Miscellaneous

The BEST Study Tips For College Students

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Finals are slowly creeping up on us, and before we know it we’ll be preparing for finals. Unfortunately not everyone knows how to properly study which can be a fatal to your grades. You have all of the material, you just don’t know how to study it. Here are the best study tips to help you conquer any exam!

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1. Be Organized

So often people underestimate the importance of being organized. This is not only helpful as a student, but it will also be helpful in your future endeavors.

    • Have a study time scheduled in your day. This is the best way to ensure that you will study, if it’s scheduled into your day you are less likely to get distracted and it ensures that you will get to it because you’ve set aside time to do so.
    • Refer to your syllabus. Your syllabus is a free tool that you didn’t have to do any work to get, and sadly so few people use it. The teacher takes the time to layout everything you need to know for the semester so why not use it?! This is your guide to success in your class, and if you use it to your benefit it’s almost difficult to not succeed.
    • Write everything down. You’re probably really tired of hearing about agendas from me, but I cannot stress the benefit of having and using one. Your agenda can be a great tool if utilized correctly. I use mine to write down homework assignments to do, upcoming tests, due dates, work schedule, everything can easily be accessed in one place; your agenda!

 
2. Only Study What You Need to Know

A lot of the time your exams are broken up containing only a few chapters, or your professor will tell you prior to the exam what you need to know. So instead of going through and rereading every single chapter or studying all of your notes. Study what you need to know. Don’t fill up your head with a ton of information that will be completely useless on the exam. College students tend to make things 10x’s more stressful than it needs to be.

3. Turn Off Distractions

I’m pretty sure you’re not going to be as productive or truly be studying to the best of your ability if you’re blasting music, watching Netflix, or on your phone. Turn your distractions off! I know it’s a crazy concept in 2017 to put your phone down, turn off the TV, and just focus on school work, but it is possible and it will benefit you. The truth is multitasking is actually more harmful than helpful so just try to remain focused on one thing, what you’re trying to study. But if you do need to listen to music or at least have some sort of noise I would suggest listening to calming music without lyrics, this will be the least distracting and still allow you to study effectively.

4. Test Your Knowledge by Trying to Explain the Concept

I love this technique because it truly allows you to understand what you know, and what you need to work on. Whether it be with a study partner or your sibling or parent, sit down and explain a concept on your upcoming exam to them. If you can fully explain every point and the entire concept to them then you are golden, if not just jot down what you still need to work on and study, study, study!

5. Personalize Your Studying

The same method of studying does not work for everyone, so personalize it to yourself and make it work for you. At the end of the day no one study method is going to work for every college student in the world, you have to just find out how your brain works, and how you learn best. Just be willing to put in the time and effort, and it will work out.

That’s all I have for study tips, I hope this was helpful and I wish you all the best on finals!

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”

-Jimmy Johnson

–Danielle

Spring Trends 2017

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Spring has just begun, so that means we must prepare for new fashion trends and styles.  No matter how many clothes you have in your closet, you’ve probably felt like you just can’t figure out what matches, or what really compliments each other. This is when monochromatic colors come into play.  Leave your dark colors in the fall, and switch to brighter & more fun monochromatic colors for spring. Next time when you don’t have time to put an outfit together, try putting some of the same color pieces together. It’ll save you the time and hassle, while still allowing you to look trendy.

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen mini skirts, now they’re back in season. Though, the weather isn’t too hot right now, that shouldn’t stop you from wearing a fashionable mini skirt. You can wear a mini skirt tomorrow and pair it with a simple pair of leggings. Denim skirts are also still trending. Any season is a great season to wear denim, but it just depends on how you dress it up ranging from overalls, jackets, jeans, and more.

Switch out your bomber jacket for a varsity jacket for when the spring weather tends to get confusing.  A blazer doesn’t have to always be used for formal occasions. Take an oversized blazer, button it all the way down, and you now have a trendy D.I.Y dress for the spring. Gingham is another print that’s coming back into style.  No, you won’t look like a walking tablecloth, this will be our new warm weather print. I believe yellow is the top color for this spring, all shades of yellow.  This color will get you noticed.  It brings on sunny rays with good vibes.

There’s no way you can fail with a matching set, for example, track suits have been worn by a couple celebrities throughout the week. You can also never go wrong with a graphic tee with bold statements, a shirtdress, a fanny pack, oversized clothes, fishnets, bright tights and much more. Basically, you can wear whatever defines Spring to you. Enjoy!

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Author: Lorraine Aryee

Professor Bucki’s Keys to a Successful Interview

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IMG_20170308_085622Professor Bucki, the Director of GCC’s Information Technologies Department, attended my Professional Sales class as a guest speaker to discuss the side of the job interview process that usually isn’t covered, that being what does an employer actually looks for and consider during an interview. He lead into his presentation simply titled “The Interview” with some humorous personal stories as well as an inspirational story about a lumberjack. Some key factors he shared were:

  1. Develop your self-brand
  2. A good Resume and cover letter can take over 100 hours to perfect and should always be changing as you gain more skills and experience
  3. Most employers spend less than 30 seconds looking at your resume
  4. The point of the interview is not just to see if you have what it takes to do the job, but finding out who you are and if you’ll fit in culturally as well
  5. Easiest ways of killing your interview
    • Trashing a previous employer
    • Ignorance of the company
    • Not having questions
    • Bringing up vacation, promotions, and salary
    • “BSing” your way through the interview
  6. Most common and important interview questions
    • Why should I hire you?
    • Tell me one of your weaknesses
    • Tell me about a time you failed
    • Tell me about your greatest success
  7. How to beat nervousness
  8. Make sure to follow up or send a thank you letter

Special thanks to Professor Bucki for bringing such a unique and exciting viewpoint to our classroom. The presentation was full of valuable information that we can all incorporate into our future job searches.

AMA Marketing & GCC!

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Written by: Christi Lotempio

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In photo: John Burek, Christi Lotempio, Lindsey Turrell and Faye Conley

SUNY Genesee Community College invited to the 4th Annual American Marketing Association Collegiate Conference!  Held on February 24,2017 Professor Paisley, John Burek, Lindsey Turrell, Faith Conley and Christi LoTempio were in attendance at the conference held on February 24, 2017.  The conference is put together by Russ McDonald to provide a forum for students to have the experience of interaction and advice from professionals in successful, prestigious Businesses in the area, as well as some friendly competition between local marketing students.   

This year the competition was – “How would your team organize a marketing campaign to increase brand awareness of our company’s capabilities and services” Merlin Digital Printing Solutions sponsored the Student Marketing Campaign.  The group from St. John Fisher College won first prize, and a place with Merlin Digital Printing Solution on their marketing team as well as a cash prize.

The first speaker at the conference was Mrs. Lauren Dixon of Dixon Schwabl, a full-service marketing communications firm. This firm has been chosen as being one of the Greatest Places to work as one of the Best Small Workplaces in America. Mrs. Dixon spoke about the importance of culture in a company.   Her advice is to know your core values, Brand your name with these core values. The way a company can do this is by cultivating Trust, Honesty, by being Generous to your employees, getting your employees excited to come to work and to motivate your employees.  It is important to be genuine and mean what you say, and say what you mean. Listen to your employees and act on what they say, act on what they say within a set time frame to build the trust. She expressed that having employees that are proud to work for a company will make the company successful. When honesty and respect are woven into the daily lives of the employees and the environment of the company then it will show to your clients. Not only should your employees share the same core values as the company but the clients that the company provides services for should also have the same core values. Another word of advice for the interview process is to research the company that you will interview at, know the company, know how they are perceived and know your core values and who you are when you interview.   Make sure that your core beliefs line up with the company’s core beliefs. Mrs. Dixon was a great speaker and had a lot of knowledge to share with the students.

The second speaker was Mr. Tom Proietti the founder of the Communication/Journalism Program at St. John Fisher College, and a Professor Emeritus of Communication at Monroe Community College.  Mr. Proietti spoke about the importance of being your authentic self and knowing your position.  The book “Positioning: The Battle for the Mind” written by Al Reis, is an excellent book that he recommends all college students read.  There are three positions in life 1st– the number one, 2nd known as the challenger, and 3rd the company that tries to mirror the 1st position. It is important to know what position a company is in and what position that it wants to be in.  One of the three strategies will be used to get there: Operational Excellence, Technological Innovation or Customer Intimacy.   Knowing this information will allow the right decisions to be made.  Mr. Proietti states that the same information can be used in personal life, but most the most important thing for successful people is that they have an intimacy with themselves and know who you are, what you stand for and where you want to be.  This will allow you to find and work in a place that you love.

This Conference was an excellent opportunity for all of the students that attended.  There were networking opportunities and professionals to review resumes.  The experience allowed the exchange of business knowledge and allowed students to ask real life questions to professionals with experience.

East Meets West, Get Your Tickets Now!

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Are you looking for something to do Saturday April 8th? Well I have the perfect event for you to attend right at our Genesee Community College Batavia campus!

Come join the Multicultural Communications Club and Darren Tay to continue the celebration of GCC’s 50th Anniversary as well as the East Meets West event! The Multicultural Communications club partnered with Toastmasters International to host ablog postn evening honoring the diversity of its members. This year’s theme is the “Rainbow Connection.”

The keynote address will be by Darren Tay, Toastmasters 2016-2017 World Champion Speaker. If you are unaware of what Toastmasters International is it is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide to help members improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills. Tay is the first Singaporean to win the Toastmasters International World Championship of public speaking. The competition lasted 6 months, and included 30,000 competitors from around the world, wow! Tay is a lawyer, the number 1 public speaker in the world, and the director and master trainer of the Public Speaking Academy, a company he founded in 2009. And he is traveling all the way from Singapore just to speak to us!

Included in a night full of fun will also be an international buffet dinner! It will be served in the William W. Stuart Forum, and the keynote address will be in the Stuart Steiner Theatre. Throughout the evening expect to hear about the art of communication, diversity and musical theater!

The celebration is scheduled from April 8th at 6 p.m. Tickets are only available for purchase in advance tickets will not be sold at the door. Adult tickets are $30, GCC students, faculty, and and staff are $20, and children under 12 years old are $10. To purchase your tickets email the GCC Box Office at boxoffice@genesee.edu with your ticket order and phone number. You may also purchase your tickets by visiting the GCC Box Office Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9-3:30 p.m., or call the Box Office at (585) 345-6814.

Get your tickets now, and anticipate a night full of art, diversity, and much more. We hope to see you there!

How to Cook an Easter Dinner All By Yourself!

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easter bunnyCooking a fabulous Easter dinner at home may seem like a giant un-doable feat! I am here to tell you that if you put your mind to it and set aside some time, it can most certainly be done. Below are some recipes and guidelines to get you going and ready to impress any guest welcomed to your home on April 16th.

First is the ham. When picking out your ham, you want to make sure it’s cooked. You also want to make sure you have enough for your guests. The proper method is ¾ of a pound per person for bone-in ham, and ½ of a pound per person for boneless.

For this recipe you’ll need a Reynolds Oven Bag. This helps contain the juices from the ham while it’s cooking. You will need all the juices in the next recipe.

Easter Hameaster-ham

Ingredients:

1 tbsp flour

Bone – in ham

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Shake flour in large sized oven bag, place in a roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Trim skin and fat from ham, leaving a thin layer of fat.
  3. Place ham and fat trimmings in oven bag
  4. Close bag with nylon tie. Cut six ½ inch slits in top.
  5. Bake for 13 minutes/pound or until meat thermometer reads 140 degrees. Let stand in bag for 15 minutes.

This ham should be delicious!

 

The next recipe is one for a delicious treat that is enjoyed down south. Like I said before you’ll be using all the juice from the ham that you gathered with the oven bag.

Greasy Ricegreasy rice

Ingredients:

Rice – extra long grain, white

Baked ham juice

Maybe some chicken broth

With this recipe, you need to use your math skills. We all know that the formula to cooking plain white rice is 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. Well, in this recipe, you will be using the ham juice instead of water. So, for every 2 cups of ham juice, you need 1 cup of rice. If you start running out of juice and need just a little more to make a cup, use chicken broth. Like, if you have 3 ¾ cups of ham juice, but need 4 cups to make 2 cups of rice, just add ¼ cup of chicken broth. That should be just fine.

Directions:

  1. Measure out the ham juice from the oven bag.
  2. Use formula from above to determine how much rice you will need.
  3. Bring ham juice to a boil in a large pot.
  4. Add rice.
  5. Cover the pot and turn down heat to Low – or 2 – for 15 minutes. Serve.

 

Collard greens are a big hit down south. They are packed with vitamis and add a pretty green color to your arrangement of foods.

Collard GreensCollard-greens-680x520

Ingredients:

2 bags of fresh, chopped collard greens

1 can chicken broth

1 can beef broth

1 ham hock (can be found at Walmart)

1 ½ tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Vinegar is optional

Directions:

  1. Wash the collards by pouring them into a clean kitchen sink filled with cold water. Stir them around with your hands in order to get any dirt off of them. Let them sit while you get the broth ready.
  2. In a large pot, add chicken broth, beef broth, ham hock, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
  3. Transfer collards from sink to pot
  4. Turn down heat to low-medium, or 3-4
  5. Cook for 2 hours until the collards are tender and darker in color.

 

This next recipe is a common fave. It’s sure to make everyone happy campers!

Deviled Eggseaster-deviled-eggs-11

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

2 tbsp mayo

1 ½ tbsp sweet pickle relish

1 tsp yellow mustard

1/8 tsp of salt

Dash of pepper

Directions:

  1. Place eggs in a pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover. Remove from heat, let stand for 15 minutes.
  2. Drain immediately and fill saucepan with cold water and ice. Tap eggs firmly on counter until cracks form all over the shell. Peel under cold water.
  3. Slice eggs in half lengthwise and carefully remove yolks. Mash yolks with mayo. Add relish, mustard, salt and pepper; stir well. Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites.

 

Omg I am in love with this next recipe. Pineapple upside down cake has been around in my family for longer than I can remember!

Pineapple Upside down Cakepineapple upside down cake

Ingredients:

1 box of Classic Butter golden cake mix and all the ingredients needed to make it (eggs, butter…etc)

1 can of pineapple tidbits

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

  1. Make the cake batter just like it says on the box but instead of using water, use the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple tidbits.
  2. After you have drained and used the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple, dump the pineapple into a medium sized bowl and add the brown sugar. Mix together.
  3. Spread the pineapple/brown sugar mixture onto the bottom of a cake pan and then add cake mixture on top.
  4. Bake it like it says on the box.

 

Enjoy!

 

These recipes will give you a great start on your journey to preparing an Easter dinner all by yourself. I hope you find them easy enough to pull off and yummy enough to make again.

Happy Easter and God bless!

The Benefits of Having a Pet

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cat and ownerPer my own experience, owning and taking care of a cat fills my heart with feelings that are seemingly impossible to ignore. I personally know what it’s like to mourn over another human being, and also know that when I had a cat, I felt better. When I was 22, I made the hardest decision of my life and decided to give my newborn baby to a new family with the hopes and wishes that she would prosper and be provided for under their care. Although I knew I made the right choice given my situation (which was a situation I wasn’t able to escape from), I still felt empty and felt like I had just given all of myself away. Then I met Clark. He turned my life around by filling the space that my daughter would have. He gave me reason to strive to rise from my depressed state so that I could be the cat mom he needed and deserved. There are many reasons that owning a cat or dog are good for you. If you’re struggling on the inside, consider checking out the SPCA!cat burrito

Here are some benefits of owning a pet. Hopefully they will stand out to you and make you want to take action as soon as possible.

  • Reduces anxiety and stress
  • Decreases risk of stroke
  • Therapeutic benefits – Loving and trusting releases a chemical in the brain called oxytocin. By feeling these emotions, you’re soothing and taking care of your body and mind.
  • Boosts immunity- By being exposed to pet dander, you’re increasing your tolerance to allergens and decreasing risk for allergies and asthma.
  • Decreased risk of heart disease and heart attacks
  • Lowers cholesterol levels
  • Increase sociability- Owning an animal makes for a great conversation starter and can enhance the owners ability to socialize.
  • Provides companionshipdog

 

Whether you adopt from a shelter or find a breeder, the only thing that matters is your relationship with your new best friend. It seems that more often than not, people ignore the signs of being lonely. Seeing as how loneliness is extremely unhealthy (not to mention avoidable), that should really make you want to consider who your true friends are and where to find one when in need.

Friendship is based on trust. Make sure your new friend knows that you’re their friend. Afterall, they are animals and take a while to trust. In most cases it won’t be an immediate thing, but instead will take a little patience and time.dog2

Hopefully this helps you decide if having a pet is right for you. If you do decide that it is, check out the SPCA! Those animals are counting on you to at least consider them.

Healthcare Professional Talks With Sales Class

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This past week I invited a business professional to speak in my professional sales class. This woman is named Julie Kumiega and she happens to be my mother.

Julie has been in healthcare for 25 years. She sells healthcare. She went to Buffalo State College and worked in many different places all in the Healthcare Industry. Julie talked about many things dealing with getting jobs, keeping jobs and other things like that. Julie discussed being able to recognize your own value, everyone makes mistakes and that is not only natural, but it’s ok, knowing your style of learning, never pass up opportunities, admit when you’re wrong and ask for help when you need it. Julie currently works at United Memorial Medical Center, however she has worked at the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Cancer Society, and more.

Bringing in professional sales people helps students get ready for the real world by being able to ask these people questions and be given real and accurate information. Thank You Julie for coming in and sharing with the class what you do and giving us plans for success.

By: Emma Shoenecker

The Journey

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My name is Sofiane Hamadi. I was born in France on the periphery of Paris. Although I was very young, I was open to the culture of fashion. People were free to wear whatever they want where I grew up, such as: fancy sneakers with a suit or a tracksuit with some classic shoes. Well, I guess that my visual memory stocked all of those images somewhere in my brain. That may unconsciously explain the fact that today I find myself participating in the production of fashion show. I was focused all my life on soccer and business; I achieved a very good level of soccer and secured a bachelor’s degree in business management. I came to America to pursue my dream of becoming a businessman and playing soccer at a quite decent level. I love challenges and risks; that keeps my mind busy to always find solutions to achieve things on my “to do list”.  However, I have a crazy imagination and enjoy creating and trying new things. At first sight you might not like my fashion style because it is mostly sporty and I wear a lot of simple joggers, but I don’t really fancy to dress up and kind of show off  here since I have no reason to wear fancy clothes. Some days  I have to walk 4 miles to get to school; I prefer more the practical aspect.

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6 Ways to Save & Make Money in College

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Being a college student and having money are two things that do not go together. Little do people know there are dozens of ways to save and make money
as a college student. Although all of these ideas may not make you a millionaire, it can help you have a little bit more money to go out and have some fun, or at least buy something other than ramen noodles for dinner.
money for blogBuy Used Textbooks or Rent

This seems self-explanatory, but many people don’t utilize this option or even know that it exists. For GCC students, the Barnes and Noble store located on campus does have the option to rent certain textbooks. A lot of textbooks have the rental option but as they start to get taken off the shelf there are fewer options. I would recommend getting your textbooks as soon as possible so that you can utilize all of the options. Even if you can’t rent – try purchasing used textbooks. It can cut the cost in half saving you more money.

Freelancing

You may not know what freelancing is, but it’s a great way to utilize your skills to earn some cash. There are tons of websites out there that allow you to post jobs and get paid. Or you can start your own business. There are so many options to take your skills and turn them into money. Some examples include: making a YouTube channel, a blog, an Etsy shop, or just selling something you’re good at making.

One interesting student business I heard about was being the “DD” or designated driver. A friend didn’t have a car and he wasn’t 21 years old, but when his older friends went out they would pay him $25 to drop them off and pick them up a nightclub, and he drove them using their car. It was not only easy money, but also was the right thing to do.

So get clever. Notice a need and fill it. And, I definitely recommend taking the time to research the hundreds of options.

Work Part Time

Again, super self-explanatory, yet so many people think it’s not possible. Today there are so many options for creating your schedule. There are night classes, online classes, and if you sign up as soon as possible you can most likely make a pretty flexible school schedule to fit your liking. Another way is to use time management, this is not only a great skill to have once you’re done with college and begin working, but also for school and work. It is possible to have a part-time or even a full-time job if you utilize all the scheduling tools as well as manage your time so you don’t fall behind in school or work.

Save Your Change

This is something I do, and I love it. Really all you do is take your change (I also take my singles) and put them in a separate place; whether it be a jar, box, bag or some hide-away. Store your change somewhere separate so that you don’t get the urge to spend it. After your savings jar starts to fill up just turn the change in for cash and you have an extra $20+ to spend or save!

Take Advantage of Student Discounts

I’ll keep this short and sweet because again you may already know about this option. Students have no idea just how many student discounts are out there, most people just don’t ask. Don’t be afraid to ask for a student discount and have your student ID with you. Here’s a list of student discounts for college students. 

Sell Things

Clean out your closet, pick up your room, and sell your old stuff that you didn’t even remember you had. I’ve made a couple hundred dollars with this method. It’s super easy and helps declutter your space. There are so many different websites and apps that can be used by anyone to sell really anything. Some apps I use include Ebay, Mercari, Poshmark, Depop, LetGo, OfferUp and Craig’s List. That’s only a few of them, there are so many options!

Say goodbye to crying about being a broke college student, and say hello to the new things you’ll be able to buy, and the things you’ll be able to do. Let me know if you try out any of these tips, and which one you like the most. Thanks for reading, until next time!

“Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don’t give up hope. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people.”

-Tena Desae

-Danielle