Whether the Weather be: Sunny (57F/14C)
In the News: Shooting spree in Buffalo, NY.
Events of Note: Unit 6
* You know that you're busy in College when...In my case, that barometer tops out when I totally space out on otherwise trivial matters, like yesterday being Friday the 13th, The Daily Show monologue, and when I'm still sitting up at 1:00am and somehow think that drinking a huge glass of sugary soda is a stellar idea (not). So, no, it's all good.
* I'm currently editing my draft for Comp II, if that doesn't sound too strange. It brings back memories of my academic supervisor editing and sending me my thesis chapters back for revision, over and over. In the end, you have to not let yourself get discouraged about it. You have to be able to take the criticism, turn it around and move on to the next version. I lost count of how many times they said, "This just needs a little more polishing and then you'll be closer to finishing it" (the chapter, not the thesis). After that, once you submitt, you have the external examiners reports, grading and their corrections to stress over, then the wait for the Department to agree on your final grade. Finally, there's the Departmental Peer Review. While I don't have anywhere near that amount of pressure with my present paper, I take each paper that I write as a chance to build upon my experiences.
* I thought I'd share a few tips that I've found helpful when writing papers (I've never bothered counting them all, but I'm estimating around 70).
+ Flashcards are awesome for noting references on and annotating those references. They also act as much-needed redundancy, in the event that you lose your work. Further, they help in making sure that your references match your in-text citations.
+ For putting together my Reference Page, I usually dedicate a whole time block, several days before deadline to do this. I treat it as a task in of itself. I also print it off to proof-read it. Don't underestimate the power of using APA correctly. It might seem like an absolute chore, but it serves a vital purpose. Avoid making obvious and repetitive errors-they can be a real distraction to a reader or an instructor. Don't give your instructor a blatant reason to start deducting points from your grade, over something as avoidable as technical errors (sorry Dr. Sands!). I had instructors who would automatically deduct half a grade if they saw the same mistake repeating more than once. Granted, every instructor's policy is different. That's what reading the course grading rubric and syllabus is for.
+ This is a research tip-but I tend to skim-read academic papers and journal articles backwards, by reading the conclusion first. If the main points are relevant, I also check the reference page, or index, to see if there are additional sources that I also may find to be insightful. I'll sometimes do similarly with abstracts, especially if I have a whole lot of results to look through.
+ A memory stick and/or external hardrive is your friend. It's like a daily application of SPF, only for your academic career. If you don't have access to either of these, you can attach your saved work to a blank email message and then email it to yourself or a friend. I also keep a 'working' handwritten copy-which, while not always updated as regularly, is far better than nothing.
+ Taking much-needed breaks (10 mins/hr) where you get to do something totally irrelevant and for yourself, can really help you to re-focus. Also, resources are there to be used, so thrash them, if need be.
Speaking of which-since we have real sunshine outside, I'm putting some sunscreen on and am heading out to catch some rays (however shortlived).
Have a great Saturday!.
