Saturday, September 25, 2010

T-minus 2 days!

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Just the other day I was blogging that we have 5 days left, well, now it's down to 2 days! Hate to break the news to you, but it's coming up quickly! During this time of the year, we are getting ready to welcome new students to Berkeley, and a lot these students have several concerns. What are the professors like? Will I make friends? Are the classes going to be tough? As with any college student, we all have our concerns, but once you get the hang of things, it all goes well from there.

You might feel stressed, overwhelmed, but these are just things you work to overcome. I was searching the web and came across a website that offers some helpful advice for new students and succeeding in college. I scrolled through and selected a few that I feel are more important. I will also include the link so you can check out all of the other tips on the site!

**Take responsibility for your own learning. You're not in high school anymore. Everyone in college is there to learn because they want to, not just to pass because they have to. There are a lot of opportunities for learning in college, often times outside the classroom. Take advantage of every opportunity you can.

(I can't stress the importance of this. Some students feel that while the professors may be there to help you, that they don't have to do their part, but that is not the case!)

**Set goals. Every term, reset your goals to keep you motivated and give you something to work toward.

(Think about what you want to succeed in. Keep yourself focused and stay determined and you can do anything you want.)

**Be attentive and stay focused. Avoid distractions such as instant messaging or crossword puzzles. Treat class as though it were an important business meeting. Your professor will appreciate it and you will learn more.

**Ask questions. If the professor ever says something that you do not understand, never be afraid to ask for clarification. Chances are there are other students in class that also didn't understand.

**Try to make a friend in each class. If you have to miss a class, you can call your classmate and get the lowdown on what you may have missed. Also, often times partner projects are assigned and it is awkward to have to work with a stranger. If you already know someone in the class, it relieves any tension there may otherwise be.

(In college, you will meet some really great people, so branch out and get to know everyone, whether it's only one fellow classmate, or the whole class. It's good to have friends who you can hang out with in between classes and outside of school)

**Take advantage of the library. It may not be as easy as doing a Google search, but the quality of the sources in a university library is second to none. You'll be able to research centuries-old articles from newspapers or read an entry from a scientific journal. Those are just two examples of things a university library can offer you that the World Wide Web cannot.

(I LOVE using the Library tab on Blackboard and the library on campus is really good as well. You can find so much information that will help you succeed with those term papers!)

**Don't procrastinate. Whatever the assignment may be, if you have some free time, just do it now. Otherwise, you'll be stuck doing it later. If an assignment takes longer than you had expected, you'll have wished that you had begun it sooner instead of waiting until the last minute

As you can see, there is a lot to keep in mind as a new student. You have to keep in mind, college life is going to be the best time of your life, so appreciate everything you do! You will network with so many people which can bring along so many opportunities for you!

At the end of this article, they added a quote and I want to include it in my post:
"The work never ends, but the college does."-Tom Petty

Here is the link to the article to check out all of the other tips!
http://oedb.org/library/college-basics/88-surefire-tips

WELCOME AND GOOD LUCK TO OUR NEW AND CONTINUING STUDENTS!

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Just a reminder: Orientation will be Monday September 27th 9-5. All day classes will be cancelled, but night classes are still on. Day classes will resume on Tuesday, September 28th!!! Spread the word!

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