Student Blog

Well, it’s that time again. Just about every 16 weeks we experience it. That’s right. Finals week. They can be extremely stressful and sometimes you may be asking yourself “WHY!?!?!”

Fear not! I have some suggestions that may help you get through this week, and prepare for your finals.

1. Get organized. Use your student planner to your advantage. Plan your study times ahead of schedule. I find that after a weekend of review for all subjects, studying 2 days before your exam for your specific class can really help. This is not to be confused with cramming… Assuming you know the material, and have been reviewing ahead of time, a quick recap the 2 days before is ideal. It lets you review those items you didn’t really do so well on before, and if you have any last minute questions, you will probably have enough time to get them squared away.

2.  Generalize. Take a look at your previous tests and quizzes for your class. What questions are asked more often than others? Is there anything you went over extensively in class? These are all hints to what you will find on the final exam. Don’t try and study every single thing you went over in class during the last 16 weeks.  Summarize the most important things in your own words, and review your summaries. I find it helps extremely well, because not only do you retain information you have written down better, but you also have to think about how you will rewrite the given material into your own words. Having things in your own lingo will stick better than bland textbook material, even if it covers the same topic!

3. FLASHCARDS!  This is almost the same as generalizing, but it helps with the more specific generalizations. (Oxymoron.. I know.) What i mean by this is, items you may have struggled with in your overview! Put those suckers on flashcards, and have at it! Bring them with you. A trick I use is, whenever I want to turn on or off a light, or change the channel on the tv, I have to recite something on one of my flashcards before I do it. You’d be surprised how fast you learn the material that way.

4. SLEEP!!! My personal favorite, and possibly the most important of them all, is getting enough sleep the night before. It doesn’t matter how much you study or think you know the material. Fail to get enough sleep the night before, and you will be only hurting yourself on the exam! Think of it like this. If you don’t get enough sleep the night before, (you shouldn’t have been cramming, since you planned ahead and scheduled study time anyway!) you will be a walking zombie at the worst possible time to be one. (Halloween is the only good time to be a zombie.) So, the day before your exam (I said DAY!!) get some exercise. Play with your pets, go for a run, bike ride, whatever you do. Wear yourself out. But not right before bed! If you exercise right before bed you will not be tired. In fact, you’ll be roaring to go. Not exactly the ideal scenario when you have an exam at 7:30 in the morning!!!

Relax.  You’ve studied your behind off, and now you sit at your desk staring at that dreaded test. Don’t stress! You did well. Not only did you study ahead of time, but you also took care of any other questions you had, and you got a good nights sleep, along with a healthy and hearty breakfast. Take your time, and most importantly take your test!

I know it’s easy to do, but stressing is unhealthy. Try as hard as you can not to over stress yourself. Some anxiety is normal, but you shouldn’t get so worked up you turn purple during the exam. Take a breath, count to 10, think of a cute little puppy, or a kitten, frolicking in a beautiful meadow, and then resume your test. You can do it.

Question of the day: What do you do to maximize your studying time? It would be interesting to see how others study, and see how not only myself, but everyone might be able to improve their strategies. studentblog@scf.edu

I use the student union fairly often. Maybe twenty minutes on Monday, a couple of hours on Wednesday. I think most students do! The student union is a nice place to gather, after all. It has food (mmm, sustenance!), it has friends, and there is a lot of space.

However, there’s always that one table… thats just a mess. Its loud and kind of trashed and not very fun to be around for the rest of us. It reminds me of these amusing signs stashed all over the art building, actually. “Your mother doesn’t work here, clean up your mess!!” Cute, huh? And I mean, even if we were at home, we’re all adults here. We know how to pick up after ourselves.

So, I’d just like to bring up a friendly reminder for common courtesy. We’d all like to enjoy what the student union has to offer, and a lot of people go in and out of this building. I just wanted to make a few suggestions.

• Use your inside voices.
  Seriously, though. We’re not seven years old. There are a lot of benches scattered around campus! I have nothing against getting noisy with social interaction. I am in fact a very loud person myself. But there’s a time and place for everything, and common courtesy says please take that outside.
• Pick up after yourself.
  I’ll pass through the student union a good five hours after I saw a group occupying a table, and wow, all their stuff is still there! Empty bottles, dirty plates, napkins… Need I expound? That’s just rude.

Thats really the basics of it! Its doesn’t take any time out of your day to be courteous to everybody else. After all, treat others the way you want to be treated! Along the lines of the student union, I was wondering who uses the student union, and for what? It is a hang out, or just a place for a meal. Do you hole up and game on your laptop, or are you writing a paper? Let us know in an email to studentblog@scf.edu!

Only a few more weeks left of the Spring 2012 Semester! I know I have said this several times but seriously.. Where has the time gone? It’s astonishing to me.

One thing I have noticed that says “Summer is here” more than anything, is the vast majority of out-of-state drivers that have flocked here recently. That will always be a great indicator of the season– Weather it’s hot or not. (haha, see what I did there?!)

It has gotten so bad on I-75, that I don’t even use the interstate to get to/from work/school/home anymore.. I just take the back roads. It may take longer than usual, but compared to the large number of wrecks and slow drivers out there right now, I would say it is the fastest possible way to get around!

I know one thing for sure, exams are here again. (For me at least.) It seems like we just took mid-terms! Goodness! I am spending most of my time trying to study for my Chemistry class. It is by far the hardest class I have, and I am struggling the most with it. It is fun at times, but it is also challenging.

What is your favorite class? I would have to say mine is “Math.” Not really a specific course, but I do very well with math and I enjoy it. Hit me up. studentblog@scf.edu

This week in my ENC 1102 class, we started reading poems. I personally am not much of a poem type person.. Roses are red, violets are blue (you’d think they would be violet, not blue..?) Anyway.. Not much of a poet.

We started on what poems tend to be written on the majority of the time (in my opinion anyway): Love poems! There are of course the typical love poems you would think someone like Romeo would recite to Juliet, or something along those lines. Today however, we were assigned to read about love poems of a different breed. I’m not even sure how to convey the type of poem to you. It most definitely is a love poem, but it is not the kind often associated with the word. I wish there was a way to describe it. Well, I can try!

We were assigned to read five poems and take notes if we chose to, to come back to class with a good understanding of each poem. The first poem I have provided below. It is extremely beautiful, and it kind of makes me sad inside, but in almost a good way.. Kind of one of those axioms that nobody can describe but everyone understands.

This poem is surely a love poem, but it is not typical. It talks about the love of the mans first child.. Talks about his memory and love for the boy.

This is only the first poem, but as you can see it is quite serious as compared to the contrasting side of “love.”

Several others go on to talk about the love of other family members lost, be it a wife, son, grandfather, etc. Several also talk about the love of ones childhood, and boy did that bring back memories for me personally. It’s amazing how detailed and specific these poems are. I constantly find myself amazed at how well they are written, and can even achieve describing something as difficult to define as “love.” (Try it! It’s not something you can easily define.. But again, it is sort of an axiom that everyone understands and doesn’t need to be described.) But hey, I guess that’s why it’s in the course curriculum right? Haha. Anyway.. I just found myself to be more interested in poetry than I previously envisioned myself to be. Who knows, maybe I will end up being a poet! Let me try!

Roses are Red,

Violets are Blue,

… Still got nothing..

Oh well. I tried.

What is your favorite poem? Do you not have any specific faves? Maybe a favorite poet? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.

Hit me up!

studentblog@scf.edu

I’ve mentioned before how I can’t hold my focus when I’m hungry. This usually means that if I’m sitting through more than a couple hours of class, its a smart move on my part to have a snack on hand!

Sometimes I’ll pack something simple like a small container of grapes or a banana. Sometimes I’ll make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or an egg sandwich. For the days I’m on campus all day, I’ll pack a lunchbox full of things (leftovers, instant oatmeal, fruit, etc.)! And sometimes I’m lazy the night before and walk to Subway instead. Eat a big breakfast, snag some hummus and pretzel chips from the Student Union, and a foot long can last me lunch and dinner! I’ve noticed that not letting myself get too hungry is really crucial around seven, the beginning of my three hour evening class. If I don’t eat something then, by eight o’clock I just want to bang my head into things! There’s nothing wrong with the class, besides being long, and I do like the professor a lot. But ugh, who wants to hear about the War with Mexico when your stomach hurts and your head hurts and ugh! You see what I mean?

Surely I can’t be the only person who has this problem! The point of this, really, was to ask you guys a few questions. How do you handle your hunger pains? Do you pack foods? If you do, what sort? Or do you rely on the student union and it’s row of snack machine? Or do you venture further off campus and eat at one of the many surrounding restaurants? Please, share your wisdom with me! I’ve got to admit, I’m tired of eating Subway or croissant sandwiches whenever I forget to pack food, haha. Our email is studentblog@scf.edu, I’m looking forward to your replies.

Hopefully you remembered to set that alarm clock this morning. A lot went on over spring break for me personally! The clocks “springing” ahead, hanging with friends, and catching up on some well needed sleep come to mind when recalling the events of my break. Why such a dull spring break you ask? Well, it wasn’t really much of a break for myself, and I’m sure a pretty large percent of us Manatees agree when I say that “It’s not much of a break when you still have to clock in!”

Some might think that it’s a bad thing, to this I respond saying something along the lines of  “It’s nice to get a paycheck!!!” Haha.

I know for some it was extremely hard to wake up this morning, but fear not! We only have a couple more months of this semester, then summer will begin. (Wow.. It’s crazy how fast time flies isn’t it?)

Now that my brain has had the chance to r-e-l-a-x, it’s time to start stressing again.. (How lovely..) I will be studying for my exam in Chemistry this Wednesday. It’s almost bitter-sweet though. I am just thankful I have the chance to go to such a great college, be around such great students and staff, and share great memories with them.

How was your spring break? Email me the most exciting thing you did over spring break, and we can compare with each other and see who had a more exciting time studentblog@scf.edu

With all of the news stories heard daily, sometimes it can be hard to wonder where this world is headed. Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Joseph Kony. For those of you who don’t know, Joseph Kony is just about the worlds most hated man right now, and for good reason. The things he has done are tragic.

The light shining on Africa right now with this situation has made me think a lot about the contrast between other countries and here in America. There are kids, teens, and even adults that struggle on a day to day basis to find water fit to drink, or food that hasn’t gone bad or won’t make them sick. It’s astonishing to me to think that it could just as easily be us in the same situation. As a college student, I sometimes do take my education for granted… As a matter of fact, I think we all do. We’ve got something that is truly one of a kind. Not many people can say they have a college education!

While stressing over your exams, cramming, doing homework assignments, dreading that screeching alarm clock every morning, try to keep in mind the reason you are doing it all. For an education! It’s something people literally would kill for.. Something that can not be measured in a dollar amount (although, it is a bit pricey at our age), because it is not something bought. It is something earned. It is an investment you make in yourself.

Some people say school is expensive, and not worth the hassle. I strongly disagree. We are fronting money to the economy, and the interest we earn back will be a hundred fold! An education is not something that can be taken away from you. It is the most prized possession one can wish to acquire.

The purpose of this blog, to me, is to try to convey to you, my audience, that you should not doubt yourself. This is simply an investment, and like the stock market, what you put in, you (hopefully) get out two or three fold.. Who knows, maybe even more!

When the economy finally picks up, and all of us have our degrees, we will be glad that we stuck with it when we did. We will be living like royalty, reaping the benefits of our education. Something few across the globe will be able to claim. So keep your chin up! Look at the bright side of things! We are going to college! Not many can say that, especially in the trying times we are in.

Try to seek happiness in the small things in life. Be glad you are stressing over that exam, or dreading that homework. (I know, sounds odd doesn’t it?) You will be glad you did in a few years, when things are drastically different.

What are your thoughts on a college education? Email me what you think about it! studentblog@scf.edu

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. Largely because I’m good at making all sorts of breakfast foods (eggs, omeletes, biscuits and gravy, french toast, bacon, mmmmmmmm), but also because I think it all tastes really great! Did you know that breakfast is actually one of the most important meals of the day?

I’m sure I’m not the only one who sacrifices this meal though. I have some friends who can’t stand to eat food in the morning, so they don’t. Personally, its more of a case of sleepiness. I could get up half an hour earlier to eat… or I could sleep an extra half hour and eat later, haha. While this isn’t really the best choice to make, we all know how comfortable beds are in the morning, plotting against any plans that have been made for the day. But I digress! There are a lot of reasons breakfast is such an important meal, all of them related to how your body works.

Theoretically, in order to keep your metabolism running smoothly, it is best to eat every three hours. This doesn’t mean you have to eat a whole meal, but say maybe, a snack. Eat some almonds or a cliff bar, something to tide you over to your next meal. Keeping this in mind, think about how much sleep you get each night– I sure hope its more than three hours! This means that your body is extra groggy in the morning, and it really needs that kick in the stomach to get it going again. Alongside this, I know that I get really distracted when I’m hungry. When I’ve gone too long without food, I honestly cannot focus on anything. Most of the time, you’re getting up in the morning to go do something, in most of our cases, to go to classes. You haven’t eaten for hours and hours! Your body needs that meal, even if its a small one, to help focus and ground it in preparation for the day ahead.

Do you eat breakfast? If not, how come? What are some of your favorite meals? I’d love to hear about all of these things, so please email us your point of view at studentblog@scf.edu.

How many of you knew out SCF’s reflection pond?

Its pretty out of the way, snuggled between two parking lots and the Neel Auditorium, and it is a place I think everybody should check out. I have a slightly annoying habit of setting my classes up so that there is at least one day a week where I am on campus all day. But it didn’t take me long to realize that this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing!

There are a lot of things to do on campus. For example, this semester my on campus day is a Wednesday. Did you know about the Farmer’s Market? I’ve mentioned it before, but I’d like to tell you about it in a little more detail. There are multiple booths set-up near the library and social studies buildings. They sell all sorts of thing! There’s a raw booth, a booth that sells snacks and meal replacements for anybody feeling adventurous and willing to try eating nothing but raw food (a very healthy choice, if one manages it properly!). There’s another one that sells Mediterranean food, and another that sells baked goods. You can even purchase naturally made body products and essential oils at one of the booths. Its a very nice experience.

For anybody stuck on campus around lunch time on a Wednesday, how about you try something new? Drop by one of the food booths, grab something to eat and head on over to the relfection pond. There are picnic tables and the wifi reaches out there. You can watch some of the geese that live on our campus and watch the snake birds and the ducks. You might even come across some ducklings.

Have you been out to the reflection pond? Or checked out the Farmer’s Market? Share your experience with us, our email is studentblog@scf.edu!

Hey everyone. Hope you are enjoying your week so far. Mine has been hectic, but rewarding as well. Today I just weighed in, and am happy to report that I have lost 9lbs in two weeks!

In my ENC 1102 class, we have been reading short stories, and basically summarizing them up and discussing them in class. Last week, was a very interesting short story called “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell, and I found it to be an attention grabber! If you haven’t read it, basically it’s a murder/mystery short story that almost forces you to read it through in one sitting. It’s that interesting! I don’t want to spoil it, so I won’t get into any more details about it. The last couple of days of last week, and the first couple of this week, we moved on to a story called “The Shabbat.” It takes place during World War 2, and is sort of a comic type of story rather than a typical book. It told story about a girl in the war, and had a few instances where I found myself biting my nails out of anxiety, wanting to know what happened. It’s also a very interesting read.

What we are reading now, is a story called “The Jewelry” and I think this one is rather dull.   Basically it takes place in France back in the mid-late 1800′s, and is about a man and his wife, who loves fake jewelry. There is a bit of drama, where his wife dies, and he goes to sell the fake jewelry because he is short of funds, and finds out that the jewelry isn’t fake after all.. That part is pretty interesting, but overall the story to me is a bit on the dull side. This could be in part, to my taste in books and what I find interesting.

The point of this blog, was to give a little insight on what I am currently doing in my English class. Thinking about what stories I find interesting, or dull, or just plain bad, makes me wonder how other people feel. Have you ever read these stories? What is your take on them? Do you enjoy them? What style of book do you enjoy reading? These are all things I would love to know, so feel free to email me and talk about it! studentblog@scf.edu.