Lindsay, English major - Class of 2011
How do YOU conquer procrastination?
1
How do YOU conquer procrastination?
Terrie Minner, Assistant Director in the Office of Academic Advising
Are You a Procrastinator?
I am. Even as a professional I have found that I still procrastinate with some things. In college, my favorite phrase was “I work best under pressure.” The more accurate phrase would have been, “I work under pressure.” I never gave myself the chance to work any other way, so it was impossible for me to say that it was my best work. Sometimes I still think about how much better my work could have been if I had dedicated more time to it. So, thanks to this blog, I can warn you now and help you avoid these same feelings in the future.
All that to say, we’ve found a simple tool to help keep procrastination to a minimum. Or in other words, a tool to help you manage your time better when it comes to big projects and papers. The University of Minnesota created an Assignment Calculator, you input the current date and the date the assignment is due and out comes a step-by-step plan for completing quality work on-time.
It’s genius. Frankly, I wish I had something like this when I was in college. If you select the subject that the assignment is in, it also personalizes links to help get your research started. Not to mention, if you go to the print friendly version, it makes you a to-do list with boxes to check as you move through the steps.
I encourage you to give this tool a try and give your papers and projects the time they deserve! Then let me know what you think in the comments section… And hopefully, we can all work on breaking this bad habit together.
Making the most of your study time
Last week I went to a friend’s house for dinner. We were in the middle of a conversation when she got a text message and proceeded to text a response. Which is fine, but I stopped talking and waited for her to finish. She glanced up mid-text.
“Go ahead. I’m listening.” type type type
“No you’re not. You’re texting.”
type type type “What?”
All of us (me included) attempt our own versions of multitasking. We talk and type, walk and text, toggle between different websites, and entertain interruptions from friends, phones, television, and email. According to researchers, we’re not nearly as good at it as we think.
It’s the start of winter term here at UO, and I’ve been meeting with students whose fall term grades placed them on academic probation. I ask each of them open-ended questions in an attempt to unravel what happened fall term. A response that keeps coming up again and again is:
I studied too much in my res hall room.
Translation: I sat at my desk for a long time, but not much studying happened.
Res halls are full of distractions – it’s no wonder that some students find it hard to study there. To learn and retain information, you need to be able to focus, and that means working in a place free from distractions. I talked one student who said, “I can’t even study in the lobby of the library. Too many people walk through. All it takes is one person stopping by to chat and I don’t get anything done.” Now she seeks out quiet cubicles on the upper floor.
As you get settled into winter term, take some time to evaluate your own study habits. Where is there room for improvement? For more tips on making the most of your study time, check out the following:
Psudo-work Does Not Equal Work : An eye-opening post from blogger Study Hacks that demonstrates what the best students already know – quality is just as important as quantity when it comes to studying.
Index Study System: A simple studying method that “forces you to think about (the material), rather than just look over it.”
Study Skills Resources: Tips from the experts at our very own Teaching and Learning Center! Drop by to seem them at 68 PLC and ask about workshops, classes, and private appointments designed to help you study smarter.
Just in Time for Finals
I hope everyone had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving break!
I also hope that everyone used some of their time off to continue (or begin) studying for their upcoming final exams. In light of next week’s exams, we thought it would be timely to feature a resource that would be helpful in studying for those exams. Study Guides and Strategies is a website that includes, well, just that, numerous study guides and strategies to help you become a better student! The website covers everything from test taking tips to study systems to help with time and project management. Some of the other topics include classroom participation, reading, preparing for tests, and help with math and writing.
The “A.S.P.I.R.E.” Study System is an outline of good study practices and an example of what you might find on the website.
A: Approach/attitude/arrange:
- Approach your studies with a positive attitude
- Arrange your schedule to eliminate distractions
S: Select/survey/study:
- Select a reasonable chunk of material to study
- Survey the headings, graphics, pre- and post questions to get an overview
- Study marking any information you don’t understand
P: Put aside/piece together:
- Put aside your books and notes
- Piece together what you’ve studied, either alone, with a study pal or group, and summarize what you understand.
I: Inspect/Investigate/inquire:
- Inspect what you did not understand.
- Investigate alternative sources of information you can refer to:
other text books, websites, experts, tutors, etc. - Inquire from support professionals (academic support, librarians, tutors, teachers, experts) for assistance
R: Reconsider/reflect/relay:
- Reconsider the content:
If I could speak to the author, what questions would I ask or what criticism would I offer? - Reflect on the material:
How can I apply this material to what I am interested in? - Relay understanding:
How would I make this information interesting and understandable to other students?
E: Evaluate/examine/explore:
- Evaluate your grades on tests and tasks, look for a pattern
- Examine your process toward improving it
- Explore options with a teacher, support professional, tutor, etc.
We encourage you to go to the website and look around, perhaps choose one new approach to studying for final exams or finishing final projects. Then, over winter break, explore a couple of the topics to try out in the new term – maybe improve your reading skills and get more usable knowledge from those heavy textbooks or learn new ways to approach tests with confidence.
Good luck from GradeFirstAid in the coming weeks!
Students in Transition to Success (SITTS)
Today we’re featuring a program specifically for students in academic jeopardy – Students in Transition to Success, or SITTS. Here to tell you about it is advisor Lyllye Parker in the Office of Multicultural Academic Success (OMAS).
Who can participate in SITTS?
This program was originally developed to help students of color who are in academic jeopardy. We invite all students of color who are on academic warning, probation 1 and probation2 to participate. However, it is my dream that the program assist all U of O students, and so I welcome ANY student interested in the SITTS program to call 541-346-3479 and make an appointment with one of our advisors.
How does the program work?
SITTS offers the students holistic advising. It is also a program that provides accountability. The students go through an intake process, and an assessment is made of the student’s needs. Then an advisor sits down with the student to draw up a plan. It is important to empower the student to think critically, and be in charge of his/her own education.
The advisor’s responsibility is to guide, be a sounding board, recommend resources, and be a resource. The student signs a SITTS Contract with the advisor, which terminates when the student is back on solid ground. However, in my experience, most SITTS students continue to work with the advisor as needed.
Ms. Parker in her warm & welcoming office
What makes this program inspiring for you as an advisor?
There have been several success stories regarding SITTS students. I will share a story that pre-dates the program, but was the inspiration to create it.
At the end of spring term freshman year this particular student was academically disqualified. As a member of the Scholastic Review Committee I advocated for the student to get one last chance to prove that a 2.0 term was possible. We signed a Contract agreeing to work together until the cumulative GPA was back to a 2.0.
We met on a weekly basis. Most of our meetings were used to discuss time management, homework, and campus climate. However, the most valuable component of our meetings was the trusting relationship we were able to develop. The student had external issues that affected her ability to focus solely on academics, and as a result of the relationship we built, she shared these issues and I was able to recommend resources that provided the support system necessary to deal with those issues .
It didn’t take long for this student to get on the right track, even though more than 20 hours of “B” was required to get back to a 2.0 cumulative GPA. From the first term after we signed the Contract until the last term before graduation, the student received no less than a grade of A-in all of her classes. When graduation day arrived, the cumulative GPA was above a 3.0, and an acceptance letter to graduate school was in the student’s hands.
Any final thoughts?
Once again let me state that any student interested in the SITTS Program should call 346-3479 and make an appointment with one of our advisors.
Rebounding from a bad term
We love fellow advisor Sally Garner’s advising-themed podcast “Quick Question”. Sally is an advisor in the School of Journalism and Communication, so many of the podcasts relate specifically to journalism majors. However, sometimes she answers more general questions. One of our favorites is “I didn’t do well last term. How do I fix this?”
Take a few minutes to listen to the podcats, or follow Sally’s instructions at the bottom of the page to subscribe to the feed using itunes!
In Your Words
When we started this blog we had a couple of ideas about what we wanted to include on it. We both thought it was important to include students’ perspectives about what academics at the UO have been like for them. As academic advisors students tell their stories to us, but we wanted a way for them to share their stories with each other. Feel free to share your thoughts or personal reflections in the comments.
Our first post comes from J.K., who is close to completing her degree in English. We asked her a few questions by email and here are her candid responses, including some quotes that she wanted to share:
Can you summarize your academic journey at the UO?
J.K.: My academic journey at UO has been like riding the fastest rollercoaster on this planet. Long, ups and downs, twists and turns; but in the end I want to ride it all over again.
What have been some of your greatest academic challenges?
J.K.: My greatest academic challenge was trying to find a purpose. Without that purpose I made excuses for my lack of motivation because I felt like there was a void in my life, which hindered me from doing well. Since I did not do well, I fell into a deep state of depression and was questioning life, friends, values and a sense of meaning in life. I didn’t understand that a part of growing up and getting an education is a purpose in itself and the rest will come later.
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” – Václav Havel
What have been some of your greatest achievements?
J.K.: I haven’t earned any awards. I haven’t won any trophies. I haven’t deserved any recognition. But I have gained an immense amount of experience, relationships, and gratitude towards life and my education that I would never trade for any piece of paper.
“I am thankful for all the hardships because it means I can learn from the past to apply to the present for success in the future.” – Me
Knowing what you do now, if you could go back to your first term and give yourself advice, what would you say?
J.K.: If I could go back I definitely would have been involved with student programs and communities. The UO has many opportunities to be involved in, in any aspect of interest. And they are fun! It’s a good thing to support your peers. I wish I had gone to more productions offered by the student body, from music to drama to sports; I should have taken advantage of all aspects of “campus life.”
Most importantly, I would say to myself these next things: choose your friends wisely. Don’t make excuses. Recognize what greatness is. Work to achieve that. Then work five times harder and exceed ten times further.
What are your post-graduation plans?
J.K.: Travel. Experience life and different cultures. Most of all offer my time by helping people in other countries that are less fortunate than me. Graduate school is definitely in my future. Knowledge is power, no matter who you are or where you are—learning doesn’t end. It’s the way of the future.
“The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others.” – John Locke
Anything else you would like to pass along to students who are concerned about their grades?
J.K.: Don’t obsess about grades! Appreciate your education and excel above and beyond your learning habits. Then good grades will follow naturally. Making excuses and being lazy will get you nowhere in life. No one will take you seriously if you can’t take yourself seriously. So strive for excellence, not just for yourself and your future, but for the change you can be for the world.
“Anything can happen if you are willing to put in the work and remain open to the possibility. Dreams are realized by effort, determination, passion and staying connected to that sense of who you are.” – Michael Jordan
Welcome to the Blog!
Welcome to the Grade First Aid blog. We’re glad you found us. This is a brand new blog, so please be patient with us in the begining. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, let us know!