Nik

Getting back into the swing of things is a little bit difficult. I mean, I am trying to reprogram my brain for the amount of things I have to do in the day and not make it be overwhelming. It is also exciting though, to know that I can accomplish so much. And to add on to staying above water, right now I am really trying to decide on a major. It is really difficult, because I want to get out in 3 years, if possible, and I want to get a degree in something useful. My adviser has been really great about working with me. We are narrowing down possible career fields and majors, and next week I am going to go in and hopefully pick one. It seems so weird that this small decision will affect the rest of my life enormously. A little bit unnerving in fact, but not too bad. Hopefully I pick something good!

I encourage any and all people to put forth a great effort into studying for finals. Not to say I did not do my fair share of studying, but I did not quite receive the grades I was wishing for. My friends assure me that it is okay though, and I get by with a little help from my friends. I’ve used this GPA calculator about a million times now, trying to figure out what my GPA for this first semester will be. I should be fine, as long as there are no curve-balls. In all seriousness, I would suggest studying at least 2 weeks in advance for finals. I didn’t and I really do regret it now. Oh! And go to office hours, I went like the past week to 3 or 4 of them, and they are so useful, especially in Chemistry. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Well I think that is all, I am officially on break, Over and Out!

Now that I am sort of settled into college, I have really noticed that I live day by day. I mean, I have scheduled meetings and events, but I try not to look too far into the future. Especially when it comes to classes. When you think of all the things that are due in the next couple weeks and all the tests coming up, it really seems daunting. That is why I have started just doing what needs to be done for tomorrow, every day. It seems to be working pretty well so far. I don’t mean that postponing major assignments is a good thing. In fact, I have a calendar devoted to them on my bulletin board, but just keep them in mind and continue on with your daily work. It is too easy to get caught up in the idea of how much work is to be done and it makes me want to do work less. I hope everyone else is finding ways to cope with this workload!:D

While I have been at college only a short time, I have already discovered the importance of studying. Everyone complains about it because lets be honest, 100 pages of chemistry can be a little boring to read, but it can be fun if you try. For instance, I could study alone, or…I could study with superman and a gorilla in the room. (This photo was taken from the Daum lounge I was studying in) I try to make studying fun, and the best way I have found is studying in groups. Reading may seem hard to do in a group, but if you are around the right group of people, it makes the process bearable.  Reading the chapter puts you miles ahead of half the other people in your class who neglect to put in the extra time and effort. If reading isn’t your thing than do something else to go the extra mile, The University of Iowa offers many other options including supplemental instruction (SI), TA and Professor office hours, and even free tutoring in some subject areas! I strongly encourage everyone to try out these extra methods to really excel in their courses.