Greetings Brandeis students,

This week marked the official start of spring and that means the end of this semester is drawing near. In golf parlance, we’re on the back nine or the final stretch of the golf course. Not to overdo the sports analogies, but it’s time for us to begin preparing for the final sprint to the finish – even if we can find reasons (i.e., excuses) not to.
I have always believed that the final half of the spring semester is the most difficult time of year for students mentally, even more so than during finals. With summer break approaching, it is just so tempting to coast to end of the school year, blow off classes, and procrastinate on assignments. Somehow, though, we must remain motivated, which, after a long year, can be challenging. Here are some strategies on how to increase motivation and self-efficacy. First, if you’re struggling with motivation, it is normal; as humans we’re conditioned to want to avoid challenging tasks or activities we find boring. To increase your motivation, set realistic goals that you can achieve. Instead of thinking about a particular grade that you want to achieve, set a goal of studying an extra 30-45 minutes each day. Find a place where you can study and work that is free of distractions. This may not be in your residence hall or around friends. Be sure to practice self-care by maintaining a regular routine, staying social, exercising, eating, and resting. Next, identify your passions and what makes you happy. Find activities that you like to do and that align with your goals and do them. Lastly, find an accountability partner. This could be a friend, classmate, partner, or family member with whom you feel comfortable sharing your goals and will help you stay committed to achieving them. Lastly, remain positive and optimistic. Staying motivated requires positive energy. Remember, you got this. 


Wishing you the best,
Dr. Leslie Brown, Director of Academic Success Initiatives 
Pronouns: he/him/his
In this upcoming workshop, the University Writing Center "explores elements of professional and technical writing, from maximizing the effectiveness of your emails to tips for success with business memos, reports, and other genres of writing you may encounter in many different careers. The Professional & Technical Writing Workshop will be helpful for undergraduates (particularly seniors) and graduate students seeking internships. Please sign up early for this important workshop as there are limited seats available.
Library News

  • Research Excellence Prizes: Consider submitting your work for the Library's Research Excellence Prize! Submissions are due May 14! Submissions can range from UWS research papers to senior research projects. To encourage and highlight student research focusing on racism and anti-racism, a new prize has been added this year for research related to racism and anti-racism.

  • Citation Frustration? Join us for a Zotero workshop on March 30 at 11am to learn how to stay organized, quickly format citations, and generate bibliographies for your research. Click the link to register.
Join the Brandeis SciComm Lab today (March 25) for a virtual workshop on creating an effective elevator pitch! Whether you're networking, presenting at a poster session, or answering "what do you do?" questions from your relatives, the SciComm Lab will help you craft and practice how to concisely describe your research or ideas through this one-hour workshop. 

Create an Effective Elevator Pitch
Date: Thursday, March 25, 2021
Time: 4 pm - 5 pm ET
RSVP for Zoom link herehttps://bit.ly/elevpitchSCL

Are you working on your senior thesis or presenting at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Collaborations Symposium (URCC) on April 30? If so, you may be interested in attending the following workshop to learn how to craft an effective presentation:

Talk So People Will Listen
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
4-5 pm ET
For Zoom information, RSVP via https://forms.gle/4Qdo27AW6zNeEfSZ9
Stop by the Quantitative Skills Center!

A great but underutilized resource that can help Brandeis students achieve academic success is the Quants Skills Center. The center, which is run by Dr. Margarita Corral, provides help to students in math and statistics. Dr. Corral also conducts workshops on a variety of data analysis software including Atlas.ti, Excel, Qualtrics, SPSS, and Stata. If you are working on research or need help with math or statistics, please make an appointment with Dr. Corral or one of the quants skills tutors: quant@brandeis.edu 
photo of antique library books
Researching in the Archives

In this engaging and informative workshop, come learn about all of the resources held in Brandeis University's Archives & Special Collections, ways in which to access and use those resources, and ways that archivists can support your research.

This event will take place over Zoom. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link one day before the workshop. If you don't have a brandeis.edu email address, email librarycalendar@brandeis.edu and the staff will help determine alternative options.

Date: Friday, April 9, 2021
Time: 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Time Zone: Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
Categories: Library Research Skills  


Amy Ollove, BUGS Study Skills Tutor

We're at the midway point, so it's time to start thinking about how we want to finish the semester. Amy Ollove shares helpful strategies for staying motivated and avoiding distractions during these final seven weeks. If you have questions on how to improve your study skills, please Make an appointment with the BUGS study skills tutor!

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Click image to enlarge