Do you feel like you always run out of time to do something? At Penn State, or college in general, it is easy to become sidetracked. There are classes, exams, parties, clubs, sports events and many other distractions. Here are a few suggestions as to what you can do to help get your life back on track.

1. Keep a calendar or organizer on hand: This may sound dorky, but it will help you to keep track of what you need to do and when you need to do them by.

2. Set time aside for studying: Always know when exams are and study for them. Who sets a specific time to go to the gym? A lot of people do. Why not then set aside a specific time to study? If you haven’t learned already, it is not a good idea to study at the last minute…DON’T CRAM.

3. Make to do lists: No your mother is not the only person in the world who still uses to do lists. Join her and make to do lists of your own. Before you go to bed make a small to do list as to what you need to accomplish the next day. It’s quick and another easy way to help keep you on track.

4. Prioritize: Make sure you get the most important things done first. And just if some of you forgot, parties and/or time for the gym should not come first if you have an exam coming up.
Here are just a few tips as to what you can do to help you keep your time organized. Remember that amongst other things, the reason we all came to college is to learn. For more information on managing your time, the University Learning Centers are a good resource. You can also ask your RA’s to help you manage your time or you can attend Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) session: Coping with Stress for Exams. Good luck!

All of the following are great ways of communicating with your mentee. Just pick one that would be convenient for you and you’re well on your way to maintaining an awesome relationship with your protégé.

1. E-mail – All Faststart students have a Penn State email account or other email address. Keep all emails as short and to the point as possible though. It’s hard for to reply to an email that’s a page long.

2. AOL Instant Messenger – Many, if not all, college students will use some form of internet chatting. It’s convenient and also a great way to talk to many people at the same time. The most popular internet chatting application AOL Instant Messenger (more commonly known as AIM), but there’s also MSN and Yahoo messengers. Find out which of the three your protégé has and download it. You’ll find that it makes keeping in contact very simple and easy.

3. Phone – When you can’t be there to see your protégé in person, the phone is always the next best thing. You can have a real, living, breathing conversation.

4. Work place visit/tours – Invite your mentee to tour your workplace one day. It makes your mentee feel special when you introduce them to your co-workers as “my mentee.”

5. Postcards – These are always short, sweet, and to the point. Your mentee will be grateful that you took the time to send them a short message. They will also be able to hang the picture up on their wall.

6. Postal Mail – This is a great way to say that you put a lot of time and consideration into the message. Don’t ask so many questions, but rather, describe your experiences at PSU or something you found interesting lately. If you have something in common, talk about that too.

7. Lunch or Cup of Coffee – As one of the few methods that involves person to person contact, the conversations that you have will be more personal and it’s always good to see your protégés’ face. Some good places to go include:

a. Irving’s (near the intersection of College and Allen)
b. MacKinnon’s (The basement level café under Pattee Library)
c. Outside on a bench (though this may be a bit harder when it gets cold outside)
d. HUB eateries/coffee shops
e. The Creamery (near the intersection of Shortlidge and Curtin)
f. West Wing/Moxie Lounge (in Waring Commons)

The following campus events are great opportunities for students to enhance their experience of Penn State. Mentors can attend many of these programs with their student or encourage their student to attend on their own or with friends. For additional events please visit the online calendar of campus events.

Volunteer opportunities:

Into the Streets:
The Into the Streets program hosts a variety of Centre County non-profit agencies who need volunteers to participate in one-day community service projects. Held once a month each semester on a Saturday or Sunday for a few hours, Into the Streets is a wonderful way to learn about many of the non-profit agencies in the community

Saturday, November 22nd, 2003
Saturday, December 6th, 2003

CAPS, Personal Issues Series :
Located in Room 304 HUB-Robeson Center

Wednesday, November 5, 7:00 pm
THE IMPACT OF DEPRESSION ON RELATIONSHIPS
Julie States, Ph.D., Psychologist
Kathy Corcoran, M.S.N., C.R.N.P., Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Wednesday, November 19, 7:00 pm
UNDERSTANDING AND HELPING OTHERS WITH EATING DISORDERS
Mary Anne Knapp, M.S.W., Clinical Social Worker
Cynthia Edwards-Hawver, Pre-Doctoral Intern in Psychology

Wednesday, December 3, 8:30 pm
COPING WITH STRESS FOR EXAMS
Katie Cougevan, Ph.D., Staff Psychologist
Courtney Clay, M.F.T., Pre-Doctoral Intern in Psychology

MBNA Career Services, Wednesday Workshops:
Located in 103 MBNA Services Center

Orientation to Career Services: Nov. 5, 3:35p.m. – 4:25pm
Internship and Summer Job Search: Nov. 5, 4:40 – 5:30pm, Nov. 19, 1:25-2:15pm
Networking: Nov. 12, 3:35-4:25pm
Resume Prep: Nov. 5, 1:25-2:15pm, Nov. 12, 12:20-1:10pm, Nov. 19, 5:45-6:35pm

Arts and Exhibits:
Through the Looking Glass: Women and Self-Representation in

Contemporary Art Details:
Location: Special Exhibitions Gallery I, Palmer Museum of Art, October 21, 2003 through January 25, 2004

Devotion and Diversity: South Asian Sculpture from the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Location: Tonkin Gallery of Asian and African Art, Palmer Museum of Art.

Raising the Question Film Series
Location: Paul Robeson Cultural Center - Room 016

Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Topic: Holla!! - Images in Hip-Hop Music.

Distinguished Speaker Series:
Thursday, November 6, 2003: Jesse Ventura (Tickets available October 29, 30, 31)
Thursday, February 5, 2004: Maya Angelou
Monday, March 29, 2004: Linda Chavez
Tickets are available at the Eisenhower Auditorium Box

Lecture
New York, the Secret African City by Robert Farris Thompson. Thompson is the Colonel John Trumbull professor, history of art; professor of African-American studies; and master of Timothy Dwight College at Yale University.
Nov. 7th, 7:30 p.m. in the Schwab Auditorium.