Archive for September, 2007
If you’re smart enough to get into college, you’re smart enough to do well in college.
What is uniquely challenging about college academics is not the material, but the pace and the total workload students must deal with. Maximizing your GPA is simply a matter of adopting the right study habits for the pace and workload you face in college. If you take the right approach to your work, you can have whatever GPA you want.
I’ve made a short list of the most effective strategies for studying. I know from experience that these strategies work.
1. Start studying early - If you start studying early, you’ll have more knowledge and less stress when it’s time to take an exam or write a paper. Too many students put off studying until just a few days before a test. You might be able to get away with this, but it is definitely not the best way to study.
The most effective approach is to review notes each day after class. It’s a small daily time investment with a big payoff. Over the entire semester, you are going to be spending more time studying, but it will be worth it when you’re getting A’s without breaking a sweat.
2. Use flashcards - Flashcards are a great tool for memorizing facts. You’ll find them especially useful in the sciences. The best part about flashcards is that if you make them throughout the quarter or semester, you’ll have all the studying material you need for the final exam. (I wish I had learned this earlier.)
3. Study from tests and quizzes - A lot of classes will have tests and quizzes throughout the term and one cumulative exam at the end of the term. Because tests and quizzes already ask the questions your instructors think are important, you can use the tests and quizzes you take along the way to study for the final exam. Use your old tests to help you focus on the important topics in your textbook and notes.
4. Use study groups - Studying with others is a great way to hone your skills. When a test or quiz is approaching, get together with some classmates and quiz each other on key concepts. You may find that you missed some important points when you were studying on your own. You can get some help from your classmates on problems that were giving you trouble, and you clarify your own understanding by helping someone else with a difficult concept.
These are the most effective strategies. If they sound simple, it is because they are. I am extremely confident that if you adopt these strategies, you will enjoy success when you perform well academically.
Feel free to leave a comment letting us know what has worked for you.
September 15 2007 | College Advice and Grades and GPA | 3 Comments »
I recently received an e-mail asking me about majors. The reader had no clue what to major in, and didn’t know where to start looking for advice (I find that some college advisers can be rather unhelpful at times). I’ve already written about questions you should ask before selecting a major, as well as what you should and shouldn’t do when you finally choose your major. I figured that it would be most helpful to have some information about some specific majors.
It is very, very important to select a major that you feel you will be interested in, and a major that can help your career (whatever your goals may be). I am a big fan of forward thinking, so job outlooks, college rankings, and length of completion should all be taken into account. The first major I’ve decided to discuss is nursing.
As I’ve stated before, job outlook is key to any major, and few majors have a better job outlook than nursing. This is because there’s an real-life nursing shortage (people are actually suing hospitals because of a lack of nursing care). This means that when you graduate, there will be more jobs available, and more people willing to pay top dollar for your services. The shortage has been present since the 1980s, and even though there are upwards of 12 million employed nurses in the country, the need is still there. Companies are even campaigning for nurses (Johnson & Johnson has spent $30 million so far just trying to encourage people to become nurses). This abundance in spending has lead to increased scholarships for persons wanting to attend nursing score, but I’ll elaborate on that later.
The average salary of nurses is rising, along with the amount of nurses in the workplace. In fact, in 2002, 86,000 nurses were hired; the very next year, 119,000 nurses were hired. In 2006, the average starting salary for a registered nurse (RN) was $39,000. For nurses with at least three years experience, the salary increases to $47,110 (average). To give you a comparison, I’m a marketing major (which I feel is a solid career prospect), and the average starting salary is $34,712. In a recent survey, The Bureau of Labor Statistics determined that more than 25% of all nurses had an income of at least $64,000 a year. Ben Stiller’s character, Greg Focker, had the right idea when he chose his career!
Variety of career prospects is also essential to any major. I’m a big fan of majors where one can work in a wide variety of environments with the same degree. With nursing, one can work in a typical hospital setting, possibly helping to deliver babies, or simply care for those having operations. Nurses can also work with children in schools, or travel around the world to care for patients. Statistics show that most people will change their careers at least once. With a flexible job, you may not have to completely throw away your education and start over in order to have a change of scenery or career scope. With nursing, you can still utilize the essential skills obtained at nursing school in dynamic situations.
Flexible career prospects are also helpful for those who have an interest in something, but may not know how to translate it to a career. Some may think that the only career option for those interested in working with children is to become a teacher or counselor. However, nurses working in schools get to work with students, faculty, and staff. Pediatric nursing also deals with treating children, outside of a school setting. For those interested in working with babies, there are a plethora of opportunities.
In the same vein as those interested in children, a person who is really interested in travel doesn’t need to look very far to find a useful career that combines nursing with travel. One can see the sites while even working on a cruise ship. Others may be interested in psychology or critical care, both of which have a branch of nursing. The point is that limiting yourself is the worst thing you can do, so keep your options open.
Careers may seem to be static at times. When someone says “accounting,” most people imagine the guy from Office Space stuck in his cubicle and hating his job. When people mention “nursing” they often only think of the person who helps with emergencies and works as the physicians assistant. In choosing any career, it’s tremendously important to think outside of the box. If you dismiss any career because of what your first impression of it is, then you might be missing out on something that could have been very fulfilling.
After one picks a major, picking the school is the next big decision. I’ve written about important questions to ask when selecting a college, so I won’t bore you with the details of what you should be thinking about during the decision process. However, a good piece of advice is to never take things at face value. Meaning, don’t just look for the highest ranked school. Consider class sizes, cost, flexibility of class schedules, and then consider reputation. Reputation should be considered last, because, according to many, rankings aren’t that important.
With any degree you work to obtain, be sure to consider distance education versus on campus education. For students who are just out of high school, and want the on campus experience, then clearly going the traditional brick and mortar route is best. However, for many people who are getting college degrees, attending traditional classes may be an option. That’s where distance education comes into play. Distance education allows one to have a flexible class schedule (more so than traditional college environments), and allows people to hold jobs while attending college. Financially, you should have a job in college. Distance education allows many to actually work full-time while taking classes.
There are a wide variety of schools who offer nursing programs. With some programs one may be limited, and, to sound like a broken record, keeping your options open is key. Being able to obtain a high level of education is also essential to any profession. Many careers may become stagnant after a while. I feel that the ideal career holds continuing opportunities for those who are interested. For me, that means the ability to get associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. I’m in business because even after I graduate I won’t be confined to just one level, and there’s always an opportunity to obtain more education in my field.
This is a web site about college AND finance, so it would be ridiculous to discuss a major without mentioning scholarships, grants, and financial aid opportunities associated with that major. The nursing shortage has lead to higher starting salaries for nurses. It has also lead to increased scholarships for those who are interested in pursuing a career in nursing. There are also a wide variety of grants available for those who want to pursue a degree in the field of nursing. Specific schools (like Drexel University and Institute of Medicine, to name a few) offer grants for nurses. While many businesses and associations offer scholarships of varying amounts. Part of the United State’s push to increase the amount of nurses in the work force has involved various corporations making more scholarships available so that many more people who previously could not afford a nursing education can now achieve their nursing career goals. The idea behind financial aid is that everyone should be able to afford an education, and those in the field of nursing (as well as in other fields) have taken that idea to heart. As with any financial decision, it is important to evaluate the returns versus the investment. If the salary outweighs the cost of education over time, then it is clearly a wise investment to make. Scholarships and aid help to make the educational costs more manageable, and increase the eventual profits of any education. Without scholarships and aid, I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford my education.
The point of all this is to help you to consider different majors. Even if nursing sounds like boring work to you, at least you can think about some things like average salaries and the cost of education in your area. Sometimes I wonder if I made my decision to become a business major by considering other’s opinions too much. Your major is completely up to you, and you should definitely make your own educated decision when it comes to your degree and what career you want. If it’s not nursing, be sure to find something else that you’ll be interested in which will hopefully provide you with many opportunities in your career, and financially.
September 06 2007 | Majors | 2 Comments »
I was doing some research for another article when I came across a post on eyeRmonkey called 9 Survival Tips for College Freshman. It’s full of great advice for any first year student. I’ve decided to expand on those points and add some of my own insight.
1. The first week defines the rest of the year - When it comes to dorm/hall dynamics, this is probably true. I wonder encourage any freshman to try to follow the advice in the article: talk to as many people as possible, and try to do things as a group. The fact is, though, that not everyone has the personality type that lends itself to this kind of behavior. And that’s fine. If that’s not really your style, don’t worry. You’re not going to ruin your freshman year by being a little shy during the first week. Plenty of more-reserved people go off to college and have a great time.
So, if you can follow the advice in the article, go ahead and do it. If that’s not you, it’s not a big deal.
Most importantly, keep in mind that the first week really doesn’t define the year. Plenty of students are scared and sad (and shocked) during the first week of school. By the third week, they’re having a great time.
2. Organize Study Groups - Study groups can be very helpful, if you really take advantage of them and work productively. I’ve found them especially helpful in showing me what I still need to learn for tests, papers, and assignments. There should be a caveat with this tip, however. A lot of people, including myself, do not work productively in groups. We use study groups to procrastinate with our friends instead of doing our work. It’s fun, but it’s not the best idea when you have a big test or paper.
3. Study for Tests - This should be obvious. If you’re not studying for any of your tests, what are you doing in college?
I would like to add that it’s very helpful to start studying early for your tests. In fact, you’ll retain a lot more information if you review your notes each day after class and take some time at the end of each week to go over what you learned. When test time comes around, this helpful tip is going to save you a lot of time and a lot of stress.
4. Get Involved - This is essential. Getting involved in something—anything, really—will definitely increase the quality of your college experience and ease the transition into college life. The easiest way to get involved is to do something you already enjoy or are passionate about. If you love sports, join an intramural team (or even two). If you’re passionate about conservation or the environment, join a group that advocates recycling or environmental protection. Even at a small school, there will probably be a group for whatever you want to do. And if there isn’t one, start it.
5. Always Check Your Work - This is an easy and important way to improve the quality of your work AND boost your GPA. You should be doing this on all your assignments: quizzes, tests, papers, research, etc. I should add that this is especially important for writing-intensive courses, where an error-free paper can inspire confidence in your work in the mind of the professor. This confidence can mean the difference between an A and a B at the end of the term. On the other hand, a few typographical errors or missed words can distract from an otherwise solid piece of writing.
It may help to have a friend, classmate, or faculty mentor read over your work before you turn it in. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can make a huge difference. It also helps to give yourself some time (a matter of days, if possible) between when you finish a draft and when you read over it again. You’ll have more patience for the process, and you’ll be able to catch errors that you would’ve missed before when the work was so fresh in your mind.
6. If you don’t like your roommate, switch - Agreed. If you don’t like your roommate, you are just going to be suffering every time you go back to the place that is your “home” on campus. It’s not worth it just to avoid appearing rude. Make the switch.
7. Go to sporting events - Like most things in life, you get out of sporting events what you put in. So grab a friend and bring along all the enthusiasm you can comfortably muster. You may be surprised at what a good time you can have. (Trust me, I know from very recent personal experience.) If your friends don’t want to go, offer to buy them pizza, and if bribery doesn’t work, you can always go by yourself. Games are great place to meet new people because the energy level is so high.
8. Figure out housing for the next year - Start early, and have a back up plan. A lot of my friends have made great housing plans only to see them fall through at the last minute. You can avoid a lot of stress by considering a back up plan, just in case your main housing plan doesn’t work.
9. Don’t buy books until you need them - I absolutely agree. If you follow this advice, you are going to save yourself hundreds of dollars. And if you care about money at all, you should always be buying used books when they are available. Shop online for the best prices (I would recommend Half.com and Amazon, though there are many other great sites) and avoid the university bookstore. On-campus bookstores are going to be charging more for the same books than any other vendor.
10. Relax - If you can only pick one piece of advice from this whole page, this is it. Just relax. The most miserable people in college are the ones taking everything (especially themselves) too seriously. Remember, there is a reason so many people say that college is the best years of your life. If you can relax and just go with the experience, you will find out why.
So there are my tips. If any of you reading this are freshmen, cherish this moment. It is such an exciting time. It won’t always be easy, and in fact for most of you it will sometimes be tough. But it is also great, and I, personally, wish I could be in your place.
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September 03 2007 | College Advice and College Fun and Housing | 1 Comment »
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