Test Anxiety and How to Get Past It

1. good night sleep, healthy breakfast, exercise, shower, review notes, listen to music, show up early, stay relaxed, quiz yourself with a friend, and
2. read over chapters and chapter summaries, make flashcards, make chapter questions, answer chapter questions, review with a friend, be well rested, eat a healthy breakfast, begin studying well in advance,
3. cancel out incorrect answers, make an educated guess, phone a friend, Responses that use absolute words, such as "always" or "never" are less likely to be correct than ones that use conditional words like "usually" or "probably", "Funny" responses are usually wrong, 
4. take an educated guess, whichever is the more detailed response is most likely to be true, choose the right one, 
5.Cramming for a test can actually help you retain 30% of what you reviewed and key points.
6. If you have test anxiety then you only worry about the test, whereas if you have GAD then you worry about multiple things. 
http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/taking-tests/47/test-anxiety/
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/generalized-anxiety-disorder/DS00502
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/generalized-anxiety-disorder/DS00502

Major Major Decisions to Make...

1. My top 2 majors of interest are Sociology and Graphic Design.
2.The required courses for Sociology are:
    -SOC1010: Indiv. & Society or ANT1020: Cult. Anthropology
    -SOC2050: Class. Theory/ Contemp. App.
    -SOC/PSC2018: Research Methods in PS/SOC
    -PLUS: six [24 credits] additional courses in sociology with these requirements: 4 credit internship maximum; 8 credits maximum of SOC4018; at least 4 credits at 4000-level; no more than 2 cross-listed. OPTIONS: SOC2020/2030/2040/2060/2070/ 3020/3030/3040/3060/3070/3090/3091/3092/ 3093/4000/4010/4015/4018/4020/4021; SOC/COM2282/3334/3374/3384
The required courses for Graphic Design are:

     -ART1050: Fundamentals of Design

     -ART1060: Drawing 

     -ART2050: Digital Art and Design 

     -ART2120: Art History I

     -ART2220: Art History II

     -ART1100: Typography 

     -ART2550: Intro to Graphic Design 

     -ART2150: History of Graphic Design

     -ART3650: Adv. Concepts in Graphic Design 

     -ART4999: Graphic Design Senior Studio 

     -PLUS: two ART electives selected from:

ART2030/2080/2090/2350/3090/3160/3550/ 3680 [at least 1 course at 3000-level or higher

3. I think that SOC/ PSC 2018: Research Methods in Political Science and Sociology is the worst class for Sociology major and ART 2150: History of Graphic Design is the worst class for Graphic Design Major.
4. The best class for Graphic Design I think is ART 3550: Art and Design for the Web. And the best class for Sociology I think is SOC 2020: Sociology of Mass Communication.
5. Approximately 20 credits are required for a minor in both.
6. To declare or change your major you would need to go to the 4th floor of the Smith Library.
7. Eric Melniczek is the Director of Career Services and his office is located on the 3rd floor in the Slane Student Center.
8. There are career related workshops that all students can attend throughout the school year.
9. The career inventory test said that 2 good professions for me would are a teacher and a social worker.
10. The link for the advertisement I found is below.
http://www.governmentjobs.com/view_job.cfm?JobID=261962
11. I feel like this assignment was beneficial for me because I was able to narrow down my thoughts on what my major should be and I was able to get a better understanding of what each major really is.

Memory...or lack thereof

We all know how difficult it is to remember so many different things and it only gets worse with age.I never thought that I would be having (small) difficulties remembering things at the age of 18. But trying to remember that you have a French test on Friday, a paper due Monday, dinner reservations on Thursday at 5:30, a meeting with your advisor on Tuesday at 12:15 and everything else on top of that can be a challenge. And yes, this is this is my schedule for the rest of the week. And I have to admitt that it's hard to always remember these things espically when I'm trying to remember everything I reviewed last night for my French test. So when Professor Cary (my adv professor, the one this blog is for) mentioned memory in class I knew that this would be benificial for me (which it has), so I figured that it would help other people too.

1. Ten tips on how to improve your memory:
1. be active. Try studying in different ways to get your mind going. Make studying interesting and different.
2. sort/organize what you learn into cateogories. This will make it easier to recall the information.
3. exercise. Not only your mind but your body as well.
4. repeat, repeat, repeat. One of the best ways to remember something is by repeating it until you remember it. Repetition also works by seeing something over and over again.
5. be patient.
2. pseudo forgetting- you never really learned the information to begin with. Your learning of that material was never complete. You may have
3. Three theories about why we forget things:
1. Never actually learned it. You may think that by mearly reading over a text a few times before an exam that you have done enough to ensure that you know the material, but in actuality just reading over something isn't very effective.
2. Cramming. Although it has been shown that cramming before a test or exam will help you retain some of the information, it will not help you remember everything. ( I love how the majority of college students are aware of this, yet still wait till the last minute to do everything)
3. Interference. When studying you are reaching into your long-term memory storehouse and get out the wrong information that you were looking for.
4.  "In 24 hours we forget 52% of the information if we do not review."
5. The MOST important thing in having a good memory is that it involves both putting information into memory and getting it back out (storage and retrieval).
6. 10 Foods to Help You Boost Your Memory: Studies show that certain foods can actually help you boost your memory in addition to the 10 tips listed above. Among the list are blueberries, coffee, apples, grapes, orange juice. Unfortunately (for me at least) fish, onions, spinach and collard greens made the list as well.
7. Another way to boost your memory would be to take vitamins. I would recommend something such as the Flintstone Gummy Vitamins, not only are they utterly delicious, but vitamins have been shown to help stimulate the mind and prevent memory loss. (I know it's hard to resist eating the whole container at one time, but sticking to eating 2 a day will give you the extra memory boost you need)

Links:

1. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1738621,00.html
2. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/aprilholladay/2007-03-12-memory-first_N.htm
3. http://michaelgr.com/2008/09/13/mit-study-human-memory-capacity-much-bigger-than-previously-thought/

RESPECT FOR YOUR PROFESSOR & CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE

1. Top 10 things professor's find annoying: 1.) Students being late to class, 2.) Students not turning assignments in on time, 3.) Students texting during class, 4.) Students not asking for help when they need it and then finally come to the professor the day before the final exam expecting to get help, 5.) Students not coming to class at all, 6.) Students not participating in class, 7.) Students who expect to get a certain grade but don't do anything to earn it, 8.) Students that complain to the professor, 9.) Students who obviously aren't paying any attention in class and are sleeping, 10.) Students who simply just don't care. 2.Top 10 things that would impress your professor: 1.) participating in class, 2.) attending class, 3.) asking questions, 4.) introducing yourself to the professor, 5.) turning in assignments on time, 6.) emailing them with anything that you may need help with, 7.) taking notes in class, 8.) making eye contact while they are teaching-so that they know that you are listening, 9.) listening to their instructions-and being sure to follow them, 10.) coming in to talk to them about what your study habits are and what else you can be doing to ensure that you are doing your best in the course. 3. Ms. Janelle has been trying to tell us that by us developing a relationship with our professors, we will have a better experience in the class and it will be easier to complete assignments because you will habe a better understanding for what the professor wants. She has also told us how the relationship you have with your professors in college is a lot like that of your employer. Establishing a good relationship with them will create a better working environment and will enable you to have a better understanding of what is expected of you. 4. When emailing your professor there are 5 things to keep in mind: 1.) Be sure to include an opening (such as: Dear Professor Smith), 2.) be sure to use proper grammar, 3.) Be sure to capitalize (ex: letters such as "I"), 4.) Be sure to write in complete sentences, 5.) Be sure to include a closing in which you state your name (ex: Respectfully, Emily Foster) Link: http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/170730468.html

Listening & Note Taking

1. For the quiz, what level listener are you, there were 3 different categories that your score could fit into, If you scored below 70 you need training in listening, if you scored between 70-90 then you listen will, and if you scored above 90 then your and extraordinarily good listener. I was a bit surprised with my results. I scored a 72. This was a bit surprising because I was just barely considered to "listen well".



2. I thought that I was a pretty good listener before taking this quiz. I see now why I may not be as good of a listener as I thought I was to begin with.



3.After learning some tips about listening/note taking, there are 5 things I can do to improve my in class listening skills: 1.) Look at the person who is talking to me- that way they know that I am actually listening, 2.) Ask questions-this way I can get a better understanding of what the speaker is trying to say, 3.) Don't interrupt- this comes off that you think that you are smarter than the person talking to you and don't have time for them, 4.) Don't assume, 5.) Repeat- restate what the speaker has told me so that I can make sure that I am understanding the correctly.

4. The approximate cost of 1 HPU lecture hour (50 minutes) for me this Fall is $69.

5. For a day that I have 3 classes, I am paying $207 for a whole day. 

6. For a whole weeks worth of classes I spend a total of $828 for all of my classes.

7. No student ever thinks " I am wasting my money by texting in class, not paying attention", rather we think "This class is SO boring, I just want to be in bed right now". The thought never occurs to us that we are the ones paying for this education and that we need to be taking advantage of every second that we have with our professors, to be asking questions, taking notes, etc. And it's hard to remember to do all of these things but I have to remind myself that class time is when I need to be serious and be focusing as much of my attention on what is going on in class.

Links Required:
http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_listening.html
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/notes.html

Letter to Incoming Freshman: "How Much Do You Know About HPU?"

Dear New HPU Student,
My name is Emily Foster and I am currently a Freshman at High Point this year and I just wanted to share some things about HPU that you may not already know, and some that I'm sure you will know. I believe that the following information will be useful and informative for you to know before arriving at HPU.

1. College is hard. Its hard to go from living at home with your parents reminding you of everything you need to do, to going to college where you are completely 100% responsible for yourself and your work. Statistics show that only 6 of 10 entering freshman nationally survive the first year of college and of those 6, 4 will earn their bachelor's degree.
2. You have to make the grade. At HPU you must have GPA of 2.0 or better to: 1) graduate, 2) avoid being put on academic probation, 3) take part in greek life, 4) play sports. So its's very important to maintain your grades and do your work.
3. There is always help. Whether you need help in French or Calculus, there will always be someone to help you. Tutoring services are accessible to all students. Getting a tutor is easy, all a student has to do is go to the Smith Library and go to the 4th floor. Where academic services is located.
4. If you need a tutor Greg is your guy. This one kind of goes with number 3, but if you are interested in getting a tutor you would need to go see Greg, who is in charge of tutoring at HPU.
5. Credits. To be considered a sophomore a student must have completed 28 hours before the opening of the sophomore year. The average amount of classes a student will take in one semester is 4 classes. There is limit to how many credits you may take in one semester. A student can be enrolled in a maximum of 18 credits per semester (without doing an "overload").
6. Grades. The grade of a WA on a transcript is given to a student who stops going to class in all. The WA stands for withdraw, meaning that the student has with drawn from the class.
7.  Grading System. In the HPU grading system an A is considered "superior" work, a B is considered "excellent" work, and a C is considered "average".
8. Graduation Requirements. A total of 128 credits/semester hours is required for graduation. Also, in order to graduate a student must have AT LEAST an average of a C (2.0) in their major and may not have more than 2 grades of a D in required courses in their major. As far as your minor goes, you may not have more than 2 D grades in any of the minor courses.
9. Class Times. The first class period on Tuesdays and Thursdays starts at 7:50 A.M.
10. Responsibility. The STUDENT is responsible for monitoring progress and assuring completion of ALL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS. Do not just rely on the help of your advisors or a faculty member, you must be responsible for yourself.
11. Professors. At HPU there are a total of 200 professors employed this year.
12. Adding Classes. There is a time limit on being able to add a class. No student is allowed to add courses later than 7 days after classes begin each semester.
13. Junior Marshals. At the beginning of your Junior year the top 20 students will be designated as the Junior Marshals for the academic year.
14. Minor. A minor is a short sequence of courses, normally requiring a minimum of 
15. Academic Probation. Freshman students who are on probation after the Fall semester must earn a cumulative GPA of 1.7 or higher at the end of the Spring semester in order to return to HPU.
16. Size. In the 2009-2010 High Point University had a student enrollment of approximately 3700 students. 
17. Dean's List. To make the Dean's List a student must be taking at least 12 credits in a semester and earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
18. Psychological counseling. We do offer psychological counseling to all students that is located on the 3rd floor of Slane. But hopefully you won't have to visit that floor.
19. Foreign Language. A student must earn 6 semester hours of the same foreign language at the 202 level as a General Education Requirement.
20. Making sure you get credit. If a student wants to take a summer source from another institution for a summer course, the student must earn a  grade of a C or higher

I know that this is a lot of information to take in at first, and that some is a bit intimidating when you first hear it, but with all the help and support that you receive at HPU your bound to succeed. I hope that after having read this you have learned something new about HPU. I can't wait to see you here in the fall and if you have any questions please feel free to call me.
                                                                                    
                                                                                               Respectfully, Emily Foster                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Time Management & Procrastination

1. We all procrastinate, even if you don't want to admit it, you know you do to. Although some people procrastinate more than others, the fact of the matter is that we all do it. I'll admit that I have been known to procrastinate a great deal and up until this course I never really wondered why I procrastinate so much. It wasn't until after being given this blog assignment that I think I have been able to identify why it is that I procrastinate. Here are my theories of why I think I procrastinate: 1.) I like being able to brag about how I completed something at the last minute. I love getting to brag about how I was able to complete an assignment (whether it be a paper, a project, an essay.  2.)  I don't want to give up my time to do other things (even though I have plenty of other chances to earlier in the day, but choose to put them off until later, as usual).  3.) I get distracted by other things VERY easily. Because of the fact that I cannot focus whatsoever, it makes getting my work done that much more difficult. There's no problem for me to be able to identify the "reasons" I put off doing academic related tasks. The common "reasons" or excuses that I tell myself are that "I have plenty of time", "I have so much other homework to do for the classes that I'm in", "it won't take me long to do it", etc. The problem for me is to be able to get out of this rut of procrastinating and get my work done well in advance.

2. There are many ways to overcome procrastination. And I feel as if I exercised simple tasks to keep from doing it, I would be able to overcome procrastination. For instance, if I started an assignment the day that I'm given it (the first day that something is assigned) then I would be able to get some work done earlier on in the assignment deadline and have a portion of it already done. Or if I would just plan out my day...

3. In the “Overcoming Procrastination” article it stated that 90% of students procrastinate and of these students, 25% are chronic procrastinators – who usually end up dropping out of college. Although I do procrastinate a great deal I feel as though I'm not as bad as some people (or aka the chronic procrastinators). I think where I fit in to all of this is closer to the right end but not quite all the way to the right end (the left side being people who procrastinate rarely and the right side being people who procrastinate frequently). I believe that I procrastinate enough that I know that I'm not anywhere close to the left end of the spectrum, but I do know that I'm not in the middle either. Because when it comes down to completing a task/assignment on time, I can and always do, but I'm not one of those people who typically finish a project well before the due date.

4. The “Procrastination 101: Blame it on the Computer” article talked about how easy it is for college students to waste time on the computer. Which I definitely agree with. In the world today we have access to so many things through the internet that it's difficult not to be wasting too much time on the computer. I know that I am definitely wasting too much time on the computer each day. I fit into the cliche of teens that get sucked into the world of facebook and waste time. I'll get onto the computer initially planning on working on an assignment and next thing I know I'm on facebook and two hours have passed. It's beyond me how this happens and it makes me sick when I see how much time has passed from since when I said that "I'll just get on facebook real quick" and thinking of the number of hours that I spend wasting. I feel like the best way to minimize it would be to block certain websites, such as facebook, bluefly, failblog, etc. during certain parts of the day. Another way that I could minimize this is by not using my computer when I don't have to for an assignment.

Links:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se8Xncrpn24


http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/time-management/WL00048
http://www.newstime.co.za/column/JessicaDix/Examination_meet_Procrastination/96/2248/