Month: March 2018 (page 2 of 2)

“Mastering the Art of Productive Procrastination” by Sarah Blum

When I hear the word “procrastination,” a few things immediately come to mind: Netflix, Instagram, seeing how many Oreos the guy down the hall can eat in one minute, etc. Generally, this kind of procrastination is frowned upon. Starting my first semester of college, I tried as hard as I could to avoid falling victim to it. I soon realized, though, that not all procrastination is bad. Sometimes, you just need a break. To make myself feel better, I try to make this break feel worthwhile, which is where productive procrastination comes in. A productive procrastinator is able to put off doing work by doing something else useful, that will better their life in some way. Once I learned how to do this, I was a lot less stressed out and a spent a lot less time worrying if I was using my time efficiently or doing enough. Here are five ways I upped my productive procrastination game last semester that I hope to continue using! Continue reading

How UD Allowed Me to Follow My Dreams by Jenna Newman

When I first tell people that I am taking a semester off from school to go serve abroad, one of the first questions I get asked is, “Wow, do you really dislike school that much?” In actuality, it’s the complete opposite, because of how much I love UD and the opportunities it gives me, I am able to take time off from school.

A little background on the situation – I am a sophomore communications and international relations double-major with a passion for serving others. Last fall, I realized that my education was something that I enjoyed, but it was also just a stepping stone to bigger things. I realized that the worst thing I could do would be to follow the easy path: finish my degrees in three and a half years, intern somewhere cool for a semester, go on to get my masters, and then end up in some cushy job, having never taken the time to travel the world and help others.  Once this idea to travel NOW entered my head I started exploring whether it was feasible within the confines of UD’s academic framework.

UD offers so many opportunities to come in with credits or get credits beyond the typical Fall/Spring schedule. I was able to come in with a handful of credits and then had the opportunity to take not only summer classes, but winter classes as well. This set me up so that after taking a semester off I am able to come back and still graduate within the four year time period (which definitely makes my parents feel better about everything)! Now that I had figured out that I could easily do this academically, I began seeking advice from mentors and peers.

Everybody that I talk to about this is so supportive and encourages me to follow my dreams now while I’m able and have relatively little commitment. Because of the typical reaction I get when I tell people about my decision, I am often apprehensive, especially when it comes to telling professors and other UD administrators. After a discussion last December with Honors Program Coordinator, Sarah Georger, I became much more excited about my decision, and many nerves were dissolved. I told her about my decision and she was instantly supportive, promising to help in any way she could to make the transition out and back into UD as smooth as possible.

All of this being said, I am not writing this trying to convince everyone to drop-out of school and find a third-world country to go volunteer. I am writing this to emphasize the amazing opportunities UD allows students solely through their support. So, FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS. If that means starting a new RSO that reflects your interests, DO IT. If that means taking a class online so you can also spend those extra three hours at your dream internship in Wilmington, DO IT. This school wants you to succeed and follow your passions.

“Friends 4 Friends” by Avery Beer

Friends 4 Friends: a new community, a new movement, and one of the new RSO’s on UD’s campus. It is an empowering community of students who are actively changing the way mental health is viewed on our campus and raising funds to better our campus’ resources along the way. This is the way we are ditching stigmas centered around mental health and standing up to be advocates for ourselves and for each other.

In September of 2016, we lost a fellow blue hen, a passionate friend, and someone loved by so many. Connor Mullen, who I did not personally know, took his own life tragically, and his presence is missed every day. I remember exactly where I was on the day when we all mourned his loss together as a college campus. I remember feeling immense sorrow, to the point of tears, despite not even knowing him. I have always felt a deep connection to this cause after my mom’s long battle with depression, which eventually led to her suicide when I was just seven years old, so I felt the need to be there for the people that I know and loved that were so heartbroken by his loss. I remember writing a blog about it on this day, featured on my personal blog, so I’m just going to give a quick excerpt from that to show how emotional it was for many. I wrote: Continue reading

Racing the Clock in College: Time Management Tips by Jenna Whiting

College life is extremely busy. And when I say extremely busy, I mean hectic. Even tumultuous and overwhelming at times. Between all the exams, quizzes, homework, papers, club and activity meetings, sports practices, socialization with friends, and everything in between that occupy our lives, we barely even have time to eat and sleep, let alone relax. As an Honors freshman in my second semester of college, I can say that the spring semester is at least less overloaded than my introductory fall semester into higher education, which consisted of orientation events, getting to know my floor, getting used to classes, and assimilating into college life. However, time management is still an ongoing effort (and always will be). Here are my observations, musings, and pieces of advice on time management, a craft that can always be honed. (Author’s note: I can’t claim to be any sort of champion of time management, but I figured some recommendations could help at least a few people).

 

  1. Use a planner.

 

If you aren’t presently using a planner, I applaud you for surviving this long. But why survive when you can thrive? It’s time to dust off an old planner or order a new one off of Amazon and start penciling in your due dates. What I have found helpful is going through each of my classes’ syllabi and writing all the due dates in the calendar portion so that they are easy to see in relation to each other. Some people have said that Google Calendar is excellent for scheduling your day right down to specific times. No matter your choice of itinerary organizer, you can rest assured that you will never forget your due dates, you will always attend your club meetings, and your life will be less turbulent.

 

  1. Know your study style.

 

If you are a student who requires absolute silence and/or solitude while studying, like me, don’t try to force yourself to join a group of people who are studying in a lounge, which could end up being distracting. Conversely, if noise, music, or group settings fit your academic lifestyle, by all means, join your friends and work together with your Spotify study playlist helping you along. The point is, if you know how you work best, don’t deny it and just do what is best for you. Don’t feel like you are missing out on being with friends if it is essential for you to remain in your room with the door closed in order for you to crank out work; contrarily, don’t feel like you have to hole yourself up in the library if that’s not your most productive environment.

 

  1. Minimize commuting time and maximize work time.

 

What has recently helped me is finding intermediate spots on campus to do work in between classes instead of walking back to my dorm. That way, I can squeeze miscellaneous tasks or a little bit of work into the time that I have. For example, if I am walking back from a class and I am going to eat lunch in half an hour, instead of walking back to my dorm, I will just go directly to the dining hall and answer e-mails or do a little bit of work and then eat. Another method is to find good work spots in your classes’ buildings and work there for a while. The time that would have been wasted walking back to your dorm can be spent getting things done instead.

 

  1. Find a campus involvement balance.

 

Joining activities and clubs to get involved is an advantageous decision, but there is such a thing as overburdening yourself with campus pursuits. Joining too many activities could all too easily overwhelm your schedule and cause you to spread yourself too thinly over too many activities. This results in a time management disaster – having too little time to do work and your other daily occupations – and not being able to fully participate in any one activity. The other end of the spectrum is also problematic: barely being involved in activities results in the mindset of having an abundance of time, which could induce dreadful procrastination. Being involved in activities can actually give a sense of urgency to the time that you have, pushing you to complete your work in a timely manner. The key is identifying the best balance of involvement.

 

Time management is a school and life skill that takes never-ending improvement. Do what is best for you, try your hardest to manage your time wisely, and ultimately enjoy your time here.

“How I Lost My Sunglasses in New Zealand” by Erin Jackson

Packing lightly for a month-long trip to the other side of the world can be quite a process. I am a notorious over-packer, and while I am actually quite proud of my ability to pack only the necessities for my New Zealand adventure, there was one item I was glad to have brought in abundance: sunglasses. The combination of having incredibly light-sensitive eyes and a rather impressive ability to lose or break sunglasses does not make for an ideal situation. So, before leaving the United States, I made sure to pack up the pair I was wearing with an extra two pairs in my backpack.

My sunglasses collection lasted for an entire day. Then my group decided to go to Sumner Beach for the afternoon. Continue reading

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