Time management aides schedules for students

By Allie Rodolico Staff Writer

When people reach their senior year of high school, there is only one thing on their mind: college.

They have all seen the movies where there are big parties happening constantly with kegs and Jell-o shots galore. They have the image in their head that the next four years of their lives will be just like that.

Unfortunately, the parts they don’t really show in those movies are the stresses that comes with college. They don’t show the hours of studying and cramming for tests or the all-nighters that are pulled writing papers that are forgotten about.

Although it can be stressful, students who have good time management skills are able to juggle these activities while getting through four years of college.

During college, there are many opportunities to get involved on campus whether it’s sports, student council, different clubs or the newspaper. For people who do sports, it’s very time consuming.

Practices and games take up a lot of time in student-athlete’s lives, so without being able to have good time management skills, it’s hard to be able to get homework done on time and still study for exams.

For students involved in sports and other campus activities, their main strategy to help them juggle schoolwork and extracurricular activities is by planning their hectic schedules.

“I really like using my MacBook, Blackberry and Cabrini athletic planner to keep all my appointments and school work organized,” Maddy Edwards, sophomore education major, said. “Before I go to sleep I like to write down my schedule for the next day. It does get overwhelming at times, but you find a way to work it out.” and sometimes until early in the morning.”

Many students say planners are a good strategy to use to be able to mark down homework, tests and when papers are due. They are portable and lightweight so you can check what is needed to be done at any given time.

McDermott says without the scructure of her planner, she wouldn’t be sane.

For some students, campus activities can be very overwhelming and make it hard to stay organized.

Seniors especially feel that being organized their last year of college is crucial.

John Solewin, senior communication major, who is president of the senior class, Catholic Relief Services Ambassador and head of senior gift committee, admits he was never really organized up until this year.

Jacky McDermott, junior education major, is a student-athlete and works while averaging 15-18 credits each semester.

“Working during school and my sport is very time consuming so my way of managing my time is my planner,” McDermott said. “If I didn’t have it I would be lost. I baby-sit at least three to four times a week

“I mostly used to rely on post-it notes next to bed and emails,” Solewin said. “This fall I finally got a planner, which helps me stay on top of school meetings and events. It’s also created more time in my week because I’m getting things done now instead of last minute.”

Cabrini students seem to agree that the benefits of managing your time only helps alleviate unwanted stress.

Winter is coming, don’t be ‘SAD!’

By Melanie Greenberg Staff Writer

It is no secret that sunlight and warmth draw people outside to enjoy the day. Even the tanning salons can help to brighten someone’s mood. Sure, a person might feel like staying inside on a rainy day but imagine being unable to function normally due to the weather.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a condition that generally occurs in the late fall to early winter seasons. Many people call this a case of the “winter blues,” but it can be much more serious than simply missing summertime.

According to Cabrini counselor Dara Herskovits, seasonal affective disorder has become more prevalent in our society because it was only first recognized in the 1980s as a disorder.

Those who have SAD suffer from the same symptoms each year at the same time. Generally it is during the change of seasons. The reason fall/winter SAD occurs is due to the lack of sunlight a person receives.

Serotonin is an important chemical in the body and affects moods. Reduced sunlight causes a loss of serotonin which causes depression.

“As soon as my tan fades, my mood heads south,” Megan Sokolowski, sophomore communication major, said. Being a surfer and down the shore constantly, Sokolowski detests the winter.

“I hate wearing layers. There is no reason someone would want to wake up in the morning, put on 10 layers to walk outside for five minutes to class. Life is good when I can throw on a t-shirt and shorts,” Sokolowski said.

The body’s natural biological clock is also disrupted in the winter because of the lack of sunlight.

Though winter/fall SAD is much more common, people do suffer from spring/summer SAD. Some of the side effects are similar but many are drastically different. Winter/fall SAD results in weight gain and increased appetite while spring/summer SAD results in the opposite.

“I am happy in the winter and angry in the summer. Summer is break-up season and winter is cuddle season,” John Eddings, freshman pre-med/bio major, said.

The causes of spring/summer SAD are not as researched as winter/fall. Psychology professor Dr. Melissa Terlecki said little is known about spring/summer SAD. She claims to find it strange there is even such a condition because the main cause of depression is a lack of sunlight.

“Any change in environment can trigger depression,” Terlecki said.

Moving from Southern California to the seasonal east coast has been tough for freshman criminal justice major Ariel Brown.

“I already hate the weather here. It scares me. I don’t want to move and I’m lazy,” Brown said.

Most people with SAD are women and their symptoms begin typically in their mid-twenties. The number of men seeking treatment is increasing over time.

Those who suffer from SAD most times report a close relative suffering from a psychiatric condition. Most often it is severe depression or alcohol abuse.

Terlecki also said many doctors recommended tanning during the winter before it was known how bad it was.

“I am not saying go bake in the sun or tanning bed but it has been proven to help,” Terlecki said.

“I have mixed feelings about winter,” Brett Lockbaum, freshman elementary education major, said. “You can’t go outside as much and being a soccer player, it doesn’t allow me to play as much. But you can warm up in the winter better than you can cool down in the summer and I like comfy foods in winter.”

Tanning indoors is a dangerous option to help those who suffer from lack of sunlight but there are safer ways. Light boxes are available. A light box has safe rays that act as the sun.

This alternative is used like a normal lamp would be, just stronger. A person suffering from SAD should use the light box up to four hours a day.

The hours in which a person should use a light box varies due to the conditions they suffer from.

Lauren Brescia, sophomore psychology major, said her mother bought her a light box for Christmas one year even though she does not suffer from SAD.

“My mom knows my mood changes in the winter even if it is slight so she bought me a Sun Touch [light box] ,” Brescia said.

Exercising and eating right also help to boost moods and decrease the chance of having SAD.

mmg65@cabrini edu