Top Ten Things Every College Student Should Know

10. Familiarize yourself with campus. Know where everything is ahead of time.
9. Save your quarters! You'll have lots of laundry to do, so keep a stash.
8. Go to class. Sounds like a no-brainer, but really, it helps a ton.
7. Look for scholarships and apply early. They're out there, and aren't impossible to get.
6. Time management is essential. There's a lot to do on campus, but don't forget those things you have to do.
5. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Whether it's in class, during an appointment, or just when you're passing by, ask if you have a question.
4. Get to know your professors. They want to help you succeed.
3. Get involved on campus. Find a group or club that interests you and find your niche.
2. Utilize your resources. They're here to help you.
1. Don't doubt yourself. Those first two weeks are tough, but it only gets better from there. You set the limits as to what you can achieve. Never give up.

Thanksgiving Break

Christmas Tree

Thanksgiving Break was finally here and I eagerly packed up all my things and hit the road for home. What was supposed to be a restful week in which I was able to catch up on things and visit with family soon became one of the shortest weeks I have experienced. Visiting grandparents and helping them put up Christmas decorations is fine, but sometimes you have to know when to say "no." When there is homework to be done and you only have a few more days of break left to do it, it's time to do the homework and worry about the grandparents later. That doesn't mean that all you should do on breaks is homework, but don't keep putting it off expecting that you'll have plenty of time. The half-life of extra time is extremely short.

Calendar Feature in Scholar

When you go on break, make sure that you set a day to work on your homework, and stick to it. If your family wants to make plans, let them know that's the day you're studying and ask if the date can be changed. Utilize Scholar. The Calendar tool is very helpful to know when you have assignments due, and can help you as you plan your day for homework, as well as creating a checklist. Creating a checklist is also a very useful thing to do, as this can serve as a reminder as to what you need to finish before break is done.
Keeping these things in mind, you should be able to have a successful break, full of relaxation, with just a small bit of work somewhere in the middle.

Nutrition and Exercise

The dreaded Freshman 15...something that nearly all college students face...Luckily enough, Virginia Tech is a big enough campus that it's not as big of a threat here. However, if you are watching your weight, or trying to become more physically fit, there are a wealth of resources at your fingertips to help you attain just that.
The two exercise facilities on campus, McComas Hall and War Memorial Hall, are excellent places to start. Whether you want to bulk up in the weight room, run to improve your cardio, or just play wallyball, the options are unlimited, and the hours are flexible enough to fit any schedule. You can create your own workout routine, or sign up for personal trainer to help you along the way.
If you're counting calories, have no fear!  Nutritional information for all of the food served in the dining halls is located online, and you can calculate these values for each meal you eat. In just a few short clicks, you can judge how your diet is and if you should make any changes in order to mainta.in a balanced diet In addition to this, all of the food on campus is completely free of trans-fats!
In short, with all the options to exercise and the resources that are available to you, there's no reason that you can turn the "Freshman Fifteen" negative if you want to!

Strengths Based Career

My ideal career would be teaching high school agriculture, preferably in Central Virginia. To teach in Virginia, I must have my teaching license, which I can achieve through the graduate program offered by the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education here at Virginia Tech. As a teacher, my Developer strength will be well used, as I will be building up my students to reach their potentials. As the manager of the classroom, I would have responsibility for my students, as well as the curriculum for the class. My Achiever strength will push me to be my very best, and my Belief will help me to be fair to each student and uphold the standards and rules set forth by the school. Positivity would be a strength that would particularly come in handy, as it would help me enjoy each day, as well as create a constructive atmosphere that my students would look forward to being a part of. The Agricultural Sciences degree is a very good choice to prepare me for being an agriculture teacher, as I will need a broad background in agriculture in order to be an effective teacher. I will also need to know how to plan lessons and to communicate effectively to my students. One big obstacle as a teacher is trying to help students be successful who are apathetic. As a Developer, this will be particularly hard; to see the potential that they have, but see them wasting it, along with their time. In addition, as an Agriculture teacher, I will also have a position as FFA Advisor, which will require a great deal of commitment and another group to manage.

Math Emporium

Students at the Math Emporium

The Math Emporium. Nearly all students at Virginia Tech have at least one class that involves trekking over to the Empo to take quizzes and tests. There's nothing worse than having to make time in your schedule to go over to the Empo, take your time on your test, and end up with a grade much lower than what you expected. However, as I have found, there are many valuable resources that can help make your experiences with the Empo a success.
Although I have already taken several tests at the Empo, I had another last week, and was carving time out of each day in order to take practice tests in preparation to take the test. Try as I may, there was always one problem on the test that I could not figure out how in the world to solve. Even with my notes spread all around me, I could find no assistance with this problem, and I had one try left to get a better score on the exam. Even though my professor had mentioned it several times during class, I had no intentions of going into the tutoring lab at the Empo. I hated the Empo, and I only wanted to be there long enough to take my test and get out. I was finally at my wit's end with this one particular problem, and I swallowed my pride, and pushed away my hatred of the Empo, and headed to the tutoring lab. In a matter of 10 minutes, I had the problem explained to me (a property I was simply unaware of), and I was able to check in and take the test with no problem. If I had only went sooner, I would have been able to do better on the test much earlier in the week, and I would not have had to make so many trips to the Empo.
Lessons learned:

1. You're not a dork if you go to get tutoring; there are lots of kids there, and it will save you lots of time in the long run.
2. Use the resources that are available to you. They're called resources for a reason; they're suprisingly helpful and make your life a lot easier.
3. The Math Empo really isn't that bad.  : )

National FFA Convention

A couple of weeks ago I recieved an email stating that any undergraduate students that were able and willing to volunteer as representatives at the Virginia Tech booth were welcome to go to the National FFA Convention with the Agriculture department. The idea sounded great, but I needed to know what costs were involved, and I would of course have to check with my professors. I replied to the email, stating that I was interested, and requesting more information. Turns out that the trip was entirely paid for, hotel and travel, and I would only need to provide money for meals. Luckily enough, all of my tests fell the week before Convention, so it worked out and I was able to go. I had a great time while I was there, as I got to speak with high school students considering Virginia Tech, and I got the opportunity to meet graduate students and ask them questions I had about graduate school. I remember going to the Virginia Tech booth last year, as a high school senior trying to narrow down the list of colleges, and speaking with a representative. It's exciting to think that I got to be that person for someone else!
So what have I learned from this experience? Take advantage of the opportunities presented to you. There are so many things that you can experience while you're here, so make the most of your time here. Get to know your professors. They are willing to help you and want you to succeed, as well as have fun. They will work with you so that you can take advantage of the opportunities presented to you. Go to class...if you're in class regularly, when you miss a day or two it won't make as big of a difference. In addition, get to know the people in class, so that you can ask someone for the notes that you miss.

Spring Course Request

As October is speeding by, we come upon the week of Spring Course Requests. This is an exciting time for many students, as they begin to sign up for classes that are more specific to their major, but many students have not yet experienced signing up for classes and may be confused as to how this process works. There are many things that you can to to make sure that you are able to sign up for the classes that you need and want. With a little preparation, you can ensure that this process is quick and painless.
First, know what classes you are required to take for your major. The Graduation Requirements and Checksheets are very helpful in determining this. Take  few minutes and map out what required classes you plan to take each semester according to how quickly you plan on graduating. This way you will know what classes you need to take to stay on track and how many "fun" classes you can slip in along the way. Speaking of "fun" classes, it is a good idea to schedule at least one class a semester that you are taking purely for your own enjoyment. This will help you to de-stress and also should help boost your GPA.
After you know what classes are required and what areas you can choose from, do some exploring. Utilize the Undergraduate Course Catalog to find out what classes there are and what you want to take, as well as what each one encompasses. Write down the course number for each of the classes you plan on taking, as well as a couple of alternates in case the classes you want are full.
Now, you should do a little looking into the Course Request Process. See what day Course Request opens, and learn about the Course Request process in general. You want to make sure that you request your classes early in this process, or the classes you wish to take may be full. A good reference is the Registration Overview, but here's the quick run-down:

1. Log into Hokie Spa, and click on the tab entitled "Registration and Schedule."
2. You should see a section entitled "Registration Links," and when Course Request opens, an "Add Courses" link will be listed to the right of the "Spring" term. Click on this tab, as it will allow you to enter the course request numbers for the classes you wish to take.
3. Open the Timetable of Classes in a separate window.
4. Using the list of classes and course numbers you created, enter the course numbers into the Timetable of Classes to search for available courses. Each of these will have a Course Request Number. Type this number into a box on the "Add Courses" page. Pay close attention to class times, to make sure that they do not overlap.
5. Once you have looked up all the classes you wish to take, submit your course request by clicking the appropriate button.
6. You will be able to monitor your scheduling through Hokie Spa by using either the "Detail Schedule for Spring Semester 2011" link, or the "Schedule by Day and Time" link on the "Registration and Schedule" page. The link entitled "Course Request Results" lists which, if any, classes were not scheduled.

One final thing to remember during Course Request is to schedule a meeting with your advisor. This should be done during Course Request, so that you can talk with your advisor about what classes you should be taking, and you can make changes to your schedule if needed. Your advisor can also point you in the direction you need to go according to your specific career plans.
Perhaps this was a lengthy explanation, but if you follow these tips, I feel that you will certainly have a successful effort to sign up for your classes. See, I told you it was quick and painless!