Finals Fever

Finals fever….the time of year when college students begin to realize that they have ten different projects due in two weeks, when attendance in class starts to drop, and when you see the library quickly start to fill up more than it has all semester. I’m here to tell you that now is not the time to give up. Most students seem to have a more difficult time with the spring semester than they do with the fall because of the warm weather coming back and the temptation of summer activities on everyone’s mind. After all of the hard work, long study hours, and stressful nights staying in rather than going out it’s important to stay focused, keep the end goal in mind, and keep making the last sacrifices of the semester.

Here are some tips on how to stay organized and make it through to those long summer nights full of fun adventures and memories:

 

1. Utilize your planner…make sure to write down the due dates of every project that’s left in the semester
2. Make time for sleep, even if it’s only 5 hours that’s still better than trying to function after pulling an all-nighter
3. Hit up the gym, it’s a good place to release your stress and get yourself some endorphins
4. Make it a habit to eat healthy even while stressed; you’ll feel better physically and mentally
5. Find the time for friends, social activities will help take your mind off your never-ending amounts of homework

Remember, giving up now will only ensure failure in a class and potentially having to do the work all over again. So, take a chill pill, keep up the hard work, and tell me what your secret to success in school is in a comment below!

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April 26, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, Nevada, Stress Leave a comment

Get It At the Joe!

I know that I keep talking about finding a “niche” on campus, but it’s because it’s so important! I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to stress it enough that being able to have a place on campus to go to when you have some free time, you need to clear your mind, or if you just want to stop and take a nap it is vital to feeling like you’re a part of the campus and not just taking classes at yet another school. The Joe Crowley Student Union is one of the most popular spots on campus to find students. There is always something going on for students at the Joe.

The building is actually fairly new, only having been built in 2006 to replace the old student union which was no longer able to hold the amount of students that university was trying to engage and entertain. Many different facilities can be found inside the Joe, both food and entertainment. Some of these venues include a theater, ballrooms, the student government offices, restaurants, and the bookstore. The things to do inside the Joe are endless…you just have to decide what you want to do with your spare time.

The union has it’s very own programming board that consists of student workers that put on activities throughout each semester to benefit students whether it’s for fun, studying, or to grow as a person. Some of the best events that I’ve seen go through are BBQ’s, leadership conferences, all night study sessions, and newly released movie showings every Thursday.

Take a picture of yourself this week while you’re doing your favorite routine in the Joe and tag #lovecampusliving. The best picture will be posted on my blog next week!

April 24, 2013April 24, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, Nevada, Niche Leave a comment

Time to Move On

It’s getting to that time of year again when all students are trying to figure out their living situation for the next semester or even year. It’s a tricky process that can stress anyone out.  What’s the formula to a perfect roommate/house? I’ve got a few pointers from my past experiences in what works and what doesn’t:

-Pick a roommate(s) that you know decently well but that you wouldn’t necessarily call you best friend

-A house or apartment that is within walking distance will save you both gas and parking pass money

-Go through a real estate agency or company if possible; contracts are your best friend

-Find out ahead of time what type of energy your house/apartment uses…if it’s not natural gas get out quick

-If you have a pet of any type make sure that it’s not against your landlord’s rules to move them in

-Start looking at Craig’s list and garage sales for cheap college furniture

-There are a lot of applications out there to help narrow down the houses for rent; be sure to check out Zillow, that’s what I’ve found to be useful

-Get to know your neighbors right off the bat; you never know…they could become your best friends

-Always speak up when there’s a problem in your household. If you let frustration about roommates build up without confrontation you’ll eventually blow up

Although these may seem like simple tips or common sense many students will be able to relay a horror story about somewhere that they’ve lived at some point. I know, as someone that moves on a frequent basis, that finding a perfect household is difficult. Many times you’ll encounter a sketchy landlord, an inconsiderate roommate, or even a house that seems to be falling apart. These things are all what adds to a student’s college experience. As frustrating as it may seem  at the moment it’s best to tell yourself it makes you grow up and learn something new about yourself with each situation that you have to work on.

What’s the best piece of advice that you have for someone looking to find a new place to live? Let me know below!

April 23, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, Housing, Nevada Leave a comment

April Blizzards bring May…?

Weather changes every fifteen minutes when you live in northern Nevada. As a longtime resident of this state I’ve seen it all. Coming to college, however, I never realized how rare snow seems to be to some students from California, Las Vegas, and other warmer states. When moving to a new city a lot of problems and issues can arise if you don’t know how to dress or what type of weather to expect. After working with incoming freshmen and their families all summer I’ve come up with a few tips to help survive most any type of weather:

-Layers: This is the most essential part of a student’s wardrobe: cardigans, t-shirts, jackets, hats, gloves. You need it all because while you’re running to class in the snow you’ll be freezing…but the moment you walk into your warm classroom you’ll wish that you were in a tank top and shorts.

-Boots: No, I don’t mean your super ugly UGGS that have zero traction on the bottom , but more like Sorel heavy duty that keep your feet warm and your balance safe.

-Chains: If you are bringing a car to college and you don’t have four wheel drive you won’t be able to get around anywhere during the winter without buying and learning how to install this essential tool.

-Washer fluid: This is a little trick that a friend from Alaska taught me my freshman year. It not only cleans your window when bug juice and mud splatters against it, but it also melts away frost in a hot second.

–Warm weather: I know that I’ve been mentioning all the cold weather essentials, but keep in mind that Nevada’s weather is bipolar on most days. Always keep a pair or two of shorts in your room, even if it’s March…you could find yourself walking around soaking up the vitamin C.

What do you think is the most essential weather staple for clothes? Let me know below!

April 17, 2013April 19, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, Nevada, Snow Leave a comment

Safety is Key

As a female student who attends a university with an open campus that is close to downtown life I’ll admit any day that my safety is always on my mind. I’m not saying that I’ve ever felt unsafe on my campus, but it’s something that every student should be aware of. All universities have their own method of assuring that students are safe and feel comfortable on campus, but I feel as though mine does a really good job with many different programs that affect the different parts of student life. The following are some opportunities that my university provides for students on a daily basis:

-Blue light poles: these can be seen from any spot that you are standing on campus. Each pole has a call button that connects directly to the police department which notifies them of your location and tells them to come immediately as well as an AED machine if someone is having a heart attack

-Campus escort: this is a system that can be found on college campuses across the US; the basic jist of this is that a marked van can be called by any student that is on campus or within a two mile distance to be picked up and dropped off. This starts around the time the sun goes down until 1 am.

-Campus cadets: this is very similar to campus escort except they drive around golf carts and can be signaled down if they are driving by and have no other passengers.

–UNRPD: this is the campus’ very own police department on campus. Their door is always open to report something stolen or broken, to get assistance (I once had a flat tire and got their help!), or even if you just don’t feel safe.

So although students should always be aware of their safety, it’s not an issue that most are frequently fighting for or dealing with. What’s the best program that your university offers to ensure student safety? Let me know in a comment below!

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April 14, 2013April 14, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, Nevada, Safety Leave a comment

Studying Abroad: School Vacation, Brand New Experience, or Both?

Studying abroad is a part of campus life that many students have the privilege of experiencing here on my campus. USAC, also known as the Undergraduate Studies Abroad Consortium is a program that helps undergraduate students travel to countries around the world and take classes for credit at their current university. Depending on a student’s major certain countries are more appropriate than others for the courses that they will be able to take. For example, if a student is trying to get a degree in Romance Languages, traveling to Australia may not be as beneficial as studying in Italy or Spain.

The USAC office for the west coast is actually located on my campus at the University of Nevada. This is very lucky for the students at my school because you can literally walk in to the office, find out what country would be best to go to, get counseling for payments and course sign-ups, and even get your passport picture taken and printed. Studying abroad is amazing because as a student you can decide to travel over summer break, in the fall semester, over winter break, in the spring semester, or for an entire year if your heart really desires. From what I’ve heard studying for just one semester in a country is never long enough. Every student that goes abroad wishes that they could stay for an entire year; or maybe just live the rest of their lives there. Once you’ve decided where it is exactly that you’re going to be going and how long you want to stay there, you have to determine whether or not you want to live in an apartment with other students or with a family that permanently resides there.

One of my biggest regrets in college is that I never ceased the opportunity to study abroad. Holding positions in my sorority and the student government was a restraint that made it impossible to spend an entire semester away. So, as a senior about to graduate in the Fall, my biggest piece of advice for you to take from this post is to start looking into programs that your school offers. You’ll never have a better opportunity for an experience like this.

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April 13, 2013 by Julia Miod Leave a comment

The Center: A Hubspot For Cultural Diversity

As I’ve mentioned before, finding a niche on campus is difficult enough if you’re all on your own. To be able to find a hangout for a large group of students, however, is a completely different story. On my campus cultural diversity is still an aspect of campus life that is continuously growing and developing. Until the new student union was built there wasn’t a specific location for all of the multicultural organizations to be able to hangout or have a main location in which they could base themselves. The Center was soon developed as a place for any student to be able to hangout, do homework, or meet new people.

The Center is vital to the Nevada campus because although every single student is welcome, it has quickly become the home to many of the MGC fraternities and sororities, clubs that have a cultural purpose, as well as students that may feel out of place or need a home away from home. The Center puts on many events throughout the year to spread awareness about different topics. A lot of times these events are put on by the student organizations that are spending time hanging out there. The Center is an amazing opportunity for students because it allows them to feel comfortable at school so that they can focus on growing and developing as a person while also getting the education that they’re paying for.

Before I finish up I just wanted to give a few pointers that I’ve learned while attending the university and after having hung out at the Center on multiple occasions:

-ALWAYS have your student ID out and ready to swipe in; it’s how they get their funding

-Bring headphones if you need silence or if you get easily distracted while trying to do homework

-Be on the lookout for the food that seems to be continuously sitting out for anyone

-Watch some TV or play some video games in the corner side of the room if you have some time to kill

-Be ready to meet new people; everyone in the Center is friendly and helpful

Do you have a place on your campus that celebrates cultural diversity? Let me know in a comment below!

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April 11, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, Diversity, Nevada Leave a comment

Passion and Fashion for Philanthropy

As I’ve mentioned before, philanthropy events are huge within campus organizations. This past weekend a sorority on campus, Tri Delta, held their first ever “Strut for St. Jude” event to raise prom dresses and research money for St. Jude. This will allow teens and children with cancer to attend a prom as well as have money donated to research to help find a cure. St. Jude is a national hospital for children with devastating pediatric diseases. The founder, Danny Thomas, created this organization because “he believed that no child should be denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.” This philanthropy is very dear to Tri Delta. Due to their dedication to raising funds and creating awareness for St. Jude they have multiple events throughout the year. Some of the other events that they hold are DHop which is an all-you-can-eat pancake feed, Frats at Bat which is a softball tournament, and now this brand new event.

The event had two different shows so that families and children could go to an earlier and more appropriate fundraiser whereas the second show was geared more towards college students with the humor and jokes being made. Girls in the sorority modeled dresses that were donated from within the Greek community here on campus. The philanthropy chairman, Morgan Ogden, informed me that over 90 dresses had been donated. Each girl was escorted by men within the Greek community. The girls also held an intermission with two of the members singing and playing guitar to show off the talents in their chapter. The event was very well organized, fun, and informational. Hopefully more chapters on campus continue with the creative and successful events in the future. Let me know below, what’s a philanthropy that you have dedicated your time to?

April 7, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, Nevada, Philanthropy, Tri Delta Leave a comment

Where’s Your Niche?

All students develop their own habits and customs after attending their university for a certain amount of time. Whether this includes the days of the week they attend classes, the snacks they bring to campus, or where they spend their time in between courses every student is unique. Since coming to college I’ve developed several different routines that seem to change with workloads, social life, and major. The biggest variable that these all have an effect upon is where I spend my free time studying. As I mentioned in my previous blog post about studying in the library, all students have their own routine as far as how they study and spend their time.

Today I want to talk about my second home besides the knowledge center: the COBA lab.

This is where you can find nearly any involved, dedicated, or procrastinating college of business student. The culture in this lab is different than anywhere else you can find on campus because you can always find someone in your class, who knows how to explain your homework, not to mention the printing is way cheaper than most other places on campus. The reason that I believe it’s important to talk about places like this on campus is because nearly every major has one;  you just have to ask around and explore for it. Finding a place on campus that you can go to kill some time, get assistance for classes, and develop relationships with your fellow students is essential to feeling connected to your university. If you’re a commuter student it is even more vital for you because let’s be honest, if you don’t live on or within walking distance of campus you won’t want to be driving back and forth when you have nothing to do.

So, my goal for you this week is to find your niche on campus…find a place for your major, or just a common area, that you can go to in your downtime, and potentially even meet some new students that you can form a relationship with.

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April 4, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, College of Business, Nevada 2 Comments

Calling All Bookworms

As a senior I’ve noticed that my overwhelming weeks that are full of class assignments that most people experience during midterms have started to occur on different weeks than most. Needless to say, I’ve started to spend all of my spare hours in between classes and after club meetings in the library on campus. You always seem to see strangest things the more time you spend on each floor of the Knowledge Center. It’s because of my past and current experiences in this library that I feel as though I can provide you with a few survival tips to make it through your most stressful weeks.

1. Always bring a water bottle…the one day you don’t you will constantly need to get up for the water fountain.
2. Snacks are ESSENTIAL, end of story.
3. Headphones to keep you focused and to help zone out those pesky study buddies blaring your least favorite song ever.
4. A computer charger; you don’t want your computer to power off after writing a 7 page research paper.
5. Some form of caffeine, whatever your poison is.
6. Tissues to wipe off any tears of frustration from your massive amounts of hw (jk!)

All of these things I have found help me power through the darkest of nights. Every student has their own ritual and study methods for getting everything accomplished. What do you like to do to study? Do you stay at home or do you camp out in your campus library? Let me know what you do to focus and stay productive while studying in a comment below.

April 2, 2013 by Julia Miod Tags: Campus Life, Nevada, Study 2 Comments