Fall Semester Rewind

The Thanksgiving holiday has ended, Black Friday sales are over, and the “Cyber Weekend” is coming to a close.  You’re back on campus, and you have to hit the ground running to make it through the end of the semester unscathed.

In the midst of this end of the semester rush, I recommend that you take some time to look back on this past fall term.  If I had to guess, I would say that most of you experienced a lot of changes over the last fifteen weeks.  Whether it was adjusting to college life as a first semester freshman, earning a failing grade for the first time, or learning how to live on a shoestring budget, every semester is eventful for college students.

Reflecting on what you have learned and experienced this past semester can help you take stock of where you have come from, and determine where you are going.  Hopefully you are a better student, roommate, friend, child, sibling and/or significant other than you were when the semester began.  If there’s room for improvement in any one of these areas, you can start to consider how to make changes so that next semester goes better.  You can also start looking ahead and strategizing how to achieve your goals for your future.  And if you don’t have any specific goals, now’s the time to make them!

Don’t float through the end of your semester.  Instead, be introspective.  College is short, so you need to make the most of your time here.

Friday’s Fact

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If you’ve spent any amount of time reviewing your class notes lately, you can see how much time you spend doodling on the edges of the page.  Turns out, that seemingly mindless activity can actually be good for you.

The September 2011 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine references a study by the University of Plymouth, which found that doodling during a lecture or meeting can boost your memory by approximately 30%!  Why?  Researchers aren’t exactly sure, but they believe that drawing while listening to someone speak engages a part of the brain that would zone out or otherwise distract you with daydreams.  So the next time you’re trying to focus during a long classroom lecture, pull out your pen or pencil and start sketching.

This Holiday . . . Take a Break!

The Thanksgiving holidays can be a rough time for college students.  While it's generally a happy time where you can enjoy the company of family and friends, you may also find that school responsibilities prevent you from fully relaxing

That's why I encourage to take a break.  In fact, take the whole holiday off if you can.  Try to put school out of your mind and focus on the people who are near and dear to you.

For some of you, this may not be an option because of the mountain of work you will have waiting for you after the holiday.  In that case, be sure to take at least one day off to rest.  Rest is essential to keep you happy and healthy.  Also, well rested students tend to be better students overall.  So enjoy your break as much as you can, travel safely, and have a happy Thanksgiving.

Friday’s Fact

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Have you ever taken an English course?  Then you should be familiar with the Modern Language Association.  It’s the group that determines the format for English papers that your composition and literature professors love so much.

You may not know that MLA does a whole lot more than simply make life in your English courses difficult.  The organization also tracks and keeps up to date on issues that affect college students.  The latest issue this group is interested in: student debt.  Here’s a statement that MLA recently issued on the subject:

“Public attention has been directed recently to the educational debt students accumulate in the course of undergraduate, as well as graduate, study. A major contributing factor has been the increasing portion of educational costs students must bear in the form of loans. To reduce debt burdens in the future, we call on Congress, state legislatures, and institutions of higher education to calibrate educational costs and student aid in ways that will keep student debt within strict limits. We also call on them to hold in check tuition increases, which often far outpace inflation, and to ensure that degree programs allow for timely completion.”

One thing I like about this statement - it proves that major organizations made up of faculty are concerned about the students that they teach.  And this particular concern is one that extends far beyond the classroom, for college debt has a nasty way of following you around for years after college. 

That said, it will take a long time for the government and institutions of higher education to act on these issues.  That means that the burden of responsibility for controlling college debt rests firmly on your shoulders. 

How can you control school expenses and get a quality education?  Here’s a few tips:

• Choose a college that excels in your area of study and is affordable
• Consider attending a community college to complete your general education requirements
• Complete your degree in the shortest time frame possible
• Try to limit the amount of money you take out in student loans, and never take out more than you need to pay for your schooling.
• Apply for all the scholarships and grants you qualify for
• Take advantage of work-study programs, or use part-time work to help finance your education while you’re in school

In other words, start being financially responsible now.  It can save you a lot of heartache and stress later.

The Home Stretch

I don’t know about you, but  I’m really starting to feel the pressure of the end of the semester.  I’m juggling multiple projects, I’ve got a stack of papers that I still need to grade, and I feel like I am barely able to keep up with the day-to-day activities that need to be done.

But I find that with some careful planning, I am still able to keep my head above water.  Here’s what works for me:

At the beginning of the week, I write out my schedule.  Just last night, before I went to bed, I spent about 15 minutes plotting out all the activities I need to complete before the weekend.  The first half of my week is packed, and I know it will be exhausting.  But I’m not intimidated . . .

. . . because I prioritized my week.  I know what absolutely must get done – paper grading – and when my deadline is – Wednesday morning.  So, I plan on spending the bulk of today and tomorrow tackling that project. 

Sure, there’s lots of other smaller tasks that I need to do over the next couple of days, too.  How do I manage those tasks?  I get the little, quick projects out of the way first.  That way, I’m not distracted from my main goal and can focus all my energy on my most important project. 

Let me add that this is not the time to slack off.  To get everything done, I find that I do have to get up early and work when I have the fewest distractions.  For me, that means trudging downstairs while my family is still sleeping, firing up the coffee pot, and getting to work.  You may work best at other times of the day.  Figure out when your optimum work time is, and minimize your distractions during that time.  That may mean heading to the library, or disconnecting your computer from the internet, or hiding your cell phone. 

Will I have to sacrifice some sleep during this week?  Probably – but I have planned my schedule well enough to know that this is a temporary situation, and I can squeeze in a nap or head to bed earlier towards the end of the week.  Why is that important to know?  Because getting adequate rest can affect the quality of my week – and my work.  So I make sure that I pay attention to my physical needs during this busy time, too, so that I can maintain a good quality of life and ensure that my family and students don’t have to deal with a grumpy professor.

What about you?  Are you ready for the home stretch?  If not, start planning now – the end of your semester will be here before you know it.

Friday’s Fact

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I was poking around on the American Association of Community Colleges website today, looking up facts for today’s feature, and came across some interesting numbers.

Not surprisingly, enrollment at community colleges is up 15% from the Fall of ‘08 to the Fall of ‘10.  I’m sure we can thank the financial collapse here in the U.S. for that increase, at least in part.  Also, community college students make up 44% of the undergraduates in the U.S., and they pay, on average, about $2700 annually for tuition.

Talk about a savings over the cost of your average 4 year college!  If you’re exploring your options for college, consider your local community college.  Attending one can really protect you from accumulating large amounts of school debt.  And if you’re just starting out at a 4 year college or university, check into what course you could take (on the cheap) during summer.  It’s an inexpensive way to free up time during your long semesters, and you might find that focusing on one course at a time improves your ability to concentrate on the course material.

November is the Cruelest Month

T. S. Eliot may have stated that April is the cruelest month in “The Wasteland,” but for college students (and professors), that month is November.

November is the time of year that most people start to get into the holiday spirit.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and many of you will be going home for the first time since the start of the semester.  It is a time for you to enjoy the company of family and friends, and when you return, you’ll be faced with tests, project deadlines, and final exams.  This, in my opinion, is cruelty in its rawest form.

What can you do to ensure that you don’t spend your holiday stressing over what is to come, and don’t come back to campus underprepared?  Repeat my mantra – plan ahead – and get yourself ready for the home stretch.

If you’ve taken my advice from earlier posts, you’ve already listed looming deadlines in your planner.  Take a look at what is due when, and create a study plan.  Your plan should identify all remaining major deadlines and include increments of time that allow you to meet those deadlines successfully.  Studying a little bit every day will prevent you from having to cram when you return from break and help you to avoid lugging all your books home over the holiday.  Preparing yourself now is the best remedy to the cruelty of November.

Friday's Fact

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Debt seems to be a theme for Friday's Fact, so forgive me if I go back to this topic.  A recent report found that two thirds of the graduating class of 2010 left school with an average of $25,250 in debt.  That puts quite a hole in the pocketbook, and if you plan on going to grad school, expect the hole to get bigger.  

How can you manage finances so that you don't return all your post-graduation income to the loan companies?  Here's a few pointers:

• Choose an affordable school that is academically strong in your areas of interest
• Consider completing your gen ed courses at a community college
• Look for scholarships, and apply for all the ones you qualify for
• Don't waste time "finding yourself" in college - it's a really expensive way to discover what you want to do
• Work hard to pass all your courses - having to repeat courses or extend the length of your edcuation only increases your debt.

What Classes Should I Pick for the Spring Semester?

It’s that time of the year again, the time when students are asked to think ahead and pick the courses they want to take in the spring.  For some, this is a stressful process.

Choosing your schedule can be difficult, especially if you have many courses to choose from or aren’t yet sure what to major in.  That said, there’s no reason to take the dart board approach to choosing classes (you know – when you post the class schedule on your dart board and toss a dart to figure out which class to take).  There are some simple ways to narrow down your choices and find a schedule that meets your needs – and your interests.

• Before you do anything else, consult your degree plan and talk to your academic advisor.  Smart people have already figured out what classes you should take when, and there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.  Even if you don’t have a degree plan yet, an academic advisor can guide you to those courses that all majors require.
• For in major courses: typically, your options are more limited when it comes to choosing courses in your major.  Thus, you should choose these courses first, and work the rest of your class choices around them.
• For gen. ed. courses: you often have many choices when it comes to gen. ed. classes, but that doesn’t mean they are all good choices for you.  After you narrow down your list to the classes that can fit into your schedule, start talking to your friends to find out which professors they liked and which ones they recommend you stay away from.  Also, do some online research.  Departments often post syllabi on their websites, and studying those will give you a good sense of what individual profs expect from their students.
• Other things to consider: how work intensive is your course load?  It’s not a bad thing to cut down your schedule a bit if that means that you will enjoy life more and won’t delay graduation.  Also, how well rounded is your schedule?  Perhaps you can add a PE or arts class to give you more variety during your week.  These courses are generally required, and some students find them to be more enjoyable than the other courses they are required to take.  Since happy students are generally more successful in the long run, it doesn’t hurt to take these fun classes, too.
• Finally, don’t be afraid to talk to professors.  If your profs are anything like me, they are happy to give you information about their upcoming classes and help you to determine whether or not the class will be a good fit for you.

Friday’s Fact

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In honor of Halloween, I bring you a link to the Top 10 Haunted U.S. Colleges list.  I can neither confirm nor deny the information presented here (meaning that it doesn’t necessarily qualify as “fact”).  But, I will reiterate the statement of the website’s author: my apologies to any readers who attend night classes at these institutions!

Have a happy – and safe – Halloween!

Planning Ahead: Summer Internships

While it may seem odd to start thinking about summer now, when fall is just settling in, now is the time to start planning ahead, especially if you are interested in any sort of summer internship.

Internships, like jobs, can be hard to come by in a tough economy.  Because more people are searching for these opportunities, the competition becomes fierce.  But there are some things you can do to give yourself a competitive edge. 

First, if you want an internship but don’t have a specific one in mind, do you homework now.  Google is a good resource, as are professors in your field.  Your profs may be able to give you insider information on what is out there and may even know a few people you can contact directly to find out more about internship possibilities. 

Next, start applying.  The application process can be long and grueling; just ask anyone who has applied for graduate school or full time work.  You will likely need to gather letters of recommendation, transcripts, and the like, and this takes time.  Stop by your transcript office to put in your requests ASAP.  Offices can get overwhelmed by requests at the end of the semester, which can cause delays for you.

When asking for letters of recommendation, be sure to talk to professors who have a good sense of the quality work you produce.  This means that you want to avoid requesting letters from profs in whose classes you did poorly.  Be sure you give them plenty of lead time – two weeks minimum – and make sure you have all the materials in hand when you ask.  Finally, to make life easier for your profs, provide them with envelopes, stamps, and copies of your resume.  They will appreciate your consideration and foresight – qualities that you may want them to emphasize in your letter or recommendation.

Finally, have a plan B.  If your prof is unable to write you a recommendation, who else can you ask?  If you don’t get the internship you want, what else will you do during the summer?  Thinking ahead will a) keep you from having to scramble at the last minute and b) help to ensure that you have some productive plans this summer.

Friday’s 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

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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

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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

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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.