Your Home For The Next Four Years

Junior preview day is coming up at Cedar Crest soon. Picking a college to attend for four years is a very hard choice. Right now high school seniors probably have their plans made for the fall semester, unless they’re like myself and are just beginning to look at schools with only a couple weeks left. Even though I made my choice in a very short time, it doesn’t mean that I rushed the choice without considering the important things. What are those important things? They’re different for everyone. Here are some questions and thoughts that can help you choose the right school for you:

•        How far do you want to go from home? Do you want to be able to go home on the weekends or even commute to school?
•     Do you want to know your professors personally, or blend into the crowd of hundreds in a classroom? Student : professor ratio makes a huge difference if you’re looking for a more personal learning experience.
• Is the school known for its parties and nightlife or is it a serious study environment….or a little of both? Which do you want for your college career?
• How much is too much? Can you afford the school? Loans add up quickly!

Making a list or answering questions like these help make that hard decision a little easier!

Take Time Out For Yourself

During freshman year of college, it was required to take a “first year seminar” course. This class taught us a lot of practical and beneficial things, like writing a resume, planning our schedules, and setting time aside for you in the course of the week. In between class, work, studying, and having a social life, it is important to se aside a couple of hours where you have nothing to do, or have something to do that you enjoy and can relax doing. One example a professor gave was that she does yoga every week, one night a week. I took this and applied it, and it made a big difference. I found that I could reflect on my week, clear my head for a little while of all the stress, and refresh. Without this, a person can become drained and crash. Probably almost everyone can agree.

So how do you set time aside for yourself when it seems impossible and like there aren’t enough hours in the day? Here are some suggestions:

1.Just say no: You don’t have to attend every party your friend invites you to. Sometimes learning to say no is hard, but it frees up time.

            2.Organize responsibilities: By planning ahead for things like dinner you can free up time that would have been used trying to decide every day.

            3.Workout: Being physically active can help a person to feel less anxious. This will help you feel more capable of taking on that schedule and the time spent working out adds onto “me” time.

            4.Rather than talking on the phone or thinking about all you have to do, try meditating or listening to your favorite music on your daily commute to work or school. This is a time that must happen almost everyday, so take advantage of it!

         While some people suggest taking time out for your self everyday, that just isn’t practical for everyone. Making it a goal to do it at least once a week though, is achievable.

Being a nursing major - a 2 year lifestyle

Nursing. Everyone hears that and thinks it is a great and practical major, and aside from the constant interaction with people, the main reason I chose to become a nurse. This past week I attended the Cedar Crest College nursing program’s orientation. It freaked me out.

            Full-time nursing students are expected to be available Monday through Friday for classes, plus clinical prep the night before each clinical day for two to four hours, plus time to do home work and study, and a part-time job. Will there even be time to breathe? How badly do I want to be a nurse?

            A lot of people have told me that they had to drop down to part-time to make it through the program at this school. But that isn’t an option for everyone – especially when you’re on a bunch of scholarships to make it through the four years, and those won’t be available in part-time status.

            Being a nursing major is not easy. We always joke in our anatomy class, “why couldn’t we just go for business or something”. But thinking ahead to when we get jobs in a hospital working with patients helps us get through. It will all be worth it then. This is what I have had to tell myself over the last few days as well as a friend who just told me she is starting school in the fall as an intended nursing major.
           College in general involved a lot of time and effort. Studying to be a nurse is going to be challenging, but I plan to tackle it with as much effort as possible. Using a planner to schedule things by day, week, and month will be a big help. In that schedule, there will be time set aside for myself as well. That is something that has been important to me since college began – having a few hours per week to myself to unwind and do something relaxing. It's not just going to be a full-time workload, like working a full-time job. When you clock out of work, it's usually finished for the day. No, studying to be a nurse is going to become a lifestyle for two years, until I know everything I can and am successful enough to help save someone's life.