UCM Brenda

College Student University of California, Merced. Coffee-Drinker, Reader of poetry, ΔΓ, Marketing Intern, lover of Chinese food, Cheerleader, and Psychology Major. ASK ME UC MERCED QUESTIONS! ----------------------------------------

[thestudyingdinosaur]

10/12/15 • 61/100 days of productivity

A bit of biology🤓, geography🌿🌍, my to do list🗓, and hot cacao ☕️💕and that all in one picture 🙈. I had a productive day but i’m so busy 🙅🏼, I can’t go to the gym tomorrow because of it. But I have Judo in the evening, so it’s okay ☺️.

(the to do list app: wunderlist (online, ios, android and mac))

[ucmbrenda-blog]

How my desk will look like this weekend! Finals week starts tomorrow!

[florarmos]

[bunlly]

I stopped looking for the light. Decided to become it instead.

Francheska (via lazypacific)

[ucmbrenda-blog]

Autumn looks good on UC Merced; <3

[ucmbrenda-blog]

Leadership Opportunities at UC Merced.

This Sunday, I was transitioned to be my fraternity’s director of public relations.

I will be adding this role on top of being president of the cheerleading team, as well! Initially, I was really shy to apply to both of these positions, but I somehow got the courage to apply for both. Thanks to UC Merced, I am able to become more involved in my school and take on roles of leadership that will help the school and the community of Merced, and ultimately help me, as well. With these opportunities, I gain experience I can take with me long after I finish my undergrad here at UC Merced. I hope to make a difference in these two organizations during my time in these positions. Here at UC Merced, it is so easy to get involved! There are leadership opportunities in clubs (you can event create your own), organizations, Greek life, student government and even in student employment. So my point of this post is: Never be afraid to try new things, especially in college. Try new things, take a chance and put yourself out there; future you will thank you!

[studbylr]

*don’t delete the caption please!* Hey guys! I’ve been cramming really badly for my upcoming SAT in a week, and I compiled a Google Drive folder of the best resources I could find online! I’ve been sitting on this for a while, actually, and I originally just made it for my friends, but I thought I would share it to my studyblr followers in case anyone needed it! Also, check out the bottom of this post for extra tips. Please read on for disclaimers and info about the contents.

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST!

****GOOGLE DRIVE FOLDER LINK****

CONTENTS:

Practice Tests

Conversion table for practice tests: It’s missing a lot of test dates, i know. If you can’t find the test you’re looking for, just google the test date and “sat conversion table” and it might just pop up. Make sure the test you’re taking has a conversion table before you take it!

Real Past Tests!: Probably the best resource in this folder. The SAT releases test questions to students who order them for January, May, and October. This is probably illegal and violates a bunch of copyright laws but I found all 31 of these REAL tests from from 2005-2015 from cracksat.net and uploaded them. Keep in mind that some might not include answers in the back, so don’t take a test unless you’re sure it has answers in the back. **DISCLAIMER: These don’t belong to me, I don’t own any of the rights to these tests, they are all from cracksat.net.**

SAT Online Course Tests: More practice tests, from the expensive SAT Online Course. Again, they come directly from cracksat.net. 

Vocabulary

Powerscore Repeat Offenders: 200 of the most common words on the SAT. Seriously the only vocab list you’ll need. People at powerscore.com analyzed bunch of SAT tests and used fancy algorithms and compiled a list of the most commonly used words on the SAT. These have actually come up on tests I’ve taken, so they’re super helpful. Don’t bother learning any other words because there is a significantly lower chance of them being on the SAT.

Prep Books

ALL FROM http://victorian-planet.tumblr.com/post/111156607581/satap-prep-stuff!!! I haven’t looked at all of these, but some of them are a little outdated. They can definitely be helpful if you’re looking for some extra help! I also added a copy of the Direct Hits Vocabulary book, which has super good reviews from people who’ve gotten 2300+, but they use the same kind of method as PowerScore, so you might see some overlap. The Direct Hits book is just easier to learn the words because their descriptions are full of pop culture references and it’s a little more interesting to read.

Blue Book Question Maps

Lists of practice questions from the College Board SAT Study Guide (Blue Book) by section and subject area (e.g. Geometry, Author’s Purpose, Main Idea, etc.). Extremely helpful for diagnosing your problem areas. From powerscore.com. 

Advice from collegeconfidential.com 

College Confidential - a forum full of Ivy-bound elite prep school students that all score 2300+ on the SAT. These people eat, sleep, and breathe the SAT. They kinda suck as people, but they’ve studied the SAT pretty well, so their tips and tricks help a lot.

Finally…the College Board Official SAT Study Guide (the “Blue Book”)

Okay I know this one is pretty shady considering this is like the holy grail of SAT books and having it here for free breaks copyright laws and all of the College Board testmakers’ hearts. But this is the infamous Blue Book. It’s been said that you can only trust practice tests from this book because they come from the College Board. Disclaimer- I don’t own the rights to this pdf, I don’t remember where I found it, and I bought my own paper copy of the book, but i’m posting this in case some people cannot afford to buy this book, possibly the single greatest, most valuable resource you will ever need. 

****GOOGLE DRIVE FOLDER LINK****

I don’t own any of the content in the folder. I just found all of these files online (most sources provided) and put them together for people looking for extra help, or people who can’t afford to buy SAT test prep materials/classes. That being said, I’m not an official SAT tutor or anything, my own SAT score isn’t even that great, so if you’re deciding between a private tutor and this google drive folder, I would probably get the tutor (if money isn’t a problem).

MORE TIPS AND TRICKS UNDER THE CUT

Keep reading

[ucmbrenda-blog]

I’m getting ready for my college finals but I know a lot of high school juniors and seniors would appreciate this. Happy Studying :) 

[medical--alumni]

A 100 day of productivity : 4/100 In the library today studying endocrinology and metabolism . Hoping to get Better !

[ucmbrenda-blog]

Six Things to Consider When Considering Colleges.

I’ve seen TONS of tweets about not knowing what UCs or colleges to apply to. So today I am going to help you! I am a student at UC Merced, and as a person who has gone through the college search, here are some things I took into account and ultimately made me choose UC Merced as the university for me!

1. Types of Majors and Degrees Available How good a school is means nothing if it doesn’t have what you want to study! Make sure the college or university you are thinking of applying to has your major or a major you are interested in pursuing. If you want to check out the majors offered at UC Merced, follow this link.

2. Location A college’s location can really matter. If you want to be able to visit family almost every weekend or commute from home to college, you will want a campus that is nearby. For those who would like to go away to college, you definitely have to take into account what kind of city the college is located in. If you like rural areas, you might not want to go to school in a busy city, and vice versa. You should definitely try to visit the college in order to see what the area has to offer, both on and off-campus. So, if you want to schedule a tour or take a peek at UC Merced’s virtual tour, click here.

3. Cost For me, cost was one of the most important things I took into consideration. The cost difference between public and private universities definitely varies. All UCs are public universities with prestigious awards and recognition, and are definitely less expensive than private schools. To check out UC Merced’s cost of attendance, click right here.

4. Financial Aid Cost and financial aid go hand in hand. Most colleges and universities offer some form of financial aid. Check the college’s financial aid website to see what type of financial aid they offer. Recently at UC Merced, 92% of students applied for financial aid, and 94% of those received some form of aid. Applicants on average received $15,577 in gift aid. To check out UC Merced’s financial aid options, follow this link.

5. Class Size (AKA Student-to-Professor Ratio) Schools will typically publish information regarding their average class size. If you are the type of student who would prefer to have individualized attention, class size can be an important factor in your education. Students who prefer to learn through discussion and those who want a more intimate learning experience might also benefit from smaller class sizes. That was something I definitely wanted out of my university. UC Merced’s student-to-professor ratio is 20:1. I definitely get personal attention when I need it.

6. Internships and Hands-on Experience For me, the most exciting part of my education is realizing that I can apply what I’m learning in the classroom to actual work in internships or research. If you’re interested in going to graduate school, you should definitely consider the research opportunities the university has. With that being said, my university has a small student body, which made internships and research opportunities available to me. UC Merced also has resources that helped me get internships outside of school.

These are some of the things I considered when deciding what colleges to apply to, and UC Merced fit all the criteria that I set. I hope you can apply this knowledge to your college search journey and that this helps you out!  If you have any questions about UC Merced or just colleges in general, I’m here to help! Good luck on applications, guys!

- UCM Brenda

[bioinformaticians-roar-deactiva]

#bobcatstrong thank you Merced community (at Merced, California)

[ucmerced-mediacats-blog]

Explore the possibilities at ‪#‎UCMerced‬ ‪#‎BobcatPride‬

[ucmsammie]

10 Reasons Why You Should Apply to UCMerced

1. New Campus

- UCMerced opened in 2005 so it is a fairly new UC campus.

- We are supposed to be the biggest UC campus when it is completely built with the least amount of students.

- Since our campus is new, and still growing, the students play a big role in shaping the campus.

 2. We offer over 200 clubs and organizations

- You can visit our website to see the different clubs and organizations available to students http://studentlife.ucmerced.edu/content/clubs-orgs

- We pretty much any club you would want.

- You can start your own club or organization!

 3. Safety

- UCMerced is an extremely safe campus.

- We have our own University of California police station on campus.

- The majority of students who attend UCM agree that the campus is friendly and safe.

- We have blue emergency light polls located all around campus. If for any reason anyone feels unsafe, they can press a button on that post and a UC Merced officer will be there to assist you people within minutes.

 4. Cattracks

- UCMerced bus system.

- Transports students to and from campus and around the city of Merced.

- Free to all UC Merced students, faculty and staff.

- Currently have 9 different routes around Merced.

- Convenient way to travel around the city.

 5. Majors

- One thing that separates UC Merced from other UC campuses is that our majors are not impacted.

- This is an advantage because students are able to choose the major they want.

- A list of our majors can be found on our website at: http://www.ucmerced.edu/academics-undergraduate-majors-minors

 6. Study Abroad

- UCMerced offers a fantastic study abroad program for any major. You can travel to pretty much any country you want to go to.

- Most Financial Aid does transfer over.

- We have a study abroad office on campus where students can get help with their applications or get questions answered that they may have.

- You can find more information about our study abroad program on our website at: http://studyabroad.ucmerced.edu

8. Financial Aid/Scholarships

- More than 80% of our students receive some form of Financial Aid.

- If you earn less than $80,000 a year you can qualify for the Blue and Gold Scholarship, which pays for tuition.

- Visit our website for more information at: http://financialaid.ucmerced.edu

 9. Study Body/Professors

- Student body is friendly and kind. Since it is a small campus most students know each other and are very welcoming.

- Professors are encouraging and are always willing to help. They are always here to answer questions. Some even give out their number so students can contact them on the weekends in case they need help on an assignment.

- They both create a safe and confident learning atmosphere.

 10. Jobs

- Most jobs on campus are student run. UC Merced has a job for every department.

- Fairly easy to get a job because there are so many job opportunities on campus.

- Easy application process, which can be filled out online.

- We have departments on campus that will help you get ready for interviews too.

 I hope you find these 10 reasons useful when considering to apply to UC Merced. Remember, the application is open now until November 30th. Feel free to the Admissions Office for any questions you may have.

Email: admissions.ucmerced.edu

Phone: [phone]

[scienceisbeauty]

Funny ;) what if modern social networks existed in the 1950s?

Via Bored Panda

[ucmbrenda-blog]

Too Funny :)

[oh-the-things-i-have-seen]

[ucmbrenda-blog]

Great Picture!

[ucmbrenda-blog]

Midterms. Currently in the middle of my midterms, I thought it would be fitting to have my first Tumblr post to be about just that – midterms!  College midterms are a bit different when compared to high school midterms, but that doesn’t make them scary! What are the differences? I’ll tell you! 1. Lots of independence I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but if you haven’t, you have tons of independence when you go away to college, especially in the classroom! It is up to you how you study, what you study, even if you go to class or not! (Which you should.) 2. Reminders? Professors rarely remind you of what you should read, when the homework is due, or when your exam is, so it is up to you to know! 3. Study guides Some professors are kind enough to give you a study guide. When they do, USE IT, but keep in mind that anything in the book or lecture is usually fair game. 4. Scantrons! They’re free in high school, but in college? You must buy your own. I was so shocked when I had to buy Scantrons for my first exam!

TIPS Although there are some things that are different when compared to high school exams, here are some tips to make these differences and the transition from high school to college exams easier for you. 1. Use your syllabus Your syllabi are your best friends! A syllabus is basically a timeline of the course, usually containing an outline of assignments, required materials and expectations for the course you are taking. It tells you what you need to read, what you need to do and when you need to do it, all ahead of time! Get in the habit of looking at your syllabi, because like I said, some professors do not give reminders of what you need to read before class or when your exam is. 2. Never cram Studying a day before your exam is never the way to go. You want to retain the information, and studying the night before will only allow you to temporarily retain it. Study at least a week in advance. UC Merced offers workshops to help first-year students transition into college-level work, as well as teach study methods and time management! 3. Get some sleep In case you do happen to wait until the last minute to study, all-nighters might not be the way to go. Lack of sleep impairs cognitive performance, knowledge retention and awareness; you don’t want to lack any of those for an exam! So make sure that if you decide to stay up late, you at least get a couple of hours in. Some is better than none! 4. Go to office hours Office hours are the best thing in the world for college students. It’s one-on-one time for students and professors to talk about questions you have about the course. And office hours with professors here at UC Merced, from my experience, are always so convenient and really easy to do.

Getting the hang of college midterms if definitely a learning process full of what you should have done and what you will do in the future. However, hopefully with this blog post you save yourself some stress and make it through your first midterms when they roll around. Happy Studying!