Archive for the ‘For the College Student’ Category:
Have we come...too far?
3. Meet with your advisor or mentor and go over the courses available to you. Most universities have a general education curriculum that you must satisfy; liberal arts colleges often have a core set of areas you must take courses in. If the average course load is 5 classes a semester, then take 5 classes not 6 or 7. Some students just love to overburden themselves, but it is not a good idea, especially when you are a first year student! And do not take 5 horribly rigorous courses all at once! Give yourself a break!
4. A major learning curve in college is learning to balance your life. Activities, sports, academics, laundry, sleep, social life….your schedule is up to you. You simply must have a calendar, and electronic is better. Try to plan your time. Put in class times, when homework and papers are due, test dates. Enter it ALL. You can even plan your times to do laundry and to study.
The keyword is BALANCE!
5. Take notes. Take notes. Take notes. If you have a writing disorder such as dysgraphia or Disorder of Written Expression arrange for a note taker. You are entitled to this accommodation! Notes are so important for college academic success. If the professor says it, it should be in your notes. If it is on the board or the overhead, it goes in the notes. Keep your notes organized so when it comes time to study, you know where to find them! You will soon discover that much of the material in your notes will be on the test, midterm or final. I guarantee it!
6. Take studying seriously. For every hour spent in class you should spend two hours in studying or prep work. Yes, I know that sounds like a lot of time. It is. This is college, and this is important. Don’t be the student who pulls an all nighter before the exam because they haven’t even read the text assignments. You will quickly realize that if you want to do better than a C, D or F, cramming like that will not cut it. Oh, and if your friends who make A’s deny that they study this much…they are lying.
Okay. Now you are actually in college and at college. You have moved in. Met the roommate. Gone to a couple of parties and met some other students. Awesome, dude. But there is another side to college…it is called learning. (more…)
Written on March 30th, 2010 by Tam Warner Mintonno shouts
Tucked into the Health Care Reform Bill is a massive higher education change: the government is now the only loan administrator of student loans, saving the government 61 billion dollars in subsidies to private banks. It also saves the Pell Grant award from being almost cut in half, and part of the savings will go to deficit reduction. (more…)
Written on March 20th, 2010 by Tam Warner Mintonno shouts
Did you know that drinking alcohol suppresses the gag reflex (which prevents you from choking) and breathing? Did you know that your alcohol content can continue to rise even after you have passed out? No? The concentration of alcohol in your system can continue to rise because alcohol in your stomach and intestine continues to absorb into the bloodstream, so you can actually continue to “ingest” alcohol long after you’ve gone to sleep or passed out. (more…)
Written on March 18th, 2010 by Tam Warner Mintonno shouts
Last week, two Cornell University engineering students jumped to their deaths in the gorges on campus. Actually, in the last 6 months, 6 students have committed suicide at Cornell. Did you know that suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students? The reason: untreated depression. (more…)
Binge drinking, particularly on college campuses, is a real problem. First, let us define “binge drinking”: it is defined as having 5 or more drinks in a row, in other words, drinking a large quantity of alcohol quickly for the purpose of getting drunk. A social drinker will have a few drinks throughout the evening, but the goal isn’t to get “dead drunk”. Yes, I am aware that drinking and college go together like peanut butter and bread. I am not talking about social drinking, though, I am talking about binge drinking. (more…)
Written on February 27th, 2010 by Tam Warner Mintonno shouts
Writing a research paper? The Professor’s Guide from US News has new tips to follow! Check them out HERE.
Written on February 11th, 2010 by Tam Warner Mintonno shouts
Inside Higher Ed has reported that new studies show that the gender gap in university populations has stabilized. The enrollment numbers for men are staying constant and even rising for men graduating from college, the only exception to this is in the Latino male population. Colleges were going so far as to consider “affirmative action for men” in admissions, but the new report reassures that the success of women is not coming at the expense of men. (And what if it were?) (more…)
Written on February 3rd, 2010 by Tam Warner Mintonone shout
Take a look at this video to learn about the “8 things I wish I knew before college”. Whether you are a high school student preparing, or a senior just about to go to college, this video will give you valuable information!
Written on February 1st, 2010 by Tam Warner Mintonno shouts
“Who Needs Harvard“, by Gregg Easterbrook. A former Fellow at the Brookings Institution answers this question aptly: you don’t. I have blogged on this topic several times, and it always comes back to the student. Going to college is more important than where one goes to college. (more…)
Older Posts »
