Final Exams Week: Seven Steps for Successful Studying

Yesterday was the last day of regular classes for the spring term at UNC Charlotte and everyone is starting to feel a bit overwhelmed and stressed about the final exams week. As these finals are approaching (fairly rapidly too), many students are starting to wonder how they will be able to finish all the last minute projects and studying in time for the big evaluation. I compiled a list of 7 tips that will help you survive the next few days:

1. Start early: Don't wait until the last minute to start studying for your exams. Many studies have shown that cramming everything last minute pushes information into short-term memory rather than long-term memory and you will forget everything once the exam is over. For a more success way to retain information, start studying at least one week before your exam.  

2. Shed some commitments: Try to limit your unnecessary social and family obligations for the next week. Explain to your friends and family how important these exams are for your future career. They will be understanding and the extra hours of studying will help you get a good grade.

3. Know your study style: Are you a morning person? Do you study better at night? In addition, there are a number of techniques that can help you improve the information retention rate: highlight your notes and textbook; read your notes out loud; rewrite your notes; use flashcards and concept maps; and develop mnemonic devices. Use the strategy/strategies that are the most appropriate for your learning style.

4. Take breaks: The recommended 30 to 50 minutes of studying with 10 minutes break strategy will help you improve your studying. Taking a walk and stretch will let your body and mind relax so you can be ready for another study session. If you can take a longer break, hit the gym. You will not only relief the stress you accumulated, but exercising will make you focus better.

5. Vanish from distractions: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media platforms can be a real distraction from your studies. If you know you will be tempted to get on Facebook (or any of the other platforms), inactivate your account for a few days. This will allow you to focus all your energy on your upcoming exam instead of your News Feed.

6. Eat and sleep well: A healthy balanced diet and a good night sleep (6-8h/night) will help you maintain a high energy level and improve your concentration. Include dark green leafy veggies, whole grains, and fish or eggs in your diet. For high-energy snack, have some yogurt, cheese and crackers, tuna, veggies, hummus and trail mix readily available.

7. Reward yourself: After finishing an exam, take a little break and reward yourself with a few hours of downtime before studying for your next exam. Once the final exams week is over, celebrate your accomplishments with your classmates, friends, and family members.

Hope you will find these steps useful and....GOOD LUCK for the upcoming week!

2013 Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society Induction Ceremony

On Friday, April 19, 2013, 80 undergraduate and graduate students from the Belk College of Business attended the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society induction ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel uptown Charlotte to be recognized for their outstanding academic achievements and celebrate their accomplishments with their family and friends. In addition, the Belk College of Business honored two distinguished community leaders: Anu Brookins, VP for Customer Relationship Management at Belk,Inc. and John Tuders, SVP for Products and Payments Innovation Executive at Bank of America.

From right to left: Anu Brookins, VP at Belk,Inc. and John Tuders, SVP at Bank of America,
 receiving their honorary induction into Beta Gamma Sigma

Founded in 1913 on four core principles - honor, integrity, pursuit of wisdom, and earnestness - Beta Gamma Sigma is the only international business honor society that honors academic achievement among undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students at AACSB International accredited institutions. Membership in BGS is by invitation only and, each semester, the Belk College of Business extends an invitation to the top 10% (based on GPA) of the undergraduate junior and senior class and top 20% (based on GPA) of the graduate level class.

Graduate student Sihem Le Pape receiving her Beta Gamma Sigma certificate
from Dr. Christie Amato, Belk College of Business Associate Dean

The benefits of being a member of BGS:

     1. Peer and future employer recognition: a large number of employers and recruiters are aware of BGS and the high standards it upholds; your membership with BGS shows your future employers your commitment to excellence and your outstanding academic record;

     2. Networking opportunities: with a worldwide membership base of over 700,000 members, 500 collegiate chapters and 27 alumni chapters, BGS offers its members a variety of opportunities to connect and network with like-minded individuals from all over the world; the local Charlotte chapter has been very active and it provides a great avenue to meet other local community leaders;

    3. Career assistance: BGS provides scholarship opportunities for graduate students at partner university; in addition, it offers a variety of online professional career development resources (e.g. professional career job boards, career advice, graduate school fairs).

Undergraduate student Andrew Smith receiving his Beta Gamma Sigma certificate
from Dr. Christie Amato, Belk College of Business Associate Dean

Congratulations to all our newly inducted Beta Gamma Sigma members!



2013 job market trends for international students

When it comes to employment opportunities in the US, international students are generally constrained by a number of policies and regulations that make employers hesitant to hire them. However, there are a few resources out there that can help internatinal students better prepare themselves for future employment in the US by choosing the a career path and industry in which international students can be in high demand.

Last week, I attended an informational workshop put together by the International Student/Scholar Office that presented strategies international students can implement to possibly secure employment positions beyond their OPT months. In his presentation, the Associate Director at the University Career Center, James Novak, mentioned some statistics from a job outlook report; so, when I got home I did a little bit of research and here it is.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) put together a 2013 Job Outlook report that can help students find important trends in the US job market. As an international student, I find this report to be of particular interest and hope others can find it useful as well (there is a lot of great information for college/master students in general -- so, check it out)

In 2013, about 28.1% of respondents (US employers) plan to hire international students, especially those graduating with computer science and information technology degrees. In the last few years, this number has followed an upper trend which sounds very promising for international students who want to pursue employment in the US. Below is a breakdown of the hiring plans of international students by industry:

NACE 2013 Job Outlook Report - International student hiring plans, by industry

Another interesting graph to look at is the international student hiring plans by region:

NACE 2013 Job Outlook Report - International student hiring plans, by region

As I look over this, I wish I would've known about this report earlier in my academic career. It could've saved me quite a few struggles along the way. However, I'm glad to see that the Southeast region of the US is seeing an increase in employers planning to hire international students.

One encouraging stat for my fellow MBA students: the 2012-2013 average signing bonus (projected) for MBA graduates is $16,583. We are definitely in the right field of studies! :)

What are your thoughts about these trends?

Spring Break is over....now back into the school groove!!

It is almost the middle of March; my last Spring Break as a graduate student is over and I’m half way through my MBA program: where did the time fly by? I can see the light at the end of the tunnel shinning brighter and brighter at me.

As much as I enjoy being a graduate student, I do miss my little vacation! Since this was my last Spring Break ever (don’t see myself actually pursuing a PhD program!), I decided to make it big: together with a classmate, we decided to go on a 5-day cruise to Bahamas! And we had a blast!!! The nice weather, great food, amazing scenery, and an overall relaxing atmosphere made it so much harder to get back into the groove of studying, doing homework, and working on assignments and case studies when we got back!

But now it’s back to reality: I have a midterm and a project coming up, trying to keep up with my other 3 classes and my graduate assistant work, and still looking for the right internship for the summer: so much to do, so little time!!

If there is something I learned from this Spring Break is that taking an entire week off  from your school work during a full load semester (even if it is for a relaxing Spring Break) is not recommended while in graduate school. The anxiety of having to catch up and never feeling like you can get ahead is not the best of feelings; especially not after a great vacation.

But I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to not only pursue a master degree in a field I love and better prepare myself for future endeavors but also build long lasting friendships with my classmates!

Belk, Inc announces $5milion gift to the Belk College of Business

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a monumental event in the history of the Belk College of Business. The Charlotte, NC-based Belk, Inc. showed its continuous support for UNC Charlotte by offering an extremely generous gift to the Belk College of Business: $5million over the next 5 years. The gift is comprised of 4 components: endowed professorship in business innovation, endowed chair in marketing analytics, Belk Scholars program, and faculty research and teaching grants. This multi-dimensional, multi-year relationship will be instrumental in educating the upcoming generations of students to help solve the business problems of the future. 

John Belk making the big announcement

What does all this mean to a current business student or an upcoming student? In my opinion, this gift speaks volumes not only on the university and college's reputation, but also on Belk, Inc.'s commitment to invest in innovation and the business leaders of tomorrow. I am proud of my decision to earn my MBA from an institution that has such great ties with the business community and provides such unique opportunities for its students and faculty. Innovation and business analytics are two very important upcoming areas in the business world and, as a college that prides itself with offering top-quality programs, Belk College of Business would only increase its status by offering such great programs. As more and more companies recognize the importance of innovation and data mining and analysis, the Belk College of Business upcoming students would be able to have an advantage having studied and researched these hot topic fields.

Chancellor Dubois, Thomas Belk Jr. (Belk, Inc Chairman and CEO), David Plath (UNC Charlotte student), Kelsey Young (UNC Charlotte student), John Belk (Belk, Inc. President and COO), Dean Steve Ott, and Courtnee Spence (UNC Charlotte student).



Tips for a healthy lifestyle

As a graduate assistant in the Graduate Student Services Office for the Belk College of Business, I have the opportunity to attend some of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce events in order to promote our graduate programs. At these events not only do I get to interact with individuals in the Charlotte metro area business community, but also listen to inspirational messages from community leaders.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a Chamber event in the Ballantyne area. The topic for that particular luncheon was living a healthy lifestyle in a stressful corporate world. The "corporate athlete" exhibits almost the same traits as the student-athlete or professional athlete. And in order to maximize his/her performance, the corporate athlete needs to experience a balanced lifestyle which includes but it's not limited to exercising and healthy nutrition. As a current MBA student and future corporate athlete myself, this was an extremely useful lesson to learn early on.

Jennifer Brunelli, MS RD LDN, former swimmer at University of South Carolina and currently Sports Dietitian for the Carolinas Healthcare System, delivered a very motivational message. Even just a few weeks into our new year's resolutions, we tend to slip away from our commitments with ourselves. Jennifer challenged us to change our way of thinking about our new year's resolutions and gave us a series of "easy" steps that will help us break the failing cycle and succeed in our "living a healthy lifestyle" endeavors:

1. Be realistic in the resolutions and goals you are trying to accomplish
2. Make it easier on yourself to follow through with your plan (sign up for a closer gym, plan and prepare your meals ahead of time)
3. Take baby steps and do not do too much too soon (make one change in your diet now, then make the rest one at a time)
4. Hold yourself accountable by telling others about your goals and plans and writing them down
5. Create a strong support system of family and friends who will help you through the hard times

Do you have any other tips that might help in our commitments to live a healthier lifestyle?

Back to reality...

It is January 9, 2013...first day of classes! After three weeks of a much needed vacation, I am back to the reality of being a graduate student: 4 classes, an internship, graduate assistant work, and hopefully some time for extracurricular activities. As I look over the course syllabi, I'm trying not to get too overwhelmed by the amount of coursework material due this semester. But before I know it...the semester will be over; so, I have to make the best of it!

The holiday break gave me an opportunity to relax and catch up on some lost sleep, enjoy the time with my family and friends along with some amazing Romanian food, and read my books I've started earlier in the fall semester before the craziness kicked in. It was a time of reflection on a year that just ended, with the ups and downs and the lessons learned, as well as the upcoming year, with new resolutions and goals I want to attain. Whenever I am at home for the holidays, I tend to be worry-free. However, as soon as I made it back to Charlotte, it was back to being a responsible adult.

As the classes are about to start, I look forward to getting to know my professors and my new classmates, gaining new skills and valuable knowledge, and taking advantage of the opportunities I'll encounter this semester.

I'm ready for another semester of fun and coffee! Are you ready?