Campus Life & Future Careers

Winter semester can be incredibly hectic for those of us expecting to graduate come April: moving out, meeting program requirements, deciding on firm post-grad plans, searching for and applying to jobs, internships or grad schools etc. Unfortunately, in the thrill of it all it can be easy to overlook the small steps needed to ensure graduation and convocation go more or less seamlessly. As exam season draws to a close, take a few moments of your much-needed time off to make sure you meet all these small, but ridiculously significant, steps toward graduation.

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With the end of add/drop comes the beginning of evaluations that were but a mere thought what seems like yesterday. The ball has started to roll more quickly and the readings we haven’t done have formed a list that is seemingly out of control. While this can easily become overwhelming, there are strategies you can do to get you back on track and decrease your stress so that your workload is not insurmountable after all.

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September is my favorite time of year. It’s always hard to say goodbye to summer but the fall season also brings some of my favorite things – crisp autumn leaves, hoodie weather, football, savory pies… and a feeling of fresh beginnings fueled by a recently completed 7 year stint in graduate school.

“New Year” Challenge: How Will You Work Career Planning into Your Schedule? (more…)

I recently attended the doctoral dissertation defense of a friend and fellow colleague whose research focuses on procrastination. I learned a lot, and found that understanding more about the research on procrastination has helped me conquer some of my own. Here is what I learned… (more…)

In this post, I am going to cover how different concepts from Mind Gym[1] can be applied by students. You may be familiar with some of them from other ‘self-help’ type books, from workshops on time or stress and anxiety management, or already use them without giving them names. I am going to give overviews of the power of positive thinking, motivation and fear of failure, and SMART goals. All of these contribute to getting ‘in the zone’ and succeed at everyday tasks or activities. (more…)

https://medium.com/@vincelawco/getting-off-the-email-hamster-wheel-in-5-steps-901f790c42b4

Add-drop has come to an end, and papers and readings are beginning to pile up. You even might have had your first quiz this past week! As the school is going full steam ahead, you may be noticing that the initial motivation you had just two weeks ago is fading away. If you’re feeling like you are losing momentum, here are few tips to help you regain your focus and power through your work:

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I love being organized. I’m the first of my friends to start a group chat for Friday night plans, and I adore a good Powerpoint presentation. My favourite means of organizing my thoughts is the classic to-do list. Classic they may be, to-do lists are often misused. There is the assumption that simply writing a to-do list will result in the completion of tasks. However, because they are often not well-constructed, to-do lists can result in procrastination. Here, I will share a tried and true method of to-do list making that I have devised after my personal failed list attempts. (more…)

Copyright: Chibird.com (I hope the last item is never on your list!)

The spring is on its way – birds tweet, flowers bloom, flies start to appear, and finals are around the corner. When we breathe in the breeze of spring, we need to think about finals again. Alas, the semester is short and intense, but at least we have a whole summer to enjoy. (more…)

Just on Jan 28 a few years ago (2013 to be precise), a Youtube video filming a girl trying to go against the flood on McTavish Street went viral, and I remembered that although I was not on site, the flood coming from a pierced main pipe connecting to the reservoir really caused tons of trouble and turned all lower campus to swamp. The girl struggled for a few minutes and decided just to go with the flow, which is actually a brave move in front of all the people staring at her. (more…)

For me personally, the perfect study space is in the comfort of my own room, where I’m free to follow my own routine and get up whenever needed without having to worry about leaving my things out on the table, all while not getting distracted by others passing by or loud conversations. I know for many of my friends, however, that it is quite the contrary for them. Unable to stay focused at home, other settings give them the motivation to study and keep on track. Once you’re in your final year, you know what works best for you, but in the meantime, there are plenty of spaces to go to if you’re in need of a change in environment while you review your notes for that upcoming midterm.

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