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Welcome to Peer to Peer, the CAS Peer Advising Blog! Check out our posts for FAQs, advising tips, and current events!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Pre-Registration Workshops!

As your peer advisors, we all can remember how daunting the registration process can be especially the first go around. Luckily, your academic advisors have set up pre-registration workshops to help you remember some key tips for when you begin the registration process. They are also MANDATORY in order to be cleared for registration so it is imperative that you sign up to attend one if you haven't already!

To see the schedule and sign up for a pre-registration workshop please click here

The pre-registration workshops will inform you about

  • how to use the add/drop feature on the online registration
  • reviewing the rules about waitlisting for courses
  • adding classes for "general education" credit
  • understanding the importance of pre-requisite courses
  • reviewing guidelines for taking courses Pass/Fail
In order to be cleared to register for the Spring, you must attend one pre-registration workshop (it does not have to be with your assigned academic advisor) and then make an appointment with your academic advisor for sometime after the workshop. When you meet with your advisor, be prepared to bring a draft schedule to show them. Your schedule should include some back up classes in case you get wait listed or closed out of classes you had planned on taking. Your draft schedule should also make sense time wise; that is, don't have 2 classes that overlap during the same time slot unless one of them is a back up class.

Also remember that the college writing and math requirements must be completed within your first year. This means that if you have not already completed this requirements, they are mandatory for the spring semester and your other classes must fit around them. For any questions regarding your status on college writing, math or general education classes, you can email or meet with either you peer or academic advisor.

As always if you have questions or want to go over a draft schedule with a peer advisor feel free to email or make an appointment to meet! We are always here to help!

Ø  Review registration guidelines (such as dates and the waitlist process) here

Ø  Confirm your registration date here 

Ø  Review the online schedule of classes for Spring 2012 here

Monday, October 8, 2012

Student Skills Blog

One of the great things about utilizing the CAS Peer Advising program is that we are all current students! Therefore, we can advise based on our experience here at AU to give you the best advice and tips in order to succeed during your time here. The 4 peer advisors have put together a blog that discusses 4 main components of what it takes to be the best student you can be. We want you to be able to learn from our mistakes and from what we found to be most helpful. Hope you enjoy!

 1. Time Management by Shanice Harris
Do you ever feel like there is never enough of time in the day? Does 24 hours
just seem like 10 minutes? Has that feeling increased ever since you walked onto AU’s campus?
If you answered yes to all of these questions, you are facing what I like to call “A Time Management Crisis.” Don’t worry though, many college students struggle with managing their academic and social life. Here are a few tips to help you be productive throughout your day and week:


REALIZE THAT TIME DOES NOT CHANGE: There will always be 24 hours in a day; that will not change. What can change is how well we use the time we do have. Time management starts with changing our behaviors, attitudes, and actions.

ASSESS HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME: For several days, write down & record how you spend your time. Look for time that can be used more productively & effectively. For instance, instead of lying on the quad talking to friends for two hours, bring some homework or reading along with you that you can complete.


PLAN EACH DAY OR WEEK: Write a to-do list and keep a schedule of all the activities you are involved with. This will help prevent last-minute rushes & procrastination.

TAKE A BREAK WHEN & IF NECESSARY: Take a break when you need one. Too much stress can cause anxiety and a whole lot of other problems. Go for a walk, read, or even take a power nap.

 

2. Note Taking by Meg Fischer
Note taking can get pretty frustrating depending on the class. Coming from the girl who decided it would be a good idea to write with her left hand to spice up a lecture, I know that taking notes can make difficult or boring material even more complicated to unpack (I would not suggest writing with your non-dominant hand!). Through my many classes at AU, I found my system. Overall, the cornerstone of note taking is a notebook. Having notes that you can remember writing is important. Actually writing the words helps you remember in another way too! Whichever system works best for you, use. It will be different than your friend’s which is totally fine—when it comes time to review, more ways of learning will help you remember. Also remember that some teachers don’t allow you to use laptops. I know that I would get distracted, so I stick to old fashioned pen and paper. There are lots of strategies you can use when taking notes too—If a teacher puts up PowerPoint slides, try printing them 3 slides per sheet and take notes right there! That way you can remember what they said as you review with your own added notes. Color can also be helpful (when reviewing too!) Use one color for material you know and another to mark that you need an extra review. There are tons of resources and other tips on note taking at the Academic Support Center’s website. Check it out here!

3. Organization by Sofie Friedman
One of the biggest ways to be successful academically is to stay organized. By staying organized, you are less likely to forget one of your many commitments and therefore do better in your classes.
  • One of the best ways to stay organized are writing things down. Different people utilize different methods of organization which can range from writing in a planner to using Google calenders to utilizing iPhone reminders. It is important to try to learn which method works best for you which sometimes involves a bit of trial and error. Once you figure out how you keep organized best, make sure you try your best to stick with it!
  • When you become involved on campus or in DC it makes it even more important to stay organized and manage your responsibilities. As you get more involved, more people will be demanding your time. In order to decide how much you can commit to, staying organized is key.
  • Keeping your room clean can increase your organization, surprisingly enough! From past experiences, I have found that if I kept my room neat and organized, I was able to stay on top of my school work and other commitments. Surrounding yourself by an organized environment can have a vital impact on other aspects of your life so cleaning your room is a great place to start! (And your roommate will like you so much more for it too!)

4. Study Skills by Triana Tello Gerez
The best way to do well in future exams and write good papers is to stay on top of your work today. It is very hard to cram all course material into one or even two nights, but if you go to class, do the readings and finish your homework, studying for exams will be way easier. Study techniques change for all students, which is why it is important to try different study skills if you feel lost. 
 
Here is a list of ideas to help you this midterm season:

Note cards—they are a classic because they very much work
Study Guides—Go over the chapters and subtopics in the book and syllabus and make sure you understand them and can expand on them. Actually write them down! This is better than just thinking about them…
Draw and Make diagrams—you are in college now, so chances are, professors are not going to ask you to regurgitate the material. They will want to make sure you understand the issues backwards and forwards, so to make sure you do, try representing the information in a different way, like drawing concepts or making charts and diagrams.
Study Group—meet with classmates and explain the topics to each other and ask questions

These are just some ideas, but there are plenty more. If you feel like you need more help, reach out to your professor! Alternatively, you can contact the Academic Support Center for further study and time managements skills.