X-Men: First Class

June 20th, 2011

You might be a bit hesitant after X-Men Origins: Wolverine flopped two years ago (and X-Men: The Last Stand, three years before that), but I would like to ask you to put your caution to the side and give X-Men one more chance. X-Men First Class was intriguing. It takes us back to the 1940s and then 1960s, explaining the child- and young-adult-hood of many of the characters such as Mystique, Magneto, and of course, Professor X. I found each person’s back stories to be fascinating, and as the story developed, I continually found my self in awe as I realized the turning point in each person’s life that led them to be who we know them as today, in the very first X-Men.

The movie opens as a young Erik discovers his ability to control metal in his attempts to return to his mother during their forced separation during the Holocaust (perhaps you remember this scene from previous movies). Antagonist Sebastian Shaw recognizes Erik’s skill and attempts to harness and train the boy’s power for himself by inflicting on him pains which increase his talent, yet create a mortal enemy. In another part of the world, a young Charles Xavier meets Raven, and together they grow into young adults, studying the intricacies of mutation and their implications on human evolution.

As Shaw attempts to spur nuclear war between Russia and the United States in hopes of creating a new super-mutated race from the nuclear after effects, it’s a race against time for Xavier and his newly found mutant friends as they try to stop the atomic war while simultaneously gaining acceptance as ‘humans’ in the outside world.

Battles between good and evil are only part of this movie, which also explores the character’s self-identities in a world telling them they are abnormal. A touching story of friendships made and broken, self-acceptance, and origins explored, X-Men First Class is definitely a step in the right direction in the franchise’s attempts to redeem itself.

Follow my footsteps and spend a day with a friend watching this movie at Regal Cinemas Union Square Stadium 14 , and dining at Burger Creations which offers a 15% student discount with your student ID and the coupon, which can be found in the Campus Clipper coupon booklet or online here.

/elizabeth Kaleko

Picture from: www.iwatchstuff.com

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Posted in Movies, onEntertainment | 3 Comments »

Veganism and Family

June 20th, 2011

You wish they'd support you in everything, but that doesn't always happen.

When I first told my parents I had turned vegan, they were surprisingly supportive. I was expecting them to yell, to tell me how bad it was for my health, and pretty much refuse to accommodate my new dietary restrictions whenever I visited. What I didn’t expect was how quickly their surprise faded as they acquiesced to my silly choices. They probably thought it was a fad, like the time I stopped eating seafood for a while because I thought it was wrong to take from our Mother Ocean. I was a weird kid.

I didn’t visit my parents often, but when I did, they seemed to be very considerate when preparing family dinners, always making sure that my share was separate. My mom would always dole out some sautéed vegetables on my plate before adding pork to the rest of the veggies. Then, one day when I was at home alone with my dad, he offered me some traditional soup made from seaweed, which isn’t as gross as it sounds for a Korean like me. As I ate, wholly innocently and suspecting nothing, I noticed it tasted kind of fishy.

“Dad,” I said, “is this a seafood broth or something?”

“What? Of course not,” he replied.

I still thought it tasted odd, but I believed him. That is, until I dipped my spoon in and pulled out the innards of a clam.

“DAD!”

“What? What?”

He said something ridiculous, like it must have fallen in by accident, but I knew he had simply taken some seafood soup they had made, picked all the clams out, and had just missed one. Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder if he had been doing sneaky things like that the whole time when my mom wasn’t looking.

When it came time for the New Year’s Day family gathering, we all went to my grandmother’s house for the traditional rice cake soup on the first day of the new year. When I sat at the table, I noticed that my bowl’s contents looked pretty milky, like everyone else’s did, like it had been cooked with bone marrow. I asked my mom about it, and my dad frustratedly interjected.

“Oh my god, just eat it!”

I felt my family’s patience waning. What they thought was a phase had become a new lifestyle, and they were finally coming to terms with accommodating me for the rest of their lives. They were not happy about it.

Despite the requisite compassion for living creatures, vegans have to develop a bit of a thick skin. Even if we never try to convince others to walk our path, people will take it upon themselves to attack beliefs that are different from theirs. It’s especially hurtful when such criticism comes from family, who we expect to support us. But like every other choice I made that my family initially thought was irrational, they eventually came around and accepted that I make my own decisions. My parents may never believe that veganism is sane or healthy like I want them to, but they still love me for who I am.

Even though… I still check the labels on anything my dad gives me.

Try dispelling some of their skepticism with Vegan Treats. It’s guaranteed to work better than a lecture. Scroll down for a dual coupon to Atlas Café, where all the desserts are deceptively vegan, and save the 20% Teany Café coupon for a cute and healthy teatime with your friends.

-Avia Dell’Oste.

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Body and Health

June 19th, 2011

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Oddly enough, it was my piano teacher that got me to start taking care of my body more.  I had never really been a particularly athletic kid.  I liked hiking and biking just fine, but otherwise I was perfectly happy on the sofa with a good book.  As a result, I hardly ever hurt myself, and I’ve still never broken a bone.  And since my mother generally kept healthy foods in the house, I had never had to really pay attention too much attention to what I was eating.  I didn’t think of it at the time, but in this way I’d been taking my health for granted.

When I got to college, I now needed to manage these things on my own.  There are a lot of stories about Freshman Fifteen, the weight freshmen supposedly gain when left to their own devices over meals and snacks.  Although I didn’t end up gaining that much, it’s certainly true that I was eating in an unhealthier manner than I had been eating at home.  The dining hall at my school always has fries available, which was temptingly problematic at times. Since I wasn’t much of an athlete, I also never bothered to check out the gym.

On top of all this was the strain placed on the body from stress. Although the transition in workload from high school to college is manageable, it can definitely be stressful at times. Some of the books for certain classes can be enormous, and heavy to carry around campus.  There were definitely several late nights at the library where I found myself carting around my laptop and a backpack full of books, and that can add up to a lot of strain!

It was during a lesson mid-semester that my piano teacher mentioned how my arms and shoulders would sometimes tense up as I played.  Playing an instrument wouldn’t initially seem like much of a physically strenuous task, but the piano uses many different parts of your body, from your wrists and fingers all through your arms and shoulders, and of course your foot for the pedals.  Certain pieces have difficult fingerings, require repetitive motions or are simply long and need stamina to play.  These, combined with all the other factors, were affecting my playing. My piano teacher encouraged me to take care of my body more, so I could improve.

It got me to start thinking about how I treated my body on a daily basis, which was basically by not paying it much attention.  I took my health entirely for granted, and I began thinking that if I kept neglecting it, sooner or later things wouldn’t be looking so good. After all, *body is important yay.

I started going for walks more, and these walks were both a nice source of exercise as well as good study breaks.  They also helped me keep from sitting hunched over my laptop in the library for too long.  To reduce stress I tried to start papers early—I didn’t always succeed, far from it, but I found that even thinking about a paper in advance, or starting the overview research helped me to clarify my ideas before I actually sat down to write.  As for food, I continued to have salads with dinner, eased up on the fries, and aimed to drink iced tea rather than soda.

Having long been on the lazy side, I didn’t immediately change my lifestyle, and I don’t think it’s quite possible to.  Even now, I’m not as healthy as I’d like to be.  I still have an absurd weakness for sweets and spend too much time on the internet.  I did, however, realize how important it really is to take care of your body.  At the very least, I’ve been taking steps towards becoming healthier—and even small steps are progress.

Anais DiCroce

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Games to Play on Your Break

June 17th, 2011

I can only slice so many fruit before I need something new.

It’s been a while since Cut the Rope became the popular game to play while sitting on the subway. If you’re looking for something new to fill up your time while commuting or sitting in the student lounge in between classes, check out these brand new puzzle titles that will keep the cogwheels in your brain turning as the clock drags.

Critical Mass (PC and iPhone)

Though it will be available first as a PC game, the iPhone version will become a portable version of the Wii game Art Style: CUBELLO, which received rave reviews back in 2008 despite its simplicity. In Critical Mass, a 3D mass of cubes floats in the center of the screen, and Bubble Bobble style, the player has to place their own colored cubes to match four of the same color, knocking off those cubes from the mass. The player wins when all the cubes are gone.

Admittedly, the game’s concept isn’t new, but the play style of Critical Mass is unique because of its 3D space. It also has different modes to spice things up with a timer or a set number of available cubes. Of course, you can forgo the timer and think the puzzle out at your leisure while on that three-hour break between classes. Be warned: the puzzles take strategy.

Essentially, the game is Bubble Bobble in 3D. And admit it, Bubble Bobble was the best game ever invented. Critical Mass is set to be released on June 20th on PC with the iPhone version to be announced. Personally, I can’t wait. Unfortunately, it won’t be available for BlackBerry, but if you have a DSi, you might want to try out this next game.

Hidden Photo (DSi)

This game is basically a photo hunt but with an added twist that the DSi brings. Not only are there puzzles included with the game, but also the main attraction is the ability to take pictures of your own with the DSi camera and make those into new puzzles. I can’t think of anything more perfect for sitting in high traffic areas like subway cars and college study areas. That guy sleeping in the library might not be getting any of his work done, but at least he’s providing you with some entertainment.

Unlike Critical Mass, which has the potential to become a popular puzzle game across many demographics, you probably have to already like photo-hunting games for Hidden Photo to be worth it. If you’re interested, you’ll be happy to hear that as a DSiWare game, it’s available super cheap, and is downloadable straight to your DSi from the DSi Shop for only $4.99.

That’s all the reviews I have for this week. I’m Avia, your Campus Clipper source for gaming news and insights for the college student. Check out my WoW blog at RP Your Life! and look below for a free coupon for my favorite burrito place!

-Avia Dell’Oste.

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Central Park Summer Fun

June 16th, 2011

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For twenty-six years New York has been host to the Summer Stage arts festival.  It runs from June 7th to September 2nd and takes place in all five boroughs.  What is so great about this festival is not only the variety of shows but that most of them are free! They have all genres of music (alternative, rap, world music, Latin, opera), theater, dancing, and even comedy! There are over a hundred performances spread out between the five boroughs—18 different park locations in total. City Parks Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that created this festival to promote art, culture and fun to NYC, provides these events. I took part in the festival and went to see the musical performance of The Script in the Central Park venue, Rumsey Playfield. And it was a great experience. Tickets were $30.00 and we were able to lay a sheet down to sit and eat before the concert started.  The food inside the venue is not just draft beer and plain ol’ hot dogs; they have the option of pizza, Asiadog and wine. For those of you who are not aware of what Asiadog is, they are hot dogs that have an Asian twist of topping on them. I’ve never had something like those hotdogs before in my life: they are delicious. Leave it up to New York to twist the classics and make gold out of them.  My advice when going to any of the performances would be to get there as early as possible! And if you bring along a sheet, you hold your spot in front of the stage and just relax. If you also don’t want to spend money on venue food eat before hand (Maybe a burger from 123 Burger Shot Beer) Listed Below are some events that I thought were note-worthy but if you go to Summer Stage’s website you can get the entire listing of dates and events.

Shows in Manhattan:

Lee Fields & the Expressions (music), June 25th 4:00 pm, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Cost-Free

“Comedy Central Park” starring Jim Gaffigan (Comedy), June 29th 8:00 pm, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Cost-Free

The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (Opera), July 11th 8:00 pm, Rumsey PlayField, Central Park, Cost-Free

Ratatat (Music), July 13th 6:30 pm, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Cost- $30 in advanced/ $40 the day of the show

Amitage Gone! Dance (Dance), July 15th 8:00 pm, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Cost-Free

Henry V by William Shakespeare (Theatre), Preformed by The Classical Theatre of Harlem, August 5th 8:00 pm, Marcus Garvey Park, Cost- Free

Shows in Queens:

“A Salute to Hip-Hop” Feat. N.O.R.E and Funkmaster Flex (Music), July 21st 7:00 pm, Queensbridge Park, Cost-Free

Hezekiah Walker (Music), July 27th 7:00pm, SpringField Park, Cost-Free

Kool Moe Dee (Music), July 19th 7:00 pm, Queensbridge Park, Cost-Free

Shows in Brooklyn:

Talib Kweli (Music), June 21st 7:00 pm, Red Hook Park, Cost-Free

We Are Scientists/ Milagres (Music), June 23rd 7:00 PM, Red Hook Park, Cost-Free

Dance Grand Moultrie (Dance), June 25th 7:00 PM, Red Hook Park, Cost-Free

Shows in Staten Island:

The Sugarhill Gang (Music), August 2nd &:00 PM, Tappen Park, Cost-Free

The Budos Band (Music), August 3rd 7:00 PM, Tappen Park, Cost-Free

Shows in The Bronx:

Slick Rick (Music), July 12th 7:00 PM, Crotona Park, Cost-Free

Xcstacy (Music), July 13th 7:00 PM, Crotona Park, Cost-Free

Summer Shakeup! (Theatre), July 16th 10:00 AM, Crotona Park, Cost-Free

Jackie Aqel

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Inner Peace at the Crossroads of the World

June 16th, 2011
Mind Over Madness Yoga

Yoga lovers exercise in the middle of Times Square

For the residents and tourists of New York who have been to Times Square, you know how busy it can be. Or rather, how busy it always is. The bright lights, the honking of horns, the crowd, the noise… you get the picture. But what if you could be in the middle of Times Square amidst the noise and commotion, yet be completely separate and away from it at the same time? That is the mission that three yoga instructors set out to accomplish during this year’s summer solstice.

On Tuesday June 21st, Mind Over Madness Yoga will commence in between 45th and 47th Streets in the pedestrian plaza along Broadway. Nicole Nichols, Patrick Lynch and Douglass Stewart, three yoga instructors from local yoga studios, will lead an all-day yoga exercise event (separated into different sessions) in the middle of Times Square. This will be the 10th annual Mind Over Madness celebration welcoming the solstice.

All levels of yoga students are encouraged to come take part in this incredible event. If you want to be a part of Mind Over Madness, you do have to register by clicking here. Spots are limited and participants are limited to one session for the day, so those who are interested in participating should check it out now. There are four different sessions that run starting at 7:30 A.M. and ending at 7:30 P.M. Check-in for these sessions is located at Broadway and 48th Street (remember, register first!). Admission for the sessions is free.

As for those of us who don’t participate in yoga, if you are interested in seeing it in full force in the world’s busiest intersection, I recommend a visit to Times Square this Tuesday to check out the festivities. Take photos, watch the participants and instructors, and take an interest in what they are striving for on the longest day of the year.

The summer solstice is an event regarded in many different cultures as a period of rebirth or renewal for one’s body and one’s mind. Interestingly enough, the word “solstice” is derived from two Latin words, each meaning “sun” and “to stand still.” So, seeing yoga lovers come together in one of the world’s busiest commercial regions in an attempt to bring calmness and stillness to themselves and those around them under the lengthy gaze of our sun should be a spectacle to behold.

–Christopher Cusack, Hofstra University

Photo Credit: Adam Pantozzi

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Everything I Learned in Life, I Learned From Gaming

June 15th, 2011

If you don't stand in fire in game, why would you do it in real life?

After all the years of schooling, careful parenting, and going to (and dozing off in) church, it turns out that all of my life lessons ended up coming from video games. Aside from the usual “don’t stand in fire” and “turtles are jerks,” there have been more than a few jarring epiphanies leading to advice that helped me immensely in academics, work, and social life. Feeling skeptical?

1. If I want something done and done right, I have to do it myself.

I learned this while raiding in World of Warcraft (read: playing with 10-25 people at the same time to solve intricate battles). Sure, I had to trust my team and work as a cohesive group from week to week, but when it came to killing a rogue monster or fearing it away, I learned not to wait for someone else to do it while the leader yelled that we were going to die.

This advice has worked for me in real life, too. At a job, all of the employees work together toward a common goal, whether it’s customer service, meeting a deadline, or building something. But if it’s a choice between focusing on my job and letting something important in the office not get done, and taking a few minutes out of my time to ensure the continued smooth operation of the workplace, I tend to choose to take initiative for the good of the team as long as I’m not neglecting my own duties.

2. If I don’t work towards fulfilling dreams and life goals, I will eventually go crazy.

The original The Sims games were great, but when The Sims 2 introduced the aspirations system, it became a work of microcosmic genius. Fulfilling minor wants like kissing a significant other or gaining skills improved one’s mood, which in turn gave the extra boost required to do jobs well. What really spoke to me was the “Lifetime Want,” a life goal that, once achieved, would put a character in a perpetual good mood state for the rest of its virtual life.

And when a Sim went through day after day not fulfilling any of its desires, the poor thing would actually get depressed, sob randomly, and eventually have to see a shrink. It’s like the Sim is me! I could spend the rest of my life getting by with achieving minor wants, or I could set a (realistic) life goal and work towards a more lasting happiness. Oh the choices in the life a Sim… er… human.

Another thing I learned from The Sims was that ordering Chinese takeout and pizza is expensive and fattening, but that was a little less poignant. Be like a Sim and cook with your own groceries, and use the Campus Clipper coupon for Associated Supermarkets at the end of my post.

3. Some things are more important at certain times than other things.

Despite the confusing wording, this was a pretty harsh lesson for me. I used to sit at my computer playing games for so many hours a week, it was like a full-time job. Honestly, I still play a lot; it’s the hobby that I enjoy. But during the last couple years at my first university, video games were trumping every priority I previously had, including class, homework, and hanging out with the friends I used to see every week. It wasn’t until I dropped out of school and had to get a full-time job to support myself that I finally cut down on my gaming, because I didn’t have the money for it.

Above everything, the big lesson here was to manage my time. Now, I’m back in school, working part-time, and still playing video games a good deal, because I know that at certain points in the week/semester, assignments and exams will have priority, and at other times when I have a little room to slack off, I can hang out in my virtual world without guilt.

These “life lessons” may seem silly if one has already learned them from other, more traditional sources like parents and social interaction, but they are essentially the same, no matter what the source. It is a skill for people to be able to glean information from a variety of experiences and use it to grow. Whether someone is a gamer freak or a mountain climber, the world is waiting to be studied and learned from.

-Avia Dell’Oste.

Cross-posted to my blog RP Your Life!

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View From the Top

June 15th, 2011

I’ve spent a great deal of my life in NYC. My parents work together in the city and I would spend my summers traveling in with them to answer phones and play secretary for their company. After work everyday, my mother and I would go on adventures through the city and do all sorts of things. I’ve walked every street in Manhattan, seen Broadway shows, cheered at parades and walked through the museums. But what haven’t I done? Ventured into the Empire State Building, the very symbol of New York! When I realized that it was one of the few important places I haven’t visited in NYC, I decided to take action and buy tickets for my boyfriend and I to go.

Online tickets range from about $22.00 to $55.00 dollars for adults (ages 13-61) depending two factors. Firstly, there are two floors, the 86th and 102nd floor. You can see just the 86th floor for about $22.00 a person or bump up the price to $37.00 and see both floors. The second factor is the choice of waiting in line or buying express pass tickets that include both floors and allows you to cut the expected long lines for $55.00. Being a paranoid individual, and fearful that long lines would ruin the experience, I opt for the $55.00 tickets and decided to make them my Valentine’s Day present for my boyfriend.

The night of Valentine’s Day came and after dinner in a small Mediterranean restaurant in lower Manhattan (if you’re in the mood for Mediterranean, a closer option to the Empire State building for you could be Ole Kebab), I forced my boyfriend in a cab and told the driver “33rd and 5th please!” it was already 11:45 PM but since the Empire State Building’s Observatories closes at 2:00 AM (last elevator ride up is at 1:15 AM but you can stay till 2:00) we had plenty of time. When we got there the building was quiet and only had a few wanderers around. The man behind the front desk told us to take the escalator up the stairs and follow the signs. We went up and followed a maze of hallways! It was a long walk where it seemed lines would have formed. We got the front of the line immediately (express passes are definitely not necessary for late night visits!) and after walking through a metal detector, made it to the first elevator. Up to the 86th floor we went! When we got there, it was unbelievable. From up there you can see EVERYTHING. Even Brooklyn! All the lights reminded me of when you’re on a plane overlooking a city at night and everyone is fighting to look out the plane’s windows to see the city. It was magical and because it was Valentine’s Day, it was very romantic. There were only couples around us—which I’m sure isn’t normally the case. We ventured outside and because it was mid-February the wind was furious. As we turned the corners the wind would come from a different direction and we would scream and laugh and huddle together to fight against it as a unit. Then we went to the 102nd floor where it was amazing but there was no outside to go to so it wasn’t the same as looking out from the 86th floor. So as a struggling student without money to throw around, go experience the empire state building; just learn from my mistakes. Make sure to go at night when the tourist crowds have dispersed so you won’t need an express pass and if you’re really tight on money seeing just the 86th floor for a special occasion is worth the $20.00 on its own.

Jackie Aqel

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Avoiding Conflict at a Group Meal

June 15th, 2011

Nothing is more obnoxious at dinner than getting attacked for your food choices.

No matter how proud you are about your healthy eating choices, there are always a few people with whom, even if they claim to be understanding and open-minded, you would just rather not get into a heated debate. Usually, they are the type to easily start said heated debates without realizing they raised their voices, and before you know it, you wish you hadn’t even brought up the topic of climate change/political efficacy/favorite color at all.

Though you may not be able to avoid every potential “friendly intellectual discussion” they want to have, there are a few ways to at least circumvent frustrating situations while eating out with friends. First, when collectively deciding where to go for dinner, it’s best not to throw out suggestions that are obviously specialty restaurants. Even if the name gives no hint, once the group arrives there and sees that the menu has absolutely no meat on it, your friends could feel tricked. Since you would like others to accommodate your food choices, try to think of their preferences too. If you are trying to avoid gluten, suggest a restaurant that you know has gluten-free options. If you are a vegan, throw out names of places that you know will have food you can eat but also has meat and vegetarian dishes.

Of course, after going through all of the motions of democracy, you might end up at a restaurant you have never been to and didn’t have time to research their menu. If there’s one thing that might set off your opinionated friends into an unsolicited rant, it’s watching you take fifteen minutes to order because you’re asking your server for comprehensive lists of ingredients. But you’ve been to restaurants before, and the menus for certain ethnic cuisines are practically the same citywide. Once you’ve researched one restaurant and found which dishes are safe, you can assume to a degree for other places with similar styles. A little research into pasta types will let you know which kinds have eggs, and looking up traditional recipes for Japanese foods will let you know where soy can be hiding. This can cut down on the number of questions to ask the server and avoid placing a focus on you. Great places to try for big groups are Indian restaurants with their diverse meat and vegetarian options and choices of rice or bread. Use a Campus Clipper coupon to get 15% off on a weekend when you bring 4 people or more at Cuisine of India!

Even if your friends are aware of your dietary choices, they may forget in their attempts to be generous and offer you a bite of their order. Rather than going into the reasons why you can’t share their meal, a simple “No thanks. I’m good.” will suffice. To avoid further insistence, either immediately return to your previous conversation and/or return their action by offering them some of your food. Keep the dialogue going so that it doesn’t linger too long on the table and its trappings.

When all else fails and someone decides s/he really wants to talk about why you don’t eat dairy in an opinionated and gregarious manner, let him/her go through the spiel. Chances are s/he just wants to voice opinions about it, and whether or not you respond matters less than getting the rant out of his/her system. Even if you aren’t in the mood to debate, other people might want to jump into the discussion, which will take the pressure off of you to be the sole interlocutor. If you are in a group setting, the rest of your party most likely wants the same thing you do: to hang out with friends while eating good food and having lively conversation with more laughs than speeches. If you’ve picked the right friends, they won’t let one person gang up on you or bring everyone else down.

-Avia Dell’Oste.

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How to Manage Your Time For… Gaming?

June 15th, 2011

Can I go to class now, please?

PC gamers and console junkies alike can attest to not only the increasingly social nature of video games, but also the greater acceptance of gaming as a group activity since the first Xbox came with internet capability. While party games like Mario Kart were always popular and took advantage of the fact that people hanging out together required entertainment, classic and modern MMOs (massively multiplayer online games) like World of Warcraft and console games like Halo and Call of Duty call on people from all over the country and all walks of life to organize and play together. For college students, this means fitting gaming into a schedule, just like class or work, and keeping up with the demands of other players who might not be as busy, which can be difficult and frustrating. After all, no one wants to be left behind by his/her friends, even ones that are strictly online.

If you are getting into online gaming or have been gaming for years and are having trouble keeping up now that you’re in college, here are some tips to keep your head afloat in both work and play. Just like schoolwork, online game obligations can take up a lot of time, so it should be managed and incorporated into realistic schedules that don’t overlap with each other. For example, each semester, I look at my class schedule and syllabi and note which nights (or mornings, if you do your best work early in the day) that I know I will have something school-related to do, like weekly response papers that are due every Thursday and Calculus homework due every other Tuesday. Since it’s important to do assignments well and on time, Mondays and Wednesdays would be my days that I need a few hours just for studying.

Then I look at my gaming schedule. It might be weird to hear about someone having appointments for gaming, but when other players depend on you, it’s important to be on time for them like you’re on time for class (hopefully). If my clan/guild/group likes to play together from 9pm-12am on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I should make sure that whatever assignments I have to do on Wednesday gets done before 9. Many guilds on World of Warcraft raid in the middle of the week, so Sundays are great for doing all of the major assignments you know you won’t have time for on Tuesdays. Games that require load times or other periodic breaks are good for doing required reading though the frequent interruptions are less ideal for math or science problems or anything that requires an extended thought process.

When you’re having trouble managing your time because you procrastinate over deciding whether to play or write a paper, you may have to reassess your self-control. If doing work ahead of time isn’t a possibility because you don’t have the discipline, it might be a good idea to switch clans to one that plays only on the weekends, be involved with a smaller number of games, or play the games more casually, i.e. single-player instead of in a group. Despite wanting to prove to ourselves that we have the ability to do everything by sheer will power, it isn’t always realistic. Admitting one’s flaws and rearranging our schedules to account for procrastination is better than making idealistic plans and not getting the work done at all.

No matter how well you manage your time, finals week is always a difficult strain on your already packed schedule. But not everyone in your clan or guild is unemployed or a housewife, and it has always been my experience that when I take time off for finals, plenty of other players are doing the same, even guild leaders. Explain to them which days you will be missing and why. If it’s the kind of guild that requires 100% attendance, it isn’t a good fit for a student anyway since no matter how important your clan is, it’s not worth failing your classes for. Find a comfortable balance between your school and social gaming obligations, but always makes sure it tips a little to the school side.

And with all that time sitting at your computer or console, make sure to eat! Check out this awesome coupon for Whole Foods Market that lets you get all the ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for some sweet gaming fuel at a discount.

-Avia Dell’Oste.

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