Getting Out of Your Own Way
By Ellen Parham, director, Columbia College-Fort Stewart
It is a trap that is easy to fall into. You juggle your job/career, your family, your health and college. There are times you may struggle to keep all the balls in the air and wonder if it would be easier to just let one drop. Should you keep them all in the air? Which one would drop? Are you overthinking it? I can’t answer any of those questions for you. However, I can give you three simple tools to help you get out of your own way and maybe allow you to keep juggling them all: plan ahead, manage your time and communicate.
Plan Ahead: Every Instructor in every college course I have ever taken made a course syllabus available to me on the first day of class. That syllabus normally describes everything you will have to read and every piece of homework you will have to complete along with their specific requirements, as well as the deadline for it all. My advice to you — Read it! Know it! Always remember where you put it. Use it to plan out your term. Know what reading needs to be done before you get to class, then actually read the material. The more you are familiar with the topic before you get to class, the better chance you will have of understanding what your instructor is talking about when you get to class. Use the syllabus to determine when your biggest workloads will be so that you can plan your time accordingly.
Manage Your Time: Manage your week. When I was in school, I took my books with me wherever I went. I would sneak in a few minutes of reading whenever I could, whether it was while I was waiting for my turn at the doctor or the dentist or some government agency with huge waiting lines. I made sure to schedule a block of uninterrupted time for times when I knew I needed to focus. Everyone in the house respected my schedule because they knew I had also included time for them at some point.
Determine what time of day you study best. Personally, I knew if I planned a study time during the afternoon, it would most likely start with me cleaning my desk and end with a nap and/or being distracted by any shiny object or roving squirrel. Try and pick a time of day when you learn the best and don’t wait until the day before your assignment is due. You may think you work best under pressure. I think that just may be your rationalization for procrastinating. When you are planning your study week, don’t forget to plan for family and relaxation time, too. That is just as important to your well-being.
Communicate: Last but not least. I can’t count the number of times a student answered “no” when I broached the question, “Did you talk to your instructor?” If you have an unexpected life event or just can’t connect all the dots, talk to your instructor. They can help you, but only if you let them know you need it. Don’t forget your classmates, too. You are all trying complete the work and learn something new. I found that I learned quite a lot just by talking things over with classmates and sharing the problem solving with them.
Planning how you are going to get through your course is no different than planning anything else in your life. Know what the problem is and know what is expected of you. Do the research and come up with a solution you can live with. Plan how you are going to get it done, then manage your time in such a way so you can avoid that last-minute panic when you realize you waited too long to execute. If you run into a speed bump, communicate — ask for help.
Paying attention to these three things will go a long way toward moving you forward and helping you to get out of your own way. And if you ever need any help, the staff at Columbia College-Fort Stewart is happy to assist.
Apply for the CCAA Scholarship!
The Columbia College Alumni Association works to build affinity for the college and is dedicated to paying it forward. Now in its seventh year, the CCAA Scholars Program will present multiple $1,000 scholarships to outstanding Columbia College students for the 2020-21 academic year. Completed applications must be received by Friday, March 13. Learn more at https://my.ccis.edu/ccaa-scholars.
Six ways to show off your school spirit without painting your face
by Department of Marketing (go to top)
When you think about school spirit, what comes to mind? Do you picture a group of excited young people dressed in similar colors cheering on a sports team? A college pennant hanging on the wall? A school mascot, perhaps?
At Columbia College, we broaden what it means to have school spirit. Here, it’s all about taking pride in the fact you’re part of a nationwide learning community 20,000 students strong. It’s about stepping out and being bold on your journey toward knowledge. It’s about knowing you’ll soon be part of the 91,000-plus alumni around the globe who have benefited from a Columbia College education.
Most of our students are adults juggling school with work and family life. So while you’re always welcome, we don’t expect you to drop everything and show up at a sporting event at our main campus in Columbia, Missouri.
But there are plenty of other meaningful ways you can show off your school spirit. Here are a few:
- Share your lessons. Don’t be afraid to talk to co-workers about what you’re studying in class. You’re becoming an expert in your chosen field; let others benefit from your knowledge! Employers will likely take note when you apply your education to a project or problem.
- Be an inspiration to friends and the next generation. Talk to people outside of work about your college experiences, too. A friend might be secretly on the fence about finishing a degree. Encourage him or her to join the journey with you! If you have children, use your own educational path to emphasize the importance of lifelong learning.
- Speak up! Your unique life experiences and ideas benefit all of us, especially your classmates. Weigh in on your online discussion boards. Be part of the collective conversation in your classes. We need your perspective as we relate classroom lessons to current workplace trends and practices.
- Make new friends. Get to know your classmates, professors, advisor, location director and our staff. Higher education has always been about making connections with people who shape each other’s futures. Take advantage of these unique networking opportunities.
- Get social! Follow Columbia College on Facebook to virtually join in on the happenings of our main campus and at our locations nationwide. Check out our photos on Instagram, and get real-time information on Twitter. React, comment and share posts to be part of the social dialogue.
- Get inspired. If you ever think about giving up, take a look at our news blog, CC Connected archive. There, you’ll read inspiring stories about graduates who, just like you, took a less conventional route to college and have since used their education to make a difference in their lives and communities. You’ll learn about other students from around the country, as well as some of our amazing faculty and staff members.
Of course, showing off your Cougar spirit by sporting CC apparel is always a smart idea. You never know who might approach you and say, “Hey, I graduated from Columbia College, too!”
Handshake Features
by Grossnickle Career Services Center (go to top)
Handshake is Columbia College’s dynamic and innovative career management software that is available, free of charge, to all CC students and alumni. It’s a powerful system where students can find opportunities and research employers all over the country. But beyond a job search, Handshake possesses a number of valuable tools.
All of these features are available for free on Handshake. To get started, go to ccis.joinhandshake.com and fill out a profile.
Once you’re logged in, explore the “Events” tab. Here you will a number of valuable hiring and career events happening throughout the country. A number of these events are virtual and they can range from grad school and job fairs, workshops on writing a federal resume, to company-sponsored events to talk about their positions. These events are usually free-of-charge and can be an excellent way for students to network with opportunities throughout the country.
Secondly, find the “Resources” tab (located under the “Career Center” pulldown menu). Here we offer a number of articles and guides for our students and alumni. It includes resume templates, cover letter guides, information on starting a LinkedIn Profile, job search and graduate school information and much, much more. The Resource Library is easy to use and gives you a wealth of information on your fingertips.
Finally, Handshake has implemented a new feature called “Q&A”. In this section, students can ask career-related questions like “How can I become a Financial Planner?” or “What are typically interview questions at Google?” Often, these questions get answered by industry professionals, other students or recruiters. This can provide very valuable inside information for breaking in to your profession directly from people in the know.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, contact careerservices@ccis.edu.
NAR Partners with Columbia College to Expand Educational Opportunities for Realtors®
by Sam Fleury (go to top)
On November 6, the National Association of REALTORS® announced a new exclusive partnership with Columbia College to offer expanded access to academic programs to association members.
With the agreement, Columbia College will become the exclusive higher-education partner for more than 1.3 million NAR members, providing opportunities for them to complete a variety of associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, including real estate-specific offerings anticipated in late spring 2020.
Columbia College also plans to develop and offer a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in real estate, based on the award-winning Master of Real Estate degree curriculum developed by the association for its members through REALTOR® University. NAR Members that enroll in the NAR Academy at Columbia College can receive $100 per eligible course in financial support from the Center for Specialized REALTOR® Education (CSRE). The CSRE is a NAR wholly owned subsidiary that creates and facilitates educational programs in real estate, working to elevate professional standards through designations, certifications and degrees in real estate.
REALTOR® University was conceived and launched in 2012 to provide members a new opportunity to grow through academic achievement. This agreement represents a sustainable expansion of that vision. In addition to an MBA with an emphasis in Real Estate, Columbia College will develop degree completion programs for NAR members, bachelor’s and associate’s degree programs and college-level real estate certificate programs in 2020.
The NAR Academy at Columbia College marks the successful realization of the Realtor University vision. With the graduation of all active Masters in Real Estate program students, and with the sharing of the curriculum with Columbia College, Realtor University will officially discontinue its master’s program, and provide opportunity for interested members to enroll in Columbia College as a member benefit.
“We believe this new partnership between NAR and Columbia College will truly be a game changer, not only for our institution but for the association’s members around the country,” said Columbia College President Dr. Scott Dalrymple. “As far as we know, this is the largest exclusive educational partnership in the United States.”
REALTOR® University alumni will become members of the Columbia College Alumni Association; with all of its privileges and benefits. These alumni will also become the founding members of an NAR scholar’s society.
Columbia College was deemed the ideal institution to serve NAR with its legacy of academic excellence, global reach and robust online programs.
For more information about the NAR Academy at Columbia College, visit nar.ccis.edu. For more information on the member benefit details see https://www.nar.realtor/nar-academy.
The National Association of REALTORS® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Academic Search Ultimate Trial
By Stafford Library (go to top)
Columbia College’s Stafford Library has begun a trial of EBSCO’s Academic Search Ultimate. This database contains more full-text content than the current Academic Search Complete database. Academic Search Ultimate trial may be accessed from our A-Z Databases page.
Academic Search Ultimate offers access to resources cited in key subject indexes. The combination of academic journals, magazines, periodicals, reports, books and videos meets the needs of scholars in virtually every discipline ranging from astronomy, anthropology, biomedicine, engineering, health, law and literacy to mathematics, pharmacology, women’s studies, zoology and more. Full text is provided for over 10,000 peer-reviewed journals. Academic Search Ultimate can be found on the library’s website or by visiting http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.ccis.edu/, selecting “EBSCOhost Databases”, and then “Academic Search Ultimate.”
Content includes:
- 5,479 active, full-text, non-open access journals and magazines
- 4,792 active, full-text, peer-reviewed, non-open access journals
- 2,767 active, full-text, peer-reviewed, non-open access journals with no embargo
- 3,108 active, full-text, non-open access journals indexed in Web of Science or Scopus
Please take the opportunity to review the database, and share your thoughts about Academic Search Ultimate by completing this survey. Your feedback will help us evaluate whether to add this database to Stafford Library’s collection of electronic resources.
