Now is Not the Time to Let-Up

Yesterday, I was talking to another student. He’s looking forward to the end of the semester and appears tired of school work. He said this weekend will be a “chill weekend”. As I’m listening, a flashback of my freshman year appears. A few weeks before the year ended, I was burnt out and wanted to do enough to get by. My conscious wouldn’t allow me to finish with that mentality. It took words of wisdom to make me finish strong and give my best effort.

Students, now is not the time to let-up. With the school year close to ending, students choose to slack around this time. Since August, work has consumed their schedules and they want to let loose. Hang in there. There’s a month left of school and you’ve come too far to waste everything accomplished thus far.

This is the time of year where partying increases and more students miss class. It’s easy to follow the crowd. Before you do, reflect on what’s at-stake. Grades matter as much at the end of the semester as the beginning. Don’t think professors will slack in their teaching. It’s our job as students to have the same approach. It’s tough to study for tests when other students are outside throwing a Frisbee or drinking a beer. Just think: You have an entire summer to do what they’re doing. I’m not saying you have to wait to have fun; but prioritize. Get work done first, and then enjoy yourself. It’s the same thing you’ve done all year.

Every student looks forward to something exciting in the summer. It can be an internship or vacation. Let these things stay in the back of your mind. Allow them to motivate you as the year ends. At the same time, don’t over-think about it. You don’t want to get overexcited.

It’s also important to follow the schedule that’s caused success. Do everything at the same time. If you go for tutoring on Wednesdays, continue to do so. If you’ve been going to the gym right after class, don’t choose this time to wait at night. For one, it will take a while to get adjusted to the new schedule. The last thing you need with final exams and papers approaching is an adjustment. It creates more stress.

At this point, you may have to distance yourself from your friends somewhat. Everyone doesn’t have the same focus or approach to school. Some students party hard whether it’s the beginning or end of the year. If your friends want you to party the night before a test, say no. It’s easier said than done, but it’s the best option. In a month, you’ll be partying as much as you please. Don’t worry. They’ll still be your friends because they’ll ask again the following night.

Check Your Campus Mailboxes

Last semester, something told me to check my campus mailbox. It had been a few weeks since I checked and I didn’t feel like making a trip to do so. Fortunately, I did. Comes to find out, I had an important deadline to meet the next day. If I didn’t meet this deadline, my financial aid would be in jeopardy. I submitted everything but who knows what the circumstances would be if not checking.

Students, constantly check your mailboxes. Get in the habit of doing so at least once-per-week. You never know what’s in them. Administrators always send information that is valuable to you and your parents. If you don’ feel like checking, do it for your parents. It would be unfair for them to suffer as a result of not knowing something.

Campus mailboxes can be full of unnecessary items. Items such as coupons to places you have no interest. Or advertisements about events you wouldn’t consider attending. When checking my mailbox for something important, it not only annoys me that it’s not there. But seeing junk makes it worse. I immediately throw it in the trash. To make a long story short, don’t let this persuade you to not check. There’s the possibility that you’ll find something you’re interested in. For example, I received news about potential internships. I may not have applied to the internships, but it was nice to know the companies that offer them.

In continuing on this topic, don’t brush off emails. Students tend to view the title of an email and either delete it or not read it. This is college. Anything sent to your campus email is likely important. I scan each one I receive. If it’s something I don’t need, it’s erased. I’m comfortable deleting it because already know what it’s about.

Check your emails daily, especially in the morning. One day, I went to class and no one was there. Comes to find out, the professor notified everyone through email that class was cancelled.

By the way, check ALL your email addresses. If you have a Yahoo and Google email, log into both daily. Don’t favor one over the other. Also, give people an email address that you know you’ll check. It doesn’t make sense to give someone your Yahoo address if you check it once-a-week.

Take advantage of mailboxes/emails. People have things to say; and sometimes, they can’t say it in first-person. That’s when mailboxes/emails come into play.

Don't Let Facebook Distract You

One night, I had a lot of homework to complete. After work study, I rushed to my room to do it. Just as I’m about to start, my friend calls to tell me about some pictures on Facebook. Me being nosy, I logged on to view them. After viewing them, other thinsg caught my attention. As a result, I spent an hour on Facebook. That wasted time proved detrimental because I had to stay up an extra hour completing my assignments.

Students, don’t be sidetracked by Facebook. It’s an addiction that will distract you from other activities.

During my first two years of college, I spent a lot of time on Facebook. It reached the point where I’d log on to it before checking my email. Some nights, I’d forget to check my email. Things had to change. I made the decision to gradually decrease my time on the site. Yeah, it took a while; but it worked. I can now go for days without logging on.

Facebook is every college student’s online destination. It’s a place to chat with old friends, view various content, and see what everyone is up to. Unfortunately, some overuse the site. I shake my head when hearing students say they spend hours at a time on it. I couldn’t imagine myself doing that even when I was addicted to the site. Students use Facebook as a break from homework and before you know it, one thing leads to another.

Staying off the site is easier said than done. Take a page out of my book and gradually decrease your time. You’d be surprised at how a little bit of practice will benefit. If you need a break, get away from the computer. If that doesn’t work, visit another site. When visiting other sites, you’ll get back to necessary tasks sooner.

If you’re not doing homework online, there’s no reason to visit Facebook. Only log onto the internet when doing something school-related. It helps when approaching the internet with a business mentality.

I don’t suggest eliminating Facebook completely. It’s ok to visit the site once or twice a day. But let the time be short. The only time to visit Facebook for an extended period is after you complete your priorities. Use it as a reward.

If none of these alternatives work, the only thing left is to delete your account; and that’s not happening. It shouldn’t reach that point anyway. Facebook is an enjoyable site. There’s a time to be and not to be on it. At the same time, we’re in school to get an education. The less distractions, the better we use our time.

Be Happy With Your Major

Coming into college, I had decided what my major would be: Journalism (in case you want to know). My decision was made years earlier. When declaring my major, I was at peace and nothing would alter my choice. I rejoice when adding Journalism classes to my schedule; and not surprisingly, enjoy those classes the most.

Students, take pride in your majors. You have to live with them for the rest of your life; so be happy about it.

In choosing a major, make sure you’ll be content and not sway in the future. Students choose majors for the wrong reasons. Among the motives: a major will get them the best job, their parents want them to pursue a career they don’t want, or most of their friends take the major. If any of these reasons influence the decision, you’re trying to please others. One student told me he chose Finance due to fear of the bad economy. He was previously in International Relations, but felt there wouldn’t be many opportunities in this field. He now regrets the switch, and doesn’t want to pursue Finance after graduation. That’s a college career worst-spent. Don’t put yourself in this predicament. Every time someone talks about the economy, I brush it off. I ignore when someone says “there will be more jobs in this or that field”. How I look at it: there are jobs for everyone. You need confidence that you’ll find a preferred job.

Choosing a major should be easy. If anything, it should be hard due to several possibilities of what you want to do. Besides happiness, the decision comes down to strengths. Have a sense of what you do well and capitalize on it. If you’re good with math and science, pursue engineering. If you like to write, choose journalism. College will be easier for students if they choose majors that correspond with their hobbies/interests. Choose majors that present the best opportunity to succeed. For example, don’t choose Accounting if you don’t like math. Yeah, the field sounds intriguing; but don’t chance making life miserable.

It annoys me to hear students complain when they have exams in their major. If you chose to pursue the field, take the test. Preparing for tests will only help because it allows you to spend time reading material you’ll use in the future. Don’t expect to be successful in a field without preparation.

Another good way to determine if you’ll be content: examine whether you’ll be happy working in the field years later. If not, that’s an indicator of how happy you’ll be in college.

Students, feel good about your major. Brag about it to others. If someone says something negative, don’t worry. All that matters is whether you’re happy.

Take Advantage of Campus Organizations

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In the above podcast, I had the chance to interview two Lehigh University students. The students recently traveled to St. Louis with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). They discussed the overall experience, workshops they attended, and other activities they partook in. They were excited to experience another part of the country for a few days. The students were honored to represent the university and meet prospective employers. I won't give too many details because I want you to listen.

The testimonials in the podcast confirm why college students should take advantage of campus organizations. If an organization corresponds to your field of study, join it. It’s comprised of students with the same interests as you. As a member, you go on trips, attend workshops, and give your resume a boost. Employers love Active students, especially students who partake in activities that match with their major.

                                                                     

At various workshops, you can network with not only employers, but other individuals who have beneficial connections. The students I interviewed were presented the opportunity-of-a-lifetime; and are excited about the relationships they developed on the trip. Their statements in the podcast should motivate you to join something.

Keep Your Rooms Clean

Last year, my family came to visit. While visiting my apartment, they ragged me about its looks. I didn’t take it personal because it wasn’t my mess. The living room was dirty, there were noodles on the kitchen floor, and it was smelly. I rarely hung out in other parts of the apartment. After thinking, it was embarrassing on mines’ and my roommates’ parts. We dwelt in that mess daily. It’s a shame it took a family visit to feel bad.

Students, take care of your dorm rooms/ apartments. There’s no reason for your rooms to be smelly and dirty for a length of time.

Most students are used to living messy. Back home, they rarely cleaned and the habits transferred to college. But now it’s time to change. After cooking, wash the dishes. When the garbage runs over, take it out. If the floor is flooded with junk, vacuum it. Don’t watch your place accumulate with scrap. You never know who will make a surprise visit.

When it comes to cleaning, I tend to be selfish. My mentality: if my room or portion of the apartment is clean, the heck with the rest of it. I failed to realize that the apartment reflects everyone in it. My family didn’t care who made the mess.

The best way to keep your place clean is to divide the chores. Make sure everyone knows what they’re doing and when to do it. Many students fail at this task, including myself. Take the trash as an example. Everyone in the apartment will walk past a full garbage can for days until someone budges. The person that takes it out will be upset and call his/her roommates many names. This is a frustrating scenario for anybody.

College rooms become dirty due to a lack of cleaning supplies. When packing, bringing a vacuum or cleaning detergent is the last things on students’ minds. They fail to ask their roommate(s) who’s bringing what. If this situation occurs, everyone should chip-in and buy the materials. That way, everyone is entitled to them. Also, don’t hesitate to ask the maid for a vacuum. She wouldn’t mind lending it. As a freshman, I frequently borrowed the maid’s vacuum. Speaking of maids, many students become spoiled by them. For example, the maid cleaned our bathroom every week freshman year. The following year, the maid didn’t clean as often. It took us a while to adjust.

Cleaning comes down to pride. Keeping your room dandy should be a priority. Whoever doesn’t mind living in a smelly atmosphere needs to examine their self. I don’t understand how some kids allow their hampers to overflow and wear dirty clothes multiple times before washing them. When you keep clean, you feel good. I rejoice when people say my room smells nice.

Connect With Your Roommates

At the beginning of the school year, I wasn’t sure what to expect from my roommates. I roomed with one last year; but this would be my first year rooming with the others. Add to the fact that I didn’t know them well, I was tense. Thankfully, one of my roommates resolved any awkwardness between us. During the first week of school, he took it upon himself to bring the four of us together. We played his videogames and chatted amongst each other in the living room. Those experiences are the reason we get along.

Students, establish relationships with your roommates. It’s hard to live with someone you barely talk with. Give yourself a chance to know them. I know it’s late in the school year and you figure you can tolerate this person a little while longer. But, it shouldn’t be like that.

During freshman year, it took me time to adjust to my roommate. He was a good person; but he wasn’t the type of person I’d hang out with. It was hard to give myself a chance to know him. It took an entire school year to realize how stupid I was for brushing him off. I was nice to him, but not as friendly as I should’ve been. Freshman year would’ve been much easier if I had done these things.

Communication is essential to get along with your roommate(s). You never know how he/she feels about something until you talk to them. Simply saying “hi” is not really communication. You say “hi” to anyone on the street. Your roommate is like a sibling, minus the arguments. It’s important to feel comfortable around your roommate as you do with family. College students deal with numerous issues. For some reason, many feel they have to deal with them alone. Roommates are alternatives to relatives/ close friends. I’m confident your roommate wouldn’t mind listening to your feelings.

Roommates have a tendency to do what they see. At beginning of last school year, I constantly had my room door closed. My roommates followed my lead. As expected, we rarely spoke to each other. I didn’t like the feeling of walking past their doors and not saying anything to them. So, I took it upon myself to keep my door open; and once again, they followed. As a result, communication improved.

Establishing relationships with roommates leads to many benefits. You won’t have to worry about doing things alone. You can eat, workout, and do other positive activities with them. I would’ve never partaken in intramural sports if not for my roommate. He looked out for me by signing me up. That wouldn’t have happened if our bond wasn’t strong.

It’s never too late to connect with your roommates. Where there’s unity, there’s peace. And no one wants to live in a stressful environment.