San Jose State University

Tips for Students


"If pre-exam jitters keep you from getting a good grade, arrive early to class and journal about your worries. A study from the University of Chicago found that writing about one's anxiety for 10 minutes before a test can improve a student's performance. According to the study's authors, pressure-filled situations can deplete brainpower known as working memory, needed for everyday tasks like test-taking.
Writing about your fears before a big event can help free up your mind, so you can focus and perform better. Though this particular study only tested its effects on written exams, researchers speculate that writing down your fears could be useful before any fear-inducing situation" (from Cleveland Clinic's 360-5 wellness newsletter, February 21, 2011).

From Viennelyn Copero (Feb. 21, 2011):
How are you? I hope you are doing well! I just wanted to update you on my current job situation. I was able to land a job at one of the world's largest Market Research firms, IDC. I start my new position as an Associate Product Marketing Specialist in 2 weeks. My last job as a product marketing intern for Immersion ended in September so I was only unemployed for 5 months. These last five months have been hard, I spent about 3 hours a day job searching and sending out resumes. I've been on about 15 interviews during this time as well. Some of the companies I interviewed for were eBay, SanDisk, CPP and Oracle. After about 5 months of failed interviews, I finally landed a job at IDC. I'm really happy because this is exactly what I want to do.
Thank you for all of your advice and help. If you could, please tell your graduating seniors that the job market is tough. However persistence and the will to succeed overcomes any obstacle in this job market. Thank you again!