How to Deal with Group Projects...

As we all may know by now that the end of semester is pretty much full of group projects and assignments. And from my personal experience, I believe that I have learned different techniques to handle group projects.

1.       Start ahead and get ideas together when the project is assigned.

2.       Become a leader and get the group members on track.

3.       Divide up the tasks with in the group. (Remember as a leader; take the responsibility of finishing up the project on time.)

4.       Give the group a personal due date to make sure the final project gets turned in on time.

5.       And most important of all, don’t let the group’s grade suffer because of one member. Talk to that individual if necessary. And keep your professor informed about the group updates.

Group projects need a lot of extra attention in order for it to turn out perfectly. It is very important to know how others can be affected in your group because of the lack of an individual’s responsibility.

Communication is another important factor to keep in mind. Everyone as a team needs to know the updates of the project. If for any reason you may have problem finishing up your part, just let the group leader know and the group members can work as a team to help that individual out. As long as everyone communicates well with others, group projects can be an easy A.

And of course, the professor can see the hard work that the group members have put in there. So don’t procrastinate, just work as a team to create a fun and successful assignments.

Good Luck everyone!

Castles, Castles, and More Castles

I recently spoke of my planned travels top England which have now come to be. Which means it is no longer planned travels since it has already occurred. The happening has been traveled . Anyway, as a graduate student in history at The University of Texas at Tyler it’s easy to understand why I would enjoy visiting the United Kingdom so much. I mean, it’s where history comes from.

I began my travels in Wallsend which received its name from marking then eastern most end of the 80 mile long wall built under Emperor Hadrian of the Roman Empire. Wallsend is a suburb of the larger Newcastle just as Plano is a suburb of Dallas or Rice Village is that of Houston. Starting there we made our way around to several castles and made day trips to both Edinburgh and York. Most of my time in Northern England however, was spent around castles…. Castles, castles, and more castles. Everywhere you turn there’s another castle. Drive to far you’ll run your car right into one. Sometimes they seem to just pop up out of the ground. I then took the Brit-rail to spend a few days in London.

As promised I will be posting a series on my travels in Great Britain... Just as soon as I get the pictures off of a camera. But until then I will be keeping everyone up to date on all the musical happening around Tyler through the summer. 

life cheat 5093714: is anyone even reading these life cheats. I mean most of them are actual things 

Habits, Practicing Self-Control, and Reading Lists

               

Me! Hey there!

  One of the biggest challenges for myself ( a newly minted Graduate Student ) is learning, and re-learning, better habits.  I have been stuck in a series of what some might call ‘detrimental’ habits over the last year – eating more fast food than home cooked food, waking up later instead of sleeping earlier, etc… These habits are not alien to college/grad-students, but some other habits I have are unique to me.

The Writing Center & You!

   As an avid English Major, let me be the first to tell you - my field is not for everyone. Sure, understanding the concepts and practices of what goes into making a good paper is important, but this doesn't imply that you are needing a die-hard fan of Chaucer, Hemingway, or Peter Elbow. Far from it. Most people will fully understand that a Nursing, Business, Engineering, or Math student might not be too keen about the symbolism in a Keats poem. That is not only fine, it's understandable - many, many English majors dislike calculus, data analysis, and courses that have words like "thermodynamics" in them.

   The issue exists that we all, as college students, must complete a broad spectrum of courses as determined by the state in which we live. This is one aspect of how college preps you for ( what some might call with a tone of disdain ) "the Real World." I've always disliked people who and separate the College World from the non-College World primarily because a challenge is still a challenge in both: having to tackle a tough analysis paper in English can be just as ( if not, not ) vexing than having to work on a presentation for a business meeting that includes departments you don't know: both of these force you to think and plan outside your comfort zone. Passing the paper or passing the presentation both hinge on your ability to handle the situation before you.

   Well, while the "Real World" has a bevy of resources for you to call upon, so does the the College World. Few departments believe in tossing their students to the wolves, alone, thus they provide you with resources that you can make use of to tackle hurdles that come your way. In the case of handling English and Writing assignments the first resource I want to tell you about is the Writing Center.

   For those who might not be fully aware, the Writing Center is a special space on the second floor of the Business Building in room #202. The Center is staffed by numerous, well prepared Gradate Students. These students sometimes from from diverse Majors, not just English. Some of them are TA Instructors here and might even be teaching one of your courses, or they might have a unique background that will prove especially useful for your needs.

   The most important thing in my experience ( having worked in the Center myself for almost two years ) is to tell you this: the tutors genuinely want you to succeed and will never help you less than you want to be helped. They have worked hard to handle all variety of comers, from freshmen, to students working on doctoral papers, or veterans. I've never personally seen such a great group of people try to help people who are great writers, they just don't quite know it themselves yet.

   If you ever have questions about a course, or a writing style, or how to handle your analysis approach ( or even understanding what an analytically devised approach IS ) - anything is OK to talk about. You don't even have to have a paper, you can simply come in, schedule an appointment, and then you can brainstorm.

   Here is the link to our UTT Writing Center's website --- http://www.uttyler.edu/writingcenter/

   One of the next resources ( one I've mentioned here before ) is our Library. Just like the workers who are in the Writing Center, the Library staffers are specially trained to help you succeed in your research. If you come in with ( for example ) a paper assignment on "Chaucer and Why Chaucer is Awesome," they can help you locate not only physical books of our man Chaucer, but also e-books, journals, and what we have on our J-STOR databases.

 
 

Grille Works at The University of Texas at Tyler

  Since I lived in the dorms all of last year, I was a frequent user of the met. 
     So much, the some of the workers could identify me by meal choice. 

           Which was gyros. They would put them out and I would pounce like a tiger to get a couple of them.
  
                  I now live at Patriot Village.
              When I do eat on campus, I eat at Grille Works snuggled in between 
                  the C store and Subway.
                     Why is this my choice? because they offer gyros also.
                     Thus again, I am known for my affinity to gyros. 

 Grille Works: Monday-Friday: 10:00 am- 6:00 pm

How To: Long Distance Relationships

Being a military kid, I know what it's like to keep in touch for long periods of time over large distances. At least with friends. With them it's easy. I never worry about moving to new places and leaving my friends behind, because I know that I'll still hear from them all the time and eventually see them (if they're as good a friend as you think they are). Then if I don't, I just know that that person was never really a friend you were meant to have. 

When it came to ROMANTIC relationships I was the biggest cynic. 

As a senior I'd talk to my friends with boyfriends and ask, "What are ya'll gonna do next year?". They'd answer with the usual, "We'll just see what happens" or "We won't be that far from each other, we can visit each other all the time", etc. In my mind I would scoff and think, "Sureeeeee..."

To me, the thought was that a young long-distance relationship could never work.

But now I really hope they can.

I honestly never thought that I would be in this situation, but now that I am, I am going to make my first long-distance romantic relationship work. I think since I've dealt with separation and moving before, I'll be okay. But looking through websites and etc, these are the helpful tips that I am filing in my head to help me (and anyone else in a similar situation) through the long lonely nights away from my loved ones. 

1. Video Chats!

I see my roommate and her boyfriend do this all the time. They call each other and set up a time to Skype each other, then they make it. On time. Whether she has to take a break from studying for about 30 minutes, she will. 

So no matter how far away you are, you can always see each other

2. Communicate in more than one way!

Phone calls get old. But everyone loves getting mail, so be sure to send people you care about little small packages and gifts, maybe even a long handwritten letter or two (if you remember how to do those).

3. Remember, it's not all bad!

Now you have time to ACTUALLY do homework, study, see your friends, make new friends, spend time with your family, play video games... whatever it is that you like to do that you never had time to do before! Maybe you can even take up a new hobby, the possibilities are endless.

4. You can still do things together!

   <<-------------------->>





Watch a movie individually and call each other to talk about it when it's done, start a little mini-book club together, synchronize watches together... anything that you can do to still feel connected to them.

5. You can always visit!

Whether it be by plane, by train, in a box, or with a fox there is ALWAYS a way to get to see your loved one. Schedules get busy, work and school get in the way, even money starts to become an issue, but no matter how long it takes, you can always go see your special someone. Just take advantage of the time ya'll have together and have as much fun as possible.

There are so many people in long-distance relationships. Ask your friends who have already dealt with it how they did it (I know I do). Just remember to communicate, to be honest, don't be controlling, be patient, and know that it's only temporary. 

Summer Plans

Aaaah, Summer - that word tends to bring up thoughts of swimming pools, beaches, watermelon, and road trips. For some however it also means school.

I am not saying that this is the case all of the time, but many people take courses over the summer to get ahead early, pad their GPA, or just for ... well, for fun!

At UTT summer is divided into two sections, Summer Section #1 and Summer Section #2. Summer #1 basically overs June and Summer #2 basically covers July. This summer I am excited because I will be taking  some courses that are new for me, mainly because I am a Graduate Student.

As we explore Summer together, have fun. Some of us will be having fun in class while some will be having fun outside in the wide world!

Grade Alternatives at UTT

   So ever now and again I come across a student who needs to take a class that isn't offered the semester they need to Graduate, or they had a rough semester and are not sure how they'll make it through the last part of their class.

   Things happen, sometimes things beyond out control. These things sometimes trip us up hard and I just want you to know about some alternatives to possibly failing a class.

   These options are not ALWAYS available and each has their own caveat to consider.

   1. Taking an I on the Grade in exchange for doing more/different work --- If you KNOW you are missing work and can't complete it on time, consider talking to your Professor about taking an I for the grade. What would happen is that you and your Professor talk and ( IF THE PROF. AGREES ) then decide on alternate options. Maybe you'd write that paper you missed or failed over the summer? You and the Prof. make a contract together to 'correct' missing/incomplete/poor work in exchange for your grade being turned into an I. You then have as long as you and the Prof agree ( usually not exceeding an academic year ) to do the work and then your grade will be changed. Sometimes a Prof will let you re-do work but your grade will be a C, even if you turn in an A. That is the trade-off, and sometimes the Prof. will not consider this course of action.

   2. Independent Study --- This one is a weird tool in your study "tool-kit" because, like the I, it hinges on you and a Professor working out an agreement. Let's say you need French IV next semester to graduate, however the class is not offered then? You'd talk to the Prof and ask to arrange an Independent Study. You'd have to make sure your Prof. is OKAY with this because you are asking them to take on extra work. Also, your ability to use these kinds of courses are limited ( 2 in your Undergrad career ). Sometimes you can also use this option to build up experience in a topic not offered here in a class, but that you know a Prof has experience in. In the end, talk to your Professors.

   3. Grade Replacement --- This one is simple enough. Let us say you fail a course? You are not doomed, you can file for Grade Replacement! As long as you failed the class you can apply for GR and then your 'old' (failed) grade will become replaced by the new one.

    While these options are not always seeming like the best thing for us, they are options. Never write them off, but primarily speak with your Professor about these options.

Last post as an Undergrad at The University of Texas at Tyler... ?

   As I write this I am one class away from finally having completed my Undergraduate Degree and also having cleared 6 hours in my Graduate Degree. Needless to say, this is a weird place to be academically.

Organization Ideas!

College students have such a hard time keeping themselves organized. It gets very hectic especially towards the end of the semester for students to keep everything organized.

Organization is a major element to keep the students on path here at UT Tyler.

From a personal experience, I can definitely say that organization can help everyone in a long run. Every semester I give myself some time to do “spring cleaning”, where I can just clean and get rid of any unnecessary items in my room. With books, notes, the loads of assignments, it gets hard for students to keep track of everything.

At the start of each semester, the students should always get a three ring binder to make sure all the paperwork from each class can be organized in there. I started doing that when I started UT Tyler, and it works out great. It not only keeps me organized, but it also reminds me to keep up with those syllabuses from each classes. I don’t have to worry about misplacing anything because I know that everything will be in that one folder if I ever need to reference it during the semester.

Another thing to remember is that, just because the semester is over doesn’t mean that all the hard work that you have put into projects and assignments will be in the trash. NO! Remember, after you graduate, a lot of the companies would prefer your major projects as a references that you have done throughout you college career.

Organization = key to success!

Post Crawfish boil

Did you know that craw fish are most active at night?

They are in fact more active at night.

We just had a craw fish boil here for Patriot Days.

Gabby blogged before hand about it and now I  am happy to tell you about my experience.

My boyfriend convinced me to go even though I was happy in my room studying and stewing over my chemistry lab test that is occurring tomorrow.

The event was packed and the food was delicious. They offered some Popsicles to help with the heat and to accompany with the spicy-ness of the craw fish.

One of the people we were sitting with while we enjoyed our craw fish went and asked to have a live craw fish. He actually was given one.

My blogger instincts kicked in and we had a little photo shoot.
I had so much fun! and nice full stomach! 

More fun events are coming as Patriots Days continues!

Hopefully I can document them !

Update:

I did attend another Patriot Day event!

For which I got cool ring that was stamped on site!

It says Kevin, who is my boyfriend who I go on all

those vacation with and generally spend all my time with aside from the important things.

He got a ring with Emmy on it.

:) 

Slack-lining at UT Tyler

Before I came to college I had never heard of slack-lining  Ever. The closest I came to it was walking on curbs when I was a kid. 
But apparently, slack-lines are this huge thing on campuses all around the world! 

I had always seen people attaching these cords to trees at various heights and walking on them, so one day I actually tried it.

what it looks like

And it was so hard. Like crazy hard.
I couldn't even get my balance. I had to hold someone's hand to walk across!
But it was very exhilarating and very fun.

So when you come to school... please, at least once go up to the slack-lining boys and ask if you can try.

They're really nice and they'll always say yes(:

College Bride!

For past couple of months, it has been a very stressful year for me. On top of school and everything, I have to plan my wedding for the summer. Yes! I am a "summer college bride". As exciting as this sounds, it’s been getting very hectic for me to plan a wedding while being a full time student. Especially since this is my last year, I have to make sure everything goes smoothly for me to graduate in fall next semester.

I have been living a very busy life. And just when I thought that I will eventually get a break after my wedding, I will be taking summer II classes! I guess I am just so used to being busy I couldn’t resist taking those classes. But it will all be worth it at the end when I graduate from UT Tyler with my Health Studies degree.

A little bit about what I will be doing after finals… Well, my plans are to get everything settled for my wedding within that month that I will get without school. And I am hoping that I will accomplish that within that time period.  And since I have a huge family, I will be having a grand time in June! Probably the only thing I am looking forward to since its getting so stressful for me.

So right now all I am anxiously waiting for is to semester to end so I can get excited for this big day in June.

Here is a little tip for everyone: If you are planning a wedding and going to school at the same time, plan everything ahead or it will get very stressful! Wish me Luck J

How to talk to girls at UT Tyler

       Hey guys! So I was doing some thinking about what exactly I should blog about, and I got an idea when I saw a couple of people talking to one another. And I understand that there may be some of you that find it difficult to talk to girls, so today I'm going to give you some super helpful tricks and tips about how to get to know them!

       First of all, don't be afraid to be yourself around a girl. If you really want to get to know them, then you need to be able to be yourself. Trust me, if people can tell that you're comfortable with who you are, then people are much more likely to want to be your friend. When I started to be more comfortable with who I am, I noticed that people seemed to be more interested in how I am. Be confident!

       Have good hygiene. Brush your teeth. Take a shower. This is actually something that you should live by anyways, daily. Because it's important to take care of yourself. Nobody likes to be that person sitting next to the guy who has really bad body odor. If anything, put on some deodorant at least. It works pretty well, and it makes you smell like you MIGHT have showered, so at least there's that. But seriously, dress to impress.
 
     Be mature when you talk. And by this, I mostly mean avoid saying any of those pick up lines. Girls don't like when you treat them like a joke. Be serious in your conversation with them, and they'll be that much more willing to talk to you!

But don't let being mature keep you from being funny sometimes. I try to make people laugh and smile pretty much any time I can, and it actually works!

But like I said, steer clear of anything that could be taken as degrading or insulting! Try to think about what to say before you say it.
      So there are a few tips that you could use to try to talk to girls. Basically, treat them the way you would want someone else to treat you! Girls are just people! It's not that difficult to do. Good luck!

     Do any of you have any extra tips? Leave us a comment below and let us know! :)

Summer Days Are Here Again!

‘Tis that time again where students finish up their final exams and give shouts of glee, or try to forget about how much of a slaughter this round was. Everyone is tired and ready to walk the stage or take a break for summer.

Or maybe you’re one of the souls who has chosen to continue the work this summer with The University of Texas at Tyler or your local community college. That’s cool too, and I wish you all the best. I was supposed to visit Japan this summer with GATE here at UT Tyler, but my plans fell through. It was sad, but I’m okay with it.

I’m on the precipice of a summer full of new things and I can’t express how excited I am to have a break from academia for a little bit and focus on work and leisure for just a little while during the time I attempt to work out the kinks in my career path that showed up this year (see this blog for the previous episode in that saga). I’m so ready for a moment to breathe, and I know all of you are, too!

Here’s a list of things I’ll be up to this summer:

• ! Working here and blogging with you all!
• ! Earning some monies to do other fun things (or pay for college next semester, that’s good too)
• ! Paying some much needed attention to my poor neglected Book Blog
• ! Read more amazing books!
• ! Go to schliterbahn. I have to. HAVE TO.
• ! Visit friends and family around Texas
• ! Go to California for a weekend in August
• ! Plan a vacation to Portland with two of my best friends
• ! Spend time with said best friends and other ones too, new and old.
• ! Play me some video games!
• ! Get to all the other neglected things that need my attention this summer.

Yup, that’s a really long list. What about you guys?!?! Ready for the long summer days and time for leisure?

Gabby's Farewell!

Hi guys! So today is my last day of work for the semester. I have definitely enjoyed my time here at the Call Center. In just 2 short weeks I will be on my way to Japan! FINALLYYYY! I am so excited and I cannot wait to share my experience and loads of pictures!

This is usually such a bitter sweet moment for me. I am not very good at saying bye to people, and even though I know that it's not a forever goodbye, it's still really sad for me :(

There are friends graduating, transferring or just moving on with life! And I wish all of them and you guys lots and lots of luck with the next chapter in your life!

There will be a few new faces for the summer here at the Call Center so be nice and READ THEIR STUFF! :)

I bet it's all going to be so good! I hope you all have a great summer break and keep safe!

First Time Out of the Country

One week from today I will be embarking on a trip to England with my parents and one of my brothers (I have 3). I have been out of the country so this trip kind of scares me. It’s not the travelling in a metal tube for 9 hour propelled by highly explosive fuel that bothers me. It’s the whole “I’ve never done this before” that gets me. I've traveled through most of the Midwest before but leaving the country is something completely new and foreign to me. But I guess there’s a first time for everything.

I always like to try new things and generally explore, but I have never done so in this way. I look forward to visiting “where the history comes from” yet I’m being unusually cautious. Why am I feeling this why? What should I do? Why do you care? Why am I talking to myself?

Being scared about something new is an entirely natural thing. How you react to this new thing is what matters. So, I plan on reacting by recording my travels and keep up to date logs so I may present you all with a series of blogs on my travels. Stay tuned!

Be Part of Research at UT Tyler You Say? Psychological Research!

Yes indeed students of The University of Texas at Tyler, if you ever wanted to be one of those cool test subjects you hear about in psychological studies, you can make it a reality here on campus! Our Psychology Department is a fantastic segment of campus that offers classes from Undergraduate all the way to Doctorates and minors in between!

I happen to be minoring in it myself. However, you don't have to be involved in the classroom in the Psychology department to participate in psychological surveys and occasionally even studies. When I was a Freshman, we had some basic classes where members from the school of psychology would pass out surveys and ask the class to fill them out. They aren't ever mandatory, so if brain studies and personal questions freak you out, no worries.

I chose to participate last year voluntarily in one of those surveys before I'd chosen to minor in the field, and based on my responses, I made a good candidate for a second level of testing that takes place in a lab here on campus. It's incredibly interesting, fun, and they will pay you for your time. (Quite well, I might add).

This semester I took my first Psychology class and I was required to participate in research for class credits as part of a grade (the alternative was a research essay). I did another survey for credit, and this time the Sass CPR Lab wanted me again for a different study and they wanted to study my brainwaves!! How cool is that?! So of course I agreed to participate. It was definitely something I felt was a once in a lifetime experience and I felt like I was helping groundbreaking research be done.

Here's a picture of me getting set up to do the study!

Another thing you can participate in, if you're interested in free counseling, is allowing psychology students practice their counseling skills on you. If you need serious help though, do consider visiting the Student Counseling Center, which is also free.

Moving Closer to UT Tyler

Through your college career it is most likely that you will not live at the same place for your entire time at UT Tyler. You might start off at Ornelas Hall as a freshman, but then move onto either Patriot Village or University Pines, or live in a house or another apartment somewhere in Tyler. So, pretty much all of you have something to gain from a blog about moving

After living downtown for the past 6 months it has become clear that being within walking distance to campus is much more beneficial then being within walking distance of the downtown area. So this past Friday I went about moving back to the UT Tyler campus area.

As I have written before, moving can be a very arduous task. Without the proper planning your moving day could and in shambles with knives and spoons in the restroom, the toilet brush in the oven, and your shoes cooking on the stove. This time, with the helpfulness of hindsight from my last move, I planned ahead.... Except for the part about having people there to help....

I had my girlfriend available to help but when it came to lifting things like my couch and dresser I was in need of more help. I'm not putting her down or anything like that. I mean, these are large, heavy, bulky pieces of furniture that a 5'6" 23 year old female isn't physically capable of handling....

ANYWAY, my dad ended up driving in from Longview on Friday night to help with lifting the heavier items. After everything I was able to successfully complete the move in one day. With good planning you too can handle the great task of moving from one place to another. Or, you can wallow in defeat as your new apartment fills with the smell of burnt sneakers...... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Hannibal, TV drama, and worrying about stress at UT Tyler

   So, this might totally be weird thing to tie in with a serious subject like making sure you’re aware of clinical services on campus … but is anybody else following NBC’s Hannibal?! Is it just me? I've fallen head over heels for this series and it’s amazing cinematography/art direction, but I also think it brings up a serious subject that I’d like to make sure students are aware of.

Art Exhibition at UT Tyler!

Today The University of Texas at Tyler had their Art Exhibition at the University Center. Here are some of the pictures that they displayed for everyone there.

This is a really neat way to collect art work from our school, it’s not only a reasonable prize, but it also can act as a souvenir when you graduate from this school.

These art works are really inspiring and it will be a great way to reorganize your room and dorms for fall semester with these new ideas.

Each of the art work at the exhibition had its own unique characteristics that an individual artist potrayed. Each piece told its own story and what a great and unique way to express a person's feelings through their work of art!

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think :)