You Won't Know Until You Ask

Image Courtesy of the WorkAtHomeWoman.com

I an so sick and tired of people asking me if they should do something. (No, I'm not...actually I love it). Here are some examples:

• Should I apply for ____ job?
• Should I do this program?
• Should I ask for money/to get paid?
• Should I network with ____ ?
• I want to get interested in ____. 

Girls, YES! If it's something you are interested in, THEN JUST APPLY. Here's why:

1. What's the worst thing they would say? No? I doubt anyone is going to say, "You're fired" or "I hate you, never talk to me again."
2. You aren't going to receive the opportunity unless you ask/apply.  When you look back on life, you're gunna say, "I should have just applied to MIT...even if I didn't get in....just to see if I could." I still regret not applying to MIT and Stanford for my undergraduate....
3. What are you losing by applying/asking? Nothing! In one instance, someone was working for free (which happens with research). Sure, you're getting experience...but you aren't going to lose pay you don't even have!
4. Even if you don't get it, you're name is out there. A few years back (freshman and sophomore year), I applied to every engineering internship possible.  I got a few interviews...but no internship. However, people still recognize me and see how I've grown over the years. Now, I go first on the pile because people recognize me.
5. If you aren't sure, just apply- you can deny later. Especially with jobs and internships, they expect people to make other plans/ get other internships/life happens. *psss* Also, you're likelihood of getting the ONLY thing you apply for is very small...you're likely not to get it anyway (no offense).

So stop asking me if you should do something, and just go do it! 

My motto: Do everything, but expect nothing. You'll eventually get something. :-D

-Serena

75 Most Empowering, Inspirational Quotes for Sassy, Kickass Women

 Source

Or Men. Inspirational in general. My sister sent this over to me earlier since I've haven't been feeling quite my best. It's a list of inspirational quotes to help you get over those moments when life has ceased pushing you down and is now laughing mirthlessly as you attempt to get back up.

http://www.yourlifeyourway.net/2011/10/10/75-most-empowering-inspirational-quotes-for-sassy-kickass-women/

Here are a few of my favorites:

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. – Maya Angelou.

Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion. -Oprah.

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming….. WOO HOO…. What a RIDE!”

Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that’s the one that is going to require the most from you – Caroline Myss.

If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don’t be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning ‘Good morning’ at total strangers. – Maya Angelou.

 Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. – Helen Keller.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. – Anais Nin.


Life is short, wear your party pants! – Loretta LaRoche.


Remember, no matter how bad it gets, there are always blue skies ahead.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Nerd Moment: Wind Turbines

Last Friday, Nassim and I volunteered at a local 6th grade class to show them "science."  Guess what we did? We made "mini-explosions" (which was baking soda and vinegar in plastic baggies....you can guess what happened), and we did the lovely Mentos-and-Coke....errr...experiment :-)

On our way back, total nerd moment by my part.  I was driving, dumpty, dumpty, dum.... and then I said, "WIND TURBINE BLADES! WIND TURBINE BLADES!!!!"

Nassim was like, "What? Where? There? Here?" She hadn't seen them before, hehehe. Well, this is what they look like.

Yep...they're massive.  So if you see massive white fixtures like these....that's how big the blades are.


Sidenote: I had awesome tacos this weekend (seen below), and even gained some weight. Was it worth it? Heck yes. Now I gotta work out...haha

Totally off-topic. But you should still be jelly. :-D
-Serena

The Truth about Breaks

Study Breaks.

We all take them. But we all know how easily a 10 minute study break turns into a 1 hour waste of time. Or longer. Trust me I do it all the time and I always regret it later.

Last week I told myself I'm going to watch the first 10 minutes of the 7th Harry Potter movie while I ate dinner. I ended up staying up til almost midnight to finish the movie and by that point I was too tired and had to go to bed to get up early to do the work I had neglected. What did I learn? 1) You cannot "just watch 10 minutes" of anything Harry Potter. 2) That movie is 130 minutes long, longer if you pause in the middle to see what actors/actresses are playing in now on imdb. 3) The enjoyment was not worth the colossal waste of time my night turned out to be.

So I give you this:


Nassim's list of appropriate study breaks that won't sabotage you:

Book: Completely not engineering (or whatever your major is) related. My current choice is Void by Rhiannon Lassitor. I've read it before so it's easier to stop and its a whole lot more exciting than my before-finals reality. 1 break = 1 chapter. Stick with that. Exercise self control and don't go beyond it.

Workout: A quick workout gets your blood going and gets your brain to focus once again. I'm not saying run a marathon, you can get in your full workout either early in the morning to wake yourself up or late at night when you just can't study any longer. I usually go for my run earlier then save my weight training or yoga for these times. Set a goal for these or just set a timer. Some ones I use are goals like 20 reptile pushups/60 sumo squats, or my 8x1 (8 exercises, 1 minute each) abs workout, or I run through a short Yoga circuit.

Make a Snack: Don't stand in front of the fridge and drool and wish someone would make you a sandwich. Actually make one and eat it. Don't read, don't sit around on facebook, just eat and go back to work. Smoothies are also fun. (I need to use this more, my breakfast time has become my catch-up-on-cop-shows time. Rookie Blue is back for Season 2!).

Draw: Doodle, you know how it works. It's how I made it through AP English without falling asleep.

Write: preferably by hand, away from the computer. Write whatever floats your boat. 

Clean: I am not a clean person. I keep things sanitary (I don't like bugs) but my room is usually at a state where it looks like a hurricane hit it. Putting a few things away at a time during breaks helps me clear my mind, keep me from injuring myself again tripping over something I can't see, and it keeps my roomate from strangling me in my sleep :) All things that make me happy. I also usually end up finding things I've been looking for.

You get the idea. The most important point is self control, it become easier with time. I have found for instance that I cannot play video games as a study break. I have no sense of self control when it comes to them and sometimes "I'll just stop at the next save point" lasts several hours. If I die before I get there (how is there always a boss battle before a save point) I feel it's unjust and I must keep trying until I get there.

If you really feel you need it, use a timer. I just find them irritating when I'm trying to focus on something actually enjoyable.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Trying Study Methods

Source

Let me say from experience that the best way to study is whatever works best for you. I tried molding my study habits to others standards and suggestions because that was "what worked for them" and this did not bode well for my grades. When you find a study habit that works for you, stick with it.

For example, I don't have the longest attention span, but when I get in my zone I am really focused. I tried doing the 9am to 9pm starbucks days, I tried making myself sit in the library, study between classes, listen to podcasts, etc but all I was doing was wasting countless hours of effort and time in hopes that it would magically pay off because it had worked for other people.

Eventually I figured out that I cannot study for more than an hour at a time and I like rewards. So I started timing myself and giving myself an x on a sticky note every time I did.  1 X = 15 minutes. It was like the little gold starts they gave you for behaving in grade school. If I built up to 4 X's I would get a short break, around 10 minutes or so. It may seem like a lot in the long run, but for me that was what worked. I'm actually doing it right now, or else I probably wouldn't have gotten around to writing this for some time.

As long as I stick with this, I'm focused. When I start to stray from it I start noticing a lot of wasted time.

So my advice is that if you have something that works for you, stick with it. Not every study method works for everyone, you can only take it into stride and try it and if it doesn't work then try another. 

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Minority Status

This post is a result of a conversation regarding minority status and "privilege" in society.  It goes well with my previous rant about the "Male to Female Ratio in Engineering"

Story Time! My freshman year of college, I was studying with a few guys from my first college calculus class.  It was probably the 7th week or so (about 2/3 through the quarter), and the subject of gender came up (as it does occasionally with my engineering peers).  One of the guys at the table said, "Well she (pointing to me) will be the first one to get a job because she's female."  

Ooooo, I was mad. I said the following words, "Look around the table! (there were 4 other guys) Who got the highest grade on the last math midterm we had?! Me! I'm not going to get hired because I'm female. I'm gunna get hired because I'm more qualified than you." Granted, it was a little mean, and he probably didn't mean it like that.  But I've made that standpoint clear throughout my undergraduate career. 

Funny Story: A few weeks back, I was Skyping with a friend while studying for a midterm.  He was in the computer lab, while I was at home.  I asked my Skype friend, "Hey, can you ask Jack about number 3?" Not realizing that I was on Skype, Jack replied to my Skype friend "I don't know! Ask Serena!" It made my day when I realized my placement among the engineers, especially when looking back at the freshman calculus experience.

So I conclude:
Never use your minority status (whether it be race, religion, first-generation, gender, LGBT, disability, anything) as your backbone to do anything in life. Your minority status does not determine your work ethic and vice versa.  If you rely on those minority statues that I mentioned above, you are playing, what I call, the "poor-me" card, and you'll pity yourself into a bad situation.  

However, don't undermine what you have as a minority student. You have experiences, and you have a lot to learn.  You should be proud of who you are as an individual, and use your individuality and self to become who you are (like the saying "Be Yourself")....if you get my drift. 

-Serena

CSUs versus UCs

What is the difference between the California State University system versus the University of California system?


So CSU: CSUs are, on average, easier to get into than UCs.  The CSU system concentrates on teaching whereas the UC system concentrates on research.  In terms of undergraduate attendance (getting a bachelor's degree), they are very similar.  Some like the prestige of the UC system (although some CSU's are 'better' than some UCs).  However one point that I will address: It's very difficult to transfer from UC to CSU and vice versa.  The community colleges are meant to feed into the UC's and CSU's...but that's it. (I'm not saying it's impossible...it's just difficult, especially when trying to get class credit to transfer between the systems).  So if your life long desire is to attend a UC (and you don't get in), you are better off starting at a community college or other less 'prestigious' UC.

In terms of qualifications, CSUs mainly look at grades and SAT scores (actually, I don't remember putting extra curriculars on my applications for the CSUs).  There is a chart online...here.  Make sure to take a look at the site.  The UC system also has a site here. Also look at that one. It'll give an idea of what the application process looks like.

Also, don't forget that private schools exist! I regret not applying to private schools when I was a Senior in high school.  Many of them offer more financial aid than the state schools- UCs and CSUs, and with the way the budget crisis is in California...it may be a better option.

See if you can go talk to a college counselor at school.  They should have a specific college counselor, or at least your guidance counselor should have some knowledge about everything. (Let me know if they discourage you....nobody should discourage you at this stage.) They may even give you some ideas about this summer and how to "beef up" your college application. :-D

-Serena