Congratulations! You made it through a holiday at home!  Thanksgiving was the first holiday of the academic year to flex both your stomach muscles, and your communication skills.

Family can be great, and one of the most supportive networks in your life, but it’s really hard to come home and feel like your in an interrogation room with your aunts and uncles as the good and bad cops.

Fear not!  As winter break, and a bevvy of different winter holidays approaches, you can be prepared to nimbly dance around these verbal cross examinations.  Here are a few tips from someone with a a large number of holidays spent in the hot seat.

1. Don’t Panic

It’s so easy to panic when a relative starts asking you about school.  You’ve just returned from a stressful final exam period, had to pack everything to bring home, and you probably don’t even want to think about your major until after New Years, but the relatives are starved for information about what you’ve been up to, and if you’re panicked, they’ll be able to tell.  So take a deep breath, and keep a level head.  No one knows as much about your potential career path than you.  You’ve got this.

2. Talk About Your Successes, Not Your Struggles

Questions from relatives are often open ended, which can be daunting.  It’s hard to know what direction they may want to talk the conversation, and sometimes it seems like they know more than they’re letting on.  The truth is, they don’t.  Use the open endedness of a question to steer the conversation to what you’ve done well.  Talk about the work you enjoyed doing, what extracurricular you’ve gotten involved with, the job opportunities you’ve had.  This is what you’re relatives want to hear about.  They want to know you’re doing well, so don’t sell yourself short, and give them as many positives as you can.

3. Don’t Worry About Not Having Definite Answers

These questions are much harder if you may not be sure what academic or career path you want to take.  What’s important to remember is that you have so many different opportunities.  Uncle So-and-So may not  see it this way, but if you’re positive in front of your family, despite and doubts and existential dread you may actually have, they’ll believe it too.

4. Be Passionate

Not everyone can see the value of every major, and statistically, there’s a good chance that at least one person in your extended family has unsavory thoughts about what you want to do with your life. That’s ok though.  As long as you are passionate, and can walk away from a conversation, debate, or argument, knowing that you’ve made the best decision for your happiness, that’s what truly matters.  If you can convey that passion to the rest of your family, even better.

I wish you all good luck during this upcoming holiday season.  Be confident, rest up, and may you make it through the second Spanish Inquisition.

-Kelsey

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

One:

Know your surroundings and make sure you have a safe way to get home. To make sure you have a way home, try to keep a couple bucks on you to pay for a cab if need be. Also, make sure you charge your phone before going out incase you need to get in touch with someone!

Last weekend UMass Lowell held its annual Riverhawk Homecoming, and as usual, it was a success! On Saturday, the festivities began at 3 pm on Hawkey Way. I took a walk over to see what was happening, and I was impressed. When I first entered the scene there was live music from local bands as well as some performers from the University, such as our Acapella groups. Near the stage there were amazing food trucks, from one of which I bought fried clams, which were absolutely delicious. There was so much other food, like fried dough, french fries and a personal favorite of mine, deep fried oreos.

After filling my belly, I went to explore more. On and off campus groups and clubs had tables and booths. Many of the varsity and club sports had fun activities, as well as a “meet the athletes” station for young fans. One of my favorite stations was the make-your-own stuffed animal station. The best part was that it was absolutely free! Out of the many options, I made a dalmatian. I stuffed him, sewed him up and even put a cute Riverhawk Homecoming t-shirt on him! Here he his!
                                                     
After the festivities on Hawkey Way ended, UMass Lowell Hockey played Merrimack for the second night in a row. Friday night it was a 1-1 tie, so the tension was high. We were ready for some competition. The game was intense, and ended the same way as the night before; going into overtime with a tie of 1-1.
Overall, homecoming was a great success, and I’m glad that I got to be a part of it, and I hope you did too!
Katy

Congrats! You’ve made it through the half way mark of Fall Semester! Even though midterms are over, there’s still a lot to be done, especially in preparation for next semester. Unlike high school and secondary schools, college has two semesters per year where you take completely different classes each semester. Picking classes on your own may seem difficult, however, it is much simpler than it seems.

First things first, meet with your adviser. They are assigned to you through SiS, and you can find out who your adviser is by looking on the right hand side of your Student Center in SiS. You can contact them directly through SiS, which is super convenient! At UMass Lowell, everyone is required to meet with an adviser, and you will have an advising hold on your account until you do so. This means that you are unable to register for classes! We believe that everyone should excel here at UML, so a meeting with your adviser will give you an idea of what classes to take next semester, and even the semesters ahead. Remember, advisers are your go to person in your department, they WANT to help you succeed and make the most of your college experience. Always take their advice.

Second, know your own curriculum. In order to be successful, you need to be informed on what classes you’ll be taking during which semester. This is especially critical if you are a member of the Honor’s College because your class schedule may be slightly different from others in your major. Honor’s students take extra classes, as well as take accelerated Honors versions of certain classes. Also, if you have AP or Transfer credits, your schedule will be altered, so its always a good idea to know where you should be.

Knowing your curriculum lets you be more prepared to meet with your adviser. If you have an idea of what classes you should be taking, it makes the meeting much smoother. Unfortunately, advisers see hundreds of students each advising period, so the meetings are short. Knowing what you need will give you more time to ask about the things you are unsure of, like what minor to declare. Bonus, advisers will be impressed if you know your stuff!

Lastly, breathe. Scheduling for classes is not the end of the world. It’s okay if you’re not in a class with your best friend, and it’s okay if you don’t know which professor’s class to take. If you end up enrolling in a class you don’t like, no worries, you can change your schedule as much as you like until the end of the add/drop period in the beginning of the semester (but don’t go crazy). No matter what you do, you’ll make the right choices.

Good luck!
Katy

If you haven’t heard it already, hockey is our most popular and favorite sport here at UMass Lowell. Our team is Division 1, and plays at the Tsongas Center on either Friday or Saturday nights. They are a great way to socialize as well as enjoy an interactive and competitive sport.
This past Friday, I attended the season opener game against RPI. I arrived about an hour early, afraid I wouldn’t get a seat in the student section. Luckily, there was space, but it was packed! Everyone was excited to be back and watch the Riverhawks kick some butt, especially me. At most games there are giveaways, and on Friday we received rally towels. The crowd was wild as the team hit the ice and began the game.
One thing I love about UML hockey games is that it’s not just about watching the game, the fans get to participate too! In between periods, anything can happen. Usually, there is a sandwich eating contest where the winner gets a gift card to a sub shop, and Rowdy will throw t-shirts to the crowd. Also, there is a “dance cam” or “kiss cam”, putting the audience on the big screen. Lastly, as I said earlier, there are always many giveaways like t-shirts, bobble heads and noise makers.
The Riverhawks ended up defeating the RPI Engineers on Friday night 3-0, with Evan Campbell scoring two points and AJ White scoring one.
If you have not gone to a hockey game yet, I highly suggest you attend at least one this year. They are so much fun, even if you know nothing about hockey. I was not really a fan of hockey before I came to UML, but I love it now. It’s a great place to go and hangout with new and old friends, and something to do on a Friday night.
Hope to see you all there tomorrow!
Katy