Monday, December 5, 2011

Balancing a Social Life

My name is Denise and I attend Illinios State University. I believe it is very important to stay on focus with your studies but that does not mean you cannot have fun also. My friends Ray, Ian, and myself believe that we should study hard and then have our fun after. Since finals are coming up many students are very stressed out and some advice my friends, I recommend is to step outside and experience something new or attend a basketball game to take some pressure off. Before I go out and have fun I decided to take it upon myself to attend a Finals 101 workshop at Illinios State University. The workshop will help me plan out study schedule, teach me how to manage stress, and how to use the process of elimination to our best advantage. Here at Illinios State the faculty does the best they can to help students succeed, all students have to do is reach out for help. During the workshop a student teacher sat down with me and gave me an easy and successful two-week plan to help me prepare for my three exams. She also taught me some helpful tips on what to do on an exam if I did not know the answer. For example, in a true or false test she wanted me to avoid any options with the words always or must. I must say her advice actually worked that day when I had a pop quiz and I ended up with a 90%!

Ray speaking now and some of the ways I like to release some stress is going to the gym. School can be really stressful sometimes and at the Recreation center at Illinios State University I have many options on ways to take care of it. For example, at the gym they have many things you can do from rock climbing, taking fitness classes, lifting, or even play indoor sports. Usually I just lift and I feel really good about myself afterwards. Like Denise said about finals, it is getting close and stepping out away from the books helps me feel energized. Especially during finals week I believe that people should remain focused and healthy. To stay healthy you should eat right, stay in shape, and sleep is also very important. I know this because earlier in the semester I took a stress management course for extra credit in a class. It actually taught me some really great tips. Its obvious that cramming before a test the worst idea but if you study an hour a day for a week the information actually sticks with you. I also heard that sleep is important because it actually makes you remember more information. Students should study hard but also you need a break every once in awhile, you are only human. We just have to push ourselves for two more weeks and avoid stress. So take a few hours and watch TV, hang out with friends, or go the gym, like me!

Finally it is Ian speaking now and as finals are coming right around the corner of course I am getting nervous. Personally I am not much of a work out kind of a guy but I do like hanging out with friends. On the weekdays my friends and I usually go to the basketball games. After I am done studying I look forward going to meeting up with my friends and then head on over to the basketball games. My good friend Sam is the manager for the basketball games so I get to have front row seats and I just went to the most recent game, which was on Wednesday. Funny thing about being with friends when ever you are in a bad mood from school or family they always seem to get you back up. That is what my friends do for me; I suppose you can say they are my form of stress relievers. It takes my focus off on school but I always have to remember to get back on track. At the basketball game last Wednesday I was so focused on the game. It was a very intense game for the Redbirds who versed Chicago State. Behind a record barrage of three- pointers, Illinios State defeated Chicago State by a score of 81- 41 before 3,858 fans at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. Going to a basketball game with friends is what I would consider a great way to relieve stress before finals!

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