Happy Holidays and enjoy your break! We will see you back on campus January 13th!

{Finals}

{Dreams}

As you are preparing for finals and getting worn down, just remember that you will be done in a week and half and don't forget this:

You can do it!

{Finals: When Are They?!}

Finals week is getting close. Now is the time to figure out when you have your finals. The finals week schedule is not the same as every other week. You only meet once for each of your classes and it could be at a different time. But how do you figure out when you meet?

Option 1) Look in the course syllabus calendar. In most cases the instructor will including the date and time for your final.

Option 2) Use the final examination schedule from the schedule of classes. It's included here. How do you read it? You look first for the time that the class usually meets, then the days of the week it usually meets. Once you find that and go across, it will tell you the date and time for that final! Here's an example:

I have class usually at 9:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Answer: My class starts in the  9:00 hour of Tuesdays and Thursdays which means my final is from 8:00-9:50am on Wednesday, December 17th!

Here is the Final Examination Schedule:

{Major Mondays: Political Communication}

Political science is the study of government and governing systems. Political communication is a combination of political science and communication. Students majoring in political communication take 36-37 credit hours which includes an internship experience. You would take a set of core politics and communication courses and then two areas of concentration for the rest. This is a great major for those interested in careers in public affairs management.

What do you do with a major in Political Communication? Some of the jobs in this area include public relations for governments and non-profit organizations, campaign management, political journalism in electronic or print media, political speech writing and advertising, survey research or public opinion consulting. You have a myriad of options to consider!

What classes would you take? You would take a combination of politics courses and communications courses. Some examples include Political Communication, Rhetoric and Civic Culture, Introduction to American Politics, Campaigns and Elections, Freedom of Speech, Civil Rights and Liberties, Modern Presidency, and much, MUCH more!

You can gather more information on their website here!

{Registration: Change Your Schedule}

Let's say something came up and you now have to make a change in your schedule. Well, guess what? YOU can make that change!

From the start of your enrollment appointment through the first week of classes you can make changes online through your Student Center. There are 3 types of changes you could make:

1) Add: You've decided that instead of 12 credit hours, you'd like to take 15. Here's how:

• From the homepage of your Student Center, click "Enroll"
• Select "Spring 2014", click "Continue"
• Follow the Registration guide from our October 31st and November 1st

2) Drop: You've decided that you would rather wait to take one of your classes til the next semester. Here is how you would make that drop:

• From the homepage of your Student Center, click "Enroll"
• Select "Spring 2015", click "Continue"
• Towards the top, under your name, and under the tab that says "Enroll", click "Drop"
• Select the class you would like to drop, click "Drop Selected Classes"
• Select "Finish Dropping" and you have now dropped the class!

3) Swap: You decide that you want to drop Humanities II and add Humanities III but they are at the same time. Instead of dropping Humanities II and THEN adding Humanities III, just use the Swap feature to do it all at once!

• From the homepage of your Student Center, click "Enroll"
• Select "Spring 2015", click "Continue"
• Towards the top, under your name, and under the tab that says "Enroll", click "Swap"
• Under "Swap This Class" use the drop down box to select a course from your schedule that you no longer want
• Under "With This Class" you can:
• Click "Search" next to Class Search to search for a class in general
•  Next to "Select from Shopping Cart" use the drop down box to select a class, then hit "Select" to make the swap
• After selecting your courses click "Finish Swapping"
• You've just swapped your classes!

Always make sure that you check your Advisement Report or meet with your advisor before making a change to make sure it will keep you on track for graduation.

7 Habits of highly Effective People: Be Proactive

Effective people take responsibility for their lives. The do not blame others, they do not believe that things happen to them, and they are not victims. Being proactive means feeling in control of your life, feeling like the captain and choosing your attitude. Reactive people make choices on impulse. Proactive people make choices on values.

Language is a major factor in controlling whether you are proactive or reactive. Reactive language places the blame on others, reveals that your emotions are out of control and takes no responsibility. It takes the power away form you and gives it to someone else. Proactive language works to put the control back in your hands. It says, “I know I can’t control everything, but I can control how I react to it.” Proactive language focuses on the options, opportunities and optimism.

In reality, no one is either completely proactive or reactive, but somewhere in between. The goal is to be as proactive as possible. This is important for college student because, at some point or along many points, life will deal you a bad hand. There will be glitch with the internet when you are working on a paper, you may struggle with a professor who has a differing teaching style, you will get in arguments with friends, you may not get as much scholarship money as you’d like, and so on. These setbacks are opportunities to grow, develop and gain perspective. Proactivity gives you control, and in a time in your life that can feel overwhelming, control is an important thing. In order to be successful and efficient college students, you need to take initiative to make your goals happen, think about solutions and options to obstacles, and act before you are acted upon.

{How to: Avoid Burnout}

Do you feel mentally exhausted? Are you struggling to even physically begin to study for your finals? You're not alone. During this time of the year, most students experience some form of burnout. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines burnout as a physical or mental collapse cause by overwork or stress. To help you overcome burnout during these last few weeks of this semester, we've put together a few tips!

1. Get plenty of sleep. In most cases, staying up until 2:00 am to finish that paper hurts your stress level more than it helps.

2. Exercise. Working out or moving around wakes up your body to help you feel more energized. This can be something as simple as taking a longer route to class!

3. Stay positive. Negative thoughts can make you more stressed out, so try to frame your thoughts in a positive way.

4. Take deep breaths. Sometimes all you need to do is take a minute to take a deep breath to refocus you on your work.

5. Eat healthy. Don't skip meals to study or do homework. Keep healthy snacks on hand so when you feel tempted to snack, you can let yourself indulge and not have to stress more about your unhealthy habits.

6. Talk about your concerns. Share your thoughts with a close friend or family member to get your thoughts out of your head. If you feel extremely stressed and helpless, contact the UNI Health Center to set up a meeting with a counselor for additional help, (319) 273-2676. Try to avoid venting over social media, if possible!




Sources:
http://blog.cengage.com/?top_blog=tips-for-students-managing-and-avoiding-stress-in-college&channel=Eloqua&elq_mid=7233&elq_cid=1970129

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burnout

7 Habits of Highly Effective People: The Personal Bank Account

Changing habits means changing yourself. This first has to happen from the inside out by experience personal victories. These victories are like a deposit into your own personal bank account. They will build you up, make you proud and keep you on track. But when you break your commitments or fall short on your personal promises, you make a withdrawal from that same bank account. The ratio of withdrawals and deposits, just like a savings or checking account, will result in loaded or bankrupted self-confidence.

There are several key deposits that will be crucial to building a positive self-image and increase the achievement of personal victories. The first deposit is to keep promises to yourself. The commitments we make to ourselves are as serious as those we make to those we love most. Building trust within is just as valuable as creating trust with others.

Another valuable deposit is to do small acts of kindness for others. These acts create a focus outward, not inward and make us feel really good. The feeling can last when also used with the deposits of being gentle with yourself and being honest. Learning how to give yourself some slack, laugh at your mistakes and be patient with your development will keep a focus on what is really important and what does not need to be concerned.

An important deposit, especially when you become quite busy, is to spend time for renewing yourself. Life, school, friends and family can be stressful. Perfecting the art of renewal is important for maintaining your zest for life and keeping your motivation in tact. Renew comes in many shapes, from finding a refuge to exercising, to losing yourself in old movies, journals or music.

Finally, depositing your talents can increase your personal bank account in immense numbers. Doing something you like doing and that you have a talent for will provide a form of self-expression, exhilaration and happiness. These talents can reveal career opportunities, additional hobbies, and burning passions. All these deposits will create more self-confidence and help you wage the war within.

{Major Mondays: Earth Science}

The Department of Earth Science offers a B.A. in Earth Science, Environmental Science and Earth Science Teaching as well as minors in those areas. As an earth science student, you would have courses in five curricular areas: Geology, Astronomy, Meteorology, Environmental Science and Earth Science Education. You have opportunities to conduct field research, use the two on-campus observatories, use up-to-date computer forecasting models, and much more!

What do you do with a major in Earth Science (non-teaching)? Individuals that have majored in earth science work as explorers for new mineral or energy resources which is important today. You may consult on engineering or environmental problems, conduct research, work as a naturalist or be a museum curator. There are a multitude of possibilities!

What classes would you take? Astronomy, General Chemistry I, Elements of Weather, Introduction to Geology, and Earth History are some core courses. Some elective options include Measurement and Analysis of Air Quality, Volcanology, Air Quality, Earthquakes and Tsunamis, Weather Analysis and Forecasting and much more!

You can gather more information on their website here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Next week you have the entire week off! Use that time to be productive, relax and recharge so that  you can come back on Monday, December 1st ready to finish the semester strong. :)

7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Sharpen the Saw

This is the habit of renewal. Sharpening the saw means taking regular time-outs to rejuvenate and strengthen the four key dimensions of life -body, mind, heart and soul. To perform at the highest level, all four areas need to be in balance.

Caring for your body involves paying attention. Our bodies are marvelous machines that adapt, transform and give clues to us throughout our entire lives. It means eating well (thinking about moderation and avoiding extremes), exercising and being physically healthy. Caring for the body also means staying away from the things that will destroy it, such as alcohol, addictive and prescription drugs, and tobacco.

What is done with the mass of gray matter between the ears is the most determining factor to your future. Caring for your brain means making a plan and commitment to developing brain power through schooling, extra curricular activities, hobbies, jobs and other mind-exploring experiences. Creating an educated mind is not just about getting a diploma. It is about having the ability to reason, synthesize, write, read, communicate, analyze, explore, argue and much, much more.

The heart is a temperamental thing. It needs constant nourishment and care, otherwise it will send you on an emotional roller coaster. Caring for the heart is tied to our relationships. Finding a friend, family member, advisor or significant other to positively interact with will create large deposits into the heart. And when those bad moments or negative feelings just can’t quite seem to be shaken off, seeking help or meeting with counselor is important.

Your soul houses your deepest convictions, values and passions. It is the source of your deepest happiness and inner peace. Caring for the soul looks very different for everyone. Whether it is worshipping, meditating, creating, interacting or reflecting, these self-nourishing acts create purpose and meaning to our live.

Renewal is not something that is always practical. There are times to be balances and there are times for imbalance. Some times are more demanding and will require more focus, such as finals or throughout an internship. The goal is to be mindful about your four dimensions and make a commitment to taking some time, when you can, to rejuvenate and sharpen the saw.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Synergize

Synergy is the process by which two or more people, working together, are able to achieve more than if they were to work alone. It is a mutually beneficial and symbiotic relationship. The foundation for synergy is the ability to celebrate differences. Not just gender and racial diversity, but differences in religion, personality, education, language, family, interests, values and so on. Going beyond tolerance and actually celebrating these differences offers the purest form of synergy as consistent acceptance creates a vast network. Celebrating differences becomes easier when we recognize that we are all a minority of one. From the way we learn, our worldly paradigms, our personalities and on, we are all unique and special. 

Synergy is not compromise. Compromise is a situation when one or each person concedes something to find a solution. While compromise is better than conflict, it is not ideal. Synergy is creative cooperation. It’s not about reaching the goal together that you could have done alone; it’s about exceeding your goals and the goals of others by working together. To get to synergy, each party must define the problem or issue, determine the two sides or set of goals, brainstorm creative yet logical solutions, and then choose the best solution.

Synergy doesn’t always happen naturally or even with great effort. Some cooperative solutions are difficult to come by. But the more effort put into the synergy plan, the easier it will become and the more often the valuable fruits of these relationships will be reaped.

You should recognize that there are many  people on campus that are ready and willing to be part of your synergistic team. Never again in your life will you be part of a community that is as dedicated to and motivated by your success. And when you observe and utilize the services, resources and people on this campus, your path will become smoother and clearer.