Time Management

Time management is always something that I've struggled with. So when I came to college I decided that I would be a lot better at it. I chose to keep a planner with all my assignments written in it. We always got planners in high school at the beginning of the year just like we did here, but I would always use it for a week and then give up on it and loose it somewhere in my room. I was skeptical at the effectiveness that this would have seeing as it would take time to write down everything and keep up with it, but I worked at it and it definitely worked out well for me.

I automatically knew that things like electronic calendars on my phone and computer wouldn't do any good for me because writing things has always been an easier way for me to remember things. So it's a win win. I used my planner almost every time I went to class. Anytime we had homework or a take home assignments I would write it down along with the day it was going to be due and it was the perfect thing to remind me later when I got home. Not only that, but since I copied all my major finals and huge projects ahead of time from my syllabus into the planner, so I would plan out when to study and when to write the different sections of my papers, rather than all at once last minute. This strategy really worked for me and I'm really proud of myself for staying on top of it.

I definitely plan on using the same strategy next semester. It really improved my overall work quality as well I think because I was not rushing to do everything last minute. I'm glad that we had all those students come in and explain how important it is to have some sort of organized schedule to manage all of your assignments. I never really thought about how I would have to balance both a social life and all of my school assignments and having a planner helps so much. It was good hearing all of their own personal stories and hearing them say that they didn't really figure out how to manage their time until later in their college careers was a huge push to find out what how I was going to achieve the same thing but earlier.

Overall the planner has been a huge help. I can see what assignments I need to do and when. This helps me determine when I have time to do things that don't involve schoolwork like hangout with friends and even just eating. Next semester I'm going to do the same thing, I'm just gonna try to stay even more on top of my things and hopefully try and get things done as soon as they are assigned because despite the usefulness of this strategy, I still need to work on my procrastination.  

Campus Involvment

Natalie Thomas

Robert Aiello-Hauser

GEL

27 September 2012

Campus Involvement Paper

I went to the Student Organization fair on September 4th. It was really interesting and i actually had a lot of fun. I admittedly was reluctant to go because I'm not really into those types of things, however it was better than i had expected. After attending this I think it's important to get involved in things on campus because that's how friends are made. I was quite surprised by how many organizations there were at this school. It's a lot different from high school. From greek life to sports clubs the differentiation of the booths was surprising. I personally haven't joined anything yet, but I'm still looking into things and trying to see how i can manage a club along with all my homework and other activities. 

I think it's important to get involved in at least something. People don't only go to college to get education. Yes, that is a main factor, but everyone says that college is where you make lifelong friends and that's where you make all the great memories of you life. The student org fair showed me that it's easy to find people who like to do the same things you do. If you join a club that's full of people who love turtles and you love turtles, then chances are that you're going to be able to make a lot of friends. I think that going to this gave me a good idea of what the school offers and i got a lot of good information from a lot of different clubs. 

Not only does campus involvement help with getting to know possible colleges, it also help with gaining experience for my potential work field.  By getting involved I can start the networking process early and be more than prepared for when I finally get into the work force. Getting involved and starting the networking process now will also help with group work projects and working with others. It teaches you to be out going and willing to work with others and recieve constructive criticism. Campus involvement is definitely something that will help everyone in the long run. 

One of the clubs that approached me was the Republican club. I talked to them about what they do and i gave them my email and I've been getting a lot of good information from them. They said they do pizza nights occasionally and unfortunately I missed one that they did that night. Even though they weren't my first choice as far as interests go, it was nice to get to know them somewhat and get a better idea of what they do. I am interested in the CSUSM marketing Society and I'm also very interested in greek life. The thing that interests me about joining a sorority is all the philanthropy that they do. I really like helping with charity and and i think it would be a great way to make a ton of friends. One of the downsides is that i hear it can be quite expensive. I think it's worth looking into though. I might put off joining anything until next semester because I'm still trying to adjust to college life as a whole. 

I don't know why i chose to take a picture at the Costco booth. Looking back now I don't think that was the was the smartest thing to do. I guess i just love Costco.

Student Org Fair
gotta love costco

Introduction

Hey guys! My name is Natalie Thomas and I'm from Palm Desert, California which happens to be right next to the beautiful Palm Springs. It's not too far from here however, the weather change makes it feel ages away. I have two little brothers along with two little sisters, but I am the only kid from both the same mother and father. Back home I worked as a lifeguard at an aquatic center that recently opened up a year ago and I absolutely loved it. I also taught swim lessons there and I love anything to do with the water. I was even on the varsity swim team in high school so it really bums me out that there's no pool here. I also love writing and I'm crazy about anything fashion related. I'm still undecided as far as my major goes, but I don't think theres any rush to decide now. I'm really excited about being here for college and I'm looking forward to meeting a ton of great people.