"What do you find most challenging about college?"

   The question i came up with to ask my peers was "what do you find most challenging about college?".  A majority of the people i asked (students i attend classes with )responded, the work load. Since that was a common answer i also asked my peers why. The common response was that the homework load . That response was not surprising because I also find that challenging. One student replied " i never had alot of homework in high school, so having alot of homework to complete its hard to get used to".  The work load is definitely  hard to get used. The amount of homework assigned in college is alot in comparison with the amount of homework assigned in high school. Another answer that several of my peers(students i attend classes with) responded with was time management.  " I usually don't get every bit of my homework done, by time i'm done with work there not enough time."; my friend Samantha's response.  For people who seem to have the same problem i'd recommend temporary cutting down your work hours . As a freshman in college you have a lot to adjust to, so before taking on too many tasks you should get used to your homework load and how much time you need to complete it.

" There is no Challenge more challenging than the challenge to improve yourself " 

                       ~  Michael F. Staley

 

Where does my time go?

                                                                                       

   Where does my time go? good question. When i think about my time management i can't help but compare myself to the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. I feel like i'm always late , rushing to get things done. My time analysis  pointed out the obvious, there is definitely  not enough hours in the day!  My typical week usually consists of , around 14 hours of classes 18 hours of studying/ homework,13 hours of working , 14 hours of meal preparation/ eating/ clean up, 7 hours of transportation , 14 hours of personal care and 58 hours of sleep.So, that's a grad total of 138 hours out of 168 with a remainder of 30 hours, which i spent socializing, relaxing etc.  My weeks are pretty busy for the most part but i guess i still manage to have that 30 hours of free time. 30 hours certainly doesn't seem like enough! After reviewing my time analysis  i'v made a  few realizations  about myself and my time management skills. I find my problem to be that I don't organize my time properly and i find myself cramming. I think if i set and stuck to a more organized, definite schedule I would find my days to be much more manageable and relaxed. 

"I am definitely going to take a course on time management

..... just as soon as I can work it into my schedule."

                             -Louis E. Boone

College Health-Safari #3

 Health Problems College Students Face.


★ The Granoff Student Health Center is on Wintergreen Avenue near university residence halls and across the street from Moore Fieldhouse.


  Among the many resources SCSU has one of them is The Health Center. The Health Center can help you with many health issues your regular doctor might help you with, including your yearly flue shot. The Health Center can treat your sicknesses, refer you to a specialist if needed and answer any medical questions you might have. The Center has qualified medical practitioners in the areas of family practice, gynecology, nutritional services(including a Dietitian) , and HIV / STI counseling and testing.You can go to center for medical emergencies or call and make an appointment for that day, (203) 392-6300. The Health Center has a variety of health pamphlet  you can pick up that will inform you about STD's and other health issues.You can also pick up protection for safe sex.

Academic Calendar Year Hours:
Monday - 8:30am-4:30pm
Tuesday - 8:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday - 8:30am-4:30pm
Thursday - 8:30am-4:30pm
Friday -8:30am-4:30pm







Self Care Tips For College Students:
recommended by SCSU Counseling Services 
( Counseling Service is a great resource for any mental health concerns!)

• Get enough rest
• Stay well Hydrated ( avoid alcohol)
• Eat Well
• Get some exercise  everyday
• Set good boundaries
• Practice good eye contact, say what you mean and mean what you say
• Ask questions when you need to know something  
• Don't procrastinate, use good time management to avoid getting overwhelmed
• Avoid drama, take care of yourself first
• Have healthy fun, schedule your relaxation time
• Smile, research shoes it can actually change how you feel in a positive way 

Excellent Blogs!

When going through different student blog, the following 3 really stood out to me:

• Tori's Blog -  I really like Tori's Blog,  when i first looked at it i automatically got a sense of what she was about. Just by looking at her background and abstract pictures i could tell that she was a creative/ artistic person. I also liked how i could relate with her, when reading the introduction to her "What is Really Important " blog i found her indecisiveness to sound allot like myself. She has a great blog and i admire her respect toward individuality and the opinions of other.

• Hanna's Blog - The next blog i thought was very good was Hanna's. Her blog is very well structured and neat. Her blog posts are well written and appealing. She keeps her blogs interesting by putting  pictures and/ or links to correspond with all of her blogs.

• Tina's Blog - The third blog i thought was very good, was Tina's. Here blog posts are lengthy and informative , yet overwhelming. She keeps her paragraphs separated, so you don't get bored by a large cluster of words . Her blog is also visually appealing because of its neat structure and interesting pictures.

"Blogging is an art, same as any other method of self-expression. 

Some are better at it than others."

~hugh macleod

                        

                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                     

Professional Blogs

     I’ve recently came across the Cupcakes and Cashmere blog by Vogue's, Emily Schuman. This blog first caught my attention because I liked the name of the blog, it sounded girly and different. The blogs immediately grabbed my attention, with the lively photographs included throughout the text.  Emily does a fantastic job at making a fun interesting blogs. Her blogs mainly consist of her two passions, fashion and food, two things I happen to really enjoy. Her blogs will keep any girl constantly clicking through it.  Emily adds her personality to all of her blog. Not only does she give fabulous fashion tips/ideas but she adds links of where to buy the stylish clothes, and accessories in which she shows in her blogs. She also includes awesome hair and make-up tutorials with in her blog, giving step by step directions of how to achieving the desired look! She gives great home décor ideas.  She doesn’t leave you guessing, of course there are links to the websites where you can purchase the gorgeous décor in which she introduces. And how can I forget, the recipes that she posts! The recipes are absolutely delicious, there’s a little bit of everything, breakfast, dessert, drink, snacks and dinner recipes! Check it out  for yourself and see exactly what I’m talking about!     

   When searching for blogs, I came across the Animal Oddities blog and I really enjoyed it. I love animals, and this blog is about the strange interesting things that animals do. All the blog posts make me laugh and are really cute! The Animal Oddities blog is completely different from the first blog I wrote about. Cupcakes and Cashmere is about fashion and recipes while Animal Oddities is about the different behavior of animals.  They both are interesting and are about thing I like. Different aspects that both blogs include also intrigued me. I like how both of them include pictures and videos within the text. Those aspects grab my attention and keep me interested for longer! I’d definitely recommend reading the Animal Oddities Blog ; it’s guaranteed to make you smile!  

The Fitness Center-Campus Safari #7

     SCSU has a great fitness center. It has a variety of different workout machines and is conveniently located on the 2nd Floor of the Michael J. Adanti Student Center. To join  it costs $60 for one semester, and $120 for two. The Fitness Center is also available during the summer, at a reduced price of $35. Payments are made with the money that is on your Hoot Loot Card . Student memberships are currently only available online.

 Fall Fitness Center Hours :

Monday-Thursday  7am-10pm
Friday                       7am-8pm
Saturday               9:30am-4:30pm
Sunday                      2pm-7pm

  

  A variety of exercise activities take place during the Fall! You can click the link below for the for the days and times of each activity!

https://www.southernct.edu/fitnesscenter/uploads/textWidget/wysiwyg/documents/Fall_2011_Group_Ex._Schedule.pdf.

  All of the activity sound fun, but the one i would  most likely join would be yoga.  It seems calm and energizing! For more information regarding the SCSU Fitness Center you can visit their webpage,

http://www.southernct.edu/fitnesscenter/

The variety of exercises machines include the following :

Cardiovascular- Life Fitness

• Treadmills - with personal LCD screens and cable channels  
• Upright and Recumbent Bikes
• Stair Steppers

Cardiovascular-PRECOR

• Elliptical Trainers

Weight Training Machines- Life Fitness

•     Chest Press
•     Chest Fly/Rear Delt
•     Shoulder Press 
•     Lateral Raise
•     Lat Pulldown
•     Seated Row
•     Triceps Press Down 
•     Biceps Curl
•     Leg Press
•     Leg Extension
•     Leg Curl
•     Hip Abduction
•     Hip Adduction
•     Assisted dip/chin up

Plate Loaded Equipment- Hammer Strength

•     Iso-Lateral Incline Press
•     Iso-Lateral Flat Press
•     Leg Press
•     Inclined Bench
•     Flat Bench
•     Squat Rack
•     Smith Machine

Free Weights and more

•     5 lb - 100 lb pairs
•     Adjustable Benches
•     Decline Bench
•     Preacher Curl

Stretching Room

• Stretching Mat
• Stability Balls- 55 cm, 65 cm, 75 cm
• Medicine Balls
• Balance discs

“Joachim de Posada says Don’t Eat the Marshmallow”-Self -discipline.

 
   I’ve decided to blog about the “Joachim de Posada says Don’t Eat the Marshmallow” video. I find it the experiment very interesting. The results of the experiment were that the children that were able to wait fifty minutes for the second marshmallow ended up being more successful later on in life. Although those children were only 4, and like any 4 year old they were impatient, but you could differentiate those who possessed self-discipline from those who did not. You could clearly see which children obtained self-discipline by observing how the children reacted when given the option to wait 50 minutes until they eat the marshmallow, and they would be given another.

   

   Research by Yale University reported a connection between memory, intelligence, and delayed gratification based on activity of the anterior prefrontal cortex that deals with complex problems and addressing simultaneous objectives, thus leading to improved self-control. Discoveries by Yale University researchers in 2007 offered insights for improving self-control associated with physical and behavioral health through delayed gratification, Joachim de Posada, Wikipedia.

    

  Self- discipline plays a very important role in this Joachim experiment. Why is it that only one out of the three four year olds had self- discipline?  Parenthood.com suggests that children in today’s culture are a consumed to getting what they want. It is very important to teach children, values, morals and discipline at a young age, when they are most likely to obtain them. According to Robert Brook, Ph.D, a Harvard medical school psychologist and child development expert, the most important qualities to help your child development is discipline. Without self discipline how do you manage the wise, small yet effective decisions in every life.  

"That child already, at four, understood the most important principle for success. Which is the ability to delay gratification." - Joachim de Posada