Student Housing Newsletter Feb 2013
Content
The Official Newsletter for McNeese Student Housing
February 2013
Celebrate Black History Month
Secure Your Fall Room Today
It’s hard to believe, but it is time to begin preparing for the Fall 2013 semester. The priority leasing period started December 13, 2012 and will end Friday, February 8, 2013. Make sure you stop in today to secure your spot.
Yearbooks Now Available
Stop by the Old Ranch today to pick up your copy of the 2011-2012 McNeese State University Yearbook. Students can also pick up previous editions as well. Don’t miss out on your school history.
Collette Door Security Card System
Collette residents will notice changes this semester as the front entry doors have been upgraded to the door security system. Residents will need to get an activated access card from the Housing Office to gain entry.
1
Get Ready for the Return of Burton Hall
The new Burton Hall building is currently under construction and is expected to be ready for students by summer 2013. The new building will be a 150 bed, 3-story, 55,225-sf residence hall consisting of four bedroom , two bath dormitories and two bedroom, one bath dormitories with living spaces. Leasing for Burton Hall will be based on a criteria for high academic achievers, stop by during the month of February to find out more.
PROPOSED 2013-2014 HOUSING RATES
Housing Type
Garden Apartments 2/1 Private Suite 6/2 Private Suite 6/2 Semi-Private Suite Collette Hall Shared Room
Cost (Contract Length)
$550 per month (12 month contract) $526 per month (10 month contract) $466 per month (10 month contract) $366 per month (10 month contract) $261 per month (10 month contract)
2
Avoid Lock-Out Charges
Starting this semester, residents will be given one warning (free lock-out entry) before being assessed a “$50 service charge each time that the resident locks himself/herself out of the Premises, and requests Landlord’s assistance in gaining entry to the Premises after 5:00p.m. on weekdays, and at any time on weekends and holidays.” This violation is mentioned in your signed lease agreement. It is our hope that residents will become more mindful of where their keys and personal belongings are at all times.
Remove Holiday Decorations
With the holiday season over and done all residents are asked to remove all Holiday Decorations from their windows and/or balconies. Rooms with decorations in prohibited areas may be subject to a lease violation letter and/or fine.
Considering Staying Off Campus? Why? Why Pay New Deposits? ▫ Why Buy New Furniture? ▫ Why Pay Separate Bills ▫ Why Look For A Place to Do Laundry ▫ Why Isolate Yourself from Campus Life? Why? Why?....Why Not Just Stay Here?
3
Aaron Myers, RHA President
Brian K. Roberson, II M.Ed Director of Residence Life (RHA) Advisor
What is RHA? The MSU Residence Hall Association works to serve oncampus residents and to improve the living-on-campus environment by promoting diversity, community, and leadership. Through a close relationship with Residential Life, RHA communicates residents’ concerns and opinions to help foster the atmosphere students want. RHA also organizes large-scale events for residents, such as our annual Crawfish Boil and the soon so come “Courtyard Block Party programs. Why join RHA? Be in the one of the newest student organization at MSU! Organize large on-campus events like crawfish boils, socials, and other educational, diversity and political programs. Serve and effect change in your community.
4
National Wear Red Day
Big Screen Movie Super Bowl Party Collette Lobby, 5pm Night, Quad, 7pm Basketball vs NSU Double-header Burton Coliseum 2;4:30pm
“Shop Talk”: Barbershop On Campus, 10am-1pm, Old Ranch
Refunds are sent to Higher One
Basketball at Lamar Women at 4pm Men at 6pm
Loan disbursements Soul Food Expo for 1st time borrowers 11am-1pm, Old Ranch with > 30hrs
Financial Aid Awareness Day Old Ranch
Movie Day 11am-1pm Old Ranch
Campus Scavenger Hunt 8am-4pm, Quad
5
Mardi Gras 2013 Events Daily Romantic Checklist
Motorcycles, Hot Rods and Classics Parade Downtown-Midtown Lake Charles. Noon Krewe de Rowdy Mardi Gras Ball 7pm, Burton Coliseum Chalkey Room Krewe of Krewes' Parade Downtown-Midtown Lake Charles. Hundreds of elaborate krewe floats, costumes, beads and more wind through the city in the culmination of the Fat Tuesday celebration. 5:00 p.m. *Taste de la Louisiane Pots and pots of all-you-can-eat traditional Louisiana cuisine for a $7 admission fee. Sunday, February 10, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Visit www.swlamardigras.com for the most up-to-date information.
Daily Romantic Checklist: Compliment your partner. Spend twenty minutes of uninterrupted time together. Check in with each other during the day. Perform one small and unexpected gesture. Say "I love you" at least three times. Thank your partner for something. Look for romantic concepts in the newspaper.
Take an extra minute when kissing good-bye.
Gift wrap a wishbone in a jewelry box. Send it to her with a note that says,
"I wish you were here."
6
African-American Firsts: Government Local elected official: John Mercer Langston, 1855, town clerk of Brownhelm Township, Ohio. State elected official: Alexander Lucius Twilight, 1836, the Vermont legislature. Mayor of major city: Carl Stokes, Cleveland, Ohio, 1967–1971. The first black woman to serve as a mayor of a major U.S. city was Sharon Pratt Dixon Kelly, Washington, DC, 1991–1995. Governor (appointed): P.B.S. Pinchback served as governor of Louisiana from Dec. 9, 1872–Jan. 13, 1873, during impeachment proceedings against the elected governor. Governor (elected): L. Douglas Wilder, Virginia, 1990– 1994. The only other elected black governor has been Deval Patrick, Massachusetts, 2007– U.S. Representative: Joseph Rainey became a Congressman from South Carolina in 1870 and was reelected four more times. The first black female U.S. Representative was Shirley Chisholm, Congresswoman from New York, 1969–1983. U.S. Senator: Hiram Revels became Senator from Mississippi from Feb. 25, 1870, to March 4, 1871, during Reconstruction. Edward Brooke became the first African-American Senator since Reconstruction, 1966–1979. Carol Mosely Braun became the first black woman Senator serving from 1992–1998 for the state of Illinois. (There have only been a total of five black senators in U.S. history: the remaining two are Blanche K. Bruce [1875–1881] and Barack Obama (2005–2008). U.S. cabinet member: Robert C. Weaver, 1966–1968, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Lyndon Johnson; the first black female cabinet minister was Patricia Harris, 1977, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Jimmy Carter. U.S. Secretary of State: Gen. Colin Powell, 2001– 2004. The first black female Secretary of State was Condoleezza Rice, 2005–2009. Major Party Nominee for President: Sen. Barack Obama, 2008. The Democratic Party selected him as its presidential nominee. U.S. President: Sen. Barack Obama. Obama defeated Sen. John McCain in the general election on November 4, 2008, and was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009.
African-American Firsts: Music and Dance Member of the New York City Opera: Todd Duncan, 1945. Member of the Metropolitan Opera Company: Marian Anderson, 1955. Male Grammy Award winner: Count Basie, 1958. Female Grammy Award winner: Ella Fitzgerald, 1958. Principal dancer in a major dance company: Arthur Mitchell, 1959, New York City Ballet. African-American Firsts: Film First Oscar: Hattie McDaniel, 1940, supporting actress, Gone with the Wind. Oscar, Best Actor/Actress: Sidney Poitier, 1963, Lilies of the Field; Halle Berry, 2001, Monster's Ball. Oscar, Best Actress Nominee: Dorothy Dandridge, 1954, Carmen Jones. Film director: Oscar Micheaux, 1919, wrote, directed, and produced The Homesteader, a feature film. Hollywood director: Gordon Parks directed and wrote The Learning Tree for Warner Brothers in 1969. African-American Firsts: Television Network television show host: Nat King Cole, 1956, "The Nat King Cole Show"; Oprah Winfrey became the first black woman television host in 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Star of a network television show: Bill Cosby, 1965, "I Spy". African-American Firsts: Sports Major league baseball player: Jackie Robinson, 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Jackie Robinson, 1962. NFL quarterback: Willie Thrower, 1953. NFL football coach: Fritz Pollard, 1922–1937. Golf champion: Tiger Woods, 1997, won the Masters golf tournament. NHL hockey player: Willie O'Ree, 1958, Boston Bruins.1 World cycling champion: Marshall W. "Major" Taylor, 1899. Tennis champion: Althea Gibson became the first black person to play in and win Wimbledon and the United States national tennis championship. She won both tournaments twice, in 1957 and 1958. In all, Gibson won 56 tournaments, including five Grand Slam singles events. The first black male champion was Arthur Ashe who won the 1968 U.S. Open, the 1970 Australian Open, and the 1975 Wimbledon championship. Heavyweight boxing champion: Jack Johnson, 1908. Olympic medalist (Summer games): George Poage, 1904, won two bronze medals in the 200 m hurdles and 400 m hurdles.
7
Rick Smith is in his seventh season as Texans general manager and second as executive vice president, overseeing all aspects of football operations. Smith is one of six African-American general managers in the National Football League.
Dungy became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl when his Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Dungy set a new NFL record for consecutive playoff appearances by a head coach in 2008 after securing his tenth straight playoff appearance with a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Colin Luther Powell,1937–, b. New York City, grad., City College (B.S., 1958); George Washington Univ. (M.A., 1969). The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell was the first African American and the youngest person to chair (1989–93) the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first African American to serve (2001–5) as secretary of state. Andrew Jackson Young, Jr., 1932–, African-American leader, clergyman, and public official, b. New Orleans. He was a leading civil-rights activist in the 1960s and, as a Democrat from Georgia, served (1973– 77) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Born in Chicago, Michelle Obama is a figurehead. Prior to her marriage Michelle LaVaughn Robinson studied law at Princeton and Harvard before working at the law firm Sidley Austin. She was the only African American woman working there and her colleagues included a certain... Barack Obama.
8
ARE YOU REACHING YOUR POTENTIAL? HOW DO YOUR GRADES STACK UP?
9
THESE 7 STRATEGIES WILL HELP YOU RAISE YOUR GPA WHILE MINIMIZING STRESS AND OVERALL STUDY TIME.
1. Go to class – I know this one is mind-numbingly obvious but it’s important. Many professors lecture directly from PowerPoint and post the slides to the internet. This makes it tempting to skip class, download the lecture notes, and learn the material on your own. Although you can probably get away with this in easy courses, you’ll face problems in challenging ones. By skipping class, you miss out on a few important things: • Detailed verbal explanations that are key to understanding the material • The chance to ask questions and listen to the Q&A of other students • Special announcements • Opportunities for extra credit It’s also important to consider how skipping class affects your reputation. In most classes, grades are somewhat subjective. This means that the grader’s perception of you can make or break your grade. If you frequently miss class, you’ll be perceived as someone who lacks respect for the professor and the subject matter. Why should they give you the benefit of the doubt or round that B+ up to an A-?
2. Sit in the front row - Not only will sitting in the front row build self confidence, it will automatically engage you in the lecture. You’ll appear to be an eager student and highly visible to the teacher. This will help your academic reputation and make it more likely you’ll develop a relationship with the professor. You’ll have a much easier time maintaining focus and will feel more like a participant than a passive observer. 3. Take notes by hand – Another unfortunate side effect of the PowerPoint revolution is that it discourages students from taking notes. Taking notes by hand will improve your grades because a) it forces you to pay attention, and b) the physical act of writing aids memorization. If you take notes, you’ll find it much easier to stay engaged. Your notes also provide a point of reference that will help you build a mental link between a written concept and the professor’s verbal explanation. This is key for efficient studying. 4. Do a weekly review – A common problem students encounter is trying to learn an enormous amount of material right before the midterm or final exam. This is practically impossible. You’ll find it much easier if you take a gradual approach to studying. At least once a week, review your notes starting from the beginning of the course. This only needs to take 15 or 20 minutes, just enough time to build familiarity with the material. By doing a weekly review you’ll gradually memorize everything and will better understand how one concept builds on the next. Putting in small amounts of effort on a consistent basis will drastically reduce the amount of studying you need to do right before the test. 5. Go to office hours – Professors and TA’s usually make themselves available at regular times during the week for students to ask questions about assignments. Do yourself a favor by taking advantage of this opportunity. First, attending office hours will motivate you to get ahead on your work and prepare questions to ask. This will give you a huge edge in understanding problems that aren’t clearly explained in the lectures. Second, it will build your reputation as a high-effort student who deserves high grades. 6. Find smart people to work with – In courses that involve group work, this is essential. No one wants to get stuck with a bunch slackers, have to do all the work themselves, and end up with a poor grade to show for it. The quality of the your learning experience is directly related to the attitudes of the people you work with. Working with smart people will facilitate discussion. The best way to understand an idea is talking about it with other intelligent people. Who you work with also affects your academic reputation. If you associate with students that aren’t interested in learning, teachers and graders will assume you feel the same way. It’s also a great way to connect with people who have similar interests and ambitions.
7. Avoid all-nighters – Generally, having to pull an all-nighter means that you slacked off all semester and need to fit 3 months of learning into one day. If you use a gradual study strategy this will never be necessary. All-nighters don’t work! Yes, it might be possible to get a good grade if the course is easy, but it’s much more likely that your grade will be significantly lower. All-nighters harm performance because they make you tired and stressed. You’ll also forget most of 10 what you learn right after the test, decreasing the practical value of your education.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS OR COMPLAINS… We always want you to feel right at home. If you have any concerns or problems please speak with your Community Assistant (CA) and/or Hall Director (HD) so that they will be able to assist you. Feel free to email the Director of Residence Life as well:
Brian
K. Roberson, II M.Ed [email protected]
11
February 2013
Celebrate Black History Month
Secure Your Fall Room Today
It’s hard to believe, but it is time to begin preparing for the Fall 2013 semester. The priority leasing period started December 13, 2012 and will end Friday, February 8, 2013. Make sure you stop in today to secure your spot.
Yearbooks Now Available
Stop by the Old Ranch today to pick up your copy of the 2011-2012 McNeese State University Yearbook. Students can also pick up previous editions as well. Don’t miss out on your school history.
Collette Door Security Card System
Collette residents will notice changes this semester as the front entry doors have been upgraded to the door security system. Residents will need to get an activated access card from the Housing Office to gain entry.
1
Get Ready for the Return of Burton Hall
The new Burton Hall building is currently under construction and is expected to be ready for students by summer 2013. The new building will be a 150 bed, 3-story, 55,225-sf residence hall consisting of four bedroom , two bath dormitories and two bedroom, one bath dormitories with living spaces. Leasing for Burton Hall will be based on a criteria for high academic achievers, stop by during the month of February to find out more.
PROPOSED 2013-2014 HOUSING RATES
Housing Type
Garden Apartments 2/1 Private Suite 6/2 Private Suite 6/2 Semi-Private Suite Collette Hall Shared Room
Cost (Contract Length)
$550 per month (12 month contract) $526 per month (10 month contract) $466 per month (10 month contract) $366 per month (10 month contract) $261 per month (10 month contract)
2
Avoid Lock-Out Charges
Starting this semester, residents will be given one warning (free lock-out entry) before being assessed a “$50 service charge each time that the resident locks himself/herself out of the Premises, and requests Landlord’s assistance in gaining entry to the Premises after 5:00p.m. on weekdays, and at any time on weekends and holidays.” This violation is mentioned in your signed lease agreement. It is our hope that residents will become more mindful of where their keys and personal belongings are at all times.
Remove Holiday Decorations
With the holiday season over and done all residents are asked to remove all Holiday Decorations from their windows and/or balconies. Rooms with decorations in prohibited areas may be subject to a lease violation letter and/or fine.
Considering Staying Off Campus? Why? Why Pay New Deposits? ▫ Why Buy New Furniture? ▫ Why Pay Separate Bills ▫ Why Look For A Place to Do Laundry ▫ Why Isolate Yourself from Campus Life? Why? Why?....Why Not Just Stay Here?
3
Aaron Myers, RHA President
Brian K. Roberson, II M.Ed Director of Residence Life (RHA) Advisor
What is RHA? The MSU Residence Hall Association works to serve oncampus residents and to improve the living-on-campus environment by promoting diversity, community, and leadership. Through a close relationship with Residential Life, RHA communicates residents’ concerns and opinions to help foster the atmosphere students want. RHA also organizes large-scale events for residents, such as our annual Crawfish Boil and the soon so come “Courtyard Block Party programs. Why join RHA? Be in the one of the newest student organization at MSU! Organize large on-campus events like crawfish boils, socials, and other educational, diversity and political programs. Serve and effect change in your community.
4
National Wear Red Day
Big Screen Movie Super Bowl Party Collette Lobby, 5pm Night, Quad, 7pm Basketball vs NSU Double-header Burton Coliseum 2;4:30pm
“Shop Talk”: Barbershop On Campus, 10am-1pm, Old Ranch
Refunds are sent to Higher One
Basketball at Lamar Women at 4pm Men at 6pm
Loan disbursements Soul Food Expo for 1st time borrowers 11am-1pm, Old Ranch with > 30hrs
Financial Aid Awareness Day Old Ranch
Movie Day 11am-1pm Old Ranch
Campus Scavenger Hunt 8am-4pm, Quad
5
Mardi Gras 2013 Events Daily Romantic Checklist
Motorcycles, Hot Rods and Classics Parade Downtown-Midtown Lake Charles. Noon Krewe de Rowdy Mardi Gras Ball 7pm, Burton Coliseum Chalkey Room Krewe of Krewes' Parade Downtown-Midtown Lake Charles. Hundreds of elaborate krewe floats, costumes, beads and more wind through the city in the culmination of the Fat Tuesday celebration. 5:00 p.m. *Taste de la Louisiane Pots and pots of all-you-can-eat traditional Louisiana cuisine for a $7 admission fee. Sunday, February 10, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Visit www.swlamardigras.com for the most up-to-date information.
Daily Romantic Checklist: Compliment your partner. Spend twenty minutes of uninterrupted time together. Check in with each other during the day. Perform one small and unexpected gesture. Say "I love you" at least three times. Thank your partner for something. Look for romantic concepts in the newspaper.
Take an extra minute when kissing good-bye.
Gift wrap a wishbone in a jewelry box. Send it to her with a note that says,
"I wish you were here."
6
African-American Firsts: Government Local elected official: John Mercer Langston, 1855, town clerk of Brownhelm Township, Ohio. State elected official: Alexander Lucius Twilight, 1836, the Vermont legislature. Mayor of major city: Carl Stokes, Cleveland, Ohio, 1967–1971. The first black woman to serve as a mayor of a major U.S. city was Sharon Pratt Dixon Kelly, Washington, DC, 1991–1995. Governor (appointed): P.B.S. Pinchback served as governor of Louisiana from Dec. 9, 1872–Jan. 13, 1873, during impeachment proceedings against the elected governor. Governor (elected): L. Douglas Wilder, Virginia, 1990– 1994. The only other elected black governor has been Deval Patrick, Massachusetts, 2007– U.S. Representative: Joseph Rainey became a Congressman from South Carolina in 1870 and was reelected four more times. The first black female U.S. Representative was Shirley Chisholm, Congresswoman from New York, 1969–1983. U.S. Senator: Hiram Revels became Senator from Mississippi from Feb. 25, 1870, to March 4, 1871, during Reconstruction. Edward Brooke became the first African-American Senator since Reconstruction, 1966–1979. Carol Mosely Braun became the first black woman Senator serving from 1992–1998 for the state of Illinois. (There have only been a total of five black senators in U.S. history: the remaining two are Blanche K. Bruce [1875–1881] and Barack Obama (2005–2008). U.S. cabinet member: Robert C. Weaver, 1966–1968, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Lyndon Johnson; the first black female cabinet minister was Patricia Harris, 1977, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Jimmy Carter. U.S. Secretary of State: Gen. Colin Powell, 2001– 2004. The first black female Secretary of State was Condoleezza Rice, 2005–2009. Major Party Nominee for President: Sen. Barack Obama, 2008. The Democratic Party selected him as its presidential nominee. U.S. President: Sen. Barack Obama. Obama defeated Sen. John McCain in the general election on November 4, 2008, and was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009.
African-American Firsts: Music and Dance Member of the New York City Opera: Todd Duncan, 1945. Member of the Metropolitan Opera Company: Marian Anderson, 1955. Male Grammy Award winner: Count Basie, 1958. Female Grammy Award winner: Ella Fitzgerald, 1958. Principal dancer in a major dance company: Arthur Mitchell, 1959, New York City Ballet. African-American Firsts: Film First Oscar: Hattie McDaniel, 1940, supporting actress, Gone with the Wind. Oscar, Best Actor/Actress: Sidney Poitier, 1963, Lilies of the Field; Halle Berry, 2001, Monster's Ball. Oscar, Best Actress Nominee: Dorothy Dandridge, 1954, Carmen Jones. Film director: Oscar Micheaux, 1919, wrote, directed, and produced The Homesteader, a feature film. Hollywood director: Gordon Parks directed and wrote The Learning Tree for Warner Brothers in 1969. African-American Firsts: Television Network television show host: Nat King Cole, 1956, "The Nat King Cole Show"; Oprah Winfrey became the first black woman television host in 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Star of a network television show: Bill Cosby, 1965, "I Spy". African-American Firsts: Sports Major league baseball player: Jackie Robinson, 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Jackie Robinson, 1962. NFL quarterback: Willie Thrower, 1953. NFL football coach: Fritz Pollard, 1922–1937. Golf champion: Tiger Woods, 1997, won the Masters golf tournament. NHL hockey player: Willie O'Ree, 1958, Boston Bruins.1 World cycling champion: Marshall W. "Major" Taylor, 1899. Tennis champion: Althea Gibson became the first black person to play in and win Wimbledon and the United States national tennis championship. She won both tournaments twice, in 1957 and 1958. In all, Gibson won 56 tournaments, including five Grand Slam singles events. The first black male champion was Arthur Ashe who won the 1968 U.S. Open, the 1970 Australian Open, and the 1975 Wimbledon championship. Heavyweight boxing champion: Jack Johnson, 1908. Olympic medalist (Summer games): George Poage, 1904, won two bronze medals in the 200 m hurdles and 400 m hurdles.
7
Rick Smith is in his seventh season as Texans general manager and second as executive vice president, overseeing all aspects of football operations. Smith is one of six African-American general managers in the National Football League.
Dungy became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl when his Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Dungy set a new NFL record for consecutive playoff appearances by a head coach in 2008 after securing his tenth straight playoff appearance with a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Colin Luther Powell,1937–, b. New York City, grad., City College (B.S., 1958); George Washington Univ. (M.A., 1969). The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell was the first African American and the youngest person to chair (1989–93) the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first African American to serve (2001–5) as secretary of state. Andrew Jackson Young, Jr., 1932–, African-American leader, clergyman, and public official, b. New Orleans. He was a leading civil-rights activist in the 1960s and, as a Democrat from Georgia, served (1973– 77) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Born in Chicago, Michelle Obama is a figurehead. Prior to her marriage Michelle LaVaughn Robinson studied law at Princeton and Harvard before working at the law firm Sidley Austin. She was the only African American woman working there and her colleagues included a certain... Barack Obama.
8
ARE YOU REACHING YOUR POTENTIAL? HOW DO YOUR GRADES STACK UP?
9
THESE 7 STRATEGIES WILL HELP YOU RAISE YOUR GPA WHILE MINIMIZING STRESS AND OVERALL STUDY TIME.
1. Go to class – I know this one is mind-numbingly obvious but it’s important. Many professors lecture directly from PowerPoint and post the slides to the internet. This makes it tempting to skip class, download the lecture notes, and learn the material on your own. Although you can probably get away with this in easy courses, you’ll face problems in challenging ones. By skipping class, you miss out on a few important things: • Detailed verbal explanations that are key to understanding the material • The chance to ask questions and listen to the Q&A of other students • Special announcements • Opportunities for extra credit It’s also important to consider how skipping class affects your reputation. In most classes, grades are somewhat subjective. This means that the grader’s perception of you can make or break your grade. If you frequently miss class, you’ll be perceived as someone who lacks respect for the professor and the subject matter. Why should they give you the benefit of the doubt or round that B+ up to an A-?
2. Sit in the front row - Not only will sitting in the front row build self confidence, it will automatically engage you in the lecture. You’ll appear to be an eager student and highly visible to the teacher. This will help your academic reputation and make it more likely you’ll develop a relationship with the professor. You’ll have a much easier time maintaining focus and will feel more like a participant than a passive observer. 3. Take notes by hand – Another unfortunate side effect of the PowerPoint revolution is that it discourages students from taking notes. Taking notes by hand will improve your grades because a) it forces you to pay attention, and b) the physical act of writing aids memorization. If you take notes, you’ll find it much easier to stay engaged. Your notes also provide a point of reference that will help you build a mental link between a written concept and the professor’s verbal explanation. This is key for efficient studying. 4. Do a weekly review – A common problem students encounter is trying to learn an enormous amount of material right before the midterm or final exam. This is practically impossible. You’ll find it much easier if you take a gradual approach to studying. At least once a week, review your notes starting from the beginning of the course. This only needs to take 15 or 20 minutes, just enough time to build familiarity with the material. By doing a weekly review you’ll gradually memorize everything and will better understand how one concept builds on the next. Putting in small amounts of effort on a consistent basis will drastically reduce the amount of studying you need to do right before the test. 5. Go to office hours – Professors and TA’s usually make themselves available at regular times during the week for students to ask questions about assignments. Do yourself a favor by taking advantage of this opportunity. First, attending office hours will motivate you to get ahead on your work and prepare questions to ask. This will give you a huge edge in understanding problems that aren’t clearly explained in the lectures. Second, it will build your reputation as a high-effort student who deserves high grades. 6. Find smart people to work with – In courses that involve group work, this is essential. No one wants to get stuck with a bunch slackers, have to do all the work themselves, and end up with a poor grade to show for it. The quality of the your learning experience is directly related to the attitudes of the people you work with. Working with smart people will facilitate discussion. The best way to understand an idea is talking about it with other intelligent people. Who you work with also affects your academic reputation. If you associate with students that aren’t interested in learning, teachers and graders will assume you feel the same way. It’s also a great way to connect with people who have similar interests and ambitions.
7. Avoid all-nighters – Generally, having to pull an all-nighter means that you slacked off all semester and need to fit 3 months of learning into one day. If you use a gradual study strategy this will never be necessary. All-nighters don’t work! Yes, it might be possible to get a good grade if the course is easy, but it’s much more likely that your grade will be significantly lower. All-nighters harm performance because they make you tired and stressed. You’ll also forget most of 10 what you learn right after the test, decreasing the practical value of your education.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS OR COMPLAINS… We always want you to feel right at home. If you have any concerns or problems please speak with your Community Assistant (CA) and/or Hall Director (HD) so that they will be able to assist you. Feel free to email the Director of Residence Life as well:
Brian
K. Roberson, II M.Ed [email protected]
11
