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Do you really have to read every book from cover to cover? Here are some tips on how to take the best from each text and essential things to remember when taking notes.

You have been given your reading list for a lecture series or seminar course and you may be wondering how it is possible to read so much in such a short time. Don’t worry, there is a method to reading academic texts and articles and a set of skills that will help you make the best of your reading and learn what you need for your course. The one thing you should not attempt is to sit down and read every word of each book and then make notes afterwards. I have read many exciting academic books but if you read a text in this manner that is so packed with detail and which probably contains quite a bit of vocabulary, terminology, and ideas that are new to you then you will not absorb much and the notes you make afterwards will hardly be ordered in a manner that facilitates understanding and remembering. That is in fact a passive reading habit. Far more effective is an active and directed reading that begins with questions and interacts with the text.

While your parents and teachers would like you to think that going away to university is all about bettering yourself and studying hard, we all know that there is so much more to it than that. We’re not just talking the social aspects (though they are, of course, vital!) but also this is the time where you really mature and become yourself.

The combination of freedom from your parents, freedom in your budget and all the new people to meet and things to try means that this can be the most defining moment in your life – and that’s no exaduration.

Life-long friendships are forged, partners may be met, new foods, hobbies, music, nationalities and so on can all be experienced, allowing you to come out the other side with a far better idea of who you are and what you like.

The way you also need to maintain balance between your work and pleasure, and the way you need to budget your money all encourage you to grow up, learn a vitally important set of life lessons and really discover who you are, what you like and what motivates you.

In fact, based on my own time at university, I would say it is this aspect more than the actual certificate you leave with which is so important and helps to set graduates apart from people who haven’t been to uni.

I hope that the following 5 tips can therefore help you achieve all of the above and enjoy your university years to the very maximum possible:

1) Freshers Week

Freshers week is unfortunately synonymous with pranks, dares and copious amounts of alcohol and while I’m not saying avoid this aspect altogether, appreciate that there is far more to freshers week than just this.

This first week or two is an opportunity to learn your surroundings, for exploring and find the location of your local dentist, doctor, laundromat, and supermarket and so on so you know where to go for what.

Get to know your housemates – sober as well as drunk – so you can feel confident and comfortable where you are going to be living for the next year.

Also, this is the time when many of the extracurricular activities start up so if there is a sport or pastime you are interested in, hunt them down and find out a little more. Whether it’s soccer or debating, don’t limit yourself to things you already have experience in – use it as an opportunity to learn and experience new things. If you don’t like them, drop them. But you’ll never know for sure until you’ve tried them, and the worst case scenario is that you simply make some new friends.

And nobody can have too many friends.

2) Be Confident

When I started university I wasn’t the most confident of people. I was fine with people I knew but with new people – particularly those in a group – the idea of speaking to them filled me with dread.

Eventually I decided that wasn’t going to do me any good so I started to swallow my pride, hide my insecurities and started approaching people.

What surprised me was that almost without exception not only were people really friendly and welcomign towards me (meaning I had been scared of nothing!) but they later admitted they were grateful that I made the first move.

So be confident. If I had a class and didn’t know anybody in it, I developed the habit of just walking up to someone and striking up a conversation. Normally the next lesson was much easier and within a week or two we were best of friends.

So have the guts to go out and approach people. You’ll be glad you did. And remember, each of these people also has friends, so it actually works exponentially. For every person you introduce yourself to, you meet a whole crowd of others.

3) Be a Yes Person

To really get the most out of university you need to get into the habit of saying yes to any opportunity that arises (within reason).

Stop worrying, being scared or being boring. If someone asks if you want to go somewhere or do something, so long as you’re not genuinely risking your own personal safety then say yes! I have had some wonderful experiences after agreeing to the strangest and most random things you’ve ever heard 🙂

4) Work Comes First

Boring! I know what you’re thinking. But you are here to get a qualification first. If you fail, you will have both the university and your parents on your back, so put your work first.

That doesn’t mean you have to be a boring individual – quite the reverse in fact. You can get your work done early and then forget about it. While everyone else is pulling an all-nighter trying to get an essay finished, you did yours weeks ago and are instead having an evening out.

I soon discovered also that people who do this tend to impress the lecturers. I managed to get a variety of work checked in advance by approaching the lecturer some time before the work was due for some constructive criticism and so came out better from it because I had a better idea of what the lecturers were actually looking for in our work.

5) Learning Doesn’t Just Happen In the Lecture Hall

Everywhere you turn there is a new learning opportunity – and never is this truer than at university. You will have vast swathes of books available to you, museums, some of the greatest minds in our country, exhibitions, people with different interests, and people from different countries who may speak other languages or eat foods not familiar with you.

Use each of these as a learning experience to broaden your knowledge and understanding of the world. You have plenty of spare time as a student so make the most of this to experience as much as possible of what life has to offer.

Continuing on our previous money-saving article…

Minimize Utility Use

It may be that your utilities (gas, water, electricity etc.) are already included in the rent of your student accommodation – in which case great. However it is just as likely that you will be expected to pay for these separately so don’t forget about them or underestimate how much they can cost you.

Whilst it can be boring and hippy-like, do all the things that you’ve heard about from the environmental charities. Switch off your lights when you’re not in a room. Don’t leave the TV on standby. Consider putting on a jumper rather than turning on the heating. Take a shower rather than a bath. And so on.

Whilst it may not be exciting, these tips can not only help the environment but also save you potentially hundreds of dollars each year in bills.

Move In With Friends

Most students start off in halls of residence, which are ideal. Cheap, safe and a great opportunity to get to know people. However in the second year many students then move into private accommodation and if you are doing such a thing then try to get somewhere with friends. Not only does it make life easier because you are able to share the responsibilities and upkeep of the property with others, but in addition the per-head costs are generally considerably lower.

For example, a 2 bedroom apartment is usually nowhere near twice the cost of a 1 bedroom apartment and the same thing happens as you scale up even more. I have seen houses with 8 students living in them who were paying roughly a quarter of what they would have if renting alone.

So never under estimate the power of friends.

Learn Cheap Student Recipes

Food is, of course, an additional consideration and the costs of premade meals can be incredibly expensive. Don’t rely on microwave dinners and so on, or risk your health by simply living on jelly sandwiches, but instead learn some basic student recipes.

With basic ingredients such as tinned vegetables, meatballs, ham and so on that will all keep for long periods of time (no wasted food when it starts to go off) you can create a range of nutritious, tasty and very reasonably-priced meals.

There are a range of books on the subject of student cooking and we are also hoping to be able to bring you a number of recipes over the forthcoming months.

Buy Your Stationary in The Summer

It seems that many of the bigger stationers have sales in the summer to coax parents into buying all the equipment that their school-age children need during the summer vacations.

Use this to your advantage and stock up on folders, pens and the like while they are cheap in the summer rather than waiting until fall when they will all have gone up in price ready to make as much money as possible off people like you.

Buying in bulk also applies here – consider buying large packs of pens, for example, that are forever getting “borrowed”, lost or wearing out – you’ll be surprised how many you get through!

Think Second Hand

Whenever you need something – whatever it might be – consider whether you might be able to get it second hand. Books, for example, are often only used for a single year and then never used again for the rest of your time at university so some bookstores offer to buy the books back and sell them to others. Doping this can save you considerably money over buying them brand new.

But this doesn’t just apply to books – look in newspapers, local stores and campus notice boards for second hand furniture, trainers, sports equipment, kitchen items and so on. Often the little extra time it takes to find these items second hand is well worth the money you save in doing so.

Refill Ink Cartridges

If you print out your own work from your printer rather than using the university facilities, consider having your ink cartridges refilled rather than buying new ones which can save you considerable time and money.

Quit Smoking

I know, you don’t smoke. I’m not your parent so let’s be honest – an awful lot of students make – it comes with the territory. But you’ll also be amazed at how much money you can save by giving up.

And it’s good for your health as well as your wallet of course – so consider quitting the weed before uni and you’ll save thousands over the course of your degree.

For many of us, money becomes a major preoccupation while at university. Not only do you suddenly have rent to pay for the first time but unless you are lucky enough to have some very generous parents, you are also responsible for paying for everything else.

Let’s examine ten tried and tested money saving tips for students to help you make your money go further than expected.

Sort Out Your Credit

As a student, it’s almost inevitable that from time to time you will go into the red. In fact, if you’re like some of my uni buddies, you might actually *live* in the red while a university so it’s well worth getting lines of credit sorted out before you go.

While you’re still working and your credit is reasonably healthy look into the bank accounts that are available to you to see what sort of an overdraft you can get, and for what cost. Ideally you will get a substantial overdraft with no fees up to a certain point.

Also look at student credit cards and loans to help you through. Some student loans don’t need to be repaid until well after you finish your course and credit cards can be a useful (if expensive) way to cover short-term issues.

When I was at university, for example, I used my credit card extensively during the term, clocking up thousands of dollars of debt, then worked my fingers to the bone each summer paying it off. It worked and I managed to survive university using that simple process.

I recommend that even if you think you will be fine, have done all your budgeting and have money saved up that you *still* sign up for these various facilities even if you never actually use them because they can be very handy to have pre-approved in times of emergency.

Buy In Bulk

We all know that you tend to get discounts for buying in bulk so make the most of it. Get your parents to do an initial food shop for you when you get to uni for the first time and buy in bulk which may provide you with weeks or even months of supplies of certain food items.

Thereafter, consider banding together with friends and housemates to buy larger packs of food (rice, pasta, beans etc.) and then split them between you. By doing this you will likely save a considerable amount of money, but just be careful that you do this with people you trust. The last thing you want to do is to spend a considerable sum of money on food only to find one of your housemates eats all the food while you are away one weekend leaving you out of pocket and hungry.

Enlist the Help of Your Parents

Parents are great and shouldn’t be underestimated as a source of potential savings. No matter how well or otherwise you get on with them, now is the time to start subtly building up that rapport. Get into the black when it comes of favors and politeness so that if and when you need their help, your parents will be more willing to lend a hand.

For example, your parents may be willing to drop you at university and then ferry you home again during semester breaks. They may be able to lend or give you supplies too. For example my parents gave me all my kitchen equipment crockery, cutlery, pans etc. They were also willing to go 50/50 on books and loaned me money from time to time if I really needed it.

In short, try not to go too far and start taking your parents for granted, but they can be a real help to the penniless university student.

To be continued…

Contrary to what many people think, graduating from high school doesn’t mean your life is over. Far from it. You’ve got a long way to go and you’re just starting. Maybe you’re going to college, the military, work, or something else, it’s your decision. At this point, whatever you decide won’t be the last decision you make about the rest of your life.

During your lifetime, you may drop out of college, and go to work. You might graduate from college, and become a professor. You might join the military and make a career out of it. You might even decide to take a year or two off and travel the world. Then again, you may want to start our own business. You change, people change, and life is full of changes. The world doesn’t end when you change your decisions.

Yes your career – what you do with the rest of your life – is important. On the other hand, over your lifetime, you may make five or six career changes. With each change, you learn more, experience more, and become more valuable to yourself, your family, and your employer.

Remember, graduation from high school is not the end; it’s the beginning.

Yep. Cheesy. But true! If you really want to have a successful brainstorming session, you have to let all of your ideas – even the most insane, impractical, and outrageous ones – out into the world!

Whether you’re brainstorming in a group or by yourself, the point is to get as many ideas out as possible. This means that, above all, just get them out – no analyzing yet! That can happen later. Just throw the ideas around and see where they take you, because the thought process is an amazing one that can lead you to some pretty intense inspiration.

If you’re having problems coming up with ideas, which is more likely to happen when you’re alone, then there are a couple things you can do in order to expand your mind’s creative thought process.

1. How would you solve the given problem if you went back in time by 100 years?
2. Imagine yourself as someone else – empathize with their point of view and think about how that person would solve the problem.
3. Do a SWOT analysis! Identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats you are facing. This will lead you to analyze the issue with more depth.
4. Do a mind-mapping technique. By using a hierarchical structure for your problem, you can put it into perspective by breaking it down. Write your topic or problem or question in the center of a piece of paper and circle it, then branch out from there into smaller chunks to solve one-by-one, and more if needed. You can also do this digitally by using mind-mapping software like FreeMind (it’s free!).
5. Free writing, or writing down every thought that pops into your head, is a good way to get the juices flowing on paper and get down every idea you may have. It may start out with, “Okay, I’m just going to write whatever pops into my head now. I need a shower. I wonder if there’s any coffee left? This is going to be interesting once I figure out what I’m doing…” and it goes on. Write everything down! You never know what nuggets of ideas you may catch on that piece of paper.
6. Write down a list of ideas. Often times, one idea will lead to more ideas, especially in a group. If you have a handful of people from different backgrounds with different experiences, you’re going to get a whole lot of different ideas from them all!
7. Look around and do some research. If you have a computer and can get online, you can literally find answers to just about everything you come across. Everything is online now! We even have online colleges and high schools now. People share their problems and solutions on the web all the time – maybe you can tap into some of the knowledge already out there to solve your issue, or at least have it lead to ideas of your own. It’s not quite the same as being in a group, but it’ll still be informative!
8. Ask random people for input. The point of brainstorming is to get ideas, make things happen, and get various perspectives in order to accomplish this. If you get input from someone who isn’t IN the project or problem, they can oftentimes point out ideas or aspects that someone within the problem may not be able to see. That saying about not seeing the forest for the trees applies here… if you’re too close to it, you miss the big picture. It’s like looking frantically for your car keys only to find out 20 minutes later that they’ve been in your pocket the whole time =)
9. Think in opposites. If you switch your perspective from one side of the spectrum to the opposite side, you’ll have a whole new angle to look at things! It’s simple. If you assume that things will go a specific way, try to change or get rid of that assumption. If you think most people would do one thing, do something completely different or opposite. You might just surprise yourself!
10. Most importantly: whether you’re in a group or alone, don’t analyze or criticize any ideas. None. If you’re in a group, this will make people scared to share their ideas. If you’re by yourself, your inner critic will kick in and shoot down every idea you have. No bueno! The analysis part can come later. For successful brainstorming, though, keep the ideas flowing, not the criticism (self- or otherwise).

 

People use brainstorming for all sorts of things. Anything as small as where to go for a dinner date to something as big as how to outdo the competition in business or sports. You have to think about it! Because of the nature of brainstorming and ideas, things can get pretty crazy. If you get stuck, try to change your perspective a little… or a lot.

It amazes me how many things can be solved with brainstorming. If you’re in school, it can help you write papers, come up with project ideas, or even innovative ways to handle various career situations. If you’re working, you can brainstorm various things, too. If you’ve ever seen the show House, you’ll know exactly that even doctors and nurses brainstorm to diagnose difficult-to-pinpoint patient cases.

Everyone should know the basics of brainstorming! This tool is so useful, and can be applied to virtually anything. Whether you’re working on a novel, figuring out a business plan, rearranging furniture, or figuring out what to cook with leftovers, brainstorming is an amazing thing and can open up numerous channels of thought and creativity.

So, the next time you’re faced with a question, problem, or idea, get out a pen or gather a group and prepare for some crazy weather. Chances are, things will be a lot clearer once the storm is over and the clouds clear up!

Scholarships and grants. Grants and scholarships. When you first hear these terms and think about the concept of “free money for college” or “free money” in general, it sounds too good to be true. This is why I’m going to give you a completely straight forward list of information to get you started in finding and applying for scholarships and grants.

So how do you get started?

It took me a little while to figure out where to find all of these elusive grants and scholarships without having to pay some grant program $30/month to even get close, only to find out that they have zero listings for grants in categories that I needed.

Don’t pay for those programs. They stink, and they’re a rip-off. In my opinion.

Instead, go to one of the following web sites that are specifically geared toward students – college students – and finding scholarships and grants for college. These sites are all social networking-type sites that connect students to colleges and scholarships. Kind of like freelance web sites, only without the fees.

So here is a list of some of these web sites to get you started on your path to getting a scholarship or grant money for school. Once you have a membership to some of these web sites, looking for scholarships becomes much easier, and you can apply directly on the web site – no need for even more research for most of these!

1. Cappex

Cost: FREE

This web site is geared toward college students – and high school students – who are looking for their school as well as scholarships. The signup process is easy, creating your profile is easy and self-explanatory, and the scholarships made available are easy to apply to as far as the learning curve goes and all of the information is readily available. When you have a little time to explore, Cappex is a good place to start.

2. Scholarships

Cost: FREE

This web site is also easy to maneuver, easy to create a profile, and you can search for schools as well as scholarships here. Simply fill out all of your relevant information and get started in finding your scholarships! The database will match up your qualifications, interests, and talents to colleges and scholarships that fir your needs.

The more of these scholarships you apply to, the more likely you are to find the best scholarships for you, and then the more likely you are to be able to apply to many of them and then get part or all of your education paid for. If you need more scholarship and school options, head over to Scholarships.com and see what they have to offer you.

3. Zinch

Cost: FREE

This web site, I’ve found, is glitchy in the latest version of Firefox, but works really well in Google Chrome. That being said, it probably works well in Internet Explorer, too, so just make sure you know where you are and bookmark it if you’re applying for a scholarship. With browsers now, you can have a bookmarks bar and categorize all of your bookmarks like folders.

This is the method I’m using, too, and it helps me keep all of my web sites organized for work, school, scholarships, writing, and everything else. Once you sign up for Zinch, it’s easy to fill out your profile, browse scholarships, and apply for funding. The process is pretty self-explanatory, so it’s easy to get your profile finished and start the application process.

This web site states that students are more than a test score, and offers scholarship opportunities for students even if their GPA isn’t perfect or super high.

4. College Prowler

Cost: FREE

This web site has information on schools as well as scholarships, and they offer a lot of different scholarships to apply for that often are pretty high amounts. College Prowler is a site created by students for students, so the information is relevant, useful, and effectively communicated.

This profile is also relatively easy to fill out, and college scholarships and schools are not hard to find. There are scholarships for pretty much all walks of life, backgrounds, and the information offered is easy to find and organized well.

5. Scholarship Experts

Cost: FREE

Another site for easy access and applications to scholarships and schools, Scholarship Experts has a collection of schools and scholarships that are matched to your profile, too. The interface here is a simple and easy-to-maneuver one, with user-friendly features and an organized array of opportunities.

When you fill out your profile, you get scholarship and college suggestions based on your information, and it’s easy to apply.

Some General Notes

For all of these sites, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

When exploring scholarship sites and trying to keep track of your applications, it’s important to keep a record of your applications as well as the various web sites you use for the process. Keep your bookmarks in a folder and keep your application essays or projects in a folder on your computer.

Save your work… if you’re writing an essay or anything of the sort for the scholarship you’re applying for, save it as a Word document first so that you have a copy. This will ensure that, if your college wants to see it, you have a copy to show. I would suggest dating it and making sure you mention where you put in the application as well.

If you have any specific colleges that you’d like more information on, make sure you mention that in the appropriate wields of your profile. If you’re strictly looking at top online colleges, make sure you mention that. I have 3 kids and live about 40 minutes to an hour away from everything… I don’t want to physically have to go to school and lose that much time during travel both ways. I’m definitely not a commuter!

If you are matched with scholarships, apply! They all have deadlines, and they all usually require some sort of work to consider you, such as an essay or other project, maybe even an interview. There is fierce competition for scholarships and grants – don’t feel too horrible if you maybe don’t get the first several you apply for. Just keep applying! More money is always good, right?

Now that you know where to start looking, I wish you the absolute best of luck in finding the scholarships and grants right for you! Happy applying – happy writing – and enjoy your bright future!