Category: No Pain No Gain

Do you freak out when you have to speak in front of people?

Public speaking causes people to react in strange ways. They may find that their hands get sweaty, that their mouth is dry, or that they forgot what they were going to say. In fact, research has found that some people fear public speaking more than death. In college, there will be many times when you are equites to speak in public, whether it is making a comment in a large lecture class or giving a presentation or speech to a class.

Coping with Public Speaking Anxiety: the best way to cope with a fear of public speaking is to be prepared. Practice your presentation out loud several times before presenting it to your class. Practice in front of a mirror, or better yet, recruit some friends to listen to your speech. Have them record your time to be sure that you are on track an ask them to critique your speaking style using the following questions:

-Are you speaking too fast? Sometimes when people are nervous they talk very fast, which makes it difficult for the audience to follow. Don’t rush through your talk. Instead, try to use a conversational tone.

-Are you using good inflection? When people are nervous they sometimes speak in a monotone, which is difficult to listen to for an extended period of time. Try to speak confidently and with enthusiasm.

-Are you jittery? You may find yourself moving from side to side or wringing you hands when you are nervous. It is good to move around a little, such as using hand gestures or walking around to include the audience, but too much nervous movement can be distracting to your audience.

-Are you making eye contact? When you are giving your presentation it may help to focus on one or two friendly faces in the room and “present” to them. You should be sure to make eye contact with the other people in the room, of course. But concentrate mostly on those two people. This strategy should help calm your fear of speaking in front of a large group.

-Have you jotted down some notes? Making some notes to follow during your presentation makes you feel more secure and confident. Even though you have rehearsed your talk and have a good idea of what you will cover, you should have notes of your presentation with you just in case you need a reminder of what you are going to say.

Now that you know the cause of your stress, let’s figure out ways to reduce it.

-Relax. You should make relaxation a regular part of your day. If you don’t know anything about how to go about relaxing, there are many self-help books. At the very least, try deep breathing or meditation for a few minutes each day to help you unwind. If you find yourself “stressing out,” stop whatever you are doing, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing for a few minutes. This should help you relax so that you can return to what you were doing, feeling in more control of the situation.

-Exercise. Working out daily is a great stress buster. Physical activity helps take your mind off of your stress and the chemicals your body releases during exercise actually boost your ability to handle stressful situations. If you are feeling especially “stressed out,” try taking a walk or a jog to clear your head.

-Take charge. You are in control of your own situation and you have to accept that responsibility. By taking charge, you can control the amount of stress you feel by remembering that stress is an internal reaction to situations and it is often really an overreaction. However, if stress gets out of control, you can also take charge of the situation by seeking help.

-Put problems in perspective. Sometimes it helps to talk to a good friend or a family member who has been in a similar situation to help you put your problems in a more realistic light. Don’t allow yourself to get carried away imagining all the things that could go wrong in a situation-instead, focus on the positives.

-Be flexible. Everyone makes mistakes, and learning from your mistakes will help reduce your stress levels. But if you are too set in the way you do things or the way you view the world you may end up causing yourself additional stress. It pays to have an open mind and to try new approaches.

-Develop interests. Join a club on campus, meet with others who share similar interests, or find some new interests on your own. By having interests outside of schoolwork, you will be able to enjoy yourself and relax during your time off from studying. Developing new interests also helps you in the classroom because you tend to do better in subjects that interest you.

-Seek help. Seek out campus resources to help you through stressful times. In fact, it is a good idea to seek out the people and places that can support you BEFORE you need them. Often problems can be solved easily if you ask for assistance before a small problem balloons into a big one.

-Enjoy yourself. Take a walk, read a good book, see a movie, call a friend. Do something you like to so before you start feeling overwhelmed. Remember, if you manage your life appropriately, you should have plenty of time for studying and engaging in activities for fun.

Are you extra stressed out? Why? What is the source? Find out below:

Although at times it may feel as if there are infinite sources of stress, generally college stress can be broken down into six categories: prior academic record, social influences, family, finances, career direction, and situational problems (such as illness or drug problems). Most students think that stress is caused by outside factors. They might say that a test, a professor, or a paper is “stressing them out.” But stress is really an internal process. Therefore, it’s important to have some strategies for dealing with stress in order to put your reactions to it in perspective. As you read about the six categories of stress, remember that stress is natural, it is internal, it is often an overreaction to a specific situation, and IT CAN BE CONTROLLED.

1. Prior academic record. Students who have a “shaky” academic past may feel that they can’t succeed in college. On the other hand, students who have a 4.0 average may feel stress to keep their stellar grade point average. Either way, your past history as a learner affects your stress level.

2. Social influences. You probably have realized that dealing with your friends can often be stressful. A fight with your roommate, breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, meeting new people-all of these situations can be stressful. In fact, even situations we would consider to be positive social factors, such as falling in love or socializing with really good friends, can cause a stressful reaction. Overall, however, having good friends and social support will actually reduce your stress levels because you have someone to confide in.

3. Family. You may feel pressure to so well in college in order to make your family proud, you may feel stress because you have moved away from your family, or because of family crises that arise. But like social influences, your family can also be a source of support to help you when you experience a lot of stress.

4. Finances. Financial stress usually begins in college (and never ends!) because students take out a loan to attend college, get jobs to help pay for college, or have to maintain a certain grade point average to keep their scholarships. Many college students are also responsible for paying bills and are gaining responsibility for their financial security. In addition, college students get their own credit cards, which can lead to great financial stress if used inappropriately. We know numerous college students who graduate not only with a diploma, but also with student loans and a stack of credit card debt. All of these things can cause stress, especially for students who are handling their own finances for the first time.

5. Career direction. “So what’s your major? What the heck are you going to do with that?” You may have heard similar comments from friends and relatives. Everyone (perhaps yourself included) wants to know what you will do with your life after college. The less sure you are about your career direction, the more stress you might feel about it. You may even be concerned that you’ll never find your direction. On the other hand, students who have already decide on a career might also feel stress because they are concerned about achieving their goals.

6. Situational problems. Certain stresses are unexpected and sometimes devastating. You may become ill during the term, experience the death of someone close to you, among many other things. As will all the categories of stress you feel overwhelmed by situational problems, seek help from a counselor on campus or someone you can talk to about these concerns.

What’s the cause for your stress?

You’ve learned about the components that make your learning beliefs, now see what you can do to change them.

-Be aware of you beliefs. If you have beliefs that are getting in the way of your learning, consider changing them. However, before you can change a belief, you must first be unsatisfied with your current beliefs about learning. When you find yourself giving up on a task too quickly or trying to merely memorize when you need to understand and apply difficult concepts, you can reflect on your beliefs, rethink your approach, and take time to really learn the information.
-Look for the “big picture”. Instead of memorizing a lot of separate facts, make a conscious effort to relate ideas to what you already know and to other ideas discussed in class.
-Learn to live with uncertainty. It is sometimes difficult to accept that there are no right answers to some questions.
-Don’t compare your “ability” with others. Worrying that you are not as good as your roommate in math will not get you anywhere. Focus instead on how to improve your ability to learn in the subjects that you find difficult. You can find a tutor or work with or form a study group to help you learn. It may take you longer to get there, but remember that college learning is more like an endurance sport than a spring.
-Realize that learning takes time. If you begin your assignments with the expectation that they will take time to fully understand and complete, you are likely to experience less frustration and more understanding. Don’t expect to learn complex concepts the first time that you encounter them. Instead, plan to spread out your study time so you can review difficult material several times.

Read this and consider your own beliefs about learning.

Many different kinda of beliefs affect your life everyday. People have different religious beliefs, moral beliefs, political beliefs, and so on. You may have thought a lot about those kinda of beliefs, but have you ever thought about your beliefs about learning? Have you ever considered how you gain knowledge or what knowledge is? If you are like most students, you probably haven’t thought much about where knowledge comes from, but your beliefs about knowledge do impact what and how you learn.

Component 1: Certainty of Knowledge. Some students believe that knowledge is continually changing based on current information. When they are in class, they think about what they already know about the topic and may change their beliefs about the topic by adding new information to what they already know. These students approach learning by trying to find the truth in all situations.
Professors tend to view their disciplines as constantly changing. Therefore, to memorize only “facts” would be a waste of time. Instead, most professors not only want you to be able to understand what is currently known, but also want to prepare you for future learning. Professors expect students to question what they read and be willing to live with the notion that there may not be a solution or definite answer to every problem or question.

-Component 2: Simple Knowledge. Some students believe that knowledge consists of highly interconnected concepts, but other students believe that knowledge consists of a series of unrelated bits of information. Students who believe that knowledge is complex look for relationships between ideas as they learn. They try to see the “big picture” and the relationships among the small piece of information within that big picture. On the other hand, students who have a strong belief that knowledge is simple tend to break information down into very small isolated parts and never put it back together again. Although breaking information into smaller chunks is a great strategy for some tasks, for example when learning something you must memorize (like the periodic table of elements), a student who learns only isolated pieces of information will miss the big ideas. Because most of the assignments you will experience require you to apply what you have learned, you need to go beyond memorizing small bits of information and begin to see how the information is connected.

-Component 3: Responsibility for Learning. Beliefs about knowledge also depend on your beliefs about who is responsible for your learning in college. Some students believe that it is the professor’s responsibility to be sure that all students learn the information. Other students believe that although the professor guides their learning, they are ultimately responsible for their own learning. In high school, your teacher probably took a lot of the responsibility for your learning in class. You most likely had little choice in the subjects you studied or learned or the way you were assessed. College professors expect students to take responsibility for a good deal of their own learning. They expect students to be able to figure out information on their own, and they also may expect students to be able to pull together information from a variety of sources.

Component 4: Speed of Learning. Some students believe that learning is a gradual and on-going process, but other students believe that is learning is going to happen, it happens quickly or not at all. In other words, some people believe that most things worth knowing take a long time to learn, but other people think that is they don’t “get it” right away, they never will. Students who believe that learning takes time are better prepared for college tasks. However, students who believe that learning should happen quickly are often frustrated in college when they are faced with complex information.

-Component 5: The Role of Ability. Some students believe that people can learn how to learn, but others believe that the ability to learn is fixed and that they are naturally good at some things but will never be able to do other things. Students who believe that people can learn how to learn tend to view difficult tasks as challenges that can be met. Instead if giving up, these students will try different strategies for learning and will ask for help from the professor or their friends if they need it. There are probably people in your classes who make learning look easy, but students who appear to learn “naturally” probably spend time and effort in activities that promote academic success, such as reading and reflecting.

What do you believe?? Are there any beliefs you feel you need to change to better succeed? The next article will help with that.

Hey guys! As we’ve talked before, studying in general can be stressful. But the SAT? That can be scary and you’ll get worried. That’s why I’m here! Let’s do this!

Here’s a word, Noteworthy. What does it mean though? The definition is: Something worth nothing or paying attention to; significant; meaningful. A sentence can help you also. A sentence is: It was a noteworthy occasion

Noteworthy; adj.
Something worth nothing or paying attention to; significant; meaningful.
It was a noteworthy occasion when the teacher didn’t give her classmates homework.

Profound; adj.
Weighty; insightful; intense; full of meaning or significance.
People who open a Chinese fortune cookie, get really excited but are disappointed when the promise never comes true.

Rarefied; adj.
Belonging to a select or even lofty group; elevated in character; esoteric.
I got pick to be in a club so rarefied that only three other kids made the cut.

Significant; adj.
Of considerable importance or weighty concern.
My little brother being born was a significant memory in my life.

Hey guys! Here is just some extra practice for the SAT”s. Try to have fun! Good luck!

Spasmodic; adj.
Having the characteristic of a spasm or convulsion.
The doctor said that the medicine could cause spasmodic episodes.

Happening intermittently; from time to time.
The spasmodic sound of fireworks made the little boy frightened.

Sporadic; adj.
Occurring at different intervals, with no set pattern.
The rain this summer has been sporadic, which is why I’ve seen my dad watering the lawn so much.

Transitory;adj.
Short-lived; temporary; only passing, not permanent.
Kami was involved in another of her transitory relationships.

Vacillate; verb.
To move back and forth, especially being unable to make up ones mind.
I vacillated between blue socks or red socks all morning.

Habitual; adj.
Naturally out of habit or routine; regular and common.
It became habitual for Joseph to brush his teeth every morning.

Incessant; adj.
Continuing without interruption, sometimes to an excessive degree.
In incessant snow was becoming overwhelming for my stressed mom.

Impalpable; adj.
Not able to be grasped, held, or understood.
Tess struggled with math because she felt it was impalpable.

Incidental; adj.
Having little or no importance or impact.
The hurricane caused Jo destruction so it was incidental.

Irrelevant; adj.
Unrelated to the matter being considered.
Taylor’s answer to the question was very irrelevant.

Modicum; adj.
A small, very modest, or token amount.
Billy took a modicum of Jesse’s birthday cake.

Nonessential; adj.
Not essential; of little or trivial importance.
When Sadie looked on Google, she found a lot of nonessential information to what she was looking for.

Whit; noun.
The least bit; just an iota.
Savanah didn’t give a whit about finishing her math homework.

Considerable; adj.
In a large or impressive amount or significance.
The teacher found her suggestion considerable.

Intense; adj.
Of extreme degree, characteristics,strength, or effort.
Alex’s training was so intense that she won a gold medal.

Momentous; adj.
Significant and meaningful; sometimes even historically important.
Jonathan made a momentous decision to throw the football which led them to a victory.

Hey folks, studying for the SAT can be stressful, huh? Well, that’s why I’m here, to make it easier for you guys. Here’s a word, Substantial. But what does it actually mean? Substantial is an adjective, here’s the definition: Ample; considerable; sizable; of substance; sometimes even weighty or large in size. We can make this seem easier by creating a sentence. The crowds at the University Mall were so substantial they closed the mall because of trampling. Another word is Apparent. It means: clearly seen; visible; not obscure or confusing. Well, you need to know it from a different perspective. Make a sentence! It was Apparent that Kameron was upset about something even though she tried to deny it. Easy, huh? What does Clarity mean? Here’s a definition: clearness of thought, style or appearance. With sudden Clarity, Maddie understood the situation. Everyone knows how to make sentences. I mean come on, you’ve been doing them since what, like 1st grade? Well, here’s some more:

• Conspicuous is an adjective; it means: Standing out; clearly exceptional or showy. Here’s a sentence, The conspicuous blue-eyed baby stood out of his brown-eyed brothers.
• Discernible is an adjective; it means: Clearly understandable through thought or vision. A sentence is, Saturn was discernible in the night sky.
• Distinct is an adjective; it means: Clearly defined and recognizable; standing out from among its class. A sentence is, Jesse’s distinct style made him recognizable in a room full of people.
• Evident is an adjective; it means: Worthy of notice; distinguishable. A sentence is, Her textbook was so worn, it was evident it was very old.
• Limpid is an adjective; it means: Clear and clean; without blemish or confusion. A sentence can be, His limpid eyes said it all, he was truly in love with  Clarisse.
• Lucidity is an adjective; it means; Clearness or thought; capacity to perceive the thought. The sentence can be, Emily lacked the lucidity to recognize his adoration.
• Manifest is a verb; it means: To show plainly; to reveal. The sentence is, My mom manifested her anger by taking a break in her room.
• Obvious is an adjective; it means: Apparent; easily seen or seen through; without subterfuge. If a sentence makes more sense to you this could be the sentence: It was obvious that Kimberly was excited about getting asked out on her first date.
• Patently is an adverb; it means: Openly; plainly; clearly.Here’s a sentence, It was patently clear that the couple was in an argument. Now that you get the point, Study through these on your own. You can also make up your own sentences if you wish. Good luck! Happy studying!
• Pellucid; adj. Clear in style, manner, or appearance. Her pellucid attempts to interest the man were useless due to the fact that he already had a girlfriend.
• Abash; verb. To confuse or distress; to cause perplexity and uncertainty. He abashed his opponent by making funny faces to distract him.
• Addle; verb. Cause to become unclear or confusing. Ricky addled the frail, old mailman by being rude to the man’s senior position and personal feelings.
• Anarchy; noun. Confusion and disruption; without clearness in mind or purpose. When the teacher left the room, the students went wild and it resorted to being a total anarchy.
• Baffle; verb. To confuse; to forestall action or understanding. The girl tried to baffle the boy by confusing him, but he was too clever.
• Bamboozle; verb. To trick and confuse. The students tried to bamboozle the substitute teacher by saying they were allowed to work in partnerships.
• Bewilderment; noun. State of being confused, perplexed, and/or disoriented. The girl looked around in bewilderment after she was hit in the head.
• Confounded; adj. Confused or stunned; totally perplexed. Patty was confounded when her boss granted her a bonus unexpectedly.
• Din; noun. Loud noise or confusion, usually from a crowd. As she looked upon her fans, the din was so loud she couldn’t hear her own voice.
• Moil; noun. A situation that is confused, in a turmoil, and/or uncertain. William found himself in such moil, he didn’t know he’d survive another night.
• Muddle; verb. To think, act, or proceed in a confused or aimless manner. On his first day at a new school, Danny muddled around until he got used to it.

Great job guys! I hope you got the most out of these SAT essential words! Keep studying!

Getting motivated is one thing; staying motivated is another. Which one is harder for you?
In order to stay motivated you should give yourself checkpoints on the way to reaching your goals. These checkpoints might include:

-Monitoring your motivation for learning just as you monitor your comprehension when you read. Each time you sit down to study, ask yourself about the level of motivation for what you are doing. You have an internal “body clock,” which means that you will find that certain times of the day are more conducive to learning than others. Try to plan your study sessions around those times.

-Studying the subjects you find the most difficult, or are least motivated to learn, first. Then move to the subjects that are easier, or those that you enjoy more. In that way you will be more likely to stay motivated to study the subjects you find the most interesting.

-Planning some breaks in your study time-don’t try to study for more than one hour without a short break because you will find it difficult to maintain your motivation.

But what if you find yourself losing motivation? It’s important to have strategies to follow in this scenario as well. It might help if you:

-Take a break and come back to what you were doing at a later time.
-Switch topics every hour or so.
-Work with a study group. Misery loves company and others can often demotivated you.
-Plan to study in the library or another quiet place if you find that your social life is interfering with studying because your friends are calling you or dropping by. Find somewhere to study where you will be free from distractions and temptation.

Is it that time of year again? Midterms? Finals? Do you want to pull your hair out yet? Here are some tried and true tips to help you do your best.

-Plan ahead. Start to rehearse and review your notes and the texts BEFORE exam week so that you can cut down on your workload for the week. Starting early is essential for classes that have cumulative exams because there is so much information to review.

-Cut down on work or other commitments. If you work part-time, ask for some time off or for fewer hours at your job and make sure that your family and friends understand that you will be extra busy. Try not to add any new commitments during midterm and final time.

-Get enough sleep. Pulling all-nighters for a big exam rarely pays off. Instead try to create your schedule for exam week in a way that leaves adequate sleep time. You won’t do well on an exam if you are falling asleep while taking it.

-Study with a partner. Misery loves company and this is never truer than during midterms and finals. Hopefully by the time midterms roll around you have found a study group that works. Study with your group or study partner to keep each other on schedule and motivated to work.

-Don’t panic. The whole world will not stop and does not end because of midterms and finals. If you did thy the pressure is getting to you, readjust your schedule to allow more break time and try to really relax during those breaks. If you find that you have excessive anxiety, get some help before it becomes a stumbling block to doing well.