Just a little F.Y.I.

Nope. No research today! I've been struggling to find a topic for my latest blog post that would be useful and beneficial to those who read it, but I've come up short. I've perused ScienceDaily.com all the way to (gasp!) wikipedia.com and I can't seem to come up with a topic.

So, I'll just share what I know: fatigue.

It's come to my attention that at this point in the quarter (week 8, to be exact), my brain and my body do not cooperate with one another. I can take my body to all the places it needs to go (school, appointments, and the like) but my brain keeps checking out, getting distracted, and just, well, plain not cooperating with my plan for the day.

So, given the fact that I'm a "talk therapy" advocate, I'll "talk" about it.

I'm frustrated with the fatigue that hits me at this point in the quarter. I try to accomplish homework and my other life obligations and I just can't seem to get the motivation up to even exercise (which is a 5-times-weekly activity for me, so I'd say it's already a habit and shouldn't be subject to "motivation"). However, I have to get into acceptance about the fact that my body can only do so much. But, I still balk at the idea of "letting things go." After all, there's always so much to be done! But, as I've heard before (from a wise person, I'm sure), much more useful work gets done if one is prepared and well rested for it.

I think I'll go take a nap. Just kidding. Maybe...

Financial Aid and Grad School

Getting a higher education isn't easy. Or cheap. Going to a public university is definitely cheaper than going to a private one (think USC and their $30,000 plus tuition yearly). However, the fact that even one of my classmates is having a hard time paying for school and that this necessitates him or her to work, really chaps my hiney, so to speak.

I know I've written about financial aid on my blog before, and I'd like to offer up some suggestions again, but I'm no expert. I'm hoping that others who may read this post will take heart and offer up their own suggestions, so that others may benefit from their wisdom.

If and until that happens, I've dug up some book titles for scholarship searches and websites that may be of help:

• www.fafsa.com (apply for financial aid online)
• www.fastweb.com (access to financial aid info and scholarship search)
• "1001 Ways to Pay for College" -- good for a wide range of scholarship and financial aid ideas
• Your local library -- oftentimes has Scholarship Books or other resources for student financial aid planning

These are all books and resources I've used myself. But this, by no means, is even a slightly exhaustive list. I'm sure there's more resources than I could possibly research and put on this blog. But, at least it's a good start! Hope it helps!!

Studying, Stress and College Midterms -- separating myth from fact

Some strategies students have been employing for -- ahem -- centuries (I'd venture to guess) are actually not effective and may cause the already-present school stress to compound itself. According to about.com, the following strategies may trick you into thinking you're a good student, but in fact, cause more problems than they alleviate. Here's the highlights that do not work:

• Studying in an "all nighter" fashion
• Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine
• Cramming at the last minute
• Studying with friends you normally hang out with (duh)