Month: December 2019

By: Tatiana Sosa & Morgan Erickson

With the end of the fall semester, many of us will catch a breather and enjoy time with family and friends, or maybe even stay in bed all day watching movies. To that end, here are some of our favorite holiday movies.

“Elf”

A family friendly comedy classic starring Will Ferrell who plays the Elf that ventures to New York City in hopes of reconnecting with his real father. As he has been told by Santa himself, he was put up for adoption and now has to face barriers as he tries to fit in with his new family. This is our number one favorite holiday movie.

“ Home Alone”

Another great comedy classic to watch with the family. The main character in the movie, 8 year-old Kevin McCallister, is played by Macaulay Culkin who acts bratty the night before his family leaves for Paris for Christmas and he accidently gets left behind and is “home alone.” During his time at home, Kevin faces trouble with two con men who are trying to burglarize the McCallister home.

”Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”

In this film, Kevin mistakenly gets on a plane to New York City while the rest of his family is on their way to Florida for the family holiday vacation. He stays at the fancy Plaza Hotel and ends up meeting with the same two burgulars. What does he do? He tries to stop them from stealing from a toy store on Christmas Eve.

“The Grinch”

The Grinch is a newer animated version of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” The storyline remains the same – the Grinch in no fan of Christmas. After he steals Christmas from the people of Whoville, he realizes that gifts are not what Christmas is all about. Instead, being with family and friends is what is important. Cindy Lou Who invites the Grinch to Christmas dinner with her family and his heart is whole again.

“A Christmas Prince”

A Christmas Prince is one of our personal favorites. If you enjoy cheesy Hallmark movies, be sure to put this one on your list! (There are also two sequels: A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, as well as A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby.) In the first movie, a journalist named Amber travels to Europe to write an article on Prince Richard. When she arrives at the royal castle, she is mistaken as the American tutor for the prince’s younger sister. Amber goes along with playing the part of tutor and she becomes very close with Prince Richard and the rest of the royal family. Can you guess the ending? We bet that you can!

More holiday movies to enjoy:

1. Home Alone 3
2. Polar Express
3. Four Christmases
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
5. The Santa Clause
6. Arthur Christmas
7. Bad Santa
8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
9. Miracle on 34th Street
10. Jingle All the Way
11. A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding
12. A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby

 

By Angelina Anderson, biology major and honors student

As the fall semester comes to a close and the holiday season is upon us, there is a lot to do in and around the Chicagoland area, especially if you are staying in town for winter break. Whether you’re from Chicago or not, you can definitely find something new and interesting to do in the coming winter months.

I recently ventured out to the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza for some hot chocolate. Even though I am a Chicagoland native, this was my first time visiting this famous spot and I was fascinated to see all of the booths with different ornaments, decorations, and handmade items.

Other attractions in Chicago are the outdoor ice skating rinks located throughout the city and  suburbs. Just two of my favorite rinks are the one in Maggie Daley Park on the ribbon walk way and the rink at McCormick Plaza. Whether you know how to skate or not, outdoor ice skating can be a blast. You can rent skates at many of these locations, too.

Another fantastic sight this time of year is Chicago’s Christmas tree lit up and decorated in Millennium Park. Each year a tree is picked to decorate Millennium Park and this year’s tree hails from Elgin, just west of Roosevelt’s Schaumburg Campus. And the Brookfield Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Morton Arboretum are also known for their holiday decorations and fun.

Does the holiday season make you want to sing? Join in the fun at Caroling at Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. And finally, you can finish up the holiday festivities at Navy Pier’s Winter Wonder Market.

If you will be in the Chicagoland area for winter break, be sure to bundle up and try out some of Chicago’s winter holiday traditions and events!

For more information about winter events in and around Chicago, consult TimeOutChicago. (All photos courtesy of TimeOut Chicago.)

 

By Amy Holm, junior

Hi, my name is Amy Holm. I’m a junior transfer student studying the history of medicine. I’ve developed different study strategies over time that I would like to share with you.

1. Time management is hogwash.

This might be surprising to you, but if you concentrate on time management, all you’ll do is feel guilty about the time you’ve “wasted.” Don’t get me wrong, finding hidden time in your day to do your homework is great! If you can concentrate on studying while on a train or bus, more power to you. But if you’re stressing about how little time you have, then get rid of the time management mindset. In fact, try to forget time exists and focus simply on the task you have to accomplish.

2. Multitasking is also hogwash.

Focus on one task at a time and the quality of your work will go WAY up.  You’ll get your work done faster and you’ll increase your productivity if you stop multitasking. If you task switch, your productivity goes down 40% according to this Psychology Today article. Start one task and finish it before going on to the next task. Multitasking also encourages forgetfulness, procrastination, and feelings of loss of control. Multitasking causes stress and can cause insomnia by putting your brain on overdrive.

3. The Pomodoro Method

This method is where you do your work in 25 minute intervals and take small breaks in-between. I generally use this method when I’m studying for an exam because only so much information can be absorbed in my brain at one time. My breaks are usually only 5 minutes; enough time to make some tea, use the bathroom, or clean my workspace. Then I go right back to work. But there is a small rule for the Pomodoro method: do not use your breaks to be on your smartphone. Using your smartphone does not represent a true break for your brain. Instead, stretch, meditate, or try one of my tips and then get right back to work!

4. Which is most important task?

Take a piece of paper and list all of the tasks you have to do. Then start categorizing them into four sections:

• Urgent and important.
• Urgent but not important.
• Not urgent, but important
• Not urgent and not important.

This method will help you determine which tasks you should concentrate on first.

5. Procrastination?

Verbalize your excuses and create the 5-minute plan. Only work on a task for 5 minutes and do whatever else you want to do. Usually it’s beginning a task that is the most problematic. Procrastination is where you’re so stressed out over a task that you ignore it completely hoping it will go away. My method is to just dig in to the task because otherwise my stress will become much worse. Once you start, you could very well forget that you were supposed to do it for only 5 minutes and end up completing the task.

6. Sleep

Do not do homework in bed and do not sleep at your desk! Otherwise you are training yourself to be awake in bed and to sleep on hard surfaces. Sleep is a lot more important than most college students realize. Everything you just studied? You won’t retain it without sleep. I would rather go over some material and go to sleep than try to cram everything in my brain and get no sleep. Avoid naps, no caffeine after 3 p.m., stop using technology 30 minutes before bedtime, and avoid oversleeping, too.

7. Caffeine

I also try to avoid caffeine as a way to stay awake. Caffeine can cause dehydration and one of the main symptoms of dehydration is fatigue. Large quantities of caffeine can induce behavioral depression, which results in sleepiness and decreased performance. Caffeine burns calories as it stimulates insulin production, leading to a sudden drop in blood sugar and feelings of lethargy.

8. Learn your learning style.

Some people can only learn when they move! Some are more visual learners; some are audio learners; and some can only really learn by reading. Some people have to have visual and audio to learn; some people can only learn things when they’re alone, while others learn best by group  study. Find out what actually works for you and find out the strategies that work best for the way you learn!

9. Trying to concentrate

Keep a concentration score-sheet. Whenever your mind wanders, check a mark on the sheet. This reminds you to get back to work and helps encourage self-observation. Find a location that is made for studying. It needs to be somewhere quiet and well lit. Put your smartphone out of sight and out of mind.

10. Ask for help!

If you do not understand a concept or if you are having trouble figuring out how to complete a task, go to your professor’s office hours; go to the learning commons; get a peer mentor. You can’t do everything yourself and that’s okay! People are there to help you succeed.