How do you feel right now? Do you feel fine? Fantastic? Horrible? Happy? Sad? Ready to take on another day filled with classes, homework, laundry, and hanging out with friends? Do you have time to breathe?
Well, first of all, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Very good, and again.
That takes care of breathing. Now on to more fun and just as fundamental advice. Managing your time is to college what breathing is to life. You need some form of schedule to follow—that is what we have been trained to do since grade school and even before. The only difference is that you are now the one in charge of scheduling your life.
Schedules kept mentally leave a lot to be desired. For example, without looking at any notes of any form, when is your next test? If you can answer that, when is your first major paper due? Is there any event you are going to attend in the next two months? It helps to keep a written record of what you need to do and what you would like to do. You now have a list of events and activities that you can prioritize however you like.
Until supplies run out, the Office of Student Development sells planners, but you can just as easily buy them at department stores for around $2. Your choices are unlimited since you can make your own as well or just use regular writing paper.
Once you have secured an organizational device, take another deep breath. Write down a few things to set a groove for yourself, for example, you may like to include homework assignments or events that you plan on attending, or you may just use it for story ideas or shopping lists. Whatever you choose to do is entirely up to you—but keep remembering to breathe.
This is an example of a week from my planner:
Yes, I really need to buy superglue and dry erase markers.
What you don’t notice is my work schedule. I keep my notes regarding my jobs on my cell phone. Many cell phones today come with a feature called “calendar” where you can program just about any reminder you want to—including one to breathe. Sometimes it helps to have reminders in more than one place—events I attend, work I need to complete by a certain date, and general reminders are kept on my phone so that it buzzes when I need to get up in the morning and again when I need to head to the Writing Center, while homework assignments and other, even more general information is contained on the pages of my planner.
Now, one issue every college student encounters: “when do I find time to study?” You have a paper due in two weeks and a test the week after that, but you can’t find time to sit down and actually read the material needed for either. You’re too busy.
Take out your planner and pencil in all the engagements you cannot extricate yourself from, erase the events that are purely participatory, and time for studying will appear. The rest of the time then can be devoted to whatever fun activity you need for de-stressing (another important feature of college and living, like breathing).
To manage your time is to manage your grade. However, having a planner does not automatically ensure a better or worse grade, even if you write things down, you may still experience lapses in homework completion, among other things. (That reminds me, I have a few chapters of history still hanging over my head.)
You can plan your paper in the Writing Center with our brainstorming sessions or have one of the consultants review it. Or you can drop by for help regarding the idea of planning. Come visit us! We’re in the new Liberal Arts building, to the left of the stairs from the main entrance.
Happy planning, breathing, and time managing!
--Parveen
As the new school year gets started you might notice some major changes around campus. One change is that there is now a writing center devoted entirely to helping students with writing assignments. The Writing Center is located on the first floor of the new Liberal Arts Building, and offers writing support for all writing assignments. If you have a writing assignment, you can make an appointment, or just drop in. If you are one of the first to bring a writing assignment to the Writing Center, you will receive a free prize.
-Hours
9:00am – 5:00pm Monday – Thursday
9:00am – 3:00pm Friday
6:30pm – 9:00pm Sunday – Thursday
-For more information or to make an appointment, email writingquestion@uiu.edu.
Matt Harbaugh
May Term seizes you like a fever--one class all the time and the work never stops! If you do want someone to read any papers you are working on, you have only to look in the library; Monday through Thursday evening, Kris or Parveen are holding court in the Tutor Center, and waiting patiently for any students who might want some fresh eyes on their work. You should check it out...
KRIS 6:30-8:00 (or later) p.m. Monday and Tuesday
Parveen 6:30-8:00 (or later) p.m. Wednesday and Thursday
And if you don't have time to stop by, try www.uiu.edu/tutorcenter/writing.html for some quick tips!
Have a paper that is stressing you out?
Come visit the writing consultants! (M-Th 9-5, Su-Th 6:30-8:45, F 9-3)
In honor of finals week, the writing consultants will be doubled during the following times:
Wednesday, April 28 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 29 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Monday, May 3 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 4 7:00-8:30 p.m.
There will be two tutors available during each of the times listed. The regular consultant will be present during the entire evening hours.
To help students locate the Writing Lab during its hours of operation, the yellow footprints have also returned to lead the way!
Remember, the library will stay open until midnight starting Sunday, May 2 for finals week.
Don’t know when your final is?
The schedule is as follows:
Classes Test time Test date
8:00 a.m. 8:00-9:50 a.m. May 6
9:25 a.m. 8:00-9:50 a.m. May 7
10:50 a.m. 10:00-11:50 a.m. May 6
12:50/1:05 p.m. 10:00-11:50 a.m. May 7
2:15 p.m. 1:00-2:50 p.m. May 6
3:40 p.m. 3:00-4:50 p.m. May 6
Good luck with wrapping up the term!
--Parveen
If you have any suggestions about how the writing support program might be improved, now is the time to make yourself heard. We are taking a survey to gather feedback about the pros and cons of our program so that we can improve it. We want to tailor our program to fit the students. We welcome any suggestions, so please voice your thoughts about the writing support program.
Here is a link to the survey.
Also there will be a workshop about using sources in the writing lab at 3:00pm on Thursday, April 22. If you have any questions about citing sources for a paper, it would be a good idea to attend this workshop.
--Matt
Keep it Simple!
By Pam Ostwinkle
There’s nothing quite as intimidating as a looming assignment and a blank sheet of paper or blank computer screen. Years ago I had a writing teacher who laughed when people talked about writer’s block. He said writer’s block was an excuse to go have lunch or do something else. Personally, I feel that writer’s block is the very real fear of putting words on paper. Once we have written something down, we have made a commitment to it and have to take credit for it. It helps to relax about the purpose of what you write; words on paper are simply thoughts in progress. When I have taught grade school students, I described words on paper as the clay you need to make a pot or vase. To lessen the importance of actual words on paper, I ask them how a person would make a vase without first having the clay to work with. Those first words, I tell them, are the clay. Just put some stuff down so you have something to work with. So put something on it—that’s progress, no matter how small. Give yourself some clay.
One way to do this is to very simply write down how you would explain the subject to a friend or family member. For example, I was working on a paper that was to span the theme, scope, idea, etc. of three historic periods in British Literature. Yet, I didn’t know where to begin, and I felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of literature I was going to cover. I decided to talk about it with my family, and try to explain to them what I had learned so far and then get feedback. One question that helped a lot was “What stands out about the writers of those times?” A simple question, but it made me ask myself what I continually noticed while I was reading. I decided to look for something that recurred throughout the works during these periods and analyzed why they recurred. In my case, I chose the use of birds and flight. Once I found an area to zoom in on, I had focus and a place to begin.
As I continued working on the paper, I explained what I was finding to my family and this would clarify my own thoughts and make it easier to write. Focusing on audience understanding helped clarify my explanation. The same writing teacher that I mentioned earlier also told me that I should always write everything geared to the least intelligent audience. I didn’t think this was particularly nice, but realized later that he meant I should never assume that someone understands what I am saying. Keeping that in mind has helped me stay concise and centered on what I need to say and how I should say it; imagining that I am simply explaining my topic in conversation to someone familiar simplifies the task and makes the focus clear. Writer’s block is not a myth, but it is not a road block—there are ways around it.
Even though Spring Term II has only just begun, that doesn’t mean you can’t already be stressed. Sometimes class loads, extracurricular activities, and work can seem intimidating. Before you know it you’re scheduling every second of your waking life into your BlackBerry and wondering when you’re supposed to sleep or eat. Even the most organized and calm person has that day that makes them so crazy they just want to pull their hair out. Trust me, I have this moment once a week. Keeping your mind organized and clear of clutter can make all the difference in your life.
Writing for most people always goes hand-in-hand with impending doom music. I can take that from experience, I always hated to write. Then, as I got older and my life became a little more dramatic and a lot harder to understand, I started writing. It was nothing huge at first; I simply took out an old notebook and started writing about whatever came to mind. I found when you’re writing to free your mind of your latest frustration writing can take on a whole new mind set.
So next time you find yourself stressed to the max, take out a notebook and tell it how you feel. Not only is it great venting but it's great practice. Even if you can’t use what you wrote down, at least your mind is now free of all the angry clouds crowding your creative flow. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation, just write.
If putting the pen to the page still freaks you out, try typing instead of using a pen and paper. It may sound silly, but keep in mind most people can type faster than they can write. You can even write about how stupid the assignment you have to do is, just don’t show it to your professor.
If creative writing just isn’t your thing, make lists all of the things you have to do and then put them in order of most to least important, either by due dates or by how much time the tasks take to complete. This is what I do, even though it doesn’t seem like much, it gives you the courage to tackle the tasks.
Don’t let the jet lag from spring break hinder your academic performance. Eight weeks flies by pretty fast and before you know it, it's finals time again!
-Caitlyn
Well, it's that time of year again - a new term has begun and spring has sprung. With the beautiful weather outside, I know firsthand how difficult it sometimes is to stay indoors and do homework. Even though it's only the first week of the term, it's not too early to start brainstorming ideas for those assigned papers you have to write in the next 8 weeks. Why not start thinking about it now so you aren't overwhelmed with multiple papers to write later?
Here are some of my ideas for getting a jump start on your writing AND taking advantage of the warmer weather at the same time:
- Don't think about all your assignments at once or try to get everything accomplished right away; work at a steady yet efficient pace and focus on one thing at a time - starting now.
- Take a walk, run, or bike ride to get away from campus for a bit and open your mind to start thinking about how you want to approach an assignment.
- Sit outside and enjoy the sunshine! Bring a notebook and pencil with you (or laptop if you have one) and begin writing down your ideas to later form them into a rough draft.
- Bring your work to the Writing Center for a peer consultant to assist you into making your paper shine.
Regardless of how you choose to embrace the warmer temperatures outside, the Writing Center is here for you, and the other tutors and I are ready to help you in whatever stage of the writing process you may want assistance in. Don't let time slip away in these early weeks of the term! Get a head start on those writing assignments now and don't forget to stop by the Writing Center! Our hours for Spring Term II and the tutors available during them are as follows:
Monday
10:00-11:00 Parveen
11:00-12:40 Pam
12:40-2:10 Matt
3:00-5:00 Kris
6:30-9:00 Caitlyn
Tuesday
10:00-11:00 Kris
11:00-12:40 Pam
12:40-2:10 Matt
2:15-5:00 Caitlyn
6:30-9:00 Parveen
Wednesday
9:00-10:30 Matt
10:30-12:30 Parveen
12:30-3:00 Kris
3:00-5:00 Caitlyn
6:30-9:00 Matt
Thursday
10:00-11:00 Kris
11:00-12:40 Pam
12:40-2:10 Matt
2:15-5:00 Caitlyn
6:30-9:00 Parveen
Friday
10:00-11:00 Parveen
11:00-12:40 Pam
12:40-2:10 Matt
Sunday
6:30-9:00 Caitlyn
Have a great term and best wishes in all of your writing endeavors!
--Kris
Have a final paper to write and want help with it?
Come on up to the Tutor Center and talk with one of the writing consultants.
For finals week, writing consultants have been doubled up during specific times:
Monday: 9:25 until 10:35, 2:15 until 5:00, and 6:30 until 8:00
Tuesday: 9:25 until 10:35, 2:15 until 5:00, and 6:30 until 8:00
Wednesday: writing consultants available as necessary
Thursday: tests, writing consultants as available as possible
Friday: tests, we close at noon, writing consultants as available as possible
Appointments are unnecessary, and students will be helped on a first come, first served basis.
Good luck on finals and have a safe and fun Spring Break!
Parveen
We're in the library! Where are you?
Do you have a paper to write? If so, the library is a great place to find what you need. Whether you are looking for print or electronic sources, a place to write or type, or a writing consultant; you can always find helpful resources at the library.
Resources in the Library
- look through magazines & newspapers
- use the card catalog to find books
- come to the Tutor Center or Writing Lab to see a writing consultant
- sit down in one of the computer labs and type up your paper
Online Library Resources – Visit the UIU Library Page at http://uiu.edu/academics/library/index.html
- check to see when the library is open
- search databases for scholarly journal articles
- use electronic dictionaries and encyclopedias
- read manuals about how to use different citation styles
Good luck with those papers!
Matt
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This is a weekly blog updated by Writing Support staff.