Peace, Sunny Skies and Sandals

1. Study for finals. No matter what your study habits have been like your college career, it’s a good idea to study for finals. Depending on your teacher the point values of your final exam my vary but most times finals count for a large amount of your grade. Study like you have never studied before. Maybe study with a group or when you’re out at lunch. What use is doing great all year if you don’t end strong as well.
2. Clean your room. If you live in the campus dorms it is super important to clean your room before you leave for the summer. And not just a put everything away type of clean. You are excepted to have the room in the same condition you moved into. It’s only fair that the person living there next year move into a clean space. So pull out the Lysol and Mr. Clean.
3.  Have a de-stress day. With exams, grades and projects the stress level of a college student tends to go up during this time. Put aside one day to do whatever makes you happy. Maybe have a random dance party with your roommate or watch a movie with a friend. Doing work non-stop is never fun. A little break to breathe and enjoy some down time is always a good idea.
4. Return, sell or donate your textbooks. Once a class is over one of the questions we ask ourselves is “what do I do with the textbook”. Personally, I rent most of my books from Chegg. If you do rent books it is important to send them back on time. If you bought your book and no longer need it, our Point Park bookstore buys books with a valid school idea. Even if they don’t take it there is usually a donation box of some kind collecting all types of books. If you can’t use it maybe someone else can.
5. Say thank you. I believe it is really important to express gratitude for those you help us. This includes teachers, employers, and friends. Hopefully, you have had a pleasant experience in your classes and enjoyed learning about the subject. Teachers work really hard for their students. The least we can do is say thank.

I hope these tips are of some use to my fellow students.

Peace, Finals and Textbooks

Some questions that pop into my head are…

“What could I have done better?”

“Which goals did I accomplish?”

And most importantly,

“How can I improve as a student?”

Since self evaluation is very important to growth, in my opinion, I’m going to take this time to answer those questions.

• What could I have done better?

Time management is a big issue of mine. Either I over or under estimate the time it takes to get an assignment done.  It might help me to start projects the day they are given. Even getting just the outline or research done for a paper weeks ahead of time helps a lot in the end.

• What goals did I accomplish?

Being that fall 2011 – spring 2012 was my first term as president of the Black Student Union, I am very proud of the events we put together. In the Fall we had  wonderful Soul Food Social event as well as numerous Open Mic Night’s at Starbucks coffee house.

• How can I improve as a student?

Study habits are always something benefited to improvement. Spending double the amount of time in the class room outside the classroom by preparing for exams and finishing homework is important to getting the best grade. Making extra time to study over making extra time to longue is always usually the better decision.

I hope my advice to myself can be used for fellow students as well.

Have a great weekend

Peace, Textbooks and Easter Bunnies,

Ciera Onley

My advice to anyone looking for an internship is START EARLY. You can never send your resume in too soon. The worst they could do is delete your email, and you’ll have to send it again. Companies like students who are on top of things and know what they want. Make sure your resume is up to par with everyone else’s. You don’t want your experience and qualifications to get looked over because your resume wasn’t organized well. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; that’s what our career services department is here for!

So, you’ve sent your resume, they obviously love you, and now they want an interview. Don’t freak out. An interview is just a conversation about how great you are…basically. Be calm and collected and keep your hair out of your face! Always be professionally personable. That’s the key.

These are just some little tips. If you have any more questions, I’d love to help anyone out! Just let me know, because I promise you, once you land that internship, you’re going to feel like a million bucks! Good luck!

Take me for an example, not only am I in the Honors Program but I am also the president of the Black Student Union.  This means I have obligations to both two clubs. For the Honors Program not only do I take honors course and keep my grades up in those classes but I also do any other activities we plan. For example, we always do the Pink Feet race in October and it is our job to sell a few of those. I think it’s important to not only get the benefits from the honors class room experience but also with all the parts of the program. Also with being the president of the black student union I have duties to mu club. All of this is by choice. I don’t have to be in these clubs but I see the joy and the sense of community in joining clubs. I also know fellow students who are in a few clubs too. We are all in the same circle. We need more people in everything.

That’s my spill.

Bye now

Let me update you on what’s going on: I’m living in the Boulevard Apartments with five great ladies, I’m playing softball, I’m interning with a non-profit organization called Luminari, I’m taking classes, I’m working at The Globe, and I’m still trying to have some fun!

I’d like to focus this semester on athlete topics. Not too many people pay attention to us here at Point Park University, so I’m giving all of you a shout-out! It can be tough when we have three hour practices every day, games, homework, work, etc. Things get a little crazy! But the great thing about being an athlete is that you always have your team. When I feel like I don’t want to go to practice because I have 12,000 other things I need to accomplish, I just think about my team. I know they are all going through the same thing, and that helps a little.

But this goes for non-athletes too. When you feel like you are trying to do so very much in a very short amount of time, just remember…here at Point Park, we don’t have class on Friday. And soon enough, the week will be over and we’ll all be relieved for a few days.

Keep your eyes on the prize, guys! I know it’s only Sunday night, but it will be Thursday night before we know it. Fill out those planners, grab your pens, and prepare yourself for another Point Park week. We can do it!

So here is the funny little letter I would write to request tea in offices that offer coffee.

To Whom Ever It May Concern,

It has come to my interest that while your office has a coffee maker there is not tea maker of any sort. I and other non coffee drinkers feel discriminated against in that our hot drink of choice is not offered in the work place. While it may not be possible to have a tea pot in the office maybe a hot water machine with tea bags on the side. A variety of flavors, caffeinated and decaffeinated is best. This would be a nice thing to have.

Thank you for your consideration

Signed X _________________________

Just a little funny note.

Membership/ Recruitment Tables

February 13th and 15th

3-4pm

The location for the first one is Lawrence Hall Lobby 1 and the second day is Lawrence Hall lobby

(I am assuming one is closer to the door or something.)

Movie Nights

February 16th 7:30-10:00pm “The Help”

February 23rd  7:30-10:00pm “Bamboozled”

location JVH Thayer Hall both days

snakes provided, no charge

Panel Discussion on African American Stereotypes and Place in Society

February 29th

4:30-6:30pm

JVH Thayer Hall

Panel of both 3-4 university staff members and 2 students.

video clips shown to illustrate certain topics.

I have been so busy these few couple of first weeks. So many things to do thanks to all the roles I play here on campus.  What roles do I play you ask?

1. student (given)
2. Honors Program office assistant (work study)
3. Black Student Union president (elected)
4. Blogger (Five blogs last time I checked)
5.  Reporter (for the Globe, the Cavalcade and To the Point)
6. Dancer/Yogi (jazz and ballet once a week and yoga on Wednesdays
7. SGI Buddhist member (my faith)

I think you get the point in how many things I have to take on while I’m here at Point Park.  Under those roles add in time to study, do homework, plan events, do paper work for myself and others and keeping in touch with my family back home. I’m beyond stretched thin. I have given up on any personal/ social life unless by some grace it just falls into my daily activities.  I prefer the feeling of getting things done then going out to a party and feeling guilty. There will be time for that when things slow down. Right not I am really focused on getting things  done or in the works. One thing school does for sure is challenge us.

Well got to go write something, study something or sign something.

Peace, Love and Productivity

Some good ideas to keep our brains used to learning and thinking are reading, writing in a journal, and checking our email. Each of these task shouldn’t seem like much but they may help keep you in a bit of a student mind set. Reading should always be done no matter the time of the year. Only by reading can we become better writers, recognizing new words and helping us to understand concepts. You don’t have to read a news article but even a personal interest book on the topic of your choice is fine. I have found by reading more I have a lot to talk about with someone new I meet. When I return to school I can ask a new classmate if they have read any good books lately or discuss concepts of a book my professor has read. Next, I suggest writing in a journal of some sort. Even a live blog is fine as long as you are expressing yourself and writing down record of your daily life. You can become a better writer by practicing writing. Even a few sentences a day about a funny joke  you heard or what you did for Christmas will keep you writing. Writing for one self and writing a term paper are very different but both are writing indeed. Who knows you might inspire a thesis for a choice paper to write for class. Last I think getting into the habit of checking our email is essential to college life. So much important messages are sent about school or in reference to our classes. Even over break we might be sent information about returning or new class changes. It’s fine to not check it every second of the hour but it should be checked at least once a week. Most likely the school isn’t going to call you if they change any policies, you will get an email first. Don’t worry I do not think the school can kill your inbox over the break, that would not be very merry of them.

I hope this advice finds you all stress free in preparation to go home and have fun. Have a great break and remember your still a student come January.

Peace, Love and Good Books