A new way to Student

As a college student I am required to buy quiet a few books each semester. Going to the school store can be very intimidating. So many books for all the different majors. I find myself waiting for assistant to find a book, and then waiting again to get through the check out line. On average it takes me about thirty minutes to get my books. Never again, now I order all my books through Chegg.com.

Now that I use Chegg it takes me 10 minutes to get all the books I will need for that semester. One of my favorite features that Chegg offers is the ability to read the books before they arrive. They give you access to an online book immediately after purchase. However, some books do not offer this due to copyright issues.

In addition to selling books Chegg also offers a lot of studying tools for all sort of subjects. From study guides to Q&A with Tutors, Chegg has all you student needs.

https://www.chegg.com/

Get Strategic to Succeed by Semesters End

Last time I talked about finding the connections within your course work and how that makes the work relevant to your life. I would like to add to that by emphasizing the philosophy of Work Smarter, Not Harder. This is the point: multi-tasking. Most college students have found a way to become efficient at time management and balancing the different demands of their courses and personal lives. Sure, sometimes there is a slip up and we forget to turn something in, but for the most part, our days are a calculation of how much we can get done in the allotted time or before our brains give out.

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#connection let’s you combine two school projects into one. #endisinsight #mdst485

A post shared by Tessa Gedatus (@tessnoless) on Dec 10, 2018 at 9:07am PST

Multi-tasking

What I want to teach you is multitasking on steroids. I like to call it Strategic Learning Efficiency Engaged Purposefully (SLEEP). I’m just kidding, I have never called it that before. I call it, doing one thing for multiple classes. Does that mean I turn in the same paper, or the same work for each class? Of course not! Media studies does not have the same learning targets as web design or content strategy, or information studies. But that does not mean that I can’t work on the same project for all of them.

How it works

At least one class every semester will have some sort of self-chosen topic for a project that you will work. Perhaps it is a proposal for a business course, or a collection of activism posts for social media, maybe you have been assigned with creating videos for a design course, you get my point. Now, instead of just picking some random thing to write about or research or create, why not connect it to a cause or a dream or a family business. Something that has meaning for you in your real life, something that could use some attention and nurturing. Then you set yourself to creating for this cause.

Here is an example for you

For this Saturday morning MDST course we will need to turn in a learning journal (a portfolio of sorts). Meanwhile, in the very same classroom on Tuesday nights I have a Writing for the Web course that requires me to make a website. Now, I could make a lot of terrible websites, but I decided to be strategic. I decided combine them both by making the topic of my website for the WRIT course be the subject of my learning journal for MDST. Make sense?

Why it works

By using the same project for multiple courses lets you see the interconnectedness of disciplines. Remember that from last time? No field of study operates in a vacuum. Nor should it. Using the same project for multiple classes provides you with the chance to think about a subject, problem or project on different levels. This gives you the chance to end up with a really rich and layered analysis of a real world situation. It also allows you to build on your past work, thereby making each project a little more meaningful, which is a key to knowledge, not just memorization of the names of some theories which you will forget by next semester. You are integrating the prior learning and scaffolding upon it to form your shining tower of world conquering knowledge…I mean…ahem. Want to know a bit about the science behind why this works? Great!

Start by watching this video by David Brooks, author of The Social Animal. 

Need a little bit more?

If you are still struggling with juggling course loads, start with the basics. This page offers five solid strategies for multitasking.

Are you more of a put it off until the last minute operator? You are not alone. Procrastination is innate, and for many people, it works well.

Diversify Your Knowledge Portfolio

In my last blog, we touched on gratitude and the importance of fostering the connections we make while in school. This idea, seeing connections, cannot be understated. The human brain is powerful in large part because of its ability to see and make connections—be it people, patterns, or thoughts. And while I’d love to toot my own horn about how great the benefits of connection and appreciation are (and they are), I have to counter myself a bit. While humans have always been drawn to the predictive power of familiarity, it is not necessarily to our benefit. We can become entrenched in familiar ways of thinking and acting that do nothing to enrich us. In fact, in evolutionary terms, variation is the goal. I would argue, that while networking helps you find a job, embracing diversification will bring you the greatest success in college and your career.

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Diversification of knowledge is a path toward change and growth. Following the crowd of popular thought is boring. You are not an automaton. #MDST485

A post shared by Tessa Gedatus (@tessnoless) on Nov 29, 2018 at 10:24am PST

Many of us will stagnate and become dissatisfied when courses begin to rehash the same tired theories we have been covering since freshman year. We are complex, thinking beings. Robots are made for repetition, not us.  While there is a benefit to looking at theories from different angles, there is a balance between reviewing ideas and beating a dead horse. If all of your courses are in the same discipline, you will begin to get tunnel vision or worse, tune out to the lessons. So, rather than sign up for one more “easy A,” why not push yourself to try a new type of class. Maybe biology, computer science, or philosophy? They will give you a view of the world that could open a whole new way of seeing things.

Tip: Find ways to think about your course work from outside their home academic fields. How does human evolution relate to user experience? What about ethics and business communications? These new neural pathways will make your brain more elastic, agile, and creative .

Careers are no longer a straight climb up a ladder. Today, versatility and multi-faceted skill sets are in demand. And that is not a bad thing. The truth is, very few jobs will fulfill your head, heart and stomach. And those jobs that fill you with love, often don’t fill your fridge. As more and more people realize this fact, the popularity and acceptance of modular careers will continue to increase. Use your time in college to gain some transferable skills by broadening your academic focus.

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I love by learning. How do you love? #mdst485

A post shared by Tessa Gedatus (@tessnoless) on Nov 23, 2018 at 7:09pm PST

If you end up with a career path that jumps around, you will be glad of your diverse coursework. You will have gained knowledge and skill in areas that will become relevant in financial ways. Having a diverse course load will make you a more complete, interesting person. Don’t sell your time in school short by going only for those courses that are required for your degree. If you don’t take the time to explore now, you may never get the chance again.

Teamwork Makes Your Dream Work

At this point in the school year, most students find themselves full swing on one of the most-dread-of-all class assignments: the group project. We bemoan navigating group dynamics, schedule conflicts, and technology shortfalls. Wouldn’t a simple paper suffice? But remember, you will collaborate in your future career.

HINT: Educators create these assignments because teamwork, problem-solving, and communication are requirements in virtually any job.

According to the career experts at Glassdoor, many of the soft skills you hone during group work are the exact skills employers look for. Remember last time, when I told you about Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg’s policy of focusing on natural strengths? That’s code for soft skills. Working with others will help you succeed, both in class and on the job.

Know when to say thank you

 

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#mdst485 #gratitude #greatergoodmag

A post shared by Tessa Gedatus (@tessnoless) on Oct 31, 2018 at 12:14pm PDT

Equally crucial to (grudgingly) sharpening our collaboration muscle is remembering to say thank you to our teammates for those ways they contribute to the project. Besides helping you to become a better communicator, they bring valuable alternative views to projects.

Moreover, your classmates today may be your coworkers tomorrow. After all, if you are in the same class, you likely have some career goals in common. Why not use these professor imposed connections to forge real world contacts?

TIP: Consider group work as networking 101.

Create a network of nice

Studies show that practicing gratitude can change your outlook for the better and help foster a community of people who support each other. Researchers published on the University of California, Berkeley’s site, Greater Good, asked, “Is Gratitude a Moral Affect”? They concluded—yes—gratitude is more than good manners; it motivates and reinforces empathetic behavior in the person practicing and the person receiving thanks.

The article noted that “the emotion of gratitude might also have motivational value, prompting grateful people to behave prosocially themselves…[motivating] reciprocal altruism.” In other words, gratitude can start a pay-it-forward-style social movement on campus and in your everyday life.

You never know when common courtesy could pay big dividends—in friendship or while networking. So, in the spirit of the season, go out and flex your “thank you” muscle. The Metro State community will be all the better for it.

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Glassdoor is a site that allows you to search millions of jobs. They have an impressive portfolio of blog topics covering virtually every subject related to careers.

Greater Good, hosted by the University of California, Berkeley, offers tips, quizzes, videos, and articles on the human quest for happiness.

If you missed my last post, you can find out why knowing yourself is the key to school success here.

Know Yourself

 

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#mdst485 #strengthsfinder

A post shared by Tessa Gedatus (@tessnoless) on Oct 31, 2018 at 11:17am PDT

Writer James Joyce extolled, “A man’s mistakes are his portals of discovery.” It’s great to know it’s okay to try and fail. However, focusing on your strengths can be the actual key to success in the classroom and beyond.

In a New York Times interview, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, explained, “We try to be a strengths-based organization, which means we try to make jobs fit around people rather than make people fit around jobs. We focus on what people’s natural strengths are and spend our management time trying to find ways for them to use those strengths every day.”

Luckily, Metro State’s Career Services Center (CSC) has fantastic resources to help you uncover your talent and channel it into a successful career. As a student, you have access tools like, FOCUS, online assessments created to help you discover careers and majors that use your strengths. You will need to create an account the first time you sign on. Use the access code: “METRO” and fill in your information to gain access to career planning, academic strengths identification, and a multitude of self-assessments. You may find out something you didn’t know about yourself.

TIP: Even if you think you have yourself pretty well figured out, you can still utilize assessment keywords as a resume database!

1. Start a file on your computer (or use a notebook if that’s more your style), and copy down all of the skills, strengths, and personality traits.
2. Write down examples of them in your work or school life. Think objectively about difficult situations or mistakes you’ve made. What qualities did you rely on to get past those pitfalls? Acknowledging your strengths can provide insight when choosing a major or a career.
3. When the time comes, integrate those words into your resume, portfolio, and interviews.

TIP: FOCUS offers an easy way to create a report from your results, just click on the Review and Print My Portfolio button, toward the bottom of the home screen.

Now that you know a little about me, and how I harness my strengths, go find out how to harness yours! I’d love to hear about your strengths and how you use them in the comments below!

Tessa Gedatus’ strengths: Activator, Strategy, Ideation, Adaptability, and Intellection.