Well, I've thought long and hard, coming up with three vital tips that will guide you through your years at Mount Allison. A lot of people say you have to learn from your mistakes, but I say you should learn from others' and save yourself the trouble. So here it goes:
Don't carry your VISA - I cannot stress this one enough. Use your credit cards for emergency use only. This doesn't mean taking out a twenty when you're at the Pub to buy extra drinks and ensuring you have enough for a slice of pizza on your way home. I promise you this will happen if you carry your credit card in your pocket (especially when you're at the Pub and you're not in the right state of mind)
Keep your laptop at home - Avoid the temptation of taking your laptop to classes. This is a common mistake a lot of students make and it inevitably takes a toll on your grades. Take a notepad and pen instead of typing your notes up on your laptop. This way, you're forced to pay attention during lectures instead of updating your Facebook status, chatting on MSN and refreshing your Hotmail inbox every ten minutes. I cannot even count how many times I've witnessed people paying more attention to their computer screens than the professor. It not only distracts you, but it distracts students around you who actually want to pay attention. It's extremely hard to concentrate on what my professor is talking about when the person in front of me is chatting about the weekend's events on MSN or playing online games.
Make lists - Lists are extremely helpful and will keep you on the right track. Put up a whiteboard in your room and write up a list of things you have to do. You'll feel accomplished and focused every time you scratch something off. Lists definitely keep me motivated, especially when there's so much I have to do. It's good to prioritize and not to let everything go until the last minute. Set goals and makesure nothing stands in your way of achieving them.
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On a lighter note, I'm going to introduce you to a pretty amazing website. It's called, "Stumbleupon". For those of you who know what this website is, I'm sure you agree with me on its level of awesomeness. For Stumbleupon newbs, follow along.
Go on over to www.stumbleupon.com - it takes about 20 seconds to sign up. With registering, you check off some of your interests. Now, with the click of the "stumble" button at the top of the screen, it will begin to journey you through websites on the internet that (based on what you checked off) will appeal to you. It's a pretty great website for when you're bored. I've discovered some amazing, hilarious, entertaining, inspiring and interesting websites. You can give websites a thumbs up or thumbs down. It will remember the ones that you've given the thumbs up to. You should definitely check it out. I find it more addicting than Facebook... and it's an addiction you don't have to feel bad about it because you're discovering things more interesting than what Jane Doe's status updates.
