Ep. 103 - College Confessions: Student Advice You Actually Want to Hear

Join host Matt Markin and director Ed Mendoza on the CSUSB Advising Podcast as they dive into real student experiences with guests Anita and Anaya, two inspiring student assistants. Anita, an anthropology major, opens up about her journey from the medical track to discovering a passion for people and cultures. Anaya, a kinesiology major, shares how her athletic roots shaped her academic path. From time management tips to campus resource hacks—like tutoring, advising, and the Den food pantry—this episode is packed with advice to keep you motivated and on track. Whether you're figuring it out or finding your stride, this convo’s for you! 💬📚🔥 

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Transcript

Matt Markin  
Welcome to a new episode of the CSUSB advising podcast. As always, this is Matt Markin, and I'm an academic advisor in the asua academic advising office here at Cal State, San Bernardino. And joining me is a returning guest and my boss, Ed Mendoza, the director of academic advising at CSUSB. Ed, welcome back. 

Ed Mendoza  
Thank you, Matt. Always fun to be here and welcome Hello to everyone. 

Matt Markin  
And on today's episode, we thought it would be great to hear from you students at CSUSB and get your views on things with student life, your do's and don'ts as well as your study tips, your personal growth as a student. So we have two amazing students with us today, and they also work as student assistants in our office. And let's start with them introducing themselves and sharing a little bit about themselves. So like, your name, major, your year in school, a little bit of your background. Let's start with Anita. 

Anita  
All right, I get to go first. So yeah, hi everyone. Yeah. So my name is Anita. I'm a junior undergraduate. My major is in anthropology. I have a minor in ethnic studies, and I also have a GE minor in diversity and social justice. So that just means all my GES were social justice topics. What other points Am I hitting on? 

Matt Markin  
Oh, that's good. That's a lot you're doing as a student already. Anaya, go for it. 

Anaya  
Mine isn't as impressive as Anita, but I am a kinesiology major with a concentration in exercise science. Well, hello everybody.

Matt Markin  
And what class level are you right now? 

Anaya  
I am a senior, so hopefully by fall 25 I'll be done and out of here.

Matt Markin  
And hopefully the experience has been great. And before we I mean, we talk more about you. As a student at CSUSB, I was interested to know, like, why did you choose CSUSB? What were some of the factors that went into like your decision making process of choosing Cal State, San Bernardino and and I, I'm going to throw it to you for this one. 

Anaya  
Yeah, of course. So I'm all I'm a transfer student. I'm coming from Norco College. That was my community college. For me, a lot of the factors was making sure that my requirements that I took at Norco were able to transfer over. So just making sure I would be admitted. I think what solidified me coming here was the campus tour and just being able to see the campus that kind of cemented, yeah, I think this is my place. It was a good atmosphere. Everybody's really nice and very helpful. So love our campus.

Anita  
I will say that before I applied here, there wasn't. I was a first gen student, so there's not. I didn't really know what I was doing when I was applying to schools, so I just kind of applied here. It's like, oh, Cal State, that sounds good. And I'm from Texas, so you might be like, Why did you choose California? I have family out here, so I thought something. I just wanted something new. So I was looking at schools in California. So I was like, Cal State, that sounds pretty official. So I applied here, but as soon as I got here for for orientation, all of the staff was really welcoming, and it felt like a really nice place when they're talking about all of the the resources that they offer here, and how they primarily serve first gen students and just all of the support that they offer here. I was like, Yeah, this, this feels like a good choice. 

Matt Markin  
So it seems like for the both of you, like, once you were actually on the campus, so and I have seen the actual campus, and Anita maybe interacting with staff and other students that were, you know, at orientation, that's when you both were, like, Cal State, San Bernardino. That's the school for me. That's That's awesome.

Ed Mendoza  
I'm going to start with my my first question. It isn't even one on the academic I'm going to pick on Anita, because she's from Texas, in and out, or Whataburger. You know, I feel like I get asked this question so much in this office, for everyone to hear, okay, so for everyone to hear, I see I wasn't even born in Texas, so I'm not defending them in any way, but I will say Whataburger, and that is, will always be my choice. Wow. Good for you, and you, you stick to it. So I'm going to start with one of the things, Matt and I as advisors, and then you probably with your your friends and colleagues and other students that you've been around. What's the right major? Am I in the right major. How many times have students change their major? So this question kind of goes along the line of, how did you come about choosing your major, and is it the one that you originally started with, an IU from Norco, and any of you here? Is it the one you always wanted, and are you still in it? And to go along those lines. We'll get to the next part of it. How do students consider choosing that major? So if you can talk about how you got to your major and you feel comfortable with it, especially because you're a junior and senior, now a little bit about that. So I'll start with the meetups. 

Anita  
All right. So my journey choosing a major is kind of long, so I'll try to, I'll try to shorten the version, but I went through a lot of different like just thinking about what I wanted to do and different pathways. So after I graduated high school, I didn't really know what I wanted to do at all, so I took two years off just to kind of work and figure things out, because I didn't want to go immediately into college and do something that I didn't want to do. Didn't want to do. But in high school, I really connected to, like my anatomy and like my science classes. So originally I thought I wanted to get into, like the medical field, or as I was looking more into it, like forensic anthropology. So whenever I was admitted here. I was admitted as a biology student, because I was like, you know, I think this is, this is what I really want to do. And then I started looking more into it, and I was like, you know, I don't think, I don't think I want to do a lot of math in my major. I don't think I want to go into, like, the medical field at all like that. Just doesn't feel like it's for me. So I did more research, and since I was interested in forensic anthropology, so I was like, you know, let me research what anthropology actually is, because forensic anthropology is just a very small section of anthropology. So I was looking into it, and I found out more about like social anthropology and cultural anthropology that doesn't have to be so science based, and I don't have to do so much, but I really like the major that I am now. So before I even I was admitted as biology, but before I came and started my classes, I switched it to anthropology. So then I started my classes as an anthropology major, which was which was really good. As soon as I took my first anthropology class, I really fell in love with it, and now I really like all aspects of it, the biological anthropology and social anthropology, but I think the path that I'm going on now is more social and cultural anthropology, just because, like my minors reflect I'm really interested in social justice topics, and I think that that's where I really want to be. 

Ed Mendoza  
So thank you for that. Anaya, can you share?

Anaya  
So similar to Anita, my major always wasn't it wasn't always Kinesiology. I believe mine also started off as biology. My mom was actually a nurse, so I knew I wanted to be in the medical field. I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do. So I kind of went into community college with an idea of, okay, we're going to the medical field some way, somehow. But I guess along the way, as I took more classes, that's when it got kind of mixed up for me, because I found different interests. I've always been good at Sciences and everything, but I just kept finding little things I liked in the classes. So I changed, I want to say, changed my major a couple times. Actually. It went from bio to, I think, athletic training, and then back to cure. Now we're back at Kenny, so it just kind of went full circle. We also have a lot of athletes in my family, so that is why kinesiology kind of why we're we're here now. I don't necessarily want to work with athletes anymore, but that's kind of what got my foot in the door for Kinesiology. 

Ed Mendoza  
Well, thank you and and I think what you both went through is what majority of our students go through. Am I choosing the right thing? Because think a lot of students believe that my major is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, and I think it's not. And I think as you guys are taking your courses, and you know now that you're getting closer to graduating, that there is going to be other options for you, and you're still eligible for a lot of different masters and credential programs if you decide to go in a different career path, right? But there's still a lot of students that are at the early stages of deciding on a major, or maybe they've decided biology as an example. And nothing against biology, because I think biology is a great major, but for students who are still kind of processing that have I made the right choice, or undeclared or even considered I already know I made the wrong choice. What do I go into? What kind of what advice would you give those students pretend you're talking to a group of friends? So let's start with Anaya. 

Anaya  
I feel like one thing that I messed up on again, I came in to college thinking I knew what I wanted to do, so maybe just focus on getting your general classes done first, and then as you're in those classes, similar to me, just kind of note things that you like about the classes, and then maybe talk to your advisor and see if there is something that aligns more closely, but don't be so quick to go and the with a declared major, because I think that's where I messed up, or not messed up, but that's what extended my academic journey is because I was set on a major instead of just doing my generals first. 

Ed Mendoza  
Thank you and I, and I know there's students and you started at a community college, and a lot of students that started Community College usually do finish their general education and and there is wonderful community college that offer lower division major requirements. But for those students, like Anita that started here, there are benefits of general ed, because General Ed, it's a broad spectrum, and you get to learn from different areas. But then, what about the major courses you're interested in? And how do you figure that out? So let me move it on to Anita to see how she answers this. 

Anita  
Yeah, I think my answer is pretty much along the same, same lines. I say, if you're, you know, if you just, like started and you're still kind of deciding really pay attention to the GE classes too. You know, I recommend seeing your advisor, but I hear a lot of students say that they just kind of take what their advisor puts on their schedule, which, you know, a lot of the advisors will do that to help and just sort of guide. But I You need to take the time with yourself to, like, look through your positive port and look through each GE class, and because there's a lot of topics underneath each GE so take the ones that you are actually interested in, and that will guide you to sort of where you wanted to go. So for me, like, I just took GE classes that I was interested in, like, and then I found out that, you know how I have two minors. Now, a lot of the GE classes that I that I already took, how to have already fallen into those minor categories. So that also helped me along the way, because now for my whenever I decided a minor, I'm already halfway done with the minor, and I didn't even like choose it yet. And also say, do what I did when I was choosing my major. And I was like, You know what the heck is even anthropology. I looked on YouTube. I googled anthropology. I googled jobs you can do with anthropology. You know, I went through like everything, just to find out. It feels really for me. 

Ed Mendoza  
Thank you for saying that at the end too, because both of you mentioned, courses will help you figure out interest. Talking to others, including advisors, will help you figure out a little bit more about it. I don't know. Nowadays is this generation using Google still or YouTube, or are they using AI to answer a lot of questions too? So let me transition it back to Matt, but thank you for sharing that. Because what other things can students do to figure out a major other than classes and and talking to someone, it's, it's going online, and figuring it out

Matt Markin  
Yeah, I mean, and you know, you're mentioning the Google, YouTube, but just like, what's going to happen by time this episode goes out, you might already have access to ChatGPT through Cal State, San Bernardino, so that could be maybe another resource to use, potentially for career searches and interview prep, or whatever it might be, study help, having a study buddy. So that will be interesting to see how things go with that. But go ahead.

Ed Mendoza  
I was just going to circle it back to what I mentioned earlier, that a degree doesn't mean that's your that's your career for the rest of your life. So if there's folks out there that are doing a career that you're interested in, who better to ask? Ask those people, if they got to do school again, what major would they choose and why? And maybe that's the path that they will take, because now they find a connection to what I'm learning to with the career I want to do. And when students find a connection to this applies to me, there's more motivation in the class. There's more it's not so it doesn't feel so tedious to have to go to these classes. There's excitement to go to these classes, because this is what I'm going to apply to for the next 30-40, years in terms of career. 

Matt Markin  
Well, I think even connected to that is, you know, students might think only go to office hours to talk to their professors of their classes, just about the class, but if they're in a field that you might be interested in, talk to them about career options, maybe how they got to CSUSB as a professor, what they might have done prior to teaching at Cal State, San Bernardino. And you might find a wealth of information that way. You know, as mentioned about maybe take, you know, when you're taking Ges, take classes that you might be interested in. One thing that I learned from Ed was kind of go through, like, a certain GE area, and if there's, like, you know, eight choices, tell the student briefly about what each class might be about to see if any of that might strike their interest. And then that might be the class they might want to take for that specific GE area, but for Anita and I kind of going along the lines of kind of these do's and don'ts, you know, you're talking about helping students if they're struggling about deciding a major, what would you say if you had to reflect back, what would be one thing you wish you had, you know you had known, or wish you had when you first started at Cal State, San Bernardino. And I'll leave it up to whoever wants to start. 

Anaya  
I feel like that is also my assigned advisor, obviously. But aside, I feel like Matt did a really good job explaining, like, my courses to me and breaking it down. In that sense, I do wish that I had a little more knowledge about, um, like, my my program, I guess coming from them, like other resources and stuff from my department that I didn't know were requirements now that I need. I wish there was, I guess, just more tabling events or something to just kind of advertise those services a little better. That was my biggest thing, just so that, you know, because there's a lot of things that for me, I go on the I use the website a lot. It's very helpful, but not a lot of students take the time to look into it, unfortunately. So had I not gone on the Kinesiology website, I wouldn't have known like they offer internships on campus, off campus, opportunities to work in the department and stuff like that. So just more opportunities to hear about those research sources earlier on. 

Ed Mendoza  
Yeah. I mean, because you get a lot of the tabling, maybe at New Student Orientation, but after that, you know, maybe it's kind of off and on when the tabling happens, but you know you are on the website. But maybe some students maybe don't even know where to start, where to go on the website, because there's so much out there. But great tips. Anita, how about you? 

Anita  
I'm still kind of thinking about it too, but I would say that, yeah, along the same lines as Anaya, just use all of the resources that you can I know that it's like, a scary process, and, you know, I definitely came in to school and I had, like, an appointment with a peer advisor, and, like, my advisor, but I'll still, like, I don't know how to work a pause report. I don't know, like, what any of this stuff does. So I say, really, just take advantage of, like, all of the help you have, and really, like, advocate for yourself, because you really need to, even though you might know the questions that you need to ask, if you don't know something, then you know, say that don't be afraid with like your advisors or like people you're meeting with, just ask questions, even if you don't know what the question is. Can you just be like, I don't understand this. Can you explain it more and just taking advantage of, like Anaya said, like the tabling and like, just people around campus, events around campus, I think that's what I did, coming from out of state. So I think it was a little bit, I mean, it was harder for me, because I'm not a very social person, and I don't like, I don't know, just being in social settings. But I think it was a little bit easier for me coming from out of state, because I was like, you know, I really need to make the best out of this experience, and I really need to make connections. So I as a freshman, I went to every event that I can, you know, I stayed in the dorm, so I went to every housing event, and I just tried to do my best to make connections and meet new people, and I think that's what has helped me the most, like being more knowledgeable about the campus and just my academics, and that's how I found a job at advising, too. 

Ed Mendoza  
And you're talking about a lot of networking, and sometimes you don't have to necessarily go to, like, a huge event, like it could be literally, if I'm on campus, let me talk to my next door roommates, and maybe I might learn something and be able to find out about something going on on campus, or a job or something, but kind of going along those lines, and you both kind of address some of it. But if there's anything you want to add to this, are there any biggest mistakes that you think students make, and how they can avoid them. And whoever wants to start with that one.

Anita  
I can start. I can just maybe talk just how important it is to to, again, advocate for yourself. I think the biggest mistake that you can do is just being afraid to, like, just say that you don't know, and it's really scary. You know you're you're in this new place, and you don't really know, like, the systems of college, especially for like, first gen students. But I know that a lot of the people within this university are first gen students. So the people here are are the staff here is really geared to, like, help you. So it's okay to say that you you don't know. I think the worst thing that you can do is just kind of passively be like, Oh, it's gonna like, I don't need to, like, look into my classes any further, you know, like, I have the schedule set up so I don't need to change anything, you know, if, if something doesn't work for you, then then, you know, say that and find someone that can, that can help you with that. 

Anaya  
I think also, to add on to that, I don't think there's anything, there's nothing wrong with asking questions, because you never know who might have your question as well, someone you might be able to pass that information on to. I think that also leads into making sure that you build connections with your peers and your classmates. I know there is another student assistant who's the same major as me, and she's a freshman, and I feel like it's helpful. It's helpful to her, and it kind of helps reflect the knowledge you learn or we've picked up here at CSUSB, being able to kind of help and pass on those resources instead of gatekeeping. So just making sure that you're building those connections with your peers, making sure you share information you might get. Because again, not everybody might not be as knowledgeable on navigating the website and stuff, just spreading the information you get as well. 

Matt Markin  
So you're able to already give back while you're already a student at CSUSB, which is fantastic. 

Ed Mendoza  
No, you guys are both wonderful, and I always see you guys talking to the other students. Not only are the ones that work with us, but even students that ask questions at the front, you answer their question, but then you give them your personal advice, which is, which is nice for students to hear, because though Matt and I were students at Cal State, San Bernardino, it's been a big gap in terms of when we were students, compared to you all. It's, How about I'll say it's been longer than a year that I graduated about that. But along with all those connections and finding resources, and I think all that information is very helpful for students to make connection and to persist, because there's always obstacles along the way. There's always barriers that happen, whether at home, whether with family, whether with personal what keeps you going and motivated so but part of that is, and I've heard this for a while, the number one predictor of success is you passing your classes. So the main purpose of why you came to college is to earn a bachelor's degree. And along the journey, along the way, you'll make friends, you'll build connections, you'll make our networks, and you'll develop skills to make you successful in your career along the way. But in order for us to get that bachelor's degree, we have to pass these courses that you need to take, some that you really enjoy, and some that you may not enjoy. So any tips on what's worked for you in terms of studying. So what study habits have worked for you the best? 

Anaya  
Um, for me, I'm a big note taker. I have to take physical notes. For me, it just especially using different colors, it kind of helps pop out certain information. Or for me, it's just kind of like a muscle memory thing, like I'm able to remember what I write. Sounds really weird that I asked my professors a million questions. I know they'll probably get annoyed, but you can't ask a bad question. The only bad question is the one that you don't ask. So just making sure you're able to ask or you ask questions if you're not comfortable with your professor, making sure you ask a peer, see if they can kind of coach you through it. And then also the learning outcomes. A lot of people skip over those, but they always come back, especially for exams. Just make sure you study those, or find a way to connect those to your your notes, and you should be good for the most part. 

Ed Mendoza  
And to go along with that, one of the things I had, if you can add to this, Anaya, so those study tips. But how do you manage that with four or five or six classes at the same time?

Anaya  
Just make sure that if you if you using calendars or making sure that you write down your schedule so you don't get your classes mixed up, making sure you write down important dates, making sure you actually pay attention to the syllabus and their dates, and that you're in communication with your professors. Just making sure you're organized helps and takes you a long way. I think, for me, being a freshman till now, I think if I would have taken more heat into organizing and making sure my time management was on point I would be. I would have been a lot more successful earlier on.

Ed Mendoza  
tudy Habits have worked for you, and how all that time management plays a part of it too. 

Anita  
Okay, yeah, I'll say, I'll say the same thing, basically the same thing as as Anaya, again, it really is just finding ways of studying and ways of learning that work for you. It can be hard, but also for me, I also knew that I was a person that I have to take physical notes, like if, if you're, but you're, if you're a person that likes to take digital notes, who likes to take notes on your laptop, on your tablet, that's That's amazing. I feel like that's honestly more convenient, but I'm, I know that I need to have my notes physical, or else, you know, if it's in a Google Doc or something, I'm not gonna look at it. I'm not gonna learn as much. So, you know, I and then I indulge into, I get to indulge into things that make me excited about it. So like buying new stationary, buying new sticky notes, and like different color pins and stuff, really helps me be a little bit more excited about, you know, having to do schoolwork. So I think that really helps too. And I think as someone who is the social sciences, I can speak from from this perspective. Also, what Anaya said is interacting with class in class, and with your professors asking questions. But I say, since sort of my major is and this will kind of go into, like the time management of and how to sort of manage, like, the workload within your class. But since a lot of my homework and a lot of my stuff is just reading most of the time, and so, like, some writing, like essays, and that's kind of all that we have to do. But these, these academic articles are long, and sometimes the professors will give you 2, 3, 4, a week that you have to read. But a lot of the classes are discussion based, so there's not a lot of assignments, but you have to, you know, interact in class, and I think it is finding a balance between all of them. And this may seem like not great advice, but it is what I've heard from my professors and a lot of academics who are in the social sciences, that because reading is a lot so I say, find the way that helps you retain the information within like the things that are that you're reading. So I hear a lot of read the introduction of the articles, and then the conclusion, and then, you know, find bits and pieces in between. If you don't have a lot of time, find bits and pieces in between, that sort of that you can read without reading the whole thing. And then you have something to say in class. And be sure to, you know, even if you did read the introduction or conclusion, like, you can get a lot from that. That's the whole main argument of like the paper. So you can still engage in class and engage in like questions with the professor, and still learn a lot that way. It's really nice when you have the time to read the whole thing. But sometimes it's just like, not manageable to try to do everything you know you have to manage what you can do with, like the time that you have with five classes, with work. So yeah, just finding what works for you, for studying and retaining information and then just applying that in class. Thank you. 

Ed Mendoza  
In full transparency, I wasn't much of a reader in college, so, but I really focus in the class. I really try to sit in the front and pay attention, because I wasn't going to read as much, but nowadays, with all the technology and stuff, maybe I would have used the audio version of things, or I would have asked AI to read it for me as I'm driving or as I'm doing something to retain more of that information. That's kind of learner I was so to go along the lines, and I think Anita, you said the word motivated while you buy stationaries and colored pants that get you motivated to school. That's the next part of my question is, because one of the things we've noticed as in advising, and we notice with just students as a whole, there's a lot of priorities in a student's life, there's family, there's relationships, there's religion, there's work, schools in there somewhere, because you guys are attending school to earn a bachelor's degree, but sometimes the priorities change from time to time. So what keeps you motivated in terms of school and hopefully avoid procrastination? Now I know some folks, maybe including myself, said I strive at last minute things, but obviously that's very stressful as well. So what keeps you motivated in terms of your courses, in terms of continuing school? What helps you if you're able to and be honest, if you're not procrastination, avoid procrastination. I guess I'll start. I would say this is I'm going to be so honest. 

Anita  
This is a hard question for me every time, every time I get asked, it's really hard to stay motivated sometimes, at least for me and I, you know, it's also because I have a lot on my plate too. I'm one of those students who do everything. I have work, and I have all of my classes. I have a lot of extracurriculars, and I have outside research programs. I do independent research as well. So sometimes, whenever you don't have a lot of time, like in between, like my classes, and whenever I get back to my room late at night, I'm like, I just want to go to sleep, or like, I just want to watch TV, like I don't want to do my homework. And that has really been my downfall most of the time, and then I end up procrastinating. And, you know, having having to do it last minute. I'll say there's an essay that is due soon that I need to do because I procrastinated it. But yeah, just stay motivated. I think even though it's hard in the little moments to sort of motivate yourself. I think whenever you can do the reflecting, to think about, like, the big picture, you know, you think, Oh, it's just one semester, like, it's just one class, like, I don't know why I have to do this, and it just gets tiring, especially now that I'm a junior. You know, as a freshman, I was, I was a lot more motivated. I was I had a lot more energy to get through my classes. But I think at this point I really have had to look big picture and say, you know, well, if I fail this class, at this point in my like, academic journey, like it's going to set me back, like, another semester. If you fail some classes. And, you know, I have to think about my goal is getting my degree. My goal is going to graduate school. And with the career that I want to go to, I really am striving for a PhD at this point. So you just have to think, you know, and like, whenever I think, like, about my academic journey, it's like going into graduate school. That's, that's a lot as well. But you know, these are my goals, and this is what I what I want to do and pursue, and to be able to get to that point, then I have to focus right now. 

Ed Mendoza  
It hit me when you said the little moments versus the big picture, because that's so true, and everything so the little moments. Yes, we may lose a battle tonight because I really wanted to watch that TV show, but that doesn't define me, and I can still make that change, and I can still work on things. And, you know, we we always keep working on ourselves to better ourselves in whatever we're trying to do. So thank you for saying that. Anaya.

Anaya  
I think mine is also similar to Anita, in the sense that in order to keep me going right now, it's just thinking about, Okay, well, we're almost there. We have until fall, and then we can move on to the next thing. So just keeping your goals in mind, I think another thing that has helped me a lot this semester is realizing when you need to take a break, and sometimes you try to keep pushing yourself to get through something, and you're just causing yourself more harm, because your body is telling you, we're tired. We need a rest, whether that looks like maybe setting a 30 minute timer and it's like, Okay, I'm gonna work for this long and then come back to it in another 30 minutes, or something like that. But it's just recognizing that you need a break. And as much as we all like to be super human and making sure we're on top of our things, we can't. We might not always have. We might not always be in that headspace, and again, we might be causing more harm than good instead of just let Okay, let's take a minute. Let's breathe. Let's get our mind right. Let's take a nap, if we need a nap, and then making sure you come back. Make sure you come back to your work. Yeah, take a break. 

Ed Mendoza  
Thank you. And this happens just so you know, outside of school too, and outside. How do we keep motivated on a lot of things? I have a peloton, and I need to motivate myself to use it on a daily basis. And it's hard. One of the things that's worked for me, and I think it worked for me as a student, and maybe you can, if you can give a thumbs up, or at least give a feedback on what I'm about to say, I think when you have a friend that holds you accountable, that will ask you, Hey, are you done with this? And now you know you someone's gonna ask you, and maybe that motivates you a little bit more to finish it too. It's helpful. I'm not saying that that friend becomes your parent and is nagging you and is always bugging you, but someone that can that you could check in with, and maybe it's folks in your classes that you check in with and study groups. Does that seem that you've done that too, or does that work for you all? 

Anaya  
I think that's completely it's a, it's a really big thing. I think there's, there's a girl I came in with during orientation, and we kind of keep each other on track every now and again. Look, fortunately, we've had a lot of classes together this semester, but it feels like, if I don't know something, or I'm not understanding it, or it's one of those moments where like, Okay, I just need a break. She, most times, has it, and then vice versa. So we kind of balance each other out. And then I also wanted to make another note is maybe giving yourself little rewards every now and again, like if I finish this, then we can do this. We can watch 30 minutes of bridgerton or something like that. So real reward system for yourself is also good. I feel like sometimes relying on someone else, it's or it can be helpful. But again, if you get too reliant on other people, instead of doing things that motivate you for yourself, that kind of, it doesn't help either. I think it kind of pushes that responsibility on other people, and you're not doing it for you at that point. You're just making sure somebody I'm not burdening somebody else. If that makes sense. 

Ed Mendoza  
It does. Thank you, Anita you have an answer to that? 

Anita  
No, yeah. I think that's a really good point. I think that is that's also what's helped me in like, I can think, not just academically, but in a lot of facets of my life, just being held accountable, not, you know, being like, griped at or like yelled at, but, you know, soft accountability from from your peers. Because it really is, like, what is it? The support system, the support systems that you have, and I think that was was hard for me before, too is I don't have the biggest support system around me, so it was also hard to stay to stay motivated. Because, you know, if you get in your head too much and you don't have anyone to sort of as an outlet or to help you with your goals, it's kind of harder, but it makes me think of now that I have my, my mentor, Harim Khan. She's in the anthropology department. She's so lovely and helping me with my my research. And, like, we just had a had a meeting, and I'm supposed to be getting done this literature review, and I'm supposed to already have it done, but I haven't started it. And, you know, she was like, it, would it help if we have, like, writing sessions, or if I give you, like, a soft deadline to have, like, you know, an outline done with that hope. And I was like, Yes, I really, I really need, like, some sort of deadline. Because if there's nobody, like, giving me, like a due date, and if there's nobody, like, you know, if it's just me, like, I'm not going to hold myself accountable to getting it done a certain time. So yeah, that really helps. 

Matt Markin  
Yeah, no, that accountability piece, yeah, having those soft deadlines and hard deadlines, or even like Anaya was saying, with kind of rewarding yourself. When I used to teach USTD 2000 to my students, we would talk about delayed gratification, which is exactly what an I was talking about. So I think all of your tips, I think are excellent. I think when we're talking about time management, I think a lot of times we overestimate the amount of free time we have for studying and getting ready for exams, and we underestimate how much is involved, how much time we'll actually need for the study prep and our homework and all of that. So it's kind of figuring out what that balance is, but I think you both kind of alluded to it, kind of maybe studying or working for a certain amount of time, also making sure you take a break, because our eyes are muscles, so they get tired, so you can only stare at something for so long. Can be difficult retaining some of the information. But with the time remaining, we got a couple more questions. And so this is kind of about campus resources. Now you both have mentioned utilizing campus resources. For you personally, what has been the most helpful resources during your time at CSUSB, and I'll throw this to Anita first.

Anita  
All right, so this is probably something that, something that I could go on forever about, because there's so many resources that this campus offers. And like I said, even as like a freshman, I was really adamant about, like, using everything that I could, because I really wanted to, like succeed. So first I would say what I use most my like, freshman years, like is the tutoring center, because that's whenever I had my GEs in math and chemistry. You know, now I'm more in social science classes my upper division, so I don't have to use it, but I still say to anyone to utilize the tutoring because they're so helpful, they will literally sit there. And, you know, if you have a homework assignment, they'll sit there and, like, do it with you. And it's not just for, you know, them giving you the answers. It really helped me, like, understand the processes of it. Like, they'll go and work through all the problems with you and make sure that you know how to do it. But I will say I was in the tutoring center every day, or, like, you know, at least a few times a week. I it's a really good resource. Also advising, and not just because I work here, but because I work here, I think I also have a lot more insight to it. And not just because of the directors on this podcast episode, yeah, not just because my boss is here,um, but yeah, I think working here has made me realize how important it is, you know, before I started working here, and I was lucky enough to start working here after my first semester, so I just really got a lot of information. And I think the more that you know about, like your academics, and more about like how it works and everything like, the better you'll be for to have to be successful. So like, don't be afraid to, like, make multiple appointments with your advisor to send them emails. I have the advantage of working with them, so I can ask questions anytime I want to. But if you don't, sort of have a job, you know, with advisors, don't be afraid to ask all of the questions and make appointments as much as you can. It's a really good resource. And then I'll say one more, and then I'll pass it along for time. But the den, the overshadow den and food pantry, is something that I use a lot, and I know that all of the student assistants. I know a lot of a lot of people that use it. It's basically a food pantry where you can get free groceries, and they have a lot of other different resources. You can apply for grants and other things for that you need help with. But I think it's a really cool thing that the school has, and they don't ask you any information. You can just go in and get groceries. And so, yeah, I think that's a really big one that I love seeing students take advantage of. 

Anaya  
Mine is also advising. I think it's also because, outside of getting help with my courses and everything you we get so much information about other departments as well, a lot of things that we might not always be aware of. That's happening, like with financial aid or maybe office of registrar, we get so much information about those departments that I think otherwise we probably wouldn't, we would be struggling with so I'm grateful for those opportunities where we get insight. I think I the Den is also a big thing. I use the den pretty much every week. And then also the student health centers. They're very helpful using that pharmacy, especially the few times I've gotten sick, they're a resource that we don't always think about. I don't think a lot of students take advantage of, but a lot of the medicine stuff, it's very affordable. Everybody's very nice. They take the time to explain things. It's those are the main three I use. 

Ed Mendoza  
So the elephant of the room for me right now is, yes, you guys work in our office, but we selected you because we also have known your journey. We've also talked to you all in terms of that motivation and the and the studying and and the stress that comes along with it, because we see it here and there. So we wanted to make sure we brought students and we know, because you guys are very honest with us. We and we appreciate that. But I will say this too. And Matt, Matt heard me say this before we in advising. We work for you all. We work for you. The reason we do this job is because we were students, and the reason we do this job is because I wish, I wish someone would have told me this, and just like you shared some of it, when you share with other students, what I wish I know now, what I didn't know that or however that saying goes. So my next question is, if you can reflect a little on the time you've been at CSUSB or even in college, for you in Iowa, for when Norco looking back, what's one thing you're most proud of accomplishing? I guess I can go first. 

Anita  
So yeah, what I'm I think I'm most proud of in my academic journey, or just like this whole thing is getting out of my comfort zone. I know that I even now I'm really shy and I don't talk a lot. But if you would have seen me, like, four or five years ago, it you i You would have thought it was like a different person, you know, like, my first job was at like, Family Dollar, and, you know, I was just so scared, like I was like, 18. I didn't say anything. I didn't, like, speak up for myself, like it was, it was just Yeah, it was just a different time. Um, and I think this journey has helped me learn that I really, like, you know, like I said, before making connections, networking and just taking advantage of all the opportunities that I have has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and pushed me out to to, you know, be able to advocate for myself and be able to ask more questions. And, yeah, I think that's, that's just kind of it just like sort of pushing myself to be a better version of myself, to sort of get to where I need to go. 

Ed Mendoza  
It makes me think of a quote of in order to have something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done. And for a lot of folks that are in college, it's because they want to make a change, either for themselves or for their family or for the next generation, and that thought process is, if I keep doing the same, what's the difference? What's going to change? So I need to do something different, and I think that's part of it. So it looks like you've kind of gone through that and and I think you've built the confidence that whenever the next challenge happens in masters PhD that you have that same mindset, I need to do something I haven't done before so I can get to it. I think a big thing for me, it's celebrating the small victories for myself. 

Anaya  
I feel like, since I'm a transfer student, one of my biggest, my biggest challenges, is burnout and handling that. So I think one thing that's kind of helped me, and something that I'm happy about, is just being able to celebrate, like, Okay, I made it through this class, or simply being able, like, I follow my grad check. It's small little things, and then I think just all the little skills I've learned along the way, like, similar to what Anita said, I think my networking and stuff, it was okay coming in, but being in this office or interacting with classmates, people in my classes, that's taught me a whole different way about like interacting with people, ways to communicate with professional or your professors and everything. If you don't know how to ask a question, like Anita said, just kind of figuring out how or maybe who to ask or go about solving this the problem for yourself. 

Ed Mendoza  
I've always appreciated and sometimes and Matt might do this too, and and we thought of this podcast, because we do this on a daily basis. Sometimes, who better to ask and students going through it, and sometimes we'll just pick your brain. What are your thoughts on this? Or how should we communicate this? Or what are your and we appreciate that you guys are always honest, and I say thank you, at least for today's podcast. And you guys were very honest and transparent and vulnerable to share with you your journey, because I think that benefits all our other students or anyone that listens to this podcast. So thank you.

Matt Markin  
And look how this conversation went and how time flies, and we have reached the end of this podcast episode. So Anaya and Anita, thank you so much for joining us on this podcast today.

Anaya  
Of course.

Anita  
Thank you for inviting us. 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai