper amount of sleep can be very difficult in college.  During the week even when you get you work done at a reasonable hour it still seems impossible to get to bed anytime before midnight.  You take a walk to brush your teeth and see one of your friends, or you get distracted on facebook...staying up late is inevitable.  On the weekends it isn't any better either.  Between going on and then trying to wake up early to have a productive day, it seems to be impossible to get more than about 7 hours of sleep.

Such bad sleeping patterns are really bad though, especially at this time of the year when the flu is going around and just about everyone has a cold.  It is extremely important to get enough sleep in order to maintain a healthy immune system so you don't catch some kind of illness that ends up lingering because college work never lets up.  I made the mistake of getting run down towards the end of last week, and I ended up catching a cold that has lasted about a week now.

Having a cold or any illness while trying to keep up with all the work can be very difficult.  I think it is very important though as long as you are capable to try to keep up with all the work because you will just end up getting stressed out if you get too far behind.  Stress is another thing that makes your immune system weak, so that would just cause your cold to last even longer.  The best thing to do with a cold is make sure any time you have between classes, even if its just a half, that you are getting a little bit of work done.  The work adds up and you will get done more than you thought you would.  It is also important to start your homework right away when your classes are done so that you don't get stuck staying up late trying to finish. You have to get to bed at a decent hour while you are trying to get better so that you can get the sickness. 

Sometimes it is hard to concentrate on your work though if your head is kind of in a fog due to being sick.  In this case it is best to get work done in about half hour increments or whatever you feel well enough to do.  If you get too tired to concentrate then take a break and watch a half hour of tv or take a twenty minute nap. Believe it or not twenty minute naps do a lot more than you would expect.  After a little break you will come back refreshed and be able to get a lot more work done than if you just tried to push through.  Of course it is better to not get sick at all, but if you are unfortunate like I was, just take it easy as much as possible, eat healthy, and get plenty of sleep.  I have not been getting enough sleep this week which is why my cold is lingering I'm sure, but sleep is important and it helps a lot.