Free Podcast 2 - Dealing with Distractions

Next up on our list of free podcast, is dealing with distractions!
Go pick it up today by clicking here

Free Podcast 1

For a limited time only we will be offering some of our podcasts for free!

Each week we will be releasing a new podcast on a different topic that you can download and listen to.  We just ask that you like our Facebook page to get the word out about our new series of podcast!
They are only about 3 minutes long each but drive home many concepts such as:

• The secrets of how to use the syllabus to ace exams
• Preparing for Exams
• Dealing with Procrastination
• Rethinking Success
• Adapting to the University Workload
• Building Smart Memory
• Dealing with exam anxiety
•  ...and many more! 

As a warning we will be removing these podcast at the end of each week, so be sure to grab them while you can!

Podcast 1

The Importance of Breakfast for University Students

A scientific review of the importance of breakfast for university students.

What you need to know.

It has been drilled into our heads time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Despite this constant drone of healthiness we (the University student population) constantly miss breakfast for various reasons. We think that the extra 15 minutes of sleep is more important to our "focus" or that cutting back on those early morning calories can help us loses some weight. Sadly the truth of the matter is that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day for a university student due mainly to its connections to one major psychological construct: Willpower.

Breakfast provides the body with glucose which has a direct relation to the amount of willpower a person has (or so the studies seem to say). There are varying theories of how this works, but in general there is a correlation between glucose in the morning and willpower throughout the day.  Willpower is important as it has a direct connection to the ability to focus on a task or resist distractions, both of which are vital to the study habits of a student.

In fact this increased willpower through the day is one of the reasons why people that eat breakfast tend to be at a healthier weight. For a long time it was believed that not having breakfast lead to the body’s metabolism slowing down, but this is a myth as it would take 3-4 days without food for a body’s metabolism to go into “starvation mode”. In actuality people that eat breakfast in the morning have a higher amount of willpower so are less likely to eat something unhealthy for lunch or overeat at lunch to make up for the calories lost not having breakfast.

Now some of our more scientifically minded readers might ask the question: "how does this works exactly?"

To be honest, there is a lot of debate on this subject and no-one knows the answer for sure. 

Basic convention of body energy allocation states that glucose is not used when willpower or self-control is used.  Despite this, many studies suggest a reserve of energy created by glucose that is used whenever willpower is exerted (Gailliot & Baumeister, 2007). This thus suggests a daily supply of willpower/self-regulation that can be depleted throughout the day (perhaps this is why we make our best decisions in the day and our worst at night).  This theory is known as the “Energy Model of Self-control”.

Counter to the above theory is another theory suggesting that glucose activates the dopamine pathways in the striatum (an area of the brain that is associated with responses to rewards), thus readying the body for the possibility of reward (Molden et al. 2012). What makes this study interesting is that it is based on detection of glucose in the mouth and not the presence of glucose in the blood stream. This means one could technically just wash out their mouth with sugar water to bolster their focus or willpower and  suffer no calories or sugar-crash effects from it. Even with this in mind it is important for the body to have a source of slow digesting carbohydrate or you would have to wash your mouth out with sugar fairly often.  This model is known as the “Motivational Effect of Carbohydrates” model.

But the one thing both of these have in common is that there is a definite correlation between glucose and self-regulation/willpower.

So what does this all mean?

Eat a piece of whole wheat toast in the morning and maybe throw in an egg and some fruit juice. Grab a handful of nuts or fruits for an hour later and you should be good. 

Really it is that simple. 

A good slow digesting carbohydrate will allow a gradual release of glucose as opposed to a sudden burst as is the case with simple carbs (White bread, sugar, most breakfast cereals with a cartoon character on the box). This quick burst tends to leads to "super" increased levels of glucose throughout the body, triggering the pancreas to react and release insulin…thus making you sleepy and sapping the glucose out of your blood stream. 

So in short – Eating something good for breakfast can lead to you getting higher grades and losing weight. Really what is there not to love about breakfast?

Websites Cited:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/200903/self-regulation-failure-part-4-8-tips-strengthen-willpower

http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/breakfast.htm

http://www.helpwithcooking.com/healthy-eating/breakfast-guide.html

Studies Cited:

Molden D.C., Hui C.M., Scholer A.A., Meier B.P., Noreen E.E., D'Agostino P.R. & Martin V. (2012, October 1).  Motivational versus metabolic effects of carbohydrates on self-control. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1137-1144.

Gailliot, M. T., & Baumeister, R. F. (2007, November). The Physiology of Willpower: Linking Blood Glucose to Self-Control. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11(4), 303-327.

Take Back the Term

Take back the term is day long workshop centered around improving your academic standing in school. But here is the kicker, it is completely FREE.

That is right FREE!

To Register and to find out more info check out: This Link

Midterms Drive

First Year Tips from a Recent Graduate

First Year Tips from a Recent Graduate (With a Job!)

The first year of University can be daunting. You are entering a massive school and know next to no one. You know how to handle highschool but University is COMPLETELY different.

BUT FEAR NOT!

Here are some tips that I found helped me or I wish I knew about upon entering the University of Alberta.

1. GET IT DONE EARLY -

This doesn't only apply to assignments, but to life! Get up early, be the first in line for your ONEcards or text books, if the line looks like more than a 20 minute wait, wait till a dead zone (times when most people are in class) or till next morning. Dont waste your time, get up early and use your time as effectively as possible. If possible try to pick your text books up before classes start so that you can get it done before the rush and get second hand text books for cheap.

2. KNOW YOUR LIMITS -

If you know you are not a morning person don't register for an early morning class. I know this sounds simple logic, but I dont know how many times I have heard "I can adapt to being a morning person" followed 3 weeks later with "So I dropped that class....". Same goes with night classes, unless you have the ability to sit through 3 hours class marathon, avoid them. It all comes down to knowing yourself.

3. TALK TO YOUR ACADEMIC ADVISER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE -

Try to get a one-on-one meeting as soon as possible with an adviser. This will give you the framework you need to build your future class schedule and get you going in the right direction. IF YOU CHANGE YOUR FACULTY AT ANY TIME, TALK TO A STUDENT ADVISER OF THE FACULTY AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS OK ON THEIR END (this mistake cost me about $2000 and an extra year of school).

4. TAKE PART IN WEEK OF WELCOME! -

It is a great chance to meet people and get free food/swag.

5. JOIN A CAMPUS CLUB, INTRAMURAL SPORT OR THE GREEK SCENE -

Week of welcome is a great chance to test out some of these clubs and activities. Being part of a campus group will help you not only make friends with similar interests but create a support network that will help you grow as a person.

The University of Alberta is also home to many fraternities and sororities, which not only give you the opportunity to make friends but also network with a strong group of Alumni that are no longer part of the group. They are also not based around a single activity or ideology allowing them to be inclusive of many different people regardless of religious beliefs or athletic skills.
Here are some other interesting facts on Greek Societies:

• Nationally, fraternity members acquire grade point averages above all other college men's scholastic rankings.
• Nationally, fraternity members have an overall higher graduation rate than non-Greeks.  71% of all fraternity men persist to graduation while only 50% of all non-fraternity members graduate.
• All but two U.S. Presidents since 1825 have been fraternity men, and 63% of the U.S. Presidents' cabinet members since 1900 have been fraternity men.
• Studies show that 76% of Congress, 71% of the men listed in "Who's Who in America", and 85% of the Fortune 500 executives belong to a fraternity.
• Since 1910, 85% of the Supreme Court Justices have been Greek.
• Greeks contribute innumerable community service hours and contributions to local and national charities annually.
•  The first Female Senator and Astronaut were Greeks
• The Greek system is the largest network of Volunteers in the US, with member donating over 10 million hours of volunteer service each year. 
• The UofA's entire slate of elected Student Union representatives are in fraternities

Source: http://www.commercekappasigs.com/ and http://www.njit.edu/greeklife/directory/facts.php

6. HAVE FUN, JUST DONT GO OVER BOARD-

You wont want to be part of something that you don't enjoy. Make friends, enjoy the student life, get out and have fun, but university can be a training ground for alcoholism amongst many other horrible habits. Take the time to find fun outside of drinking. Also dont forget your foremost reason for being at the UofA is to graduate, dont let fun supersede that one main goal.

7. CHECK OUT THE STUDENT SUCCESS CENTRE!

The Student success centre is a fantastic resource that is extremely underused at the undergrad level (grad students use it fairly frequently, that should tell you something). We offer workshops on everything from understanding Time Management for University to Individualized Writing Consultation to help you with that tough essay!
Check out more at : www.studentsuccess.ualberta.ca

Eating Cheap and Healthy!

How to Eat Cheap AND Healthy

Looking to eat well on campus but not spend a lot of money? The Environmental Working Group has made a guide book, that can be found here, that goes over not only recipes but buying strategies to ensure you live both cheaply and healthy. Check it out and have some more energy to get your study on!