TRiO SSS is proud to announce that we are decreasing our use of plastic and styrofoam cups so please help us become more eco-friendly by bringing your own coffee mug to donate or keep in the TRiO SSS Office!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
April Fool’s Day
Yesterday was April Fool’s Day. Hopefully none of you fell into any pranks. Luckily I was not pranked yesterday but there were plenty of people who were pranked. I overheard on the radio yesterday as I was driving onto campus about someone pulling a prank in an office setting where a sign was placed near the coffee pot stating that the person had to say how coffee they wanted and it would be brewed for them.
Did you happen to see what online websites and companies pulled yesterday?
I hope this post might brighten your day up a little bit and give you a good laugh or two to help yourself de-stress. Anyways here are some websites showing pranks pulled for April Fool’s Day that might help brighten your day up.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/01/world/april-fools-day-pranks/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/01/best-april-fools-pranks-2015_n_6988312.html
Last Month of Semester Tips
Wow! Has this semester just flown on by, I mean we are already in our last month of the Spring ’15 semester. Some of you might be happy while others might be dreading this but it’s okay you have lots of resources you can use to your advantage like TRiO SSS, Academic Advisors, TRiO SSS Advisors, TRiO SSS Tutors, Student Success Center Tutors, Peer Mentors, Career Center, Student Success Center, R.A.’s, and even your professor’s office hours.
Some suggestions that you might find useful are:
- Set goals
- Write things down.
- Review your list.
- Have an inbox.
- Start something.
- Find balance.
- Manage stress.
- Have support.
- Stay positive.
- Focus on your reason for attending college.
- Think about your reason for coming to USFSP.
- Think about your reason for getting help from TRiO SSS.
- Avoid “make work” activities.
- Know yourself.
- Check campus resources.
I found these great websites that have tips for managing the last month of the semester (check them out!):
http://blog.chegg.com/2011/10/27/20-tips-for-managing-the-last-month-of-the-semester/
Money Tips & Tricks $$$
Have you wanted to start saving money but when you do actually try, you end up like: 
We all have looked for money saving techniques, tips, and tricks so we can use the money other places for a fun outing, spending time with friends or roomies, or for a future event! But how does one simply start saving?Do your homework by researching first! Simply Google or even on Pinterest type in good key words like “money saving college students” it’s not too general or too specific and will give you plenty of resources at a moments notice.
Then look through the various articles for what they say you can do and find points that are relevant to you. For example if you don’t own a car and a tip is about driving the speed limit or checking the tires’ air pressure then this tip will have no relevance to you and won’t help you save additional dollars.
Then make a list of things you can do to save money in addition to the list (with price amounts) of what you want to use this money, for example I could save money by having my friends come over to my place (instead of going out) for a fun evening of re-run movies or catching up with a meal like going to Publix (looking at advertisements and coupons) for inspiration for my meal, a simple one could be pasta so buying the noodles, and sauce, the additional pasta could be saved for leftovers for another night!
Here are some helpful tips for saving money:
- Buy or rent used textbooks and sell last semester’s books back. There are a number of used textbooks organizations like Chegg, Amazon, Half.
- Don’t make impulse purchases.
- Never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry.
- Limit the number of times you eat out monthly.
- Make your own coffee. While coffee shops are convenient, they charge hefty prices that really add up over time.
- Consider becoming a resident advisor. Many get free room and board.
- If you have a student credit card, pay it back on time. You don’t want to have that bad credit for the rest of your life. But be careful of which card you decide to get, you don’t want to apply for one that will cost you all of your money in fees.
- Choose your meal plan carefully based on how much you eat and how often. If you don’t eat 21 meals a week, don’t get that plan. There’s lots of options for a reason.
- Find alternative transport instead of having a car. walk, bike, take a subway or bus, there’s always options.
- Ask places if they have student discounts and shop at those places. You’d be surprised at how many places offer discounts when you have a student ID. Also, don’t forget to check out Studentrate for tons of deals and discounts.
- Drink water. It’s free at restaurants and I’m sure every college in America has water fountains. Splurge on a water bottle, mine was only $12, and it lasts you way longer than a soda or plastic water bottles .
- Don’t buy music. Use things like Pandora or Spotify that you can use for free. Or if you have the new iPhone update, they now have iTunes radio.
- Make meals with your friends and split the grocery bill. I know from experience that most recipes you make will be enough for more than just one person anyway. And it’s more fun to cook with someone than by yourself. Be sure to use leftovers!
- Continuously apply for scholarships. The more scholarships you win, the more money you won’t have to pay for college, allowing you to spend it elsewhere. Studentrate has scholarships you can apply to here.
- Limit how many times you eat out. I know we all get tired of the cafeteria food or making food for ourselves, but it really helps save you a lot of money to avoid eating out at restaurants except for special occasions.
There are many things that you can do but here are some awesome links
to help get you started on your money saving tips!:
http://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/3968-30-money-saving-tips-for-students
http://www.usfsp.edu/blog/2013/01/28/saving-money-tips-for-college-students/
http://www.shmoop.com/college/save-money-in-college.html
http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/college-planning/financial-aid/college-savings.htm
http://www.srtrends.com/25-tips-save-money-college/
http://bargainbriana.com/5-college-saving-tips-for-students/
Some of the best coupon websites are:
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://www.priceblink.com/webcpns/browser-add-on/
Passion For Savings | The Best Black Friday Deals & Coupons for Saving Money
http://www.priceblink.com/webcpns/browser-add-on/
For entertainment deals:
Don’t forget to watch TLC’s Extreme Couponing show for tips and
inspiration from people who coupon too!
http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/extreme-couponing
You can also look for apps on your smartphone!
Soon enough you’ll become like:
Updated TRiO SSS Tutoring Times!
TRIO SSS TUTORS
TYLER NICK
UPDATED SPRING 2015 SCHEDULE:
| TRiO | SSS | Spring | 2015 | Tutoring | Schedule |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| Nick | 5-6pm | * | 5-6pm | 5-6pm | 3:30-4:30pm |
| (Drop in/appt.) | * | * | * | ||
| Tyler | 11-1pm | 10-1pm | 10-1pm | 10-1pm | |
| & 4-6pm | & 4-6pm |
*Drop in OR by Appointment!*
Tutoring Subjects
Nick: Chemistry I & II, Physics I & II, Biology I & II, Stats I
Tyler: College Algebra, Pre-Calc, Business Calc, Business Stats I
& II, Financial & Managerial Accounting, Finance, and more!
*Call to schedule an appointment, or drop by today!*
Apps & Websites to help you!
There are so many apps and websites that can help you as a college student.
Nicole had mentioned a few in our newsletter last month so some she mentioned were StudentRate, OpenStudy, Half.com, SelfControl, Quizlet, Notella, and Ted.
StudentRate helps with budgeting, finding discounts and steal deals. OpenStudy helps you become part of study groups when studying for exams. Half.com can help you save money by buying textbooks online. Quizlet helps you study using studying tools in a fun way with the help of flashcards online. Notella can help you with taking notes fast. Ted can help you get ideas and resource for projects in addition to being motivational and informative.
A few others that I found to be interesting are:
SelfControl that helps you staying on task by blocking certain websites when studying for a set amount of time as we all can get distracted especially with social networks.
Chegg is also another website to help you save money when buying or renting textbooks.
Duolingo can help student learn new words, get ready for tests and exams, while completing various tasks to improve your knowledge for study language.
Dragon Diction will instantly transform your words into text.
Some websites that list great websites and apps for you to use are:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/25-apps-college-students-shouldnt-live-without.html
http://education-portal.com/articles/25_Legitimately_Useful_Sites_for_College_Students.html
I hope these apps and websites will help you out with your studies!
Wellness Week
Even though Wellness Week has been going already, you can still spend time at the events. Look at the calendar below to see what is going on for the rest of Wellness Week! Take advantage of all the free stuff while getting Pete Points!
Interested in Law School? Awesome Opportunity!
What: FREE pre-law seminars sponsored by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), a nonprofit entity of the American Bar Association
When: Saturday March 7, 2015
Where: Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL
How: Register on the CLEO website at: http://www.cleoscholars.com/index.cfm
(Links to an external site.)
- Freshmen, register for The Road to Law School
- Sophomores, register for Sophomore Super Saturdays
- Juniors and Seniors register for Juniors Jumpstart the LSAT
A bit more info from their website: “The purpose of the CLEO College Scholars Program to identify, motivate and prepare students for a career in the legal profession. The College Scholars program aims to help low-income, minority and otherwise disadvantaged students become competitive law school applicants. Committed students can learn how to successfully navigate the law school admission process and underwrite their success in law school by participating in the College Scholars program.”
Thanks Monica Edwards for sharing this out! 🙂
Student Government Elections/Debate
Hey everyone,
Just in case you haven’t seen all the writings in chalk on campus or the messages on Facebook, Student Government is having elections soon, so that means today/ Thursday there will be Student Government Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates Debates. 5 PM, Davis 130. Make sure you know who you will be voting for and what their message is or what they are campaigning so attend the debate and talk to the candidates before you vote.
Hope you all will take part in getting to know the candidates and seeing the debate.
Upcoming Peer Mentor Workshops! (February)
Hello everyone,
Hope you all have had a few great weeks back! This semester Peer Mentors Tiffany and Nicole will be creating, planning, and hosting workshops each month so make sure to check them out and attend them!
For the month of February the peer mentors will be hosting:
“What do I need Before I select a Program of Study?” Peer Mentor Workshop
Fri, February 20, 3pm – 4pm
How to Add More Positivity in Your Life (PM Workshop)
Mon, February 23, 9am – 10am
How to be a Sustain-a-Bull Student (PM Workshop)
Mon, February 23, 2pm – 3pm
How do I Set Savings Goals? (PM Workshop)
Thu, February 26, 4pm – 5pm
So keep an eye out on Canvas for information on upcoming workshops and peer mentor workshops. Also keep track of when the workshops are so you can attend them! Hope to see you there! 🙂
TRiOSSS_Bull_Talks 