Advice to My CAP Students Coming to UT Tyler

CAP Students always want to know if it's hard, how the program is, etc.

I'm a current CAP student as well and this August I am 98% sure that I will have the GPA to allow me to go to Austin. (Fingers crossed. There's a month of school left)
That being said, I'm going to let ya'll in on a little secret...
It's not that hard. I promise.

Coming to college is NOTHING like going to high school. In high school, you had homework everyday, you'd get ready for tests every week, and blahblahblah. 

My first week here I swear, I was near tears thinking about how I wished I could just drop out. I couldn't handle it. It felt like soooo much. It's not even because we have more work, it's just so different from what I was used to.

Luckily, I stayed and I got the hang of everything.

It's all about time management and being on top of your assignment due dates and test dates. So PLEASE read your syllabus and have a calendar of everything you need to turn in. Your professor won't remind you like your high school teachers did.

Certain classes you find the best ways to pass them. 

English classes - Essays and papers are important. You have the Writing Center for that.
Math classes- Go to class. Do well on quizzes and you'll do awesome on the tests.
Science classes- Go to lab. 
Psychology- Read the book. Do the online studies. Read the notes.
History classes- GO TO LECTURES. And read the book. Go to SI. History's pretty hardcore here.
Political Science classes- Go to class. The professors tell you everything you need to know. 

 First semester I did awesome. Even though I was meeting all my new friends and had days when I really did NOT want to get out of bed or walk all the way to class, I would make myself do it. First semester I was SO motivated, because all I was thinking of was Austin. 

Second semester... ehhhh. You get into the hang of things. Once you get comfortable you start slacking, I won't lie. 

Please don't do this. You still have to maintain a 3.2 GPA. So you still have to do well! And if you're anything like me, that just means you have to do EXCELLENT your first semester so that you CAN chill out a bit your second semester. However, with my major, I don't have to apply to any particular college in Austin. I'm automatically accepted. 

For those business majors and other majors where you have to get into a special college, you'll need a higher GPA. And make sure you get your essays and everything done on time. Keep in touch with our Admissions counselor, Carlos Alvarez. He'll look out for you.

There are a LOT of CAP students who come here. Everyone comes in with the mindset that, "Oh, it's just two semesters, it's just a year, blahblahblah", however, some people end up really loving Tyler. I know a lot of my friends who have decided that they're going to stay here. You meet all these amazing people, we're at a really good school, and this type of environment just ends up suiting you. 

Don't ever feel bad about wanting to stay. It happens to a lot of us. 

So, to all of you, congratulations and good luck! I didn't know anything about Tyler when I chose it as my university. I just knew it sounded bigger than my other choices. I ended up falling in love with this school. I've enjoyed my time here and I truly believe they've helped prepare me for Austin. 

Come, work hard, study, and have fun! You can do it! Just don't forget to truly experience Tyler while you're here!

My College Experience

       The semester's end is drawing nearer and nearer. My Freshman year is going to be over in 6 short weeks!! So, I decided that I would write a blog reflecting back on my first year in college!

       Before I moved here to UT Tyler, I was living in a house with six other people. I have a very big family, so I was not used to being on my own whenever I moved away from home. I was used to always having a part of my family around me. So that was one of the very first adjustments that I had to make.

       I didn't know what else to expect when it came to college. I was the first person in my family to go to a university. Another thing that I had to get accustomed to, was trying to manage my time. Time management has never been so important and critical to me. I learned over time how to balance school, work, and having a social life. It took a while and a lot of mistakes, but I got there.

       One of the great things about living right here on the campus was that I could interact with other first time freshman very easily. I met very many people over the course of the first two weeks that I was here. Now, many of those people are my friends! And friends are an important thing to keep close, especially in difficult times, like moving to college.

       Overall, I believe that I did quite a bit of learning this year, both academically and just about myself. College is so different than anything else I have experienced, yet it's one of the best things that I have ever done. I honestly don't know what I would be doing if I wasn't at college. Responsibility plays a much bigger role in my life than it ever had before!

       So, for all of you high school seniors out there who don't know what to expect from college, don't worry. The next four (or more) years of your life are very well going to be some of the best years of your life! Sure, it might be different at first, but like everything else, takes some getting used to!

       If any of you ever need any kind of advise about college, or wants to share your freshman experience, you can leave a comment below! :)

Guilt Trips (or Classes) Aren’t Worth the Money

At The University of Texas at Tyler, we have a lot of wonderful professors who really bond with their students in their classes. Because of our campus size, we have an attractive student-to-professor ratio (Which is 17:1, which means that on average, there are seventeen students to one professor) which means that there will be at least a few professors you will form a bond with.

This in fact happened to me in the Political Science Department at UT Tyler, where I have met a number of wonderful professors who really do care about you. One such professor took a liking to me in the first class I took with them, and although I sometimes developed headaches from the conversations we had in that class on the particular subject it was over, I was comfortable enough and eventually felt inspired by the end.

The semester was coming to a close and I had already selected my class schedule for the next one, and their class for the next semester wasn’t on it. I was nothing against the professor because I really like them and appreciated all of the advice I’d gotten from them, but the subject was something I KNEW I was going to be uncomfortable with, so I’d opted out.

One day in the hallway, they stopped me with a puppy-dog expression and told me they noticed that I wasn’t on the roster for this new class they were offering and I hedged, saying that I had chosen my schedule already and had a class in the slot theirs was going to be. Which was true.

They seemed to be okay with it, except they paused and told me they really enjoyed me as a student in their classes and thought I would have added a good dimension to the conversation. I’m not going to lie, I was flattered… And a little bit guilty for having turned it down. But in the back of my mind, I knew why I had done it.

And I honestly should have listened to that thought. When I thought the subject of the class was going to be one that would bother me, I actually underestimated the degree to which it has. The material is always incredibly emotional work (at least 70-80% of it is) and the kind that makes an empath like me take a nose-dive into funk land for hours, or sometimes even days.

What I feel like after class

The worst part is that I’m kind of stuck in the pits with it because I am taking the exact amount of hours I need to be a full-time student, so I can’t get out of it and stay on as a full-time. Sometimes, I feel like I’m trapped in a little corner, and at this point, the goal is to get through it and slam that door hard.

What’s the moral of the story? Even if you love a professor and think they’re amazing, be aware of the course subjects you decide to take. If you KNOW there’s a subject that bothers you or even just bores you to tears and it ISN'T mandatory, don’t feel guilted into taking the class. They’ll understand if you choose to sit that one out, and you will be much, MUCH happier not being stuck in a situation that seriously affects you, whether emotionally or academically.

So, when the time comes for you to choose your classes for the next semester, choose wisely. Don’t put yourself through a genuinely harrowing situation out of guilt or obligation to someone else. If you do find yourself in that situation, don't wait until it's too late to change your decision! 

Cause You've Had a Bad Day

Because you had a bad day. You're taking one down. You sing a sad song just to turn it around. 

      I'm pretty sure EVERYBODY has heard of this song by Daniel Powter. And this is EXACTLY how I'm feeling right now. I was in UT Tyler Chorale and Dr. Rose pretty much summarized how a majority of the students are feeling... "This is the pre- mid term times. When the reality of school finally sinks in." He could not be anymore right! 

Advice for freshmen - from a freshman!

After being a freshman in college for a good three weeks, I have learned quite a few things about college. I’ve also relearned how to do things that I already knew how to do, but better. Here are just a few of the things I’ve learned so far!

·Get as much sleep as you can at night! When you stay up until 3 of the am and your first class starts at 8 the next day, you end up feeling more tired than you did when you went to sleep. And then once you get in the habit of going to bed late at night, it’s really hard to break that habit. Basically, if you know that you’re going to have to wake up early the next day because you have a class, don’t stay out too late.

·Don‘t wait until the last possible minute to do your homework. When you procrastinate, you feel rushed, and don’t necessarily have a lot of time to think about what you’re putting on your paper. And if you decide to do your homework the night before, make sure it’s not after midnight, because then you’ll get less sleep, and feel like a Zombie the next day!

·If you have a meal plan, don’t go out to eat while the met is open. When you go off campus and spend your own money on food, when you can just your meal plan, that’s a waste of your money. Now if you just don’t feel like getting the usual food and decide to eat somewhere else that’s fine, but I wouldn’t recommend that you make a habit out of it, or you’ll run out of money fast!

·Keep your things organized, and especially keep track of you syllabi. If you just put you papers just anywhere, when you go to look for them, you might not find them. So it’s just better to buy some folders and organize your things however you feel fit. You’ll be glad you did! Also highlight anything that you think is important on those syllabi, because your professors might not remind you about when things are due.

Basically, keep yourself together and don’t panic if you mess up. I may just be a wee little freshman, but think I’ve learned a lot these past 3 weeks! This is only the beginning of a new semester, and things are starting to get really interesting in my classes!

P.S- Feel free to leave me some comments! They really help me out! Tell me what you guys think about my blogs!