The Academik

Solar Panel Etalon Idea

2013-08-11T08:08:00.000-04:00

I'm wondering about the possibility of an etalon designed specifically to improve the efficiency of solar panels. According to http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/OIPP/docs/solar_glarepotentialwl.pdf, a mono-crystalline silicon solar cell, similar to those used at the Solar Highway Demonstration site, absorbs two-thirds of the sunlight reaching the panel’s surface. That means that one-third of it is reflected back into the atmosphere, and thus, wasted.

If an etalon was designed consisting of two curved solar panels facing each other, set at just the right angle such that all the rays reflected from one of the panels go directly into the other panel (and vice-versa), there would theoretically be no loss. The amount of rays present inside the etalon (speaking very loosely) will decrease by two-thirds upon every subsequent hit on each of the solar panels. It's easy to see that this series would quickly converge to 0, thus making use of virtually all the sunlight that enters the etalon.

All this being said, I'm not quite sure about the costs and benefits of this additional one-third of sunlight as compared to the production/maintenance expenses of a solar panel etalon.

Surprise Quiz Paradox

2012-09-01T13:53:00.000-04:00

The surprise quiz paradox can be stated as follows: A professor emails his students on Sunday and informs them that they will have a surprise quiz on some day throughout the week (Monday through Friday). An astute student reads this email incredulously because he perceives a logical flaw in it. He knows that the professor can't give the quiz on Friday because then the day of the quiz will have become apparent on Thursday, thereby making it unsurprising.

Since Friday has now been eliminated as a possible day, Thursday becomes the new Friday of the week. Moreover, the same argument used to exclude Friday can now be used to exclude Thursday. This logic continues all the way to the beginning of the week, with the final conclusion reached that it would be logically impossible to give a surprise quiz. The paradox lies in that it is obvious the professor can still give the pop quiz as he pleases and surprise the students, as was his original intention.

Before we begin to look for a resolution, it would be helpful to first clarify the definition of "surprise" we are using that leads to the paradox. I define surprise in this instance as meaning roughly: "You will be unable to predict at any point throughout the week, at least a day in advance, the day on which I will give the quiz". This is the definition that leads to the core problem of Friday not qualifying as a valid surprise quiz day.

It seems, given the definition of surprise we have provided, it is indeed logically impossible to give a "surprise" quiz, and this is true. However, the paradox lies not in that the statement is logically impossible, but in that the professor can still give a surprise quiz despite all this. It is in this very inconsistency that we shall begin to find our resolution. It seems to me that the definition of surprise that is utilized in contemporary conversational language is not equivalent to the definition of surprise we have employed to establish the fallacy. It is a somewhat weaker definition, which I will now attempt to provide.

The definition of surprise that I believe the professor employs is this: "The exact day of the quiz will be unpredictable for at least the same number of days that it will be predictable". In this sense, the definition of surprise is not a binary concept and there are degrees of strength inherent within it. One individual may be more surprised than another even provided that both experienced the exact same occurrence at the exact same time. For example, if the day of the quiz is known to someone for three days, but unknown to him for four days, the quiz will be a surprise, though not as much of a surprise as for the individual for whom the day of the quiz was known for three days, but unknown for five.

The corner case of this definition that we must account for is the case in which an individual is aware of when an event will occur for the same duration of time as he was unaware of it. I believe that, in this case, we can say that the individual is in a state that is simultaneously both surprised and unsurprised, although this state would be the theoretically lowest degree of both surprise and lack of surprise conceivable to us.

Given this, and stretching my definition to its limits, one can provide the following example: Suppose somebody tells you on Sunday that they will throw a surprise party for you within the next two weeks. If on the Sunday of the second week, someone happens to clue you in that your surprise party will be that Saturday, will it still be a surprise for you? Technically, my definition is still satisfied in this instance, since you were unaware of the exact date of the party for seven days, and will be aware of it for also seven days. However, I think most people would agree that, despite this, the surprise party will be pretty well ruined by the time it comes around.

While this may at first appear to be a valid counterargument, it is ultimately specious. As I mentioned before, I believe that, conversationally, humans innately think in terms of degrees of surprise. If I knew of the exact time of the occurrence of a certain event for a longer time than you did, and we both knew this information for a shorter or equal amount of time than we didn't know it, I think I would be justified in saying that I am surprised, but less surprised than you, when that event finally occurs.

Now since the individual in the surprise party example knew the exact day of the party for just as long as he didn't know it, one can say (as stated before) that, in a sense, he/she is both surprised and unsurprised. This to me still qualifies as a state of surprise, although the lowest one possible in terms of degrees of vigor. Only once the number of days of awareness exceeds the number of days of ignorance does one truly leave the realm of surprise regarding a particular event.

We have seen how, in the paradox, the clause that begins the chain of reasoning that ultimately leads to the surprise quiz becoming a logical fallacy is: "A surprise quiz cannot be given on Friday". The logical definition that we gave at the beginning of this article most definitely satisfies this clause. Let us now, however, try it out with the alternative (and in my belief, more common and natural) definition that I have just provided. Suppose the professor indeed plans the quiz for Friday. On Sunday (the day the students first receive the email), the students are unable to predict the day of the quiz. The same goes for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Only on Thursday does it become readily apparent that the quiz will be on Friday. This means that for four days the students were unaware of what day the quiz will be on, as opposed to the two days during which they were.

Thus, the definition that I have provided is satisfied, and it is now possible to give a surprise quiz on Friday, thereby not creating the domino effect that leads to the paradox. Suppose that, for robustness, instead of a five day week, we have a two day week, with Monday and Friday being the only days. Then on Sunday, the students are unable to predict whether the quiz will be on Monday or Friday. On Monday, they can safely say the quiz will be on Friday. The definition I provided remains satisfied, as the students were both unable and able to predict the quiz for exactly one day.

I anticipate that the main point of contention with this argument will be my supposedly commonplace definition of "surprise". Clearly none of us think about the definition I have provided when we use the actual word. I argue that, although this may be the case, subconsciously we more often than not still employ some version of my definition. To illustrate this point further, allow me to provide a simple thought experiment: Suppose that a doctor tells you that within the next ten years, you will die unexpectedly at any minute. Suppose further that you are 100 percent certain that he is correct. Finally, suppose that your death does not occur for the next nine years, 364 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes. Then and only then will you be sure that your death must occur in the following (the 60th) minute.

According to the initial definition I provided for the justification of the paradox, and given this thought experiment, your death ceases to be a surprise following the end of the 59th minute. However, I believe that most people, myself included, would still attribute to the moment of your death a "surprising" quality, given the vast amount of time that you were unaware of the exact minute of your impending doom (as well as the equally vast amount of time you were anticipating it), relative to the tiny amount of time that you were. Although this is an extreme example, I believe it adequately demonstrates that there are indeed gradations to the state of surprise.

Thus, I believe the paradox lies mainly within a discrepancy between the logical definition of the word "surprise", and the conversational definition (like, for example, with the word "or"). It is my strong belief that the concepts invoked here can be applied generally to all permutations of the surprise quiz paradox.

Colors and the Speed of Light: A Thought Experiment

2012-06-23T15:14:00.000-04:00

Suppose that we are moving at the speed of red light through a vacuum. Suppose further that, directly in front of us, there is an object that is also red.

Let us first refresh ourselves on how color is actually perceived by the human eye. White light is comprised of equal parts of all the other colors (or types of light) in the visible spectrum, all which have different wavelengths, frequencies, and energy levels. When this light strikes an object, part of it is absorbed by the object, and part of it is reflected, deflected, and diffracted back in various ways. These lights are the ones that we interpret as colors. So, in terms of our red object, it is absorbing all the types of light that aren't red. The red light photon bounces off the object and into our eye, where it interacts with photopsins. The color that we thus see depends on the energy level of the photon that enters our pupil (in this case 1.77 eV, relating to red light), as this determines the strength of the electrical signal sent to the brain.

Now, since the color that we register is dependent on the energy of the photons that breach our eye, and since the energy level of light is calculated via multiplying Planck's constant by the frequency of the wave that accompanied those photons, the color that we detect is also ultimately related to the frequency of the light.

Since we are moving at the speed of red light, towards an object that is emitting red light, the frequency with which the red light waves coming from that object hit our eye should theoretically be doubled (assuming the object is aligned with our sight in a perfect 180 degree angle). Doubling frequency should then double the energy with which the photon interacts with our photopsins, doubling the strength of the electrical signal to the brain. Since double the energy of red light is 3.54 eV, what we actually see in front of us is not a red object, but a violet one (since 3.54 eV corresponds to violet light).

Some further interesting propositions can be gathered from all this. For example, if we were moving at the speed of red light and were instead approaching an object that was emitting infrared light (which we cannot see), it is possible that we would perceive that object as violet as well. On the other end of the spectrum, if we were still moving at the speed of red light and approaching say, a blue object, the object would now relatively be giving off ultraviolet light, which we also cannot see. Thus, the invisible becomes visible, and vice-versa.

All references to color energy were taken from Wikipedia.

On Performance Based Evaluation and Meritocracy

2012-06-16T14:19:00.000-04:00

The American school system, and probably most of our workforce, prides itself on being a meritocracy, or a system in which our rewards are proportional to our performance on examinations. This doesn't seem too suspicious when placed in this light, but meritocracy has its dark side as well.

One's performance is often considered to be a function of one's ability and effort. However, this assumption is not always accurate. When we base the rewards reaped in society on one's results on examinations, we open the door to gamesmanship. What do I mean by this? The purpose of education no longer becomes to learn, but to maximize one's score on a test. Why does this occur? Because in a meritocracy, nobody cares about the process that was taken to get to a certain score. All that matters is the score, the whole score, and nothing but the score. Thus, students gain a very narrow minded view of the system, in which they do not study out of interest, but out of the desire to get the highest grade possible on an exam. I mentioned some of these points in a previous article titled "Studying the Tests".

What's so bad about this anyway? That depends on how useful the knowledge on the exams actually is for the real world. Since the students in a meritocracy will spend most of their time learning the tests, it would make sense to design those tests around useful skills. If the test is simply designed to measure intellect or some other abstract concept, then the existence of a meritocracy may actually be harmful for society.

The above argument is often countered by the belief that, even if an exam tests skills that are largely pointless to society, a high score demonstrates a strong work ethic, assuming that the tests are designed in such a way that they can be studied. It is also argued that there is nothing wrong about testing for intellect, since a higher intellect demonstrates a higher capacity for learning and mentally adapting to various challenges. This makes those with higher intellects ideal employees, as they can quickly pick up any necessary skills missed in school once they reach the job.

To a certain degree, both these points are correct. It does often take much studying, and thus work ethic, to do really well on exam, but it also means that individuals with a higher baseline level of talent can skate by the exams with minimal effort. Since these individuals were gifted with their talent, they have not demonstrated any capacity for hard work by doing well on the evaluation. The same goes for the point about testing for brain power as a good means of finding successful employees. Those with higher intellect will not demonstrate any work ethic by doing well on exams based largely on intellect. Does a brilliant but lazy person really make for a better employee than a duller but highly productive one? I think not. Both bring something different and useful to the workforce, and both should be given a chance to prove themselves.

So, how can we better keep this situation from arising? The key is to make sure that examinations and other performance evaluations do not lean too far to the side of testing fluid intellect, or the intellect that we are largely born with. Performance evaluations should base themselves just as much on crystallized intelligence (or learned facts) as they do on talent. For example, in a typical college classroom, attendance is either not required, or counts for very little at all. It is even more surprising when professors begin to wonder why students aren’t going to class. In a meritocracy, there is simply no point in coming to class if the student feels he can do just as well on the exams without showing up. Rectifying this is simple: Make attendance mandatory and give it more weight during the calculation of the final grade. There are few clearer signs of work ethic than consistently attending lecture.

There are certainly many other examples that could be generated, but the basic concept remains the same. To avoid spawning an unproductive workforce, we must make sure that we emphasize effort and crystallized intelligence in meritocratic examinations and evaluations. We must make sure that we emphasize that effort matters as much for success as talent does.

On the Theory Behind Workplace Web Filtering

2012-06-13T19:44:00.000-04:00

Many modernly equipped firms in today's world, especially large and old-fashioned ones, follow a policy of website filtering, by which the employee is restricted from browsing to websites deemed to be either unsafe or not conducive to a productive work environment. Thus, popular social media and entertainment websites such as YouTube and Facebook are blocked, as well as more standard email websites, such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail.

The logic behind the policy is simple enough to speculate about. A firm believes that by limiting the access to these websites, an employee will begin to consider that, since he can't procrastinate in an enjoyable matter, he may as well perform his work duties. In essence, the idea is to make the work duty the most entertaining thing the employee could do on the job.

However, the logic against such a policy is just as simple, and perhaps even more convincing. Who is to say that, if an employee can't procrastinate a certain way, he won't simply substitute it with another? Also, the reasoning that work will automatically become the most fun thing to do at work after such a policy becomes a bit more suspect when we examine it closely. An employee still has the options of communicating with other employees, taking a walk, getting a coffee, etc., once his favorite websites are taken away. In my opinion, there is no shortage of the number of things that an employee would be able to come up with in order to avoid his duties, if he was really so inclined.

Another factor that I believe deserves consideration is the mental fatigue aspect of being expected to work continuously for many hours a day. It is possible that, at least for some people, the break associated with browsing to certain sites for small periods of time is not only a desired, but a necessary break. Here is an example of such a situation: Suppose an employee's job is to type as many pages as possible per day. An employee taking no breaks may waste no time doing other things, but his average number of pages per hour may begin to decline as a function of time because of mental fatigue. Suppose there is another employee that takes periodic breaks on entertainment websites. While this employee does lose all the time that he spends on those websites, it is feasible that, following one of these breaks, the worker's mind is refreshed and his average number of pages per hour increases substantially (if temporarily). This example could also be easily adapted to include quality of work, for which one may see similar results as with quantity. Thus, it is also conceivable that, at the end of the day, the total number of pages completed by the procrastinating worker could be greater than that by the diligent worker.

Another interpretation of the mental refreshment aspect is to think of it also as a possible relaxant. An individual may be worried about a certain email he is expected to receive or send out, or some other quick business he must attend to on a restricted website. The stress that comes from this anxiety will obviously be a hindrance to one's productivity. By simply allowing this individual to quickly take care of this business, he will be able to stop thinking about it and get back to work with a renewed sense of vigor.

One more point I'd like to consider is the force of habit. Before finding employment, most people have spent countless years developing the habits that allow them to be the most comfortable and to work the most efficiently that they can. Some people listen to music, some people keep a chat window open, some people check the news. From the very fact that these habits have remained with this person to this day, and from the fact that this person was able to secure the job in the first place, there is the direct implication that the person's working habits are of sufficient quality for him to be employed at that particular workplace. Why then, would it make sense to throw off a worker's habits by restricting certain websites? Even if it is assumed that the employee can quickly adapt to new work habits, there will be a learning curve of variable length during which productivity will naturally be stunted.

I’d like to make it amply clear that I am not advocating procrastination in the workplace. In fact, I am advocating quite the opposite, as I hypothesize that disabling workplace web filtering will ultimately improve employee performance.

Improving Professorial Quality

2012-06-06T14:58:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time as a student in academia has no doubt had the displeasure of taking a class with a sub-par professor. What this article seeks to propose is a methodology by which universities can systematically improve the quality of their professors and help minimize the probability of this happening to anyone else.

Before we begin, it would be helpful to examine why this problem of poor professors arises even in the top universities. One reason, I believe, is a lack of incentive, most often as a result of the granting of tenure. Tenure is essentially a lifetime appointment until retirement, with dismissal only possible in the case of "due cause". The interpretation of this "due cause" is naturally very variable, as most such legal terms are, but it is probably safe to say that it would take quite a bit for a tenured professor to be forcibly removed from the job.

The fear of under-performance resulting from the privileged position of tenure is hardly a new topic of discussion, though it remains a very powerful argument. How can one expect a faculty member to retain a desire for providing quality teaching when his job doesn't depend on it, except in the most egregious cases? This problem is exacerbated even further when the professor is particularly famous, making his status even more unquestionable. It is only to be expected that a professor's yearning to teach will eventually fall victim to entropy under such an environment. For example, many students can attest to the fact that some professors use the same slides, homeworks, tests, etc. for literally decades, sometimes not even bothering to change the date at the top of the handouts. While this is not a problem in and of itself, and can actually be logical when the teaching program in question is successful and pleases the students, more often than not it is the terrible and ineffective programs that get recycled for years and years.

The solution I propose to this phenomenon is quite simple, and focuses on exploiting the same factor of incentive that falls prey to indifference. Most schools already have in place a ratings system by which students can evaluate the performance of their professors (and if they don't, they should). Instead of penalizing poor performance, why does a university not monetarily encourage strong performance? For example, a professor would be granted salary bonuses from the university corresponding to the average rating that he has received from his students. The beauty of this method is that more famous professors can still receive the higher base salary that they likely feel they deserve, nor is the capacity for the professors to do research lessened, since the awards associated with that would remain intact as well. Tenure is also not threatened since good performance is rewarded, but poor performance is not penalized.

One obvious problem to this solution is the lengths that some would go to in order to capitalize on the system. Some professors may believe that the quickest and most reliable way to improve their student ratings would be to simply to give A's to everyone in the class. Although, in my opinion, the connection between grade received and the ratings given to the professor remains tentative (since the ratings are anonymous), I will admit the theory is feasible. Although some grade inflation will probably occur, I believe the normal checks that are in place (or should be in place) to make sure a suspicious amount of A's aren't being doled out should provide enough of a counter-thrust to this snag. Another problem with this system is that its implementation would almost certainly cause tuition to increase, as the potential for very large expenditures due to an over-achieving staff is not necessarily unlikely.

A second reason for the existence of incompetent professors is for the self-evident reason that they simply don't know how to teach. Too often is the mistake made by universities that eminence in one's field implies some sort of natural predisposition for teaching. This makes no more sense than holding the belief that a talented athlete would necessarily make a good coach. A professor may have the most brilliant things in the world to say, but they are worthless to the students if he cannot express himself properly. Furthermore, an often neglected part of being able to teach is having the ability to design reasonable and helpful assignments, tests, and classes in general. I can't count the number of times I have taken exams that are difficult solely for the reason that the test is poorly constructed, or have done assignments that only tangentially have any relationship to the format of those exams.

How could we alleviate this situation? To some degree, the incentive structure I proposed above would help because it would prod the professor to improve his own teaching. However, it is possible that a professor could simply have no idea how to become a better teacher on his own. To combat this, the school could provide some basic courses in education upon the professors introduction to the university. To maintain quality control, refresher courses could be given at certain intervals after that, and officials specializing in teaching inspection could be assigned to sit in at any lecture at random (like is already done in some high schools, although often not randomly). Obviously, these structures are not free and could, as stated before, definitely have the potential to increase tuition. However, all that being said, I see few better investments for an institution than increasing the excellence of its professors. Better professors lead to a better school reputation and better educated students, who will thus later have more capacity to contribute to the university and continue this cycle.

One more topic I'd like to discuss are teaching assistants, or TAs. These are essentially either aspiring professors, or more often simply graduate students, who are required to work for the professor for a certain amount of hours in exchange for the research stipend and facilities that they receive from the university. They are often in charge of grading homeworks/tests, and teaching recitations. Moreover, if there is anyone who can be expected to care less about what a student thinks about his teaching more than a tenured professor, it is most certainly a teaching assistant.

My problems with teaching assistants are multiple. Firstly, since the spotlight on their teaching ability is even less bright (arguably) than that which is on the professors, and since most of them are so busy focusing on their research, the quality of teaching is understandably expected to be rather low. My bigger issue, however, is that teaching assistants are often in charge of almost all the grading in a class. Why is this an issue? In my experience, most teaching assistants do not even bother to attend the professor's lectures. Thus, although by no means guaranteed, one can expect some degree of disconnect between what the professor teaches and how the TA grades. For example, if I attend every single lecture and listen attentively to the professor, and feel it in my best interest to write something on the exam that the professor mentioned in class, it is not unlikely that a TA could disagree with it and dock me some points. What have I to prove to him that the professor did in fact say it? Nothing really, whereas if the professor had graded the test, or if the TA had attended the lecture, the probability of me not losing points would have increased.

How to resolve this? I understand that professors cannot feasibly grade all the material that they assign, as well as have the time left to perform their research to a respectable degree (or at least I hope this is the case). This, after all, is part of the reason for the existence of teaching assistants in the first place. However, since TAs are also often subject to student ratings, I see no reason why they also cannot be part of the system that I described before, except instead of bonuses, the TA would receive an increased stipend for his performance as a recitation leader. Also, since TAs are not tenured and are sometimes professors in waiting, I see no real reason why there should not be a punishment or warning mechanism in place for TAs with especially bad ratings. They are, after all, potential educators of the future, and it would behoove the university to set some kind of basic standard to help the TA refine his art for years to come.

The professorship is an honorable position, but it is not so honorable as to excuse a gross neglect of duty. Professors are paid to be as much teachers as researchers, and the ultimate nature of the products of the educational system rests in their hands. I do not see a more expedient way of sharply enhancing this educational system than to enhance the efficacy of its distributors and molders.

Buying Textbooks

2012-05-28T09:15:00.000-04:00

If you're reading this right now and you're a student, you're most likely getting ripped off when buying your textbooks. This isn't an affront to your intelligence, but simply the conclusion of my belief that the average student buys the majority of his textbooks from the campus bookstore, which more often than not charges exorbitant prices. I understand that universities need to make money too, and that I have no right to judge their pricing decisions, nor will this article do anything to hurt their revenues. It is also true that what I have thus far written will most likely shock no current students, as the steepness of campus book markups is well-known throughout academia.

So why is it that the majority of students (I have no facts to support that it is indeed the majority; only a strong suspicion) still insist on these inefficient purchasing habits. The most likely answer is also the most logical one: To avoid getting ripped off for textbooks, a certain amount of base knowledge and research is necessary. This is not to say that it is inherently any more difficult than walking over to the college store, but the initial acquisition of know-how that gets one to the point where they can use that know-how with minimal effort can have a high personal cost. This phenomenon is akin to say, changing a bike tire tube. There is nothing impressively complex in the process, but many people still see a professional about it because the cost required to learn how to change the tire proficiently can be uncomfortably high.

Getting back on point, I would like to lessen this cost for the readers by providing a few tips and websites that should make them much thriftier textbook purchasers. First off, I have found that websites which aggregate the costs of a few online bookstore websites and present a list of the lowest prices to be the most effective. A good example of this is CampusBooks. The site will present you with rental, used, international, new, and digital versions of the book you are looking for. Rentals are often the cheapest of the five options (Chegg is the biggest player in the textbook rental market), but remember that you cannot later sell these books back on the market to recoup some of your losses (or even possibly turn a small profit).

Possibly the next cheapest choice would be the digital version, otherwise known as an e-Book. Keep in mind that although they are often inexpensive, they also cannot easily be later sold on a major open online marketplace (more on these later on). There are also more obvious limitations, such as the need to have either a high-end phone, tablet, or computer to view them. Although in this day and age this shouldn't constitute an enormous problem, it can occasionally turn into a nuisance.

Used books are the next best option. Be suspicious of unusually great values found in this section (as well as the new section), as these are most likely international editions. International editions are produced abroad, usually using cheaper materials and shoddier craftsmanship, and while this is usually not a problem, it can become one when the page numbers and the order of practice questions are askew. Nothing stings quite as much as unwittingly doing questions 15 through 20 when your professor requested 1 through 5. There is no easy way to tell which internationals are winners and which are lemons, but I prefer to err on the side of caution and just pay the extra dollars for a regular used edition.

After the semester ends, you have a few options as far as trying to recover some of the cash you dished out. You can obviously sell the books to a fellow student at your university; many schools provide some type of system that helps you connect with potential buyers (you can, by the way, obviously use these same systems to purchase a book as well). Alternatively, you can attempt to sell that book back to your bookstore, although I question the quality of the deal you would receive there. Finally, you can attempt to sell the book through online marketplaces, such as Amazon or Ebay. This takes some initial experience as well to do correctly, but once you get into a groove with it, I feel the best values can usually be found through this method.

Back To School

2010-09-04T16:49:00.001-04:00

The much feared/anticipated event of the college student's life is either already here, or not too far away. Colleges all over the world are gearing up for the first semester (for most folks) of the 2010 year. I hope that everyone's ready for and at least somewhat excited about their new courses. As you approach first day, try to catch up on some of the sleep debt you may have accumulated throughout the summer. That way, you'll be as fresh as possible for your first couple of classes (it probably won't last long). If you want to play the odds in terms of getting high grades, sit in the very first row of the class. Research has shown that students sitting in even the second row of the classroom get lower grades than those in the first. Hopefully you're done with or working on all your textbook purchases, and hopefully those purchases aren't coming predominantly from the college bookstore (unless of course, your school is one of the few that doesn't rip students off). If you're dorming, I trust that you've kept in touch with your roommate and split the expenses of dorm supplies. Hopefully your roommate isn't one who purchases himself an individual TV for his/her eyes only (not unheard of). It will probably take a while to snap back into that scholarly spirit after a lazy summer, so give yourself adequate time to adjust to the new lifestyle. Remember to make some connections within your classes, both for friendship and for practicality's sake. Having a few phone numbers in every class will definitely come in handy at some point throughout the semester. Most of all, try to have yourself a good time this year. Love what you do, and you'll always do what you love. Best of luck this academic year. (P.S: There has been a new addition to The Academik lately, specifically a college database with useful links to all kinds of information about many universities. We don't have too many entries added yet, as it's still in the works, but we're excited to provide this new service and plan on expanding it extensively.)

Commuting

2010-08-29T09:46:00.000-04:00

For many, college is a time in which they can at last move out of the house and into a dorm, finally gaining their long awaited independence from Mom and Dad. For others, however, it isn't. As you probably know, some students choose to either live at home, or somewhere else off campus, and commute to school for classes. For these students, both new advantages and challenges arise. One thing commuters must learn to adjust to is a greater sense of time and organization than that which a student on campus would necessarily have. Campus students have the advantage of being relatively close to their classes, while commuters can live up to two or three hours away. This means they must use their allotted time more effectively. If your commute allows it, make sure you do something school related while you travel (if you can). This will buy you back some of the valuable time you waste moving from place to place. Commuters must also learn to plan their schedules around not only the average commuting time, but the abnormalities that could arise on the trip. Because they lose time traveling, commuters must adapt to being more efficient once they get home. They must make sure they're constantly aware of the time and how it's being spent. Since commuters usually cannot realistically go home if they forget something, they must be more responsible with what they bring along with them to school. Forgetting a paper at home can be catastrophic to a commuter. Depending on the commuter's route, there may also be safety precautions that he or she must take. If your college is in a bad neighborhood, you probably don't want to be leaving the campus too late. One resource that can be invaluable to a commuter is a dorming buddy whom he/she can count on to stay over a night or two. If you're a commuter, do yourself and cultivate one of these relationships. There will most certainly be times when you want to stick around for something on campus that is taking place late at night, and you probably won't want to commute home after it. As a commuter, it is important you use all your time spent on campus effectively. In between classes, make sure to make an attempt at getting some school work/studying done. A commuter also sometimes has a greater need for on campus facilities than dormers do. Make good use of the library (for reference and a quiet place to study), gym (if time permits), and computer labs (if you don't have a laptop, which, by the way, you definitely should as a commuter). If you're a commuter, you must also try harder to make social connections on campus. Extracurricular activities are crucial for commuters, because other than classes and parties, they'll be the only places you can comfortably connect with other people. Just remember, commuting doesn't have to be a negative aspect of the college experience.

Extracurriculars

2010-07-29T19:26:00.002-04:00

Both college and high school would be vastly incomplete without something other than academics that students could get involved in. Extracurricular activities are an unquestionably important part of a complete educational experience. However, there is a right and a wrong way to incorporate them into your schooling career. You are probably already aware of most of the ways extracurriculars can go horribly wrong. Stacking way too many of them drains very large amounts of time out of your schedule, and as a result, your grades suffer. If you're not sure whether you're doing too many, compare your grades at the end of semester or marking period, to those you had in a previous section of time, and see if there are any markable differences. If so, drop a few activities, and try again, once again comparing results and adapting accordingly. Another way extracurriculars can be done incorrectly is doing them solely to add padding to your resume, and thus, performing poorly in them. When you have absolutely no interest in something, it will show subconsciously, whether you'd like it to or not. We like to provide realistic advice on this website, so I understand that a ton of students will do extracurriculars, regardless of desire level, to make themselves more valuable to colleges and graduate schools. However, at least try to make sure that you have some semblance of an interest in whatever the extracurricular happens to be. In this way, you'll not only be somewhat entertained, but as a result, you'll probably make a more meaningful contribution. Another way extracurriculars can go wrong is to not do any at all. A lot of students might carry the mindset of: "Why waste time on extracurriculars when I can devote those hours to studying, and getting a better GPA. Won't a higher GPA mean more to colleges than any extracurriculars will?" This is a valid concern, but do you think a higher GPA will mean more to colleges than absolutely NO extracurriculars will? Colleges will look at your records and see just what you have presented yourself as, that is, a straight up student who has no interests other than getting high grades. Is this the image of yourself you want colleges to perceive? Perhaps GPA points are worth more than extracurriculars in the long run, but a student who has no, or very few, activities on his record will definitely raise a few red flags in the admissions office. If managed carefully, extracurriculars are an excellent way of not only unloading some of the pressure of school, but discovering something about yourself, learning something new, meeting new people, and more practically, standing out amongst other students.

What Constitutes a ‘Good’ College?

2010-07-29T01:18:00.004-04:00

With approximately 95 days, 11 hours, and 59 minutes left until Early Decision, you're probably scrambling from forum to forum figuring out which are those ‘Good’ colleges that you should apply to. Well, what exactly makes a college ‘good? Is it the reputation? Is it it's cost-effectiveness? Or is it perhaps how well the investment of your money pays off? Indubitably, these are all attributes of a decent college, and a combination of this sort, with the inclusion of other elements, certainly showcases that top school. But something is missing in this laundry list, something that is indispensable for the ideal learning experience – student: professor ratio. When applying to those colleges, especially the big name schools like MIT, Harvard, Princeton and Yale, make sure that the student-professor ratio is not 20:1 or anything higher! One of the most crucial factors which leads to that rich learning experience is your relationship with your professor: it may sound ridiculous at first, but will he or she even know your name? At big name schools, there is sometimes a tendency for professors to be more concerned with their research than their students. Many professors fall victim to the ‘Publish or Perish’ ideology within the research schools, so sometimes you may not be actually receiving that top dollar education that you're paying for. For example, although the school will cost $50,000+ and boast about its faculty sponsored research, in reality, the undergraduate student will rarely contribute to any of that ‘research.’ In most cases, it will be either a graduate or a Ph.D. student. The truth is, with the large student to professor ratio, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to work on prize-winning research and at the same time be grading, lecturing, and planning lessons. Given the high ratio within these ‘Research’ Universities, the chances are high that you're paying just for the ‘name,’ or just for the research, but not to actually be a part of it. On the other hand, a low student-professor ratio allows you to get to know more about your professor; it opens the doors for internships/job opportunities, letters of recommendation, and most importantly, provides an enriched learning environment which ultimately teaches you to step through those doors of success. A low ratio allows for a rich quality of education which not only presents you with a multitude of opportunities, but allows you to make the most of them. Thus, for a school to be truly ‘good,’ it must not only possess that prestigious reputation, but must also live up to its expectations regarding the quality of education. If you are still unsure, sit in on a class and ask yourself if this is how you want to spend your next three or four years. After all, it never hurts to visit a school you are deeply interested in. Do not forget that you can always ‘try it before you buy it'!-originally written by Stan

Pursuing That College Career

2010-07-25T18:36:00.009-04:00

Included in the title are four words that, when combined, elicit different responses from everyone, yet beg the same question – ‘How much money does this path yield?’ At first glance, this seems like a rational question; After all, many students graduate with a five or even six figure debt, and their loans sure don't pay themselves off either. So logically, everyone rushes to the engineering, medical, computer science, and even legal fields with their eyes set on that $65,000 median salary prize. However, how many of those individuals truly consider the security of the careers they pursue? I am not simply talking about basic job security, but rather, a kind of security which people tend to overlook during the gold rush frenzy after graduation – experience security. What I mean by experience security is being able to find a new job easily after losing an existing job, regardless of whether the company goes under, or you no longer wish to work for them; The question here is, essentially, how adaptable is your skill set? The key point to remember is that your experience has value. You may think of this in terms of an Experience Value curve, which represents how valuable one’s experience is to the company and market that he or she is associated with. Ideally, your value as a worker in the company should increase each day that you are employed. For instance, as mentioned before, many people inundate the engineering field with the idea that their jobs will be secure and their 60-65k starting salary will nullify their debt in a short period of time. However, many overlook the notion that the Experience Value curve is static for engineers after five or ten years. The cost of maintaining your skillset exceeds the cost of simply hiring a new graduate with an updated set of skills and, according to the employer, your experience value can be compensated for in just a short amount of time. Although engineers are in demand in today’s society, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the emphasis on the Experience Value curve is the reason. In fact, it can be quite the contrary. The demand is there because the experience is not valued, and workers are just quickly replaced like products on an assembly line. On the other hand, think about the medical field. Because disease and old age are ubiquitous, doctors will usually be in high demand. However, with each year in the practice, the doctor gains experience, whether it be in another area of medicine or about a new plethora of diseases. Such experience cannot be reduced to the level of pure economic finances, because what becomes valuable here is the experience he or she acquires over extended time, and not their years of medical schooling. In hindsight, the crucial thing to keep in mind when pursuing a career is how much experience is truly valued within that profession. Skills can always be replaced, but experience is priceless. -originally written by Stan

Major Pain

2010-07-23T21:57:00.014-04:00

Deciding a major is undoubtedly one of the biggest decisions of the contemporary academic's life. This decision will directly or indirectly affect almost everything that happens to you from the moment you finally make it. Fortunately, in today's world, there are mountains of resources available to help you make the wisest choice possible. There are also a few important things to remember in order to keep your head out of the clouds while you pick your field of study. Picture two points in space, one representing passion, and the other representing practicality. Draw a line between these two points. The ideal decision will lie as close to the midpoint of that line as possible. For example, suppose you love to play a certain musical instrument, and because of that, you want to major in music. A decision like this would obviously fulfill the passion requirement, but what about the practicality? Determining the practicality of a major is more difficult than determining your passion for it, mainly because the answer lies outside of your mind. Practicality must be researched. A good place to start is figuring out which professions spring from your major, and the average salary of these professions. Another practicality factor to research is the future outlook of those professions. A career may look really promising now, but become a dead zone within the coming years. The Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is a solid reference for both of these bits of information. It also includes many other pragmatic considerations, such as job security, training, projections, etc. On the other end of the spectrum lies a scenario like this: You have absolutely no interest or desire to become a doctor, yet you go into a difficult pre-med program because it's what your parents always wanted, and you heard doctors make a lot of money. Such a choice will obviously lie a lot closer to the practicality endpoint of our decision line. However, before you make a selection like this, you must look inward honestly and ask yourself: "What am I ultimately looking to get out of this world?" If your answer is money, then you're probably making the right decision. However, most people would probably lean towards an answer resembling happiness. In this case, you should probably move yourself a little closer to the passion endpoint of the line. Whether money can buy happiness is still a point of contention for many people, but I can guarantee you that doing something you hate almost everyday of your life will not do any favors for your well being.

Standardized Testing

2010-07-12T20:49:00.006-04:00

Perhaps nothing strikes more fear into students than the dreaded standardized test. Whether it is the unpredictability of the questions, the nervousness of doing well, or the sheer horror of having to take a four hour long test, standardized tests oftentimes represent a student’s most difficult academic obstacle. However, as with anything concerning education, standardized test taking is an acquired skill, which can be improved and perfected with hard work. The beauty of standardized tests is exactly that, they are standardized. The fact that they are designed to provide the same bench mark for assessing competency year after year means that there is a wealth of resources available at your disposal. The key, however, is correctly using what is available to you. If you go to your neighborhood Borders or Barnes and Nobles, you are sure to find several hundreds of books concerning taking standardized tests. The books can be roughly condensed into three categories: books which teach you the material on the test, books which provide sample tests, and finally books with reference material. The first step is to go through a book like the Princeton Review or Kaplan, which will teach you the required material on a test. It will also provide you the in and outs of testing, like when it is reasonable to guess, how to eliminate choices and so forth. A good idea is to go through two or more different books of this sort to guarantee you have a firm grasp of what is required. You can likewise supplement your studying with reference material like formula charts and vocabulary cards. Most students have a tendency of stopping here, however, the absolute best way to study for standardized tests is to take as many practice tests as possible. The benefits are numerous. Firstly, you become acquainted with the test’s format, and consequently, are able to pace yourself in the most efficient manner. Secondly, you are applying your knowledge of the material the same way you will come test day. This, in turn, will make you accustomed with all the different ways test makers can ask you the same problem in different words. Finally, taking full tests is the only way to build stamina. You will become fully able to apply yourself throughout a test, rather than deflating like a balloon with every passing hour. Although you can take tests provided by companies like Princeton Review, standardized test makers like College Board annually release official tests from previous years. It is likewise important you begin your studying as soon as possible, which may be several months before the actual test date. By following these simple methods you are guaranteed to have all the tools required to ace that next standardized test.

Group Studying

2010-07-06T21:52:00.010-04:00

I've never been a fan of group studying. I tend to avoid it whenever possible, mainly because I'd rather do an effective study session by myself, and then hang out with my friends later without any stress. However, I understand that sometimes such situations cannot be avoided, and may even be beneficial. In what situations is group studying useful? Classes that are very note and lecture based (rather than textbook based) are particularly well suited to group study sessions, since students can compare their notes, and fill each other in on what they've missed. However, from personal experience, I can tell you that having more than three people in a study group almost always turns ugly. More than three people, especially if they're good friends, will not stay focused for long. In fact, even three people is pushing it. If you're going to participate in a group session, try to make the effort to have as little people as possible. When organizing a group study session, ask yourself seriously: Am I doing this in order to study for this test, or to hangout with my friends? There's nothing wrong with the latter. Just don't go thinking to yourself that this is the best way to go about studying, when deep down you know could have done a much better job by yourself. If you're actually serious about the studying, do yourself a favor and try to avoid the group sessions. There'll be plenty of future chances to hit on that girl two seats to the left of you. If you're going to group study anyway, take heed of a few pointers. Firstly, if no one else does, try to control the scene as best as you can without being annoying. If people start getting off topic, remind them politely what the purpose of this get together was. Secondly, make the most of having other people there with you, and ask questions about stuff you're unsure about. Not only will this help you out, but it'll help keep everyone else focused. Thirdly, try to keep group study sessions short and sweet. Everyone's attention span drifts after a while, and three people losing focus is worse than one. Long group study sessions degenerate three times faster than solo ones (Note: Not a proven fact) , so try to reap the benefits of two extra heads in as little time as possible. If done effectively, group sessions can be very helpful. If done incorrectly, they can be a massive and costly waste of time.

Planning Ahead

2010-07-05T14:26:00.000-04:00

As a student, it is easy to make the mistake of living in the moment. Whether it be concentrating all your efforts on an upcoming test, or struggling to keep up with the week’s school work, we predictably tend to exert all our energy towards success in the present. However, it is equally important to never lose sight of your long term goals and make a conscious effort to plan for the future. Doing so will not only enrich your current studies by creating a sense of direction, but will likewise increase the rewards which lay in the future. The first step is to form a picture of where you see yourself in the next few years. If you are in high school, it helps to ask yourself what colleges you can see yourself attending or what subject matter you find interesting to study. Begin to research all the various types of requirements associated with applying to college, like standardized tests, essays, scholarships and so forth. If you are in college, experiment with different career paths to find which draw your interest. It would also be worthwhile to look at the job market and try to assess future prospects from intuition or from asking someone more knowledgeable in the field, like a professor. Not being able to create a crystal clear picture of where you will be in three or four years is perfectly normal and it shouldn’t discourage you. The idea is simply to gain a sense of direction. Deciding, for example, whether you are a liberal arts or technical science type of person really is a decision which should be made early on rather than the day before graduation. With a proper footing, the next step is to create a plan of action. Perhaps the most important method you can use is deciding which courses to take and when to take them. Since you already know the requirements for applying to a certain college or majoring in a specific degree from step one, make a sketch of all the classes you have to take, and get an idea of when you will take them. The absolute last thing you want happening is deciding to postpone taking a class for the spring semester, only to find out that the class is only offered in the fall (it happens more often than not). Also, take note of the prerequisites for all of your classes and make sure you overlap them properly. A delightful side effect would be some free spots in your schedule to take an elective class you find interesting, complete a particular extracurricular activity you like, or perhaps even minor in a certain subject. Remember to get a head start on studying for standardized tests rather than saving it for the week before, and try networking with every opportunity instead of waiting until you are in dire need of a connection.

Study Spots

2010-07-04T11:34:00.001-04:00

Students often mistake time spent studying for progress made in studying. Just like in any endeavor, if you work for the sake of occupying time, then your results will be lackluster. There is a simple formula to refer to in order to calculate how much real studying you've gotten done. Success in studying is equal to time spent studying multiplied by the intensity of your focus. So, if you are studying with an intensity of focus near 0, then the real amount of studying you will have completed will also be not too far from 0. A lack of intensity of focus is frequently what keeps students from realizing their academic potential. Too often do I see students spend enormous amounts of time studying, yet have little to show for it. This is not only demonstrates poor studying skills, but also kills self-esteem. These students are deceiving themselves - they convince themselves that they are doing their best, but are not able to succeed. These students blame a lack of intelligence on their part for their failure when really it's a lack of study skills that inhibits their progress. The problem often lies in where the studying is attempted. Your dorm room is probably one of the worst place you could possibly study. The only thing your dorm room has going for it is convenience. With all of the distractions present both inside and outside your room (such as your friends, an array of distracting technology, and a roommate), it's no wonder that students spend many hours studying in their dorm room and are disappointed when they receive their exam grade. Even if you have minor success with studying in your dorm room, you should realize that you can cut the time you spend studying into a fraction of what it currently is. In order to truly become effective at studying you must find a study spot that allows you to maximize your intensity of focus (and thus your productivity) while you study. Naturally a good place for this is the library. However, a study spot can be anywhere that is relatively quiet, secluded, and free of distractions. If you enjoy studying outside then finding a secluded table or bench somewhere can be just as effective as the library. Find a spot that you can mark as your own - somewhere that your brain will soon classify as a place for serious work. Once you you start doing this you should see an instant boost in both the quantity and quality of your work. Feel free to experiment with different locations until you find one that fits you.

Studying the Tests

2010-07-01T17:12:00.000-04:00

A lot of students nowadays don't seem to understand, or are even aware, that there's a fundamental difference between learning in school, and succeeding in school. This difference is key because it is an excellent guideline to how you should approach almost everything in school that will count for a grade. Suppose you have a biology test tomorrow. Would the optimal approach be to sit down and start reading the biology textbook from page 1? Assuming your goal is to gain as much learning as possible, that would probably be a good place to start. However, the successful student must think more practically. This student understands that doing well on tests is more about studying the test than studying the material. Half the battle of doing well on tests is to find out as much as humanly possible about what exactly your instructor will be examining you on. You can spend literally days studying and still fail a test because you did not focus your efforts in the proper places. Be "that guy" and ask the professor as many questions as you feel are essential. If you feel embarrassed, ask him after class. He might get annoyed, but he'll also begin to understand that you really care about your performance, and that'll pay important dividends when he decides your final grade(also, he'll actually learn your name). Make sure to listen to other students' questions as well, for even the greatest mind cannot do the work of a few. Lectures are also invaluable resources for possible exam questions. Listen for what your instructor emphasizes multiple times, as this is almost a guarantee that that topic will show up as a question in some form or another. Once you have compiled all this information, only then is it time to begin the studying process. Remember, you are not trying to learn the material; you are trying to learn the test. Study almost exclusively from the information you collected. Also, remember that it's never too late to collect or update your test database. Keep your ears open. The professor may suddenly decide to take something off the test, or add an additional topic. It is up to you and only you to notice these things. Making a lot of friends in the class makes this step (and life in general) a lot easier. Also, try to trust your gut. If the professor didn't mention specifically that something was going to be on the test, but something in your gut just tells you it will be, go ahead and review it. It's all about predicting the test questions. Sure, some people might think that what I'm saying here is an insult to the teachers and their teaching method, but this strategy is not an attempt to insult anybody. It is simply playing the game using the rules the system has set up for you. That's life, and we have to do our best to adapt and thrive in it.

Challenge Yourself

2010-06-28T18:53:00.001-04:00

"Professor assigns too much homework" or "Too much studying required for tests" - these are just some of the not-so-insightful comments you might come across while browsing RateMyProfessor. College students frequently forget that one of the most rewarding components of a college education is a healthy dose of challenge. They become so caught up researching what class will be an "easy A" that they end up shortchanging themselves on their own education. Students spend the better part of their high school years fretting about getting into a prestigious school, but once they are actually attending they fail to realize their academic potential. Students frequently equate challenge with struggle because they assume that when they are forced to pull an all-nighter they are being challenged and vice versa. As Serge pointed out in his recent article, all-nighters are not the key to succeeding in the classroom, especially not difficult ones. A challenging course is one in which thoughtful reflection is a prerequisite for success, and in which a good grade is far from guaranteed. When registering for classes for next semester, instead of researching which professors are easy graders and which aren’t instead draw your focus on which professors will make you work for your grade. Don't think that you and your friends will benefit equally from the same course. Challenge exists on a personal level, and those who seek it should not have much difficulty finding it. Challenge can be found in any school and in virtually any department. For anyone who thinks that challenge is limited to strictly technical courses realize that for every difficult technical class offered by your school there is bound to be a humanities class that is just as difficult. Challenge doesn't imply that success in the classroom is inhibited - it means that success has to be earned through a combination of hard work and smart study practices. So do yourself a favor: take at least one truly challenging course every semester until you graduate. The work ethic and motivation you will develop will last far longer and be far more valuable than the semester of work you have put into the class. The beauty of challenging courses is that with each one you conquer you will feel a noticeable difference in your own abilities. Challenging courses will provide the much-needed exercise to keep your brain in tip-top shape.

Managing Time

2010-06-27T23:18:00.001-04:00

We have all had moments when it seemed as though we were given a very large assignment without enough time to complete it. Coincidentally, these moments tend to occur the night before that large assignment is due— which of course was assigned three months earlier. Instances like these emphasize the importance of learning how to manage one's time, especially as we grow into more demanding academic responsibilities. Before I get into ways to better control your time, I think it is important to note what I believe is the source of the problem. I commonly find that people attempt to apply the same study and time management habits in college as they did in high school. While this seems like a good idea at first, what most incoming college freshmen don't realize is that the workload is ten times greater. The circumstances are obviously different, and accordingly demand a different sense of how one treats work, particularly because time management evolves along with us. The key to learning how to take control of completing whatever assignments you may have is a sense of personal commitment. Of course, this is not a very simple thing to achieve, particularly because it is contrary to the way we normally view assignments. What usually motivates us to complete an assignment is the very ominous and looming due date which in our minds indicates the absolute latest we can complete something. However, once you come to the realization that you yourself can take a more proactive stance in determining when and how you will work, you will immediately notice differences. One method you can try is to give yourself a personal deadline for an assignment which is a few days or week, depending on the magnitude of the assignment, before the actual due date. Clearly mark the dates on a calendar (Google Calendar works wonders here) and give an honest and conscious effort to achieve your goal, but if it occurs that the work is too much to handle it is absolutely fine, I guarantee that the quality and amount of work you will have completed will be many fold greater than normal. Of course, since you do not have extrinsic motivators like a teacher to scold you, or points deducted from your grade, the only thing that will enable you to achieve your goal is commitment. If you follow this simple mentality, you will note only come to manage your time far more efficiently, but will also notice that you will become less dependent on others to tell you how and when things should be done.

All-Nighters

2010-06-27T10:17:00.001-04:00

Ah, all-nighters. Those much fabled and much maligned nights of the year (or weeks of the year, depending on who you are) that almost every serious student has been through. But is this ever increasing trend really a wise decision? I have two opinions, and the one that I adopt depends heavily on my personal situation the night before the test. More specifically, the only time that I truly believe an all-nighter will help rather than hamper your grade, is when you are convinced you have a very sub par and inadequate understanding of the material. This usually occurs when you haven't studied or paid attention in class at all, or very little, right up until the test. Think critically and decide honestly if this describes you the day before your examination. However, when you've already studied extensively, and are thoroughly confident that you'll be able to answer most of, if not all, the questions the professor will throw at you, then there really is absolutely no reason for you to stay up the entire night. Well, you might be wondering, what kind of crazy person even does that? Well, then, you'd be surprised. Some students are so paranoid about their grades that they believe they have to study every single minute up until the big day, to the point that they're almost paralyzed with guilt if they don't. Chances are you know one of these people (or are one yourself) The result? Poorer performance. Don't get me wrong. It's certainly possible to pull an all-nighter and add a few points to your test grade. But are those additional few points worth feeling like crap the entire next day, throwing off your circadian rhythm, and putting your body into sleep debt? If that's not convincing enough for you, know that your sleep deprivation will make you pay less attention during other classes, thereby indirectly hindering your performance on your next test, and leaving you with more work to do later during study days. Remember, just because all your friends are pulling all- nighters, that doesn't mean you should. Your decision should depend entirely on careful introspection (as with anything else). When deciding, remember to prioritize. For example, your train of thought should be different depending on whether the next day you have a midterm, as opposed to, let's say, a quiz that'll be dropped anyway for being your lowest grade. A general rule of thumb? All-nighters should be reserved for desperation situations only.

Read a Book

2010-06-23T10:51:00.002-04:00

Well, it's summer break here right now, and most of us are are fortunate enough to have some time off from school to pursue our other interests (or simply to relax). Unfortunately, for many students, these summers can become not only the most exciting part of the year, but also a step backwards in terms of our ability to cope with the upcoming school season. I understand that you're worn out, tired from months of mental load and test taking, and ready to do everything you couldn't do while school was in session (like sleep). However, I want to stress to you the importance of making an effort to keep your brain in collegiate shape throughout the summer. One of the easiest and most convenient ways to do this is to simply read a book. Read a substantial book. If you need guidance as to what to read, research some classic books and start there (you'll find many). If you're going to read, you might as well do it right and read something other than some frothy and vapid airplane distraction. If you're really opposed to reading a book, then read the news. If you don't want to read the news, read some websites and articles. Read this blog. Read anything as long as it interests you and challenges you intellectually. As with weight-lifting, only when you exert yourself above your comfort level for a period of time will you start to see some gains. Not straining yourself intellectually all summer is akin to an athlete taking the entire summer off and expecting to come back and perform just as well in his sport of choice. Sure he'll get back to optimum capacity eventually, and so will you, but how many tests will you have to take before you get there? Reading during the summer will keep your mind sharp and will make it that much easier to get back into study and testing mode once school starts. I'm not saying spend all your free time with your nose in a book. Cut some time out of your T.V. watching and spend it reading instead. Read on the bus or train. Read to help you go to sleep. If you find reading boring, you're either reading the wrong book, or are simply unadjusted to the type of thinking that reading requires (or both). Give it time and you'll begin to tolerate, and hopefully even enjoy reading. If all other inspiration fails, think of it as an investment towards your intelligence and education.