Final Exams at Hofstra University

Preparing for final exams can be an extremely difficult time period for many college students. There is a great amount of stress that arises from finals due to the overwhelming load of work that arrives at the end of the semester. Some students take five classes, while others take six, resulting in a possibility of either six exams, tests or projects. The major question is, what can students to do better prepare themselves for finals, and what can they do to cope with the stress? Time management is a crucial component when preparing for final exams. Many students procrastinate by leaving the majority of their work until the end of the semester which results in the need to complete all of the last minute work within a short period of time. This is occurrence is more popularly known as cramming. Executing proper time management involves students planning ahead on their school work, and developing a studying strategy. For example, at the beginning of each week throughout the course of the semester, a student should document in their academic planner everything they need to submit and or study for that given week. In regards to finals, if students properly executed time management throughout the course of the semester then finals preparation should be far less stressful and difficult. When final exams approach, a student should develop a detailed schedule planning out their study strategies for their finals. Time management, in both contexts, can be extremely helpful and beneficial during final exams. Although many students properly manage their time throughout the semester, stress is inevitable during final exams. According to an eHow article, How to Limit Stress During Finals Week eHow claims that students should limit their caffeine intake due to the fact that caffeine can cause more stress. The article also suggests that students should eat healthy, get proper amounts of sleep and exercise. Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system, increasing the chances in becoming sick, which ultimately would result in more unnecessary stress. Exercising can also help reduce stress due to the fact that various endorphins are released while exercising which can help decrease stress symptoms. Time management, and the various methods listed above for reducing stress are healthy approaches when preparing for final exams. However, many college students veer to amphetamine based prescription drugs such as Adderal and Vyvanse when attempting to combat with finals. According to Alan DeSantis, professor and researcher at the University of Kentucky, more than 30 percent of students at the university have illegally experimented with some form of amphetamine based prescription drug. DeSantis states, ´´It´s abused more than Marijuana and easier to get´´. Although these drugs may help a student during final exams, the long-term effects of consuming these drugs are detrimental to one´s health, according to DeSantis. ´´They might produce euphoria, they might temporarily make it easier...but in the long run there are significant problems both in terms of thinking, mood problems, maybe even functionality´´. Instead of consuming prescription drugs which ultimately results in many health risks, students should focus on preparing for finals without relying on narcotics. There are numerous methods to help students prepare for final exams, and reduce stress, that are healthy and effective such as executing proper time management. Although these drugs may temporarily relieve stress, experts offer many healthier alternatives that benefit one´s health instead of deteriorating it. Students should focus on protecting their bodies during finals, and not harming it. Time management, along with the various approaches listed above for reducing stress, are healthy and effective ways methods when attempting to combat with final exams. Finals are inevitable, and so is stress. However mastering these proper final exam precautions can positively impact your finals experience.

A Sunday Night In New York City

Tourists, locals, venders and many other unbelievable characters swarm through the streets of New York City every night. The skyline and the beautiful lights that light up the city add to the glorifying effect of being in the big apple. People from all around the world come here for the exciting New York experience.

Dating back to the early 1900´s, New York City has been the epicenter for many different ethnic communities. People from all across the world migrated to New York for a chance to experience the American dream. More than one-hundred years later, in 2012, the city is still populated with people from all different ethnic and culture backgrounds. Some people have never been to New York before, however being a Hofstra student, and living thirty minutes from the city, I have the opportunity to visit often. On a Sunday night in early May, a friend and I traveled into Manhattan to see a movie at the Regal in Times Square. Although we saw an amazing film, The Avengers, the movie was the least exciting part of our one night stay. Sitting on the giant steps in Times Square, watching thousands of people tour through the streets of Manhattan, was an ever-changing experience. The city never sleeps. This is a general stereotypical phrase about New York, however it´s a true statement! While in the midst of people watching, and observing different families and groups of people travel through Manhattan to experience Times Square, I realized that this is an ongoing cycle. Every day, at crazy hours throughout the night, there´s always a flock of tourists in Times Square. I sat on the steps of Times Square for almost three hours simply observing different tourists behavior. Their body language, their eccentric facial expressions and excitement were extremely noticeable, and it made me realize how amazing this city can be to various people across the nation and the world. After watching the city environment for hours, only one word came to mind. Diversity. This Sunday night made me realize that New York City is the melting pot of America.

76ers vs Magic

On Saturday, April 7th, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Orlando Magic at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. An extremely close game, the Magic ended up going home with the win, with a final score of 88-82. The playoffs are right around the corner, and the Sixers are second place in their division, 31-28, behind the Boston Celtics who are 36-25. Hopefully the Sixers will go on a fascinating winning streak so they can clench a seat in the playoffs. If not, they will just have to wait till next season, which is a usual occurrence for many Philadelphia teams. Although the Sixers lost to the Magic that night, being at the game was amazing. Having seventh row seats added a completely different excitement to the game. The players were so close it was almost like you were on the court. You could yell at them, and know that they can actually hear you. Being so close, I was also able to see famous film director, M.Night Shamalam, director of the Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, the Happening, Signs and many other prestigious films. The game was a lot of fun, with performances from the Sixers cheerleaders, and the spirit squad who performed many elite acrobatic stunts. I have posted video footage and pictures from the game. Hope you enjoy!

Becoming a Cheerleader

Hofstra Cheerleading Time Line of Success

At Hofstra University it’s more than palm palms and fancy chants for the cheerleading team. Hofstra cheerleaders have been nothing but a success, winning seven national championships in the last ten years. Head coach Christine Farina and assistant coach Matt Jones spend several months of hard work developing one routine that will bring home the gold medal. Four consecutive wins in the UCA nationals requires hard work and effort from all team mates.  Players practice up to four days a week during the regular season, and seven days a week during competition season. Cheerleading isn´t just for women here at Hofstra University. Men play a key role in the acrobatic stunts performed throughout the routine. In order to achieve the highest score, Hofstra needs to use their men to perfect difficult stunts.  The team is one of the most successful athletic organizations in the university.

Flag Football at Hofstra University

Every year at Hofstra University various student clubs and organizations participate in the flag football season which begins in early September. Although flag football is a non-contact sport, players are still extremely aggressive. No pads, no helmets just a flag on the waste. After viewing this video one can understand how physical this sport can be. Not only was I involved with the filming of various games, but I also participated on Sigma Alpha Epsilon´s team. I remember going out on the field during a game and blocking the opponent with full power. Sometimes the referee would say, ´´hey you can´t do that,´´ but no penalty was ever issued. Usually the opposing team would get their revenge and answer back with a harder hit. On one occasion one of my team mates blocked a kid so hard that he dislocated opponents shoulder.

Again no penalty, however the referee told my friend to calm down with the hard hits. The game still continued, and we won. One could pose the question, why do the officials allow the sport to get so physical? Why are players getting hurt? With all of the stress from being in college, students are able to come to the fields to take out some of their stress and anger. Personally I believe that playing an extremely physical sport helps relieve some stress and anxiety. Were all in college, we all have stress. What´s wrong with a little rough football?

Our team was fairly successful throughout the course of the season. Winning six games, and losing only one in the regular season, we advanced to the playoffs. I remember the emotional state our team was in before entering the first playoff game. We were arrogant and confident due to the fact that we were so successful during the regular season. We thought we were the most physically dominating team. Unfortunately we were extremely mistaken. Our first playoff game was against a group of veteran football players from the Hofstra football team. They were big, they were fast, they were intimidating. They were collegiate football players. We were a group of college students in a fraternity. After the first quarter we were down by three touchdowns. Not only did we lose the game by five touchdowns and were eliminated from the playoffs, but our team was physically drained and some were even injured. We were physically and mentally outmatched. Flag football is a lot of fun when you win, but getting physically dominated by another team is miserable.

Hofstra University Cheerleading

At Hofstra University its more than palm palms and fancy chants for the cheerleading team. Hofstra cheerleaders have been nothing but a success, winning seven national championships in the last ten years. Head coach Christine Farina and assistant coach Matt Jones spend several months of hard work developing one routine that will bring them yet again another national title. Winning the national championship the last four years in a row isn't a walk in the park for the Hofstra cheerleaders. Cheerleaders practice up to four times a week during the regular season, and seven days a week during competition season. Head coach Christine uses the motto "believe" to keep her team going during rough times. After year of practice, Hofstra only has one shot on the mat to prove themselves to the judges. One mistake could ruin their chances of winning.

Many people aren't aware of the difficulty that arises from cheerleading. It's not like middle school where the cheerleaders are on the sidelines chanting cheers and waving their palms. It's a lot more complicated than that. Women fly through the air doing various flips and turns which are difficult and dangerous. Men also play a vital role in cheerleading. Co-ed stunting involves a man literally throwing a woman up in the air and catching her in various ways. For example, a man will toss a a woman up in the air and catch her two feet in one hand. So basically she is standing on his one hand. More elite stunts involve girls doing 360 turns up into the air and landing in a man's hand. These stunts are dangerous and it's easy for someone to get hurt.

Hofstra University cheerleaders compete in the small co-ed division at nationals. Every January different teams from all over the nation come to Orlando Florida for this epic competition. About a month ago, I went to Florida with the team to see them compete. Watching them win the seventh national title was amazing. People were crying, screaming and jumping all over the place. I wasn't able to compete due to the fact that I just got on the team. However next January I hope that I have the chance to go to Florida and compete. It's February right now and our team is already training for next year. After every practice my muscles are sore, and I'm out of breath. I never thought I would become a cheerleader at college.