December 20, 2014

When I Realized What College Meant to Me: Guest Post by Destenie Nock

December 20, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Go to college, get good grades, get a good job. That’s the advice told to university students everywhere. The part that comes along as a given, but is often taken for granted is: make long-lasting friendships with people who you would want to know and talk with for the rest of your life.

I got an education in electrical engineering and applied mathematics. I have had internships at multiple companies, and I have studied abroad. All of these components and more are why I know that I had a good college experience.

However, I don't think really I knew what my experience at North Carolina A&T State University truly meant to me until the summer of 2013...

December 15, 2014

The Benefits of an Honors College

December 15, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Choosing a college is an incredibly exciting and (often) stressful process. For high-flying high school students, private schools and liberal arts colleges often seem like the logical choice. However, an Honors College at a large public university can offer incredible opportunities and benefits for academics, social life, and broader opportunities.

I was a student at the University of Oregon's Honors College. Here's why that was a great fit for me (and why an Honors College could be a great fit for you, too).

August 12, 2014

Roommates: Early Conversations for a Better Freshman Year

August 12, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

One of the hardest things about living with someone new is realizing that everyone is truly different. It’s like going abroad in some ways—things you’ve always taken for granted about how “everyone is” turns out to not be as universal as you thought…and this can easily drive you absolutely crazy when confined to a tiny shared bedroom.

August 04, 2014

Study Tips: Co-Writing An Essay

August 04, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Co-writing, if done right, means that both parties play to their strengths and ultimately do less work. It's also something that is a common exercise in the non-academic "real world." Most group projects in school do not resemble a work setting in the slightest—you will rarely be called upon to join a group of four colleagues in presenting on something you know very little about. However, you will often have to turn in a final product, written or otherwise, resulting from collaboration and compromise. In fact, many jobs rely almost completely on this model.

June 20, 2014

Campus Sports Culture When You Don't Like Sports

June 20, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

What is it like to attend a big sports college when you don't like sports? Or when you actively dislike all things sports-related? Sports culture was something I was worried about before I started college. I have never been a fan of team sports, and am 100% disinterested in being a spectator for any and all sporting events...

May 23, 2014

Playing Club Sports in College: an Experience with Ultimate Frisbee

May 23, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

I learned many lessons playing for a club team in college. The first and most important of these was the great amount of energy and commitment it takes to sublimate personal desires into a shared community goal. I wanted to be the best. But instead of learning that I could achieve this if I just worked hard enough, I learned my limitations.

March 03, 2014

TV and the Over-Committed Student

March 03, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

TV will not help you with your studies.

It will not build a network.

It will not provide those once-in-a-lifetime stories college years should provide.

All that being said, I still believe that college students should watch TV.

February 28, 2014

Peer Editing-- For the Editor

February 28, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Even if you’ve been asked to give corrections, remember your friend's delicate emotions. Critique in a spirit of encouragement and giving. If you’re not mindful of this, you risk the writer thinking that you’re being hypercritical instead of helpful. Be gentle, particularly with first-time editing.

February 19, 2014

Peer Editing: Guest Advice from an "Editee"

February 19, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Choose a peer editor who is intellectually invested and capable of providing useful feedback relevant to your writing topic. Find someone with knowledge and writing skills equal or superior to your own...

November 29, 2013

Thanksgiving far from home

November 29, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

When I came home for Thanksgiving my freshman year of college, it was the first time I really experienced going back home after being away. I had previously gone on family vacations, or a couple of week-long adventures of other kinds and then come home. But moving to college is moving away, and the experience of returning was a very strange one for me.

November 18, 2013

Study strategies: the Study Buddy

November 18, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

Working with a study buddy revolutionized my ability to get things done in college. There’s an element of collaboration which is helpful, and also the social pressure to actually get work done, since your friend is there and also working away. When working with a friend I am more inspired and more creative, less grumpy or put-upon, and more willing to just put my head down and work away, since I know a break was coming.