Final Exams and Graduation

Hi UTSC-ers!

Because final examinations are on full gear, I will make this blog post short. 

First, just a quick reminder to double check your exam schedule to see if you have the right room number and time of your exams. You can check that here.
Second, I'm assuming time management has been your best friend for the whole semester.. If not, don't forget to start your study sessions by writing down an efficient and flexible to-do-list. This helps you reduce your test anxiety, make your studying a walk in the park, and in no time you'll ace your exams.
You can print out a daily task planner here.
Third, adapting to your learning style can help you study efficiently. Whether you're visual, auditory or kinesthetic (using whole body movement and real life experiences) learner, it is important to adapt to these learning processes to match your learning environment. Using flashcards, sticky notes around your wall or study table, or even re-watching online lectures may just be some examples.


Lastly, for those intent and are eligible to graduate this June: here is a quick graduation check list you may need to look over. As well as Graduation link for UTSC regarding details about the convocation, date, tickets, etc.

This is my last blog post as this is my last semester in UTSC (sad face), so if you are graduating with me on June, don't be hesitant to say Hi :)

Good luck on your exams!!

See you when I see you,
Katrina

Summer School?

Hi guys!

Let me reiterate a couple of important summer deadlines and procedures:

1. The Subject Post Application period for limited subject post(s) have started on April 5th until May 4th, 2013. You can find the subject post codes and procedures here. You can start adding unlimited programs right now.
2.  The summer course enrollment begins on April 9th, 2013 in UTSC. For UTSC students planning on taking courses in UTM/St. George, it starts on April 18th, 2013. (For program requirements that you are planning to take in another campus, you need to have your program supervisor's approval PRIOR to enrolling. However, if it is an elective, you don't need an approval. In addition, the procedures for enrolling in ROSI are the same as the UTSC courses.)
3. The deadline to accept offer for limited subject post(s) is on June 23, 2013
4. Last day to add F and Y is on May 20, 2013.

Further questions regarding other summer dates and procedures can be found on the registrar's website.

So if you are thinking of taking summer courses, besides taking note of the procedures and deadlines I have mentioned above, it may be in your best interest to consider these guidelines:

• Do you have time to devote to your studies during the summer? This is the first question you have to ask yourself and may be the most important one. Students may have the most distractions during summer (bbqs, roadtrips, nice weather outside), so it is important to make sure you are able to balance out school, work, and other activities during the summer semester. 
•  If you are on Academic Probation, are you aware that you must get an overall sessional GPA of 1.6 for the summer courses in which you are registered? Make sure it is in your best interest to take summer courses, especially if you are on academic probation. You have to plan your courses and make sure you are able to spend a minimum of 2-3 hours of study, review and preparation time for every 1 hour of class time. Also, keep in mind that if you are taking F or S courses, time management is your best tool because these courses are condensed and offered in half the time. (don't forget to book an appointment with an Academic and Learning Strategist to go over your options)
• How is your energy level? Students usually use the summer semester to take a break from the stressful fall and winter semesters. For the same students, it is important for them to maintain a healthy self, physically and mentally. So, it is also important to ask yourself this question.
• Are you worried about OSAP? The Financial Aid and Awards office can provide you with information regarding OSAP and other provincial loan programs. You can book an appointment with a Financial Aid Officer through your e-service.

 Lastly, if you want to hone your study skills over the summer, consider attending a study skills seminar or book an appointment with an Academic and Learning Strategiest. By calling us at (416) 287-7561 or by stopping by our office: AC 213.

Have a productive weekend!

Until next time,
Katrina

Choosing your Program

Hi everyone!

Spring is here... that means April is just around the corner. Besides the longer days and (sorta) nice weather,  Subject Post Application Period is also approaching.

So if you already have an idea or a plan as to what you want to apply for, then awesome.. you're definitely on the right track! But if you have not decided, then I'm here to help you guide through the process of choosing your program.

As a degree student and you have at leat 4.0 credits (8 courses) completed at the end of winter semester, you must declare a program(s) in your rosi account. This can either be one specialist, two majors, or a major and two minor.

• First question you need to ask yourself is what are you interested in. Studying materials that are interesting to you means you will be more motivated to study for that specific course and enjoy your time at university more.
• Second, what skills and strengths do you have. Are you an excellent writer? Or are you more of a mathematician or maybe good with problem solving? Assessing your skills and corresponding them to courses in a program can give you ideas as to what program you think you will excel the most, thus, may be best suited for you.
• What courses have you done well in? As you complete your first year in UTSC, it is important to assess this now. You can also look into the courses you have excelled in high school.. but keep in mind courses offered here are at a university setting.
• Why do you want this program? Take note of the career opportunities available for this program. However, the more important question is what skills, interests, qualities and values you have that can help you in choosing what career option is best suited for you.

You may want to discuss your career options with a career counsellor. You can do so by coming by our office (AC213) and booking an appointment with a Career Counsellor or by calling us at 416-287-7561.

Also, if you have further question such as: how to enrol, or if your program is limited or not, or if it is, what are the requirements etc.,  please refer to this tipsheet and refer to the registrar's website for the codes and procedures.
 

Important dates:
March 24th = Last day to drop S courses without academic penalty and have them removed from the transcript (on ROSI only).
April 5th to May 4th, 2013 = Subject post application period for limited programs
April 9th, 2013 = Summer course enrollment begins 

Have a wonderful (first spring) weekend!
-Katrina

The hidden benefits of your summer job

Hi! How are you guys? How's the job hunt? How were midterms? Everything going well?

Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay. *nods understandingly*

You there, with that skeptical expression…what are you mumbling??

*cue dramatic gasp*

Did you just say that summer jobs aren’t worth it?? HOW DARE YOU.

I kid, I kid. But on that note, allow me to go off on a tangent about the secret treasure trove of skills and opportunities to glean through a summer job.

A lot of the time, students who are hired for summer jobs aren’t working in their ideal field (i.e. an Anthropology student probably doesn’t want to scoop ice cream at the Ex for the rest of their life). This can sometimes throw students off because they want to find a position that’s specific to what they’re studying. As noble as that is, realistically, there are few positions for students in relevant fields for a short term like the summer.

It may be a bit hard to understand at first, but that job at the mall could teach you a lot of skills that you can transfer onto future experiences. First things first: you get to learn about the industry that you choose to work in, and their culture. Next up: in most summer jobs, there’s an aspect of customer service, which teaches you communication skills and interpersonal skills. These skills will become useful the next time you’re working in a group situation.

No matter which job you choose, you’ll learn time management skills and how to think and act according to the situation you’re presented. Think of it this way: someone working at a fast food joint has to be quick on their feet to fill orders, manage their time well so that they don’t burn food or take too long, and develop good communication skills so that everyone in the kitchen knows what’s going on.

Don’t be so hard on your summer job aspirations! Everything has a few nuggets of gold, and you’ll learn a lot more than you expected. Good luck! J

-Farihah

Improving your Memory

Hi again!

Tying this one with my previous post, having a good memory is definitely a great tool for academic success in university. Acing your midterms and final exams requires storing those essential information to your long term memory (LTM). Thus, reviewing your lecture notes within 24 hours of the class is a crucial step in transferring information from your short term memory to your LTM. I also suggest re-reading or skimming through the course readings corresponding to that lecture.

Here are some few tips in improving your memory, adapted from: Tigner, R. B. (1999). Putting memory research to good use: hints from cognitive psychology. Journal of College Teaching, 47, 149-15.

Chunking. This is learning small pieces of information and later putting them together rather than cramming a lot of information all at the same time. The latter one may be faster but not the most efficient way of studying.

Spacing. Spacing out your time study is correlated to chunking the information. Research indicates that the best study intervals are those that match the retention interval (the time between the last study session and the test). For example, if your test is in two days, study once a day. If your test is in two hours, study once an hour.

Elaborative Rehearsal. When I was in first year, I remember one of my professors kept reminding us that this was not highschool anymore, so, memorizing terms was not enough to get you an A in her course.. and she was definitely right. Instead, it is more adequate to understand the concept. Then, applying it to i.e. real life or a memorable event will help you remember the concept better.

Dual Coding. Having both visual and verbal memory of a piece of information can help you remember that information better. Try visualizing the information while saying it out loud. A good example is when you're studying for i.e. physiology of the brain. While you articulate the parts and their functions, you also try to visualize the brain and where the parts are located.

Generation Effect.You are more likely to remember a term or concept that you generate on your own as opposed to being presented to you. Try studying with friends and take turns quizzing each other. Another helpful technique is using flashcards.

State and Context Dependant Memory. What this means is that the state and context of the time you acquired the information should match the state and context of the time you remember the information. So, if they do match you tend to remember the information better. This comes into play during exams. If you are stuck on a question and become anxious about it, try to relax and skip that question and come back to it after you are done.


If you think these guidelines are helpful and you want to have your own copy, you can find these informations in this tipsheet.

I know final exam schedule is already up so I wish you all good luck!

Have a great and productive weekend!
- Katrina

Concentration and Staying on Track

Hello guys,

I'm sorry I have been MIA for a couple weeks. I have been sick but I will not get into detail about it..let's just say it was horrible and I'm glad I'm better and all ready to finish up this semester. However, I do hope your reading week went better and more productive than mine!

It has been a week back in school and I'm assuming everyone has been very busy with midterms, assignments and presentations. As a student, I noticed one of the difficult problems students have in university is staying on track. Concentrating on a task can be difficult, especially for students and a lot of distractions.
I know most of you want to do the work but feel like you're not as efficient as you hoped to be. Don't sweat it..most adults can concentrate on a task for a period of 35 to 45 minutes.

Finding that mojo to study for the first time can be quite challenging. However, here are some guidelines into helping you get rid or at least minimize those internal distractions.

Find your spot. Staying one place to study for your whole university career can, honestly, be quite dull. Yes, you want to keep exploring to make things more interesting but make sure you have that one spot when you do some "serious" studying. Personally, I go to one of the "Ultra Quiet Study Rooms" in the library when I need to get a lot of things done in one day. Then, if I need to be studying with a friend or two I go to one of the study carousels around school or book one of the study rooms in the library. So, if you haven't found it yet, I encourage you to find that perfect spot to match the type of studying you will be doing.

Smart phones put away. This is the first thing I do before I do my schoolwork.. and trust me it makes a BIG difference. With the exception of waiting for an important call or email, constantly checking your phone can be very distracting and without noticing it, you have already spent 30 minutes just fiddling with your phone. So try turning it off or at least putting it away before studying.

Break! I always have this on my posts but trust me this also makes a BIG difference. I tested this myself. I tried reading for one hour straight, without any breaks then compared it with reading for 45 minutes then I had 5-10minute break before going back to studying again. For the latter one, I noticed that I accomplished more because I was not trying to cram all information at the time I was studying. I was even more concentrated after the mini-break I took.

Music. Some people find they concentrate more with music in the background or music through headphones. I suggest choose the appropriate time to listen to music because generally music (especially with lyrics) can be an audial distraction. However, if you need to write a paper or answer questions for assignments, music can lessen your anxiety and help you finish that schoolwork. I listen  to songza when I have a critical paper to write but when I have to read a book chapter or a journal article, I need silence or even use earplugs sometimes.

Talk. Telling yourself you have to finish can definitely help. When you feel yourself daydreaming or dozing off, talk to yourself and direct your attention back to your schoolwork. This can also help lessen your anxiety when you have a ton of stuff to do. Tell yourself you have a lot of stuff to do but you have to finish this chapter, for example. Together with your to-do list, this can help you manage your anxiety from a lot of schoolwork and help you concentrate more.

It will be difficult at first but once you have that flow/mojo.. you'll be as efficient as you hoped to be and you'll be acing those midterms and assignments in no time!

Till next time,
Katrina

Woes of Summer Job Hunting

Dude (or dudette, I really have no idea). I need to tell you something.

I want a job. I want one so very much. :( But you knew that.

Why won't they just hand me one on a silver platter? Why is this so hard? Why? WHYYYY?

*ahem*

Drama aside, summer jobs are very competitive. It takes a keen eye, dedication, and a lot of hard work to land one of the coveted roles for summer employment.

I've had 3 different summer jobs to date, and I've loved every single one! This post will be a few useful resources and job boards that I've either used personally, or that we have recommended at the AA&CC.

1. Work for the Government!

The first job I ever had was through the Summer Experience Program (SEP) with the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services. This job was honestly one of the most amazing experiences I've had to date. The government is a great place to work, and it quickly taught me many of the transferrable skills that I've been able to apply to every job I've had since.

Postings opened up on February 15, and will continue to be posted until early March! There are a lot of jobs being posted, so make sure to check the job board constantly: link

That job board is just for opportunities with the provincial government. The federal government has their own program! Check out the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) here: link


2. The internet is an amazing place (a.k.a. job boards are abundant).

Don't give me that face. Sure, sure you've "tried ALL the job boards."

But have you really? Have you?

There are so many job boards out there that I can guarantee you 100% there's a site you haven't looked at yet. Here's a tipsheet with links to a lot of different job boards (link), but trying going beyond this list.

Is there a certain industry you're looking for job experience in? Search up the industry name on Google, and you're bound to get a whole list of relevant companies. Stalk their personal job boards like a hawk. Postings for summer internship positions have already been posted, and will continue to be posted for the next few months.

3. Work with us!

The AA&CC is hiring Get Started Coaches for the summer. Check out the position and application here: link

Whatever you choose to do, I wish you the greatest success.

Bye for now,
Farihah