We Made It!!

Well the time has come! My last semester at City College is over, all that awaits is final grades which are suppose to be posted by 11:59 tonight! Ahhhh, I hate waiting for final grades.... Anyways I'm not too worried! I hope all of you had an awesome spring semester - you made it through finals, I told you all that you'd make it! 

Well anyways, those of you who are attending Santa Barbara city college next year, I know you'll have a fabulous year! I will definitely miss SBCC, it was such a good transition for me. For those of you who will be attending your first year at SBCC: Going to the city college really helped to make the change from HIGHSCHOOL and living at home, to jumping into college and living with roommates much, much easier. It is a shuttle transition, transferring to the CC; you still have mostly smaller sized classes, and you still have "homework assignment" as opposed to solely midterms and essays as at Universities. If change is hard for you, the city college definitely stands as a great bridge into your university years. 

For those of you transferring to UCSB, I'm sure you're a little nervous... As I am too! But I think the best advice I've been given about transferring is to just give it time. Multiple people have told me that the change is a little challenging at first, however, as the first quarter goes on, you get to know the campus very well and also you begin to become familiar with the different teaching methods and you won't even look back! 

Have a great summer everyone! You guys deserve it with all of your hard work this year; and Good luck with all of your endeavors next year!

Transferring to UCSB

Since I figure that a lot of students who attend SBCC are planning to transfer to UCSB (as I am as well), I decided that it would be awesome to talk with a current UCSB student who transferred from city college also!

My boyfriend, Matt attended SBCC and actually graduated SBCC with several associates degrees and transferred to UCSB last fall majoring in economics. I've been talking with him a lot lately about what it was like to transfer to a university after several years at a city college and he has given me quite a few good pointers that I though would be beneficial to all of you guys planning to transfer as well.

What were your first thoughts of UCSB?
"Well it was a lot different than the City College and definitely a big change. We started on week 0 (the Thursday before week 1). My first class was a class that was specifically for transfer students, so that was nice because it was a sort of transition class, to help ease us into classes at the university.
Another thing to note... there is a ton more bikes, the bike paths are like freeways. Biking to class was interesting for the first couple of weeks, but once you get the system down, you won't even think twice about hopping on your bike and heading out to class.... just don't forget your bike lock... oh and only park your bike in the marked stales; do not, however, lock them to a tree... It will get impounded, and you will have to pay to get it out, trust me, I learned that one the hard way."


How did you have to tweak your study habits?
"Your course load honestly depends on your major, but for the most part all of the classes I have tarn have been much more fast paced as UCSB is on a quarter system. This also means that after the first couple of weeks you will probably have a midterm or essay due every single week, which is extremely different from the spread out course work that you come across at SBCC. OH and there is rarely any homework, your grade will consist of your midterms, possible essays, and finals. This makes studying everyday crucial to doing well in your classes. I study every day for around 6-7 hours, it's just something that I've added into my schedule. You don't spend much time in the actual class room as class times are relatively short, but let me tell you, your entire day is spent in the library."


Did you find it easy to meet new people?
"Yes, there are so many students in each class you take, which differs greatly from SBCC with class sizes of only about 30-40 kids. It's cool because once you're in your major, everyone is taking the same classes, so you will get to know one another and it's also a lot easier to get study groups together this way."

Did you recognize any faces from SBCC?
"Yes! It's also nice being a transfer student because you do recognize a lot of familiar faces from past classes that you took at the city college. This makes the transfer from the city college to the university a lot smoother by seeing familiar faces that are going through the same change as you are."

Any advice for transfers?
"Honestly, my advice to all of you would be to study hard... seriously. No one is holding your hand anymore, it is up to you to want to do well and you have to be dedicated to putting in the long hours of studying in order to do well. It's a big change, but it definitely gets easier as the quarter goes on and by the second semester you'll be a pro at maneuvering the bike path and tackling your long study sessions!"

100 Posts!

Wow I can't believe that I have been blogging for SBCC for almost two years now. The fact that I have posted 100 blogs is crazy! I honestly can't believe that I will be leaving SBCC in about a month and heading over to UCSB. Time has gone by way too fast!

I am so grateful to have had this job as a student blogger. It not only helped me to stay connected with the future and current student body, but also to document my time here at SBCC and the experiences I have encountered in these past two years.

So I have some advice for all of you who are in this, college stage of life. Document your events, your struggles, your favorite days! Time will go by so fast and so many different things, events, situations, will happen over the course of the remainder of your teenage years, and early adulthood- Document these moments! Maybe public blogging isn't your thing, so keep a journal, or utilize your phone for something other than social media, use the notes application to document.

I find journaling to be extremely peaceful and calming. It also helps me to put my worries on paper and let them drift away from my mind. That being said, documenting life events isn't just for remembrance and reflection, but also for putting your thoughts and stressors down on paper so that they can start to be free from your mind.

I also find that looking back on journal entries, or even on blog entries that I have done, I realize how I have overcome certain obstacles, and just how big of an achievement they were looking back. I think documenting your thoughts, feelings, and experiences throughout life is so important in self reflection. Sometimes I'll find that I have overlooked just how great the accomplishments and hurdles I have overcome have been.

So get to it! Grab a paper and pencil, or a laptop and begin, essentially telling yourself about your day, about your thoughts, about your experiences... trust me, you will definitely love looking back on your prior self and you will also enjoy seeing just how far you've come!

Interviews.......

I actually have an interview today for a lifeguarding and swim instructor position at Cathedral Oaks Athletic Club. I am super excited and actually not as nervous as I usually find myself when I am preparing for an interview... I think this probably has something to do with all of the preparation steps I've taken prior to this interview.

I know summer is approaching and I'm sure many of you, if you're not already working, will be applying to jobs soon for a summer position as you will probably have much more time on your hands than during the semester. So here are a few pointers if you don't know how to prepare for an interview, or if you find yourself getting nervous to head into an interview.

Monday		8:00am - 4:15pm
Tuesday		8:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday		8:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday		8:00am - 4:15pm
Friday		8:00am - 1:00pm

Monday

8:00am - 4:15pm

Tuesday

8:00am - 5:00pm

Wednesday

8:00am - 5:00pm

Thursday

8:00am - 4:15pm

Friday

8:00am - 1:00pm

Step 1- Consult the career center for help!
The career center is such an awesome guide in not only helping you look for open job positions that meet your qualifications, but also to assist you in starting / tweaking your resume! I went into the career center to grab a couple templates to refer to while freshening up my resume. This was super helpful, as it helped me create a very professional resume, and in turn took off a lot of the stress of wondering if my resume was going to make the cut for employers. Another great aspect of the career center, is that the staff in there is always so helpful and willing to look over your resume and help give some advice on how to make your resume standout from all the others that the employer may be receiving. If you are currently job hunting, utilize the career center, it is such a helpful resource!

Step 2- Once you have gotten / scheduled an interview, make sure you do some research on the company that you will potentially be working for! This will help you to feel more prepared just in case they ask you a few questions about the company. If you show up knowing a few details about the company, you will also be able to draft conversation with your interviewer with regards to the company and in turn, you will leave a great impression!

Step 3- Practice answering some interview questions. I looked up some frequently asked interview questions and had my roommates ask me a few of them last night just to ease my nerves and reassure myself that I do know what I'm talking about. A few of the most common interview questions are "What do you think your greatest asset it?" "What is your experience in this field?" "What do you believe your greatest flaw is?" Before you go into your interview, brainstorm a few answers to the questions that you would potentially use as answers. Again, if you go in prepared, you will be much more confident and, in turn, be able to relax making the interview much less intimidating!

Basically, as long as you prepare yourself, you will be in good shape! Just take a few deep breaths before you get out of your car and walk into the office with your head healed high and show that you are confident in yourself!

Good luck is you are currently job hunting and interviewing! You'll be just fine!

Group Projects

If you're like me, you probably cringe when you hear your teacher say the words "group project" or "you must work as a group". This is exactly what happened to me at the beginning of this semester in my Psychology 200: Research Methods and Experimental Design class. One of the first things our professor said, was something along the lines of "now this class is comprised of mostly group work" and I was absolutely terrified. Most of the time, for me at least, it means doing most of the hard work by myself and struggling to get everyone together to work on whatever the assignment may be.... along with a great amount of stress and a big headache for the duration of the project.

It doesn't have to be like this!!

However, this semester has changed my view on group work completely! In my Psychology Research class, pretty much the whole semester revolves around two huge assignments- two lab reports, both of which are comprised of experimental designs, of which we created from scratch regarding the topic of "does dishonesty lead to more creative minds" in my groups case. Along the way, we have had many assignments to guide us and prepare us for our lab reports; however, almost every assignment was done as a group. Going into this class, I knew I was going to have to put a lot of work in, seeing as I was not completely confident in my research abilities; however, having a group to work with and consult has proven very beneficial to my learning in this class.

I got really lucky and was grouped up with an awesome group, of which every member is eager to learn, contribute and is easily available for group meetings outside of class. I have learned so much, not only about research in psychology and designing experiments, but I have also learned how to work well with other people, and use everyone's different strengths in the ways that benefit not only the other group members, but also the assignment!

For those of you who don't enjoy group work as of right now, here are a few pointers:

Show your group that you are willing, and going to take the assignment seriously. If you show your other group members that you are willing to accomplish tasks within the assignment, things will go a lot smoother and others will be more prone to offer their help and efforts as well!

Accept the role that you and your group members agree is your responsibility and carry out your role to the best of you ability.

Share your views and accept your other group members' constructive criticism. I think one of the most important things that I have learned so far in college is that constructive criticism, especially from peers is super beneficial to expanding your knowledge.

Tips for making your study playlist

Sometimes I find myself spending more time picking songs to listen to while I study, than actually studying. So I've come up with a few things to make it easier to set up a study playlist without becoming distracted or trying to scull through youtube or iMusic to find the next song to keep you motivated.

When I'm studying, I usually like to listen to classical music...
Many studies have proven that classical music enhances productivity while also helping to boost your mood. Studying isn't exactly the most exciting thing that you could be doing, so the mood enhancer, if nothing else should be a selling point for you! Even if you aren't a Beethoven fanatic, you should be able to find a more modern playlist that follows the same guidelines as classical music when it comes to creating a more relaxed mind for studying. Many studies have shown that finding songs that have between 50-70 beats per minute will produce the effects of a soothed, relaxed mind and help center your brain into focus for your long hours spent in front of a computer or textbook studying.

Now I know some of you may be thinking that you will never force yourself to listen to classical music, so if you are one of these people, try sticking to my tip above, of finding songs that stick to the tempo of 50-70 beats per minute and pick songs without lyrics!
The last thing you want to be doing is focusing more on the words being sung throughout the song, than on your class work.... yet another distraction which will lead to a less productive, longer study session, and who would want that?

Once you've found a good bunch of songs to add to your playlist, make sure you control the volume...
As it stands, study music should not be blasting through your ear drums creating a distraction from your studying... this would completely eliminate the purpose of listening to some good classical tunes... (not that anyone would really want to blast some Beethoven... but you get my point.) Just make sure the volume is turned up just enough to create a soothing background music.

Sweet Tooth

I have always been a huge sweet/dessert fan, and I am proud to say, nothing has changed! From being all for going out at midnight and walking down Embarcerdero Del Norte (if I'm in IV for the night) and grabbing an infamous "cookiewich" from IV drip to heading over to crush cakes during my hour break in-between classes to grab a cupcake. Santa Barbara definitely doesn't fall in the aspect of having great places to head to to get a fabulous, great tasting dessert!

A few of my top favs:

IV DRIP-
Although it's located in Isla Vista and I no longer live out there, this place remains one of my favorite dessert places. They have everything from cookies, to brownies, to McConnel's ice-cream and any combination of the three! My favorite thing is definitely the "cookiewich", which as it sounds, is a is an ice-cream sandwich. However, they have an endless assortment of flavors when it comes to cookies, from s'mores, to peanut butter cup, to just plain chocolate chip. They are fabulous... and you definitely can't go wrong with their large variety of McConnel's ice-cream flavors! If you haven't tried this place out yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot! You won't be disappointed!


Crushcakes Cafe-
This is another one of my absolute favorite places to grab a quick dessert at. I am a cupcake fanatic, so you'll definitely find me at crushcakes more than would be for my own good, but hey, we're young so enjoy all those cupcakes while you've still got your fast metabolism! Anyways, crushcakes is one of the best cupcakery's that I've been too. They always have their regular cupcakes, such as their famous peace cake, but they also have a different special everyday and you can never go wrong with any cupcake you choose from here! Chrushcakes is also a cafe and has multiple different pastries and coffee for breakfast as well as a separate breakfast and lunch menu that has everything from pancakes and breakfast burritos, to salads and panini's. I highly suggest trying this place out! It is also a great place to study if you ever get sick of the library, the environment is awesome!

The School's Cafe-
I know this might sound a little weird but the best cookie I have ever had was from our school's cafe! All of the bakery items are made fresh by the culinary students and are phenomenal. My favorite is the oatmeal cookie. Pair is with a latte from the buzz shack and you have a fabulous little study snack!

I hope I didn't make you too hungry! Have a great rest of your week!