Hey kids, it's hypothetical situation time!
Let's say that you are in your dorm room with a mountain of studying to do. Let's say that your upstairs neighbors have a habit of being very noisy. And now let's say that they have chosen tonight to open their windows, point their speakers outside, and turn it up to eleven. Let's say that you are pissed.
What can you do? Check the time: is it after 9pm? If yes, go knock on your RA's door and ask if they can do something about it. If they can and they do, then you're in luck. Go back to your room and wait for the music to be turned down.
If your RA says they can't do anything, go upstairs and ask the RA up there to do something. Explain that you have a lot of studying to do, it's quiet hours, you want them to STFU so that you can concentrate. If the upstairs RA does something about it, you're in luck. Go back to your room and wait for the music to be turned down.
But let's say that neither RA will do anything. What do you do now?
Well, you can go to the people directly responsible and ask them to turn it down. If that works, you're in luck. Go back to your room and study your butt off.
But if they refuse to turn it down, or they say they will, turn it down for about 10 minutes, and then crank it back up again, then you can call Campus Police with a noise complaint.
The Campus Police business line -- DO NOT call the emergency line! -- is 978 - 542 - 6511. You'll get one of those pre-recorded menus; just stay on the line until you get the operator, and then tell him/her that you have a noise complaint. Give which building you're in, your room number, and the room number where the noise is coming from. The police might do something about it, the might not. In the meantime, get yourself some earplugs or headphones and do your best to ignore them.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
"... Printed in large, friendly letters, the words 'DON'T PANIC'."
There's only one day of class left for me.
You and I both know what comes next.
..... FINALS! *dun dun duuuuun*
I can see you freaking out at the mere mention of the word, oh yes. You're terrified that you're going to fail. You're wondering how I can be so calm about it.
I'll tell you how I can be so calm about it: I know that flipping out will do me no good. Running around like a headless chicken only brings your grades down. Same with trying to cram. Really, the best thing you can do before finals or any large test is ...
1. DON'T PANIC. No, really, don't panic.
2. Get lots of sleep and eat well.
3. Study in a quiet place where you can concentrate without being distracted.
4. Study in 1 - 3 hour chunks. After each, take a break for 15 - 30 minutes. Go get some fresh air, stretch, or eat. You could even take a nap if you need to.
5. Study for 10 - 15 minutes right before the test. Just review the information quickly. This will ensure that it's fresh in your mind and you'll be able to remember it better.
You and I both know what comes next.
..... FINALS! *dun dun duuuuun*
I can see you freaking out at the mere mention of the word, oh yes. You're terrified that you're going to fail. You're wondering how I can be so calm about it.
I'll tell you how I can be so calm about it: I know that flipping out will do me no good. Running around like a headless chicken only brings your grades down. Same with trying to cram. Really, the best thing you can do before finals or any large test is ...
1. DON'T PANIC. No, really, don't panic.
2. Get lots of sleep and eat well.
3. Study in a quiet place where you can concentrate without being distracted.
4. Study in 1 - 3 hour chunks. After each, take a break for 15 - 30 minutes. Go get some fresh air, stretch, or eat. You could even take a nap if you need to.
5. Study for 10 - 15 minutes right before the test. Just review the information quickly. This will ensure that it's fresh in your mind and you'll be able to remember it better.
How to Fill Up Your Free Time and Make Some Money While You're At It
or, How to Find a Job.
1. Decide what kind of job you'd like. Like cooking? Try out for a line chef position in a restaurant. Love books? Ask if the local library needs any help shelving.
2. Find out where is hiring. CraigsList.Org has a lot of job listings, as do some other sites. You could also walk around places and try to scope out some "help wanted" signs.
2a. Determine whether you can get there to apply and/or work. If you don't have a car, this could be a slight problem if it's far away. But bikes are a lot cheaper and environmentally-friendly than cars, and you can always take the bus.
3. Rustle up some references. No, you cannot put your mom down, but the family friend you've known since you were about five is okay. Any previous employers or managers are even better. Write down their contact information (name, phone number, address, business name) on a separate piece of paper and take it with you.
3a. If you've had other jobs, be sure to write that information down too. You should have how long you worked there, the name, address, and phone number of the place, and the name of your manager.
4. Go apply! Make sure you are dressed well and don't have an earbud in when you ask for an application. When you are filling it out, try to keep your writing legible. Smile and say thank you when you give it back.
5. Wait about a week, and then call the place to see if they've had a chance to look it over. They might tell you that they've already filled the position, or that they want you to come in for an interview sometime soon.
6. Repeat, but don't wait to do so. Applying for many positions at many places in the same week gives you more chances for getting a positive callback.
How to Make a Good Impression at an Interview
1. Dress well. That means a nice shirt (possibly ironed), good shoes, and pants that, when pulled up to your waist, will stay there. Wear a belt if necessary.
2. Arrive on time or a little early.
3. DON'T SLOUCH. Sit up straight, and at least try to make it look like you're interested in what the interviewer is saying. Smiling helps, as does nodding and making eye contact. Do not tap your foot, twiddle your thumbs, play games on your phone/iPod, or ignore the other person.
4. Speak politely, and in complete sentences. Try not to say "um", "ah", "what?", "like", or "huh". You're a college student; try to act like you have something besides cigarette smoke between your ears.
Good Hunting!
1. Decide what kind of job you'd like. Like cooking? Try out for a line chef position in a restaurant. Love books? Ask if the local library needs any help shelving.
2. Find out where is hiring. CraigsList.Org has a lot of job listings, as do some other sites. You could also walk around places and try to scope out some "help wanted" signs.
2a. Determine whether you can get there to apply and/or work. If you don't have a car, this could be a slight problem if it's far away. But bikes are a lot cheaper and environmentally-friendly than cars, and you can always take the bus.
3. Rustle up some references. No, you cannot put your mom down, but the family friend you've known since you were about five is okay. Any previous employers or managers are even better. Write down their contact information (name, phone number, address, business name) on a separate piece of paper and take it with you.
3a. If you've had other jobs, be sure to write that information down too. You should have how long you worked there, the name, address, and phone number of the place, and the name of your manager.
4. Go apply! Make sure you are dressed well and don't have an earbud in when you ask for an application. When you are filling it out, try to keep your writing legible. Smile and say thank you when you give it back.
5. Wait about a week, and then call the place to see if they've had a chance to look it over. They might tell you that they've already filled the position, or that they want you to come in for an interview sometime soon.
6. Repeat, but don't wait to do so. Applying for many positions at many places in the same week gives you more chances for getting a positive callback.
How to Make a Good Impression at an Interview
1. Dress well. That means a nice shirt (possibly ironed), good shoes, and pants that, when pulled up to your waist, will stay there. Wear a belt if necessary.
2. Arrive on time or a little early.
3. DON'T SLOUCH. Sit up straight, and at least try to make it look like you're interested in what the interviewer is saying. Smiling helps, as does nodding and making eye contact. Do not tap your foot, twiddle your thumbs, play games on your phone/iPod, or ignore the other person.
4. Speak politely, and in complete sentences. Try not to say "um", "ah", "what?", "like", or "huh". You're a college student; try to act like you have something besides cigarette smoke between your ears.
Good Hunting!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Food
If you have spent any time at all on campus, you may have noticed that there isn't a whole lot of variety in the food. Sure, they make something new for all three meals every day in the Lower Commons on North Campus, but it's always pretty bland. And then there's the overpriced stuff in the food court upstairs, but again, it's really expensive and there isn't a lot of variety there either. Sure, you can have Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but that gets (a) old, and (b) expensive really quickly.
So when you're tired of cafeteria food, Burger King, and Dunkie's, where do you go?
Well, there are quite a few places around that accept Clipper Cards. Near North Campus, there's Salem Jade, which sells Chinese; Niko's, where you can get some decent pizza, and White Dove. In-between North and Central, White Dove is a sort of convenience store. They sell all sorts of snacks and packaged foods, as well as many other necessities. But, more on-topic, they also have a selection of grill items such as hamburgers, chicken fingers, fries, etc., in addition to pizza, calzones, and some ethnic Greek foods.
And on the other side of Central, there's Omega Pizza.
But what do you do when you've got the munchies? Or if it's cold and rainy or snowing and you don't want to walk to the dining hall? That's when it's a good idea to keep something, like Cup Noodles or microwave popcorn close to hand. And if you have a fridge, you could keep sandwich fixings or leftovers or milk for cereal in there. It's all up to you. I personally like to have a case of bottled water, a big box of Cup Noodles, and a big bucket of pretzels, all courtesy of my boyfriend's BJ's membership. ^_^
So when you're tired of cafeteria food, Burger King, and Dunkie's, where do you go?
Well, there are quite a few places around that accept Clipper Cards. Near North Campus, there's Salem Jade, which sells Chinese; Niko's, where you can get some decent pizza, and White Dove. In-between North and Central, White Dove is a sort of convenience store. They sell all sorts of snacks and packaged foods, as well as many other necessities. But, more on-topic, they also have a selection of grill items such as hamburgers, chicken fingers, fries, etc., in addition to pizza, calzones, and some ethnic Greek foods.
And on the other side of Central, there's Omega Pizza.
But what do you do when you've got the munchies? Or if it's cold and rainy or snowing and you don't want to walk to the dining hall? That's when it's a good idea to keep something, like Cup Noodles or microwave popcorn close to hand. And if you have a fridge, you could keep sandwich fixings or leftovers or milk for cereal in there. It's all up to you. I personally like to have a case of bottled water, a big box of Cup Noodles, and a big bucket of pretzels, all courtesy of my boyfriend's BJ's membership. ^_^
Guest Privileges
Let's say you stay at school for a weekend because one of your high school friends wants to come up and see your dorm. And let's say that something happens -- maybe you let them stay in your room while you go to the bathroom, or you let them go to the bathroom on their own and a RA catches you -- and you get your guest privileges revoked.
How do you get them back? There is no sheet with a numbered list of instructions; there is nothing about it in your Guide to Residence Life. (At least, there isn't right now, as I write this. There might be one if you lose your guest privileges in the future, because I am planning on writing a letter of complaint to the Office of Residence Life.) So you must either ask your RA or someone who has had their privileges taken away before.
First, wait forty-eight hours. Then make an appointment with your RD. He or she will give you a blue sheet which is basically Guest Policy Mad Libs, only the point is to fill in the blanks correctly, not to make a hilarious and nonsensical story. But that's the easy part; just look in your Guide to Residence Life.
When you've finished filling in the blanks, give the sheet to either your RD or the front desk. And then you're all set, right?
WRONG. When the RD receives that blue sheet, s/he will check it to make sure that (a) you got all the answers right, and (b) you didn't have any help filling it out. How they do that, I have no idea. But remember to check with the front desk before you invite anyone else to visit!
Also! When your guest privileges are revoked, no-one will tell you this, but your guest will most likely be banned. To get them off the banned list, they too must meet with your RD and possibly fill out that same sheet that you did. If they do this and turn everything in, CHECK WITH THE FRONT DESK before you invite them back.
How do you get them back? There is no sheet with a numbered list of instructions; there is nothing about it in your Guide to Residence Life. (At least, there isn't right now, as I write this. There might be one if you lose your guest privileges in the future, because I am planning on writing a letter of complaint to the Office of Residence Life.) So you must either ask your RA or someone who has had their privileges taken away before.
First, wait forty-eight hours. Then make an appointment with your RD. He or she will give you a blue sheet which is basically Guest Policy Mad Libs, only the point is to fill in the blanks correctly, not to make a hilarious and nonsensical story. But that's the easy part; just look in your Guide to Residence Life.
When you've finished filling in the blanks, give the sheet to either your RD or the front desk. And then you're all set, right?
WRONG. When the RD receives that blue sheet, s/he will check it to make sure that (a) you got all the answers right, and (b) you didn't have any help filling it out. How they do that, I have no idea. But remember to check with the front desk before you invite anyone else to visit!
Also! When your guest privileges are revoked, no-one will tell you this, but your guest will most likely be banned. To get them off the banned list, they too must meet with your RD and possibly fill out that same sheet that you did. If they do this and turn everything in, CHECK WITH THE FRONT DESK before you invite them back.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Health Services
Health Services is located in the Ellison Campus Center. You go in, go through the Commuter Lounge, and then through the doors marked "Health and Counseling Services", or something to that effect. You go up to the desk, take a pen and a clipboard, and fill out the form. If necessary, when you give the first one to the receptionist, they'll give you a second, more specific form.
You should never be ashamed or afraid of going to Health Services. The nurses and doctor(s?) are fully qualified and very kind. They'll answer your questions very straightforwardly and understandably. If you're embarrassed or uncomfortable about anything, just say so and they'll do something about it.
Health Services is not a scary place. Really. You can ask them anything. Girls, if you're thinking of starting birth control, this is the place to talk to someone about it. They'll give you tons of brochures and statistics and information about the different types. Also, if you're running low on condoms and money, you can grab some free ones there. So just go! It's good for you!
You should never be ashamed or afraid of going to Health Services. The nurses and doctor(s?) are fully qualified and very kind. They'll answer your questions very straightforwardly and understandably. If you're embarrassed or uncomfortable about anything, just say so and they'll do something about it.
Health Services is not a scary place. Really. You can ask them anything. Girls, if you're thinking of starting birth control, this is the place to talk to someone about it. They'll give you tons of brochures and statistics and information about the different types. Also, if you're running low on condoms and money, you can grab some free ones there. So just go! It's good for you!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Google Sites, You are Annoying
Anyone here have a Google Site? Yes? Well, then you've probably already figured this out, so feel free to ignore me.
Anyone here planning to get a Google Site? Well, then you might want to listen up.
This blog has a direct feed on the Freshman Experience site that I'm helping to create as part of my Freshman Seminar Pt. II class (IDS 109). It's a Google Site. And I love that it's really easy to create pages and edit them, but some things are just a tiny bit annoying.
1. It'll only let you change the formatting on one line of text at a time.
2. Most of the time, if you want to save your changes, the best thing to do is copy-paste everything you just typed and futzed with and got perfect into a Word document, refresh the page, copy-paste everything in the Word document back into the editing box, and then save.
3. Once you've attached some form of document (kinda like attaching it to an e-mail) there is NO WAY to take it off or delete it.
All right, I will admit that 1 and 2 probably have something to do with the computer I'm using to edit the site, which is a Dell and a school computer and probably not very good. But even on my own very shiny, reasonably fast laptop, I still have these problems. And 3 is easily fixed by telling everyone who has access to your site not to attach things.
And I am well aware that nobody really cares about this, but I'm bored and need two more blog posts before next week. : [
Anyone here planning to get a Google Site? Well, then you might want to listen up.
This blog has a direct feed on the Freshman Experience site that I'm helping to create as part of my Freshman Seminar Pt. II class (IDS 109). It's a Google Site. And I love that it's really easy to create pages and edit them, but some things are just a tiny bit annoying.
1. It'll only let you change the formatting on one line of text at a time.
2. Most of the time, if you want to save your changes, the best thing to do is copy-paste everything you just typed and futzed with and got perfect into a Word document, refresh the page, copy-paste everything in the Word document back into the editing box, and then save.
3. Once you've attached some form of document (kinda like attaching it to an e-mail) there is NO WAY to take it off or delete it.
All right, I will admit that 1 and 2 probably have something to do with the computer I'm using to edit the site, which is a Dell and a school computer and probably not very good. But even on my own very shiny, reasonably fast laptop, I still have these problems. And 3 is easily fixed by telling everyone who has access to your site not to attach things.
And I am well aware that nobody really cares about this, but I'm bored and need two more blog posts before next week. : [
Thursday, March 5, 2009
We Don't Live in the Dark Ages Anymore!
And boy, aren't you glad! The Dark Ages were full of religious fanaticism, wars, diseases, and, most of all, bad hygiene. Nowadays we have tolerance, security, good health, and cleanliness!
... Well, at least, most places do, but Peabody Hall is not one of them. The bathrooms are nasty. The elevators smell funny. The carpets have strange stains that no-one wants to know about. There's been a burrito at the bottom of the south stairway since Sunday (March 1st). And there are more of those mysterious stains on the walls.
Let me tell you a story about the stains on the first floor. At the beginning of last semester, there was a severely depressed girl living on the first floor. One day, she cut herself in an attempt to commit suicide. Someone noticed and called the police, who dragged her out of there. She fought them, and got some blood on the walls and the door to the north stairway. The bloodstains are still there today.
Do you think I'm exaggerating? I am not. I wish I was, but I am not. I had a friend come up last weekend, and I was able to illustrate the story I just told you by showing them to her. There is one directly across from the door to the bathroom, one halfway down the hall to the south stairway, and some on the door to the north stairway. If my camera had not broken, I would go and take pictures of these to show you all that I speak the truth.
If you guessed that I'm not living in the dorms next semester, you'd be right.
... Well, at least, most places do, but Peabody Hall is not one of them. The bathrooms are nasty. The elevators smell funny. The carpets have strange stains that no-one wants to know about. There's been a burrito at the bottom of the south stairway since Sunday (March 1st). And there are more of those mysterious stains on the walls.
Let me tell you a story about the stains on the first floor. At the beginning of last semester, there was a severely depressed girl living on the first floor. One day, she cut herself in an attempt to commit suicide. Someone noticed and called the police, who dragged her out of there. She fought them, and got some blood on the walls and the door to the north stairway. The bloodstains are still there today.
Do you think I'm exaggerating? I am not. I wish I was, but I am not. I had a friend come up last weekend, and I was able to illustrate the story I just told you by showing them to her. There is one directly across from the door to the bathroom, one halfway down the hall to the south stairway, and some on the door to the north stairway. If my camera had not broken, I would go and take pictures of these to show you all that I speak the truth.
If you guessed that I'm not living in the dorms next semester, you'd be right.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Motivation and My Lack Thereof
The hardest thing about college is not living on your own. It's not being far from home, missing your friends and family, and it's not learning the hard way that if you leave that half-empty container of Cup Noodles on your desk for too long, it will eventually develop intelligent life. And neither is the hardest thing your classes or your homework.
The hardest thing is finding the motivation to get out of bed and go to your classes. It is stepping away from the wonders of the Internet and eschewing the parties long enough to get your assignments done so that you don't fail your classes.
And what makes it so hard is that you have to do it all without someone saying, "Get up, you'll be late for school. Shut the tv off, you have homework. I want you home by midnight." etc.
For some lucky people, this isn't all that hard. They go to bed at a decent hour after getting their assignments done, get up easily, and go to classes. But for others, remembering to do our assignments, getting out of bed, and going to classes is a chore. And the depression that may come with missing your friends and family, being away from home, and being trapped in a routine that you may not necessarily like does nothing to make it any easier.
So what can you do to lift the fog and/or make doing things easier? Well, that's mostly up to you, but here are some suggestions:
-- go home every other weekend or so
-- call your friends on a regular basis
-- get a job that'll (a) let you meet new people and (b) get you off campus for a few hours
-- join a club
-- have a set time every night for doing your homework
-- set up a study group with some friends
Good luck!
The hardest thing is finding the motivation to get out of bed and go to your classes. It is stepping away from the wonders of the Internet and eschewing the parties long enough to get your assignments done so that you don't fail your classes.
And what makes it so hard is that you have to do it all without someone saying, "Get up, you'll be late for school. Shut the tv off, you have homework. I want you home by midnight." etc.
For some lucky people, this isn't all that hard. They go to bed at a decent hour after getting their assignments done, get up easily, and go to classes. But for others, remembering to do our assignments, getting out of bed, and going to classes is a chore. And the depression that may come with missing your friends and family, being away from home, and being trapped in a routine that you may not necessarily like does nothing to make it any easier.
So what can you do to lift the fog and/or make doing things easier? Well, that's mostly up to you, but here are some suggestions:
-- go home every other weekend or so
-- call your friends on a regular basis
-- get a job that'll (a) let you meet new people and (b) get you off campus for a few hours
-- join a club
-- have a set time every night for doing your homework
-- set up a study group with some friends
Good luck!
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