Category: Advices

To use the Cornell note taking system, divide you page into three sections as shown below:

The three areas of the note taking template are used as follows:

1. Add bullet points, brief information
2. Add more detail in the main area
3. Write a summary at the end

When in lectures make notes in sections one and two. After the lecture think about what has been learned and write a summary.

Writing the summary is good revision in itself, thinking properly about the information presented in a lecture will help you retain it. The more you think about the topics you are studying, the more familiar you become with the subject, and the more easily you will find subsequent revision.

What you should end up with at the end of this process are notes that are easily read (the bullets / brief notes in section one). Being able to quickly read / scan your notes for relevant information will greatly assist you in your revision.

If you find what you are looking for in section 1, then you have additional detail near to it in section 2.

The summary in section 3 try and summarize the essence of what has been said. Make sure you capture all the key points and try and put these in some kind of context. The idea being that you can read the summary at a later point, as a quick memory jogger. This section will be particularly useful in the later stages of revision, when you already understand the topic, and are just looking for reminders to cram with before the exam.

How to stay organized in college

Assessment of the University is, of course, is not important, but some companies carefully look at the average educational score of their potential employees. To understand how to be productive in college, we have studied the experience of graduates of leading universities and I went through a few threads on Quora. In the end, have identified the most common tips that movers give to their classmates.

Organization tips for college students

1. Define your goals and prioritize.

What you want to achieve in life? Even if you’re only determined by what you want to work after graduation, you have desires and goals (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article). Define your goals. Be ambitious and think in a big way! Make a list of goals and periodically go back to it. The list will motivate you every day to become better than yesterday, and to prioritize.

2. Cultivate interest and be curious.

In fact, even the most “useless” subject can be not so boring if you try to find in it something interesting for yourself. Comprehensive knowledge will expand your horizons and you never know where and when they will be useful (suddenly you will suddenly be able to sustain the conversation about the rare hobby of your future clients, will position it to themselves and eventually get the big project for your company).

3. Down with procrastination!

Start preparing for the exam overnight is a bad idea. Not only that, after a few days you will forget learned, you also do not sleep enough, you will feel bad and lose my concentration on the exam.

The key to successful studying is to learn daily. Break the topic into sections (it is known that we better remember information in small pieces), explore each one fully at a time. Make a timetable and strictly follow it. Master the basics of time management to properly allocate their time.

If you follow this advice, you will be surprised to find that it is much better understand the material, and on the night before the exam you will sleep and not be tossed about in a panic trying to learn the full course of calculus in a few hours.

4. Practice self-control and discipline.

Discipline and ability to work will help you not only in University but also in future career. Believe me, all successful people clearly define themselves, their actions and emotions.

Follow the schedule, exercise daily, focus on one task at a time.

Do not be distracted by social networks and the Internet (by the way, there are special applications that allow you to block access to the Network at the time you set), turn off all reminders and alarms to your mobile phone, explain to parents / friends / young man or woman that you are busy and will be free after a certain time, expel from the room of Pets and on time get rid of all distractions. As difficult as it is, remember: no pain, no gain.

5. Keep the daily schedule and be physically active.

To successfully engage and be productive, need to keep yourself in good shape and have plenty of power. To do this, (let it not seem to you new and boring!) sleep 8-9 hours a day and deal with their own body.

Get up early so you will have more time to study (in the evening we are more inclined to stay and delay for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow). In the morning you are more productive and focused (even the most convinced an owl can turn lark at the expense of discipline).

Mind body! Sport and active life organization will give you a huge amount of energy, which will quickly think and remember new information. In result, you’ll have more time for enjoyable. Besides, sport is a great way to change the type of activity.

6. Take breaks.

Have you noticed that after 20-30 minutes after the start of classes, your mind starts to wander not where you want them, and you are distracted?

In fact, man is able continuously to keep the attention on the same subject a limited amount of time, and this number is purely individual. Note the time that you are able to concentrate in class, and after take a break: grab a snack or drink of water (it is extremely useful to your body primarily for the brain), stretch your legs, walk around the room or take a break on the sport, open the window or take a walk.

Make your schedule to account for such breaks and change of activity.

By the way, a change of scenery and method of studying the subject will help you to remember better. Together with the knowledge of the brain is recording information about the environment: the place where you are doing, sounds and thumping in time to the music. Read the notes and books, listen to lectures in the player, change your posture practice sitting, standing and moving about. If you are a visual learner, spend more time with the record information, if auditory, activate the notes on the recorder, start to use audio books and listen to them.

7. Visualize and model.

To better remember things, imagine a model of a studied subject. It’s not only about charts, tables, and other methods of visual presentation but also about the mental simulation.

Ways to stay organized: create some kind of logic, mental model, where each new bit of information will logically fit into the existing system. For example, you can study physics, relying on the time axis: first, there were earlier ideas about the world, and then there was the ancient physics and then Newtonian mechanics, electricity, magnetism, the discovery of the electron, theory of relativity, quantum theory, astrophysics, etc. All confirmed or refuted previous hypotheses. This is logical, and therefore easier to remember to hold the relationship and understand. And the understanding is much more important than just memorizing information.

Another better way to memorize anything is to use associative. Develop your own system of associations for each particular subject, will help recall the necessary information, especially in a stressful situation when there is a sudden blackout in the exam.

8. Attend lectures and be active on them.

Lectures and classes are not so useless as it might seem at first glance. First, the teacher can deviate from the manuals or a textbook. Secondly, this is a live chat when you can ask questions and get feedback. Finally, the lectures will save the time you would have spent on reading textbooks (often the teacher asks questions on the material covered in the lecture).

Nurture active listening: be attentive, take notes and don’t be afraid to be the weird kid who’s always asking stupid questions. The better you understand the material in the lecture, the less time you’ll need to study it before the exam.

By the way, the lectures and the activity on them is useful because many teachers put tests and/or scores on exams for attendance and your participation. The teacher’s task is not to overwhelm you in the exam and put three on the next retake. He also did not want to waste time on it.

9. Take notes correctly.

Develop your own system for keeping notes. It can be anything, but would you feel comfortable to work with her.

One of the most convenient existing systems note-taking system the Cornell. It is to initially write an abstract in the format of flash cards:

Divide the sheet into 2 parts: the left margin, occupying about one third of sheet width, and right the rest of the page.

Keep lecture notes in the right part of the sheet necessarily making bigger margins between paragraphs on various topics.

The left side of the sheet write down all the headings, main ideas and associations – do this after the lecture, during the repetition of the material. Now close the right part of the synopsis sheet of paper and test yourself, based on abstracts from the left side.

Leave the box at the bottom for headings of sections and subsections. It will be much easier to find in the abstract the necessary information.

Before the exam ask the classmates to make the aggregator notes: assemble the best of them and form a single, which will be the most comprehensive material in a structured way. This way you not only prepare for the exam, but also will earn the respect of fellow organized student (will receive plus in a karma), sending them by notes. If a lot of material, you can distribute the work between several people and in the end combine the notes into one.

10. Help and use the help.

Create your mini-group to prepare for exams and performing homework. Let it be a group of like-minded people with the same goals. Be active in group: explain material and help others. This will help you not only to review and understand the material (as it is known, we can better understand something when we explain it to others), but also to learn to work in teams and develop leadership qualities.

11. Participate in projects and gain respect.

Be active. Participate in conferences, research, create projects, solve case studies at the Championships. This will help you to develop a portfolio, which you then present to a future employer. It will be valued above the honours degree, because it shows that you have not only knowledge but also practical experience.

Case Championships and conference will help to develop communication. Meet new people, chat, be sure to pass the production practice. Tips to organize your life will help you much faster to get a job of your dreams.

It can be one of the hardest things to do: falling asleep the night before a major assessment task. You know you need enough sleep to be able to perform at your best, but you are also worried that everyone you have studied will fall out of your head during your slumber. So you lie there, with the lights out, going over quotes, definitions, even algorithms… over and over and over again, ensuring they stay in your brain until the end of the next day. Every now and again, you might jump out of bed and frantically rummage through your notes, convinced you have memorized a definition wrong, or have left out a whole chunk of information. Eventually, if you are lucky, you will fall asleep… but it will not be a deep sleep, and you will wake up feeling as you have fought in a battle. Then you will get to school, and have mini heart attacks whenever you hear someone talking about the assessment. Stress levels will be at full bore until the teacher says those magic words; ‘pens down’. Then you will breathe for the first time in 24 hours.

Time is often a big and troublesome matter that can severely affect the healthy lifestyle of a student. Late nights and lack of sleep are unavoidable when students have many unfinished assignments that are due in the near future. There also were some cases of students when they have to stay up late; they often consume a lot of caffeine and energy drinks as well as smoking. These all contribute to the degradation of their overall well-being shortly afterwards.

Try not to stress yourself out over the exam the next day. You will lose sleep and may not end up performing as best as you can. When there is nothing left to study, what kind of things can you be doing to make sure you will be at your best on exam day? Look no further! Follow these tips to make sure you are putting yourself in the best position possible to excel!

• Do not cram – this adds loads of stress on top of wearing yourself out. Your study plan should allow you to recap what you have been studying to refresh the night before the exam.
• Sleep – get a decent night’s sleep or some rest as this will make you feel so much better and perform for the upcoming exams.
• Organize your stationary – sort what equipment you need for your exams including pens, pencils, ruler, calculators (and spare batteries), permitted books/cheat sheets or anything else required.
• Put it in your pencil case – Put all your equipment into a clear container or pencil case so that you meet the Curriculum Council requirements and can pick up everything you need to smash the exams on the day
• Confirm your exams – confirm the time and location of your exams
• Make a check-list to make sure you have everything you need to bring into the exam: e.g. pens, watch, high-lighters and water bottle
• Eat protein! – Your brain communicates with itself with the help of amino acids, of which are plentiful in protein-rich foods! Protein will also increase alertness.
• Make sure you set an alarm for the next day. Even two, if you are prone to sleeping in!
• Take time out to do something enjoyable
• Watch a movie, read a book or spend time with friends and family! You will feel more relaxed.

A compilation of scientifically proven methods to train memory, speed of thinking and to increase the plasticity of the brain.

The Cartesian “I think, therefore I exist” many centuries it was hotly debated quote. The scientists then agreed, then disagreed about the loyalty of these words. To think that such a pattern exists not only in direct but also in selling value, made a recent study. The development of the brain directly affect our classes, lifestyle, exercise. But in the hectic weekdays what about to carve out time for mind boost for yourself? Here are some effective science-based methods.

How to improve your brain

The national Institute of mental health for over thirty years explored how various activities stimulate cognitive function. It was found that people who carry out diverse tasks, create new solutions and approaches have a large number of social ties, coping very well with the cognitive tests. The results of the specialists whose activity is connected with the monotonous routine, is much lower.

Anyone can set itself a fundamentally new task. It doesn’t have to be complicated, the main thing unusual for him.

For example, you can do the Assembly of large jigsaw puzzles, embroidery or solution of physics problems of the school course.

So, in Hamburg was carried out an interesting experiment. A group of young people started to practice juggling, and a few days have all been found to increase the proportion of gray matter. But after a while after they threw a new hobby, everyone returned to their seats. Therefore, an important continuity: each time discover something new and to constantly stimulate the brain.

Until recently it was believed that brain cells do not regenerate. It is also thought that each area of the brain responsible for specific area tasks. Now the statement about the cells burst, and the lines of responsibility are blurred. The reason for this was the writings of French neurosurgeon Fields Brock. His research showed that the brain is very plastic and is able to create new neural pathways.

On the background of this statement was supplied by numerous experiments. For example, in California the monkeys were required to perform actions with one finger. Then the shots before and after class there was an increase in neural connections.

It was also found that if you have dyslexia (specific reading disorder) you can boost your brain and skills after a long training in sound recognition. Responsible for this ability on the part of the brain became more and more active.

What is brain health?

It is also important that the human brain is able to transfer skills from the “outside” area in the “working”. Such result is achieved by a people who after a stroke lost the health part of this body, but continuously trained him. This is the birth of neural connections neurogenesis.

About alertness of the people, who all his life engaged in scientific activity, needless to say. Therefore, the conclusion suggests itself: neurons, like muscles, need constant exercise.

There is a reason to kill two birds with one stone: to learn not only to increase neural connections, but also direct benefits for life. You can take a course “Development of a phenomenal memory.” Exercises for development of memory and useful as exercise, and gain the necessary skill. You can start easy to remember mobile numbers, large amounts of information and fast learning of foreign words.

Neuroscientists have proved that while playing a musical instrument the human brain “lights” portions of it are activated and are in continuous operation for a long time.

Interestingly, scientists from Kansas revealed: IQ professional musicians is not reduced even in old age.

Ways to strengthen your brain

It is no coincidence that parents often send their children to study at a music school. Students who know how to play the violin, show the best results in training than other their peers.

If the soul is and have time to spare, why not give his music? To take up classical guitar or start playing the ukulele in the network there are many tutorials for kids and adults to help you easily and quickly master musical instruments.

A physiologist from Harvard, Richard Joll found that even with a proper diet rare the consumption of fast carbs accelerates the memorization of complex information and stimulate the mind. However, there is a way to think better without harm for health. It is about the right of hunger strike.

The researcher Sandrine found that when reducing daily calorie intake by 30% there is an increase of neural connections.

Also, it contributes to increase intervals between meals. This experiment does not require additional time and money, but to approach change in your diet should be very carefully.

There is a curious method, tested by students of the Department of theoretical physics, which for two months were notes in a special way.

The method is useful not only because it causes the intellectual potential to be in continuous work: reading, memorizing, reproduction, structure. The fact that the nerve endings on the fingers affect mnemonic abilities. Working with a pencil or pen, people will inevitably train them.

As said Albert Camus, a philosopher moves forward, only if he does not hurry with conclusions, even if they seem obvious to him. Don’t be afraid to try all the techniques, even if you think that they don’t work for you.

Just imagine, what would life be like if you did not leave doing your work until the last minute? If you started doing assignments on the day, did you receive them?

What would it feel like to be someone who got their assignments done days before they were due to be handed in?

Research tells us that students that get on with their work and do not procrastinate are less stressed, healthier and feel more in control of your studies than others feel. You could be one of these students – an action taker.

Being procrastinated is one of the biggest problems that a student needs to overcome if he wants good results or success in the future career.

Why does procrastination happen?

Studies have shown that we procrastinate when we are under stress or afraid. Our brain tries to convince us to avoid the task as a way to provide some immediate stress relief. So procrastination is not simply the act of being lazy or feeling unmotivated. These are just coping mechanisms for feelings of stress and fear. We should be asking ourselves, “What are we stressed about?” This is the first step in learning how to beat procrastination and increase focus.

Here is the worst part about procrastination — once we start the procrastination cycle, it is very hard to shake it off. When we put things off because we are not in the right mood, we set ourselves up to get nervous when too much time has passed and we have to race against the clock. In the end, we beat ourselves up and feel guilty, because at this stage, we are overwhelmed with stress and disbelief at how we let ourselves get here.

Strategies to overcome procrastination

After we learned the most common reasons why we procrastinate, it is time to tackle that problem.

Get rid of the distractions

As I mentioned above, having distractions close to you is one of the main problems for procrastinating. So change your environment and stay away from distractions. For example, you shouldn’t study or work near the TV. If your task requires reading, put your laptop away as well.

Break your task into manageable pieces

If what you have to do seem too big to finish easily and early, you should break it into smaller manageable pieces. Think about a 5000-word essay that you need to finish writing in the next few weeks. In order to prevent you from procrastinated while on this task; divide it into smaller actionable goals. These steps can include choosing a topic, reading materials, planning the structure, write smaller paragraphs and proof reading.

Make a list of good things that happen if you stop procrastinating

It is important to know what will happen when you procrastinate or stop doing so. Think about good things that happen to you when you stop procrastinating. And also imagine the bad things as well. Like if you procrastinate, you will leave your essay until the last minute, and then you will rush to do it and end up having a bad grade.

Plan your time wisely

Time management skills are the skills that you need to enhance and improve if procrastination is your big problem. You should plan around your schedule weekly and by term as well. Write your schedule down onto a diary and take note of the time to start working. Write down deadlines on sticky notes and put them all over the places where you have to see them every day.

Be persistent and patient

You need to make a huge effort to develop the good habit of dealing with things as soon as possible instead of postponement.

So in order to stop procrastinating and be more focused on your studying, you should avoid distractions and create yourself a good working or studying environment. Break your task into smaller pieces and make a list of good things that will happen when you stop procrastinate are two of the things you should do as well. We hope with all of the information above, you would be able to start working and get things done without any waste of time at all.

Setting up a study timetable helps you manage your time, visualize any exams/study you have coming up, and priorities your time for the subjects that you need to work on more than others.

Manage Your Time Effectively

Many people suffer from procrastination. Procrastination is when you keep putting a task aside for later and it never is done. The most important tool for dealing with this is a daily/weekly study schedule that is designed to suit your individual needs. Set it out in a tabular format showing each day of the week.

Firstly, ensure that you have enough leisure activities (i.e. time with friends, family time and study breaks). Remember that you must unwind. Only take what you need. Secondly, the more detailed you make the schedule, the better chance you have of sticking to it. Try to include the topic you plan to revise or the past paper you plan to do in a particular time slot.

We have listed some tips to help you prepare your study timetable:

1. 45-minute sessions are the most effective – take a 10-minute break every 45 minutes to refresh. Try taking a walk outside to get some fresh air too.
2. Study is best done when most mentally alert – that is the first thing in the morning or at night depending on when you focus the most (morning or night person)
3. Spend more time on the difficult subjects that you do not like as much – you do not need as much time spent on areas you are already good at and enjoy. Spend a bit more time understanding subjects you find more difficult; it will be worth it in the end.
4. Keep a balance – include time to socialize, exercise and work you do not overload yourself with study and burn out.
5. Put it somewhere you can easily see it – Pinned to a board behind your desk, wardrobe door or the back of your bedroom door. In addition, do not be afraid to get creative!

Set Time Wisely and Be Realistic

When you plan out all of the activities that you do for a week or a day, it is important that you think about how long you are going to spend on doing a certain activity.

You should also be realistic of how much time you should spend on your daily activities. For example, if you aim for a good grade, you should not cut down on the time you spend on studying although you might think you are a smart and quick learner. In addition, although the number of hours you spend on sleeping might be quite a lot, you should not cut down on it either. If you do not have enough sleep, you would not be able to feel alert and concentrated. You will also be physically exhausted as well, which will affect the productivity and quality of other activities that you take part in.

It is worth noting that when sometimes, things might take longer that you would expect. For example, the time you spend on taking a bath is not just about how long you are in the bathroom. You should also count the time you spend on collecting your clothes, drying your hair and taking care of your body afterwards.

When you are able to allocate the amount of time you spend on each task, you will not overspend time on one task and run short of time on another.

Making lists

Do not be afraid to recreate your lists over and over again. So if your list of five is not working for you or is looking a bit scrappy, create a new one!

Once you have made your list you need to take action. The act of making the list will make you feel on top of everything but this can be a trap.

Have you ever made a plan and then thought, “I’ve done enough for today. I’ll get started on this plan tomorrow”? If you have this thought after making a plan, alarm bells should be going off. You are about to procrastinate!

Remember, even with your list of five (or list of one), nothing will actually be done unless you take action.

It is well known that having good time management skills is very hard to acquire. However, with your strong determination as well as knowledge on proper techniques and tips about time management I provide here, you would be able to control your time effectively, achieving the best results you could possibly get with your studying and having a great social life while you are at university.

When you can control your time well in college, you will soon find out how useful and valuable this skill is for you once you go out and face the fast-moving working world.

They always say that your student days are the most beautiful days of your life. The fact whether they are beautiful or not varies greatly, but there are indeed ways to make your student life memorable.

Following are the most effective ways to make the most of your university experience.

Set yourself some goals

While this probably isn’t the most fun you will have as a student, what better way to get motivated before classes start than by making a few (realistic) goals? It might be as simple as vowing to improve on your results from the previous semester or to try every eatery on campus with your friends. If you do not have specific goals in mind, start with the basics. Being on time to class and taking note of exam and assignment due dates are both great examples.

Be Open-Minded

A college is a place where cultures, ideologies, and lifestyles clash – that is why serious misunderstandings are bound to happen. The best you can do is assuming that all people, actions, and words are well intentioned, even if they come off like that. That will simplify the problems a lot.

Make Friends As Soon As Possible

Stepping into college or university, everyone is starting his or her life over. People want to meet new people and make friends, so your greetings will be much appreciated. Put up with your shyness and go introduce yourself to people around, like in your neighborhood, in the class. Do this for the first few days or weeks – after the first month has passed, things will get a bit harder.

If you feel comfortable with it, leave your room door open or stay in the joint areas if you are staying in an on-campus accommodation. Accept invitations, and invite people to go with you around (to the library, bookshop, etc.). If you are waiting for a chance, it is very likely that others are waiting, too. Make it happen by taking the initiative.

Choose subjects that interest you

The beauty of post-school education is that you choose what you study and have a say in the types of subjects you take (depending on your course structure, of course). The best tip is to choose subjects that interest you and to avoid making your choices based on your other circumstances (your desire for a bludge subject or a Monday morning sleep-in, for instance). Look for subjects that challenge you or allow you to further develop an area of interest, and do not be afraid to explore those outside of your immediate faculty. Why not take on a philosophy elective as part of a science course, a music class to break up your law degree or add a language elective to a business degree?

Avoid doing the bare minimum

Being a student is not just about showing up to compulsory classes or making an appearance in tutorials every couple of weeks. Try to attend all your classes (no matter how early in the morning they are scheduled), keep up with the workload (including course readings before each class) and do not leave assignments or exam study until the very last day. If you need to miss a class or don’t think you can meet an assessment deadline, it’s best to have chat to your lecturer or tutor so that they can provide assistance, but remember to do this ahead of time, not within hours of a due date or compulsory class.

Get Involved in Activities

Do you know what the number one regret of graduates is? That is not getting involved on campus at all. Do it while you can. It is too easy to forget to get involved in recreation activities when you go to university. There’s so much studying to do and so many credits you need to get, but these college experiences are just as important to keep you function properly. They will help you have a rest from constant schoolwork, calming the mind, and is an excellent way to enlarge your circle.

Learn to Take Care of Your Finance

Now that you are an adult, budgeting, saving and balancing are things you must do in college. Here are some small, yet important tips to make your money a tool for you (and avoid you being your money’s slave)

Guess low for income and guess high for expenses: as students often do just the opposite of this, they end up struggling when the month has yet to pass for being overly optimistic.

List monthly savings as an expense: decide on the amount you would like to save for each month (most favorably, 10% of your income), and let that be a fixed expense in your budget.

Fight impulses with disciplines: As you go further in life, you will find out that motivation and inspiration are not actually as important as discipline. A little bit of overspend each day will accumulate into a significant amount, that’s why you should acknowledge any surplus and get back on your track as soon as possible.

Travel a lot

As a student, you are eligible for many discounts on rentals, hotels and travelling tickets to various destinations. One thing that students do to enjoy college life is going on road trips, where you get your friends and pool the resources together, renting a van and set on to a destination.

People tend to have many regrets, thinking that they are somehow missing on life. By taking measures to make your student life memorable, you can save yourself from these bad feelings later in life, while enjoying yourself to the fullest. Have fun, stay safe.

Consider a study abroad or student exchange program

What better time to experience the world than as a carefree student? Most institutions offer students the opportunity to study overseas for part of their course. Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes, from short study tours as part of a subject to a full semester or year completed abroad. Overseas study gives you the opportunity to travel, experience a different way of life and make new friends from all around the world. If you choose to study in a non-English-speaking country, you can also expand your language skills. Of course, there is also the opportunity to add life experience to your resume, something that many employers value from graduates straight out of uni. See Study abroad and student exchange for more information.

Want to tell a teacher that will not come? Sending email to professor! However, that business correspondence is not turned into an epistolary novel, it is necessary to know simple rules.

How to email professor about research

Red tape at universities in Germany today can be solved with the help of the Internet. One after the other German universities launching their own online platforms, where students can find schedules, lecture materials and share with classmates the thoughts about homework.

And questions favorite (and sometimes not) teachers students ask a professor by email.

Correspondence, though not as formalized as paper, but certain rules still comply. To denote norms of behavior on the Internet is even a special word coined: “netice” (“Netikette”, or network etiquette).

How to write an email to a professor asking a question

Student forums were clogged with questions: “How correctly to write: “Mr. Schmidt” or “Professor Doctor Schmidt”?”, “Do you think you will not be offended if the teacher “Hello”?”. “And my Professor wrote to me “hi, K.” and signed “P.”, – says student of German, who is now studying at University in the UK. – In Germany, teachers would get an aneurysm!”. Jokes-jokes, but the truth is, in the ironic words of a student there.

Some staff of German universities, tired of familiarity on the part of students, refuse to answer letters without befitting their status of treatment. So, Professor of law, University of Giessen, Professor Martin Gutzeit clearly indicated on their page on the University’s website: “Please note that emails starting with “Hi”, “Hallo”, will remain unanswered.”

Know your professor

“I’m always afraid to cross the boundary between “dry” letter and love message. The more we have, the critics, the specificity is quite informal communication: all “you” call each other (“dear”, “honey”). Not sure I can handle as to the Professor” – shares his doubts about Mary from the University of Augsburg. The girl is right: linguists believe that the style of communication between students and teachers varies from faculty to faculty. And that is considered quite normal in the Humanities, may not understand mathematics students.

Lecturer in German studies at the University of Bonn, Jan Seifert devoted an entire study to the analysis of student messages. The bad professor closely examined nearly 600 emails. “Communication mistakes in the emails of students was less than expected. But there are mistakes, and sometimes very impressive,” he says and read your favorite example.

“Good Evening. You have received a message from my friend that today my train broke down? Because of this jalopy I found myself in the woods. I hope you for me today, not really bored 😉 if you want I’ll do help. Although in reality I was not sick. Greetings.” It is a real message that the student made all imaginable mistakes. Speaking design alternate with wrong punctuation and typographical errors are combined with inappropriate “smiley”.

The list of common mistakes in student letters lead to improper forms of greeting and farewell. In addition, often in the same letter, the young people mix official style with vernacular words. Foreigners, says Seifert, is usually written quite politely and use adequate language. “The only unusual structure, which I noticed in the letters of the students, the phrase before the signature “Your response is very important to me.” I can’t understand is the “blueprint” of, or your textbooks, is that an option?” – he is perplexed.

The Golden rule of Internet communication is the measure of all: neutral handling, the short phrase “in the case of” no slang and overly stilted phrases.

The adjective “dear” sounds solid, emphasizes the distance between teacher and student and great for first letter. When student and teacher have developed friendly relations, you can navigate to the address “dear, dear”. The expressions “good morning”, “good afternoon” and “good evening” better watch out. It is unknown when the recipient prefers email. Wish a nice evening for Breakfast can be quite inappropriate.

Man in bed with laptop

Telling the teacher about the disease, you should not indulge in the “disgusting” details of your well-being.

Another difficulty with academic degrees and titles. While “doctor” is abbreviated to Dr., “Professor” are usually written completely. If the teacher a few scientists and academic titles, use the title of the highest academic degrees. “Often, students forget to write the words “Herr” and “Frau” in front of a degree, says Jan Seifert. – By the way, if the first letter of the title are specified, the following could be omitted”.

How to deal with a professor who hates you

“The day I receive about two dozen emails from students, says a teacher of linguistics from Ruhr University Bochum Kleppin Karin. Mostly students ask questions about exams, homework, presentations, asking them to recommend additional literature”. Unlike some colleagues, she was not offended by “hi” in the beginning of the message and smiles when he sees six exclamation marks after the word “question” in the subject from students from China.

“There are a lot of books on netiquette, but even in them there are errors and inconsistencies. So, now you know how to talk to professors and we must learn to correctly assess the situation and the relationship with the teacher,” says Jan Seifert. And the main thing – to send the letter only in really necessary cases. The theme of the course work, it is desirable to discuss in a personal meeting, and in the details of his night with diarrhea of associate Professor is better not to dedicate. Don’t be surprised the following message to the Professor of German, too, had to read!