Keeping your brain SHARP

Keeping your head straight can be extremely difficult while going through college or university. There are constantly so many things on the go, and DRAMA on top of it. Here are my best tips on keeping you brain SHARP as the semester comes to an end, but there is still a ton to do.

1. Drink TONS of water.
2. Get enough sleep but not TOO much sleep. 
3. Relax your mind every once in a while with mindless activities, like painting, running, yoga, or knitting (whatever relaxes you).
4. Eat a lot of fruits and veggies.
5. Don't get distracted by social media during study periods 
6. Have meaningful conversations about school. Discussing school and assignments in a normal, casual setting can actually help you learn more about the assignment and help you see it in a different light. 
7. Get enough fresh air.
8. Exercise regularly.
9. Don't get frustrated with yourself! (Give yourself a break, I know that's easier said than done, but if you are putting in effort you will eventually see the results) 
10. Prioritize and concur!

You can do it! Push through these last few weeks and the results will benefit you for years to come! Good luck everyone!

Guidance

In your classes when you do not understand something it is important to ask questions, do not be shy or afraid to ask your peers and professor any questions you may have in will help you in the long run. If you are a shy person and have trouble asking a question during class write down questions that you are curious about and ask your professor after class. You can also Email your teachers if you have questions throughout the weeks, sometimes it can be a hassle to email, but it is well worth it and it helps put a lot. Your Professors are there to offer you guidance and support throughout the year so do not hesitate to ask questions there are no wrong questions only curiosity.

Preparing for Presentations

Presentations can be nerve-racking to some students because they fear possible embarrassment. For example, one may forget what they wanted to say or another may be so nervous, that they stutter while speaking. Here are some tips on how you can prepare yourself for a presentation to help you overcome these scary, negative feelings and help you gain the confidence you did not know you were capable of having.

Tip One: Rehearse

Rehearing is the most important thing when it comes to presentation, whether you are presenting with a group or alone. Rehearsing helps your group and yourself to memorize your important ideas. This means you will able to concentrate on your delivery and elaborate on your ideas.  It also creates fluidity within your group and makes the presentation sound strong and attracts listeners’ attention. Lastly, rehearsing helps the group stay within the given time frame.

Tip Two: Tone

The presenter’s tone indicates their passion about the topic. This gives your audience an indication about how they should feel about the presenter’s ideas and the value they hold. Therefore, it is important to practice different tones in order to convey the message that you want your audience to receive. Tone is powerful. It also captures and maintains an audience’s attention. 

Tip Three: Pace

Pacing is another important thing to remember when presenting. It helps the audience understand the presenter when they’re speaking, as well as helps the audience process and interpret information. Pacing also helps the presenters stay on time and keeps them from rushing.

Tip Four: Involve your Audience

Be interactive. Play games, such as kahoot and others, ask questions and have open discussions with your audience. Even get your audience up out of their seats and moving around. This engagement serves to involve them in the learning process and thereby, solidifies their learning and comprehension. Using videos, graphics, charts, diagrams, and other strategies to attract your audience’s attention will reach multiple audience members and their different styles of learning.

Tip Five: Appearance

Presenters should be in formal, professional clothing and present themselves as mature and serious. As well, being prepared and organized are also essential. Their time is valuable and in order to respect that, an efficient and strong presentation will be impressive and maintain their attention.

Focus

Finding a quiet place is my best chance at focusing. I am so easily distracted by music, friends, animals and food! This makes studying at home very difficult, as well as studying at the school nearly impossible. I do my best to find a library or empty cafe. Here I have the ability to relax, and get what needs to be done, done! Here are 3 tips I have on focusing:

1. Put away your mobile phone. Seeing it light up, ever vibrate is tempting. I usually feel the urge to check it right away. Fortunately, I have learned that most things can wait. Studying, however, can not wait in some cases. I keep my mobile phone in a bag and turn off the ringer and try to focus only on the school work. If you are studying for multiple hours at a time, giving yourself a timeline with breaks, gives you a chance to check your phone without interrupting your studies. I would recommend a break every 45 minutes. However, everyone learns differently. See what works for you!

2. Eat well. Eating foods that promote health and wellness can be hugely impactful on your brain. If you are hungry, or you have eaten nothing but junk food, your brain will have a more difficult time focusing.

3. Take brain breaks. If you don't feel like getting up and walking around, than at least yourself a brain break every 30-60 minutes. Allowing your brain to temporarily focus on something other then your studies will allow you to feel rejuvenated when you return.

Good luck!

Problem Solving

Problem Solving means addressing a difficult matter that acts as a barrier to goals and therefore,  requires a solution. This is one of the most important skills to master as a student. First, students must identify the problem and understand its complexities. Next, students must realize that there is more than one solution to the problem, thus it is imperative to think of the different outcomes. After this step, it is a good idea to think of the pros and cons of each solution before making an informed decision. This requires research, fact-finding and then, evaluating these findings. Once the decision is made, it is important to monitor and review the outcome. Being able to master the steps when problem-solving promotes the development of various important skills. For instance, it cultivates and strengthens critical thinking and rational thinking, which increases analytical skills. It also teaches the value of research and of being knowledgeable about a particular subject. As a result of this step-by-step process, patience is developed, as is an understanding that the process is not as time-consuming as making a quick, rash decision because sudden and uninformed decisions lead to more problems and ultimately, more time is wasted when trying to find a solution to more than one problem. Furthermore, problem-solving teaches practical skills such as effective communication (both oral and written), initiative, time management and it does much more than that, it fosters happiness, teaches independence, the importance of lifelong learning and all of this leads to increased success, and that means achieving goals.

If you’d like to practice your problem-solving skills, here are a few scenarios you can work through to help strengthen your skills:

*You have a group presentation and one of the members does not do their fair share of the work. It is three days before the due date and the group knows they are required to complete the assignment, but don’t have time to finish the slack member’s share.

*A student I don’t know well skips classes often, does drugs from what I hear, and continuously asks me what they missed and for help with the assigned evaluations.

*You know one of your classmates is fooling around with dangerous chemicals.  You also know that if you tell anyone about what he’s doing he will know it was you who ratted on him.

Post your ideas in the Comments Section!

IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK/GROUPWORK

IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK/GROUPWORK

Teamwork/ Group work is an essential and important part of school life the group you choose to work with on an assignment can either be a great experience or one of the worst experiences you have had which is why it is important to pick your group members carefully. I’m going to give some tips that will help you in this area firstly pick your partner carefully if you meet someone you can trust at the beginning of the year stick with them for as long as you can, even if you have to pick your classes together to make sure you guys are in the same class just like a business partnership. If you do not know someone you can  trust or do not know anyone and you are new don't be shy talk to people put yourself out there people are nice but if you do not make the effort to talk and make yourself known usually no one will talk to much. while you are talking to people making new friends observe their work ethic are they focused are they taking notes are they participating in class asking questions try and get people like that in groups with you it. now secondly  when it comes to group work sadly there are some people who do not cooperate well in a team whether it be there's a lack of communication or they do not do their work and they live things till the last minute, someone has to take charge of the group and get everyone together schedule the meeting times to work on the assignment together one way i find has helped me out a lot and is something i do all the time is on the first day the group is established get all group  members contact information immediately and begin by creating a group texting or messaging whether on Facebook or WhatsApp etc. and lastly The sooner you begin on an assignment the quicker you finish it and you are not so stressed out. I have seen many people who have left group work till the last minute I am even guilty   of doing that. You stress yourself out when you do that and the work you do might not be the greatest so I will not suggest it.

11 Tips for interviewing

With Graduation approaching and summer months coming up, interviews are begining already!

Interviewing for a new position can be extremely intimidating. However I have come up with 11 things that may help you prepare.

First and foremost, when going into a job interview, be yourself. If they aren't interested in you (the real you), then it is not the right job.

Be prepared. Know as much as you possibly can about the company or employee that you are interviewing with. Know details they wouldn't expect you to know, for example: what charities they support, or what events they have attended in the past.

Dress to impress. If you are applying to work in an office, a suit or business dress is a safe bet, unless they say, "dress casually". Then a nice pair of pants (not jeans) and a collared shirt will do fine.

Don't be shy to talk about yourself and your accomplishments. I know it’s rare for someone to ask you to gloat about yourself, but this is one opportunity where you shouldn't be shy to let him or her know what’s awesome about you. 

Don't make things up. If you don't know, tell them you don't know, but will follow up with them once you have thought about it or done some research. 

Ask questions. Asking questions not only proves that you're interested but shows confidence. You are interviewing them too! You are considering putting your career into their business, so asking questions will help you make your decision, and ensure that the opportunity is the right fit. Also, be sure to ask the interviewer about their career path and education; people love speaking about themselves and it shows your interest. 

Refer to your resume. Talk casually about your experiences and hobbies, and have your resume intron of you, as well as in front of them. Always bring extra copies. 

Make as much eye contact as possible. If they look away don't stare at their face, but make sure that when they are looking at your eyes, you are meeting them, and holding. If you are slightly introverted or try to avoid eye contact often this may feel uncomfortable, but it helps them get to know you, and visa versa. 

Be courteous with a follow up thank you email. Regardless of how it went, their time is valuable, and recognizing the time they took to meet with you, goes a long way. 

Talk about past work experiences vividly. Be sure to elaborate in areas where you succeeded. When speaking about failures or disappointments, refer back to what you learned from the experience. 

Take your time when answering questions that stump you. Asking them to hold on a moment while you think proves that you are putting thought into your answers. Sometimes they ask you things you haven't that about in a while, or have never considered, for example: "if you could pick one defining moment in your life what would it be?"