How is Your Grammar?

Writing essays is a staple in a college students career. It seems that once students get to college they forget all that their high school English teachers taught them. Some of the most common infractions are things such as run-on sentences, not knowing the proper place to put a comma, and completely relying on spell check. Students who are guilty of writing a run-on sentence either do not know the proper use of each form of punctuation, or they are in a hurry when writing their essay and do not catch the error. Here are some general punctuation rules.

Periods (.) are used to end declarative or imperative sentences. Periods are also used at the end of an abbreviated word, such as Sergeant, the abbreviation would be Sgt.
Question marks (?) are only used at the end of interrogative sentences.
Exclamation points (!) are used after an exclamatory sentence or they can also be used after an interjection.
Commas (,) can get tricky. Commas are used when you have a list of three or more things. An example would be, "I like apples, bananas, and oranges". You also use commas if a sentence has three or more adverbs or adjectives. Also, you use commas when you join two independent clauses together.
Semicolons (;) are used to separate two complete sentences that are related to one another.
Colons (:) are used to introduce lists, a single item, and also between two complete sentences.
Apostrophes (') are used when you want to show possesion of something such as, "That is Susan's computer."Apostrophes are also used to create contractions. It would change the sentence, "I will not be able to attend the meeting." to "I won't be able to attend the meeting."
Quotation marks("") must be used to show titles of works of literature, as well as, when you are quoting something a person has said.

Having good grammar is a great quality to have, not only in college, but also when you enter the workforce. Our world if full of emails and memos and it would be embarrassing if you couldn't use the simplest grammar correctly. Do not be afraid to brush up on your grammar skills and to use a dictionary when you don't remember how to spell a word. You might even learn something completely new! So, why not give it a shot?

Have a productive Spring Break!

Finally, your long awaited break is here! Unfortunately, however, the academic calendar doesn’t always cooperate with vacation time. Learn how to manage having major projects to complete when all you want to do is ... well, anything but.

1. Make a plan. Go through what you have to get done and when you need it done by and put it in your calendar. By doing this you will prevent those "Oh, no! I forgot I had to do that, too!" moments that have a tendency to creep up on all of us at the worst possible times.

2. Tell everyone that you will have work to do over the break. Letting people know in advance that you must, at some point during your break, do some homework will make it easier for you to get it done when you need to and make you feel less guilty about telling them no!

3. Use the city library if you need somewhere quiet. Working at home, or wherever it is that you're spending break, may be more difficult that you thought. Don't forget about the city libraries almost everywhere you go. They can be a great place to plant yourself and your laptop, get Internet access, and work for several hours in peace and quiet.

Choosing a College? Go Visit!

Acceptance letters are in, and it's time to make the final decision. Go for a visit!

Go for a day or stay overnight. Schedule a formal campus tour, but make sure to explore the campus and surrounding town on your own, too. Get a feel for the scope of the school and community to make sure your comfortable with the size. Plan a meeting with members of the department your majoring in. Meet with faculty as well as a few current students. These people will give you a feel for the level of happiness and stress to expect when your in their shoes.

Check out the bulletin boards hanging around campus. Read the postings to get a good feel for the kinds of entertainment and activities you can expect. Be sure to eat in the dining hall to check out your food choices. Do they have enough healthy options? This will be important to you later. Check out the residence halls. How much space will you have? How many people will you have to share a bathroom with? This will also matter to you later. A school year doesn't seem very long, but you don't want your living conditions to start haunting you after just a week.

Oh, and take pictures! After you've visited two or three schools, each of these aspects will start blending together.

-Lauren

Want to have a productive summer?

 

Get an Internship!

Internships are an important part of every student’s college career. If it isn’t, it should be. Many majors require students to complete an internship before they can even graduate. They do this because they know that completing one will be beneficial to you in the long run. Internships allow you to experience what goes on in the career field that you are thinking about. It’s almost like a semester long, “Take Your College Student to Work Day.” This is important to do before you graduate and get a job, because you might realize that you aren’t cut out for this specific area and want to work somewhere else.  With an internship, you get to see what happens on a day to day basis. You get to complete assignments and daily tasks that are specific to your future job. Make sure to check SAP list of available internships.

Study Abroad! Studying abroad could be one of the most valuable experiences you can have in college. Studying abroad can increase self understanding and confidence, broaden your world views, heighten foreign language skills, develop an open mind, encourage diversity, and influence your entire life for the better.

Staying Informed and Utilizing Your Right to Vote

It is very important to keep up with today's current events. There are several ways to keep up to date with national and local news, you can read your local newspaper, watch the news (it is generally on in the morning, at noon, and at night), if you have a smart phone you can download an app to have news updates sent to your phone, also, local radio stations give news updates through out the day. My favorite way to stay updated is through social networks and websites like cnn.com.

Keeping up with current events is especially important for Native people because the person you vote for in state and national elections can affect your tribe. As tribal citizens you need to be aware of where the politcal canidates stand when it comes to tribal policies. If you have never voted in a Choctaw tribal election the requirements are, you must have a CDIB to verify that you are a Choctaw citizen, you will then apply for tribal membership (if you haven't already done so), at the age 18 you have the privilage of voting in tribal elections.

If you are intersted in registering to vote for nationally you can go to http://www.rockthevote.com or if you are interested in registering to vote in the state of Oklahoma you can go to http://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Registration/.

I encourage everyone to stay informed and to utilize your right to vote!

Indian Health Services Scholarship Deadline

Its February, which means in one short month the deadline for the IHS Scholarships will be here. The deadline for new applications is March 28^th, 2012. For returning IHS scholars the deadline is February 28^th, 2012. For new applicants: You will need to create an account at https://www.ihs.gov/JobsCareerDevelop/DHPS/Scholarships/Online_Application/index.cfm?requestAction=goCreateAccountStep1. After you have created your account you will be able to start the application process. Already started the application and having problems? You are in luck. There are Area Scholarship Coordinators to assist you in filling out the application. You may find a list of these coordinators here: http://www.ihs.gov/JobsCareerDevelop/DHPS/Scholarships/area_coordinators.cfm. Also, please don’t forget to check the scholarship homepage for more information. If you are a future health professional, and are looking to give back to or work in the Native American Community, the IHS Scholarship is for you! Be sure to get your application in before it’s too late!

-Blaine

Dealing with College Stresses!

Being a college student is fun but it is often quite stressful because students face a host of stressors. University-level homework may be more abundant and challenging than anything you've ever faced before, and final exams can bring a whole new meaning to the term “crunch time.” The difficulties also don't typically end with academics. Romance and social lives can be as much a source of anxiety as they are of fun, and many students struggle to stay on top of the newfound freedoms of living away from home, from cooking to laundry to managing a budget. In response to these challenges, some students fall behind on homework or stop attending class but don't let this happen to you! Here are some ideas for managing your college life and keeping your stress levels under control.

Organize your time. Everything will feel less overwhelming if you have a manageable plan for staying on track. Get a planner and use it to track your classes and deadlines, as well as plan out study time and social time. Disorganization leads to stress. Having too much to do at one time leads to confusion, forgetfulness, and feeling overwhelmed. Learning to manage your time and control any tendency toward procrastinating can reduce your stress level significantly.

Maintain healthy habits. Eating well and getting enough rest is crucial for staying healthy and calm. Make sure you eat healthy (not McDonalds every night) and get 6-8 hours of sleep. Getting regular exercise is also important because it releases endorphins that help you calm down.

Set realistic goals.  Many students generate extra stress for themselves by taking on too many responsibilities or simply having unrealistic expectations for themselves. This is something that I struggle with myself but we all need to set realistic and achievable goals. Don't be too hard on yourself if you fail once in a while.

Develop good ways to decrease your stress level. Some stress will be unavoidable, so it's important to develop healthy ways to deal with it. Popular options include athletic exercise or meditation. My two favorites are reading a book (not textbook) and going for a long walk while listening to music. Find something that works for you and incorporate it into your daily routine.