Starting Off Strong!

We are officially three weeks into the semester! With all of the changes that have been made, it seems like everyone is getting off to a great start. For me, I was fairly concerned about getting lost in my blackboard and falling behind, but so far it has been great! And I hope the same can be said for you.

This semester I began working with a GEP class twice a week, and so far it has been a great experience. But the most impressive thing I have found is the first year students are having a decent transition to college, despite this blended format we are in. This is great news! I’m happy to see that students are able to still find success in their college career amidst all of this madness!

Keep Pumping Those Arms!

Obviously some things can still be slightly difficult. For some people, they still have yet to make a routine, or may not have even been to one of their classes in person yet. Personally, my major consists of a lot of labs. Because faculty still wants us on campus as much as possible, they split our labs up to where I am only in-person once every three weeks. Yesterday was my first day in the actual lab! However, making a solid schedule of each week and what I have to get done has done well to keep me on track. Plus, I have realized that having online lectures has given me a little more flexibility with where I can watch them, which allows me to find new settings to learn in each week.

Stay Positive and Stay Safe

As the weeks have progressed, it’s very noticeable that some of our classmates and peers are being affected more and more by COVID-19 each day. For those who are, I wish you well and hope that you get better soon. With this in mind, I hope that everyone is continuing to be safe and sanitary as much as they can. It can be scary being on a campus not knowing what might happen each day, but our campus is working very hard to help the situation. However, it is great to be back on campus, which is always a plus. So no matter how you may feel, remember that you attend one of the best campuses out there, and each day is an opportunity to become a better student and a better you!

~Michael

(Bio: My name is Michael Rexroad, a transfer student from Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. I am a junior currently studying cell and molecular biology with a minor in chemistry.)

As most of us have returned to campus mid COVID-19 restrictions, we have fully emerged ourselves into campus life and classes.  I myself have been weary about returning to campus with the pandemic.

What comes to my mind at the moment is the thought of how everyone else is adjusting to being back on campus.

Have you made the decision to go fully online? Has your classes forced you into living on campus like mine have? What has been the most challenging aspect for you during this time? Are you fully prepared for class at all or are you just going through the motions?

As you get back into the groove of classes, know that there are so many places where you can seek guidance or help with anything on campus. If you want to talk to another student about what you might be going through there is a Peer Counselor option on campus. Located in Meyer Library 116 or by requesting to see one online at: https://www.missouristate.edu/AcademicSuccess/student-academic-assistance.htm

 

 

 

How are you guys doing so far? I’ve been doing pretty well since the start of quarantine and now that the semester is over, I can focus on things that I haven’t before.

As of right now a couple of places are starting to open back up to the public but in my opinion it’s a little too soon for that. My younger sister (age 7) and I have really weak immune systems. When we get sick, it lasts a long time and we just have a harder time fighting off illnesses. On the other side of the spectrum, I do understand that businesses need to make money and everything can’t stay closed forever. Nevertheless, I’m going to remain in quarantine until things become clearer.

I’m prepping for my summer math class this week and next week. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what to expect out of having an online summer class through Missouri State, but I am getting myself ready for it regardless.

In other news, despite staying in my house, I’m excited because I’m turning twenty in about twelve days. Although it’s a big deal to my mom, I just want to chill out with my family while eating all the food I couldn’t before. Even more recently there have been other issues happening during this pandemic but I’m staying informed and staying close to those important to me.

“Look around you. Appreciate what you have. Nothing will be the same in a year.” Unknown.

~Alexandria

(Bio: My name is Alexandria Givens, and I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a sophomore business major at Missouri State University.)

It’s been a long time since I gave an update, but I really needed to sit back and do an entire reset over everything in my life. My finals came to an end last week, but I had been experiencing burn out throughout the entire semester. Now that the Spring 2020 semester is over, I’ve been taking time to evaluate how I did certain things and to distance myself from college work. I’ve been doing my usual stress relievers plus a couple of new ones like meditation, really hot showers, and connecting more with my younger siblings.

Having the semester completed has really been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and has significantly helped me to mentally and physically calm down. This semester had to be one of the toughest that I’ve had so far. I knew it would be tough going into the semester, after seeing my schedule, but I’m always pushing myself to reach my goals. Now that I am aware of where my mind is, I can finally prepare myself for some of the things that I can experience and stop beating myself up over every little thing.

I figured this time would serve as a good eye-opener for some people. No one in my family is a college student, but they always try to help me in some capacity and I’m grateful for that. It’s good to be aware of what others go through, in case you experience it or just to stay in the know.

Now that I have more free time, it’s going to be easier for me to throw out some more updates and let you know how everything is going for me. Quarantine is probably going to get a lot more interesting on my end because my summer online class is starting up soon and I need to prepare myself for that. But otherwise, I’m happy and ready for the summer weather.

~Alexandria

(Bio: My name is Alexandria Givens, and I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a sophomore business major at Missouri State University.)

It’s been about two months since I’ve been home due to COVID-19 and this week had to be one of the most challenging since having online classes. Plus, final exams are starting this Saturday for me and continuing until next Thursday, which is a long time to be stressed out.

This semester, before and definitely during this pandemic, has to be one of the hardest semesters for me and all of my friends. Unfortunately, my stress and anxiety levels haven’t been the best and I can tell that I’m suffering physically and mentally. Since the beginning of this pandemic, I’ve done a lot of thinking about my future, including whether I’m sure about my career path or if I want to continue going to Missouri State or take a different route.

Having a mixture of my own thoughts and finals trying to prioritize themselves in my mind hasn’t been the best. And the anxiety and stress from preparing for finals has led to me getting migraines, horrible stomach aches and, lately, neck spasms. But I have some pretty great people to back me up when I need help and, thanks to some chats with them, I’ve been doing so much better.

If you didn’t know, I’m a peer counselor in the CAST office (Center for Academic Success and Transition) and I work closely with my two bosses, Dr. Kelly Wood and Dr. Tracey Glaessgen, in addition to the other two peer counselors, Rhiannon Casey and Michael Rexroad. (Rhiannon and Michael have blog posts here too.) They have all been a big help in steering me in the right direction, giving me advice when I need it or just being a listening ear. My family has also been there to hear me rant about my classes or help me solve my problems. Without them being there for me, cheering me on, I wouldn’t know what to do.

I’m going to continue to relieve stress by spending time with my family or just doing an abundance of random fun things. I’ve learned that I’m not doing my best work or being myself when I let the stress consume me so much.

What I would like for you to take from this is that stress or anxiety can affect anyone and it’s okay for that to happen because you can bounce back or lessen it altogether. After this semester I’ll be a junior at Missouri State and every time a day passes, I’m so much closer to getting my degree in business and becoming the only child in my family to graduate from a four-year college. I don’t know about you but that’s its own motivation for me.

“I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne Dyer

~Alexandria

(Bio: My name is Alexandria Givens, and I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a sophomore business major at Missouri State University.)