College Tips and Tricks

88 Surefire Tips for Succeeding in College

noreply@blogger.com (Ace) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:23:00 +0000

Whether you plan on enrolling in one of the top online computer science programsor top online criminal justice programs, as a college student, a world of opportunities lies before you. But it won’t last forever. Chances are, you’ll only be in college for four or five short years. How are you planning to make the most of it?

Do yourself a favor and take advantage of every moment you have in the next few years. At most colleges you have a plethora of resources there to help you grow into a successful person, if you simply know where to look and are willing to take advantage of them. We’ve left no stone unturned in collecting the following 88 tips to help you make the most this time.

Seize the Day

Take responsibility for your own learning. You’re not in high school anymore. Everyone in college is there to learn because they want to, not just to pass because they have to. There are a lot of opportunities for learning in college, often times outside the classroom. Take advantage of every opportunity you can.
Appreciate your time in college. You’ll never again have so many opportunities with so few responsibilities. Take advantage of this time while you can, enjoying all that the college experience has to offer.
Take risks. College isn’t just about getting good grades. It is a time to learn more about the world and yourself. Branch out and take risks. Try something new. Meet new friends.
Expand your horizons. Classes do not have to only focus on your major or what is best for your future career. Try taking some elective classes in other subjects.
Set goals. Every term, reset your goals to keep you motivated and give you something to work toward. Consider where you’re doing well, and where you have room for improvement.
Consider your personal interests when choosing your major. Don’t just choose a major because of what the current job market is like or because it’s what your friends or family members are doing. Choose a program that interests you and that you will enjoy studying.
Take important courses as early as you can. If you can take a course within your major your freshman year, do so. You may learn that you want to switch majors. It’s best to learn this as soon as you can.
Go abroad. Most colleges offer some type of study abroad program. You may be able to attend classes for a semester or year in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, or South America. Get to know the requirements for these programs early on so you can plan accordingly. Check outstudyabroad.com.

Class and Note Taking

Prepare for each class as though there would be a pop quiz. The benefit of this is two-fold: first, you’ll be more able to participate in class; second, you’ll be prepared if there actually is a pop quiz.
Read the syllabus for each of your courses. Understand how many exams and homework assignments there will be, know how much each assignment is worth, and know what the professor expects of you. You’ll be better prepared to take on the course if you know what’s ahead.
Be on time for every class. Better yet, come early. Sit down and get relaxed before class begins. Professors like students who are always present and never late. Moreover, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by knowing exactly what material was covered each day. If you have trouble actually getting up early and going to class, consider taking an online class. More universities are beginning to make this an option.
Be attentive and stay focused. Avoid distractions such as instant messaging or crossword puzzles. Treat class as though it were an important business meeting. Your professor will appreciate it and you will learn more.
Ask questions. If the professor ever says something that you do not understand, never be afraid to ask for clarification. Chances are there are other students in class that also didn’t understand.
Do not write down everything. Write in outline form so your notes will be easy to skim and review. Be sure to take clear, concise notes in every class meeting.
Use separate notebooks for each class. Or use subject dividers to separate your notes. Try to avoid taking notes for your psychology class in your math notebook. Doing so will make exam preparation much more difficult than it has to be.
Use a loose leaf notebook instead of a spiral bound notebook. Loose leaf notebooks are easier to organize, as they allow you to move your notes around or add handouts where necessary.
Try to make a friend in each class. If you have to miss a class, you can call your classmate and get the lowdown on what you may have missed. Also, often times partner projects are assigned and it is awkward to have to work with a stranger. If you already know someone in the class, it relieves any tension there may otherwise be.
Take your notes in the cloud For students who have gone digital in lectures, cloud-based note taking can help you maintain access to information wherever you’re studying.

Studying

Find a good place to study. Dorm rooms are often littered with distractions — television, video games, loud music, your roommate’s girlfriend, etc. Find a quiet place that will work for you, whether it be a study lounge down the hall from your room or the library across campus. Treat studying like you’re going to work each day.
Establish a routine study time. Getting into a rhythm at the beginning of every term will help you stay focused and disciplined. Lacking a routine may lead to bad habits or apathy.
Take breaks while studying. If you have several hours of studying to do the day before a big exam, break up your studying routine into 50-minute sessions, followed by five- or 10-minute breaks. Studying for several hours nonstop will not be very helpful.
Stay on top of your reading. Almost every college class will require reading. A lot of reading. Don’t fall behind or it will cost you.
Prepare a list of questions to ask. As you’re reading, you may come across some things that you don’t fully understand. Write down these questions to ask your professor when you’re in class the next day.
Use a highlighter. Highlight passages that are particularly important and that you should review further. Avoid highlighting entire pages.
Use a pencil. Write in the margins any notes you may want to make while you’re reading. Then when you re-read the material a few weeks later for the final exam, you should just be able to go over these margin notes.
Use a dictionary. Improve your vocabulary by looking up any unfamiliar words you may come across as you’re reading. Studies have also shown that you can improve reading comprehension with dictionary use.
Find a study partner or two. Study partners can help you stay focused and point out some things that you may have overlooked.
Get notes for any classes you may have missed. Never assume that you know what was covered in classes that you may have missed. Be sure to get notes from a classmate for that day so you won’t get behind.

Test Taking

Begin studying at least three days before an exam. Study for about two or three hours per day if you have to. But don’t wait until the day before your exam to cram for eight hours. You won’t remember much and you’ll be worn out come test time.
Go to bed early the night before an exam. Getting plenty of rest the day before the exam will keep your mind sharp. You don’t want to be feeling sleepy during an exam. Remember, a rested brain is much more well prepared to do a great job, and, studies have shown that your brain needs enough sleep to properly process and recall information you’ve learned.
Arrive early on exam day. Be careful not to arrive at your exam flustered and late; you’ll only make it more difficult to focus on the task at hand. Take a seat five or 10 minutes before the exam starts to allow you time to relax and get your mind prepared for the challenge ahead.
Read the instructions of the test very carefully. You may know the material inside and out, but that won’t make one bit of difference if you slip up and make a mistake because you didn’t read the instructions. Some exams, like multiple choice ones, may allow you to choose more than one answer, or ask you to select the one incorrect option.
Review the entire test before you answer any questions. Plan ahead. If your exam period is 90 minutes long, don’t spend an hour on the first part only to find out that there are still two equally challenging parts to go. Spend the first minute of the exam planning how much time you think you will need to spend on each question or section. Answer what you know first and then come back to more difficult questions.
Check the back of every page. Nothing feels worse than getting a test back and realizing you only answered half of the questions.
Be sure to answer the question in full. Read each essay question carefully, then read it again and again until you have a firm grasp on exactly how to answer it. You may have a terrific answer to give, but if you only answer half the question, that won’t make for a very good grade.

Writing Papers

Start early on those long term papers. Especially when a lot of research is involved, beginning the planning and outlining stages of a term paper weeks ahead of the due date will benefit you greatly. Be certain you can get all of the research materials you need before you begin writing.
Prepare an outline before you start writing. Never write a long paper from start to finish without taking a look at the big picture first. Outlining the entire paper before you begin will help you develop and convey your ideas better.
Use the writing center. Most colleges offer a writing center with assistants that will teach you how to become a better writer. Turn in your first drafts here and they will point out your writing flaws so you can improve. Often times, just one visit to the writing center could improve your paper a full letter grade.
Beware plagiarism. Taking credit for another person’s thoughts or words by plagiarizing or cheating is grounds for expulsion at most colleges. Know how to cite your sources within your papers and do so consistently.
Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet. The Internet is a powerful learning and research tool. While there are a lot of credible sources available online, be aware that anyone can set up a Web page. Just because it’s online doesn’t make it fact. Only trust reputable and authoritative websites, journals, and research studies.

College Resources

Seek counseling if you’re lonely or depressed. Most college campuses offer a counseling center to offer aid to troubled students. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of this resource if you need to.
Find a tutor if you need help. Your student peers or teaching assistants often serve as tutors in subjects that are giving you struggles. Seek them out and let them help you understand what the professor cannot. Often times, it’s easier to learn from someone similar in age to you.
Take advantage of the library. It may not be as easy as doing a Google search, but the quality of the sources in a university library is second to none. You’ll be able to research centuries-old articles from newspapers or read an entry from a scientific journal. Those are just two examples of things a university library can offer you that the World Wide Web cannot.
Find out who your advisor is and visit regularly, at least once per term.This will help keep you on track for graduation. Your advisor can also help you choose a major or give you recommendations on which classes you should take.
Get to know your professors. It is pretty easy to coast through college without ever getting to know your professors. It will take a bit of effort to get many of them to even learn your name. But doing so could really pay off when you need a letter of recommendation or if you plan on doing an independent study.
Know when your professors’ office hours are. Try to visit each professor at least once per term. And never be afraid to go into office hours needing extra help or ask a question or two. Remember your professors are there to help you learn. Take advantage of that. Better interaction with your professors can help you score better on exams and find better focus on your essays. You may even get better access to internships and other opportunities.
Get help from your RA. Get serious assistance from your resident adviser, who can help you with roommate trouble, recommend great classes, or even find good places to eat. They’ve been there, and done that, and they’re trained to help you out with all kinds of problems.
Use your college gym. You’re paying for it, use it! Whether you prefer to sweat it out on the cardio machines or join a yoga class, chances are good that you can find some sort of activity that you can enjoy. Getting active can help bust stress and clear your mind, making it easier to do well in school.
Get professional legal advice. Legal troubles can be very distracting to your studies, especially if you can’t afford to hire good help. Most colleges have legal advisors available for students that can help you navigate tough legal troubles and get your focus back on schoolwork.

Career Planning

Suit up. Going to college means growing up, and growing up means getting a suit. Male or female, it’s essential that you have appropriate interview attire, and although some employers are more lenient, most still expect job candidates to arrive in a suit.
Get help with your resume. A resume isn’t just another homework assignment that takes you 10 minutes to write up really quickly before class. This is a major document that will help you land a job after you graduate. Spend hours, even days, on it if you have to. Seek help from a career counselor so you know what you should include and how it should be formatted.
Visit the career center. The guidance counselors are there to help you work on your resume and job interviewing skills. They want to help you. So let them. Schedule appointments and try to attend their sessions at least once each term. Don’t be afraid to see a career counselor even if you’re just a freshman. It’s never too early to start planning your future.
Go to career fairs. Most college campuses will have at least one career fair per year. Attend it. You’ll get a chance to mingle with potential employers and find out what careers are available to you after college.
Find a summer internship. Don’t blow your summer sitting on the couch in your parents’ house. Do something for your future by securing an internship. You may not get paid much, if anything, but with an internship, you are much more likely to land yourself a job after graduation.
Be on time for job interviews. In your junior and senior years, you may have the opportunity to interview with potential employers. This is your first impression on them. Make it a good one.
Get involved in campus activities. Seek out clubs and activities that are related to your future career. You’ll take part in resume-building experiences, make connections, and enrich your college experience in a career-focused way.

Money Management

Consider every possible source of financial aid. Check with your school’s financial aid and admissions offices, your academic college, your church, clubs or special interest groups to which you or your parents belong, professionals working in your major field, scholarship resource books, and honor societies and fraternities. There is a lot of free scholarship money available out there if you know where to look.
Don’t give up on your financial aid search. You may not find a lot of education money right away. But, stick with it, because you could save thousands of dollars.
Know the guidelines and due dates of paperwork for your financial aid awards. And be sure to stay on top of this. Nothing could be worse than losing a scholarship or financial aid award because you lost some paperwork or missed a due date. A mistake like this could cost you thousands of dollars.
Never buy new textbooks… unless you enjoy improving your college bookstore’s bottom line. Buying new textbooks is for suckers and can put a huge hole in your budget. Always try to buy a used textbook or even check out a copy from your library before you buy a new textbook. You could save a couple hundred bucks each term.
Shop early for books. You’ll find the best selection of used materials. If you don’t get to the bookstore until a week or two into the new term, chances are they’ll be out of used materials by then and you might be stuck having to purchase a new textbook at an outrageous price.
A credit card is not free money… no matter how often you are bombarded with advertisements that may lead you to believe otherwise. If you do get a credit card, just be sure to pay off the amount in full each month, or you will start to get into deep credit card debt. Deep debt can prevent you from getting a car or a house mortgage later in life. On the positive side, paying your credit card bills in full on time will help establish your personal credit.
Set a budget. And stick to it. Figure out how much money you make each month and estimate how much you will spend each month. Never spend more than you earn.
Don’t blow all your money. Most college students are on a tight budget. Don’t blow all of your money on alcohol or junk food. Put a little into a savings account each month, even if it’s not that much.
Get a part-time job to make some extra cash. If you live on campus, an on-campus job in food services, with a professor, or in one of the college offices might be worth looking into. At some schools, tutoring or working for the school newspaper will pay you, too.
Use your meal plan. It’ll save you a lot of money to eat what you’ve already paid for. Also, your dining hall will usually be much healthier than eating from the dollar menu at a fast food restaurant.
Watch your cell phone minutes. Running up your cell phone bill is very easy to do, as cell phone service providers charge huge premiums for each minute of overuse. Most plans allow for free nights and weekend minutes. So if you have a call to make that can wait until then, it could save you big bucks.
Know off campus costs. If you want to move off campus, be aware of the additional costs of living. Furniture, utilities, and commuting can add up.
Stay on top of it all with tracking tools. It’s easy to let your finances get out of hand without the watchful eye of mom and dad. Keep track of them simply and effectively with tools like Mint.
Create financial goals. Set goals for yourself with money, whether you want to buy a new phone, car, or house, or even travel abroad. With tools like SmartyPig, you can stay on top of your progress.

Time Management

Don’t procrastinate. Whatever the assignment may be, if you have some free time, just do it now. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck doing it later. If an assignment takes longer than you had expected, you’ll have wished that you had begun it sooner instead of waiting until the last minute.
Use a planner or calendar to keep track of due dates. Missing a paper deadline or forgetting exam dates is inexcusable. Avoid this by shelling out a few bucks for a planner. And use it regularly. Or, download free (or affordable) apps like Evernote and Remember the Milk that can help you keep it all together.
Set priorities and don’t be afraid to cut back on a few things. Being captain of the lacrosse team, student government president, and editor of the yearbook all while getting a degree in chemical engineering might look great on a resume, but for most people, taking on so many activities is impractical. Take a serious look at what is important to you. If you feel overloaded, don’t be afraid to drop an activity or two.
Time is on your side. There are 168 hours in each week. If you set aside 56 hours for sleep and 40 hours for academics, that leaves you with 72 hours for everything else.
Leave reminders for yourself. Have a meeting tomorrow at noon? Leave a post-it note on your door so you don’t forget.
Avoid time wasters. As fun as it may be to stay up all night watching television or playing Angry Birds, perhaps you shouldn’t do so with a big paper due the next day.

Campus Life

When living in a dorm, take it all in stride. You may be required to live in a dorm your freshman year. Don’t expect much in terms of privacy, personal space, quiet time, or even cleanliness. But enjoy some of its perks, namely the camaraderie with your dorm mates and the proximity to your classes.
Lock your doors. You may have a lot of valuables in your room — computer, jewelry, clothes, stereo, television. Don’t make it easy for someone to come in and take something.
Party. Mingle and meet people. Don’t stay locked up in your room or your library all the time. Go out and enjoy yourself every once in a while. Just don’t party too hard too frequently.
Join a student organization. Whether it be student government or ballroom dancing, join a club of other people with similar interests to your own. You’ll make close friends and do activities that you enjoy.
Join an intramural team. Not only will this help you stay in shape, but you’ll make new friends with your teammates.
Join a club in your major. Most majors will have some sort of honors society or extracurricular club on campus. Joining such a club will get you involved with other students in your classes and will likely put you in personal contact with one or two of the professors, as they are often the moderators of these clubs.

Survival

Eat healthy. Your mom’s home cooked meals are no longer an option. Try to eat at your dining hall as often as you can and be sure to eat your fruits and vegetables. A diet of greasy pizza and beers every night isn’t exactly first-rate eating.
Exercise. P.E. classes usually are not required in college as they were in high school. Account for this by going on runs, using the student gym, or simply throwing the football around.
Find out what health services has to offer. Many university health service centers offer free flu shots, STD testing, and birth control.
Get plenty of rest. Seldom do college students get enough sleep, but it’s important that you do try to get as much sleep as you can each night. Doctors recommend at least eight hours per night for college aged students.
Be safe on campus. Get the scoop on underage drinking, drugs, and sex. If you’re ever uncomfortable, just say no.
Designate a driver or have enough cash for a cab. Never take a ride home from a drunk friend. It’s simply just too dangerous, and potentially deadly. Take a cab if you need to. A few extra bucks spent could save your life.

With all of the experiences available to you, college has the potential to be some of the best years of your life. Appreciate the time you have as a college student. There are a lot of opportunities for you in a time when you will have relatively few responsibilities. Of course, everyone will undergo struggles in this period, but that is part of what makes college so unique and challenging. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of the resources at your fingertips while you have them there. Seize the day, and remember, as Tom Petty once said, “The work never ends, but the college does.”

10 Tips You Need to Survive College

noreply@blogger.com (Ace) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:20:00 +0000

1. If you haven't already registered, try not to schedule back to back classes. You'll wear yourself out besides missing the best times to study--right before and right after class.

2. Begin the first day of class. Know what's expected of you Take notes from the first day even if it's routine stuff you think you already know.

3. Establish a routine time to study for each class. For every hour you spend in class, you will probably need to study two hours outside class. Studying for each subject should be at the same time, same place, if possible. Study includes more than just doing your homework. You will need to go over your notes from by class, labeling, editing, and making sure you understand them. Study your syllabus daily to see where you are going and where you have been. Be sure to do reading assignments. (Don't put them off just because there's not a written assignment.) Read ahead whenever possible. Prepare for each class as if there will be a pop quiz.

4. Establish a place to study. Your place should have a desk, comfortable chair, good lighting, all the supplies you need, etc., and of course, should be as free of distractions as possible. It should not be a place where you routinely do other things. It should your study place.

5. Do as much of your studying in the daytime as you can. What takes you an hour to do during the day may take you an hour and a half at night.

6. Schedule breaks. Take a ten minute break after every hour of study. If possible, avoid long blocks of time for studying. Spread out several short study sessions during the day.

7. Make use of study resources on campus. Find out about and use labs, tutors, videos, computer programs, and alternate texts. Sign up for an orientation session in the campus library and computer facilities. Get to know your professors and advisors. Ask questions. "I didn't know," or "I didn't understand" is never an excuse.

8. Find at least one or two students in each class to study with. Studies show that students who study with someone routinely make better grades. You will probably find yourself more motivated if you know someone else cares about what you are doing in the class. Teaching a concept or new idea to someone else is a sure way for you to understand it. Studying in a group or with a partner can sometimes become too social. It is important to stay focused.

9. Study the hardest subject first. Work on your hardest subjects at a time when you are fresh. Putting them off until you're tired compounds the problem.

10. Be good to yourself. Studying on four hours of sleep and an empty stomach or junk-food diet is a waste of time. Avoid food and drink containing caffeine just before or just after studying.

50 Tips for College Students

noreply@blogger.com (Ace) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:18:00 +0000

1) The Freshman Fifteen does exist. So does the Freshman Twenty. Watch how many starches and processed foods you are eating.

2) Pizza - the ubiquitous college snack. See #1.

3) If it's either take out a loan or quit school, take out a loan.

4) If you can live harmoniously with someone in a 20×20 ft. space, you can do anything.

5) Flip-flops: Wear them in the dorm shower. Always.

6) Always attend the *real* class, and use the Internet one for review.

7) If you are not a morning person, don't schedule classes for 7am. You will not go.

8) Get involved on campus. All work and no *productive* socializing is boring.

9) Too much socializing = bad grades. Everything in moderation.

10) If you are feeling overwhelmed, are having problems sleeping, or have gone through a breakup, visit your college's counseling center. If you are feeling suicidal at any point, call your college's crisis center number or call 911 immediately.

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11) There are a lot of free activities on campus. Take advantage of them.

12) Many colleges have free tutoring centers on campus. Take advantage of them.

13) Sit near the front of class.

14) Attend the whole class. Even if you feel like you will just die if you sit there any longer. Even if you feel your brain start to ooze out the side of your ear. Because we (professors) sometimes give really important info at the end of class.

15) Recopy your notes after class. Or if you've typed them (which is recommended), do a quick read-through after class.

16) Remember that although you are 18, your college may have the right to contact your parents if you are caught drinking underage.

17) Don't do anything stupid (read: illegal). It will go down on your permanent record. Seriously. At every college you apply to after this one.

18) Register for classes as early as possible. Early bird catches the worm and all that.

19) See how your first semester goes before you consider getting a job. See how heavy your course load is first.

20) Find a bank that also has branches in your hometown. Get your account connected to your parents' account so they can transfer money to you.

21) Use direct deposit and automatic withdrawal for paychecks/loanchecks/ check checks. Less chance of you losing it.

22) Use virus protection and firewalls on your laptop.

23) The student bookstore (online and in real life) can have great student discounts on hardware/software.

24) Reconsider bringing a car to campus your first semester. It can be a pain to park.

25) Pack the clothes you need for college, and then take half of that amount.

26) The more underwear you have, the less you have to do laundry.

27) If you are doing laundry on campus or at a laundromat, stay with your clothes. Otherwise they may walk off while you are gone.

28) I can't emphasize this enough: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR PROFESSORS AND GO TO THEIR OFFICE HOURS. This is so important, I'll tell it to you again: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR PROFESSORS AND GO TO THEIR OFFICE HOURS. We're nice people. Seriously. And we really like it when someone is interested in our classes.

29) Use the college's career resource center - not just when you are going to graduate, but when you are figuring out what you want to do with your life. It's a free service. Use the free services.

30) For the love of God, please, please do not leave candles burning in your dorm room or apartment. Or those incense burning thingies. Bad things happen when those are left on.

31) If you have a tendency to be messy, your roommate may be compulsively neat. The general rule is that the messier you are, the more neat your roommate will be. Try to pull it together. Especially regarding food. Always throw out leftover food. That's just gross, messy or not. Learning how to adapt to someone else's living style is a wonderful learning experience. Really. And if you complained about having to share a room with your siblings while you were growing up, when you get to college you learn that you are actually ahead of the curve. :)

32) Stay on campus on weekends. If you go home every weekend because you are homesick or have a girlfriend/boyfriend back home, you will be missing out on a lot of the college experience.

33) Get your flu shots. Yearly.

34) Use condoms. Every time.

35) Long-distance relationships are a challenge to keep up when you are away at school.

36) If you get that "ick" feeling that you shouldn't be doing something or shouldn't be somewhere, stop doing it and get out of there.

37) You may feel like your parents are hovering too much. Look at it this way: they've been taking care of you since you were a baby. That doesn't just stop. Cut them some slack. The more independent and wise decisions you make on your own, the more they will have confidence in your abilities as an adult.

38) Just because you and your roommate were friends back home doesn't mean you will be compatible roommates. You find out new things about people when you are sharing a small space. But you can work it out. Even if you and your roommate are total strangers and are completely different - you may become great friends.

39) If your roommate is doing something that bothers you, ask yourself the following three questions: 1) Am I being reasonable in being bothered by this? 2) What's the best way to talk to my roommate about this? 3) What are some solutions to this issue? If all else fails and the issue is very important to you and you've talked to your roommate to no avail, talk to your Resident Assistant.

40) Practice safety. Don't walk home alone in the dark. Walk with someone. Many campuses have services where you can call and someone will walk back to your dorm with you.

41) Just because you *can* do something doesn't mean you should.

42) Use flashcards to quiz yourself when studying. And get someone else to quiz you with them. If you always quiz yourself with your own flashcards, you may skip over some that you don't know the answer to.

43) You may not know what you want to do for a major. It's okay. There are people much older than you that still aren't sure what they want to do with their lives. That's okay. See your academic adviser for help. Pay attention to which classes you really look forward to - that can be a clue as to what you might want to major in.

44) If you have a dining card/pass - do not treat all your friends to lunch and dinner. That is real money. Real money that you will be asking your parents for when it runs out.

45) Study groups can be helpful - but keep it to between 3 and 5 members (including you). More than that, and it turns into a social event.

46) If you have ADHD or a learning disability, apply for accommodations as soon as possible - even right after you find out you've been accepted to school.

47) Sleep. Get it. Get enough. You may be laughing at this, being a college student and all...but you need to get enough sleep.

48) Wash your hands. Often. Living in the dorms is a communal living experience. Germs love communal living.

49) Keep in touch with your friends from back home, but be open to meeting people of all different cultures and interests.

50) Enjoy your college experience - it's one most rewarding experiences of your life, academically and socially.

101 Health and Wellness Tips for College Students

noreply@blogger.com (Ace) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:17:00 +0000

Between exams, papers and maintaining an active social life, many college students feel they can't really find the time to keep up on their personal health and wellness until an illness catches hold and stops them in their tracks. With most colleges providing health care and endless physical activities for students, staying healthy in college is about as easy as it will ever get. Here are a few tips to help students make the most of the resources at their fingertips and to ensure they stay healthy and illness free throughout their education.

Diet

Without careful attention to your diet, you could end up putting on the freshman 15 and more. Follow these tips to help keep your diet healthy and beneficial.

Learn proper portion size. To avoid eating too much of even the healthiest foods, keep track of how much you're eating. For most people, meat servings should be about the size of a deck of cards and other servings vary by the type of food.
Vary your meals. When the cafeteria has your favorite foods daily it can be easy to return to those old favorites every day. Changing up your diet from day to day is an important part of good nutrition so take advantage of the variety of selections available to you.
Eat breakfast. Start your day off right with a good meal when you get up. Whether you're rolling out of bed at noon or up at the crack of dawn for class, make sure you start your day with a balanced, healthy meal.
Keep healthy snacks around. It's easy to eat healthy if you keep the Cheetos at bay and stock your dorm room with fruits and other healthy snacks. You'll be more likely to reach for these than junk food if you keep them nearby or in your backpack.
Drink moderately. While college students are known for their partying, you can still have a good time without consuming all the calories that come along with binging on beer, plus you'll avoid the hangovers and other negative effects. Drink in moderation and you can have a good time without hurting your health.
Don't fight stress by eating. It can be tempting to reach for a bag of chips or some cookies when you're stressed out about an impending exam. Eating won't help your stress go away, so avoid filling up on snacks. Try working out or taking a break instead.
Drink water. Drinking enough water can help boost your concentration as well as keep you from overeating. Make sure to keep hydrated as you go through your day by bringing water with you.
Limit sugary and caffeinated beverages. Beverages may not fill you up, but they sure can help fatten you up and have a detrimental effect on your overall health. You don't have to completely give up soda and coffee, but you should scale back in order to keep yourself in tip top shape.
Try to eat fruits and veggies. Even if fruits and vegetables don't comprise some of your favorite foods, try to incorporate at least a few of them into your diet each day.
Limit junk food. Junk food is fast and easy and many students end up eating a lot of it while they're on the run to class or to work. While a little fast food now and again won't really hurt you, make sure it doesn't become a habit.
Make it convenient to eat right. Don't make it hard for yourself to eat right. Buy healthy foods and stock your fridge and room with them to ensure they're the first things at hand when you get hungry.
Don't skip meals. With so much to do, it's easy to forgo eating to run off to class or the library. Don't skip meals. Set up foods you can eat on the run so you'll have the energy to keep going.
Indulge every once in awhile. A little treat now and then is a great way to reward yourself for eating a healthy diet. Give yourself a break and indulge in a food you love but can't eat all the time.
Take vitamins. If you feel like you aren't getting the nutrition you need from your diet, don't hesitate to supplement it with some multi-vitamins to stay healthy and illness free.
Get help for eating disorders. While many groups focus on helping students lose weight, there are those who need help fighting eating disorders as well. If you are worried you have an eating disorder and want help, don't be afraid to reach out to campus resources for help.

Exercise

Fitting exercise into a busy schedule isn't always the easiest thing, but take stock of some of these tips to help you get on track to fitness.

Stretch first. Help yourself avoid injuries by stretching each time you exercise. Simple stretches before and after you work out or engage in physical activity can help keep you active and pain free.
Ride your bike. Instead of taking the bus or driving to class, try biking instead. It will give you a few minutes of exercise between your courses.
Play a sport. One way to get yourself motivated to exercise is to make it a game by playing a sport. Join an intramural team or play recreational sports through your school to get active and have fun at the same time.
Use safety equipment. No matter what sport you're playing, make sure to always use the proper safety equipment. It will keep you from getting hurt which will allow you to stay active more often.
Head to the gym. Most schools provide students with gym facilities they can take advantage of for free. Head to the gym between classes or when you get up in the morning to squeeze in a workout.
Take advantage of fitness courses. Along with gym facilities most students will have access to fitness classes they can take. Since you're already paying for these through your tuition you may as well take advantage and get a workout that will help keep you in shape and motivate you.
Walk to class. While taking public transportation might be quicker, walking will give you a chance to stretch your legs, burn some calories and relax before your next class.
Incorporate different kinds of exercise in your routine. When you work out, don't just stick to one kind of workout. Incorporate strength training, cardio and stretching exercises into your routine to make it well rounded.
Make it fun. You're probably not going to work out if you are bored with your routine or find going to the gym torture. Find a way to make it fun for yourself and you'll be much more likely to keep it up.
Bring a friend. With someone else relying on you showing up, you'll be much more likely to make the effort to work out. Plus, working out with a friend can be a great way to make working out more fun.
Take advantage of open spaces. Most colleges are equipped with large grassy quads or arboretums with trails you can walk on. Take advantage of these spaces to take hikes, play frisbee or just walk around.

Sleep

College students aren't exactly known for their early to bed early to rise attitudes, but getting sleep is an integral part of staying healthy. Check out these tips to help you make sure you're resting enough.

Take a nap. If you have the time during the day, a short nap can do wonders for your energy levels. Just make sure not to nap too close to bedtime or for too long, and a nap will do your body good.
Don't work in bed. Working in bed can make getting to sleep harder. Keep your work space separate from your sleep space to keep insomnia at bay.
Get a full night's rest whenever possible. While the amount of sleep each person needs varies, most people need 7-9 hours to feel fully rested. While this may not be possible every night, try to sleep a full night whenever you get the chance.
Stick to a schedule. With different classes and work hours each day, it can be hard to stick to a schedule, but keeping sleep times similar from day to day can greatly improve your chances of getting a good night's sleep.
Understand that lack of sleep can have a big impact. Lack of sleep doesn't just make you cranky, it can also reduce your ability to concentrate and to excel at class, so try to get as much sleep as you need.
Work out bedtimes with roommates. When sharing a room with someone it can be hard to go to bed when you need to and not get woken up when you don't want to. Try to work with your roomies to make sure you each get the sleep you need.
Avoid all nighters. While you may feel like you need to study all night to do well you might be doing yourself a disservice. Not getting enough sleep can impair your ability to do well, regardless of how much you've studied, so make sure you get at least a little sleep before your big test.
Create a bedtime routine. If you have trouble falling asleep at night you can help yourself by creating a routine that will let your mind and body know that bedtime is approaching and that it should get into sleep mode. After a few weeks of practice this should help you fall asleep when you need to.
Avoid caffeine, eating and drinking right before bed. All of these activities can throw off your body's internal clock, so try to limit meals, alcohol and caffeine consumption to a few hours before bed.
Keep your room dark and quiet. While college campuses are hardly either, try to keep your room as dark, quiet and cool as possible. This will help trigger to your body that it's time for bed and help you get and stay asleep.

Sexual Health

College is a place where many students choose to explore their sexuality. Students can do this safely by following these tips.

Get tested. Protect your sexual health by getting tested for STDs annually or even more frequently. Most schools offer these tests for free or at a low cost, so all students, even those with small incomes, can afford the tests.
Always use protection. Unless you are in a long-term, monogamous relationship with a partner who has been confirmed STD-free, always make sure to use protection to prevent the risk of contracting a disease.
Discuss issues with your partner. Sex shouldn't be painful or scary. If you are nervous or uncomfortable with any element of your sexual relationship, make sure to bring these things up with your partner or health care provider to ensure things are emotionally and physically ok.
Get regular exams. Whether you're male or female, getting your equipment checked out regularly is a must. Women can get breast exams and pap smears that can greatly reduce their risk of cancer.
Take advantage of vaccinations. Many schools now offer the HPV vaccination. Female students can take advantage of these to reduce their chance of contracting the HPV virus, the leading cause of almost all cervical cancers.
Attend informational classes. Most colleges offer classes that discuss sexual issues, so you can educate yourself and learn to stay healthy and happy.
Find someone to talk to. Many students in college have questions about their sexuality and some even feel confused. It helps to find someone you can trust to talk to in order to help you find some direction and figure out who you really are.
Don't do anything you're not comfortable with. While you may feel pressure from a partner or even those around you to engage in certain sexual activities, never do anything you aren't completely comfortable with. It's your body and you are in charge, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Illness

With communal living and thousands of other students sharing classroom space, spreading colds and viruses is easy if you're not careful. These tips can help keep you from getting sick.

Wash your hands. Studies have shown that simple hand washing can help prevent a large number of illnesses. So wash your hands, especially any time you'll be touching your nose, mouth or eyes or if you've been around others who are sick.
Avoid sharing beverages. Germs are easily spread through the sharing of drinks, alcoholic or otherwise, so get your own and avoid sharing with friends.
Don't go to class. If you're sick, don't force yourself to go to class. It will only make you feel worse and infect other students. Email your professors that you're ill and stay home and rest.
Get to the doctor. If you have symptoms that aren't showing any signs of clearing up within a few days, you may need to take a trip to the campus clinic or your doctor. Simple illnesses can mutate into much more deadly and dangerous ones if left alone so make sure to seek help if you aren't feeling any better.
Drink lots of fluids. Colds and flu can wreck havoc on your body, often depriving it of much needed fluids. Replenish these by drinking plenty of water or energy drinks when you're ill.
Get a flu shot. With so many germs around, sometimes getting a flu shot is the best thing you can do to avoid getting sick. Many colleges offer these for reduced prices so students can get vaccinated for little out of pocket expense.
Wear flip flops in the shower. Dorm bathrooms are generally cleaned daily, but can become dirty quickly with so many students sharing them. Always make sure to wear sandals in the shower to avoid getting viruses and bacteria that can cause warts and athlete's foot.
Avoid ill friends. If your friend is sick, try to avoid spending too much time around them. While bringing soup or medications won't hurt, touching ill friends and their stuff can increase your chances of getting sick yourself.
Don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth. If your hands aren't totally clean, try to avoid touching these areas. The membranes in these areas make it easy for bacteria and viruses to enter your body.
Try simple over the counter remedies. Most viruses leave you feeling miserable but with no recourse in medications that can make them go away. Try out over the counter remedies to help ease your symptoms.
Keep immunizations up to date. While most students will have been immunized as a child, some shots may need to be updated when you enter college. Make sure yours are up to date to keep you from contracting a serious illness.

Stress

Students can get run down with so much going on. These tips can help you beat the stress.

Create a routine. If you get yourself in the habit of studying, working out, and sleeping at certain hours, it will be easier to fit in all the things you need to do in a day without feeling too stressed out.
Put limits on work hours. You can't work all the time-fun and relaxation have to be part of your routine as well. Limit the times when you will work to give yourself time to sleep and rest up so you won't get sick.
Give yourself a break. If you've been working steadily for hours, give your eyes and mind a chance for a rest by taking a break. You can come back feeling more refreshed and ready to go.
Be realistic. Sometimes there's just no way you're going to get done everything you'd like to in one day. Be realistic about your goals and understand that you can only do so much.
Understand you can't do everything. While you might want to go to class, work, play a sport, and participate in clubs and social activities, the reality is that sooner or later you're going to get run down by trying to do so much. Focus on doing the things you truly love and forget about the rest.
Get help. If you're feeling overwhelmed, reach out and ask for help from professors and friends. They may be able to give you more time or help you to complete projects and studying more quickly.
Take advantage of campus meditation and yoga programs. Many campuses are equipped with programs that can help students get a release from their stresses through a relaxing session of meditation.
Cut back if needed. Sometimes students overwhelm themselves with everything they have going on. If you're feeling like you've got too much on your plate, cut back work hours, drop a class or cut out some extracurricular activities to make your schedule more manageable.
Relax with hobbies. Whether you like to paint or to destroy aliens with your friends in video games, making time for the things you love is an important part of keeping yourself from getting too stressed out.
Give yourself plenty of time. It's easy to put off starting on a big project or studying for a test until the last minute. You'll be much less stressed out, however, and will likely do better if you give yourself more time to work on it.
Spend time with friends. There are few things that can cheer you up like being around the people you like most. Eat dinner with friends or just hang out and watch tv or take a walk to get away from the stress of homework.
Don't let yourself get run down. With so much to do, it's easy to get run down. If you feel yourself getting stretched too thin, take a step back and evaluate everything you've got going on to determine what's really important.
Learn time management skills. Time management skills will make everything from getting assignments done to managing work a lot easier. Read a book or check out advice on the internet, to help you better manage the hours of your day.

Mental Health

College students are in a high risk group for depression, so make sure you keep yourself happy and healthy with these simple tips.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Many people feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help with their depression but this is unnecessary as it's a common and treatable problem that you don't have to deal with alone. Tap into campus resources to find help or tell a friend how you're feeling.
Keep in touch with family and friends. You can help beat homesickness and loneliness by keeping in touch with friends and family members.
Build new friendships. A big part of the college experience is meeting new people and forming new friendships so get out there and meet new people whenever possible.
Expect things to change. Things will change both at home and in your school life, so expect things to change over time. You will grow and so will the people around you.
Understand that it may take time to fit in. Most people don't make best friends on the first day of college. It takes time to build friendships, so don't get discouraged if you don't fit in right away.
Don't let stress get the best of you. Stress can be a major factor in many students' depression. If you're feeling stressed out make sure to take a break and set aside time to relax.
Realize you don't have to please everyone. There is no way that you can make everyone happy all the time. Concentrate on making yourself happy first and you'll cut out lots of stress and hassle from your life.
Know the signs of depression. It can be hard to differentiate a simple slump from serious depression so learn the signs of depression not only for your own benefit but for the benefit of your friends as well.
Build on your confidence. If you know you're good at certain things build on the confidence you take from these activities rather than concentrating on your faults.
Find strength in numbers. You may have an easier time feeling good and fitting in if you find a group of students who share similar interests and values as you.
Volunteer. Sometimes volunteering can give you a sense of satisfaction you can't get from work or class work, so get out there and help others in your community.
Get involved on campus. Joining clubs and social groups on campus can help you to meet new friends and keep you from feeling lonely or isolated.
Set goals. You'll be more motivated and positive if you give yourself goals to work towards throughout the school year.

Miscellaneous

Here are a few other tips to keep you a healthy and active college student.

Avoid walking to class in flip flops. While they may keep your feet cool and look good with your summer wardrobe, few flip flops provide the support needed for your feet. If you are walking long distances, it's best to leave the sandals at home and avoid the arch pain and pinching associated with them.
Keep backpacks from being too heavy. An overfilled backpack can hurt your back and leave you with some serious back and shoulder pain later. Make sure your backpack is properly fitted and avoid carrying around more than you need.
Quit smoking. No matter how much you may love the sweet thrill of a nicotine rush, the reality is that smoking just isn't good for you or anyone around you. Quit as soon as you can to save your lungs, heart, teeth and years of your life.
Don't drink and drive. If you drink, make sure not to get behind the wheel. Call a cab or get a sober friend to take you home instead.
Make sure you have emergency contacts. In case something does happen to you, make sure that the school and those around you know who to contact to get those you care about to you when you need their support.
Wear sunscreen. College kids on spring break aren't usually the first to whip out huge tubes of sunscreen to slather on. While getting a tan may prove you spent your break on a beach, it can also be a source of skin cancer, so make sure to protect yourself.
Ensure that your medical insurance covers physicians in the area. If you aren't going with your school's insurance plan, make sure that your parent's or your own insurance covers doctors in your area.
Monitor existing health conditions carefully. If you leave for college knowing you have a pre-existing medical condition, make arrangements to ensure that it's properly monitored while you're at school.
Be aware that health concerns differ for men and women. While men and women's anatomy is similar in many ways, some things that seem like they should be the same simply aren't. Educate yourself on the sex-specific aspects of wellness to keep yourself healthier and to know what to watch out for.
Assert yourself. Don't let anyone make health or wellness decisions for you that you feel uncomfortable with. If you don't want to eat that donut or have a drink, then don't.

27 College Tips I Learned Sophomore Year

noreply@blogger.com (Ace) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:36:00 +0000

I’m halfway into my junior year now, and I can safely say I learned even more about college (and life in general) during my sophomore year than I did the year before. I learned some big lessons that changed my life altogether, and I also learned many small tips along the way that helped out as well. Here are just 27 of them. I’m sure I’ve got more, but these are the ones that stuck out to me.

To be clear – and you can probably tell this from the size of your scroll bar – this post is ginormous. I originally had 50 tips written out, but decided to expand on just 27 of them in order to avoid creating a book out of a blog post. Still, this thing is huge. It isn’t the be-all-end-all guide to college, but there is a lot here. You may want to simply browse it and come back a few times to read more.

1. Don’t do all your reading assignments.

You probably already know this one, or you at least practice it unknowingly. It’s a well-known fact that reading textbooks is about the most effective way to check yourself into a short coma, and textbook authors’ academically bloated writing styles are almost never engaging. In short, textbook reading is a pretty big waste of time. That’s why I’m including this controversial tip: don’t do all your assigned reading.

Now, this is a tip you’ll need to judge on a case-by-case basis; there’s always that one sadistic professor in your school who will demand you do all the reading, and go through the book picking out the most obscure, unimportant facts out of the reading when writing his test. However, these assholes – I mean, thorough educators - are few and far in between. For the most part, you’ll have professors who present most of the important material from the text during class, and include most of what’s on the test in their powerpoint slides.

Due to this, you can usually skim or altogether skip a good amount of your assigned reading as long as you’re paying good attention during class and taking effective notes. I’d recommend doing reading assignments when the semester begins, and then gauging their usefulness by comparing what you read to what’s presented in class and what ends up on the first test. In my experience, I’ve been able to safely quit reading altogether after the first test in most of my classes and still pull down epic test scores.

2. Don’t take on commitments just because you think they’ll look good on a resume.

When I started my sophomore year, I took a good look at my resume and said, “I NEED MOAR STUFF!” And so, with the bravado of a baby bird taking his first jump out of the nest, I went looking for leadership opportunities. I joined multiple committees, became the webmaster for the school’s business council, and started volunteering 10-15 hours a week for the sound team at my church. At the same time, I was still juggling a full course load and 20 hours a week at my job.

What did I gain from all this? Stress, mostly. My time was always taken up by something.All the time I wanted to be spending with friends was already dedicated to meetings, projects, work, or other previously scheduled things.

Sure, I got a bunch of stuff to put on resume, but none of it necessarily helped me get any closer to my goals. I was so concerned with impressing recruiters that I didn’t even know, that I ended up parting out my time to projects and commitments I didn’t really care about. I was thinking like Machiavelli, adopting an “ends justify the means” mindset – except, I didn’t have a particular end in mind. I just wanted to impress people.

In a way, the ends do justify the means when it comes to how you spend your time in college – but you need to clearly define the ends and make sure that they’re what youwant. Don’t blindly take the advice of advisors and recruiters and simply do things because they “look impressive”. Do things because they get you closer to your goals, or because you like to do them.

3. Check your gosh-darn friggin’ email.

This is a tip that I didn’t necessarily have to learn from first-hand experience, but it’s something I’ve noticed a lot of students not doing, and I’m here to say they need to start. In high school, your email account may not have held much importance to you; it was probably a landing zone for nothing more than spam, Runescape updates, and more spam. Now that you’re in college, this isn’t the case. Your email is a critical communications channel, and important people in all different parts of your life are going to use it to contact you (especially your school).

Too often, I’ll talk to students who say they don’t check their school email even once a week. This is mind-bogglingly stupid; schools will send important information about classes, critical dates, events, and more to your email. They aren’t going to call you about it.

If you have 10,000 unread emails, you’ve FAILED. (Unless you’re forwarding to another account and managing that one well)

I’m not saying you have to check your email every hour (in fact, I’m trying to get away from this habit), but it’s a good idea to check it at least once a day. You should also take the time to archive or delete any messages that aren’t currently important or relevant to you; this keeps your inbox clear and makes pertinent items easier to see.

4. Think about becoming an RA.

Being a Resident Assistant, or RA, is one of the best ways to get yourself through school on the cheap. RA positions typically include a free room and meal plan, so getting one basically cuts your college expenses in half. If you’re lucky, the position will also include a periodic stipend.

What’s involved in being an RA? Well, this question is probably best answer by your RA, but here’s a brief overview. An RA is basically the caretaker of their community. At my school, you’re the RA of a certain “house” – a community of anywhere between 40-65 students. Part of your job is just making sure their transition to college is a smooth one – you answer any questions they may have, put up bulletin boards to let them know about campus resources and events, and make sure everything is going just peachy.

You also plan events for the house that let students come together and meet new people. Other duties might involve sitting at the hall desk, sorting mail and packages, and doing other odd jobs.

The other big part of being an RA is carrying the big stick. That’s right – you have to be the face of authority in the hall. If something’s going on, it’s your job to stop it or report it. There will be nights where you’re required to stay in your hall and walk the halls periodically. If your school has any big events – like huge football games or annual celebrations – you’ll most likely be expected to be around in case shit hits the fan.

I’ll be honest, this can happen.

So it this a position for you? The answer is a definite maybe. Can you take care of a community, be a resource, and provide support to students that need it? Are you comfortable with confronting situations and being assertive? Can you deal with being restricted to your hall on certain nights? If so, the benefits are pretty awesome. However, you need to make sure you’re ready for the responsibility.

Note: If you’re already an RA, be sure to check out residentassistant.com for bulletin board/activity ideas and other useful stuff. It really helped me out when I was an RA.

5. Try to focus on a few things rather than juggling a ton.

Remember that Michael Jordan guy? Yeah, he was pretty good at basketball. Really good, even. Too bad he sucked at baseball… in fact, he wasn’t even good enough for the minor leagues. Basketball had become so much of who he was that he wasn’t wired to be good at other sports. However, on the court, he was unstoppable. He was the very best, like no one ever was.

Now think of your dad. He probably played basketball as a kid (no XBOX back then), but it wasn’t the only thing he did. He probably also played baseball, football, cops and robbers, tag, and fried ants with his magnifying glass. As a result, he never became insanely good at any of those things; he was just “Ok”.

Maybe I’m wrong and your dad is a basketball star, but that’s beside the point. The difference between these two people is easy to tell; one of them did one thing and became amazing at it, the other did lots of things and never became amazing at any of them.

This comparison can actually be applied to your life as a student, and it’s the basis for recommendation that you focus on a few things rather than juggling tons. Students – especially the success-minded ones – tend take on commitments by the boatload. They think that the more things they fill their resumes with, the better. The problem with this strategy is that, if you try to do everything, you’ll be good at nothing. Hardly anyone remembers the people in history who were the Jacks-of-all-trades (with a few exceptions); no, the ones we remember are the ones who found one passion stuck to it.

The more balls you try to juggle, the less you can focus on each one.

For those of you who have heard me give the advice to never pass up opportunities – especially those of you who live by it – this can be a tough pill to swallow. Things will pop up, and you’ll feel that saying no to them would be shooting yourself in the foot. I used to think the same thing; however, after many semesters of working tirelessly, I’ve found that you really have to play it by ear and think hard about what will actually be useful to you. So, feel free to take opportunities and do a wide range of things, but keep in mind that there should be only one or two things that are your true focuses – the things that take up most of your time. Make sure to make time for them.

6. Go to networking events.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” This is probably one of the most underrated and ignored statements you’ll ever hear in college. Most students spend 12-18 hours per week sitting in class, and countless more doing homework and studying, but take almost no time to get out and meet people. Even though making connections is essential for success, they spend all their time on the what rather than the who.

This is a grave mistake, and I hope it’s one you will avoid. While the material you learn in class is important, you set the path for the rest of your life by getting out and networking. One of the best ways to do this is by going to networking events like career fairs, meet n’ greets, and leadership conferences.

Near the end of my freshman year, I was bored in class one day and decided to check Twitter. As I scrolled through the tweets in my feed, I noticed one from the business college advertising a leadership conference put on by Principal Financial Group. On a whim, I signed up. Later, I got notification that I was accepted, and headed out to Des Moines for the conference.

Besides the hotel reserving my room under “Frank Thomas”, the trip was awesome and completely worth it. I learned a ton of valuable stuff, including professional dress tips, interviewing tips, and presentation strategies. However, the most valuable thing that came out of this experience was getting hooked up with a mentor. My mentor happened to be the Vice President of IT Infrastructure, which was awesome because I was one of the only IT majors at the conference. We ended up having a lot in common, and I was able to impress him with my IT experience. Over the next few months we met up several times to talk about tech and look at the goals I had. Through this mentorship, I was able to nab a nice scholarship and an internship from The Principal.

Lesson to learn here: sign up for networking events and conferences and then go to them.You really have no idea what can come of it.

7. Keep applying for scholarships.

Unless you have parents who are both rich enough and nice enough to pay for your college, you probably spent a good amount of your time during the last two or three years of high school looking for scholarships. I certainly did; I think I ended up applying for 30 or 40 off of Fastweb before I graduated.

The final years of high school aren’t the only time to be looking for aid, however; if you didn’t end up getting enough to cover your college costs before you got your diploma, know that there are still a ton of scholarships out there for current college students. You should definitely be taking advantage of these if you still need some dough.

I think scholarships for college-aged students may even be easier to win than those meant for high schoolers; this is because not as many college students know know about these scholarships, and not as many have crazy parents hounding them to apply. You also probably have more activities, awards, and work experiences you can cite in these applications, so you’ll look better as well.

Need some more prodding? Here’s a statistic for you: out of the five scholarships I’ve won during my life, four of them were won after I started college. So, yeah. Don’t hesitate.

You can find scholarships from a variety of sources. In my opinion, it’s easiest to win scholarships offered by your school – they have way less applicants than national scholarships (obviously), and there’s a better chance that the people writing your recommendations will actually know the people who judge the applications. All in all, the deck is stacked in your favor when it comes to school-specific scholarships, especially if you’re an active student who gets to know professors and staff members.

To find scholarship opportunities at your school, you can check the school’s financial aid web page, pay attention to bulletin boards and whiteboards in classrooms, and even keep tabs on your school’s Twitter feed if they have one. It also doesn’t hurt to literally go to the financial aid office in person and ask if they have a list of scholarships available.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to apply for scholarships offered outside of your school as well. Even if your chances of winning aren’t as great, it’s worth your time to apply for them if you need to dough. Check the math: Assume you apply for 10 scholarships, and win 1 at$1,000. If each application took you 1 hour, your payoff is $100/hr. Not bad, eh? And that’s assuming it actually takes you an hour to apply for each one. You can drastically cut down on the time it takes you to apply for multiple scholarships by using smart tactics, including:

Creating a master list of your activities, awards, scholarships, and work experience, and updating it regularly instead of trying to remember everything off the top of your head when you’re filling out applications
Saving every scholarship essay, personal biography, and goal statement you write, and re-tooling them for each scholarship instead of writing stuff from scratch (I have a “Scholarships” notebook in Evernote for this purpose)
Saving letters of recommendation for scholarships that don’t require the recommender to send their part in separately

You can find national scholarship opportunities at sites like Fastweb and Cappex. You certainly don’t have to go crazy and try to apply for 10 scholarships a day; even if you did one application every two weeks, you’d still be doing 26 a year – far more than most students do. There’s lots of money floating around out there – go prove that you deserve it!

8. Be careful about letting people borrow things.

“Before borrowing money from a friend, it’s best to decide which you need most.” – Joe Moore

When you needed something as a kid, who was the first person you’d go to in order to get it? Yep – Mommy or Daddy. Once you’re in college, however, your parents become pretty far removed from your daily existence. This removal doesn’t just happen to you; it also happens to the hundreds of other college students now living in close proximity to you.

Some of them will still have a direct line to a willing Mom who will buy them anything they decide they need or want. Many more won’t have this option, though, and that’s whyborrowing stuff becomes much more prevalent in college. There’s always that one kid who showed up to college with basically nothing but a suitcase with a week’s worth of clothes. There’s also the other kid who brought boxes upon boxes to his dorm, each one filled with dozens of things other students think they’ll never need.

Well, guess what. The kid that brought nothing will eventually need a can opener. And a hammer. And some Listerine. And fingernail clippers. Oh wait, now he needs Tylenol. If you’re the kid who brought everything (I know I was), you’re gonna be the one he comes to and says, “Hey bro, mind if I nick that can opener for a few minutes?”

Lending stuff out? It might not come back.

Here’s what you need to know about borrowing; you won’t always get what you lend out back. It’s just a fact of life. People will lose what they borrowed or just flat out forget that it’s not theirs. When you come to get it back, relationships can get strained.

It used to be different than it is now; not so long ago, if you borrowed something from someone, it became priority #1 to get it back to them in the same condition – preferably accompanied by a gift or gesture that expressed gratitude. If you borrowed money, you didn’t spend a dime unnecessarily until it was all paid back.

Now, however, a lot of people just don’t give a shit. I’ve had people borrow money for important things before, only to see them spending money on pizza or buying a video game a couple days later once they got their paycheck. It’s pretty damn disrespectful, but people do it. Therefore, I give you this tip:

If you lend out money or a possession, consider it given away until it’s returned.Seriously, don’t even have the expectation that it’ll come back. Of course, you should make it clear that you want it back, but you should maintain in the back of your mind that there’s a chance it’ll be gone for good. This means that if you can’t live without something,don’t lend it out. When it comes to money, half the time I’ll just buy whatever the friend needs and not even care about being paid back. It’s just not worth the stress and arguments.

That being said, you should still hold yourself to the highest standard of conduct shouldyou need to borrow something. Make sure it gets back to the lender as soon as possible, and be sure to express gratitude. If you do this, people will like and trust you more. If you don’t, well, you’re just a dick.

9. Master the Pomodoro Technique.

For me, getting homework and reading done is a real challenge. I’ve always got a lot of things on my mind, so I’m easily distracted – especially if my homework isn’t particularly exciting (which is almost all the time). That’s why I went looking for ways to become more focused and less prone to distractions.

I found out something very interesting: it’s easier to make yourself focus if you externalizethe mechanism that keeps you on task. Your brain only has a certain amount of mental resources, so you can only keep yourself disciplined internally for so long. Not only that, but using an internal (mental) mechanism for staying focused takes up resources that could be dedicated to actually working. This is why externalization is such a great idea – it keeps all your mental resources free to be applied to your homework.

So now the trick is to figure out how to externalize your discipline. My favorite way to do this is to use the Pomodoro Technique. This is a simple technique that I’ve written about before, over at Under 30 CEO. Basically, you put a timer in front of you and set it for 25 minutes. For that 25-minute period, you do nothing but the task at hand. In that period of time, you can let nothing distract you – not your phone, friends, girlfriend, or any random violent revolutions taking place outside. Just focus.

This is the key to better focus.

Once that period of time is over, you can allow yourself a break. However, at this point it’s unlikely that you’ll want to, as you’ll be “in the zone” – your period of focus will have gotten you engrossed in your work, and you’ll want to finish it.

Even if you’re not engrossed when the time’s up, you’ve still just done 25 minutes of solid work. Without distractions, you’ll probably have a lot done. That’s the power of focus – a power that some have even called magical.

10. Once you’re done with English classes, not every grammar rule is worth following.

Let’s be honest; some grammar rules end up making your writing look like it was pulled out a court record. Following grammar to the letter may have been a requirement in your English classes, but once you’re writing things in the real world, readability is key. Don’t bog down your writing unnecessarily just to appease the grammar nazis.

For example, let’s take pronoun rules. If you’re following strict grammar rules, then it would be wrong to use the word “their” when talking about a single person; instead, you should use his/her or “his or her”. However, doing this can result in some pretty silly-looking sentences, like this one:

If a person loses his/her book, he/she will have to pay a fine.

Obviously, this sentence would be much more readable if we just broke grammar rules and used “their” and “they”. It’s most likely the way you would say the sentence out loud, so why not write it that way? Living under the thumb of your old English teacher is no way to live at all. Not only that, but writing conversationally will make people more likely to actually read what you publish.

Note: I’d like to take this moment to express gratitude for being forced to live under the thumb of my old English teacher back in high school. While I advocate use of a conversational writing style for most occasions, I’m still incredibly thankful that I was forced to go through sentence structure bootcamp and comma usage hell when I was a skinny 11th grader. The amount of college students (especially seniors) who can’t craft a sentence correctly is staggering and pathetic.

11. Study somewhere other than your dorm.

You know the old mantra: dorm rooms are for the three S’s – sleeping, studying, and Sega Dreamcast. Well, I’m going to step up and contest that mantra. I honestly don’t think dorm rooms are very good for studying, and here’s why.

Dorm rooms are set up for comfort. If you’re not a crazy psycho, you probably try to decorate your room and set things up in a way that’s comfortable and – well – fun. This is all good, but it probably ends up turning your room into distraction central. Don’t think so? Here’s a list of things you probably have in your room; read through them and then answer for yourself the question that follows.

A TV with cable
DVD player
Game system
Your favorite books
Posters of stuff you like
A crazy roommate who gets the munchies at random times and invites you to go out for mega-tacos at 2:00 AM

Alright, so now you should answer this question: are any of these things more interesting to you than your homework? If you answered no, you’re either a huge liar or a history major. If you answered yes, then it should be obvious to you that the best study environment would be the one that lacks any of these things. Your room is not such a place.

“Where’s the best place to study?” – You

I’m glad you asked, but I can’t give you the definitive answer. Different people have different study preferences, so the optimal place for you will be decided by your specific style of studying. That said, I do have some suggestions.

The library is probably the place most people think of when it comes to choosing study spots, and for good reason. There are few other places that have so much to offer when it comes to different styles of studying. The library at my school has five main floors, along with seven “tiers” (the much more compact floors of what composed the library pre-expansion). As you go up and deeper into the tiers, the environment seems to get quieter and lonelier. At the top and in most of the tiers, there are plenty of spaces for people who prefer to study in complete isolation. On the lower floors and closer to the entrance, the environment is a little louder and caters more to group work.

My usual library spot. I feel like a badass studying in this room. Just look at that chandelier.

My school’s library even has an in-between option: our periodical room is a huge room full of magazines and newspapers. Its wide-open space makes you feel like you’re studying in public, but the room has a strict silence policy.

Of course, the library offers a lot more to students than just space; if you’re doing research, the books and access to research databases is unparalleled. Some libraries even have cafes so you can grab a bite and re-energize every once in a while. Libraries are probably my preferred place to study, but there’s just one problem: they’re preferred by lots of other people as well. Near big test dates, you might find that all the good spots in the library are taken – especially spots with outlets for you laptop. When the library gets too crowded to be acceptable, it’s time to look for other accommodation…

Cafes and coffee shops are another great choice if you like studying in a “public” environment (like me). While I’m not a huge coffee drinker, I do love the atmosphere and smell (and free wi-fi) at most coffee shops. When I move off-campus next year, these will probably be my new most-frequented study spots. If you choose to make cafes and coffee shops your spots of choice as well, be sure to read Laura Schluckebier’s HackCollege article on coffee shop etiquette.

Private study rooms are a great option for those of you know want isolation, and they’re available to reserve by the hour on many campuses. These rooms are usually used for group work, and will include things like projectors, round tables, and computers. However, during non-busy times, it’s totally fine to use them for individual work.

My school’s IT help desk handles the reservation of these rooms, so if you need help finding out if they’re available at your school, that might be a good place to start. Be aware that these rooms will be booked during weeks when there are lots of tests and projects, so book ahead of time if you need one.

The great outdoors can make for a great study spot if the weather is nice. Sometimes there’s nothing better than sitting under a tree and reading a book. Even computer work can sometimes be done outside; many universities (including mine) have added wi-fi to certain outdoor areas on their campuses.

Knowledge absorption + Vitamin D absorption = SMART

To be honest, there are countless places you can choose to study in. Just make sure they don’t contain things that will distract you from your work, and you’ll enter your zen state in no time. Once you’ve found your ideal spot, use the Pomodoro Technique to work even better.

Update: I recently published a list of 14 study spot ideas. Check it out if you’re looking for guidance (or a laugh).

12. Invest in some good headphones.

Sometime during my first semester of my freshman year, I got the brilliant idea of getting a big 5.1 surround sound speaker system for my computer. And you know what? It was afreakin’ great idea. I love that sound system and still use it today. However, it’s pretty loud, and my roommate didn’t always want to hear my amazing music. (no idea why)

To complicate matters, he got a system of a similar caliber during our sophomore year. And so, we ended up with a room containing two rather large, competing sound systems. Something had to be done.

The answer, obviously, was headphones. However, those crappy iPod earbuds weren’t going to cut it. I needed something that would sound good and – more importantly – block out the noise from my roommate’s speakers. I ended up finding quite a few good options, and I invested in a good pair of closed headphones that block out most external noise. I’m actually using them right now, and I absolutely love them.

Good headphones can fix the worst of study environments. Also they rock.

I also ended up getting another pair of headphones with an open design. They don’t necessarily block out noise, but boy do they sound amazing. All I’ll say is this: if you enjoy music or have a noisy room, a good pair of headphones is something you shouldn’t be without. You can get some great recommendations in the $100 in my guide to the best headphones for students. If you’re looking for something a little cheaper, check out mybroke-ass headphone guide for recommendations in around $50. I also wrote a guide to in-ear monitors you can hit up if you’re looking for a more portable option.

13. Pay attention to visceral fat.

You know the old adage about the Freshman 15 – many students who go to college will end up gaining a little weight during their freshman year due to the lack of parents and the abundance of food at the dining centers.

However, some people – guys especially – will eat, and eat, and keep on eating, and still feed a rock-hard wall of muscle in their abdomen. Great success, right? Maybe not… there still might be some visceral fat building up.

What’s visceral fat? Put very simply, it’s fat that is stored up beneath your abs. You know that guy you see at every party with the gut that sticks out and kinda makes him look pregnant? He might brag about how he still has rock-hard abs, but make no mistake – he’s stil building a nice little keg underneath them.

You, in 10 years. Maybe.

Visceral fat is often the first fat that guys will pack on, and it can be pretty tough to get rid of. That’s why it’s important that you pay attention to what you’re eating – even if you’re not noticing any fat gain. If you’d like to learn more, check this Wikipedia article on adipose tissue.

I’m actually planning on writing a lot more content related to health in the coming months. Currently, I’m experimenting with a paleo diet along with an every-day workout regimen, so I’ll be posting my results and discoveries on those two fronts.

14. Be aware of perks that may be available to you.

College definitely has a way of bending your wallet over backwards and making it need a stick of Bengay in the morning, but this expensive, educational adventure doesn’t come without some extra perks and ancillary benefits. Students get a lot of things either free or way cheaper than the general public does, and you should take the time to make yourself aware of these benefits.

Here’s a short list of just a few things you can take advantage of as a student:

StudentRate is a website that tracks tons of student deals on all sorts of stuff.
As a student, you may be able to get a better deal when buying a computer. Check out student pricing options from Apple, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. These may not be the only ones – check your campus bookstore for more.
The same goes for software; many companies offer huge student discounts for their software. You can get Adobe’s usually crazily-priced Creative Suite at 80% off, and you can also get lots of Microsoft stuff at a discounted price. Visiting your campus bookstore may net you an even better deal than you’ll find online; for example, business and engineering majors at my school get Windows and Office for $10. Not a bad deal.
Tappped is a student discount site similar to AppSumo that will be launching soon. You may want to bookmark it and keep tabs on their Facebook page for further info.
You can get Amazon Prime benefits for six months without paying a dime by joiningAmazon Student.
You can also get lots of dorm room supplies for cheap.
If your campus has a theater or performing arts venue, tickets will usually be way cheaper than normal. Here at Iowa State, we got tickets to Spamalot for just $20!
I was actually able to set up a student deal of my own – if you’re looking to build yourself a personal website, you can get 35% off of web hosting at HostGator (the web host I use) by using the discount code “collegeinfogeek” (no quotes). You can also follow my complete website building guide to get yourself up and running.

This is just a sampling of the discounts you can get as a student.

However, student discounts are just the tip of the iceberg. As a student, you actually get a lot of stuff for free (well, if you don’t think about the fact that your tuition and fees are paying for it). Here a list that will point you to some of the things sitting right on your campus that you probably have access to:

Fitness center access – you probably have an actual “health facility fee” that you’re paying every semester, but since most students don’t use this gym that they’re paying for, you might as well act like it’s free. You can also probably get access to free fitness classes like yoga and pilates and, uh, other wimpy stuff like that (I’m too busy bench pressing dump trucks and slamming protein shakes made with liquified nails to know about that stuff)
Outdoor Excusions – Your school’s recreation department probably does more than just run the gym, too; for example, my school offers really cheap outdoor adventure trips that can last anywhere from two days to an entire week. Some of the trips include surfing in California, cave exploring in Kentucky, and hiking out in the woods of good ‘ole Iowa. If you want to get away, see if your school has a similar program.
Free newspapers – and not just your silly little school newspaper. Most universities provide access to the nearest major newspaper, as well as the NY Times and Wall Street Journal. If you’re one of those people who still likes reading off of paper, take advantage of these.
Free, or super-cheap, access to really fun things – your university probably has a lot of student-run clubs and organizations. These clubs get funding from your student government, so they can let their members do things for free or at least offer a discount. We’re not just talking Chess Club and Campus Republicans here, either; there are a lot of awesomely fun clubs you can join as well. My school has Ski & Snowboard Club, Water Ski Club, Skydiving Club, Mountain Boarding Club, Equestrian Club, Paintball Club, and Video Game Club, just to name a few.
Bus service all over town – this may vary from school to school, but some of your probably have buses that take you from class to class. In some cases, the buses will also go all over town, which can eliminate or greatly reduce your need for a car. Here in Ames, I can go almost anywhere without driving; sure, it can be a pain to carry a bunch of groceries onto a bus, but it saves me money on gas and helps to prolong my car’s impending doom.
Really fast internet – maybe it’s just because Iowa State is the birthplace of the computer, but the internet speed here on campus is ridicucrunkulous. If you used the internet a lot back home and you live on campus now, you probably can recognize the difference. Enjoy it while it lasts – once you move to an off-campus apartment or house, you’ll quickly realize that it costs a pretty penny to get that kind of speed again.
Free condoms – for, you know, when you get the urge to fill condoms with mayo and throw them at cars. You can probably find these at your school’s health center, as well as the main desk of your dorm if you live in one.
Free tax preparation – a lot of campuses participate in the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program. This program is basically made up of a bunch of accounting/finance majors who volunteer their time to help you do your taxes. They get tax prep experience, and you get your taxes done for free. Sure, you can do them yourself, but doing them manually is a pain in the butt and TurboTax isn’t always free.
Free counseling/stress management services – most campuses offer free counseling services. If you’re having issues or feeling stressed about classes, you can take advantage of these at no cost. Additionally, some campuses are now offeringbiofeedback testing to measure your stress levels.
Free lectures and guest speakers – many university organizations will bring in speakers to talk to students, and these lectures are usually free. Don’t think they only bring in boring people – we’ve had quite a few awesome personalities grace our campus in the time I’ve been a student – Grant Imahara (Mythbusters), Jeff Ma(The guy who inspired the movie 21), Bo Burnham, and Max Brooks (Zombie Survival Guide) and tons of others.
Free movies – check out your school’s library to see what movies they offer. Ours is basically a bottomless pit of movies – I haven’t found a movie I wanted to watch yet that they didn’t have available for free checkout. Additionally, your student activities department might put on movie nights every so often that you can hit up. Your dorm’s hall desk might have free movies as well (as well as other things)
Free laptop/equipment rental – many universities will let you rent stuff like laptops, cameras, projectors, and other cool toys for approximately nil. The most likely place for stuff like this will be the IT department, although the communications center is a good place to check as well. If you’re a journalism student, you probably have access to lenses, mics, and other stuff as well.
Free FOOD – a day never goes by on a college campus when there isn’t an organization putting on some event with free food. If you’re resourceful and keep abreast of campus news, you could probably score a free meal once a week. Keep your eyes peeled!

This list of free stuff isn’t the end of it, either. You may be involved in specific programs or organizations that make other benefits available to you as well. For example, as a member of the George Washington Carver program here at Iowa State, I get a $300 “self-improvement” fund that I can use to travel to conferences or pay for other things that will further my development. Keep your eyes out for benefits like this that you can take advantage of.

15. Don’t bring so much stuff to college.

Bringing all my stuff home after my freshman year ended was a pain in the ass. I brought way too many clothes, random computer parts, and other junk up to my dorm, and I ended up not even using most of it.

When sophomore year rolled around, I made sure to bring up a lot less. When it came time to pack up my clothes, I first started by figuring out how often I wanted to do laundry. I didn’t want to do have to do it every week, but then again I didn’t need to be going as long as a month between loads. I settled on two weeks, and made sure to pack only 14 shirts. I split this up between t-shirts and polos. I then threw in a couple dress shirts for special occasions.

Jeans and shorts don’t get dirty nearly as fast, so I only brought up a combined seven pairs of those. This might be a controversial tip, but I recommend not being a whiny little neat freak who washes their jeans after one day. You can make jeans last up to three days – but I’d rotate them so it people don’t notice.

This was my room freshman year (on move-in day). I brought way too much stuff.

After getting shirts, jeans, shorts, and other daily items packed, I picked a few special items and called it good. My clothes box was still pretty full, and I was still pretty far from becoming the next Collin Wright, but it was quite an improvement over the entire wardrobe I had brought up freshman year.

When it came time to pack everything else, I took some time to sit down and think about the things that I actually had used freshman year. I was definitely bringing back my computers, but did I also need to bring a giant tangled ball of extra cords and computer parts that I “might need later?” Nope. Likewise, I didn’t need to bring up a ridiculous amount of dorm cookware either – I always ate my meals in the dining centers and never once touched the silverware, bowls, and other assorted crap my mom had sent up freshman year. That stuff stayed home as well.

Basically, you should only bring up the stuff you know you’ll use – especially if home is less than a couple hours away. If it is, you can always run back (I mean that – get your Reeboks) on some random weekend and grab what you forgot.

16. Make an “impulse buy” list.

When you were a little tike, you always had a nice little wall between yourself and the things you wanted – your tightwad parents. Now that you’re on your own, however, that wall might be gone. Sure, if your parents are still paying for your college and managing your finances for you, that might not be the case – but didn’t I tell you to manage your own finances last year? Get on it, mama’s boy.

If you are managing your finances now – in other words, feelin’ the power – then you may be tempted to buy literally everything that enters your optic nerves. The college demographic is under a full marketing assault from all sides, and your bank account is constantly being threatened by new video games, clothes, and whatever other junk gets you excited. To top it off, there are now a countless number of “deal sites” out there that make frivolous spending even easier – Groupon, Woot, LivingSocial, and tons of others constantly bombard you with crazy lows prices – problem is, these prices are for shit you don’t need.

This is why you should start making an impulse buy list. Any time you find something you really want or see a crazy deal, add that item to your impulse buy list. Then, wait a while before making the purchase. Oftentimes, you’ll come back to the list and realize you didn’t really want some of the stuff on it that bad. In fact, the number of purchases you decidenot to make will probably end up helping you to recoup even more than you’ll spend paying full price for something that was on sale when you first saw it.

For more on this topic, check out this guest article I wrote a while back.

17. Get a mutual fund.

Everyone – your parents, your grandma, your professors – will tell you that you need a savings account for college. All their really concerned about, though, is that you’re not spending all that money. What about making it grow?

A savings account is a pretty poor place to be socking away your money. Most of them don’t even make 1% interest! With inflation hovering around 3-4%, you’re doing yourself no favors by keeping all your money there. A better option is to put some of that money into a mutual fund. I did this about halfway into my sophomore year, and while I haven’t realized any amazing returns, my money is growing much faster than it would if it were in my savings account.

Some people might say that you’re better off paying your loans than saving your money. Maybe – but that depends on the type of loan you have. If you have loans with a current interest payment, then that’s good advice. It’s best to take the money you’re making and try to pay those down. However, if you have subsidized loans, it might be smarter to put your money in a mutual fund.

Subsidized loans – like federal Stafford loans – don’t need to be paid back until after you graduate, and they don’t start accruing interest until that time either. Because of this, you might actually be better off sticking your money in a mutual fund and getting into the investment game early. Then, when you graduate, you can leave lean and pay off your loans with the money from your awesome new job. If you end up not finding a job for a while, you can pull out your money to start paying off your loans (or ask for a deferment).

This is pretty inaccurate. Getting a mutual fund will not turn you into a duck.

There are a lot of choices when it comes to mutual funds, and all the advice out there can be conflicting and overwhelming. When I was researching funds for myself, I was certainly confused. However, after a lot of reading, I came to one conclusion: non-managed index funds (funds that automatically follow an entire market like the S&P 500, instead of being invested in specific companies picked by a manager) generally out-perform most managed funds. I ended up going with a fund that’s somewhat close to this – although I couldn’t get a straight index fund because I needed something with a lower minimum investment. I don’t want to disclose the fund that I bought, because I want you to do your due diligence if you’re thinking of buying one. For more information, check out this article on mutual fund information for students.

Mutual funds are something you should think of as a long-term investment. When you do your research, you’ll notice peaks and valleys – but you’ll also see that all the good funds have a positive return over several decades. This is the kind of investment you make with retirement in mind, and it’s a really smart one to make while you’re young.

Note: Bro, I am NOT a licensed financial advisor and you should NOT take this as professional financial advice. As with all investments, mutual funds carry a degree of risk and you could actually lose money by putting your money into one. I assume no liability for your decisions, and you may want to consult a real financial advisor before making any move.

18. Make sure your to-do list doesn’t become a to-do in itself.

There are a lot of blog posts out there that detail what the author thinks is the “best” task management system, and there are also a ton of different web apps and tools floating around, all promising to organize your life and make it easier. The thing is, many of these are overly complicated. Sure, assigning labels, priority levels, folders, collaborators, and time tables to your tasks and projects might make your life seem organized, but doing this turns task management into a task itself.

I think keeping track of the things you need to do should be easy. In fact, it should be easier than eating a carrot (yes, I’m aware there’s no direct correlation between those two things. Don’t be hatin’ on my nonsensical reference points).

Applying all these goofy things to every single task you create is bound to make you hate managing your task list. From college student to fellow college student, I’d recommend that you stay away from systems that make you do all that stuff.

Instead, do yourself a favor and get Wunderlist. This is easily the best task management app I’ve ever used, and I don’t think there’s much of a chance that I’ll switch to anything else. Wunderlist’s combination of great features, built-in shortcuts, and a drop-dead sexy design make it the ultimate to-do app for college students. I mean, just look at this sexy thing:

One of my lists. (click to enlarge)

Wunderlist is built around – yep – lists. I like to make a list for every project or facet of my life; there’s a list for each class, one for personal stuff, one for blog improvements, one for each web design project I’m working on, etc. I also created a list called “Someday” in which I put things I really want to do in the future like skydiving and getting surgery to make my eyes switch sockets (wait what).

You can view all the tasks in a particular list, but you can also use the menu at the bottom to view tasks for the day, the week, or even for all time in all lists. Additionally, you can star particularly important tasks – a much more elegant solution than setting priority levels.

The best thing about Wunderlist is that there’s an app for almost every platform and it syncs them all up really well. I have Wunderlist apps on my Windows desktop, my Macbook Pro, and my iPhone, and I also use the web client a lot. The experience is seamless.

I’ve tried a lot of to-do apps, but Wunderlist is by far my favorite.

19. Get an official-looking polo to keep drunk idiots out of your hall.

This is probably a tip you won’t see anywhere else, but hey – it worked for me so I’m including it. If you need the power of authority in a situation, but don’t have it and don’t have someone around who has it either, than simply looking the part can get you by at times. Here’s some backstory behind this:

Every year in April, my school has a huge celebration called VEISHEA. This event is supposed to be a week-long celebration of all the different disciplines at my school, but it’s actually just a huge, drunk party that attracts lots of stupid people from all over the state and effectively brings the average IQ of my city down to like… potato. We’re talking pants-on-head levels here, folks.

When your campus and city are being invaded by mobs of people who are almost too stupid to remember how to breathe, it sucks to live on the main floor of a residence hall. This is precisely where I lived, which virtually guaranteed that I’d have to deal with drunks trying to come through my hall, tear down all the stuff on the walls, and puke in the drinking fountain.

I was not willing to let this happen. However, at the time I wasn’t an RA, so I really didn’t have the authority to write people up. Thus, I needed to find some sort of deterrent other than actual power that would keep people out. I opted for the deceptive approach. I went into my room and put on one of my ISU-branded polo shirts I used to use for another job. Now that I had a logo on my chest, it didn’t matter if I wasn’t actually an RA – I looked the part. Any time I heard the voices of idiocy coming down the hall, I’d just go stand outside my door for a while. Everyone who saw me turned right around. Mission accomplished.

Of course, if it’s your goal to be one of those drunk idiots who come into other people’s residences and vandalize them, this tip won’t really apply to you. If this is the case, my only tip for you would be to inquire about employment at your nearest McDonald’s.

20. Create a “brag” folder.

When you fill out applications for scholarships and write essays about yourself, do you find yourself having to think really hard to remember all the cool shit you’ve done? This was a frequent problem for me, which I why I started building a “brag folder” some time ago. Basically, a brag folder is a place where you store a copy of any scholarship application you fill out and any essay you write. You should also throw in any awards, certificated, military medals, and anything else that makes you look like a baller. Hell, even a copy of your transcript is good.

The purpose of this folder is to make it easier for you to recall things you’ve done when filling out scholarship, grad school, or job applications in the future. If you’ve got a well-stocked brag folder, you’ll be able to go into it, read what you wrote in the past, and easily pick out whatever details you need for the application you’re filling out.

Here’s something even cooler to think about: many scholarship applications will ask similar – if not the same – questions. Questions like, “Describe your greatest accomplishment”, “Talk about a time you overcame a great challenge”, and “How will you use this money if you win?” are super common on scholarship apps. If you’ve got a sizeable brag folder on hand, chances are good that you’ll literally be able to copy and paste a previous essay you’ve written. No sense in redoing the same thing over again, right?

21. Keep doing shit.

Don’t rest on your laurels. People are interested in what you’ve done recently, not that cool thing you did two years ago. So make sure you’re always working on a big project, or have one planned if you’re taking a break. There are a lot of high-performing people out there, so you’ve gotta be epic if you want to compete.

That’s another thing – make sure the shit you do is epic. Take what you want to do and amp it as much as you can. If you’re a writer, write epic shit. If you’re creating a website, make it kick ass. Just do it.

Actually, I guess I can’t call it epic, since Maddox told me what epic means and I can’t tell you to make oceans. Alright. In that case, do shit that’s…

22. Use Wolfram Alpha, but don’t rely on it.

Wolfram Alpha is quite possibly the most insanely useful website in existence, especially if you’re taking a math class. Never heard of it? You need to… it can help you out with homework a lot.

Wolfram is billed as a “computational knowledge engine” – basically, it’s a search engine that serves up answers to questions rather than web pages. Sure, you can ask it things like, “How far away from the Earth is the moon?” but the engine’s real power lies in its answers to queries like, “derivative of 13x^4+9x^2-x“. Not only will Wolfram give you an answer, but it will also plot it and show you the work.

An example of what Wolfram can do. Why do we even need math class anymore?

This feature makes Wolfram ridiculously useful for practicing math. You know how equations always seem super easy to work in class, but then you get home and draw a complete blank? Wolfram can fill in that blank. However, you do need to be careful; since Wolfram can do everything for you, it’s really easy to become reliant on it. Don’t make it do your homework for you; make sure you’re learning how to work problems yourself. After all, you’re not going to have it during your next test.

23. Create a mastermind group.

Ever feel like your immediate contemporaries don’t quite “get” you? It’s probable that your particular set of interests and passions are pretty unique, and your circle of friends may be filled with people who are great to hang out with, but who don’t necessarily understand or share your ambitions.

That’s why I think it’s super-important for you to form or join a mastermind group. Don’t know what a mastermind group is? Don’t worry – it’s not a formal club or anything like that. You won’t have to jack in to Mother Brain or drink sheep’s blood while wearing a hooded cloak. A mastermind group is simply an informal group of people who share similar ideals, support each other, and listen to each others’ ideas. These types of groups are particularly common among entrepreneurial circles, but people from all different professions and walks of life have them.

Often, mastermind groups are formed with many different roles in mind – all of which can support and help each other. For instance, the mastermind group that I started last year with my friend Jeff – a group whose only formal structure is an invite-only Facebook Group – includes:

Graphic designers
Programmers
Web developers
Seasoned Entrepreneurs
Copywrighters
Bloggers
Thinkers (these guys are important)

Obviously, the overall “theme” of our group is online business, as that’s the realm most of us spend our days in. As you can see, these roles are complimentary to one another, and bringing them all together in a group makes it easy for people to work together on projects or get expert feedback on things they’re working on. The people in this group can also be useful to each other when it comes to finding job opportunities.

So how do you start a mastermind group? I think the easiest way to do this is to start small. Find a friend or acquaintance who understands you and the work you like to do. Start your group with just the two of you; as time goes on, each of you can add new people who would be a good fit. Make sure to introduce newcomers and make sure they’re familiar with everyone else. I’d also advise you to keep the group somewhat small. Mastermind groups differ from large networking groups in that everyone involved should know everyone else. Whereas large networking groups might exist solely for the pragmatic purpose of making job-hunting easier, a mastermind group should exist to support each member and to help them thrive.

24. Find out if your school has a VITA program.

If you have a part-time job while in school, are made money from a summer internship, it’s likely that you have to file federal and state tax returns. If you were simply working and not attending school, your taxes would be pretty simple; you’d just input your W-2 information, take your standard deduction, and file away. However, since you’re a college student, things get a little more complicated (but this is a good thing).

As a student, there are deductions you can take for school expenses you paid during the year, such as tuition, fees, books, and supplies. If you got any scholarships that went toward other stuff like room and board, you have to report these as well. Add up these student-related items and your taxes can get a little more complicated.

Of course, you can just use software like TurboTax to make your taxes easy, but doing so will result in your having to pay a fee to file your state return. Luckily, there’s often another way to de-complicate your taxes, and it’s called the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance(VITA) program. Basically, this is a program where accounting students will volunteer a few hours every night to help people do their taxes. A lot of schools have this program, and it’s generally open to the public (so you can use a nearby university VITA if you’re in community college).

I used the VITA program here at Iowa State to do my taxes freshman year, and it was probably the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Literally, I just handed them my W-2′s and answered a few questions, and they filed both my federal and state returns for free.

VITA can make taxes suck a lot less.

If you’re like to get your taxes done with VITA, remember to bring all the necessary documents you’ll need – your ID, W-2′s, expense recordings and receipts for academic purchases, etc. Bringing all the stuff you need right away makes the volunteers’ job much easier.

Another thing to consider is that a lot of people make use of this service – which means you’ll likely have to wait in line to be helped. If you show up too close to the end of the session, you may end up sitting around for half an hour and then being turned away. If you can manage it, I’d recommend showing up 15 minutes before the session starts so you can get through quickly.

25. RainyMood + classy music = perfect study sounds.

Great study music can make late-night cramming sessions a lot more bearable, but things really get interesting when you combine it with white noise. By far my favorite type of white noise is the sound of rain – and I’m definitely not the only one. RainyMood, a site whose only purpose is to play the sound of rain, has been Liked, Tweeted, or otherwise shared over 456,000 times. This insanely popular site is the perfect companion for low-key music.

I usually combine RainyMood with one of my Grooveshark playlists or a suitable mood on Stereomood (you can use these or check out a huge list of other streaming music sites to choose from). If you’re not sure what to play, though, RainyMood nicely includes a daily recommendation that you can use to start your session off. The selections are usually excellent.

26. Give a man a cheeseburger, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to cheeseburger, I’m high as hell.

Just think about it. It makes sense.

27. You become what you think you are.

This is probably the most important tip I could ever give to anyone. It’s not so much a college tip as it is a life tip, so take it and live it. If you want something, tell yourself you’regoing to have it. If you want to be something, tell yourself you’re going to be it. Not want,but going. What you think determines what you do.

Why do you think people who hang out with low achievers often turn out to be low achievers themselves? It’s because our friends have a lot of influence over how we think. Logically, then, you can see that thoughts determine actions. (this is also a major reason I advocated mastermind groups earlier in the post)

So set your sites on what you want. Sit down and determine your actual goals for your life – not just, “I wanna be successful.” Figure it out. Write it down. Make a plan. If you’re not motivated, get motivated. Godspeed, and stuff.

42 College Tips I Learned Freshman Year

noreply@blogger.com (Ace) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:29:00 +0000

When I started college, I was just like any other normal student. My only real concerns were my classes and my part-time job; everything else I did was for fun. I learned a lot during my freshman year, though, and as I learned I began to focus on more productive things. Here’s a collection of college tips and bit of info that helped me out a lot.

Always go to class. A lot of bloggers will debate this one, but I think it’s essential. You never know when the professor will drop a crucial test hint, or give out extra credit for attendance.
If you have to choose between a double major and getting involved on campus, get involved. All the knowledge in the world won’t help you if you come out of college with no experience or professional relationships.
ALWAYS back up your files. Dropbox makes this easy as can be.
Make sure your computer is protected against malware. Install Microsoft Security Essentials or Avast Anti-virus, and use a web browser other than Internet Explorer. Installing the Adblock extension doesn’t hurt, either.
Learn to do your taxes and your FAFSA yourself, instead of letting your parents do it. Knowing how to handle these things will prepare you for life after college.
Get a bank account with a bank in town. It can be really inconvenient having to wait for Mom to send cash, and it teaches you to manage your own finances.
Get a credit card, and make all your month’s purchases on it up to 20% of the card’s balance. This will help to start building your credit. If you start spending more, or can’t pay the balance in full for even one month, tear the card up.
Bring enough clothing to school with you that you can go two weeks between washings. This will save you money in the long run.
Never leave your clothes in a washer after the cycle is over. Be there to take them out a minute before the cycle ends. Not doing this is rude, and people WILL pull your clothes out and set them somewhere.
If you have new colored clothes, wash colors separately from whites the first few times you wear them. Otherwise, toss ‘em all in the same load if they’ll fit.
Try not to drink too much caffeine. It’s really not good for you (it caused pretty bad acne for me), and you can get energy by staying well-hydrated, eating healthy foods, and sleeping enough.
If you’re having issues with your roommate, talk about them. Don’t let them build up to the point where you can’t stand each other.
Get a part-time job, preferably doing something that relates to your major. If you can, work in the early morning – you’d just be sleeping otherwise. I’ve found that having a job actually helped with my time management when I first started school.
If you can’t find a part-time job that relates to your major, look for a “warm-body” job – one that allows you to do homework while working. Some examples would be working at the desk of the library or the athletic center.
If your school offers a position that helps with summer orientation for incoming students, apply for it. This kind of job will build your confidence and communication skills like none other.
Get to know your professors. College is just as much about networking as it is about sitting in class. Plus, most of them are bored out of their skulls during office hours.
If you have younger siblings that come to visit, supervise their use of your microwave. Trust me on this one.
Don’t bring a car to campus if you don’t need one. Many schools have great public transit systems, and Facebook can net you rides when you need them.
If you are bringing your car to campus, buy the parking permit that puts your car closer to you, even if it’s a bit more expensive. It’ll save you a lot of time (and whining).
Live in the campus residence halls your first year if you can. Residence halls aremuch, much more social than apartments, and you’ll be involved in a lot more cool things.
Realize that you are an adult now; just because you don’t have to go to work for eight hours a day doesn’t mean you shouldn’t act like it. Be professional.
When you study, don’t do it in your room. Also, try to use an active study method such as making flashcards or writing your own quizzes. It’s a lot less boring and a lot more effective than just looking over your professor’s slides.
Getting a tutor does not make you look dumb. Not getting one when you need help does.
Flip-flops in the bathroom. No exceptions.
Freezy Pops from Wal-Mart are a great substitute for fattier desserts.
Take smart notes. Use a laptop in content-heavy classes that don’t give you time to write things on paper. If you do use paper, use the Cornell Method. See more note-taking hacks here.
Find out when you can register for classes and do right at that moment. You’ll thank yourself later when your friends are having to do an extra semester because they couldn’t get into a required class.
Try out as many clubs as you can. Feel no obligation to them if you don’t like them. College is about finding out what you love to do.
Don’t put your alarm clock anywhere you can reach it. Make yourself get out of bed to turn it off.
If your roommate isn’t still sleeping, turn on the light immediately after waking up. Light helps you feel more awake and reduces the chances of you going back to bed.
Don’t get drunk, but don’t miss the show when your friends do
You need a calendar. Google Calendar is probably the best one there is.
Never underestimate the value of a care package from Mom.
Get out and explore your campus. If you have to ask your friends where the main financial office is, you’ve failed. Same goes for exploring the city your campus is in.
Find out what resources your school offers. Many universities have free tech support centers, health centers, seminars, and more.
Get an internship the summer after your sophomore year. You’ll forge professional connections early on and make it easier to get another internship the next summer. Graduating with two under your belt will give you a real leg up on the competition.
Keep a journal if you can. It’s great to be able to go back and see how you’ve progressed over the years.
Connect with your school’s career center; your career advisor will be an invaluable resource in the years to come.
Create a resume if you don’t already have one, and have it critiqued by someone who knows what they’re doing.
Go to every career fair, even if you’ve already lined up a summer job. You want to build relationships with recruiters, and they’ll remember your face if you show up every time.
Take a speech class, even if you don’t have to. Communication skills are among the more important things recruiters look for in students.
Be confident, get out of your comfort zone, and try new things. College is the greatest opportunity you’ll ever have for personal development.

College 101: Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Ace) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:25:00 +0000

As you embark on your college career, it is important to understand your first year of college and the tips and tricks to be successful and thrive during the pursuit of your educational goals.

You start college with a clean academic slate, along with a lot of independence and a myriad of critical decisions as you begin the transition. The decisions that you make and the actions you take during this first year of college will have a major impact on the rest of your college experience.

According to American College Testing (ACT), one in every four college students leaves before completing their sophomore year – and nearly half of all freshmen will either drop out before obtaining a degree or complete their college education elsewhere.

But wait! This is not meant to scare you or take away any of the joy, excitement, and anticipation you feel about going to college. Quite the opposite. This is all about the things you need to do to not only survive your first year of college, but to thrive in college.

The first few weeks on campus are extremely critical for all new students. It is during this time that you make critical decisions that will have an effect on the rest of your life. Some of these tips are critical during your first weeks, while the others are meant for longer-term guidance and survival. Whatever you do, be sure to be yourself and try to enjoy your college experience as much as possible. Expect to feel some stress and homesickness, but don’t let these issues wear you down.

Go to all orientations. Do you really need to go on yet another campus tour? Yes. The faster you learn your way around campus — and around all the red tape — the more at ease you’ll feel and the better prepared you’ll be when issues arise.

Get Organized. In high school, the teachers tended to lead you through all the homework and due dates. In college, the professors post the assignments — often for the entire semester — and expect you to be prepared. Buy an organizer, a PDA, a big wall calendar — whatever it takes for you to know when assignments are due.

Find the ideal place for you to study. It may be a cozy corner of the library; find a place that works best for you to get your work done — while avoiding as many distractions as possible.

Go to class. Obvious, right? Maybe, but sleeping in and skipping that 8 am class will be tempting at times. Avoid the temptation. Besides learning the material by attending classes, you’ll also receive vital information from the professors about what to expect on tests, changes in due dates, etc.

Become an expert on course requirements and due dates. Professors spend hours and hours preparing course syllabi and calendars so that you will know exactly what is expected of you — and when. One of the lamest excuses a student can give a professor: “I didn’t know it was due today.”

Meet with your professors. Speaking as a adjunct faculty member, I can assure you there are only upsides to getting to know your professors, especially if later in the semester you run into some snags. Professors schedule office hours for the sole purpose of meeting with students — take advantage of that time.

Get to know your academic advisor. This is the person who will help you with course conflicts, adding or dropping courses, scheduling of classes for future semesters, deciding on majors and minors. This person is a key resource for you — and should be the person you turn to with any academic issues or conflicts. And don’t be afraid of requesting another adviser if you don’t click with the one first assigned to you.

Seek a balance. College life is a mixture of social and academic happenings. Don’t tip the balance too far in either direction. One of my favorite former students always used to say her motto was to “study hard so she could play hard.”

Get involved on campus. A big problem for a lot of new students is a combination of homesickness and a feeling of not quite belonging. A solution? Consider joining a select group — and be careful not to go overboard — of student organizations, clubs, sororities or fraternities, or sports teams. You’ll make new friends, learn new skills, and feel more connected to your school.

Strive for good grades. Another obvious one here, right? Remember the words of the opening paragraph; while good grades could have come naturally to you in high school, you will have to earn them in college — and that means setting some goals for yourself and then making sure you work as hard as you can to achieve them.

Take advantage of the study resources on campus. Just about all colleges have learning labs and tutors available. If you’re having some troubles, these resources are another tool available to you. Another idea: form study groups.

Make time for you. Be sure you set aside some time and activities that help you relax and take the stress out of your day or week. Whether it’s enlisting yoga techniques, watching your favorite television shows, or writing in a journal, be good to yourself.

Don’t feel pressured to make a hasty decision about a career or a major. It doesn’t matter if it seems as though everyone else seems to know what they’re doing with their lives — believe me, they don’t — college is the time for you to really discover who you are, what you enjoy doing, what you’re good at, and what you want to be. It’s not a race; take your time and enjoy exploring your options.

Take responsibility for yourself and your actions. Don’t look to place the blame on others for your mistakes; own up to them and move on. Being an adult means taking responsibility for everything that happens to you.

Make connections with students in your classes. One of my best students said his technique in the first week of classes was to meet at least one new person in each of his classes. It expanded his network of friends — and was a crucial resource at times when he had to miss a class.

Find the Career Services Office. Regardless of whether you are entering college as undeclared or have your entire future mapped out, seek out the wonderful professionals in your college’s career services office and get started on planning, preparing, and acting on your future.

Don’t procrastinate; prioritize your life. It may have been easy in high school to wait until the last minute to complete an assignment and still get a good grade, but that kind of stuff will not work for you in college. Give yourself deadlines — and stick to them.

Stay healthy/Eat Right. A lot of problems first-year students face can be traced back to an illness that kept them away from classes for an extended period of time that led to a downward spiraling effect. Get enough sleep, take your vitamins, and eat right. If you haven’t heard the jokes about college food, you soon will. And without mom or dad there to serve you a balanced meal, you may be tempted to go for those extra fries or cookies. Stay healthy and avoid the dreaded extra “Freshman 15″ pounds by sticking to a balanced diet.

Keep track of your money. If you’ve never had to create a budget, now is the time to do so. Find ways to stretch your money – and as best you can, avoid all those credit card solicitations you’ll soon be receiving. The average credit card debt of college grads is staggering.

Don’t cut corners. College is all about learning. If you procrastinate and cram, you may still do well on tests, but you’ll learn very little. Even worse, don’t cheat on term papers or tests.

Be prepared to feel overwhelmed. There’s a lot going in your life right now. Expect to have moments where it seems a bit too much. As one student says, be prepared to feel completely unprepared. The trick is knowing that you’re not the only one feeling that way.

Final Words of Advice:

You’ve done all the prep work so enjoy all your hard work while laying the groundwork for a successful college career. Don’t be a statistic; be determined to make it through your freshman year and beyond. Take advantage of your network of new friends and professors, have fun while learning as much as you can, and get the most out of your college experience.

20 Proven Tips and Tricks to Breeze Through College

noreply@blogger.com (Ace) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:22:00 +0000

Even for the best of students, college can seem like an overwhelming challenge. While there's no guaranteed way to make it easy, the following tried and true tips can help you get the most out of your college experience academically, socially and professionally.

1. Utilize School Resources

Most colleges and universities are bursting with resources to make your experience easier and more interesting. Some useful resources include (but probably aren't limited to):

Library (or, in a big institution, libraries)
Tutoring center
Computer labs
Career center
Health and counseling center
Financial services

Some campuses even offer a museum or arts center, film screenings and other forms of free, enriching entertainment.

2. Stay Informed

Colleges and universities, especially big state institutions, can often feel like faceless bureaucracies. From registering for classes to applying for financial aid, there are many important deadlines and processes to keep track of and that's your responsibility. Pay attention to the student handbook and keep an eye on the school website to ensure that you don't miss anything. When in doubt, contact student services or your academic advisor for more guidance.

3. Get Organized

You're likely to have more assignments than ever before in college and you can't rely on your professors to remind you when something is due. Get a calendar application for your computer or mobile device - there are even many free, Web-based ones that will sync on both - and use it to track your class schedule, assignment deadlines and exams. It can also be useful to break down larger projects into small, manageable goals by setting yourself mini-deadlines along the way.

4. Manage Your Time

In addition to your new workload, you'll find that college puts an incredible number of demands on your time. Managing them all carefully can truly make or break your experience. When you're planning out your week, make sure that you set aside enough time each day for studying, socializing, extra-curricular commitments and taking care of yourself. Working students have the additional challenge of incorporating their work commitments into their schedules.

Feel like you'll have every minute of every day planned out? You might, but as long as you make sure that there's some fun time and some down time in those plans, sticking to your schedule will make it possible to stay on top of everything and feel sane.

5. Set Goals

It's important to set both small and large goals to guide your college experience. As noted above, you can manage your coursework by breaking it down into manageable chunks and setting yourself small goals to meet on the way to big deadlines.

However, it can also be helpful to think about long term goals. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to plan all the way to retirement, but setting yourself a series of realistic, attainable goals can help you achieve your dreams just like it helps you meet your deadlines.

6. Perfect Your Study Techniques

Even the most successful high school students often need to completely revise their studying styles when they get to college. You'll want to find a specific system that works for you, but any approach you take should involve setting (and sticking to) a routine. You may also want to consider forming a study group - peer pressure can be a great way to make sure that you get your work done.

Not sure what study techniques might be right for you? Don't miss college studying 101.

7. Go to Class (Prepared)

It can be tempting to skip class when no one is looking over your shoulder, but the old cliché is true: You're only hurting yourself. There's no guarantee that all of the material in class will be covered in the readings and missing classes may leave you stranded when it comes to essay or exam time. Make sure that you also prepare for class each time so that you're ready to actively engage in the discussion.

8. Take Thorough Notes

A lot of information will get thrown at you during lectures and the best way to absorb it all is to take notes and review them later. You won't be able to write down every word, so get familiar with short hand techniques and quick outlines and look for free note-taking applications online.

9. Do Your Reading

And do all of it! In high school you may have been able to coast by with class notes and Cliff Notes, but completely the assigned reading in essential for success in college classes. It can also be helpful to use sticky notes or a highlighter to mark passages that you found particularly important or confusing. (Using an e-reader? You can highlight and take notes digitally!)

10. Strengthen Your Writing Skills

From short essays to 20-page research papers, writing is an essential part of the college experience. If you're unsure of your writing ability, don't be afraid to enroll in an introductory composition course. The skills you learn there will help you excel in the rest of your classes and being a strong writer can help you throughout your academic and professional careers.

11. Get to Know Your Professors

Building strong relationships with your professors can have many benefits. First, it will help you develop a better understanding of their expectations in class, which can help you earn better grades. Second, it can lead to invaluable mentorship relationships. Whether they're helping you figure out what major suits you best or writing you letters of recommendation for grad school, professors make excellent mentors throughout your college experience.

12. Seek Help

Everyone runs into especially challenging classes during college and there's no shame in asking for extra help. Visit your professor or TA during office hours to ask for more guidance on difficult concepts, or check out your school's tutoring center for help with homework.

13. Explore New Subjects

Even students who start college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives will often make a 180 degree switch midway through. College is a great time to learn more about your academic interests and passions and explore ways in which they might develop into a career.

While you're still choosing your major, take classes in a variety of subjects and try to get outside of your comfort zone. Even after you're set on a specific path, try to leave some spots in your course schedule for fun classes outside of your major.

14. Broaden Your Horizons

Personal development is another important part of college and there are tons of opportunities to explore new things outside of class. Depending on your interests, you might join a student club, run for student government or try out for a sports team. College can also offer many low-cost travel opportunities - contact your advisor to learn more about study abroad programs and funding options.

15. Complete an Internship

If you're not already working, consider pursuing an internship. These positions offer you a chance to try out a profession and find out if you'll really like it while adding valuable experience to your resume.

16. Create a Professional Network

Some day you'll graduate from college and the bonds you formed in school won't just be important socially - they can facilitate networking, that all-important professional tool. (Your roommate may just be a pre-law now, but he or she will one day be an attorney.) Get to know your peers and form meaningful connections that will outlast your college career.

17. Create a Support Network

Don't try to go it alone! Whether you need to cry, complain or squeal with joy, college life is easier and more fun when you can reach out to people for more than professional relationships. Stay in touch with your family back home through the phone (or Skype, or email...) and make the effort to form meaningful bonds with a few of your classmates instead of just collecting a hundred new Facebook 'friends.' It can also be helpful to utilize the free counseling services offered through most college health centers to manage stress and other emotional challenges.

18. Stay Healthy

College stress can be taxing on your mental and physical health and, in turn, letting your health suffer can have negative consequences for your schoolwork. Make sure to get enough sleep, cook healthy meals and incorporate some basic stress reduction techniques like regular physical exercise, specially set-aside down time or even activities like meditation or breathing exercises.

19. Master Your Finances

Money management can be challenging, but if you learn to do it well in college you'll have a skill that will serve you for the rest of your life. Map out a budget for yourself, including books, food, bills and entertainment expenses, and stick to it.

It can also be beneficial to seek out sources of financial aid in addition to your institutional loans and grants. A Web search can turn up hundreds of scholarships related to your field of study, demographics and more.

20. Party Smart

College can be a fun time to let loose and try new things, but a lot of students end up taking things too far and hurting their studies - or themselves. Get out there and party a little, but make sure that socializing isn't eating up too much of your schoolwork or sleep time and be conscious of making smart, safe decisions.