Only 5 Weeks Left in the Semester? Spooky! Here's Some Tips to Stay Motivated As the Semester Comes to an End.

Week 10 of the fall semester has just come to an end... Spooky, right? Do you know what else is spooky? The fact that there's only 5 more weeks left in the whole semester! Where has the time gone!? With Halloween and Thanksgiving celebrations on everyone's mind at this time of the year, it's important to stay on track and keep yourself motivated with your school work and obligations (as hard as that may be). Here are just a few tips to peak your motivation just when you seem to be losing it:


1. Set Small Goals - Focus on progress, no matter how big or small, to keep your motivation from dwindling; take things one-step-at-a-time.

2. Organize Your Time - Doing well academically should be a top priority; set some time aside to plan out the week ahead of you.

3. Develop a Support Group - Finding friends and family that support your goals can make a world of difference when it comes to staying motivated.

4. Be Realistic, But Always Strive for Improvement - Be realistic in undertaking your pursuits; nothing happens overnight and nothing comes easy.

5. Believe in Yourself! - Always work to be the best you can be and never give up on goals that are important to you, regardless of how frustrated or exhausted you may become.

I hope these tips help you to push through the last couple weeks of the semester when you're being bombarded with work, exams, and projects. Remember to always strive for greatness. Stop into my office if you have any questions, concerns, or if you just need to talk!

Have a HAPPY and SAFE Halloween!

- ASM Katie :)

personalize your study habits

"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Everyone is unique, therefore everyone has there own unique ways of learning. Some people learn simply by sitting in class and listening to the teachers lecture, others are more hands on and need to physically practice. Some people are visual learners and grasp concepts using charts and visual aids. Below is a great diagram to help you pinpoint your unique style of learning.

Now that you have seen which learning style fits your personality the best, you can get the most benefit out of this knowledge by tweaking your study habits to fit your learning style. The chart above also provides some great study tips for all of the different learning styles. Find what works best for you!



It's the Most Stressful Time of the Year

Hang in there!
At this point in the semester, it is common for stress levels to increase all across the campus. It is important to have an awareness of how much stress you can handle before you reach your breaking point. Luckily for all of you, you live in a community that has two different meditation rooms! Stop into the meditation room in either Maple or Ruddock to take a step back and just breathe. The rooms will provide you with a computer to play soothing music or instructional yoga videos as well as a variety of pillows. Take advantage of the resources right around you and take care of your mental health. Always remember: This too shall pass:)

Didn't Do So Well On Your Midterms? Never Fear - There's Room for Recovery!

With week seven of the semester coming to a close, you all know what that means: MIDTERM EXAMS. Sure you've had other tests and quizzes prior to this, but midterms are some serious business; they're a way of testing what you've learned during your first seven weeks here at IUP and they usually weigh a pretty hefty influence on your final grade. Stressful, right? Some of you may be in the process of preparing for you midterm exams now, but what about those of you who've taken them already? Did you do well? Was the score you received the one you were expecting? For those of you who didn't do as well as you wanted to (or as well as you thought you were going to do) here are some tips for midterm recovery.

1) Take A Deep Breath - We all make mistakes. Try to accept this one and move forward onto bigger and better things. You were born to be real, not perfect.

2) Contact Your Professor - Creating relationships with your professor can completely change your classroom experience and understanding. They will notice and respect your effort, and in return, you'll get the help that you need.

3) Front And Center - It's time to sit in the front row and turn off your phone. If you didn't do well on your midterm, that means you need to crush the final exam, and scrolling through Twitter in the back of the classroom simply won't help you. Don't just go to class - be present.

4) Implement A Plan - Okay, so you didn't do well on the midterm - What are you going do about it? Write down your personal goals. What will you do differently the second half of the semester? Execute your plan! A bad grade on a midterm doesn't define you, how you bounce back does.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your academic standing, or your stressed and need someone to talk to, feel free to stop by my office in Ruddock on Mondays 3-5, Tuesdays 12:30-2:30 & Fridays 10-12.

- ASM Katie :)

To begin, just start: 5 steps to writing a research paper

I won't lie to you, I am a procrastinator. Not because I would rather be laying on my bed watching Netflix, or because I have many other things to do, but because I just don't know where to start!


Step 1: Coffee.


Step 2: Decide on your topic. Make it specific, make sure you can get the required page limit out of that topic, and stick to it!


Step 3: Make a web. Put your topic in the middle and on the outside write at least 5 main areas of interest to expand upon.


Step 4: Make an outline. Here we will get more detailed. Use your "outside web" ideas as main topics for paragraphs or sections of your paper, then expand on those more in your outline, becoming more detailed. By this point you should be able to see your paper unfolding in front of you!


Step 5: Research what you don't know. Get the research topics from your outline!


Step 6: Write a CRAPPY first draft. Sit down, take a deep breath, and type away! The hard part is
over!


Most Important Step!
Step 7: Take that crappy first draft to the writing center! Located in Eicher hall. Peer tutors are there ready to read your paper and help you in any way they can! They can even tell your professor that you went to them (Professors like seeing that you are trying ;)).


Step 8: Revise your paper with the corrections from the writing center.