Tag Archives: commuter

5 things to do between classes…..

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Do you have a semester with 5 or 6 classes? Do you want to improve in college?  Every semester they offer I have taken the maximum amount of classes, and as a non-traditional student that is also a commuter, I find it hard when I have time in between classes every day and I debate going home or staying near campus.

Are you someone who prefers to do your homework at home?  I don’t go to the library much unless I am getting with my group or need some change in my studying technique before finals.

Even when it’s a ‘slow’ start at college or your trying to get into a good rhythm, here are 5 things to do with your time between classes if you have an hour or more, that has helped me tremendously!! 🙂

 

1.Make news friends or get with your groups for projects! I’m a non-traditional student that lives nearby, so my local friends would meet me for a quick lunch at places like Subway and Ruby Tuesday.  Or there’s cheap fast food places to eat or places like Azteca Mexican Grill, The Red Sun Fire Roasting Co, Kiyomi Hibachi Steakhouse, Wade’s Diner, Laparrilla, Water Street Cafe, The Press Box, GJP Italian Eatery, Dino’s House of Burger’s or Cheap Seats Sports Bar & Grille.  Plenty more on Yelp.com, CLICK on the link below:

https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Restaurants%20-%20Cheap%20Eats&find_loc=Oswego%2C%20NY2

2.  Perfect time to run errands, pay your bills or make phone calls.  Or even better to make an appointment with career services and get a ‘jump start’ on your future.  Time-management is important.  The helpful LINK below is for career services:

https://www.oswego.edu/career-services/

3.  If the weather is awesome, take a hike on SUNY Oswego’s trail or go check out the beautiful Lake Ontario near Rudy’s or at the Sterling Nature Center.  The lake has the BEST sunsets that are on the water!!!  Please stay on solid ground though!  The LINK below is for the SUNY Oswego trail map; so you can take advantage of the nice weather we hope to have coming our way soon!! 🙂 🙂

https://www.oswego.edu/rice-creek/sites/www.oswego.edu.rice-creek/files/rice_creek_trail_map_2014web2.pdf

4.  Bring your laptop and go over the next classes in your schedule to prepare yourself and be focused. Even better to catch up on homework, so you won’t need to do as much when you get back home.  Even if you have any questions, meet up with your professor during their office times; that is what their THERE FOR, is to help you!  Even better to print anything you need!

5.  Hydrate and make sure to eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner.  A perfect breakfast I have been making are smoothies, full of fruit, Greek yogurt, flax seed, chocolate protein powder, almonds and ice; which is very filling, and it is easier on a hectic schedule.   The LINK below talks about ways to make a smoothie more ‘filling’ so it can last you longer through a busy college day and until your next meal.

https://www.thekitchn.com/5-ways-to-make-smoothies-more-filling-213335

 

Keeping yourself focused and busy is key.  Remember that college is something that you won’t have to forever!  Take advantage of these ideas I share.  I don’t live too far but I can’t constantly drive back and forth between classes.  It would throw my day off.  I rather used these 5 helpful tips to have a smoother semester and so I don’t have as much homework to do at home, so I can ENJOY LIFE. :):)

Hope these ideas work for some of you and please comment below with your thoughts.

5 Studying Don’ts for Commuters

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I know that feeling of commuting home from a long day’s work or classes and just wanting to go home after and grab your laptop and hopping on the couch to relax.  But does this really help you learn or even bring motivation, while going to college?? I think not!!  Such as this example, which was a HUGE distraction for me.  So, I’m sharing these 5 Studying Don’ts and I also provided some handy tips that have worked for me throughout each semester.  I’d like to share these tips to help you get much closer to become an awesome and educated student.  The better my grades are, the more opportunities I have ever had before.

Here we go … 🙂

 

1. Don’t get too comfy on the couch and set yourself up an ‘office’ with as close as you can get ‘desk’, and this helps with getting rid of distractions.  Or put a desk in your room where there is a door you can close for a certain period of time you planned for school.

2. Don’t dehydrate yourself and drink LOTS OF WATER.  This can help you feel focused and refreshed, as staying hydrated is very important for every student to keep their brain strong to obtain a lot of information.  Put a lemon in your water, if plain water is getting too boring to drink after a while.

3. Don’t think your life sucks right now (ha-ha) because it will all be all worth it when you receive that diploma, in the end.  I will talk myself into how having good grades could potentially help me in my future.  I think most jobs know that a lot of young adults have their degree, but not all have really good grades and that takes determination from the student.

4. Don’t eat junk food or eat too late at time.  A way to not binge eat at night is by going TO BED at a decent hour.  You should reward yourself with a ‘sweet treat’ when you complete a planned study or assignment.

5. Don’t cram your work and try harder when it comes to planning and time-management for studying and assignments, etc.  It’s important to be organized and to divide up the school work between the days of the week, and maybe even on Sunday nights.  It won’t be like this forever and if I can do it then you can do it!!!

 

I never found myself going to the library unless it was to get together with the groups from my classes, for the project we have to complete together.  Places where there are a lot of people, seems to be distracting for me.  So, at home I have found that using a ‘HUGE’ desk calendar has saved me!!   Also, having the option in my house to have an office with a desk.  This room is separate from the rest of the house and has NO DISTRACTIONS. When I get in there, I am in the zone and can focus, kind of like when I am at work!  If you don’t have this option then choose an area where you can’t hear sounds that much in your place.  There is the option of going to Penfield library, which is huge and has computer labs and printer access, etc.

Good luck with your studies Lakers.  Comment below if you find any of these to be interesting, if any have worked for you or if you have certain tips of your own that you have found very useful as a commuter.

 

Kayla’s Journey…

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Hey Lakers! My name is Kayla and I’m a second semester senior that loves going to SUNY Oswego.  Every single night, the sunset over Lake Ontario creates the most beautiful skies, that you need to soak in.  Below is a picture of Lake Ontario and my dog, Bentley 🙂  I am a non-traditional and transfer student that commutes from Sterling and is here to spread positive vibes, help others and share my stories to those who can relate.  College wasn’t really something that interested me right away out of high school, and I thought that ‘living a little’, was the choice I decided to take.

Something that was so scary at first, was the best thing that has ever happened to me and this was choosing to take an adventure. I enjoyed life, before I decided to go back to college at SUNY Oswego. After high school, I decided to leave my families dairy farm that I had grown up on and take this adventure to join the US Navy in a Naval Mobile Construction Battalion called the Seabee’s. I was a Petty Officer Third Class Equipment Operator and I first was stationed out of Mississippi, then New Jersey and then I served training in Guam, and I had my license in just about every type of equipment in the military. I absolutely enjoyed traveling, the experience and the friends I have gained from serving the 5 years. Although the military is not for everyone, but I felt honored to be able to serve and protect our country.

After the military I moved on to the next chapter of my life back to Sterling, NY and I decided to go back to college for the first time at Penn Foster, with a major in Veterinary Technician. It was an online degree and I was able to find a part-time job at an Animal Hospital in Fulton. I think I went to every animal hospital within a 30-minute radius and gave them my resume and my enrollment into the Veterinary Degree. I loved working with animals, and I grew up with plenty on the farm. I quickly moved to full-time and over the years my responsibilities grew more and more. I then graduated with my Associates in Science and I was able to practice Veterinary Medicine on animals while I was enrolled in college, after graduating with a Licensed Permit and up until I passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam. That New York State board exam was one of the hardest exams that I probably will ever have to complete. After working there for six years and working for two different Veterinarians, is when I took my chance to go back to SUNY Oswego for my Business Administration degree. It wasn’t the easiest decision, but I’m so glad I took that leap for the change in my career.   I’d like to go into Pharmaceutical or Medical Sales, and I will have my credentials and experience to lean back on.

I started in the summer of 2017 with on-line courses and a few part-time jobs, and at that same time I was planning mine and my husband’s wedding; that was planned two weeks after the fall semester had started. Not only was it an adjustment from not being used to being in a classroom setting with younger students, but I also became very good at multi-tasking between the two and being organized. I couldn’t be happier on how ‘our’ day turned out.

I first remember going to visit Glynn, at the School of Business, with a thousand questions. Not only was I proud that I was the only one out of my ‘big’ immediate family with a degree, but also that I was accepted into one of New York’s top universities. Since my first semester I have been a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda, Chapter ETA National Honor Society, and I have been giving it my all to achieve the dean’s list every semester. One thing that I honestly can say, is that I appreciate school “way” more now being older, and I am glad I didn’t choose to go right after high school. Sometimes starting early on assignments or a project is a better feeling than cramming it in the last-minute, or if you have to choose between going out with friends or working on school at home.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about my past work experiences and I’m eager to hear of others.  I’m so thrilled to be a student and a Social Media Ambassador for SUNY Oswego.  This college has opened up so many opportunities for myself, and I still can’t believe all the things they offer to all their students and alumni.  It’s been quite the journey going back to college (for the second time ha-ha) and there have been obstacles, such as all things in life.  But, I can’t explain enough how excited I am to graduate in May and move on to this next chapter of my life, with the hope to help others.

“The sky is the limit.”