* Reach out and form networks of support! There ARE people out there who want your support and that will, in turn, support you! You are not in this alone! You CAN be close to your colleagues and teachers even from a distance/

* Mentoring begins at home! Even if you haven’t been in this program long, you can still mentor those that are coming along behind you or that are in your same cohort.

* Chat is monitored in Centra so be sure to keep it clean… and on topic (well… for the MOST part!)

* Centra can be your best friend or worst enemy. Expect technological failures! Failures notoriously happen on crucial nights (e.g. the night of your presentation, etc!). Centra goes down, kicks you out, freezes, microphones don’t work, etc! Expect it and go on!

* Centra is a great resource for team or partner meetings!

* Check Bb before classes begin - sometimes professors post things to know or do before the class has even met. Also check Bb on class meeting nights. Professors may post things for the class up until time for your class to meet.

* Familiarize yourself with your individual class’ Bb structure. You will need to see what is there and to get used to using the discussion board, gradebook, etc.

* Log in to Centra as early as possible before class (if possible!) - there are always technical difficulties when you are rushed to get in to class.

* Beware of Centra upgrades!! They are evil! Login to Centra during the test flight or in enough time before class to address any problems with tech support.

* Information Science education doesn’t end in the classroom. Get involved with professional organizations, attend seminars, join committees, etc.

* Become a professional long before you obtain your degree. Read… Read… Read…. Information Science literature, professional listservs, etc… to learn about the concerns and issues faced by our profession. Also try your hand at presentations at professional meetings, presenting poster sessions or writing articles for publication. Act like a professional and you will become one!

* Keep an open mind …to thoughts, ideas, technologies…. Everything! Embrace everything and see everything as a learning opportunity!

* If you don't have library experience and aren't exactly sure what you want to do, sign up for a mentor with the department and/or make friends at your local public/academic/school/special library or a library or organization similar to where you think you might be interested in working. Ask that person if you can shadow them for a day, tell about their average day, what skills they needed and what skills they learned, what they like/dislike about their job. Spending a day in a librarian's shoes is a valuable, eye-opening experience - and it varies with the library type/size/geographic location/administration/organizational climate/etc.

* Getting “B’s” are NOT the end of the world … do your best in all things and the grades will follow. Unless you're in certain circumstances, employers aren't likely to care whether you graduated with straight A's.

* Focus on one class at a time and don’t let a 42 hour program overwhelm you

* Don’t be too hard on yourself. School is obviously a big deal but it's also about sharing priorities (i.e. full-time jobs, families, as well as the rest of life).

* Be realistic about your expectations of yourself. Don’t add more stress to a stressful situation.

* Don’t wait until the last minute to do assignments! Something will invariably happen.

* Download and print out the class slides before class so you can take notes on them during class

* Save the slides, handouts, and any other class materials after the class is over, particularly materials from core classes that will be included on comps. It really helps to have those materials as reference, and, looking back, you realize how much you've learned.

* Create separate folders for each class to save everything in. And for those classes where we had quizzes, I'd Cntrl-C the quiz and save it to Word as a study aid. Burn these folders to CD etc for quick access later. (especially when studying for comps)

* When working on papers or presentations with other people--save each version with the date and time and your initials, so as to avoid the dreaded Multiple Draft Disorder...

* In everything, keep things in perspective and always keep a good sense of humor about all things!

Miscellaneous:

* Books: Don’t always trust the UTK DE Bookstore! It will cost you money! Check with your professor first re: required texts or check out their syllabus on line. Don’t forget to poll other students or recent graduates… they may have textbooks you can buy… cheap!