Category: Advices

Speech recognition software is designed to take the words you say and convert them to text on a page. You can literally speak into a microphone and see your words type their way to life. If you are a slow typist or simply someone looking to speed up your writing abilities, this could be the solution you are looking for. A lot of college students use programs like Dragon Naturally Speaking to help themselves write essays, take notes, and get through their day to day work. Here are some ways that speech recognition software may be able to help you out.

How Speech Recognition Works

Speech recognition software works by picking up on the words or phrases that you say and converting them into recognized words on a page. Some software programs understand more than others, depending on how they work. The ideal programs will transcribe full sentences, rather than individual words. That way you get “The robotic dog stepped in ice cream,” instead of “The robot ick dog stepped in I scream.” No system is perfect, but most of them will customize themselves over time to suit your voice and vocabulary. This will make the program as effective as possible.

How to Use Speech Recognition Effectively

In order to use a program like this correctly, you need to enunciate your words. If you start sounding like Lil’ Wayne when you talk into the mic, it may not pick up on all the words coming out of your mouth. Have you ever had trouble understanding someone in a drive thru window because he was slurring his words together? The same effect will happen with the software if you don’t break down your words.

Learn to speak out the punctuation marks because most programs will not automatically put them in there. “I love music (comma) and I also love football (period)” this takes a bit of time to get used to, but then you will find yourself actually speaking like that to normal people. I did that for a while, and my husband got so annoyed when I slipped up with it. If you can shut that part of your mind down while you’re in the real world, that would be ideal.

Take some time to explore a program like this, even if you just look at a free trial. It can’t hurt to see if it would speed up your time in school. Play around with the software until you get into a rhythm, and I think you’ll be surprised by just how easy it is to use.

Almost as soon as I started University I started downloading past student projects / dissertations in areas that interested me.

I found two projects / dissertations in particular that were relevant to my area of interest, one of which really stood out as a quality piece of work.

I was able to find out from one of the lecturers that this project had achieved a mark above 80%. I required 70% for a first class degree, and so set myself a target of 80% to give myself some leeway.

This gave me a clear guide as to the standard I needed to achieve with my own degree work.

I periodically went back to this project to benchmark my own university work against it.

When I was writing my dissertation at university I really analyzed this document to see what I could learn from this students approach, structure, presentation, language and content.

In some areas I could not compete with the quality of this work, but in others I was able to surpass it.

By the time I handed in my dissertation I knew it was close to the standard of the other report in terms of quality and fully expected it to achieve a similar mark.

The final mark for my dissertation was 84%.

Past dissertations are an essential resource in understanding standards required at university, and benchmarking your own degree work.

You may not be able to find a good dissertation relevant to your university degree, in which case look for high scoring dissertations in other subjects. Remember, you are using this document to benchmark your own work, the content / subject is of less importance than the standard.

Sometimes you have to do a little ass kissing to get the grade you want in a class. I hate to admit that, but it is the truth. If a professor doesn’t like you from the start, he or she is going to nitpick at your work until you get a bad grade. You need to suck up enough to prevent that from happening. I’m not saying that you have to be a teacher’s pet to get an A in class, but you should make an effort to connect with the professor if you want to have the best chance of getting a good grade.

Here are some tips to help you suck up to your professor without being too corny or obvious. The right technique can help you get a good grade every time.

Turn in Your Homework Early

I know the concept of turning your homework in early is practically unheard of in the procrastinating world that we live in, but it could help you secure a good grade in class. I am the biggest procrastinator of them all, but I found that professors gave me a bigger break when I turned in my work first because they reviewed my assignments before they figured out how shitty the grading process is. I’m serious! I got to catch them when their minds were fresh and their hearts were forgiving. If you do the same, you will have a much better chance of doing well in your college courses.

Ask Valid Questions

If you present valid questions to the professor, he or she will see that you are paying attention in class. That will go a lot further than you may think. All instructors want to see is that they are making a difference in the lives of others. If you are actually comprehending information enough to question it, your professor is going to respect you for the intellectual that you really are. Don’t ask something that is blatantly outlined in the book or the syllabus, but don’t be afraid to ask something important as well. With the right questions at the right times, you are sure to get on your professor’s good side.

Participate in Class Discussions

I realize that class discussions aren’t very frequent in web-based courses, but they do happen every now and then. Some professors actually require class discussions and grade students based on their participation in them. If you can weave yourself into the discussion process, your professor will have more opportunities to see just how smart you really are. You can use that to your advantage and hopefully milk a good grade out of it. It only takes an extra five or ten minutes to make a few comments on a discussion post, so you don’t need to spend a lot of time trying to make a good impression. You just have to vocalize a little more than you do right now.

Subtle Compliments

If you compliment your professor too much, he or she is going to know that you’re just trying to suck up. If you do this subtly though, you will be able to sweet talk him or her enough to get a good grade. Just send your professor an email saying that you have enjoyed the class thus far and that you appreciate the work he or she does. You don’t have to ramble about the professor being smarter than Stephen Hawking or better looking than Stephen Tyler. You just have to make him or her feel special. If you can do that successfully, your sucking up will work in your favor every time.

One of the biggest sources of stress for students applying to college is trying to get into the top schools. Some students convince themselves they will never get accepted in the best business schools, including Ivy League universities like Harvard. While the admission process to get into these schools is definitely tougher than some other schools, it’s not impossible to get in to the best business colleges. By understanding the admissions process, you’ll have a better chance of getting into an elite business school. The following are some tips to take into consideration when applying.

Know exactly what the school is looking for: Stop and think about what truly makes the business school so successful. Consider what the school’s alumni have gone on to achieve in order to determine what the school expects from its students.

Market yourself: Don’t just focus on individual aspects of your history as a student, like how high your GPA was. You need to think about your application to a good business school as a marketing ploy to help you attract the attention of the admissions department. Show off your academic background as well as your career goals and previous experience in business or other extracurricular activities.

Don’t assume grades are the only important thing: Don’t assume that the best schools for business only accept students with the strongest academic backgrounds. While many accepted students do have excellent grades, that’s not the only thing admissions officers look at. Emphasize any extracurricular activities you were involved in or volunteer work you completed.

Do research: Many schools publish data about what their current students are like, including what their test scores have been. Looking up this information will also help you determine what the school is looking for and figure out what you should work harder on before applying to the school.

Know what you want in a career: Determining your business career goals and pinpointing what you would like to get out of your future career is a good way to figure out not only what you want to work towards during your time in school, but could also convince the school you’re applying to that you’d be a motivated student. Do make sure that your goals are realistic though.

Obtain good letters of recommendation: Don’t just ask the first person you see to write a recommendation later for you. Find a qualified teacher who will say positive things about you while also tailoring the comments towards the business school you’re applying to and what you plan to study there.

Prepare for your interview: If the school you’ve applied to requests an interview, you’ve definitely made a good impression with your application. Don’t assume you’re already in though – make sure you prepare for your interview and make an excellent impression in person too. Be professional but let your personality shine through too.

Organization skills are undermined at times because of the way that it is linked to responsibility and “work.” I will tell you a secret that not many people realize and put into practice when it comes to getting the things that they want. As a student you are on a path as are many others because you have some sort of a plan. If you are unsure of your plan, then know that you will find it when you realize who you are as an individual.

Take a closer look at what you as a student and look at the route that you will have to take to get there. This is called using your organizational skills. There are different ways to embrace these and put them into effect, but when you can do so whole heartedly then you will find that you can get exactly what you want in life. Organizing your life means that you are taking small baby steps towards the direction in where you want to be.

Taking small baby steps means that you are planning ahead and saving money. This means that you are gaining connections in the field that you are thinking of majoring in. That means going to bed on time so that you can wake up on time, get a cup of coffee and have enough time to go over your study material before a test. Organization skills can only work if you have self-discipline and the drive to use your discipline so that you can further yourself as an individual and as a student.

That is the problem that most people make when they experience a failure. Although, there is nothing wrong with failure it is the result of being unorganized and not thinking things through completely before taking a step in a new direction. I have experienced that when you are organized with your time then things will begin to move towards your direction in a positive light. Organization skills are important to embrace because they will determine whether or not you are going to succeed in life.

The first thing that you should do is look at where you want to be. There isn’t a problem with getting there, there is only a situation. This can be solved if you do your research and find a way. Yes, where there’s a will there’s a way. We can’t all afford to go to college but there are student loans that can be given to us and we can pay it back after we have received our major and our degree.

We have the gift of financial relief so that we can further ourselves in life, but it is then our duty and responsibility to pay that loan back. It’s going to take organization, hard work and effort but that is achievable if you put it out and push through the stress. As you can see, self-discipline is linked to everything, and that will take an internal strength that only you can put forth for the reward that you are in search of.

Taking any examination is always a time of stress and worry. What if you can’t answer any of the questions? What if you ‘freeze’ on the day? What if everyone else looks like they know all the answers and you can not think of a single one?

There are several tips to being prepared for the all important GMAT examination.

• Practice – Take some problems from past papers and practise these until you can do each one confidently. Pick the easier questions first and complete them thoroughly – no skimming over just because you think they are easy.
• Work on your weaknesses regularly – If you have a particular area that you know that you are not confident in, work on that first each day. Practice every day until your weakness becomes a strength.
• Take some practice tests – This will give you confidence so that when the actual test day arrives, you know that you can do it – you have done it before right?
• Don’t panic – As you approach the exam day it is no good just trying to cram information, it is just as important to continue to work on your strengths so that you are super confident that you will be able to answer the questions that are put before you.
• Learn topics thoroughly – Regularly take a few problems from each topic that you know will be tested in the GMAT exam and learn how to do these thoroughly.
• Plan your study – Studies have shown that the amount of time spent doing properly planned study directly influences the results attained.

For anyone who suffers from exam stress there are ways to help combat those debilitating feelings.

When you walk into the exam room, know that you can do it. As Henry Ford once said, “if you think you can or you think you can’t – you are right” So always tell yourself that you can pass this test and believe it. Positive attitude triumphs over negative attitude every time.

Practice deep breathing. Take some time to practise deep breathing techniques; it can help to calm your mind in times of stress. If you sit down in the exam room and you find yourself panicking, take a few minutes to breath away the stress before you begin, you will amazed at how much this can help focus your mind to the task in hand.

So, you should have no problem at all passing the GMAT examination. Good Luck!

You can always try to purchase used books to save money. The textbooks can be outrageous. If your college already costs a lot you probably need to save all the money you possibly can. Shop around at online bookstores to look for previously used books.

There are many distractions when you are in college, but you must focus on your education as well. Promise yourself that you will study hour each and every day. Even if you think you don’t need to study, use the time to review or get ahead. It gets you in the behavior into a habit.

Textbooks are not cheap and can cost you a fortune if you’re buying them brand new. You will save a lot of money.

Don’t think that being cool in high school reputation. Most of the people you come in contact with will not be impressed by your accolades from high school.

Don’t spend your money on coffee every day. While not very convenient, you will save a lot of money in the process. You can even purchase a nice coffee maker for a good price if you just look.

Choose electives that are very different from across the board. The first year makes the perfect time to try new things and challenge yourself.

Don’t take too many hard classes in any given semester. Mix your classes with a few easier ones.

If you have to take a test, read through all of your notes one last time before bed. This can actually help you to process this information while you sleep. Your brain makes connections as it sleeps making the information far more elegantly than you could do during your waking hours.

If you can’t settle on a major in your first year, start each of the beginning classes in those majors. You will find out more about each as you can get a feel of them.

Think about trying a community college. Community colleges are often a less expensive option for completing your core classes. You can then transfer to the university after you finish the transfer units. This is something to think about if you can’t afford a four-year school’s tuition costs are too high for you to afford.

College Students

Don’t give up on a school until you complete a few short weeks or months. Many college students feel homesick, first year college students start missing their family and their home.

Pack only the essentials to reduce clutter in a dorm. Dorm rooms are small and can fill with clutter very quickly. Write out a basic list of what you need and then shop strictly within it. Look for storage that saves you space and compact designs.

You ought to enjoy college life. The information you gain will affect your career, your personality and your experience and friendships. Using this advice can ensure you get the most from your college experience.