Head Tale

Before I started the program, I talked to three different alumni for their tips and suggestions.  Although these may sound very obvious, here's their suggestions which I've implemented for myself to various degrees this year (although to be honest, many of these are also “do as I say, not as I do” type things!):

1. Exercise
2. If you don't exercise, try to at least change your lifestyle a bit – walk to school, take the stairs at FIMS, walk downtown instead of taking the bus sometimes. 

3. Eat healthy and regularly
4. You won't always eat healthy or regularly so start taking multi-vitamins.

5. Get eight hours of sleep, preferably in order.  (I recommend either gravol or melatonin as a sleep aid.)
6. You won't get regular sleep so take naps when you can. 

7. Classes are only three hours a day but get used to working eight plus hours per day and/or on the weekends to keep up. 
8. Do whatever works to not allow yourself to get stressed about working this much and this intensely – meditate, start a window garden, volunteer, participate in extracurricular activities, do something outside of school. 

9. Use both a day timer and a four-month wall calendar to keep track of assignments, presentations, critiques, summaries, worksheets, proposals, plans, and poster sessions you'll be asked to do.
10. Focus on the assignments and if you don't have time, don't do all the readings – it's all but impossible to do both.