Friday’s Fact

Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart Fact.

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Here’s a fact that will get you angry: according to a report by Mark Schneider at the American Institutes for Research, approximately one fifth of full time students at community colleges drop out after their first year, and they receive almost $1 billion in taxpayer money to help fund their education.

This is unwelcome news to those students who depend on federal money to finance their education and are actually working towards graduation.  You know who you are, and you are fully aware of the drop in the amount of federal money you receive. 

While we can point to a weak economy to explain why less federal money is available for higher education, we can also point to issues like this one: waste and misuse of funds.  Federal money should go to those who deserve it: students who need financial support, take their education seriously, are actively working towards their degrees, and plan on using these degrees to become productive citizens.

How do I Choose a Major, Part II

Last week, I offered a few suggestions for choosing a major, and made the Steve Jobs approach – find what you love to do – the foundation of those suggestions.

This week, I offer you the dark side of choosing a major.

It is possible that you could choose a major that fits within your passions, and one of two things happens after you graduate: you don’t find a job within your major; or you end up with a job totally unrelated to what you’ve spent 4 years studying.

Let’s face it: the economy is tough, and it will take a while for it to bounce back.  Jobs are scarce, and college is expensive.  You may need to be practical when you graduate to ensure that you a) have a job and b) can pay off your student loans.

How does all this relate to your choice of major?

For starters, it’s good to know what you’re getting into.  At the end of the day, everyone needs a job after college, and if you can be happy in a major that will likely lead to a job, even in this economy (think nursing), all the better.  If you’re like me, however, and your first choice major is really generic and typically leads into an oversaturated sector of the economy (teaching), you might want to think long and hard about your choice.  Are you dead set on a job that relates to your major?  If not, what other marketable job skills do you have?  What other skills can you gain in college, via part-time work, and/or via internships?  If you are dead set on a career within your major, what can you do to set yourself apart from the crowd?

Once you’ve asked yourself these questions and drawn your own conclusions, you should also consider adding a minor to diversify yourself and add to your marketability.  Finally, be creative!  Think outside the box when considering career options, and do all you can now to make yourself the right fit for the careers that interest you the most.

Friday’s Fact

Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart fact.

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As I sit and enjoy college football this fine afternoon while writing a Saturday edition of Friday’s Fact, I am reminded of a headline I saw on CNN last month: a recent study by the National College Players Association shows that scholarship athletes are struggling to make ends meet, in spite of the funds that they receive for playing their sport.

The report recommends that universities fully fund their scholarship athletes and allow them to make money through endorsements and other avenues that have been off limits to college athletes in the past.

Surely these recommendations will be controversial, to say the least.  Just consider Ohio State’s football team, which got itself into a whole heap of trouble when a few players sold apparel and awards and received improper services from local vendors.  That violation got those players suspended and lost the team a fine head coach, Jim Tressel.   

But if there’s any truth to the NCPA report, then something should be done to ensure that these revenue producing student athletes are not taken advantage of by their colleges and universities, don’t you think?

How do I Choose a Major?

If you watched the YouTube video tribute to Steve Jobs that I posted on Friday, you should have noticed that he encourages the graduating class of Stanford to find what they love to do.

He’s talking, of course, about one’s life work – that day in, day out job that you commit yourself to and that earns you an income that you can (hopefully) live off of. 

When it comes to choosing a major, the same advice applies – find what you love to do; keep looking, and don’t settle. 

Why?  Ideally, that major will be the key that opens the door to that job you love and look forward to going to each and every day.

More immediately, that major will determine a large percentage of the courses you are required to take during your college career.  If you don’t enjoy those classes, college will be a pretty miserable experience.  So, when you open up your course catalog (or download it, as you are more likely to do), start searching for majors that line up with your interests. 

For some of you, that may mean pursuing less “useful” majors – majors that don’t immediately correlate to specific jobs or that don’t lead to high paying jobs.  Take for instance my undergraduate major – English.  Not quite the field people think of going into when they want to be rich and famous.  But for me, the English major was a perfect fit.  I have always loved to read, and studying English allowed me to dabble into all kinds of other fields – history, religion, sociology, psychology, etc.  In other words, I never got bored and felt like I had more to learn at the end of every semester.

Am I making lots of money now?  No.  Did all of my family think an English major was the best choice?  Definitely no.  But I am currently in a job that I thoroughly enjoy and am able to live comfortably as a result.  I couldn’t ask for a better, especially in today’s tough economic situation.

If you are in need of resources to help you choose a major, be sure to visit your campus’ career center and talk to professors whose classes you enjoy.  They can help you to determine if their area of study is right for you.

Friday’s Fact

Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart fact.

In lieu of our regular Friday Fact, we would like to pay tribute to Steve Jobs.  Jobs lost his fight with pancreatic cancer on Wednesday.  He was just 56 years old.  Perhaps the greatest innovator of our age, he changed the shape of the world with creations like the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
In 2005, Jobs gave an inspirational commencement speech to the graduating class at Stanford University.

Below are some of the highlights of that speech in the form of a video tribute that was recently posted on YouTube.

College students take note; this speech contains words of wisdom for you. 

#WISHIHADKNOWN Postcard Contest

Check out the #WISHIHADKNOWN postcard contest sponsored by CollegeMagazine.com.  Upload a photo and your advice for college freshmen, and you could win $500!  And be sure to share your entry with us here at Get College Smart – we’d love to feature your advice in a column.  Simply email us your words of wisdom at askcollegesmart@gmail.com.

What advice would we give?  Check out our postcard creation.

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Bonus Edition: Preparing for an Essay Exam

Since teaching students how to write just so happens to be my forte, I thought I'd do a bonus edition on a particular anxiety-causing type of exam: the essay exam.  Even if writing is not your "thing," you don't have to lose sleeping stressing about the essay portion of your test if you follow these tips:

If the essay is on a particular topic and you are expected to regurgitate information:

• Study the material you will be tested on
• Plan a response - identify your main point and all the examples or explanations you will need to illustrate that point
• Practice writing the essay - by the time you take the exam, the information should be firmly planted in your head.

If you're unlucky enough not to know the exact topic in advance:

• Be sure to study all the material you will be tested on
• If you have the time, create a study guide on the topics you will be tested on (assuming you have an idea what those topics are), identifying the information relevant to each topic
• Practice writing essays on those topics.

If you're like my students and are being tested on your writing skills:

• Come to the exam with a plan - know, in advance, how much time you will spend planning, drafting, and revising your essay.
• Know the features of the essay you will be asked to write, and make sure those features are present in the essay you write on the day of the exam.

For any one of these kinds of essay exams, you should also know what your professor is looking for in your essay response.  If he or she does not give you this information in advance, be sure to ask.

How do I prepare for Mid-Terms?

Many of you are right at the mid-point of your semester and having several exams looming.  How should you go about preparing for these exams?

If you have at least a couple of weeks to prepare:

• Start reviewing your class notes.  Set aside 15 minutes or more each day to review your lecture notes.  This will allow you to study small sections of material, which are easier to remember.
• Reread key sections of your textbook.  How do you know which sections are important?  Typically, your professor will emphasize the material s/he feels is important in class and on quizzes. 
• Create study guides.  These are short documents that list all the major concepts/points that you might be asked about on your exam.
• Create your own quizzes.  This will force you to think like your professor and will help you to anticipate the types of questions that may be asked.

If you’re short on time:

• Be prepared to give up your free time.  The less time you have to prepare, the more cramming you will have to do.
• Avoid “marathon stretches” of studying, if possible.  Limit yourself to a couple of hour blocks of studying, followed by breaks.  This will help you to retain the information you study.
• Find a good study partner.  I’m not talking about the cute guy/girl in your class that takes your mind off your work.  Instead, seek out the student who stays on top of his/her work (like you do!) and see if s/he would be willing to split the study materials with you.  That way, you will only be responsible for studying half the material, and your study buddy will teach you the other half of the material.  Don’t forget to return the favor – a study group only works when each member carries his or her own weight!
• Attend study sessions, if offered.  The TAs who lead these sessions often are “in the know” about what will be on the exam.
• Get plenty of rest, and eat right. No one studies well when tired or hungry. Be sure to take care of your body while filling your mind with knowledge.
• Do what you can, and try not to worry about the rest.  No exam is worth excessive amounts of stress.  Sometimes, limited time will only allow you to cover a portion of the material you need to know.  While this is not the ideal circumstance for your grade, it should teach you a valuable lesson – give yourself more time to study for big exams!

Friday’s Fact

Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart fact.

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Yesterday was National Coffee Day, so it seems only fitting to bring you a Friday Fact that honors one of the drinks that college students love best. 

Coffee accounts for 75% of all caffeine consumed in the U. S., according to a study by Hope L. Graven of Loyola University.  And while all college students know the benefits of getting their caffeine fix by drinking coffee (can you say late night cram sessions?), few understand the effects that this late night habit can have. 

Caffeine is considered to be a drug by some, and more people are addicted to it than any other drug, alcohol and tobacco included.  Overuse of this product can lead to behavior problems such as nervousness and insomnia.  Also, laboratory tests show that caffeine can trigger panic attacks.  So even though you may have been able to study all night thanks to your coffee buzz, chances are you may be too anxious during your exam to think clearly and too hyped up on caffeine afterwards to get the rest you need.

In a perfect world, you would not have to stay up all night to study, and you wouldn’t need a coffee buzz to get you through.  But let’s be realistic – cramming happens, and coffee can be a necessary part of it.  While the occasional late night coffee habit will not likely have a long term negative effect on you, you may want to consider whether or not that cup of caffeine is necessary at all times during the day. 

Why not try ordering up a decaf or half-caf coffee today?  Your nerves may thank you.

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’s Fact

Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart 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.

Month One Reality Check

At the institution where I teach, we’ve just passed the one month mark.  Classes have been in session for a full 4 weeks, and reality is setting in for most students.

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’s Fact

Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart Fact.

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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”!)

New Feature!

In order to better serve the needs of our readers, Get College Smart has added a handy dandy new feature.  Please direct your attention to the right hand sidebar, where you will find a list of Get College Smart's different categories.  These categories represent the types of posts you will find on this blog and will help you get to the information you want to read.

• 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!

As always, if there's any content you would like to see here, let us know!  Drop us a line at askcollegesmart@gmail.com.

A Salute to Veterans

Yesterday, we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.  And to honor those veterans who have made huge sacrifices as a direct result of this national tragedy, Get College Smart devotes this week's post to veterans who are returning home and taking advantage of their educational benefits.

Let me start by offering you this disclaimer: I am no expert on the educational benefits that are currently available to veterans.  But I have taught long enough to have had the privilege to instruct many veterans and discuss their experiences with them.  This post is based on those conversations.

First, take advantage of the benefits offered to you.  For some of you, this may mean working extra hard to get what is owed to you.  I've met many veterans who had to deal with mounds of red tape to get what they were promised by the government.  While all the finagling is not fun, it's worth the effort.  In my opinion, giving veterans access to free higher education is the least we can do to give back for the numerous sacrifices veterans make.

Second, check to see if your college/university has a VA Liaison.  The institution where I work does, and this person is responsible for helping veterans to find out about the many resources available to them.  If your school has such a person, set up an appointment with him/her to discuss what you have access to.

Third, use the counseling services your college/university offers.  I have two kinds of counseling services in mind here: career counseling, and psychological counseling.  Good career counseling from your school's career services office will help you determine how best to use your skills and expertise, thus enabling you to focus your education on a particular field and, in some cases, graduate sooner.

Psychological counseling is often free at colleges and universities.  While many students may not want to admit they need these services, they can be particularly useful - especially for veterans who have been on several tours of duty.  There is no shame in needing to talk through issues with someone, and free professional services are hard to come by, so you should make use of the services offered to you.  One word of advice: contact your school's counseling office as early in the semester as possible - they tend to get bogged down and have to turn away students as the semester progresses.

Finally, communicate with your professors.  Even though you may not feel it is necessary and don't want any special treatment, it can help your professors immensely if they know a thing or two about your background.  Knowing students on a more personal level helps professors to be more sensitive to their needs and avoid assuming the worst about them (which, unfortunately, some professors - including this one - are guilty of on occasion).

We're Under Construction!

Please excuse our dust - we're under construction and working to provide you with a wider variety of content to meet your needs.  Stay tuned for personalized information for traditional, non-traditional, and graduate students.

Our regular updates will continue as we improve our site.  And we'd love your feedback - what advice could you use to help you navigate through your college experience?  Let us know by sending your requests to askcollegesmart@gmail.com.

Friday’s Fact

Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart Fact.

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College enrollment has grown by leaps and bounds in the past several years.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, enrollment in college increased 38% between 1999 and 2009, growing from 14.8 million students to 20.4 million students.

What does that mean for you?  You had a lot more competition when you applied to college, and you may not have gotten into your first choice school.  And now that you’re in college, you’ll have to work twice as hard to get into the popular courses or qualify for the best internships and scholarships. 
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.

Study Smarter, not Harder

Each semester, I have at least one student conference that goes something like this: Student A enters my office, upset about his first essay grade.  We discuss what went wrong, and I give Student A tips for avoiding these issues in the next essay.  Noticing that this student still seems upset, I ask, “Do you think you can make these changes in the next essay?”
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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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. 
6. 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!

In general, you shouldn’t have to kill yourself to make it through college – even if you have a tough work schedule or lots of personal responsibilities on top of your school work.  Try to study smarter – not harder – you might be surprised at the results.

Friday’s Fact

Check in each Friday for your weekly Get College Smart Fact.

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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!

Reminder!

College Colors Day is TOMORROW!  Show your school pride wherever you are, and send us your pics of you in your college attire.  We’ll post them on our Facebook page next week.
Pics can be sent to askcollegesmart@gmail.com.