Careers in Geography

Dear students: here is the guide I developed "back in the day" (as you would say) when I was undergrad program director for INR & Geography. Click here, and note that the second page of this pdf has the career information (first page is about majoring in Geog).

The Association of American Geographers has great career advice too, which you can access by clicking here.

Finally, if I can give any one magic piece of advice, it would be to do an internship in your senior year. Dr. Tardanico is in charge of our internship program in GSS, and his email is tardanic@fiu.edu

Gilman Scholarships for Study Abroad

Dear Students: please note that a Gilman Scholarship application workshop will be held this coming Wednesday, September 8th, at 3:00 in GC 316. The Gilman Program awards annually 1700 scholarships of up to $5000 to students who do a study abroad. You must be a Pell Grant recipient. See details on the scholarship, the workshop, and other application criteria by viewing the flyer located here.

Week Two Readings

Seems that Google docs doesn't like the format of my Readings & Activities spreadsheet. I've got a couple of possible solutions which I'll try out tonight. In the interim, I know a lot of you want to get ahead with your reading ;) so here is the assignment for Week Two:

• UCG: Chapter 2
• CGR:
• Intro to Part 2 (ppl 79-82)
• Editors' intros and entries for:
• Ratzel
• Vidal
• Sauer

Readings and Activities Week-by-Week Schedule

This is a very important document. It details the readings you are responsible for, what activities will take place in the classroom, and important assignment and exam dates.

Access the Readings and Activities Week-by-Week Schedule by clicking here.
Please note: all contents and dates are subject to change in the event of a major unforeseen event (e.g., closure of the University).

Study Skills

Study skills ... you can't survive college without developing good ones that work for you!As I scroll down my first day class roster, I see that you are all college Juniors and Seniors. If you've gotten this far, you must be doing something right!

However, you'll see that once you get into the Upper Division, expectations and workloads shift gears upward.  If you are having trouble concentrating, managing your time, reading the textbook, taking notes, or any other study-related area, be proactive and take the time to study up on studying! The sooner you do this the more these skills can help you out across your college years, and whatever you learn can be applied in all of your classes.


The Internet has a lot of fantastic resources. Here is a link to "The 10 study habits of successful students," here is a link to "10 tips for getting good grades," if test anxiety bedevils you conquer it here, and Virginia Tech has a great resource library of study skills available here (see especially the SQ3R method for textbook reading).

I have done a lot of undergraduate student advising, and you may find discussing your specific study-related concerns with me to be helpful. Come see me during office hours for a consult. Or, see your TA ... studying is a full-time job for them; they are pros.

Recent research reveals that, despite the variety of technological devices designed to "make your life simpler," the #1 best way to retain information is still the age-old "read book (or notes), close book (or notes), and repeat key ideas" strategy. Taking notes on your reading also helps (versus just highlighting the textbook), particularly if you type these notes up afterward. Finally, group study sessions can be helpful, but make sure they don't devolve into chat-sessions, and make sure to study with people who will pull you up rather than bring you down learning-wise.

Netiquette (Internet + etiquette)

About the only real online interaction we'll have is posting comments to the blog. My advice here is what you've probably already heard, but it bears repeating: Don't do /say / post anything online that you wouldn't want your momma to see.

For a fuller discussion of the "10 Core Rules of Netiquette" see the useful link here.

Disability Resource Center at FIU

Facing a physical, emotional, or mental challenge? Need a notetaker, or extra time to complete exams because of it?

Please stop by the Disability Resource Center at FIU. Check them out online by clicking here. By registering with DRC you can get the services you need to be successful in your academic pursuits. Their services are confidential.

If you have an issue or condition that doesn't warrant registering with DRC but are still concerned, please stop by my office hours.

Any conversations you have with me or communication I receive from DRC are kept completely confidential.