SURVIVOR
September 2003
On CBS’ “Survivor,”
they would put
it like this: “Do
you have what it
T TO B E
H OW N O
FF THE
O
D
E
T
O
V
IS L A N D
E
G
E
L
L
CO
takes to survive
and come out
still standing
in college?
How will you face the challenges
of hard college living? What do you
need to do to get through the toils and
troubles of the wild and unsheltered university life? How will you outwit, outplay,
and outlast the day-to-day challenges that you will face? How will you triumph
over your own inner foibles? What’s the best way to enjoy this emotional, physical, social, and intellectual roller coaster? With whom do you need to band
together in order to survive? With whose cooperation will you flourish? Should
you avoid elimination, at the end, the prizes and rewards will be priceless and
you will have carved out a new and vital existence in the process.”
Knowing Your Greatest Asset, Yourself
Knowing yourself will help you succeed in all areas of college life. One of the most well-known
personality tests, the Myers-Briggs, is based on the work of Carl Jung, Katherine Briggs and Isabel
Myers Briggs. Personalitytype.com explains it in this way:
1. Where is your energy naturally directed?
Extraverts often:
Introverts often:
• Have high energy
• Talk more than listen
• Think out loud
• Act, then think
• Like to be around people a lot
• Prefer a public role
• Can sometimes be easily distracted
• Prefer to do lots of things at once
• Are outgoing and enthusiastic
• Have quiet energy
• Listen more than talk
• Think quietly inside my head
• Think, then act
• Feel comfortable being alone
• Prefer to work “behind the scenes”
• Have good powers of concentration
• Prefer to focus on one thing at a time
• Are self-contained and reserved
your map
to survival success
Caution: If you follow this map,
you are almost certain to succeed.
What to Bring to the
College Island.
The only important item on this list
is YOU. You are the one multipurpose
tool needed to meet the college challenge.
Bring yourself and be certain of your commitment to this challenge. If you are not truly
committed, you may trip yourself up. Think about
what you want to accomplish on this journey.
Look at all of the important areas: academics,
extracurricular, social. Chart your ideal goals in
all of these areas. Make sure what you plan for
yourself is what YOU really want to do. What is
your personal definition of success?
1
Get to Know the
Terrain Before You
Even Get There.
Talk to as many people as you can before you
start. Gather all the information you possibly
can about college and Pace University. Ask others what they think you need to do in order to
survive. Turning to others is a sign of strength
and will help you bolster your inner resources.
2
Are you equipped
to be a college
survivor?
Are you an extravert or an introvert ?
2. What kind of information do you naturally notice and remember?
Sensors often:
• Focus on details and specifics
• Admire practical solutions
• Notice details and remember facts
• Are pragmatic—see what is
• Live in the here-and-now
• Trust actual experience
• Like to use established skills
• Like step-by-step instructions
• Work at a steady pace
Are you a sensor or an intuitive?
Intuitives often:
• Focus on the big picture and possibilities
• Admire creative ideas
• Notice anything new or different
• Are inventive—see what could be
• Think about future implications
• Trust their gut instincts
• Prefer to learn new skills
• Like to figure things out for themselves
• Work in bursts of energy
continued on page 2
Read on and take the recommended
online quizzes to help you determine
your standing.
Beating the Stress Challenge: page 2
Maximizing Your Chance of Success
in the Classroom: page 3
Alcohol and Other Drug Challenge:
Will You Come Out on Top? page 4
Beating the
Stress Challenge
Understand...
• Stress is a primitive survival mechanism that is
automatically activated when you think you are
in danger.
• A certain degree of stress can provide the fuel
for you to do what you have to do to realize your
goals and dreams.
• But when stress accumulates, you can become
distressed and this can interfere with your
ability to succeed.
Recognize...
• Your physical signs of stress, which may include
faster heart rate, butterflies in your stomach, dry
mouth, shakiness, sweating, and tense muscles.
• The short-term performance effects of stress,
like concentration difficulties, reduced enjoyment
of things, sleep problems, and increased frustration and irritability.
• The long-term effects of stress, like asthma,
back pain, headaches, acne, and heart disease.
Manage...
• Your stress by exercising, reexamining how you
think about those things that trigger stress, and
learning how to utilize the relaxation response
and self-hypnosis.
Learn...
• More about mastering your stress by visiting the
following web sites:
www.indiana.edu/~health/stres.html
www.arc.sbc.edu/stresstips.html
www.mcmc.net/wellsource/stress/stressors/htm
www.psychwww.com/mtsitte/smpage.html
Take the following stress quizzes to determine your standing against the stress factor:
• “How Stressed Are You?” at
www.arc.sbc.edu/stressquiz.html
• “Lifestyle Stress Quiz” at
http://stress.about.com/library/weekly/aa0703
01a.htm
• “How Good a Stress Manager Are You?” at
http://stress.about.com/library/weekly/aa0305
03a.htm
• “Quick Stress Quiz” at www.mcmc.net/wellsource/stress/quiz/htm
• See how much you already know about stress at
http://quiz.ivillage.com/health/tests/whstress.htm
• Look for programs offered by the Counseling
Center on stress management.
2 Survivor: Pace University
3
Get to Know the
Natives.
This means upperclassmen,
staff, and faculty. Find out what
makes some students “Survivor” finalists
and others “Survivor” dropouts. Learn from
what you observe
and hear. Introduce
yourself to faculty
and staff so that they
know who you are.
Recognize when
you need help and
ask for it. Fallen
“Survivors” often
say they wished
they had approached those who could
have helped them sooner.
Stay as Fit as You
Can So That You Can
Battle the Elements.
Get the sleep you need. Eat well and regularly. Try
to exercise a little everyday. Visit our spectacular
new Goldstein Fitness Center. Read “Beating the
Stress Challenge.”
4
If you have decided
that alcohol and/or
other drugs are going
to be a part of this trip,
use with extreme
caution. Drugs and
alcohol are a MAJOR
downfall for fallen
survivor candidates. To make sure you do
not surrender to this greatest liability, read
“Alcohol and Other Drug Challenge: Will You
Come Out on Top?”
continued from page 1
Knowing Your Greatest Asset, Yourself
3. How do you decide or come to conclusions?
Thinkers often:
• Make decisions objectively
• Appear cool and reserved
• Are most convinced by rational arguments
• Are honest and direct
• Value honesty and fairness
• Take few things personally
• Tend to see flaws
• Are motivated by achievement
• Argue or debate issues for fun
Feelers often:
• Decide based on their values and feelings
• Appear warm and friendly
• Are most convinced by how they feel
• Are diplomatic and tactful
• Value harmony and compassion
• Take many things personally
• Are quick to compliment others
• Are motivated by appreciation
• Avoid arguments and conflicts
Are you a thinker or a feeler?
4. What kind of environment makes you the most comfortable?
Judgers often:
• Make most decisions pretty easily
• Are serious and conventional
• Pay attention to time and are prompt
• Prefer to finish projects
• Work first, play later
• Want things decided
• See the need for most rules
• Like to make and stick with plans
• Find comfort in schedules
Perceivers often:
May have difficulty making decisions
• Are playful and unconventional
• Are less aware of time and run late
• Prefer to start projects
• Play first, work later
• Want to keep their options open
• Question the need for many rules
• Like to keep plans flexible
• Want the freedom to be spontaneous
•
Are you a judger or a perceiver?
The above is excerpted directly from www.personalitytype.com/quiz.html.
Remember: There is no “right” personality or way of being. Everyone has all of these characteristics to varying degrees.
The important message: If you understand yourself and others better, you will gain a very powerful tool for success and surefire immunity in the college survival game. To get more detailed
information about these and similar personality measures, try the following sources:
www.personalitytype.com
www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JungType.htm
• www.uwsp.edu/education/lkirby/Interpersonal/Personality.htm
http://jenni.glier.org/MB.html
www.kisa.ca/mbti/
• www.truecolors.org
•
•
•
•
Maximizing Your Chance of Success in the Classroom:
Knowing Your Learning Style
Knowing your learning style will help you succeed academically. A learning
style describes the unique way in which you take in, process, remember, and
convey information. Though most people use a mix of styles, we tend to rely
or prefer certain styles. If you know and understand your style, you can use
it to your advantage in the classroom. Knowing an instructor’s teaching style
and bridging it with your learning style is also crucial. The folks at
Shenandoah University explain three main learning styles like this:
Are You a Visual Learner?
Do you need to SEE information to learn it?
Do you learn best by READING and WATCHING?
Strategies which might be effective for you:
• copy class notes over
• condense important information on flashcards and drill
• convert written notes to diagrams, mind maps, charts, times lines, etc.
• visualize pictures in your mind as you read
• create a strong visual image by using different colors to mark your textbooks
• try to see information in as many ways and as many times as possible
Are You a Tactile Learner?
Do you learn best by doing HANDS-ON
learning, as in lab classes?
Strategies which might be effective for you:
• try to “handle” information in as many different ways as possible
• if given a choice, choose a project over a paper or oral report
• use a word processor to create study guides for yourself
• concentrate on taking notes in class, especially if you find you
have trouble listening
• build a model of something that has many parts to remember
The above is excerpted directly from www.su.edu/studaffs/as1E.asp.
Want to Know Your Learning Style?
•
Visit the following Web site and answer an online questionnaire.
http://www.howtolearn.com/personal.html
•
If you want to know more about learning styles, read our previous
Newsletter “Learning Styles and Maximizing Your Success in School” at
http://appserv.pace.edu/execute/page.cfm?doc_id=5114.
•
For a more detailed learning style profile, take the following online quiz:
http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSdir/ilsweb.html and read about
active and reflective learners, sensing and intuitive learners, visual and
verbal learners, and sequential and global learners.
Are You an Auditory Learner?
Do you need to HEAR information to learn it?
Do you learn best by LISTENING to an explanation?
Strategies which might be effective for you:
•tape record lectures and listen to them again
•use flash cards, but recite questions and answers aloud
•study with a partner who can ask you questions
•add rhythms or tunes to your learning
•read notes aloud
•try to hear information as many times as possible
Maximize Your Use of All
the Natural Resources.
Know what these resources are and
where they can be accessed. Natural resources
include Co-op and Career Services, Tutorial
Services,
Academic
Advisors,
Student
Development, Residential Life, Campus Activities,
University Healthcare, the Office of Multicultural
Affairs, Counseling Services, and the Ombudsman,
among many, many others. If you don’t know about
these natural resources, look them up. They are all
available to support and enrich your survival skills.
Research on successful college survivors has shown
that involvement in activities outside of the classroom is a marker of success. So, join a club or group.
Become active in an opportunity that interests you.
Seek out something you don’t know anything about.
But whatever you do, become involved!
5
8
Communication
with
the
Mainland. Many “Survivor” candidates
become confused about how to be a survivor on
the island while staying connected to the
mainland (family, old friends, others not
at Pace). Some try to ignore or put the
mainland out of their minds. Others
are so happy to have some freedom that
they go a little too wild. And still others feel so
lonely away from the mainland that they never
really leave or immerse themselves in the new
land. What’s most important is balance. Honor and
integrate the people and things that have helped
you get to this point. Use these as a base to help
you launch successfully and independently.
6
Learn to Be Your Own
Sponsor. Succeeding in the college challenge means being your own
best advocate. Pursue what is important to you.
Fight for what you think is right. You are your best
sponsor and advocate.
7
Respect and Honor
the Community and All
of Its Diverse Parts.
One of the most amazing things about college, say
our “Survivor” winners, is the opportunity to meet,
get to know, and better understand people from all
different backgrounds. Make an effort to connect
with people who are different from you. Volunteer
to help others in the Pace, or surrounding, community. The opportunities are countless.
Exchange ideas and ask questions when you do
not know or understand. Really listen to the
answer. Incorporate this information into your
view of our multicultural world. You will come to
know yourself better and your relationships with
others will be increasingly rich and meaningful.
What you observe and learn can be applied to all
of your future experiences and will enhance your
ability to succeed in all areas.
We could
learn a lot
from crayons:
some are sharp,
some are pretty, some are dull, some have
weird names, and all are different colors…
but they all have to live in the same box.
—Robert Fulghum
Survivor: Pace University
3
Alcohol and Other Drug Challenge:
Will You Come Out on Top?
Through your choices and experiences, only you can answer if and how alcohol and other drugs will
factor into your college experience. Being conscious and aware of the place you wish alcohol and other
drugs to take in your life is very important. To help you make some of these decisions, consider the
following guaranteed ways to come out on top in the Alcohol and Other Drug Challenge:
Step #1. Don’t drink at all if:
• You don’t want to for any reason
• You’re feeling emotional and overwhelmed—it
heightens emotions
• You’re using any other substances, including
prescription medication
• You’re pregnant or driving
Step #2. Be knowledgeable
about alcohol and other drugs
and their effects.
• Alcohol is a depressant. It slows reaction time
by slowing the entire nervous system.
• Alcohol affects judgment by lowering inhibitions.
• After you get your initial buzz, drinking more
can easily turn a good time into a dangerous
situation.
Step #3. Minimize the negative
and accentuate the positive.
• Set your limits and pace the number of drinks
you consume.
• Eat before you drink.
• Alternate with nonalcoholic beverages.
• Avoid chugging, shots, or anything involving kegs,
funnels, or drinking games.
Step #4. Be conscious of your
use. Stop if there’s a problem. If
it don’t fit, you must quit!
If you begin to notice any of the following signs,
it may be time to rethink you’re behavior around
alcohol and/or drugs:
• Repeated physical signs that you’ve been using
Survivor: Pace University
How not to be voted
off the college island
This newsletter was developed by Pace
University’s Counseling and Personal
Development Center, Westchester
campuses. If you would like additional
copies, please call (914) 773-3710.
too much, like hangovers
• Any types of legal or disciplinary issues related to alcohol/drug use, such as DWI charges
and residence hall restriction
• Physical assaults or injuries while using
• Sexual behavior that you are uncomfortable
with in any way, like promiscuity, unprotected
sexual intercourse, or sexual assault
• See if alcohol or other drugs are having a negative impact on your survival chances. Go to
http://atwork.harvard.edu/fsap/assessment/
alcohol.shtml and complete the self-assessment.
So, what is the bottom line with
college students and alcohol?
• Most college students (between 54–62%) are
NOT heavy drinkers.
• Most college students drink 1–5 drinks, or do
not drink at all, when they party.
• Most college students drink approximately one
drink per hour.
• Most college students remain legally sober
(blood alcohol level under .08) when they party.
• Three-quarters of college students use a designated driver.
• Two-thirds of college students keep track of
their drinks.
• Ninety-five percent of college students report
using some “protective” behaviors, such as
those listed above.
•Most college students (between 83–98%) are
responsible and never experience any serious
harm because of drinking.
Counseling is a process that helps people resolve personal,
academic, or vocational problems. The professional staff of
the Center is available to assist students in the resolution of
these problems. Through the process you can gain increased
awareness, independence, and effectiveness in the pursuit
of personal goals. In addition, the staff is available to victims
of sexual assault, providing crisis intervention, assistance,
emotional support, information and referrals to medical,
police and other services. Information discussed during
counseling sessions is confidential. The services are free of
charge to all members of the Pace community.
9
No Pain, No Gain.
You’ve heard it all before. You
will be challenged. Your endurance
will be tested. But there will be small victories
and successes throughout. Recognize and savor
them. They will be the fuel for your next challenge. When you are through, you will have
gained so much more than the sum of your
challenges. You will have become a
stronger, more well-rounded survivor
who will be better equipped to
face “The Real World.”
What does all of this mean?
Think about the role drinking plays in your life.
Make good choices that support your goals and
keep you safe. This will ensure that you will leave
college with all the experiences you wanted. Your
choices, your outcomes.
References:
http://atwork.harvard.edu/fsap/assessment/
alcohol.shtml)
http://www.socialnorm.org/norms.html
http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/
Reports/upcraft1.aspx
Pace University, Westchester
Counseling & Personal
Development Center
Administration Center, 2nd Floor
Bedford Road
Pleasantville, NY 10570
(914) 773-3710
Please call (914) 773-3710 for more information or stop
by our office in the Administration Center, 2nd Floor.
Fax: (914) 773-3639