Articles for March 2019

Procrastination Station: How to Leave the Station and Get to Your Destination

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We all procrastinate. With an endless mess of papers to write and exams to study for it can be especially difficult to get going. But it isn’t impossible. Here are a few tips to get your brain train back on track and out of the station.

1.) Make a done list of everything that you need to do. Write down everything you have to do whether you need to do laundry or write a paper for your English class. Write it all down. Now, you may be asking, “isn’t it supposed to be a to do list?” Let me explain. Anyone can write a to do list, but making a done list gives your list purpose and implies that, by the end of the day, some of the things on your list will be done.

2.) Now that you have your list, cross items off of it. Find an item or two on your list that isn’t urgent and cross it right out. I find that every time I make a done list, I write down every single thing that is on my mind. I even write down things that I don’t need to do right away that can be saved for later. When I cross those items off, my list becomes more manageable, and I have more time to work on the projects that actually matter.

3.) Start easy. Work on one of the less menacing tasks on your list first. By starting in on your work, even if it is only on the simpler assignments, you are making progress. Before you know it, you will be through a few items on your list and will be that much closer to relaxation.

4.) Take a break. Did you write your eight-page paper? Did you clean your room? Did you finish one of the bigger projects that you had on your list? If you have, reward yourself with a few minutes of break time. Get up and stretch, have a snack, or go for a short walk. Just be sure to set a timer for when you need to get back to work (and stick to it!).

Finally, keep in mind that not everything can be done in one day. Maybe you’ve tackled half of your list and need to save the rest for tomorrow. That’s okay. After all, the whole point of this process was only to get started, right? If you’re already on your way to completing your list, you’re on time (perhaps even ahead of schedule) and will be at your destination before you know it!

Good luck!

-Sarah Dunbar

Sarah Dunbar is a senior majoring in Multidisciplinary Studies at Castleton University

From Engines to Advocacy: Meet TRIO Star Brooke Greenway

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When Brooke Greenway was in high school, college was the last thing on her mind. She explored the offerings at her district’s technical center, jumping from health care to criminal justice to global business management before graduating from the school’s diesel mechanics program.

But once she settled on a career in social work, she knew higher education was in her future. She also knew it would be an uphill battle. “The process of applying to college was an obstacle,” Brooke recalls. “My parents didn’t have any idea where to start.”

Brooke applied to and was accepted by Castleton University. But her struggles had just begun. After four years in trade school, the traditional classroom setting felt strange. “I had to get used to sitting at desks in rows and raising my hand in class,” she says.

And then there was the workload. “I had more projects, but less time to do them,” says Brooke. “I wasn’t used to managing deadlines.”

Through Castleton’s Summer Transition Program, Brooke made friends with other new students. Many, like her, were the first in their families to attend college. She also met Becky Eno and other counselors at the Academic Support Center (ASC). Through regular meetings with them, she learned to manage her time. She even found employment as a Learning Center Assistant, assisting staff and students at the ASC’s front desk.

Today, it’s hard to believe Brooke ever thought college wasn’t for her. The junior social work and sociology major has a 3.15 G.P.A. In addition to working at the ASC, she serves on the President’s Student Advisory Board and the Student Government Association’s Court. She credits the ASC with much of her success.

“The Academic Support Center offers the best resources I’ve ever had: both academic and emotional support,” she says. “They’re not like the counselors in high school where you were more of a number. Having that connection in a new environment is important.”

ASC staff have equally high praise for Brooke. “She mentors and supports her peers as a Learning Center Assistant,” says Becky Eno. “She is unfailingly patient, compassionate, and good-humored with students, often sharing her own challenges and never showing the slightest trace of condescension. She is going to be a wonderful social worker.”

After graduation, Brooke hopes to be a medical social worker or work with people with disabilities. “I think the majority of people with disabilities don’t know what their rights are, so I’d like to advocate for them,” she says. Eventually, she plans to earn a master’s in social work.

Brooke hopes her story will inspire other students to persist and achieve their goals. She encourages new students to develop relationships with their professors and use the resources available to them, including the ASC. “Don’t be afraid of failing,” she muses. “Without failure, you don’t really learn. It’s what you do after the failure that matters.”

-Dorothy A. Dahm