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.