February 6, 2024

You have survived a few rounds of questions around the Thanksgiving dinner table about how your semester is shaping up thus far. Now classes are back in session and you are a few weeks from wrapping up the semester. As you prepare for the end of the semester, you may encounter several culminating tasks to conclude the semester and test your knowledge of the course content. You may see a variety of options, such as a paper, a group project, a PowerPoint, a speech, or some other creative approach to determine your knowledge obtained in the course.
Now is a good time to assess your skill level in the varying areas. You should be able to review your syllabus for more information regarding what the final assignment will be. Over the last semester, you should be able to determine which areas you may need additional support or direction. Examine your experiences, look at grades on assignments, review notes from professors. These are all resources to help you identify your areas of need. Now that you have identified possible areas of improvement, there are resources on campus that can assist you. Below are a few resources that are available to you.

Writing Center: The Writing Center is available to review samples of your writing and provide feedback on how to take your work to the next level, things to consider, and areas of improvement.

Office Hours: Office hours are a great way for you to connect with the professor or teaching assistant about the information and expectations for the assignment. Asking the professor for assistance could help clarify things and shows you took some initiative.

Academic Success Center: The Academic Success Center is a very helpful resource, because they can assist with helping you to organize your thoughts, help you to understand the assignment, pair you with a tutor, or even look at public speaking and offer tips on the roles of successful team. You can

Testing Center: The testing center is another space that may be available on your campus. The center provides a quiet place to test, offers information on how to prepare for an exam, and provides tips for success.

Academic Advisor: Your advisor is another person you can discuss any concerns you may have and is definitely a good starting point. Your advisor can point in the direction of the appropriate university resource. Your advisor is a good person to discuss any struggles you have encountered and how to overcome those challenges.

Each university is unique in the resources that may or may not be readily available to you. Take time to assess how you have been performing and areas that could use some support. Your campus is full of support and now is the time to explore what options are available and how you can combat it.

Good luck as you prepare for the end of the semester.

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February 4, 2024

The beauty of the first few weeks of the semester, is the ability to drop the class without a penalty. Before the semester begins, you will want to research the Registrars list of important dates. You will need to know the last day to add a class and the last day to drop a class.

Adding a class will be tricky, because it will be impacted by class occupancy, may require the professor’s signature, or clearance from the Dean. Even if a class is full at the beginning of the semester, you may have the opportunity to add the class in the event registered students already in the class decide to drop. Remember to be patient and allow the system to work. If you cannot get into the class this semester, try again next semester or next year.

Dropping a class will require you to monitor the calendar. There are two dates that you will need to observe. One will allow you to drop the class without the class showing on your transcript, while the other date will allow you to drop the class, but it will be reflected on your transcript negatively affecting your GPA.

Having the ability to pick your class can allow you the opportunity to “shop” your classes and professors. If a class is not a good fit for you, the ability to drop can alleviate some stress. Class shopping also allows you the opportunity to evaluate your course load and to step back if you determine you have too much on your plate. Keep in mind that the professor may not change with future offerings of the course. Additionally, the course may have a limited offering of once a year. Be mindful of the potential of a repeat experience if you elect to drop the class and attempt to retake it.

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February 2, 2024

The Spring semester has officially started. You have had a couple of weeks to settle in and now is good time to do a pulse check. Examine how the first few weeks have unfolded; have you started strong, pick up where you left off in the Fall, or do you feel overwhelmed? Whatever you are feeling, it is okay and checking in now can help steer your semester to success.

Have you had a test, written a paper, completed a group assignment? How did it go? Take this pulse check to determine if you need to study harder (or differently), get a tutor, or revise the focus of the group project.

At the beginning of each semester, we have discussed in earlier blogs, that you should write down short- and long-term goals for the semester. Use notebook or a journal to detail things that went well, areas for improvement, accomplishments and defeats for the past semester. Use these to jumpstart your goals for this semester.

This semester, take your goal setting to the next level, find ways to keep yourself accountable. Find out what motivates you and will help push you to achieve your goals. It may also be beneficial to find an Accountability Partner. An Accountability Partner will help you stay on track with your goals and remind you should you lose focus. Consider rewarding yourself for your efforts; perhaps a trip, a new gadget, or a concert. For some students the intrinsic reward is enough.

Every goal requires an action plan. Take time to plan out your goals and how you plan to achieve the goal. You will need to break down into smaller goals, so the bigger goal is more manageable. For example, your long-term goal may be to get an “A” in class, but that can seem like a daunting task. However, setting smaller goals of reading 2 chapters a week, writing one page each day a week before a paper is due, or reviewing notes each week.

Remember a goal without a plan is just an idea. Take this time to assess your progress thus far, don’t get too far into the semester before making adjustments. Find someone to be your accountability partner. Explore ways to reward yourself and to help you stay the course.

Sometimes it is hard to find the time, or the motivation, during the winter months to work out and keep in shape. We find ourselves indulging in “comfort” foods and curling up with blankets, staying warm indoors. There are some things we can do to help keep in shape during these cold months.

1. Find a workout buddy. It would be even better if you found a whole group of people. These buddies can help motivate you and push you to go to the gym, even when you do not feel like it.

2. Do something you love. It does not matter if  it’s Zumba, yoga, or running, do a workout that you enjoy.

The start of each new year, and the start of each new semester, brings around a time to make changes and resolutions. But how do we keep those changes?

The way I have found MOST helpful is to make a goal list.

Use a planner, post-its, an app on your iPad, whatever works for you.  Look at the picture in this post, it is one way to set up a goal list.  You can use post-its to write down the goals ad be able to switch them out when they are completed. 

Another great way to keep to your resolutions, especially if they are related to coursework, is to set up an Assignment Checklist.  This is just a simple table that lays out the due date, assignment and whether or not it is completed. Take a look at my sample one below.

Just make sure that you break up the goals into manageable pieces. Setting a goal to be fluent in a language by the end of the semester, without setting smaller goals along the way, won’t happen.

Take the semester day by day and enjoy the rest of Freshman year!

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Yes, midterms are here upon us. Here are some tips to help you prepare for these dreaded exams.

1. Take advantage of office hours.- Many students don’t take advantage of  their professor’s office hours. It is a great chance to get one-on-one time and ask any questions you may have before the big exam. Let your professor know you plan on coming, and double check on their hours. Sometimes they offer extra hours during the exam period to accommodate all students.

2. Do not skip review class.- Make it a priority to go over your study guide, notes, and bring any questions you may have to class. Don’t be shy when asking questions, if you have a question, most likely other students do too.

3. Do not cram.- To avoid cramming, organize your time by putting aside time to study each day leading up to the exam. The more that you cram, the less likely you will be when it comes to remembering the actual material.

4. Step away from Facebook- We are all guilty of taking too much time looking at Facebook, Tweeting or pinning ideas on Pinterest. Your fantasy wedding board can wait. Do not have your computer with you, unless you really need it. The temptation to check those sites will distract you from preparing for your exam.

5. Stress management- Hit the gym. Take a coffee break. Go for a walk around campus. Grab a meal with a friend. Taking a break from constant studying will help keep you sane.

6. Study in groups- I always found that studying with a friend or two helped make studying more fun. For example, my chemistry class in my senior spring semester seemed to go fine. Then one day, we learned that our professor had died that weekend. We were then stuck with a professor that knew his information, but could not teach it to students who were not science majors. It was a horrible time. Studying with two girls from my class made it fun. We even acted out the one of the chemical processes to help us remember better.

 

Good Luck!!

With the holidays arriving, everyone can imagine that feeling of being entirely way to stuffed with food, yet we all somehow mange to eat a piece of pie or have a dish of ice cream. Sometimes, our college lives can get just as packed as our holiday stomachs. From personal experience, I have always had the need to be busy. If I wasn’t busy then I felt like I was unproductive. This semester I took on an incredible load. I was trying to handle three jobs–a clerical assistant job for 3 hours a week, my RA position, and an environmental educator assitant postion for 16 hours a week. As well, I was taking 5 academic courses, which meet for 3 hours a week and the whole 6 hours of studying that accompany each one. I also needed time to sleep, eat, and be sociable. In short, this was just WAY too much. I was a stubborn student and ignored all of the advice from those who care most about me.

I eventually had to withdraw from my co-op (the 16 hour a week job). It was too much to handle with also trying to write my senior thesis. Lesson to be learned: It’s great to be involved and be involved in more than one organization. It’s great to have jobs and take on certificate programs. Just watch how much you take on. You don’t need to stuff your plate SO high that you can’t enjoy it all.

Any questions about  this topic?! Email the iRA team. We’ll be happy to share our advice.