About Career Blog

Getting It Done

So I have been stressed out and tired, so yesterday I forced myself to go to my dance class. That was the best decision I could have made.

I also ended up writing out half of my study guide yesterday and completing it today. I guess it hit me that my only two in-classroom finals are on the same day, one right after the other, and stressing out isn't helping anything.

So after I get out of my assistantship I am going to the gym, class, to karate and then going home to knock out at least two pages of my paper.

At least if I focus on schoolwork I don't have to stress about Christmas presents for anyone.....

Posted by Christina on 11/29/2007 10:22:00 AM
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Finals.

In two weeks I'm going to be taking my first set of college finals. I'm so nervous. I haven't started to study and until the end of this week I'm not even going to have any time to study. I've got papers, projects and presentations... you know, the usual college work load. I'm most nervous about my American history exam. If I do well on the next exam, there is a definite possibility that I'll get an A! History is not one of my strong subjects, but I'm hoping if I crack down and study hard I'll get the grade that I want.

Also, I'm totally stressing about Christmas presents. I know what I'm giving my friends. I think I'm just going to make a ton of scrumptious cookies and wrap them in really cute packages. I just have no idea what I'm going to get for my family or my boyfriend. I should have taken the advice some wise people once gave me and started my Christmas shopping early. Sigh. This is just adding to all of the stress I can't help but feeling at this time of the year.

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Posted by Jen on 11/28/2007 06:16:00 PM
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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday and it did not disappoint. Last week was so relaxing. It was just what I needed: spending time away from school with the people that I love.

The food was amazing too! By the end of the week I was ready to see all of my friends, but I don't think anyone can prepare themselves for returning to class. Waking up at seven in the morning on Monday was definitely not pleasant.

On the bright side, there's only two more weeks of classes. These last two weeks are going to be stressful and filled with late night study sessions and coffee binges. Thanksgiving break has barely passed and I'm already looking forward to Winter break!

Posted by Jen on 11/28/2007 06:06:00 PM
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End Of The Semester

As the semester starts coming to a close, I'm realizing how many things I have to juggle over the next couple of weeks. Of course, there's a bunch of work that I've been procrastinating throughout the semester, and finally now is the time that I actually have to do it.

You never really realize how quickly the semester goes by until you hear one of your professors say, "okay, remember our last class is in 2 weeks." So unfortunately, the next two weeks are not going to involve lots of sleep.

When this time comes, however, I usually make a list of all the things I have to do. As soon as I finish something, I cross it off, and the process continues until everything on the paper is crossed off.

This helps me to visualize the things that need to get done. Otherwise, they run around in my head and keep building until I'm completely overwhelmed. This particular time of the year is terribly stressful and busy, but I am glad that I only have one more "end of the semester" of my college career.

Posted by jeff on 11/28/2007 01:58:00 PM
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End-Of-Semester Blues

It's the end of the semester, and my cyclical fatigue is hitting. I don't know why, but by this time every semester, no matter how easy or difficult, I am always exhausted, burned out and ready to sleep all the time!

I suspect it's a combination of stress, my schedule being thrown off and the season change.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to combat this? Usually exercise helps, but with exams and papers, it's difficult to get to the gym.

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Posted by Christina on 11/28/2007 01:09:00 PM
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Chaos

Although I have only been back at school for 2 days, this week is already hectic and chaotic. I cant wait for this week to be done! With papers, projects, and tests all during the same time, finals are already next week.

I cant believe how much this semester flew by. Less than 2 weeks and I am already flying back to CT for winter break. It will be a much needed relaxing month break from schoolwork and stress.

My stress has started to really affect my health. Unfortunately I have been ill with colds, and stomach viruses which is most likely linked to my high stress. Finals week can either make or break your whole semester grade, so I will be working extremely hard to make it through with good grades.

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Posted by Kelly on 11/27/2007 05:05:00 PM
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Social Networking/Bookmarking

One of my classmates had me check her facebook through-and-through to make sure she didn't have anything offensive or inappropriate as she is starting her job search.

As I was looking, it struck me that there is no way you can have a completely clean blog/social networking site/social bookmarking site. You will always have something that reflects your politics and/or beliefs, and there is bound to be someone who doesn't agree.

I think, instead of people deleting their pages or trying to hide behind a privacy block, they should consider how they portray themselves, meaning the language used and the sources to back up your argument.

Future employers who come across a well-designed, well thought-out blog would end up drawing a more positive impression than if you have no site at all.

As our generation becomes more educated and tech savvy, few people will believe we are not plugged into myspace, facebook, linked in, etc., and a lack of an internet presence could end up detrimental, especially in a field like mine where we must all master the wave of communication trends.

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Posted by Christina on 11/27/2007 03:54:00 PM
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Thanksgiving Break

I just returned after quite the chaotic thanksgiving break. While this is the busiest time to travel, I felt like I spent the entire day (9hours) waiting at the airport.

It was such a nice escape from the upcoming workload that lies ahead of me. Unfortunately going home made it that much harder to come back to school.

This is our last week of classes and then FINALS!! I have so much work to do and although I anticipated I would get some done during thanksgiving break that never happened. It was great to see my friends and family, but now reality has set in and I am back at my computer with many hours of work to complete.

Breaks are great, but make it hard to adjust back into school mode.

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Posted by Kelly on 11/25/2007 03:25:00 PM
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Independent Study

I am registered for an independent study next semester, and I am pretty excited about it. I was talking to the professor that is overseeing my research, and we determined that I am on a good start (the role of new media and public relations) but I need to narrow it down.

But with traveling and prepping my house and studies for everything before the break, the topic slipped my mind. While trying to explain what I wanted to do to my parents, I got to thinking about it again, and now I am getting excited about it again.

Sometimes I feel like a nerd because I get so into my different research topics, but in this case I think its even more so because blogging and social networking have become so powerful in my field, so what I am researching will actually be relevant upon graduation.

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Posted by Christina on 11/21/2007 09:49:00 PM
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Upcoming Break

As my final winter semester closes, I am looking forward to fall break. It is going to be freezing (by my standards, after all, it is 80 degrees here today) I have to pack, go to class, fold laundry and get more cat food. And it's at this point that I am glad I have a cat and not a dog. There is no way with my crazy schedule could I have handled planning a dog and its walks and food schedule into my day.

Planning out my day has become a major process. So I am glad to go home, curl up in a sweater and a blanket and refuse to worry about anything school related for a few days, because next semester I have comps, a full course-load and work, so winter break I need to start studying. Blah. Until then, I will be eating and watching football with my family and avoiding black Friday. Ta!

Posted by Christina on 11/20/2007 04:03:00 PM
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Elections.

Ugh, electing officers in my sorority is an extremely long and tedious process. It took us two Sundays-- 5 hours each Sunday! On the first Sunday we broke into caucuses. Your caucus is dependent upon the grade you are in at school. After breaking into caucuses we began election process.

There were at least 30 positions that needed to be filled for the next year, and we had to go through each position listing three pros and cons for each of the candidates. If there was a tie, we had to start the process all over. Each of the individual caucuses did this and by analyzing each of the caucuses slates the first final slate was formed.

The next Sunday, we voted on whether or not we wanted to pass the slate as is, but it did not pass. So we did the whole election process over with the entire sorority, rather than caucuses, making a completely new FINAL slate.

Before we even began elections all of the potential candidates had to fill out pref sheets, which are basically like resumés. They list what positions the girls would like in order of preference and all of their qualifications. We used the pref sheets to help us make our decisions. It was long and tedious but in the end I'm really happy about our newly elected officers.

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Posted by Jen on 11/20/2007 08:57:00 AM
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Woodser.

Every year my sorority has its annual social Woodser. Almost every sorority has a version of it, and that's because its really fun. We've been planning it for months: chartering the buses, renting the space, making the T-shirts, and buying the supplies. It's been a lot of work, although attending it the other night I was able to see all of my hard work pay off. It was a blast!

We took buses to this hotel in the middle of nowhere. All of my sisters were there with there dates and dressed in western attire. We line danced until the wee hours of the morning, there was a humongous bon fire keeping us warm, and there was even a hayride. It was extremely cold, but everyone was having too much fun to notice. All in all, it was a lot of fun and the perfect way to set off the holiday season!

Posted by Jen on 11/20/2007 08:47:00 AM
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Thanksgiving

I'm really looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving. It's going to be a nice little break from everything in Boston and a huge meal with the family is going to be a great thing. I don't get to go home all that often so I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and spending some time with everyone.

Come graduation in May, the lease on my apartment ends and I'll be moving to the complete other side of the country. I know when that happens I'll be seeing my family even less. So, the times this year that I get to see everyone are especially important. Not to be forgotten is the incredible Thanksgiving dinner. Being in college, my eating habits aren't terrible normal or healthy. So a huge family dinner sounds incredible right now.

Posted by jeff on 11/18/2007 03:54:00 PM
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Short Break

Between my current class schedule and Veteran's day, its been a little while since I've been to class. This makes it even more difficult to get back into the routine of school. This little break though has been a great time to do work for both class projects and work outside of school.

Having class only a couple days a week, I really shouldn't complain about going. Although the three to six hours of class in a day turns more into a five to ten hour endeavor. With the one hour train ride from Cambridge to my school, the trip over is a bit of a hassle. So, having the little break over the past couple weeks really has given me the time to focus on work that I normally wouldn't have nearly as much time to do.

I've been writing time after time about the hassle of class and school in general, and I'm sure it sounds a bit winey. But it is how I really feel. I feel strongly that I could be accomplishing more right now if I didn't have the restrictions of class assignments and the time that I'm in school. Nonetheless, I do only have a semester left and I'm going to try to get as much out of it as I can.

Posted by jeff on 11/18/2007 03:31:00 PM
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Napping In Class.

I just don't get it. I have NEVER fallen asleep in a class, and when I say never I mean never. Although many people find it very easy to dose off during a class, I find it extremely difficult. It doesn’t matter how boring or early the class may be, if I have actually gotten myself out of bed to attend that class, there is no way that I am going to sleep through it. I could have done that at home, in the comfort of my own bed.

Personally I don’t find the classroom to be an environment that is conducive for sleep. Most classrooms are brightly lit with florescent light bulbs and the desk-chair combinations are not very comfortable. Sometimes I feel as if the chairs were intentionally made this way, to keep students awake. Anyway, moral of the story, don't sleep in class. It's a waste of time and money.

Posted by Jen on 11/16/2007 01:16:00 AM
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Art?

So I am required to take developmental art, and all year we have been doing painting, watercolor, classroom decoration and all sorts of easy fun projects. You would think this class would be a breeze. I never anticipated for it to be as stressful as it has been.

This week I have been crammed with a 20 slide PowerPoint, and 11 page artist packet that I had to create for future 3-6th graders. It was extremely overwhelming and the past 2 nights I have been up to 3 am working on it. I never imagined an intro art class could be so tedious.

Finally it was all due in class today and was such a relief. With thanksgiving coming up, it is a perfect time for a break from schoolwork! Although, just around the corner are finals which i am not looking forward to.

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Posted by Kelly on 11/15/2007 04:22:00 PM
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Psychology Of The Sexes.

I had to write a paper about the differences in the way men and women communicate and it was really interesting doing all of the research. After I found all the secondary research I could find on the topic, I went out to the field and did some primary.
It was really interesting noting the many ways that the real life examples stayed true to my research and how they differed in many ways as well.

The most fun though, was realizing that a lot of the things I get upset with the opposite sex for can simply be avoided by understanding how they operate. Many of the arguments that couples face are merely misunderstandings that can be bypassed through knowledge.

This paper really sparked my interest and I am excited to learn more about the subject. I'm really leaning toward taking Psychology of the Sexes, although it may be more prudent for me to take intro to psychology first. I'm just so darn impatient.

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Posted by Jen on 11/14/2007 12:49:00 AM
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Making My Schedule For Next Semester :)

Last semester, my schedule was made for me. So this semester, it's all up to me. I've already gone to my adviser and figured out what classes I need to take to stay on track-- but there's still a little wiggle room.

I'm still sticking with the general eds until I figure out my major but, I think I'm going to stray a little and take a introduction to psychology class.

I never had the chance to take one in high school and am so excited to get the opportunity to take one now. I may even take psychology of the sexes, which seems like it could be a lot of fun.

Who knows! I've got a week to think and believe me I'm going to be spending lots of time thinking about what to take. I know that soon I am going to need to make the decision on what do with the rest of my life in terms of work-- so this is minor compared to that. But then again, who knows one of these "off track" classes may help me decide what I want to be when I grow up.

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Posted by Jen on 11/14/2007 12:41:00 AM
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Living Environment

As winter approaches, it becomes more clear that a full cleaning of my apartment is needed. When my living environment is dirty and unorganized, I start to feel the same way. Likewise, when I'm living in a clean and healthy environment, I feel more energized and happier overall.



Being in my fourth year of college, I've accepted the fact that living situations aren't going to be ideal all of the time. Sometime that means dealing with cleaning after other's messes, doing the dishes multiple times in a row, or just biting your tongue to avoid an argument.



I've realized that the chaos of "college living" isn't a permanent thing, and that it sometimes should even be embraced. After all, there really is no other time in life that you'll live the type of lifestyle that you do while in college.

Posted by jeff on 11/08/2007 04:32:00 PM
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Reversed Schedules

Lately, my sleeping schedule has been pretty much flip-flopped from the norm. I'm sure it's the culmination of several things, but mostly because of such a heavy workload recently. I've always found it easier to work in the middle of the night. It's clear that there are downfalls to the opposite schedule; not being able to enjoy a nice day outside, eating habits become somewhat random, and coffee replaces pretty much all other beverages.

Despite all of the changes in a normal schedule, I do ultimately get more work done. It's much quieter in the middle of the night and I don't have the usual distractions that normally take away from productivity. I'm happy with how my work is coming out and that alone is worth it to me. Although I may have to take a breather before I delve into the next project.

When school is over and I begin my career in the real world, I wonder what type of schedule I will keep.

Posted by jeff on 11/08/2007 04:08:00 PM
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Eating Healthy.

I may have mentioned this before, but it's mandatory for first year residents of USF to purchase a meal plan. So, a lot of freshman are confined to eating the food provided by the cafeteria. Most of that food is processed, frozen and pumped with preservatives and we all know that equals UNHEALTHY!

I recently had to attend an eating healthy on campus lecture, which is really what got me to thinking. Obesity is a major epidemic in this country. In the home and at school are the first places in which you learn about healthy eating practices. The school system is a government controlled environment and it seems logical that schools would be some of the first places the government would enforce their goal of eating healthier.

Unfortunately this isn't the case and schools end up choosing the cheapest food to feed the greatest amount of people. Cheap food equals gross and disgusting food and it is this reason that I find myself searching high and low for a healthy alternative.

Thanksgiving could not come at a better time. I'm in dire need of a hearty and home cooked meal.

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Posted by Jen on 11/08/2007 01:11:00 PM
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Fearful

With one robbery scaring many students in this apartment complex, another scare just swept through campus again.

On Monday, only 5 days after the first robbery a SECOND apartment was robbed in our complex. Again, they were held at gunpoint and had their belongings stolen.This is absolutely ridiculous and is a now a huge threat to campus as well. There have been cop cars swarming our apartment parking lot and camera crews here as well.

Now I am fearful just walking to my apartment. With students panicking and eager to move out many people are stuck in a bad position. A one-year contract is required to be signed, so in order to move out we must need a sub-leaser. This is starting to have an affect on schoolwork. Night classes are scary to walk to when this crime has become such an issue.... Who knows what will happen next?

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Posted by Kelly on 11/07/2007 09:24:00 PM
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Graduation and Jobs

I went to register my classes for next semester, and it hit me. This is the last time I will be registering for classes. May 8, I will proudly walk across the stage to pick up my diploma, and then it's back to the "real world" again.

Going through school again really helps you hone down certain things that are important to look for in a job search. I know I do not want to commute very far (fortunately there are alot of PR options close to me,) I would rather work for an organization that values sustainability if possible, and I need growth options and a challenge.

The other thing that I realize is that I want to take a vacation right after graduation. I didn't take a real vacation after undergrad, and I wish I had. I want to walk into my new job fresh, happy and relaxed, rather than stressed out and exhausted from my finals.

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Posted by Christina on 11/06/2007 02:53:00 PM
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Midterms.

Everything is happening all at once. I have papers, projects, tests, and homecoming all happening at the same time. College is an endless string of hard work. As soon as I finish one assignment another one is given and tests seem to pop up at inconvenient times.

Not only do I have the stress of doing good in school, but I have Greek stuff to deal with. This week I've spent, in total, 36 hours building a float that I wasn't even on and attending countless events thrown by the school and other organizations.

It's been a blast, and at times hard for me to keep my school work in focus. It's been a bit difficult balancing work and play. Hopefully I can get a grip and stop pulling all nighters! Coffee has definitely become my best friend.

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Posted by Jen on 11/05/2007 04:02:00 PM
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Buried

So the past two weeks have been crazy, with projects, work and school. On top of all this, I have had a few people come and visit, and what a breath of fresh air! Having guests has forced me to get out and have fun and disconnect from all the stress in my life.

It is so easy to bog yourself down with school that you don't even realize how stressed out you are, or how burnt out you are.

This week I celebrated Halloween and spent time with non-school friends, including my friend of 23 years that came for a week-long visit. As I sat outside at a tucked away french cafe, and then on the beach for a few hours, I felt myself relax more than I have in months.

Now I am in the last bit of the semester I feel recharged and ready for my last few exams and papers.

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Posted by Christina on 11/05/2007 12:41:00 PM
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Crime

On October 31st, (Halloween Night) about two buildings away, a group of girls were held to gun-point and robbed of there belongings.

Never in a million years did I think that in our apartment complex something like this would happen. Fortunately, they were not harmed, but it sent a shock across campus. Now, people are scared to live around here, especially girls.

We are now taking more safety precautions to ensure our protection. It is scary to think, it could have easily been our apartment that was robbed. This incident was in the media which has put a bad reputation next to our apartment complex. A positive thing which has come from this is more strict security however, many students, including myself, are fearful it will occur again.

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Posted by Kelly on 11/04/2007 06:42:00 PM
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Independent Study

I'm taking an independent study this semester and I'll be doing another one next semester as well. I've really come to like the idea of this type of class, where the student has the freedom to make their own course without the restrictions of specific assignments.

For the most part, I don't mind most of my classes, but their are always certain aspects or assignments that I know will move me away from what I want to get out of the class. I usually end up getting really motivated for one particular assignment, and then find another to be somewhat of a waste of time.

With the independent study, I have the ability to choose exactly what I want to get out of the course, without being held back by one or two assignments that I may not be motivated by.

I am kind of hoping that work will be more like independent study..

Posted by jeff on 11/01/2007 03:01:00 PM
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