I personally find it kind of foolish to prevent students to use their laptops in class. If it’s to prevent disturbances, prevention of the use of laptops will not force students to pay attention. If anything, they will waste more time being bored and zoning in and out.
It’s the job of the section leader to make the class interesting and keep the student’s attention. The laptop is a tool to enhance learning.
I’m pretty peeved that I cannot use my laptop in one of my sections. It isn’t that I will die without my laptop, but rather than having to waste paper and pen writing out notes and then eventually typing it out again on my laptop, I can just save everything on my laptop and review there. It saves time, paper, and ink.
On a side note, I am happy with my decision to pursue neurobiology rather than psychology.
I have been exercising lately. I am trying to create an alternating pattern of 15 minutes one day and 30 minutes the day after, but I sometimes get too weak-willed and don’t exercise. Then I feel guilty like I should make it up. For example, yesterday when I woke up to my alarm (I try to exercise in the mornings), I told myself, “Today is going to be a long day. I have twelve hours of classes. I need my rest. I should just sleep.” And so I slept.
Today when I woke up, I told myself, “I’m tired. I’ll exercise later.”
So tonight, I felt guilty. I had told myself this semester that I was going to start a new exercise regimen and if it died within one week, that really shows just how weak-willed I am. So I forced myself to go down to the gym and I used the elliptical for an hour, while watching a bizarre show called Burn Notice and then switching to Project Runway. Seriously, if you exercise, exercise with the TV. That really takes the mind off of the pain.
When I came back to my dorm, I was a bit tired, but I felt rejuvenated. That is really how exercise goes! You feel tired, but then after you are finished, everything feels better. Your blood is pumping again and you feel more awake. You feel happier.
This may really only be the placebo effect, but I seriously think that exercise has made me happier. I think it has helped me manage all the classwork I have been doing and helped me to not bang my head every second when I get frustrated, and really helped me not to give into watching Hulu anymore.
The sad thing is, the only reason I started exercising is because I realized my health deteriorated from last semester. All I did last semester was sit on my butt and never really move (when I went to class, I always took the shuttle), and when I went home for winter break, I realized my circulation was not that good. I would always get cold hands and feet no matter where I was and that could only be due to lack of exercise. So be healthy! Exercise!
With the thought “I’m screwed” or “I will be screwed.”
I haven’t been procrastinating at all recently. The above is the reason. I still have to modify my schedule so that I am spending 10 hours on research per week.
I also still have two hours of extracurriculars to schedule in per week and another two hours bi-weekly.
Plus, I have two dance performances that I must rehearse extra for.
This is a prime moment in my life to exclaim, “I’m screwed.”
At this moment in time, I am searching for the cheapest methods in buying college textbooks. At my college, there is a special bookstore that carries all the textbooks, workbooks, coursepacks, etc. for every single class. Since it’s only a maximum fifteen minute walk from my dormitory, buying a book there is incredibly convenient. But, it’s expensive. There may be other sources which would sell the same book for $40 or more cheaper.
Thus, I usually buy my books online or from other students, since they are drastically cheaper. Also, I always try to resell my books to other students later so that I can hopefully get all my money if not some of my money back. Sometimes, I also try to resell my textbook for a profit, but with new editions coming out every year, this can be tricky.
Although Ebay is a good way to buy textbooks for cheap at times, I like to search through all other book companies before going to Ebay, mainly because of convenience and efficiency. Ebay uses an auction style, so I sometimes have to wait a few days to see if I won a book, and winning a book is not a guarantee. I would rather just click “buy” on another website, input my billing information, and then know that the book would arrive within a week.
I primarily use book finder search engines instead to scour the web for the cheapest options. This includes a website I recently found called Bookfinder. I am also fine with buying the international edition of books, which are usually exactly the same as the US edition except for a big “International Edition” label across the cover. These versions are sometimes half the price of the US edition. Textbookrus seems to stock plenty of international edition books.
The only hole in all these online searches is when there is a customized coursepack or sourcebook that a class requires. These texts are usually made by the college and sold only at the college with a non-refundable policy. In cases like these, I am trying to find if I can borrow such a book and just scan in all the pages.
Winter break is unfortunately over now. Tomorrow is the first day of spring classes. I am both excited and worried; excited for my psychology and social science class, but worried for organic chemistry and physics. But before I start thinking about tomorrow, I have to finish with running errands today and start my spring semester off on the right foot.
This semester, I have decided (actually more like forced) to be on top of my work. That means no wasting time and hardly any partying. Unlike last semester, when I was on top of my work for the first few weeks and then slowly stopped reading the textbook (big mistake for physics), I should continue reading and understanding everything I can. I also need to be more proactive in clubs. I realize that may be one of the reasons I was passed up on being chosen for a director position. I need to show people I am willing to work, even if I do not have the position yet, rather than working hard after I get the position. I guess I am more motivated to do so because I am actually more focused now. I know what I want out of my clubs and which clubs. Last semester, I was still very wishy-washy on what I wanted and cared about.
Besides academics, I also need to exercise and eat better. I realized I have gained fat; not necessarily weight, but this may be because I’m losing muscle while I’m gaining fat. This has caused my circulation to go down hill. My hands and feet are perpetually cold, which could either mean I have a disease or that my circulation is poor. I like to go with the latter, since that is correctable. In regards to that, I am hoping to run at least thirty minutes a day and keep to this diet:
Breakfast: Cereal (Special K or Total) with milk, self-made yogurt parfait with plain yogurt and sliced up fresh fruit, a glass of milk or water, vitamin tablet.
Lunch: Sandwich (made during breakfast; melted cheese on top of two slices of turkey and salad lettuce with whole wheat bread), a bag of pretzels, orange or banana (and maybe the occasional apple), and a bottle of water. I have to make due with what I have, and if it means getting in my veggies by putting it on top of my sandwich, that’s what I will do. I realized that I hate eating salads, and I guess I should not force myself to eat something if I do not like it in the least bit.
Dinner: A bowl or rice with cooked mixed vegetables, grilled chicken or other meats depending on how healthy the meat selection is, one or two cups of water, orange or apple.
Brain break/snack after dinner: A bag of pretzels and/or an orange, water
Let’s see how far I get. I hope I still have the same self-control I had when I went on a diet a few years ago.
