Ambassador Week: Day 1: Meg!

Ambassador Week is a week all about your Orientation Ambassadors so that you can get to know all of us on a better level. You know us as your Facebook friend and the people walking around campus. But we want you to know us even better! So any questions, comments, or conundrums are welcome!

Hey Y’all!!!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Thursday, it’s almost friday according to Rebecca black. Yesterday in class my professor showed us this video clip from the today show, the author of the eat this not that book (AMAZING BOOK!!!! You should buy it) was showing america Salty foods in restruants!!! It’s really shocking! On top of that check out these fatty FATTY FATTY foods in the nation… ask yourself would I eat it…..



So remember in high school when people asked you why would choose going to UMass Lowell rather than UMass Amherst? Although UMass Amherst is a great school, we are just simply better. UMass Lowell has been popping up in the news all over the place, from being on lists of the Top Universities in the world to our alumni winning awards for their great accomplishments. And I thought that would be a great idea to get all of these great stories together for y’all to read and be reminded about how truly amazing UMass Lowell is.

Why we love UMass Lowell:
SHE Students rock!
Increasing Graduation Rates!
Our Alumni Win Grammys!
Alumni make good money!
Top 200!

Of course these aren’t the only reason why we all love this University. My favorite thing is how welll prepared alumni are when they enter the ‘real world’. I haven’t heard one alumni say they didn’t feel ready for the world after going to college here. Personally, I think that there are soo many great things about UMass Lowell that one blog isn’t enough room for them all! Did I miss your favorite thing? Let us know what your favorite part about UMass Lowell is!

-Meg

Hello everyone!

The end of the year is approaching us at an extremely scary rate. We only have about a month and change left in the rest of our semester! This is crunch time for college students. A lot of teachers will be giving out final projects (usually all at the same), and also all your tests will be coming up soon as well. I’m not even talking about finals. There are still more quizzes and test to be had even before we get into final territory. Now how can we keep up with all of this madness? Easy. DONT FALL BEHIND. It is a lot easier to get things done if you are staying on top of all of your work, but it is nearly impossible to dig yourself out of a hole that you have put yourself in. Make sure you are writing down your assignments and getting them all done. Homework counts for a big portion of your grade in most classes! Make sure that you are also finding time for some fun as well though. This is the most stressful last two months of the year, make sure you are taking time out of your day to spend on you (just not too much though okay!).

Happy Tuesday!

~James (Tuesday comes after Monday.. Rebecca Black taught me that!)

Hey everyone!!!!!!!

It’s about that time of year to get in your $200 NON refundable housing deposit in ON TIME!!! If you do NOT get it in ON TIME you will NOT be guranteed housing for next year (if you are not living on campus next year don’t worry about it). Who did I give this deposit to? When is the deadline? The who is the Office of Resident life located in fox hall 1st floor, by THIS FRIDAY April 8th 2011!!!! Next question to ask is where can I live next year as an upperclassmen???

1. Log on to theOnline Housing Gateway and submit where you want to live.
2. You can live in Downtown lowell at the Inn and Conference center (ICC)
3. There are 2 off campus apartment buildings you can live in: East Meadow Lane and Moody Street
4. Wanna stop sharing bathrooms with everyone live in and live with a bunch of your friends: Sheehy or Donhue
5. How does 1 roommate sound: Boug and Concorida will be doubles
6. Wanna Live alone: Concordia…

You have alot of options!!!!! Submit now!!!

Stef

Vacation all I ever wanted Vacation had to get away Vacation meant to be spent alone.. lalalalalalala

Although it may not seem like it, we are nearing the end of the semester. And some of you (mainly everyone) can’t wait to be on summer vacation. I know I can’t wait to sleep in, get to the beach, and get a nice tan. But before all that can happen we need to focus on what is going on right now, which is classes and work. It may seem very overwhelming doing paper after paper and studying all night for the big exams but remember in about 45 days, it will all be over. So here are some tips to get you through the rest of the semester:

1. FOCUS! I know its hard to stop texting for 50 mins and pay attention to your professor’s lecture but keep this in mind: the more you learn in class, the less time you’ll have to pay studying the material later. Also, when you are trying to study, really try. Turn off the tv, phone, and music so you have no distractions. The quicker you get in the zone when you are studying, the quicker you’ll be done and get to go see your friends. So really focus when your books are open (even though it can be hard), it will save you time in the long run.

2. EXERCISE! Get to the gym and get that heart beating. I know some people think you don’t have any spare time and the little spare time you have is spent studying (or sleeping). But the truth is, exercising for only 20 mins can greatly impact your life. Exercise has been proven to increase brain capacity and allow you to focus easier when you are studying. In fact, after exercising is the best time for you to study because exercise creates new brain cells that are eager to be fulled with information. So if you study at that time, your brain is more likely to retain the information. You know those nights when you toss and turn all night and can’t fall asleep? Exercise can help with that too! Your body will feel tired a couple hours after exercising so it can make it easier to fall asleep at night. And plus, exercise can tone your body so you look extra good on the beach!

3. HAVE “YOU” TIME! You need to take time to yourself every day to recharge your battery. It doesn’t matter what you do, it can be going to get a coffee, watching a movie, or taking a nap. “You time” allows you to unwind and forget about the stress of class and drama that might be going on with friends.

4. SLEEP! I know everyone says that you need to sleep about 8 hours a night to be at your full potential during the day, but it is true. Sleeping 4 hours a night can lead you to sleep in class or take naps during the day, when you could be doing something else. It may be hard but you should try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

5. EAT RIGHT! Greasy, fatty foods are everywhere and are what most people crave when they are stressed but they aren’t good for you in large amounts. Greasy food can weigh you down and leave you feeling sluggish and tired. Try to get fruits and vegetables in to all of your meals, they can greatly impact your mood. Fruits have antioxidants that helps you feel awake and can keep you from getting sick. Not only is peanut butter delicious it is also good for you. It has a lot of iron and protein which can keep you feeling full longer and keep you focused in class.

I hope you all have enough strength to get through the rest of the year. I know it’s hard, but you can do it!
– Meg

Contact Information:

RSVP to Jacqueline_Ledoux@uml.edu or 978-934-2236

Students were sent an  email a few weeks back, asking if they had any ideas of what to put in the new time capsule. So if you were involved in that whole process, it would be a really good idea to go to the event. You would be a huge part of UMass Lowells history.

Here are some of the pictures of last years Ground Breaking ceremony. You can see how fast the construction is going for yourself! You might even some familiar faces. 😉

-Daisy

Hey All!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s that time of year where you meet with your advisior. Here are some quick tips on how to go about it:

1. GO EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t leave it to the last minute, your advisor is very busy and your not the only student that has to see them

2. Go in with a list of classes you are going to take, questions you might have for the summertime. It’s easy on the advisior and you.

3. When it comes to signing up for classes, put all your classes in your shopping cart, and MAKE SURE you don’t have ANY HOLDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t get stuck with a schedule that you don’t like.

Happy Advising!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Stef

Steps to the Cure

1. Realize you are delaying something unnecessarily.
2. Discover the real reasons for your delay. List them.
3. Dispute those real reasons and overcome them. Be vigorous.
4. Begin the task.

1. Twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle, albeit a maladaptive one. And it cuts across all domains of their life. They don’t pay bills on time. They miss opportunities for buying tickets to concerts. They don’t cash gift certificates or checks. They file income tax returns late. They leave their Christmas shopping until Christmas eve.
2. It’s not trivial, although as a culture we don’t take it seriously as a problem. It represents a profound problem of self-regulation. And there may be more of it in the U.S. than in other countries because we are so nice; we don’t call people on their excuses (“my grandmother died last week”) even when we don’t believe them.
3. Procrastination is not a problem of time management or of planning. Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others. “Telling someone who procrastinates to buy a weekly planner is like telling someone with chronic depression to just cheer up,” insists Dr. Ferrari.
4. Procrastinators are made not born. Procrastination is learned in the family milieu, but not directly. It is one response to an authoritarian parenting style. Having a harsh, controlling father keeps children from developing the ability to regulate themselves, from internalizing their own intentions and then learning to act on them. Procrastination can even be a form of rebellion, one of the few forms available under such circumstances. What’s more, under those household conditions, procrastinators turn more to friends than to parents for support, and their friends may reinforce procrastination because they tend to be tolerant of their excuses.
5. Procrastination predicts higher levels of consumption of alcoholamong those people who drink. Procrastinators drink more than they intend to—a manifestation of generalized problems in self-regulation. That is over and above the effect of avoidant coping styles that underlie procrastination and lead to disengagement via substance abuse.
6. Procrastinators tell lies to themselves. Such as, “I’ll feel more like doing this tomorrow.” Or “I work best under pressure.” But in fact they do not get the urge the next day or work best under pressure. In addition, they protect their sense of self by saying “this isn’t important.” Another big lie procrastinators indulge is that time pressure makes them more creative. Unfortunately they do not turn out to be more creative; they only feel that way. They squander their resources.
7. Procrastinators actively look for distractions, particularly ones that don’t take a lot of commitment on their part. Checking e-mail is almost perfect for this purpose. They distract themselves as a way of regulating their emotions such as fear of failure.
8. There’s more than one flavor of procrastination. People procrastinate for different reasons. Dr. Ferrari identifies three basic types of procrastinators:
   
   • arousal types, or thrill-seekers, who wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush.
   • avoiders, who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.
   • decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events.
9. There are big costs to procrastination. Health is one. Just over the course of a single academic term, procrastinating college students had such evidence of compromised immune systems as more colds and flu, more gastrointestinal problems. And they had insomnia. In addition, procrastination has a high cost to others as well as oneself; it shifts the burden of responsibilities onto others, who become resentful. Procrastination destroys teamwork in theworkplace and private relationships.
10. Procrastinators can change their behavior—but doing so consumes a lot of psychic energy. And it doesn’t necessarily mean one feels transformed internally. It can be done with highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy.

Hey All!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s that time of year where midterms are over and your in the final stretch of the school year. Advising is going to be starting monday! If you are thinking/have to take a summer class…here’s what to do….

1. Figure out what class you HAVE to take to stay on track.

2. Talk to your advisior, ask them their recommendations on what you should do. Ask them these questions: Can I take it during the fall semester? Will it allow me to move on with other classes? The most important… Do you recommend I take it during the summertime instead of next year?

3. Once you have picked your class talked to your advisor the next step is signing up for the class….IMPORTANT you DON’T have to take the class HERE you can take the class at another college or community college. As long as the class equals the same class you are retaking/taking….

4. IF you are taking it at another college/community college….go to THIS website: http://www.uml.edu/registrar/transfer/ to check if the course you are taking equals the class you have/retaking.

5. Last but not least don’t take a summer class unless you HAVE to

REMEMBER summer classes are just as expensive as buying lunch from subway, coffee from dunkin dounts, and driving from here to new york everyday for the last year. It can get costly depending on if it is online or not.

Just to get you through this week…and this snowy day:

~Stef