by McKenzie Ross

It’s that time yet again: multitudes of finals, widespread panic, and thoughts of dropping out. As we leave dead week behind, I thought it’d be a nice time to pull out some study-don’ts.

Let me break it down real slow:

1. Listening to music while you study.
“So I can’t listen to my dope jams and still get A’s?” Well, some jams are A-Okay. It’s not music in general that’s the problem; it’s the lyrics. So, press pause on Taylor Swift and play something like this or this instead. If you’re a minimalist, I suggest this website. For the true Oregonian I suggest this one.

2. “Studying” by re-reading.
Nope. Uh-uh. This isn’t a study method. Review method sure, but how much of that info are you actually retaining? This is called pseudo-studying, kids. It’s a great way to make yourself yawn and say, “yeah, yeah, I know all this” when you don’t. Not to mention, it’s a great way to consume valuable time. Instead, try rewriting your notes, creating a chapter outline, or making some flash cards; equally as time consuming, but definitely more efficient.

3. Forgetting Self-care.
If you’re sleepy, if your tum is rumbling, if you’ve been at it for hours, it becomes difficult to do your best. Self-care is a large component of overall study success, yet it’s probably the most overlooked. Mix this with the glorification of all-nighters and you’ve got students who appear “well-studied” but aren’t necessarily ready for their exams. My rule is to prepare for studying like you’re preparing for an adventure. You’ll need to be well rested, have a pack full of snacks (and water), along with the ability to discern when a break is needed.

Once you’ve crossed all these off your checklist, you’re ready to vanquish the dragon known as studying.

Hannah Whitley

When I initially applied to OSU at the beginning of my senior year in high school, I had my whole college career mapped out: I was majoring in Agricultural Science with a minor in Communications. My ultimate goal was to become a voice for small agricultural businesses on the national level, either by serving as a representative on Capitol Hill or by corresponding with associations assisting production agriculturalists. However, after half a year of contemplation and major soul searching, my academic focus changed dramatically.

 
During the summer of 2013, I switched my major to Sociology. At that point, I wasn’t quite sure what my ultimate career goal was, but I knew that majoring in the College of Liberal Arts allowed me to take a diverse array of courses while simultaneously giving me the ability to have a hands-on, real world education.

 
As I enter my spring term in my second year at Oregon State, I have officially altered my major/minor/option combination six times. I have entertained many degrees, spanning everywhere from Theatre Arts to even Human Development and Family Science. Two years after my initial acceptance into OSU, however, I have officially settled on pursuing a B.S. in Sociology with an option in Crime and Justice, Anthropology with a Biocultural option, and a minor in Religious Studies.

 
Where I initially thought that I was one of the rare students who could not make up their mind on what to study, I soon found that I am not alone! Out of the 9 current Ambassadors for the College of Liberal Arts, we have all altered our major/minor/option combinations. On average, the CLA Ambassador team has each altered their course of study three times, either by adding to, modifying, or removing some type of their degree. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), we ambassadors fit right in with the majority of collegiate students in the U.S. According to the NCES, about 80% of students in America end up changing their major at least once. On average, these students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career!

 
The important thing to remember is that whether you keep the same major you declared while applying to OSU or if you decide to change your degree once or multiple times, there’s nothing wrong with that. One of the great things about post-secondary education is that students have the ability to choose what path of education they wish to pursue. It may take one (or six) times to customize your college education and determine your unique major/minor/option combination.

 
If you are thinking about altering your current path of education, make sure to discuss your options with an adviser in the College of Liberal Arts main office or with your major adviser. All appointment inquiries for advisers in the CLA main office can be made in Gilkey 207 or by calling (541) 737-0561. For a list of all major advisers, visit http://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/finding-my-advisor.

Breanna Balleby

At the end of Week 9 of Winter 2015, the end of yet another term is near. Yet, the promise of a lively and beautiful term at Oregon State is just about to arrive – Spring 2015. I’m about to head into my fourth and final spring term at OSU and I couldn’t be looking forward to it more!

Yes, each term at OSU has it’s own events and special qualities. Fall term is always buzzing with excitement and the feeling of change as the leaves begin to change color and the first-year students begin to adapt to their life on campus. Winter term usually brings it down a notch and everyone buckles down in the MU Lounge or their favorite study spot with a warm and cozy caffeinated drink. Of course, many of us secretly (or not so secretly) wish for the spontaneous gift of a snow day—although for those of us who experienced Snowpocalypse last year, I think we’ve had plenty of that for a while. In contrast, spring term comes right on the tail of winter term and Spring Break, promising many sunny days and end-of-the-year activities.

For me, spring term always seems to be packed. When registering for spring term I am always trying to make sure I am available as possible for all of the opportunities that are available in this busy and beautiful term. Campus-wide events such as the Mom’s & Family Weekend, Relay for Life, and DAM JAM bring a passionate and fiery element to the OSU community. Plus, of course, everyone can look forward to moving on to the next chapter at the end of the term. For some this might be feeling accomplished in successfully completing their first year, and for others it may be graduating from OSU in June.

The College of Liberal Arts has unique spring term activities that I look forward to each year in addition to the plethora of musical and theatrical performances, academic presentations, and guest lectures that we see each term in CLA. For example, the First Year Student Matriculation is such a great way to recognize the success of CLA’s first-year students. As a CLA Ambassador, I have attended or helped with this event almost every year and I love seeing how well the first-year students have transitioned and adjusted, especially in comparison to the CLA CONNECT Barbeque when they first arrived to campus. CLA celebrates the success and brilliance of our students through the CLA Scholarship Reception and the CLA Graduation Reception – the latter of which I look forward to participating in this year.

In short, with all of this positive and celebratory activity (plus the typically beautiful weather), how could one not love spring term? It certainly makes the top of my list of my favorite things at OSU…so much so that I’m somewhat sad to say Spring 2015 will be my last spring term as an OSU undergraduate in the College of Liberal Arts. No matter what, let’s make it a great one – here’s to Spring 2015!

Jenna Saperia

Wake up, go to class, go to another class, and another, repeat once more. Do homework for tomorrow because you know you won’t have time to do any other day’s homework. Watch Netflix for half an hour because you earned it. Go to work, come home and realize you forgot to eat today. Go to bed and wait for it all to happen again. Sound familiar? What if it doesn’t have to be that way? That’s right, you can try something new!

 
Clubs are a great way to do something more for a couple hours for one day a week. Recently, a friend of mine reminded me of a pact we had made last year to learn archery. We had a dream of one day riding on the backs of horses while shooting targets hung on tree branches. Of course we never got around to it because Netflix, but we finally decided to do it. And it was completely worth it! From 12-3 on Saturdays you have the chance to relieve some stress and shoot things. Who wouldn’t sign up?

 
It starts with carpooling, so you instantly make friends. Then you head to the middle of nowhere. After deciding that the day wasn’t going to turn into my own personal version of Hunger Games, I went with it. That was the best decision I had made since deciding to watch Brave, the fuel for this brilliant idea. After learning to ride a horse, the only obvious choice was to allow this guy, who was also a first time archery club attendee, drive us into to woods. Upon arrival, we were met by the coach and a wide array of bows, arrows, and other fancy equipment that I was taught how to use. The energy there was amazing! Regardless of the cold and the idea of homework that lingered in the back of my mind, I was thrilled to be there! The coach stuck by me and my partner in crime, knowing we needed to pass the safety test. She then proceeded to help us improve everything our nonexistent skills. By the end of it, we were hitting the bale of hay!!! It was magical!

 
Everyone deserves a few hours a week to dedicate to themselves. The homework will be there when you get back, and no matter what, you’ll always have it, so you might as well take some time to enjoy the college adventure and experience more than the library study rooms. Find a hobby you never thought you would enjoy, discover a skill you wouldn’t dream you would even have the power to possess, and most importantly, have fun with your friends. It doesn’t have to be archery, it can be a ballroom dancing, a .gif animation club, or even an academic club to help you with getting into a master’s program. The range of clubs are listed on Oregon State’s website*, just waiting for you to take a chance and try something new. Take a break from overloading while studying for midterms and put some layers on, because this weekend is going to be an adventurous one!

*Check out the list of clubs here:

http://sli.oregonstate.edu/seac/student-organization-support/find-organization