Editor’s Note: This is part 11 in the Iowa State Daily’s “Speaking Success” series.

This week’s Academic Success Center tips

Believe it or not, we are one month out from the end of the semester! Even if you feel like you have managed your time well this far into the semester, the pace will pick up. Final projects deadlines are going to come up, extracurricular organizations will have events and there will be a lot of material to study. How do you plan on structuring your time and staying on top of everything?

Once again, I would really recommend keeping a planner. Even if it hasn’t been something you used all semester, as your schedule picks up, planners can be really helpful and even help you feel less stressed. Try plugging your to-do list and important commitments into Google Calendar or use the Academic Success Center’s Week-at-a-Glance.

When starting to plan out how you are going to manage your time in the next couple weeks, I would recommend overestimating the amount of time it will take to complete a task. If you overestimate, you typically won’t run out of time to complete the task, and when you finish it sooner than you anticipated, it will give you a sense of accomplishment.

The adviser

This week’s adviser is Mindy Heggen, she/her/hers, who is originally from Oskaloosa, Iowa.

How would you introduce yourself?

I am a fun-loving extrovert who is willing to try anything once. I love to slow down and enjoy long nature walks with my husband, two-legged and four-legged kids.

How many years have you worked at Iowa State?

14.5 years full-time

Why did you choose Iowa State?   

I came to Iowa State as a transfer student to become a veterinarian. Unfortunately, that didn’t pan out, but I enjoyed my part-time student job at the College of Vet Med, so I decided to stick around full-time. When it came time to change careers, I didn’t want to leave the town and area I had come to call home, so I found a great opportunity on main campus.

How would you explain your job to someone who doesn’t know what it is?

After working from home, my children say I am an academic mother and I help students by telling them what to do.

What is something you never thought you would do in your job?

Cry, out of complete joy, when a student shares how listening to me helped them.

What is something you want people to know about your job?

It can be an emotional roller coaster, and advisers are the centralized part of Iowa State.

What is something you want your advisees to know about your job?

I can help with more than just registration.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Helping students with all sorts of concerns.

What advice do you have for students?

Being at a higher education institution does not need to be only about obtaining academic knowledge. Take a moment to think about where you come from, what you were taught and why you do what you do. You are at a point in your life when you can choose to educate yourself more on topics that you never explored before. You can choose not only a career pathway but a life pathway. There are so many ways to obtain knowledge on campus. Venture out, try something new and learn about someone/something you’ve never heard of. Take time to reflect and grow. You truly can change the world!

Favorite location to eat, hangout or work on campus?

Noon-hour workouts at State Gym

Do you have any pets or a favorite animal?

I have a dog, two cats and two guinea pigs.

Favorite place to eat, hangout or work beyond campus?

Ledges State Park near Boone is my happy place.