Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday’s Fact
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Work/Life Balance for College Students
Time management is a recurring theme on this blog. Why? Because in my years of teaching, this is the number one issue I see college students struggle with, and this is something I continue to struggle with in my professional career.
What makes time management so challenging? I think this is a personal question, and the answers to it are many and varied. But one thing is true for everyone – determining how much time to devote to academic pursuits and personal interests is a constant struggle. Demands on a student’s time vary from week to week, and even day to day.
How should a college student deal with this balancing act? One key to the puzzle is planning ahead. Remember that calendar that you use to keep track of all your quizzes, exams, papers, and projects? Keep up with it! Add new assignments as they are given and review the calendar on a regular basis so you know when a tough week is coming your way. When those difficult weeks do come up, you can be mentally prepared to deal with them.
You should also try to work ahead of schedule when possible. Have you been given a project that is due next month? Why not start collecting research now? What about that mid-term exam that is headed your way? If you begin studying now, you will be able to study smaller sections, which are easier to digest, and have more time to familiarize yourself with exam material (more on this next week).
Have you been able to designate time for homework each day? If so, have you stuck to your schedule? Your life as a student is comparable to the life you will lead as a full time employee, so why not start the 9 to 5 routine (or 8 to 6 or whatever works best for you) now? The more committed you are to your schedule, the more time you will be able to free up for personal interests.
Which brings me to my next point. No college student can devote all hours of the day to study. Having a personal life is a necessary part of student success. Hence the need for balance. Time management helps you to achieve that all important balance. Once you have put in your study hours for the day, you should (on most days) be able to set aside your work so you can have dinner with friends, work out, veg in front of the T.V., and forget your school worries and stress for a few hours.
The work/life balancing act is even more complicated for those students who are responsible to their family or have busy work schedules outside of their school schedules. For those of you in this situation, your downtime will be significantly less than the student who only has to worry about school. You may have less time available to study and may even have to put off certain school activities in favor of spending time with a spouse or children or holding down the job that helps to pay your school tuition.
But the general principle is still the same – you need a life outside of school to be successful in school. Be sure to reserve some time in your day for the personal activities that make you happy and whole. You’ll be a better, happier, and more fulfilled student as a result
Friday, September 23, 2011
Friday’s Fact
ABC News recently reported that college students have the power to create half a million new U.S. jobs just by decorating their college dorm rooms!
According to their research, American college students, on average, spend $800 on back to college gear. That comes to a grand total of $46 billion for this back to school season alone. If college students spent all that money on American made products, the could create half a million new American jobs.
Chances are pretty good, though, that most of the gear you bought was foreign made. See for yourself – start checking the tags on your bedding, towels, curtains, and dorm decorations. Was any of it made in the U.S.?
How about all that gear you bought in your campus bookstore. Where were that t-shirt, hoodie, flip-flops, and football jersey made? China? Vietnam? How many American jobs would be created if your school’s bookstore started selling more American made products?
You can make a difference. Start a petition – let your campus bookstore know that you want to see more American made products available for sale there. The struggling American workforce will thank you.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Month One Reality Check
By now, the first tests, projects, or essays have been submitted, and students are slowly learning whether or not their study tactics will hack it in college. Those students who are still unsure of where they stand will soon find out – once their grades are posted.
What about you? Has the reality of college academic life hit you yet? Do you feel like you might not make it through this semester unscathed or you need to change your tactics?
Now is a perfect time to make a change. At the one month mark, you still have enough time to right your ship and salvage your course grade.
Now’s the time to ask yourself some hard questions: are you studying enough? Do you understand the material being covered in your classes? Have you communicated with your professors? If you answered ‘no’ to any one of these questions, I challenge you to set some goals for yourself to get back on course. Perhaps you should commit yourself to staying in on week nights so you have more time to study. Maybe you need to seek out a tutor to help you get through that challenging biology course. Or maybe you need to make appointments with your professors to discuss your progress in their courses.
Don’t forget to check out our study tips in “I’m here . . . classes have started . . . now what?”; “How much should I study?”; and “Study Smarter, not Harder.” Try putting a few of these strategies in practice today – they just might help you to stay on track!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday’s Fact
Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart Fact.
I’m taking this week’s fact from a CNN report I heard earlier this week, which stated that the number of college graduates declaring bankruptcy is on the rise. While this certainly is not welcome news for those of you who are currently in college, I wholeheartedly agree with Benjamin Franklin’s statement that “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
So what knowledge do you need to avoid the debt crisis that a number of college grads are currently facing? Here are a few take home lessons.
- This fact is a result of a weakened economy and it highlights the need for everyone to be smart about money – especially college students
- Remember that all the money you borrow for college will need to be paid back eventually.
- Student loans typically go into repayment 6 months after you graduate. While there are options out there that allow you to defer payment, these options have limits as well.
- Interest still collects on your loan during the repayment period, even if your loan is in deferment.
- Your monthly loan payment can take up a large portion of your income, assuming that you have a job when you have to make those payments.
All in all, you should not borrow more than you need to pay for your school expenses, and you should seek other sources of income to help you pay for your education!
(Now that’s the kind of knowledge that really “pays the best interest”!)
Thursday, September 15, 2011
New Feature!
- Traditional Students: these posts are geared towards the student who entered college immediately after graduating from high school and who falls within the 18-22 year old age range.
- Non-traditional Students: these posts are for those of you who are attending 2 year colleges, who go to school part time, who juggle work, school, and parenting responsibilities, or who are returning to college after a several year break.
- Graduate Students: all grad students know that graduate school has its own set of challenges. These posts are designed to help you navigate the often rough seas of graduate life. (COMING SOON!)
- Just for Fun: this is where we index features like Friday's Fact. Be on the look out for our upcoming giveaways!
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Salute to Veterans
Saturday, September 10, 2011
We're Under Construction!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Friday’s Fact
In order to stand out from the millions of other college students like you, you need to give yourself an edge. Working hard in your classes, getting to know your professors, and networking – these are just a few of the things you can do to ensure your success. And don’t forget to check in with Get College Smart for your regular dose of college advice.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Study Smarter, not Harder
Invariably, the student answers, “Yes. I guess I just don’t understand how I got such a low grade when I put so much time into this essay.”
The idea that the amount of time one puts into studying and school work directly relates to the grades that person will earn is not uncommon among students. Unfortunately, it’s also not true.
Investing lots of time into studying will not necessarily earn you high grades!
Why not?
You have to study and work on the right things – not everything – in order to earn the best grades in college.
So how can you ensure that you use the study time you have wisely and avoid overworking yourself? Here’s a few suggestions:
- Time management: as a student, you should have designated times for completing your homework and studying. Use this time wisely – avoid distractions like Facebook and text messaging when doing your work. Staying focused will keep you from having to pull all-nighters and losing hours of valuable sleep.
- Selective reading: In some classes, you will find that you have more reading than you can manage. How do you deal with these classes? Read selectively – which means that you focus on the most important sections of the reading. You should get a sense of what your professors view as important from in-class discussions and the syllabus. Also, you can look for reputable study guides in your school’s library or on the web (just be careful to choose good websites authored by knowledgeable writers). These will help you to understand the material in a fraction of the time.
- Know what you’ll be graded on: students often make the mistake of trying to do everything perfectly. Realistically, this is impossible – and unnecessary. You only need to do really well on the items that make up the largest portion of your course grade. Check your course syllabus to find out what the most important pieces of your grade are. Then, schedule some time with your professor to discuss how to succeed on these assignments.
- Talk to your professors: the value of keeping an open dialogue with your professors cannot be overstated. True, some faculty prefer not to see their students outside of the classroom, but most are more than willing to sit down with students and discuss the classes they teach. Take advantage of your professor’s office hours to track your progress in the course and determine what you need to do to succeed.
- Refer to graded work: if your professor lets you keep your graded tests/quizzes/essays, be sure to refer to these when preparing for the next big assignment. They should give you a sense of the areas that you struggled on and where you can make improvements. If you are not allowed to keep graded work, make mental notes of what you were marked down on when given the opportunity to view these assignments in class or during your professor’s office hours.
- Study groups: working in groups can maximize the amount of material you can cover in a short amount of time. But study groups are only successful when they actually study. Too often, they become social hour and nothing gets accomplished. If you can find a group of dedicated classmates that you work well with, try divvying up study material and get together to teach each other the course material in preparation for your big test. Just save the socializing for after the studying!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Friday’s Fact
If you’re a college football fan, you know that ESPN’s College GameDay kicks off it’s 25th season this Saturday. So this Friday’s Fact honors a college football staple.
According to ESPN, Lee Corso (my personal favorite) has sported headgear over 190 times and has chosen the winning team 67.9% of the time. Who will Corso pick this week for the LSU/Oregon game? Tune in to ESPN at 10 am ET on Saturday morning to find out!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Reminder!
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