Procrastination is a way of college life. Every college student procrastinates. Getting around it can be the hardest task put forth to you during your college career.  I, myself, was a huge procrastinator.  The only advice I can give you is to do your assignments a little bit at a time. If you have a ten page paper due next week, write 2 pages every day.  If you have to read 150 pages in the next three days, read 50 pages every night. It looks simple on paper. In reality, overcoming procrastination probably won’t happen until your junior year.  


That's all folks!
Lauren

Using KeyWords (Take 2)

     I just came across a great article that emphasizes my point from a few weeks ago about "using keywords" on your resume. Cindy Perman explains this topic in a way that I wish I could have, so here is a good follow-up article.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/secrets-toyour-success/killer-resume-hired-machines-182059415.html

T.D. Bjornestad

A No-Brainer Blog

Nope… It wasn’t the deli-tray this time! That sick feeling you have in the pit of your stomach is coming from the anxiety of another deadline to meet, but don’t worry yet because you still have tomorrow… and when tomorrow comes… well… you still have tomorrow.

                The “tomorrow” mindset was my chosen holy doctrine in college; I wore it like Larry the Cable Guy wears a camo cut-off shirt – with pride and a confused sense of self-approval. To add to the similarity, I had no idea how much it ruined my credibility, how well it displayed my worst qualities, and how significantly it capped my capacity to be successful in my field. Now, this blog isn’t meant to be a hit piece on an average comedian. This blog is to tell you that there is power in “NOW.”

                Let us the reverse the logic. If it can be done tomorrow – maybe it can be done today. If it can be later – maybe it can be done now. Getting things done early gives you the freedom and ability to be agile with regards to project deadlines. You can determine the full quality of your output rather than hashing out a product that merely meets expectations. Conventional wisdom wins out: Do what can be done now.

T.D. Bjornestad

Time, Time, Tims is (Not) on Your Side

There are only so many hours in a day. This is one lessonthat will certainly hit you like a ton of bricks when you get to college. As much as you would probably love to have 36 hour days to fit in everything in your life, alas 24 remains the magic number. So how do you deal with this?

Prioritize.

You will have so many things fighting for your time: classes, studying, sleeping, socializing, and dozens of other things. You have to prioritize and figure out what things you need to focus the most on. Do you really need to play 4 hours of video games each day? I sure hope not. Pick what is the most critical (hopefully class and studying. Just throwing it out there) and figure out how much time to spend on it each day, and then work you priorities down from there. They might be different each day, which is fine. Variety is the spice of life after all.

It may take you awhile to figure out the right time management for you. But have no fear. Practice makes perfect, right?

No moss grows on a rolling stone
Tedward

The Planner

I NEVER used a planner in high school.  College was a different story.  I would have failed in college had it not been for my planner. It is called a ‘plan’ner for a reason… now use it. At the beginning of every semester, your professors will give you a class syllabus. It will have all your reading assignments, homework assignments, quiz and test dates, and paper due dates.  Sit down after class and write all your assignment due dates in your planner.  It is so much easier to schedule your time when you know when everything is due.  If your planner tells you that you have a test on Monday and two papers due on Wednesday, it is probably not a great idea to party your weekend away.  Planners are cheap too. Some colleges give planners out for free.  It will be one of the best investments you make. 

Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.

Lauren

Time Management? What is that!

I only have one piece of advice: Spend time in between class in the library!

If you get in the habit of this, you will find yourself with more free time in the evenings and on the weekends.

Learning to manage your time in college will be detrimental to your success! College is not going to be the cake walk you experienced in high school, so be mindful of your time, and spend it wisely doing something productive!

Faith

Be Yourself

There are hundreds of interviewing tips out there, including; dress appropriately, make eye contact, shake hands, be honest, practice, etc. These are all vital guidelines to follow in the interview. To keep it simple, though, I will share some of the best advice I’ve ever been told. And that is to BE YOURSELF!

It is best to be honest about who you are and what you want from a job. Honesty will also create a better match between you and your new employer. What's the sense of faking it through a series of job interviews, just to take a job you don't like or that doesn't suit you? You'll just end up repeating the entire process as you look for yet another job!

Good luck!

Until next week,

Faith

After the Interview

Interviews suck. Plain and simple. There are too many great pieces of advice I could give you that could help you during your interview, but you know what? You will walk into the interview room and forget them all. So, my advice will be for what to do after the interview.  This piece of advice goes back millions of years (okay, not millions). You ready for it? It is called “THE THANK YOU NOTE”.  

Write your interviewers a thank you.  Thank you notes show you are courteous, interested in the position, and remind the interviewers of your positive qualities. My advice is to email AND snail mail a thank you letter. It doesn’t need to be fancy or long. Here is a list of things you should include…  

·         thanks for taking the time for the interview

·         what position you were interviewing for

·         be specific about why you are interested and how you are a good fit for the team

·         highlight a key point from your interview that you believe the interviewer will    remember

·         let them know you are available to answer any more questions they have

·         list your contact information

·         you are looking forward from hearing from them soon 

Remember to proofread your thank you note. Misspelled words and incorrect grammar is a big no-no. A thank you can seem elementary, but it may be the deciding factor between you and the next guy. 

THIS IS SPARTA!

Lauren

STRESS--LESS

                Interviewing is like pawning used socks – the only exciting point in either case is when somebody tells you that what you’re selling doesn’t stink. Yep, in fact, interviews can be awkward, challenging, and downright intimidating at times, but nevertheless, they are vital to landing a job or other opening. So, what advice can I offer? DON’T STRESS.

                Walking into an interview there will be hundreds of talking-points that you will hope to address; conversely, upon walking out of the interview, there may be hundreds of talking points that you wish you wouldn’t have addressed… but in either case DON’T STRESS.

There is a certain amount of pressure that you should put on yourself prior to any large event, but only to the extent that it doesn’t hinder your sleep, your mood, or your sanity. Keep an even keel and don’t let the moment get to you – just before the interview, take five minutes to clear your mind and just breathe.

When you walk out of the interview make sure to write down a list of three things that you did well during the interview. This will help to dissipate the lingering anxiety of waiting for an answer from the interviewer, and will ensure that regardless of the outcome you left with a positive experience.

Do whatever you can to remove all of the unnecessary pressure from an interviewing situation, and as always, feel free to employ your own DE-STRESSING methods. Simply focus on the end goal of shaking unnecessary anxiety, and this should help you to clear your mind and express yourself more completely.

T.D. Bjornestad

How to choose a major.........TRY IT

You wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it. You wouldn’t buy a shirt in every color if you haven’t tried it on. You should not spend 4 or more years in a major unless you can make an educated guess that it is a field you’re interested in. So…make an educated guess. Research possible career opportunities related to that field. Participate in job shadow days and internships to learn more about different jobs. Experiencing what the average person’s day is like in the field you’re interested in allows you incite in to that career. Try it before you buy it.  College is expensive; make sure you spend your time there studying the right area.

-Heather

Where do you draw the line?

Where do you draw the line? Everyone has met someone who could not stop talking about themselves and how awesome they are. You definitely don’t want to be that person. But, keep in mind that you do have to sell yourself during your interview. During your interview you want to sell yourself and showcase all of your absolutely amazing accomplishments but you don’t want to come off as that person who will not stop talking about themselves.  That’s great to know but how do I do that, you say? Well it’s a balancing act.  I would suggest writing down a couple things that you want to talk about in your interview. That way if you’re shy, you still get your point across. And if you’re an overachiever you reign in your “self-talk”.

-Heather

Undecided

So you still don't know what to major in? Like Lauren said, that's totally OKAY! Thats why you are in college; to explore your options and find out who you really are and what you like to do.

There are several resources offered to students in major and/or career selection. Check with the advising and career service center at the school you are thinking about attending. The advisors will have numerous tools, tests, and interest inventories for you to take that may help you pinpoint the direction you want to take. You may also have someone in your high school who can help you, for example, someone in the Career Center or Counseling department.

Don't panic and think you are not ready for college. Many students go to college with an undeclared major, just like Lauren, and are just as successful!

Faith

Not knowing is okay.

Knowing what you want to do with your life is stressful.  Picking a major can seem almost impossible, especially if you have no idea what you want to do.  You know what?  Not knowing what you want to do is okay.  There is nothing wrong with being undeclared for the first part of your college career.  Heck, I was undeclared for two years.   It wasn’t until the end of my sophomore year that I realized I enjoyed and was interested in political science.  

My advice to you is to take a variety of classes that sound interesting to you.  You might learn that you enjoy history.  You might learn that you hate English. Today you want to be a chef.  Tomorrow, you may want to be a journalist.  That is the beauty of college.  You learn ‘who you are’.  It might sound a little cliché now, but it is true.  It is okay to have no idea what you want to do or what you want to be. Don’t stress about it.   

There's a tiger in the bathroom!

Lauren