Mount Qua Qua

After finals, my friends and I really wanted to go on a hike of some sort. We really wanted to do 7 Sister's Waterfall, but it was really expensive and we couldn't find a way to set it up. Alas, we went on the Mount Qua Qua hike in Grand Etang National Park. The hike starts out the same way as the hike the school takes you on during orientation week, but it stops at the lookout which is only 20 minutes into the hike. Luckily though, it didn't rain - which made it so much easier. All in all, it was a great hike, and the perfect way to spend some post-finals down time!

About the hike:

• It took us about 90 minutes each way - so it's a 3-hour hike altogether
• Rain is sporadic, we were lucky and it didn't rain. Regardless, you will encounter have many muddy patches
• The hike is not easy, but it's not very difficult either. Gives you a good workout with all the ups, downs, and mud! 

Getting there:

• You can get there via public transportation. 
• First, take the #1 bus into St. Georges ($2.50EC)
• According to Katherine's blog, you then take the #6 bus. We couldn't find one, so our #1 bus driver drove us ($10-$15 EC per person)
• Either bus will drop you in front of "Grandetang House". There you can buy your entry ticket ($5EC), clean up, get refreshments, etc)

Additional Tips:

• You will get muddy, so try to wear older sneakers, old clothes, etc
• You will def need both hands while hiking - so bring something to hold your water bottle, camera, sun screen, etc. 

Sleeping Patterns

I came across an interesting article today. These articles talk about the importance of different aspects of sleep. I had always heard bits and pieces of this information throughout undergrad from my professors, but it was an interesting read to understand the science behind it. In my current situation, I've noticed how more efficient I've become with a more scheduled/routine sleeping pattern. In addition, I've haven't even touched coffee! Imagine that!! :)

In undergrad, I remember specifically one of my professors told me to sleep on a particular topic I was having trouble memorizing. He advised to think about it while I doze off into sleep, and I'd definitely remember it the next morning. I tried it, and much to my surprise it worked! With the shear amount of information we're required to know here, it's difficult to do that for everything, but it's worth a try for things here and there that just won't stick!

How to Study?

The DES office had a meeting with all of us who are deceling. They talked heavily about how psychologically we were feeling and how to get over the state of disappointment. Later they had a couple students who are currently in the program talk to us and their transitioning experience. We were also able to meet other students who are in similar positions. Overall it was a good session - I really was dreading to go, but I'm glad I went. (And, it was required - so I had to go.)

I think I've made my peace with the whole deceling - but what worries me more is making changes to my studying strategies. I wish I could find different options to try - because frankly, I don't know what's out there. Clearly, what I've been doing isn't working, but I don't know what options there are and have worked for others.

If you're reading this - can you please comment on your studying habit that's worked for you, or you can send me an email at: jennmed25 AT me.com. I'd really really appreciate it! 

Officially less than two weeks...

It's officially less than two weeks until the slew of Midterms start. AKA Hell week #1 of many. Unifieds didn't go too well for me, or not at least as well as I wanted to (except for Anatomy - I did better than expected -- how did that happen?!). But the good/positive/optimistic news is that I've learned a lot about how to study.

For the first couple of weeks, I would attend lecture (4 hours long), and then watch all those lectures online again - which would take me a good 6 hours, with all the pausing and note taking. Obviously, I couldn't finish watching all the lectures that day, so it would pile up for the weekend. And by the time the weekend came around, all I would be doing is watching the lectures and playing catch-up. I then realized that I learn better on my own than going to class, so I started skipping a few classes here and there, and that caused me to get even more behind! By the time Unifieds came around, I was just trying to get caught up! I didn't have enough time to go over the material and actually study it.

Now I've been going to lecture, absorbing whatever I can in the 4 hours, and only watching the slides where I had absolutely no clue what was going on. I've learned that it's not important to write down every single thing the professor says, but rather understand the big picture; the other stuff will come with repetition.

I just want to get through midterms. I know how to study now, and I just want to start on a clean plate! These next two weeks are going to be CRAZYY - to say the least, but I'm optimistic that I'll survive. 

How to prepare for tomorrow...

The best preparation for tomorrow is using your time well today.

Post-unifieds, many start altering their studying habits. This included me. At the beginning of the term, many upper termers advised to preview for lecture. I tried that at the beginning, but it didn't help much. What I didn't know was HOW to preview for lecture..should I just skim the lecture? Should I actually try to learn this thing myself and fill in the gaps during lecture? Anyways, I found this website which outlines how to preview amazingly well!!

http://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm

I've started actively surveying the lectures and it's helped my time in lecture make much more sense and meaningful. Because trust me, there's no reason to sit in lecture for 4 hours if you're not going to get anything out of it. By doing this, I have more time to actually review the content material of that day, instead of spending most of time listening to lecture online again.

Hopefully this new method works better for me!