Tools for Getting Organized

It is that time of year again, when we  advisors are talking with a lot of students about getting organized and getting back on track. There may even be some New Year’s resolutions on the line. This year the Office of Academic Advising hosted a workshop where students learned some new tips and techniques designed to build time management and study skills. In addition to the workshops and as a follow-up to them, I like to post some of my favorite resources.

The term Schedule-at-a-Glance handouts are designed to help students map out exams, paper and project deadlines, events and other commitments in order to best prioritize their time. These give you a look at the entire term on one piece of paper.

Click the Schedules for a PDF version to print!

The weekly schedule is to help with tracking how you are using your time during the week. It allows you to make a schedule in advance to help hold yourself accountable and make sure that you have enough time to fit in everything that is needed. The schedule also allows you to keep a “time journal” to audit how you are using your time, and to see if there are better ways to organize your time.

Perfect Your Flight

Inviting ALL students interested in enhancing your academic success!!!!

The Office of Academic Advising is hosting a workshop designed to teach you some new tools to make the most of your time and upgrade your study skills. We will offer the workshop twice: Thursday, January 31st from 4:00 to 5:00 pm in 115 Lawrence Hall and Wednesday, February 6th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in 115 Lawrence Hall. We hope that you can make it to one of the times available.

Looking for the Grade First Aid Program Materials?

Welcome to the Grade First Aid blog. I’m guessing you are visiting for the first time and it is because you just got an email letting you know that you are a part of a program with the same name. Well, you can find all of the important information and documents you will need on the program tab in the upper right corner! I hope you will also read through some of the other posts for some stories from other students in your situation, tips and tricks to get back on track, and for information about many of our partner offices on campus.

Get Organized and Plan Ahead

We are officially in the second week of spring term and by now your class schedule should be finalized! This is a great time in the term and go through each of your classes’ syllabus and make note of all assignments and tests listed. I like to use a term-at-a-glance schedule so all 11 weeks are on one piece of paper. I have posted one below that you can download and print.

Spring Term Schedule at a Glance

If you haven’t finalized your schedule, please pay careful attention to the upcoming deadlines. You can find a full list of dates and deadlines for every term on the Registrars Office homepage. Today (April 9th) is the last day to drop a class without a W. This Wednesday is the last day to add a class. You will also want to pay careful attention to tuition implications of both of those actions.

I hope your term is off to a great start!

How to Maximize this Resource

Some of you visiting this blog may be avid blog readers, since there are blogs out there on just about every topic known to human kind. But, I (Becca) would venture to say that there is a much larger number of readers who are much less familiar with the idea of a blog. So, I’ve decided to highlight some helpful parts of this blog that you can utilize to get your academics back on track or take them to a new level of awesome.

• The “Campus Resources” tab at the top of the page leads you to a list of helpful campus resources, short descriptions of what each office can help you with, and a link to their webpage with contact information. Sometimes  the first step in the right direction is knowing who to ask for help…and then actually doing it!

• Click on a “Category” on the right side of the page to be taken to all of the posts that deal with that particular topic. There are all kinds of topics to choose from ranging from more detailed information about offices on campus that can help in your academic journey under “Campus Partners” to stories from U of O students who have struggled academically and overcome obstacles to get back on track to success under “In Your Words”. Here is one of my favorite campus partner posts and one of my favorite posts from a student:

Spotlight on the Teaching and Learning Center: Part 1

and

Jessica’s Story – Academic Disqualification & Reinstatement

• Get to know some of the advisors in the Office of Academic Advising by reading the “About Us” section or by choosing the “Meet Your Advisor” category. If we all could share one thing with students it would be that we exist to help you be successful – SO COME SEE US! We got into academic advising to work with students and talk through all kinds of issues whether it be celebrating with you over a great accomplishment or walking you through how to have a tough conversation with your parents about your academics.  To schedule an appointment all you have to do is call 541.346.3211 and our front desk workers will get you taken care of.

I guess what I’m trying to say is welcome to the blog and I hope you stick around and check out some of the posts! I’m glad you made it this far and I hope you will find some good information to help you on your path to success. Don’t hesitate to come see us for more information or even just to find out where to begin. Enjoy your break and we’ll see you in the winter!

Get Savvy with the Teaching and Learning Center!

Some of our favorite people on campus are hosting their annual Get Savvy Workshops this week and I think this is another great way to continue in the right direction this fall! The Teaching and Learning Center would like you to know:

Every fall, students can participate in Get Savvy, a series of workshops and other activities designed to help you gain skills for academic success. The workshops are free and open to all students — prizes, too! Test-Wise U, Presentation Skills, Money Matters, Smart Scheduling and more… full descriptions can be found on our website: http://tlc.uoregon.edu/learningservices/getsavvy.html

Workshops on the hour in the EMU Alsea Room:

Wed, Nov 2, 11am-8pm
Thur, Nov 3, 11am-5pm

I hope that you will make time to learn some great success strategies this week!

What Can You Do to Succeed This Fall?

It is that time of the year again! With the University of Oregon’s Fall Quarter getting underway tomorrow I asked the other advisors in the Office of Academic Advising for their best tip for students to get off on the right foot this fall, and this is what they had to say:

Tami Hill

Dr. Tami Hill says be an active participant in your education, and she would know since she is also a professor!

Shasta McLester

Shasta had such a good idea we have included a Fall Schedule at a Glance here for you to download and use this term!

Megan Coble

If you don’t know when or where your professors’ office hours are you can find that information on their course syllabus or you can ask them in class!

Jenni VanWyk

If you don’t understand a concept or an idea, make sure to ask for more information. If you do understand, ask questions that will take your analysis to the next level.

Arturo Zavala

By visiting an academic advisor for help choosing your courses, you can be confident that the courses will make progress towards your degree completion and be in line with your skills and abilities.

Andrew Wahlstrom

You should think about school like a full-time job, spending at least 40 hours a week reading, attending classes, studying and working on homework. If you feel like you need to learn some strategies for success in any of these areas, visit the Teaching and Learning Center on campus!