Finals Week Champs!

Are you ready to take on the challenge of Finals Week? If not, it’s time to start thinking about it! Here are a few tips to help get YOU prepared.
1. Start now!
It is time for you to start studying if you haven’t started yet! It’s Thursday…This means you have a whole 3-day weekend to start organizing notes, reading chapters and brushing up on those study guides! Don’t wait until the last minute!

2. Make Friends
If you have some close friends in class, now is a good time to collaborate with them to have a study group. Fun fact: Study groups who bring food study longer and have more energy to complete tasks following the session.

3. Questions? ASK FOR HELP!
Here is the great thing about being a student at West Virginia Junior College: We are ALL here to help you! If you need some additional tutoring, a second look at a paper or could just use a pep talk…come see any of us. We are all here to see you succeed.

4. Tell your Friends and Family that it’s YOUR TIME
You know those friends and family who said “We’re here when you need us?” Well, it’s time to put them to the test. Make sure you have some YOU time in the next week to get away from outside distractions – social gatherings, kids, events, etc. Tell your husband to pick up a pizza on the way home and give the kids a bath a day this week…and tell your friends that you would love to hang out with them AFTER finals are over on Thursday! The more distractions you have, the less-likely you are to focus on a study regimen to help you nail those last exams.

5. Rest, Relax…and Eat!
Don’t study yourself into a fury of panic. Take time to understand your lectures, notes and readings and utilize study methods that work best for you. Do not cram! Take the time before your tests to rest, relax…and make sure you eat a well-balanced meal so your tummy isn’t growling during the exam. A hungry student is a very unhappy and unfocused student!

Good Luck on finals!

Excuses, Excuses

Dependability is a major factor when entering the workforce. In the ‘real world’ your 3,000 excuses don’t matter.

Employers want individuals who are punctual, dependable and happy to be at work. If you are an individual who frequently ‘has’ to miss class or work for a variety of reasons, you should prepare yourself for a farewell wave from your employer (You know who you are).

Things happen…and employers are not oblivious to this. However, the topic of dependability becomes exceptionally prevalent when you are missing work on a frequent basis.

Tips:
• If you have children, make sure you have backup child care in case of an emergency.
• Schedule appointments outside of work hours or on your lunch break. This may mean scheduling a very early morning appointment or scheduling well in advance to get a lunch-time appointment.
• Keep up on sleep and a healthy diet to keep your immune system healthy
• Maintain contact with your boss. If you do have to miss, make sure you openly communicate the time you need out of the office, the reasoning and time of return

Remember: Dependability matters to many people. If you are a student who frequently misses class, you will lose the luxury of possibly using that particular instructor as a professional reference when you begin job searching. Employers WILL fire you for attendance and tardiness issues which will cause a hardship when you search for a new job, as the prior position will not serve as a reference for you.

Make your job searching easier…start using your time management and organization skills to ensure you are at work or in class every day and on time!