6 Habits of Highly Ineffective College Students

Back to classes, homework, independent living and slushing around campus. Sometimes it seems as if there are so many obstacles in the way of productivity (at least for me). Here of some of the things that can inhibit collegiate greatness.

1. Not doing outside of class programs, otherwise referred to as extracurriculars. Everyone knows that people who do more tend to get more done. This is very true on the St. Mike's campus. Small groups of extremely productive people run the show, and do it with grace. Get involved on campus with volunteer work, clubs and sports, the good television doesn't come until at least 8 o'clock anyways...

2. Netflix accounts, get rid of them. Immediately. It hurts, but is worth it. You can stream Dexter and Grey's Anatomy all you want during the summer.

3. Sleeping until noon everyday. Get up and get going. Being done with work by 3 feels much better than beginning your day at 1:20. My lack of morning classes this semester is really hurting my morning ambitions. It really shouldn't take me an hour to eat my breakfast...

4. Not paying enough attention to your physical/mental state. If you are tired, take a nap or go to bed earlier. Eat well, your food is your fuel and running off Diet Coke and macaroni and cheese will take a toll. Go to the gym, after an aggravating day a nice sweat will do you good. Trust me.

5. Putting off your required courses until senior year. A good friend, roommate and unnamed fellow blogger has said she resents saving her math and science courses until now. Nothing says fun like astronomy homework until midnight. Learn from this and save the classes you are actually excited to take for the end.

6. Speaking of the best for last, highly ineffective students do their work all day and don't have any fun. Get off campus and do something adventurous, something that you and your friends will remember for years. As heartwarming as an assigned article is to read, it can be put off in the spirit of fun.

My geographic coordinates, the 2011 edition

Hello, I hope that everyone's 2012 is off to a good start! I saw a list of all the places my friend, Mia, went in 2011 in her fantastic blog. I always find it amusing how much more accomplished I feel after making a list. They are a great way to get organized and actually think about what you've done. Here is my list from 2011, a pretty incredible year.

The greater Burlington area, VT
Cambridge, MA
Santiago de Compostela, Spain (where I visited my friend in March)


Washington D.C.
Ecuador


Cape Cod, MA
Plattsburgh and the Adirondacks, NY


Montreal, Canada
Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island, ME
Nashua, NH. (Hey Mitt!)


Montpelier, VT
Lake Placid, NY
Long Island, NY

This list is a reflection of the memories I have made this year with the help of wonderful people. Going to an AIDS conference at Harvard, traveling to Europe, protesting in D.C., researching in Ecuador, 4th of July festivities on the Cape, a trip to Acadia, and the Republican Debate at Dartmoth have all been highly rewarding experiences. I feel so very fortunate and I encourage everyone to make 2011 lists. I will leave you with this, a picture I took today on a walk with my dad through the woods.