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!

Midterms

As the school year progresses, midterm exams begin to ensue... Luckily enough, I find myself facing only one of these monsters, though it alone seems quite daunting. How will I tackle it? First, starting from the day that is one week away from the exam, I have been studying each night for the exam. I have found that the practice midterm questions that my professor posted online are quite helpful in determining what to study. Also, I plan to continue my normal sleeping habits, so that I don't get too stressed and worn out. Part of the most stressful part of midterm exams is the weight that they carry in the course. If you familiarize yourself with the syllabus of each of your classes on scholar, you can calculate how your midterm score will affect your final grade. After beginning studying for my midterm, I realized exactly how much I have been hurting myself by not reading the textbook thoroughly. In order to improve over the second half of the semester, I am setting aside time each day to read my textbook so that I don't fall behind on the reading and don't have to cram it all in before the test.

Marine Band Concert

 Marine Band Profile Picture from Facebook

October 3 was my father's birthday. I really wanted to be able to see him, but since I'm going home next weekend for fall break, I wanted to determine if there was anything that we could do as a family here at Tech. I wasn't very sure where to look, but one of my professors mentioned that the Marine Band would be performing on the third. Upon returning to my dorm room, I searched the Virginia Tech website, and discovered that not only were they playing, but all that was necessary to get tickets was to go and request them from Squires. So my family came up from home and we all attended the concert, then went out to supper for my dad's birthday. We had a great time, and Dad really enjoyed it.
So what is there to learn from this situation?
Know what's going on. Check the website fairly frequently so that you don't miss out on any chances. There is always something going on, so you should never feel like there is nothing to do but sit in your dorm room all day. There are opportunities waiting, and you don't want to let them slip by simply because you didn't look.

Chi Alpha

My Chi Alpha Small Group (Bible Study)

Having been raised in a Christian household that attended church every sunday, my religion has always been an important aspect of my life. I come from a very small town, and my church only has about 70 members in attendance on any given Sunday. When I arrived at Virginia Tech, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people on campus. I felt like I was lost in a sea of people. I felt the need to find a Christian group to associate with, and though I attend a Baptist church at home, the days the Baptist Collegiate Ministry meet did not seem to be working with my schedule. The second week of school, I went to Campus Crusade for Christ, and I really enjoyed the service. I had truly missed the fellowship and corporate worship, but there were still so many people. How could I ever find a church "family" when all the groups at Virginia Tech are so big? One of my friends from high school had been attending a small group Bible Studay with Chi Alpha, and she asked if I wanted to go watch the Boise State football game at her group leader's appartment. I agreed, and when I went, the girls I met were really nice. We decided to attend the Chi Alpha worship service the next week, and upon doing so, I knew that this was the place for me. There were about 50 people in attendance, and after the service, people talked to me and genuinely cared about who I was and how I was doing. I have since continued with both Bible Study and worship services at Chi Alpha, and this weekend I went on the Chi Alpha retreat in Gore, VA. Over the past couple of days I have not only strengthened my faith, but also met so many wonderful people in Chi Alpha that are a sort of family for me at Tech. I know that I can depend on them for anything I need.
What does this mean for anyone else? Find a group you identify with. Whether it's a religious group, a club, or a sports group, find a core group of friends. You can make friends in your classes, but often the best friends are those who have something in common with you. Also, don't settle with the first group you find. You may find the perfect one first, or you may not. Make sure. Try a few different groups you think you'll like, and then pick the one that suits you best. With so many different clubs and groups on campus, there's no reason not to have a part in at least one of them.

Animal Vegetable Miracle: Food Origins

In the first chapter of Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, she writes:
"We don't know beans about beans. Asparagus, potatoes, turkey drumsticks - you name it, we don't have a clue about how the world makes it."
This is an astonishingly abundant truth in America today. Children grow up knowing only that vegetables come from the grocery store, oblivious to the fact that they were grown out of the ground prior to being sold. Even if people do realize that vegetables are grown and farmed, they often have misconceptions as to how the friut or vegetable is grown.
"I'll encounter an editor ... who's nixing the part of my story that refers to pineapples growing out of the ground. She insisted they grew on trees." (Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle)
People don't know how things are grown simply because they have not been exposed to them, and they don't feel the need to inquire as to how it came to be. A shopper may know what time of year fruits are more expensive than others, but never understand that the reason these prices fluctuate is because the fruits aren't in season and must be imported. These facts of life are accepted, without being understood.
As someone entering the Agricultural Science field, one must understand that many people don't know these things. Those who are aware must make efforts to educate the general public. As people gain more information, they can make better decisions. As agriculturalists, it is up to us to ensure that they are well informed.
How to make this happen?
1. Be educated yourself. You can't very well advocate that everyone should know where their food comes from if you don't know where yours did.
2. Understanding what additives are in store-bought items are also important. Know what you're letting enter your body.
3. Do something about it. Buy locally grown food items, or in groups that allow you to "put your money where your mouth is."
4. If and when you have your own family, educate your children on where food comes from. Ensure that they are not part of the American public without a clue.

Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence

Going to college and getting off on your own is nice, but it is important to realize that the reason you're going to college is to get an education. While college can be expected to be harder than high school was, there's no reason not to do well, especially when there are a wealth of resources at your fingertips.
One of these resources that is particularly useful at Virginia Tech is the Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence, or CAEE. The CAEE operates to help students be successful throughout their college career. They offer many helpful programs, such as the Majors Fair, for students who are considering changing majors or deciding on which to declare, and Academic Recovery Programs for those students who are returning from Academic Suspension or are on Academic Probation.
If you are struggling in a class, you can sign up with the CAEE for tutoring free of charge. The important thing to remember here is to get help when you first realize you are struggling in the class, not after you bomb your first major test.
CAEE also offers many Seminars for Academic Success to "jump start" your college career and start you on a path of success. They offer seminars such as Time Management, Test Taking: The 3 Steps to Success, Procrastinating Holding You Back?, and many others. These seminars can help you learn techniques in order to maximize your potential and make your college experience successful. They are offered many different times and days, so there will always be at least one offering that will fit your schedule. Since they are one-time only seminars, there is no commitment to come after your seminar is complete. For sacrificing a couple of hours one day, you will gain so much to be used in the many days ahead.

Parking

Sticky-Noted Door

The other day, my roommate put sticky notes all over the door to the dorm room of one of her friends. Her friend vowed to "get her back," so for the remainder of the week, she was walking on eggshells, worried about what her retaliation might be. She slipped into town one night, and Friday morning, she remembered that she may have forgotten to hang her parking pass back on her rearview mirror. Unfortunately for her, the friend down the hall optimized on her situation: she crafted a fake parking ticket and left it on the windshield of the car as a nasty suprise for my roommate to find. My roommate was rather flustered that she recieved a $150 fine for not hanging up her parking pass, and as she pondered how to break the news to her parents, we finally told her that it was all a joke...She wasn't too pleased.

Fake Parking Ticket

Lessons learned: (1) Always make sure to hang your parking pass up before you leave your car. (2) Don't sticky-note a friend's door, you never know what they'll do in return.
How to make sure you don't get a parking ticket (or don't believe you deserve a fake one):
1. As stated above, make sure to hang your parking pass up before you leave your car. Make it a habit to check for your parking pass before you lock your car and leave the parking lot.
2. Know where you can and cannot park, and when you need to move your car. If you've paid for a parking pass, know how to use it so that you don't have to pay additional fines.

3. Make a mental note of where you park. Walking around a parking lot for 20 minutes just to find your car isn't a productive use of time. If the space has a number, jot it down as soon as you can so you don't forget it. Don't try and remember what you parked beside, because it may not be there when you return.

Laundry

So college finally got here. I moved in all of my things, got through my first week of classes, and survived communal shower rooms. With the end of week one came my first encounter with doing the laundry.
I was actually looking forward to doing my laundry. After getting out on my own, taking care of myself, and setting my own schedule without my parents, the laundry would be the final accomplishment for the week.
Saturday morning I came down the stairs, and the washers were all full. "Not a big deal," I thought to myself, and I resolved to come back after lunch. Lunch came and went, and the status on the washing machines remained the same. Finally, after supper, a washing machine was available. One of my high school friends saved the washer for me while I darted upstairs to grab my laundry basket and quarters. I loaded up my laundry, started the cycle, and proceeded to bide my time in the dorm lounge. Meanwhile, two of the four dryers were taken out of commission, as people didn't follow the directions posted on the wall. Our already long line to dry clothes just doubled. Two hours later, I am finally finished washing and drying my clothes. Isn't this the Saturday night that most kids dream of at college? (I didn't think so either)
Lesson learned: Don't do your laundry on Saturday. No one has class on Saturday, so that is the day that is most available for everyone to wash clothes.

Tips to make your laundry day a success:
1. As stated above, don't do laundry on Saturday. Find a day in your schedule during the week that you have enough time to do your laundry.
2. Make sure you know how to wash your laundry before you come. Some people have never done their own laundry before they go off to college. Do a couple of "test runs" at home to make sure you know the ins and outs before leaving home. Check out this webpage for detailed instructions. http://www.ehow.com/how_46_laundry.html
3. Find laundry detergent/fabric softener/dryer sheets that you like the smell of and that you know you aren't allergic to. You can always continue using what you typically use at home. I have foud that Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets are very convenient, as they serve as all three: detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets in one convenient sheet. No measuring and pouring, and they're pretty compact, so they make the most of the limited space in your dorm room. (Check out http://www.purex.com/purex-3-in-1/ for mor info)
4. Save your quarters! It takes a lot of quarters to wash and dry a single load of clothes. At $1.50 for washing and $1.25 for drying, that's $2.75 for a single load...if they dry completely. It's a good idea to have a change jar specifically for quarters so that you can save them to use on your laundry.
(Laundry picture found at http://www.laundrybasketcork.com/IMAGES/stock/bigmixedbasket.jpg)