The term "Academic Wellness" recognizes the fact that your studies here at VCU are a significant part of your life, and consequently, your overall wellness. If you find that you are constantly behind on assignments, submitting work below your best, and straining to see time outside of class slides and texts, you may need to work on your academic wellness. Studies show that sleep and healthy lifestyles help you study better! No, it's not just a rumor. Studying smarter and more efficiently is a thing.
On this page, you'll find some tips to help you focus on your studies, balance your life, and achieve the success you want here. You came to VCU to learn broadly and deeply, as well as graduate with the understanding that you reached your level of academic success. Some of the resources below will be accessible to you right now, on your own. Others will require you to pay us a visit to our division office. Either way, they are designed to support you in your academic goals here in a VCU health science program.
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." -Chinese Proverb.
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." -Henry Ford.
***Something to Remember about Accommodations while Taking Remote Classes***
If you have an accommodation for a ‘reduced distraction,’ ‘quiet,’ or ‘limited distraction,’ etc. environment, you are primarily responsible for setting that yourself. Whether that means finding the quiet space in your apartment or communicating with your family and housemates that you need to be left alone during exam hours, you are in charge of your home environment. Please be sure to reduce your distractions to take exams in a comfortable, quiet place.
Meditation Apps
- Insight Timer - “We offer the largest free library of guided meditations on earth and the world’s most loved meditation timer, for free.”
- Calm - App for Meditation and Sleep
- Ten Percent Happier - “Learn to meditate from the world’s top mindfulness experts”
- Headspace - “Headspace is meditation made simple. We’ll teach you the life-changing skills of meditation and mindfulness in just a few minutes a day.”
- Stop, Breathe, and Think - “Check in with how you’re feeling, and try short activities tuned to your emotions”
- Simple Habit - “Our mission is to empower humans to stress less, achieve more, and live better. Meditate today!”
Productivity Apps
- Habitica - “Habitica is a free habit-building and productivity app that treats your real life like a game. With in-game rewards and punishments to motivate you and a strong social network to inspire you, Habitica can help you achieve your goals to become healthy, hard-working, and happy.”
- Forest - “Put down your phone and focus on what’s important in your life”
- Quizlet - “Quizlet study tools and games designed specifically for mobile”
- Evernote - “Take notes anywhere. Find information faster. Share ideas with anyone. Meeting notes, web pages, projects, to-do lists – with Evernote as your note taking app, nothing falls through the cracks.”
- OneNote - “Do you scribble great ideas on napkins and sticky notes? Is precise filing more your style? OneNote’s got you covered whatever way you shape your thoughts. Type, write or draw with the free form feel of pen to paper. Search and clip from the web to picture ideas.”
- Notion - “Write, plan, collaborate, and get organized. Notion is all you need – in one tool.”
- Todoist - “Regain clarity and calmness by getting all those tasks out of your head and onto your to-do list (no matter where you are or what device you use).”
- Grammarly - “Compose bold, clear, mistake-free writing with Grammarly’s AI-powered writing assistant.”
Mind Breaks
- Terrarium - “Try the most relaxing crop idle game: discover, collect and grow lovely plants to increase your oxygen income and expand your garden!”
Life Hacking
- Pocket: Save. Read. Grow. - “Save articles, videos and stories from any publication, page or app. Curate your own space filled with everything you can’t wait to learn.”
- Groupon - Search, purchase, and redeem Groupons directly from your mobile device.”
- Fabulous: Daily Motivation - “Fabulous takes a holistic approach to motivate you to be more productive and have higher energy. We’re more than just a habit tracker, or a way to create new rituals; we’re your own personal coach and happiness trainer.”
- Be My Eyes - “Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call.”
- Sleep Town - “Build healthy sleep habits”
GENERAL
Virtual Stuff to Do - University Student Commons and Activities
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
HEALTH
EMPLOYMENT
Federal Work-Study Employees - Students participating in the FWS program will continue to be paid up to the amount of their award on the normal semi-monthly pay schedule.
LIVING EXPENSES
VCU STUDENT SUPPORT REQUEST
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSap7mOVQATcw4rT-2yy4_oKxUMJYxFCo972MIR2vw9ay_aw/viewform
MPC Campus Learning Center (CLC)
Blackboard Ally File Transformer - As schools move to fully online learning, the File Transformer helps you to personalize your learning experience by converting your course files into alternative formats that fit your needs, devices, and learning preferences.
Greater Good Magazine’s Guide to Well-Being During Coronavirus