Is your workload too much? By this point in the semester, it may be too late to drop a class, HOWEVER that doesn’t mean that you can’t fix it. You can always withdraw or take an incomplete. There are always other semesters and time to take classes. Your advisor is always there for you. Don’t be afraid to talk to them, or any professor you trust, with any questions you have.

As most colleges and universities Greek Life will be starting, or have started, their Spring recruitment, it is important to keep in mind some aspects about going Greek or not going Greek in college. I asked some of my friends what they thought about pros and cons were about going greek. These stories are from men and women who are proud Greeks. Hopefully their stories will help you see if going Greek is right for you. Whatever the decision, do what feels right and not what someone says you should do.

 

“I went greek back in Spring 2011 during my freshman year and since then, there has been a lot of pros and cons that I face in greek life. Pros: Ive met so many people when I joined my fraternity that over time I just keep meeting more and more. Being in a fraternity also gives you a connection with tons of other people from around the country in other colleges, active members and alumni. This depends on if the fraternity is national. Other pros about greek life is that it gives me stuff to do around campus such as community service, greek events, and even parties. For cons: Pledging sucked and I hated it. Also, there is alot of stupid drama in greek life which I personally hate. Lastly, dues are way too expensive and you have to pay them every semester.”

“Not only did I choose to go greek, greek life chose me as well. I never thought of myself as a sorority girl but seeing the amazing women of AOII changed my mind. I decided AOII was right fit for me. It had a lot to do with fate and just plain luck. I am so glad I went greek.”

“I didn’t want to be Greek at first. A friend dragged me to meet the Greeks freshman year. I didn’t have any reason as to why I was against it; I just thought Greek life wasnt for me. But when I met the sisters of Tri Sigma, I felt so comfortable around them..And now, I’m proud to call them my sisters. Going Greek was probably the best decision I’ve made at college.”

“I debated going Greek for a while in my first years at school. I know my friends all enjoy their experiences but going Greek just didn’t seem to fit my already busy lifestyle. While it would have looked great on my resume and have been the “icing on the cake”, I realized I did just as much to make my resume stand out without being Greek, than some students do by being Greek. My decision was right for me.”

Everyone chooses their own path in life. Some of us have known what we have wanted to do in life since the age of 3 or 4. Others of us have had some trouble figuring it out. Let me tell you a secret—IT’S OKAY!!! I have been out of college for 2 years now, and I miss it. Sometimes I wonder what my college path would be like if I started at the same school, just 6 years later than I did. Would I have studied better? Would I have liked my experience the same?

Not everyone is meant to go straight from high school into a four year college or university. Sometimes it takes a little time. My brother, for example, graduated high school in 2010. Technically he should be graduating college this spring, however, he did not start to attend college courses (at our local community college) until May 2013. He is doing EXTREMELY well. He studies, gets his work done on time, and is enjoying his major–Fire Science Technology. He even talks about possibly DOUBLE MAJORING! My brother was not the kind of student who took AP classes in high school, and did not even want to go to college. Now, 4 years after he graduated high school, he is entering his spring semester of college.

It’s okay to start late. No one is going to judge you. It can be hard to fit in when you transfer or start in the middle of the academic year. Reach out to your RAs, and Student Life offices to see what programs and resources they have for transfer and new students.

As always, feel free to message us with any questions or concerns.

Happy New Year! 2014 will be a great year-you’ll be finishing up your Freshman year of COLLEGE!! That is an exciting thought, but also a little scary. What if you didn’t do so well in the last semester? Here are some tips to help you make good New Year’s Resolutions for the upcoming semester.

1. Make your goals measurable. By telling yourself to study 2x a week, you can easily mark it off on a calendar or use a chart to help you. You can even give yourself a dollar for every time you study (and REALLY study) by putting it into a jar. Then at the end of the semester, you’ll have some extra cash to go do something fun.

2. Break your goals into smaller parts. A big goal, like getting a 4.0, has a lot of little parts. Mark them each off on a chart to help you keep track of where you are in your progress.

3. Don’t forget to save time for yourself. Don’t plan out every single second of the day. Enjoy living in the present.

 

Always feel free to message the iRA team with any questions you have.

You are almost one week into the new year and can now officially say you made it through your first semester and by now you should be reflecting on your grades.  For some, all of the hard work has paid off and you are basking in the glory of your achievement.  For some, you are assessing the level of effort you put in and how just a slight push or an extra hour of studying each week could have moved you up on the grading scale.  For some, you are questioning all of the hard work you put in and the end results.  All of these thoughts are normal and should be surfacing at the end of each semester.

Similar to New Year’s resolutions, you should focus on New Semester Resolutions.  Each semester is an opportunity to reflect and evaluate how your classes ended, new relationships built or conversely old relationships lost, and areas for your personal growth and improvement. The nice thing about college is each semester gives you the chance to have a “do-over” and improve next semester.  While you are enjoying your break, take a few minutes and reflect on how things turned out, the things you would like to change, and the things you would like to continue.  Create a list of reasonable resolutions and approach them the same way you would a New Year’s resolution.

So you didn’t get along so well with your roommate, you did not get as involved as you hoped, or you neglected your personal wellness.  Identify your list and focus on a plan to do better in the new semester.  When it comes to resolutions, we often times start off with good intentions and lose steam and ultimately fail at achieving the goal.  In order to be successful at goal setting and achieving the goal we must look at how we approach resolutions.  Below are a list of things to consider when it making/achieving resolutions for the new semester.

  1. 1. Brainstorm and define your resolution; being too broad can make the goal a daunting task to take on.  Don’t just say I want to lose weight; better define the goal with how much weight and where this will help in step 2.
  2. Create a plan with clear steps on how you plan to achieve the goal. Now you can easily identify how you will achieve the goal. I will do 50 crunches a day.
  3. Immediately create the plan; do not put off for tomorrow what you can do today. Do not wait for the sun to shine just right and all of the stars to align before you start.  If you are sitting there watching TV, throw in crunches on commercial breaks.
  4. Write down the resolution and plan to bring life to it; until it is written, it is merely an idea. Create a dream board, put it on your mirror, or journal about it.
  5. Think semester-long and not just the first few weeks of the semester; incorporate the entire semester into your plan. By the end of the semester I want to do 200 crunches in a day.
  6. Be flexible as plans are not always executed as intended; bounce back and go back to the plan, revisions to the plan are okay. I had to study for a test so tomorrow I will do 100 crunches.