Luke ScherzJunior BIOSC major Entering freshman year as a new student immersed in an environment filled with opportunity for social development and new academic obligations can be an overwhelming experience for anyone. For myself, I struggled initially with the transition from high school to college since I never put consistent effort into my high school academic workloads. Like most people I have talked to, high school classes consisted mainly of regurgitating information implicitly outlined in a provided study guide rather than actively learning material to build long-term memory and understanding. Before college, I never understood what it meant to study or what that phrase really meant in terms of time commitment. Over the past three years, I have learned the art of time management and hope to give some advice on how you could master it and all of the benefits it confers to both one’s academic and social life. As a science major, many of you know of the intense academic expectations that accompany science courses. Not only does each course require 2-3 hours outside of class (sometimes even a lot more - I am looking at you, biochem), but students are also expected to be involved in social clubs, building and maintaining relationships with professor, conducting independent research, exercising, and oh, also sleeping for 8 hours every night! As a freshman, this can be a daunting challenge to many since most incoming students lack the ability to effectively manage time. In order to become a successful college student, time management skills must be implemented early into one’s routine since they are crucial to both academic and mental health. Now I am well aware of the stress that comes from trying to maintain all of these activities during the semester. After some trial and error throughout my own academic career, I have finally perfected my organizing routine and can happily say that I have a strong grip on my time management capabilities. Giving some insight into what my routine looks like, I am going to discuss some of the techniques I employ throughout the semester to stay ahead of my course material!
Setting the scene: it is the beginning of a new semester with new classes and new professors. It is the first day of classes and I have just now finished my last class for the day and am headed home. Once I get home, I warm up some leftovers from the fridge and head to my bedroom so I can begin to organize my semester outlook. At the beginning of every semester, I copy all important dates such as exams, project deadlines, quizzes, and homework due dates into my planner as soon as I receive all of my syllabi. This is the first component of my time management routine and I cannot stress how important this part of the process is to success! As all college students know, time moves fast, which makes it very easy to forget about smaller projects or homework deadlines. By copying all important dates at the start of the semester, it is near impossible to become blind-sided by an unexpected due date (just make sure you are looking at your planner every day). After eating my leftovers and transcribing all the important dates into my planner, I unwind for a little and listen to some music or watch some TV. As the day comes to a close and I am getting ready for bed, I plan out my objectives for the next day in my planner before going to bed. With this being the second component of my time management skills, planning for the day ahead is a crucial step since it clearly establishes what I need to accomplish and keeps me on track in terms of homework planning and studying times. I use a sticky note and stick it to the day block but whatever method works for you in terms of planning your daily objectives, go for it! As long as you clearly outline what you need to get done for the day then you will be on your way to success. I do suggest though that when you are planning for the day ahead, put some thought and effort into it. For example, if you have an exam in a week, try to split up studying times across the week so you do not have to cram for an entire day. After deciding how you are going to split up the times, be sure to write the amount of time you plan on studying the next day and stick to it! As you know, studying is all about efficiency. Fast forwarding to the first wave of midterms: it is a week before my first two exams. I am well aware of these tests since I copied them into my planner weeks prior and have also accounted for them in my daily objectives. Now all I have left to do is study for them. When it comes to studying, like I said before, it is all about efficiency. In order to be an efficient student, one must learn the art of time management. Let’s say that I have an upcoming exam in biochemistry. How do I approach this exam in a time effective manner? My first piece of advice would be to start as early as possible. Now I know this does not sound ideal to most students but trust me when I say that if you want to succeed in your courses and retain the information for the long run, begin about a week from the exam. Depending on exam overlaps, you may want to begin a little earlier since science material can be dense and overwhelming at times. Before delving into studying, plan out your week and how much material you want to cover each day, whether it be a chapter or PowerPoint per day. Once you have developed your plan, be sure to actively study and engage with the material. Take breaks every 30-45 minutes and make sure to eat and drink plenty of water. In terms of time management, if you stick to your plan and stay motivated and are taking breaks and drinking water, you are guaranteed to study efficiently. It is all about the organized plan! Stick to it and you will see yourself covering more material in a lesser amount of time and who doesn’t love less time in the library. Moving to the end of my exam week: I have just finished my last exam. What now? Do I go hangout with friends or find something else to study? My answer to that question is to go out and hang with friends! Life is all about balance and managing your time effectively gives you the freedom to go out and have fun while still staying on top of all of your responsibilities. School is very important but so is your social life. Go out, make friends, and have fun! After listening to some of the techniques I use to time manage, I hope this has inspired some of you to prioritize this skill since it offers nothing but benefits. Balancing school with a social life can seem like a daunting challenge but it is something that is extremely attainable by all students. Time management allows for students to balance it all and still have fun while doing it. On that note, stay motivated, stay focused, and be sure to have some fun!
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Amy McLaughlinBIOSC Senior and all around all-star We have been hearing about COVID-19 on the news since the end of last year. At the time we didn’t know the situation would escalate to what is has become. In the midst of a pandemic with stay-at-home orders, essential movement only, and remote school and work, it is important to disinfect and wash our hands to prevent ourselves from getting or passing an illness to someone else. It is equally important to make sure we are taking care of our mental and emotional health too. This is an extremely confusing, stressful, and uncertain time, but eventually life will go back to normal. People will be able to go into work again, we will be able to go out to eat after 8pm again, and there will be enough toilet paper for everyone. Some tips to take care of yourself as we work and learn remotely: 1. Stick to your morning routine. With students taking classes online and people working from home, it is easy to just want to get everything done as soon as possible while still in your pajamas. But I encourage everyone to still make coffee and eat breakfast without distractions and to get ready like you would on any normal work or school day. This provides you with time to be relaxed before working or learning and makes your work time more productive. DO NOT LIE IN BED. Sit at your desk or kitchen table and set timers. Set a time for however long you expect going through one lecture will take. Set a short timer for a break. Set a timer for lunch time. Then when you are done with everything for the day, you are able to completely relax and enjoy a tv show or spending time with your family. 2. Exercise Moving your body will likely make you feel better when in a rut. Most gym facilities are closed at the moment, but this is a great time to take a walk outside and be with nature. If there is a gym studio you love see if they are offering online classes. My favorite spin studio in Pittsburgh, 6ycle, offers hybrid classes called “hardCORE” and “booty sculpt” where the first half is spin and the second half consists of floor work. Currently, they are posting the floor work portion of their classes to their Instagram. I have seen other barre and pilates classes do this as well on Instagram and Facebook. And when all else fails, find a yoga or body weight video on YouTube. 3. Eat well What you consume can definitely make or break how you feel during the day. This is a perfect time to make a new recipe you’ve been wanting to try. Or if you don’t want to cook, many restaurants are still open for take-out. You get a great meal and they still get your business, it’s a win-win situation. This is not a time to be continuously snacking on jellybeans or some other less-than-healthy snack at all hours of the day. 4. Stay connected While everyone should be practicing social distancing, that does not mean social isolation. You can still FaceTime your friends, family members, or favorite bio advisor. Having social interaction is good for mental health, and you don’t have to carve out a lot of time, even just 20 minutes will be beneficial. You can even become pen pals for this short time and look forward to getting the mail every morning to see if they wrote you back. I know a lot of bio faculty who would love pen pals for their very bored kids! 5. Set one goal every day.
Staying home and doing work every day can become monotonous. Setting a goal or planning one thing to look forward to each day can be motivating. This could be a special movie night, making a special dinner, running one mile every day (or training for an upcoming virtual race), or organize your closet. Having a special task or something to look forward to can break up the days and make this time a little less daunting. During social distancing we may have a little extra time (no more commuting) to complete tasks we have been putting on the back burner – what’s on your goal list? Sam RaviMICRO Senior When I first learned about Pitt cancelling in-person classes and moving to remote learning, it made me think of all the things that my fellow classmates and I would be missing for the rest of the semester. But, it also made me realize that there can be some things that we as students can do to improve the situation for ourselves as well as others (and keep up with classes!).
1. Take some time to relax and regroup In an unprecedented situation such as this, it can be confusing and upsetting. There is a lot of unknown that can leave us overthinking. With the extended spring break and possibly being at home, it’s a great time to spend time with family and take a little break before getting back to taking online exams and watching lectures on your computer. Maybe even try some meditation (some free guided meditations here: https://www.mindful.org/audio-resources-for-mindfulness-meditation/) 2. Start making a plan of important things to do Since most of us will likely be keeping up with our classes at home and the possibility of asynchronous classes (do on your own schedule) our study routines are likely out the window. As you start to hear from your professors about updated course plans, start making a plan that will be useful to keep track of class requirements as well as avoid the laziness that is expected when staying at home in your comfy bed. While changes to the course midstream can be very stressful, know that your professors have your best interest at heart - they are working this week to find the best ways to get information to you in the best ways. They know that this transition will be hard, but we will all take it day by day. 3. Find a good place to focus and study Of course nothing can beat staying in bed and finishing assignments on your laptop, but sometimes finding a good place to study is helpful, especially for classes that might involve video communication. Although at this point the public library is probably not an option, utilizing your kitchen table or even a table on your deck or porch (fortunately the weather is getting warmer) is a great place to focus. Maybe take some time this week off to style your backdrop for any video conference classes/office hours you might have? 4. Use this time to find ways to get involved in your local community It’s likely that at this point, in-person volunteering in Pittsburgh or elsewhere is not an option. Try some creativity! Maybe reach out to an old elementary/middle/high school teacher and see if you can help them with their remote learning - you can make a video sharing your college/volunteer/research experience. With libraries and schools closed, you might record yourself reading some books for kids to watch and share with your local community board. Write a blog post for PittBioBlog on your favorite class or experience at college. So many ways to help out while still practicing social distancing. 5. Find ways to stay in touch with your professors and classmates Most first year students and some upperclassmen may have never had online classes before and don’t know what to expect. The most important thing is to keep in contact with your professors for any assignments, as well as keep in touch through virtual office hours as much as possible. If you don’t have your classmates’ numbers for group projects, remember, email still works too! Pitt now has Zoom, which makes it really easy to chat with a group of people: https://pitt.zoom.us Please help us inform the Univer 6.If you need help with schoolwork, still keep in touch with your TAs and tutors Some students find it easier to contact their TAs and tutors when in school, especially in the evenings when studying. Don’t be afraid to contact your TAs and tutor for help in the upcoming weeks so you can do well in your classes. 7.Check your email regularly Check your email for class information, CourseWeb updates, and updates from the university. Remember, staying informed and staying safe are important mantras for the rest of the semester. Although these circumstances were unexpected when we started this semester, sometimes we have to adapt and stay informed. As a graduating senior, I did not expect my four years at Pitt to end this way. But, sometimes things happen unexpectedly and we just need to keep moving forward. Remember, although we Bio Peer Advisors are physically not around at Pitt, we’re still here through email if you need someone to reach out to! If you have any questions about scheduling classes and advising appointments, be sure to keep up with the Bio Dept. Announcements as well! Stay safe and informed for the rest of the semester! Luke ScherzJunior BIOSC major currently studying for his MCATs You’ve all heard the stereotypes: college professors are lackluster individuals who have few interests outside the academic domain and are proudful of their reputation as being the most difficult professor. Now I know that some of you are well aware that this is a dramatic exaggeration, but I also know that many of you still hold this stereotype to be true. In fact, this stigma about professors being these intimidating figures of authority is one of the many reasons why most students fail to utilize one of the most beneficial resources available to them as undergraduates, office hours! In order to undermine this pervasive stereotype of professors, I interviewed one of the BIOSC professors, Dr. Linda O’Reilly, to show that many college professors are people just like you who have extremely active personal lives beyond their job as a professor. I have had the pleasure to not only take Dr. O’Reilly for both Foundations 1 & 2, but also to perform undergraduate research underneath her sponsorship and serve as a UTA for her BIOSC 0150 course last fall. The first question I asked Dr. O’Reilly pertained to her winter break and what fun activities she did. She told me that much of her winter break was spent with family, particularly a lot of time in their pajamas and enjoying each other’s company. Dr. O’Reilly stressed the fact that it is very important to find balance in life, especially balance between work and one’s personal life. Some activities Dr. O’Reilly enjoys outside of work include exercising (walking and running) and Ti Chi, which is form of Kung Fu! She told me that her family is very active, and they enjoy doing many activities together.
She teaches BIOSC 0150, 0160, and 1010; interestingly, Dr. O’Reilly is the only professor here at Pitt that teaches both semesters of Foundations Bio (BIOSC 0150 & 0160). After asking her about what she loves about the courses she teaches, she told me that while she loves seeing the skill development and formation of study habits in the two semesters of foundations, she does not like the large class size since it makes it difficult for individualized attention. In other words, students are more likely to get lost the in the sheer number of their peers. For this reason, she loves teaching BIOSC 1010 since the class size is much smaller and allows for individualized attention. Furthermore, she told me that she loves BIOSC 1010 since she has the opportunity to see how far along her students have come in their academic careers! Interested in Dr. O’Reilly’s biography, I asked her about what influenced her decision to pursue a career in biology. She responded by telling me a brief story about her high school biology teacher who was a young female teacher among a sea of male teachers. She had great respect for her bio teacher and thought that if this woman can do make it in a field dominated by men, so could she! Her passion initially led her to pursue a career as a high school bio teacher, but soon transformed into pursuing bioanalysis. She began work in a research lab and soon became a mentor to many newer members of the lab. She emphasized to me the importance of her mentors along her journey to receiving her PhD in biochemistry. Although she did not initially plan to obtain a PhD, she told me that with the support and guidance of her mentors along the way, she discovered her passion for science and teaching and correspondingly entered a PhD program. Discussing her current research, Dr. O’Reilly does not perform any wet lab research but is very interested in academic research. Specifically, she is interested in improving the learning experience in the classroom by establishing an engaging environment for the students. Interestingly, she told me that some BIOSC faculty and herself began 3D printing macromolecules in order to better illustrate to students the difference between major and minor grooves in DNA. I concluded the interview with a question asking about any advice she would offer to incoming students interested in pursuing a degree in biology. She responded by saying that incoming students must reach out and establish connections with their professors, finding mentors that will help guide them along their academic career. She also stressed the importance of utilizing UTA’s since they are an extremely under-utilized resource that is available to students. Lastly, she said that incoming students must be honest with themselves. If you need help, seek it as soon as possible. It is ok to ask for help, no one is perfect! Now that I have hopefully shifted some of your opinions on college professors, I encourage all of you to attend office hours and get more involved! Establishing relationships with faculty members is crucial to academic success! |
Pitt Bio BlogThe Pitt Bio Blog is maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences Advising Office. Posts are authored by our students Archives
January 2022
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