1) Recognize Stress:
Stress symptoms include mental, social, and physical manifestations. These include exhaustion, loss of/increased appetite, headaches, crying, sleeplessness, and oversleeping. Escape through alcohol, drugs, or other compulsive behavior are often indications. Feelings of alarm, frustration, or apathy may accompany stress.
If you feel that stress is affecting your studies, a first option is to seek help through your educational counseling center.
Stress Management is the ability to maintain control when situations, people, and events make excessive demands. What you can do to manage your stress? What are some strategies?
2) Look Around
See if there really is something you can change or control in the situation.
3) Set Realistic Goals for Yourself Reduce the number of events going on in your life and you may reduce the circuit overload.
4) Remove Yourself From the Stressful Situation Give yourself a break if only for a few moments daily.
5) Don’t Overwhelm Yourself Don’t worry about your entire workload. Handle each task as it comes, or selectively deal with matters in some priority.
6) Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Try to prioritize a few truly important things and let the rest slide.
7) Learn How to Best Relax Yourself Meditation and breathing exercises have been proven to be very effective in controlling stress. Practice clearing your mind of disturbing thoughts.
8) Selectively Change the Way You React
But not too much at one time. Focus on one troublesome thing and manage your reactions to it/him/her.
9) Change the Way You See Your Situation; Seek Alternative Viewpoints
Stress is a reaction to events and problems, and you can lock yourself in to one way of viewing your situation. Seek an outside perspective of the situation, compare it with yours, and perhaps lessen your reaction to these conditions.
10) Avoid Extreme Reactions
Why hate when a little dislike will do? Why generate anxiety when you can be nervous? Why rage when anger will do the job? Why be depressed when you can just be sad?
11) Do Something for Others This helps get your mind off your self.
12) Get Enough Sleep
Lack of rest just aggravates stress.
13) Work Off Stress Get active physically; whether it’s jogging, tennis, gardening, etc.
14) Try to “Use” Stress
If you can’t remedy, nor escape from, what is bothering you, flow with it and try to use it in a productive way.
15) Try to Be Positive
Give yourself messages as to how well you can cope rather than how horrible everything is going to be.
*** Most importantly, if stress is putting you in an unmanageable state or interfering with your schoolwork, social and/or work life, seek professional help at your school counseling center
Hope you found our “Tip of the Week” to be informative and helpful.
To remedy procrastination, answer these basic questions.
What do you want to do?
What is the final objective and end result? (It may be obvious, or it may not )
What are the major steps to get there? Don’t get too detailed: think big.
What have you done so far?
Acknowledge that you are already part way, even if it is that you are in the thinking phase. The longest journey begins with a first step.
What is your biggest motivation?
Do not concern yourself if your motivation is negative! This is honest and a good beginning. However, if your motivation is negative, re-phrase and re-work it until it is phrased positively.
What other positive results will flow from achieving your goal?
Identifying these will help you uncover benefits that you may be avoiding: Dare to dream. List out what stands in your way. What is in your power to change? What resources outside yourself do you need? Resources are not all physical (i.e. tools and money), and include time, people/professionals/elders, even attitude
What will happen if you don’t progress?
It won’t hurt to scare yourself a little… Develop your plan, list major, realistic steps. A project is easier when it is built in stages; start small; add detail and complexity as you achieve and grow.
How much time each will take?
A schedule helps you keep a progress chart and reinforce that there are way-stations on your path . What time of day, week, etc. do you dedicate yourself to work? This helps you develop a new habit of working, build a good work environment, and distance distractions (It is much easier to enjoy your project when distractions are set aside.)
Rewards you will have at each station
Think of rewards and also what you will deny yourself until you arrive at each station.
Build in time for review
Find a trusted friend, elder, or expert to help you motivate yourself or monitor progress.
Admit to:
False starts and mistakes as learning experiences. They can be more important than successes, and give meaning to “experience”.
Distractions and escapes. Do not deny they exist, but deny their temptation.
Emotion. Admit to frustration when things don’t seem to be going right. Admit that you have had a problem, but also that you are doing something about it.
Fantasy See yourself succeeding.
Finally, if procrastination is a habit of yours, focus on the immediate task and project, and build up from there. Each journey begins with one step.
Hope you found our “Tip of the Week” to be informative and helpful.
Here are some techniques and strategies that will help you become a good note taker, whether you are taking college lecture notes or class notes these tips will be a great help in staying ahead:
If the instructor writes something on the chalkboard/overhead, then it is usually a key point and you should write it down.
Try to use a three-ring binder, it allows for more flexibility in rearranging your notes and any handouts that you may receive.
Sit towards the front and center of the class where you’ll be less distracted, hear the professor and have a good angle on any visual aids that may be shown.
Don’t rely on someone else’s notes, you may not understand everything that they write down and you’ll remember the best by taking your own notes.
If your instructor talks fast, it may help to bring an audio recorder and record the lecture while taking notes. After the lecture is over you can replay the lecture and fill in any parts that you missed.
Do reading assignments or homework questions before class, it is easier to take notes when you know what the instructor is talking about.
Date your notes. Add titles and subtitles when you move onto a new topic for easy referencing.
Write down any terminology along with the definition that the instructor may present.
Make sure that you write legibly, if you can’t read them later, they’ll be useless. If you have sloppy handwriting it may be wise to type your notes so that they are easier to read.
If you missed what the instructor said ask him/her to repeat it or go to the instructor after class and ask for clarification. If you are in a rush, ask the instructor any questions at the beginning of the next class. You may also want to find the answer from a friend or the textbook.
Compare notes with a classmate to make sure you didn’t miss any important points.
Hope you found our “Tip of the Week” to be informative and helpful.
Most students experience some level of anxiety during an exam. However, when anxiety affects exam performance it can become a problem.
General preparation/building confidence:
Review your personal situation and skills
Developing good study habits and strategies
Managing time(dealing with procrastination, distractions, laziness). Organizing material to be studied and learned
Take a step by step approach to build a strategy and not get overwhelmed. Outside pressures success/failure consequences (grades, graduation), peer pressure, competitiveness, etc.
Reviewing your past performance on tests to improve and learn from experience
Test preparation to reduce anxiety:
Approach the exam with confidence:
Use whatever strategies you can to personalize success: visualization, logic, talking to your self, practice, team work, journaling, etc.
View the exam as an opportunity to show how much you’ve studied and to receive a reward for the studying you’ve done
Be prepared!
Learn your material thoroughly and organize what materials you will need for the test. Use a checklist
Choose a comfortable location for taking the test with good lighting and minimal distractions
Allow yourself plenty of time, especially to do things you need to do before the test and still get there a little early
Avoid thinking you need to cram just before
Strive for a relaxed state of concentration. Avoid speaking with any fellow students who have not prepared, who express negativity, who will distract your preparation
A program of exercise is said to sharpen the mind
Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam
Don’t go to the exam with an empty stomach.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are often recommended to reduce stress.
Stressful foods can include processed foods, artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks, chocolate, eggs, fried foods, junk foods, pork, red meat, sugar, white flour products, chips and similar snack foods, foods containing preservatives or heavy spices
Take a small snack, or some other nourishment
to help take your mind off of your anxiety.
Avoid high sugar content (candy)
During the test:
Read the directions carefully
Budget your test taking time
Change positions to help you relax
If you go blank, skip the question and go on
If you’re taking an essay test and you go blank on the whole test, pick a question and start writing. It may trigger the answer in your mind
Don’t panic when students start handing in their papers. There’s no reward for being the first done
If you find yourself tensing and getting anxious during the test
Relax; you are in control. Take slow, deep breaths
Don’t think about the fear
Pause: think about the next step and keep on task, step by step
Use positive reinforcement for yourself:
Acknowledge that you have done, and are doing, your best
Expect some anxiety
It’s a reminder that you want to do your best and can provide energy
Just keep it manageable
Realize that anxiety can be a “habit”
and that it takes practice to use it as a tool to succeed
After the test, review how you did
List what worked, and hold onto these strategies
It does not matter how small the items are: they are building blocks to success
List what did not work for improvement
Celebrate that you are on the road to overcoming this obstacle
Check out local centers and resources in your school for assistance!
If you are aware that you have a problem with test anxiety,
be sure your teacher or instructor knows before any testing begins (and not the hour before!). There may be other options to evaluate your knowledge or performance within the subject matter.
Hope you found our “Tip of the Week” to be informative and helpful.
Does it seem like there’s never enough time in the day to get everything done? Feel like you’re always running late? Here are some tips for taking control of your time and organizing your life.
1. Make a “To Do” List Every Day.
Put things that are most important at the top and do them first. If it’s easier, use a planner to track all of your tasks. And don’t forget to reward yourself for your accomplishments.
2. Use Spare Minutes Wisely.
Get some reading done on the bus ride home from school, for example, and you’ll kill two birds with one stone.
3. It’s Okay to Say “No.”
If your boss asks you to work on a Thursday night and you have a final exam the next morning, realize that it’s okay to say no. Keep your short- and long-term priorities in mind.
4. Find the Right Time.
You’ll work more efficiently if you figure out when you do your best work. For example, if your brain handles math better in the afternoon, don’t wait to do it until late at night.
5. Review Your Notes Every Day.
You’ll reinforce what you’ve learned, so you need less time to study. You’ll also be ready if your teacher calls on you or gives a pop quiz.
6. Get a Good Night’s Sleep.
Running on empty makes the day seem longer and your tasks seem more difficult.
7. Communicate Your Schedule to Others.
If phone calls are proving to be a distraction, tell your friends that you take social calls from 7-8 p.m. It may sound silly, but it helps.
8. Become a Taskmaster.
Figure out how much free time you have each week. Give yourself a time budget and plan your activities accordingly.
9. Don’t Waste Time Agonizing.
Have you ever wasted an entire evening by worrying about something that you’re supposed to be doing? Was it worth it? Instead of agonizing and procrastinating, just do it.
10. Keep Things in Perspective.
Setting goals that are unrealistic sets you up for failure. While it’s good to set high goals for yourself, be sure not to overdo it. Set goals that are difficult yet reachable.
Consider these tips, but personalize your habits so that they suit you. If you set priorities that fit your lifestyle, you’ll have a better chance of achieving your goals.
Hope you found our “Tip of the Week” to be informative and helpful.
Your Friends At The College Funding Advisors
PS. As always, if you have any questions on how you’re going to pay the upcoming astronomical costs of college, please do not hesitate to contact your College Funding Advisor. We can walk you through several different payment options to help determine the right one for you.
The most common scholarships may be classified as:
Merit-based: These awards are based on a student’s athletic, academic, artistic or other abilities, and often factor in an applicant’s community service record and extracurricular activities. The most common merit-based scholarships, awarded by either private organizations or directly by a student’s intended college, recognize academic achievement or high scores on the ACT and SAT standardized tests.
Need-based: These awards are based on the student and family’s financial record and will require applicants to fill out a FAFSA to qualify if the scholarship is a federal award. Private need-based scholarships will also often require the results of a FAFSA, which calculates a student’s financial need through a formula looking at the expected family contribution and cost of attendance at the intended college.
Student-specific: These are scholarships where applicants must initially qualify by race, gender, religion, family and medical history, or many other student-specific factors.
Career-specific: These are scholarships awarded by a college or university to students planning to pursue a specific field of study. Often the most generous awards are given to students pursuing careers in high-need areas such as education or nursing.
To help keep yourself on a timeframe, impose a deadline that is at least two weeks before the stated scholarship deadline to send out all required materials. Make a copy of the entire packet and keep it on file in case your packet goes astray. Make sure your name (and social security number, if applicable) appears on each page of the material to ensure that nothing is lost.
Lastly, a great place to start looking for scholarships is: www.fastweb.com
Hope you found our “Tip of the Week” to be informative and helpful.
Your Friends At The College Funding Advisors
PS. As always, if you have any questions on how you’re going to pay the upcoming astronomical costs of college, please do not hesitate to contact your College Funding Advisor. We can walk you through several different payment options to help determine the right one for you.
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