Getting the Most Out of Your Study/Travel Abroad Experience

No.1:  Prepare before you go so you can extend your stay.  Make friends with an international student from the country you hope to visit.  Research and prepare a quick reference country summary before you go. Besides your English version resume(CV), consider preparing a resume in the language of the country you seek.  See samples.  Go here and click on the region where you will go for tips. Bring at least one business attire outfit to wear for possible interviews.  Fill in with additional clothing from local area as needed.  Obtain at least one reference from a previous employer you can have on hand to document your credentials. Acquire a local mobile phone.  Create your own business card with your degree and a short objective.

No.2:  Check the UCSB EAP (Education Abroad Program) website for Beyond the Classroom options in the country you want for internships; field based research projects and/or volunteer options.  Start early on your quest for internships before and the moment you arrive.

No.3:  Move beyond your comfort zone. Consider a home stay arrangement.  Join student clubs where the majority our local area students (i.e., AIESEC, Model UN). Join a multicultural student work team as part of your assigned classroom projects. Check out International Jobs and Internships at: http://www.ihipo.com/ (more…)

Find Your Strength(s)

When you Google “tips on keeping your resolutions,” there are 26,000,000 hits.  Despite all the advice out there, most of us break our New Year’s resolutions.  In fact, when you Google “Why do we break our resolutions,” you get 26,800,000 hits!

I don’t have any magic resolution-keeping advice.  But I do have a suggestion… Find out what you’re already good at – your strengths.

Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman defined 24 possible strengths in their book “Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Clarification.”  They fall under 6 categories:

• Wisdom and Knowledge – Cognitive strengths that entail the collection and use of knowledge
• Courage – Emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal
• Humanity – Interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others
• Justice – Civic strengths that underlie healthy community life
• Temperance – Strengths that protect against excess
• Transcendence – Strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning (more…)

UCSB Helps You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Welcome to a new year, Gauchos!  May your year be full of meaning, self-discovery, growth, helping others, productivity and hope.

USA.gov lists this year’s popular New Year’s resolutions.  If any match yours, there are UCSB resources that may help you achieve them.

Lose Weight

Student Health has two registered dietitians who can help you come up with a healthy, personalized plan to manage your weight.  Confidential appointments: 805-893-3371.

Manage Debt

Save Money

I’m not aware of any official student debt management workshops on campus.  If you know of any please post them in the comments below. Until then, have a laugh with Steve Martin in this SNL skit. (more…)

H1N1 Vaccine is Here!

First things first:

H1N1 vaccine is available for all UCSB students 24 years old or younger. Limited supply — first come first served. The cost of the vaccine is $10.00 billed to BA/RC.

Tuesday, 11/24 10am – 4pm – Student Health – please enter the building on the parking lot side (lot #25).

In addition, we will continue our regularly scheduled flu shot clinics (Student Health classrooms 1 & 2, Tues 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and Friday 1:30-3:30 p.m.) for both seasonal and H1N1 flu as long as our supplies last. Please continue to check our website for updated times to get your flu vaccinations. (more…)

The Great American Smokeout

One of my favorite songs is The Weepies’ Nobody Knows Me At All. Sample lyrics:

“Now I got lots of friends,
Yes, but then again,
Nobody knows me at all.
Kids and a wife,
It’s a beautiful life,
Nobody knows me at all.”

Being misunderstood sucks.

Along those lines, I think one of the most misunderstood things is addiction.  People assume that a person with an addiction isn’t taking enough personal responsibility or isn’t using enough willpower.  But few understand the cravings or withdrawal symptoms that cause one to relapse. (more…)

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