This Bear Is Up a Tree

This Bear Is Up a Tree
photo by Scott Granneman

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Prehealth Advising Workshops in BSD, D109

Premed, Predent, Prevet and Preoptometry students: Friday, Sept 24 4-5 p.m. OR Tuesday, Sept 28 5-6 p.m.

Prepharmacy, Prephysician Assistant, Prephysical Therapy and Preoccupational Therapy students - Monday, Sept 27 4-5 p.m. OR 5-6 p.m.

Don't be the mad bear who registers for an inappropriate class and then finds it is a wasted class because it doesn't advance his or her degree plan.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

To cheat or not to cheat - is that the question?

NY Times today - A Professor's Review of Online Cheat Sheets - Here's a really informative piece on how to use (and not use) SparkNotes. Decide for yourself if study guides constitute cheating. Decide with your professor if study guides give you additional perspective not achieved in class.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Good Luck Charms for Academic Success

The NY Times reported last week that studies show lucky charms really work. Well, maybe. Read the article and see what you think for yourself. Serena Williams won't change her socks when she is winning in a tournament. She just won her second consecutive Wimbledon (4 wins in all); she might be on to somthing. Do you have a lucky charm? Have you tried using it during finals week? Give it a try and let us know how it works for you.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Advising Information


You have already received an email with this message. However, it bears repeating. And, you will be one mad bear if your don't prepare for your advising appointment and meet with your advisor every semester, even when it is only "recommended." Little misunderstandings about your degree plan can become really big problems when you are ready to graduate.


Subject: Important Advising Information for Early Registration
Text of message:
Who is Your Academic Advisor?
Your specific advising areas are listed for you. Log into BearWeb – www.baylor.edu/bearweb >Student Services and Financial Aid > Advisement > Advisement Contact Information to verify that your major is listed correctly, determine if advising is required, and find your assigned advisor(s). Also, verify that your “educational goal” is correct – premed or any pre-healthcare field, prelaw, etc.

Verify Your Major
It is very important that your major is correct so that your assigned advisor(s) will also be correct. If you need to update your major, go to this link: http://www.baylor.edu/advising > Academic Goals > Changing Majors/Minor/Program and follow the change of major procedures. Call Academic Advisement if you need more information at (254) 710 – 7280. Any time you make a change to your major, minor and/or program, refer to BearWeb again to find your new Advisement Contact Information.

Check Your Program
If you need to add or delete participation in one of the following programs or educational goals, please notify the office where you are directed to change your major:
Pre-Dental, Pre-Dental Assistant, Pre-Physician Assistant, Pre-Dental Hygiene, Pre-Medical, Pre-Occupational Therapy, Pre-Optometry, Pre-Pharmacy,
Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Pre-Law.

When do You Register for Spring Classes?
Find your registration date: http://schedule.baylor.edu/ > Registering for Classes > Current and Returning Students>Early Registration Schedule


If you need additional assistance with any of the information above, send an email to Academic_Advisement_Office@baylor.edu.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Stealth Studying Philosophy

Study Hacks - a great study skills blog. If you are a blog-follower, add this one to your list. If you are not, you should be. Especially helpful this week is an entry about using your smart phone to maximize your free time so that you work in frequent brief study sessions wherever you happen to be. Cal Newport, author of How to Become a Staight-A Student, introduces you to Ricardo, a computer science major who maintains a 4.0 and studies only about 30 minutes before each test. Sound too good to be true? Read what Ricardo and Cal say, and then let's talk about it.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Read Every Day

The Christmas break was a good time to catch up on reading. I’m always amazed when I pick up a newspaper and find a story that parallels something I’m reading at the time. This week it appeared in the Tuesday edition of the NY Times science section – “Chimps and Monkeys Could Talk. Why Don’t They?” As it happens, I’ve just finished the chapter in Stanislaus Dehaene’s new book Reading in the Brain titled “The Reading Ape.” Dehaene, a French mathematician turned cognitive neuroscientist, cites research that indicates macaque monkeys respond to line junctions resembling some letter shapes, a first step in decoding written words. Observers have discovered that chimpanzees, apes and all their kin have distinctive sounds to communicate information. However, over the last 30 million years, as far as we know, monkeys have not spoken a single sentence.

The real point of this posting is not that monkeys apparently have the physical ability to speak and choose not to, but that the excitement of seeing parallels in what’s going on in our personal lives and what’s happening in the global community often leads us to greater understanding in both arenas. Often I even find information on the sports page that relates to study strategies, or on the cartoons page.

How does this translate to improving study skills? Frequent reflection on course material, even while strolling about campus, makes it more likely that we will make associations between what we see and hear in our everyday lives and what we study – a key element in creating long-term memories that produce quick and accurate responses to test questions.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Begin Preparing for Finals Today

Yes, you read that correctly. Today, the 2nd day of the new semester, is the perfect time to begin preparing for finals. By now you probably have attended a class from each of your courses. If you have not, surely you have checked out the syllabus on Blackboard. In any event, at the very least, you can plot your finals on a semester calendar. The finals schedule is subject to change, and sometimes professors select a different time for their finals. Now is the time to find out if that is a possibility (check the syllabus) and make your plans accordingly. You should also note all major exams, papers and projects on your calendar so that you can predict those weeks that will be particularly challenging. You can find a handy planner on the Academic Support Programs website.