Pieces of BGSU

Well, another birthday has come and gone, which means the end of the semester is near.

I find great humor in students who are so excited about “dead week.”  Actually, I think I am slightly jealous since I have never had a dead week, which is the week professors are “supposed” to back down and let students study and ask questions.

As it turns out, I have three exams during dead week this semester.  In my experience, dead week is an opportunity for professors to teach everything they missed and then test us right before the final. I find it to be quite stressful. But this got me thinking … what is the BGSU policy for dead week?

Well, I did some research and found – nothing.  I could not find anything discussing the idea of dead week on the BGSU website.  This tells me that perhaps dead week is the professor’s choice.  However, I wonder if it would be ultimately beneficial to allow students a week to go to class, ask questions and study.  Personally, I would like that opportunity.

However, I suppose the idea of giving more exams means more examples of possible questions on the final, so that could be beneficial as well.  But which is best for student learning? I did not find too much information that answered that question either.

So, I think that I want to remind students that dead week is not a time to stop doing work or stop going to classes.  It is your opportunity to take advantage of the extra class time, extra exams and ask final questions before the final.  It is the final hurrah.  Haha. That one made me laugh. Even if you have exams, you can use that opportunity to really make sure you understand the material.

With that, I wish everyone the best of luck on their finals.  I know I am going to need a lot of luck. Start preparing now. Oh, and thanks for asking.  My birthday was great. I managed to get off campus, tried to relax and enjoyed myself before having to be in full-fledge work mode.

So, this Thanksgiving was much better than last year’s Thanksgiving, and I would like to share it with you!

As many of you know, I do not go home for Thanksgiving; it is too far and too expensive.  So, I opted to be one of the RAs on duty during Thanksgiving. Let me tell you, I barely saw anyone.

My days started with duty walks with my duty partner. Then I took a nap. Then it was lots of homework, movies and then duty walks again. Overall though, I ended up being productive (but it was strange that there was STILL stuff to do!)

I had a great friend invite me to Thanksgiving dinner and it was the bomb! The food was amazing and I, of course, hoarded some leftovers that lasted me about a day and half. Then I continued with my normal pattern of being … duty, sleep, homework, movie, maybe eat, duty ….

I suppose more than anything, this year I had a chance to mellow out, even if it was just momentarily. I thought about how truly grateful I was for my many blessings, especially my family.  So now my birthday is this week and I have exams up until finals. 

I can honestly say that I am seriously looking forward to going home for winter break. It will mark five months since I have been home.  Even though it will be a short visit, I am ready to let those who are important to me know that they are.  In short, I encourage everyone to take a moment and think about how lucky and blessed they are. That doesn’t mean you have the perfect life.  It means you value the little things and can recognize that hey, maybe it could be worse.

 So, thank you BG for being a home away from home and thank you my fellow student for continuously showing your Falcon pride!  Now let’s get through finals!!

If you walk the long way to class so that you can walk with a resident and get to know him or her more, you might be an RA.

If you intend to have a relaxing night, but you actually stay up until 6 a.m. because someone needs your help, you might be an RA.

If you find yourself wondering how you do it all and sometimes stress about your life, you might be an RA.

If you strive to make someone else’s college experience superb, you might be an RA.

People often ask me why I decided to become an RA, especially now that the RA Application for 2012-2013 is available.  Yes, it requires time management, missing sleep and time away from friends, family and homework.

However, I can honestly say that this is a job I truly enjoy.  Despite the many sacrifices, I get to use my natural abilities to help someone else’s college journey be manageable and enjoyable.

It is for these reasons that I encourage all students to find something that they enjoy (like being an RA) and immerse themselves in it.   I believe that by doing so, you will be able create a support system that will help you through thick and thin.  You will have an escape for when your realities become a little too real.  Heck, you will have something to do with your spare time.

So, I say go for it. (But you should probably make sure you have some time to yourself … trust me.  You will go crazy without downtime.)  I know being busy helps me have better time management (usually).

This brings up another point. It is OK to be afraid.  It is OK to be afraid to try new things and it is OK to be afraid of failure, but do everything you can and try not to let it consume you.  That is why you will need you combination of downtime and an amazing activity.  For me, being an RA has allowed me to connect with others, but I try to make sure I do what I want every now and then.  So give it shot, if nothing else, at least you can say that you tried.

Here’s the application, http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/sa/reslife/page22904.html

The western United States has had frozen yogurt for a long time.  Growing up, I would occasionally check out the TCBY and try something new and exciting. 

But about two years ago, frozen yogurt started making a larger scale appearance.  Three varieties of frozen yogurt shops opened in and around my hometown.  Being able to drive and go check out these places, I discovered that I am a typical teenager – I love frozen yogurt that tastes like ice cream.  I also love the idea of putting your twist on the frozen yogurt, as in a variety of toppings.  At my favorite frozen yogurt shop, you even get to dispense the frozen yogurt yourself and put on toppings.  The price varies d on the weight of your desert. 

When I heard that Pinkberry was coming to BG, I was pumped! I LOVE FROZEN YOGURT.  The delay in opening was sad, but I moved on.  Then, the big opening came!  Being an RA in Centennial meant that I could go get frozen yogurt quickly and often if I wanted to. 

On opening day, I tried each flavor of Pinkberry.   My personal favorite is pomegranate, but I can honestly say that I was not blown away by Pinkberry.  After having experience with frozen yogurt, I wanted to be able to dispense my frozen treat that same way I could back home.  This was a minor detail, though.  The main thing that shocked me was the lack of flavor variety.  My favorite shop back home had on average 10 choices and the ability to mix ANY of the flavors.   Seeing as my choices were limited, I took what I could get. 

There was another noticeable issue that I heard people talking about.  This issue, while it was not bothersome to me, since I am what we affectionately call a “Chatty Cathy,” was how much talking the Pinkberry employees did.  Many people said that they just wanted to order their Pinkberry and leave since their intention in buying was not to purchase unneeded conversation.  I suppose the problem would depend on your personality.

Then there is the price.  Many complain about how expensive Pinkberry is, but I will defend these prices for two reasons.  One, BGSU gives on campus residents a TON of meal plan and if manage it correctly, the price should not be an issue.  Second, it would only make sense to charge $4-5 for something as in demand as frozen yogurt.  If people want something bad enough, they will pay the money to eat it. 

Overall, I had a good Pinkberry experience, but it was not great.  I wish that there was more variety of flavors and it was a self-serve type of business.  Yet, I understand that these sorts of features may not be practical for a college campus like BG’s.   I do recommend Pinkberry to others but I say be open to possibilities and if you do not like it, well, maybe it is not for everyone.

I find it hard to believe that we are already halfway through another semester. Another fall break has come and gone and I have successfully started FREAKING OUT.

I am sure you are wondering why on earth I would be freaking out, and chances are I am freaking out for the same reason YOU are freaking out. 

First stress: class registration.  If you did not know, class registration for spring semester is this month! I feel as if I haven’t gotten into the swing of this semester well enough to try and think about next semester.  But I suppose the best way to overcome this stress is to simply plan my next schedule and embrace whatever potential doom it may hold.  

Second stress: tons of stuff to do! While we are halfway through the semester, my second tests are approaching, as yours are, I am sure.  This means that these exams are crucial to my well-being, well, to my GPA more than anything. 

Does all of this mean I hold myself to high of standards and consequently stress myself out? Probably.  But I think that one of the biggest points of college is to learn how to handle such stresses.  That is why I want to remind all students to take a step back and realize that even if a mistake is made, it is not the end of the world.  The expectations that we hold ourselves to are undoubtedly higher than what many may expect of us.  Yet, it is because of these high standards that we as college students have reached such impossible goals.

I am sure that everyone had a great fall break, but I also hope that you took some time to step back, calm down, and get some work done so that you do not have to experience the fall time freak out.  As I have told my residents, time management is key to success in college.  If you properly manage your time, you can have time to do homework, get help if necessary, and still have some form of downtime.   If any of this is new to you, I recommend meeting with an advisor or someone to make sure you are on track.

I might be in my second year, but I can honestly say studying does not seem to get any easier.  I have been thinking a lot about this and have come up with a few reasons as to why. I also have a few possible solutions.

First, college students have to constantly readjust to different professors.  Let’s be realistic, professors do not all teach in the same way and different subjects require different ways of studying.  For instance, I can use flashcards for biology, but I need to read for intermediate microeconomics and I have to draw pictures for organic chemistry.

The first step is finding what form of studying is fit for that specific class and for that person because we all have a specific learning style.

Second, I noticed (now that I do not have a roommate) that while I am more productive in my work (usually…) that more often than not, the weather seems to affect my study habits.  Particularly, I noticed that on cloudy and rainy days, I do not want to study as much.  So, I did a little research and here is what I found at www.psychcentral.com:

[P]leasant weather (higher temperature or barometric pressure) was related to higher mood, better memory, and ‘‘broadened’’ cognitive style during the spring as time spent outside increased. The same relationships between mood and weather were not observed during other times of year, and indeed hotter weather was associated with lower mood in the summer.

This makes so much sense because I work better on “pleasant” days. But how do I combat my crummy-weather lack of studying? Assuming I have utilized time management and completed large homework assignments, on crummy days, I find that taking an hour nap and then doing some work, then doing something I enjoy, then finishing more work, makes me more productive because I am not just trying to power through work I legitimately do not feel like doing. 

While that may not make sense and may not work for everyone, it works for me.  I can say that it works because among being a RA, attending classes, going to labs and working my other job, I am still able to have downtime.

We BGSU students are reaching a crucial time in the semester.  This means that you need to figure out and understand what forms of studying are effective for you.  By doing this, not only are you utilizing your time, but you are learning how to be flexible with your education, and that is invaluable.

So, I have been back on campus for two weeks doing RA training. And let me tell you, I am beyond shocked at how much work goes into being an RA!

I adored my RA freshman year and now that I have seen the amount of effort she put into everything, I have admired her even more.  Then, I tackled the craziest thing on the planet – first-year move in day… in Centennial Hall!

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So, since I will be an RA on campus, I am actually leaving my hometown in 6 days.  I can barely believe it.  Where did the summer go?!  I have started packing and  have been thinking about what lies ahead and what I went through as a new student.  Last year, my first year, was a huge adventure and the best growing and maturing experience… EVER.  I had a ton of trials and tribulations including my mom having a cancer scare, but I learned how to handle being an adult, being away, and being independent. This year, I think that things may be a little different.

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