There’s so much going on around campus, around Lowell, and around the state, but it can be tough to get around if you can’t have a car on campus with you.  Instead, here’s a breakdown o services the university offers to take in all the opportunities available in your surroundings

1. Walking

I’m sure this seems incredibly obvious, but walking around Lowell can be one of the most reliable ways to get where you want to go.  The vast majority of Down Town is about a 15 minute walk from East Campus.

2. Bikes

If you want to go at a faster pace than walking, try the Freewheelrs Bike Share.  Any UML student can register to use one of these bikes, which are available at UCrossing, North, East, and South Campus. Simply check out a bike, ride around to your heart’s content, then return it to one of the campus stations.

If you have your own bike, even better! There’s a Bike Shop located in the Campus Recreation Center, to not only help you maintain your bike, but also to teach you how to fix your bike yourself.

3. Shuttles and Buses

If bikes aren’t quite your speed, there’s the school’s shuttle system, running both day and night.  Here’s the rough layout of the shuttle routes

• Blue Line: South Campus (Wilder st and Riverview Suites), North Campus, University Crossing
• Red Line: East Campus, University Crossing, South Campus (Wilder, Sheehy/Concordia, Riverview)
• Green North: East Meadow Lane Apartments, North Campus.
• Green South: East Meadow Lane Apartments, South Campus (Wilder).
• Yellow North: ICC, East Campus, North Campus, Downtown (by request)
• Yellow South: ICC, South Campus (Wilder)
• Purple: Ayotte garage, Univerity Suites, North Campus, Wannalancit Mills

4. Trains

Shuttles are great, but they can’t take you out of town.  Luckily, there is a commuter rail located in Lowell.  The Lowell Branch of the MBTA is located on Thorndike St.  It’s roughly a 20 minute walk from UCrossing, and on weekends, you can request a Yellow line to drop you off or pick you up there.  Tickets are $9.25 for one way, and $18.50 for round trip.  The Commuter rail stops at Lowell, North Billerica, Haverhill, Wilmington, Woburn,Mishawum, Winchester Center, Wedgemere, West Medford, and North Station in Boston.  Check out their website for updates and train times.

5. Zip Cars

If you have a license and these other four methods don’t meet your needs, look into renting a Zip Car.  These are cars available for students who have applied and been accepted to rent for $8.50 per hour or $69.00 per day, with gas and insurance covered.  This can be a great way to have a day trip with some friends.  Cars can be reserved online, and to check if you qualify to sign up for Zip Car, check out their website:

http://www.zipcar.com/universities/university-of-massachusetts-lowell

Have some great adventures!

-Kelsey

No matter where you go on campus, you’ll see students with headphones in, listening to music. Whether they’re walking, eating in the dining hall, riding the shuttle or just doing homework, music helps them to get through the day.

For me, music is what gets me up for my 8 AM’s, and continues to keep me motivated for the rest of the day. I usually listen to music while I walk from class to class and while I’m studying because there’s nothing like listening to your favorite song as you trudge to a Friday morning lab or when you finally stop procrastinating and make yourself do calculus homework.

One of the biggest decisions when it comes to music is finding the perfect playlist to put you in an upbeat mood. Luckily, I have some great options to fuel your fire.

Here’s a short playlist that’s guaranteed to make you happy:
1) “Sorry”- Justin Bieber
2) “Cecelia and the Satellite”- Andy McMahon in the Wilderness
3) “Electric Love”- BORNS
4) “21”- Hunter Hayes
5) “Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)”- Andy Grammer
6) “I Bet My Life”- Imagine Dragons
7) “Pumpin Blood”- NONONO
8) “Nobody Love”- Tori Kelly
9) “Shark in the Water”- V V Brown
10) “The Man” – Aloe Blacc

Enjoy!
Katy

   

It’s that time of year…You’ve all gotten comfortable with your rooms, roommates, classes, jobs and friends, and you’ve settled into your new lives at UML. However, another thing you’ve gotten comfortable with is hitting the snooze button over, and over again…until you’re late for class.

Long nights of homework and other tasks can take a toll on anyone, especially college students. We have to learn how to balance our work, our classes and our social life and somehow still find time for sleep so we can be fully functioning the next day. Unfortunately, most days college students don’t get much sleep, leaving us stressed and exhausted.
                           
However, there are some ways to solve your sleep deprivation. The first and most obvious, is time management. Making a schedule and budgeting your time is the best way to get everything done, and still have time for other activities. One of my strategies is to try and get most of my homework done the weekend before it’s due, giving me extra time during the week to do other tasks (such as sleep) or study for a test. Even if you have a lot to do always remember to make time for yourself!
                                                         
Unfortunately, I can’t promise that your schedule will always go as plan, and a full eight hours of sleep may not be in your near future. So, here are some other ways to get up, and stay up.

1) Caffeine! This is probably the most obvious. When you wake up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee or tea to wake you up. You can also bring a coffee to class to give you a boost while you’re learning. Though energy drinks provide a lot of caffeine, try to avoid them, as they are filled with chemicals and not a healthy option. Lastly, remember to watch your caffeine intake, as too much can be bad for you!
                                                
2) If you can’t have caffeine, or don’t like coffee or tea, drink a glass of ice water in the morning to wake you up.

3) Set more than one alarm in the morning. Many times, you’ll hit snooze and fall back asleep, so setting more than one alarm will continuously wake you up. Also, put your alarm far away from your bed so you have to get up to turn it off.
                                         

4) Take a shower in the morning. It’ll wake you up!

5) SNACKS. Bring food to class. Obviously be respectful of your professor when eating. But, you can’t fall asleep while you’re eating, and the fuel will keep your awake and the blood flowing.

6) Naps are also one of the best ways to catch up on sleep. Napping for an hour in between classes re energizes you and can help you catch up on lost sleep from the night before. Just make sure your nap isn’t too long, or you’ll wake up feeling more tired.
                                         
And with that, its time for bed.
Katy

Here are a few final tips for enrolling in classes;

• Make sure you go through the courses you need to take with your advisor.
• Plan your courses ahead of your enrollment date.
• Make a miniature schedule on a spread sheet or on paper to make sure there will be no time conflicts
• Remember that you need to take a minimum of 12 credits each semester to qualify as a full time student.
• Us the Class schedule listing to help pick with classes 

http://www.uml.edu/registrar/class-schedule/

Finally, remember to stay calm, and be prepared to ask questions if you need to.

-Kelsey