You Can't Always "Do it Later"

Hi guys!

My name is Katie and I am a coach in the Academic Achievement Center. I also help give the Academic Success Workshops on campus. I am currently an Accounting major in the Business School, and I know what it can feel like to be overwhelmed with work and other activities. I am a member of Alpha Phi, a sorority on campus, and I am in the process of joining Beta Alpha Psi the accounting fraternity. I work on campus as well 11 hours a week, and I like to be able to make time for classes, work, and social activities everyday.

When I came to UCONN, I was so overwhelmed with how much time I had during the day, I sometimes found that I put things off because I left like I could always "do it later". Now that I have had some time to get used to UCONN, and learn how to balance all my activities, I know how important Time Management is on a large campus.

AAC Coaches' 4.0 Challenge

In addition to being a tutor at the AAC, I also work at the CUE building and have been sitting here eagerly awaiting to sign up for the AAC Coaches' 4.0 Challenge that will take place here in the CUE in room 130 at 5:00pm. There will be a brief explanation about what the Challenge is at that time and then, if you should choose to accept, you can sign up!

The basic premise is that if you are planning on "doing better" this semester, why not just go for the gold (a 4.0, that is)? Whether or not I actually get a 4.0 this semester, I think this Challenge will be a good reminder, even as the semester drags on and I start to get a little tired and a little lazy, that with a little extra effort, a 4.0 won't actually be to far out of my reach. I mean, if I go to all of my classes and do all of the homework/reading well and on time I think it will be pretty hard to do poorly. Plus the Challenge will offer workshops and events like study breaks and stress-relief seminars to help me stay on track troughout the semester. So I think it's a great opportunity and will be a good support system for me to do well this semester.

If you are interested in joinging the Coaches' Challenge, come to the CUE today at 5:00. It's pretty late notice, so if you're interested in joining but couldn't make it, email aac@uconn.edu or go to aac.uconn.edu for more information.

A's are Risky Business...

Now that I'm well into my fourth year at UConn, I often look back at how I got where I am now. Each semester I have been challenged but motivated and achieved at a level I am proud of. But, to be frank, if the student I was in high school could see me now, she wouldn't recognize herself.

In high school I sometimes felt like I was in the shadow of my very bright, very hard-working, and well-known sister. She had always done well in school and it was kind of her thing; I found my interest in other places like my art classes and extracurriculars. I never really did that poorly in high school, but I did spend a lot of time just doing enough to get by with a grade that was good enough. I did enough to get into UConn (and so did you!), but I made a lot of excuses for why I was perfectly satisfied with getting OK grades and reassured myself that if I really cared, really tried, or really studied then I would be getting straight A's.

Even though I thought I was smart enough and capable enough there was still something in the way of me really doing what it really takes to get those A's. I don't think there is anyone out there who means it when they say they don't want A's or that they want C's or B's. The reality is that A's feel really good to get and D's really don't. A's feel different than B's and a lot different than C's or D's. So the question arises, why would a student not want A's if they feel so good to get?