9 Best Part-Time Jobs At Or Near Campus

BY JANE HURST

If there is one thing that college students never seem to have enough of, it is money. By the time they pay for tuition, books, residence, etc., there is often little left over for the little things, including entertainment, transportation, and food. But, you don’t have to be the typical “starving college student”. There are plenty of opportunities out there to make money, and you don’t have to put on a paper hat and ask customers if they would like fries with their orders. Here are nine awesome part-time jobs for college students that might interest you.

 

1. Campus Tour Guide – Each year, potential new students take tours of college campuses, and they need to have tour guides. If you know your school inside and out, and are outgoing and friendly, you could do this job. The rate of pay depends on a number of factors, including the school, the budget, and the amount of hours you would be working, and it is likely to be only temporary, during enrollment season.
2. Online Researcher – Earn up to $37 per hour helping business professionals by researching to get answers to the questions that clients are asking. You need to have great researching skills, and you must be able to find the best content to provide answers. It is also helpful if you have a lot of knowledge in particular areas.
3. Grant Analyst – This job involves reviewing and approving the paperwork for grants and preparing and submitting requests for funding, so you will need to have a year or more of experience. But, if you do have the skills and experience, this is a great way to earn up to $32 hourly and get more experience in this field.
4. Non-Profit Charity Fund Raiser – If you have any experience working with the public, and you enjoy doing it, this may be the job for you. Your duties would involve supporting the non-profit agency and fund raising, and you can earn as much as $30 per hour. Not only would you be making money, you would be doing a good thing by helping a non-profit.
5. Fulfillment Company Worker – If you really want to get in the trenches, check out the jobs available through fulfillment companies, such as Red Stag Fulfillment. You would be involved in picking, packing, shipping, and storage of products for customers. The rate of pay varies, depending on the job.
6. Circulation Clerk – You likely already spend a lot of time in the library, so why not earn some extra cash while you are there? Your duties would include assisting library patrons, as well as shelving books and signing books in and out. This job pays up to $19 per hour.
7. Guest Services Coordinator – You will need to have good customer skills for this type of job, and you could be working in any industry, from travel and tourism to not-for-profit agencies. You would be working with customers, as well as doing clerical work, and get paid up to $21 per hour.
8. Academic Tutor – A lot of students earn extra cash by tutoring other students. If there are any subjects that you do extremely well in, you can make money simply by sharing your knowledge with others. You can set your own hourly rate, and then arrange to meet with students to establish their goals and set up a tutoring schedule.
9. Residence Advisor – There are good and bad things about being a residence advisor, but the good outweigh the bad. For instance, you would have your classes, room, and board taken care of, so you can save a lot of money while getting your education. You need to have great leadership skills. This is something that will look awesome on a resume.

Byline:

Jane Hurst has been working in education for over 5 years as a teacher. She loves sharing her knowledge with students, is fascinated about edtech and loves reading, a lot. Follow Jane on Twitter.

 

Plagiarism in Academic Writing: How to Identify and Avoid It

BY SCOTT RAGIN

In the academic world, plagiarism is considered as a serious offense because stealing the work of another writer is an unacceptable tactic. Today, falling into the plagiarism trap became very easy and even tempting because the Internet has all information that could possibly be needed for a research paper, essay, article, or review. Unfortunately, many students and even some scholars make this mistake every year because a lack of their effort to write original text is easily detected by sophisticated software packages at education institutions.

The punishment for plagiarism offense is quite serious and often results in destroyed academic reputation, zero grade, and even expulsion from the educational institution. These short- and long-term consequences can be a bad influence on your academic career, so considering plagiarism as an option to complete an assignment should really be out of question. Instead of using this option, try some of these great and proven strategies to identify unoriginal content and avoid it in the future.

Strategy 1: Use Anti-plagiarism software

Identifying plagiarism is easy these days. There are a lot of websites that have sophisticated software that detects it in the matter of minutes. This online software is very easy to use: just copy the text you need to check and click “check” button. When the check is completed, you will be provided with a plagiarism report with the percent of the original text and the plagiarized areas will be highlighted for you to change.

Strategy 2: Paraphrasing

This strategy falls into “avoiding” category. Imagine this: you have found the information that is perfect for using in your paper. Instead of copying it, read it to the end to really understand the essence of the text. Now, when you know what the content is about, you can put it into your own words, which will help to avoid having unoriginal text. It is generally advised not to copy more than three or four words from the text without having them paraphrased.

Strategy 3: Quoting

This means that you take a short chunk of text from the source (usually a part of the sentence that has some important information for your topic) and leave it without changes. In many cases, when you need to provide the original definition of the writer or state his or her point of view, it is allowed to have their words quoted. Just put the quotation marks at the beginning and at the end of the quote; for example:

Competitive advantage is defined as “the source of company’s competitiveness” (Johnson, 2016, p. 123).

However, you need to remember that most of the text needs to be paraphrased, so the use of quotes should be significantly limited. Also, citation styles have specific formatting requirements for quotes, so be sure to follow them as well.

Strategy 4: Citing

It is one of the most widely used strategies in the academic world. It is the way of referring to the works of other authors with the use of parenthetical citation. Essentially, citing is conveying the thoughts of others via your own words and giving the credit to them. In addition to academic papers, this method is used in business reports, government agencies’ publications, and other works. Here is the example of APA style citation:

The effectiveness of student motivation is measured by their academic performance (Johnson, 2016).

As you can see in this example, you need to follow the rules of formatting styles as well. Contact your instructor to know which citation style is used by your institution.

Strategy 5: Get help of professionals

If you are short on time to deliver an academic work due to personal or other reasons, consider using the help of professional writing services. They hire writers with relevant academic background in particular areas to deliver the best work for the customers and, more importantly, provide original texts with plagiarism reports to prove that the text was not plagiarized. Of course, it is better to develop your academic writing skills by yourself but there is no shame in using the services of professionals when you are short on time.

The Bottom Line

Plagiarism is unprofessional, illegal, and disregarding, so avoiding it at all cost is the best possible strategy for modern students. Professors often say that it is better to miss the deadline rather than submit a plagiarized assignment and they are totally right about that. Fortunately, there are a number of strategies you can utilize to avoid plagiarizing the text that is widely recognized in the academic community.

Use these strategies to make sure your academic career advances with every written assignment you make. Besides, following academic integrity rules will also contribute to your professional career because you will develop appropriate work ethics that appreciates originality and quality of work.

Scott Ragin is a qualified educator, author and scholar. He is experienced in classroom teaching, training teachers and leaders and advising academic researchers. Scott provides assignment help at Aussiewriter and covers different topics concerning higher education and  educational technology. Feel free to contact him at Facebook.

How to Motivate Yourself to Study

BY DAVID GUTIERREZ

Every now and then, you’ll run across someone who really loves studying, but for all intents and purposes, these folks are unicorns. They’re fictional creatures that teachers wish existed. For most of us, studying is seen as burdensome, time-consuming, and tedious. But, as college students, we know that it’s part of the contract. Studying must be taken seriously in order to succeed.

5 Tips for Staying Motivated

 The issue many of us have is that we can’t stay motivated enough to study for long periods of time. Thankfully, your lack of interest in studying isn’t just something you struggle with. We’ve all been there before. And if you want to pass your classes, you’ll need to leverage some tips for staying motivated.

 

1. Don’t Put it Off

The absolute worst thing you can do is put off your studying until the last minute. When you’re suddenly up against the clock and have to get something done, you get frustrated and lose hope. What you should really be doing is breaking up your studying into small fragments and accomplishing objectives one at a time. This allows you to feel a sense of progress and propels you to the next task.

 

2. Grab a Cup of Coffee

If you’re a coffee drinker, then you’re familiar with the caffeine kick that happens 20-30 minutes after consumption. All of a sudden, you feel like you can conquer the world. Well, who says you can’t enjoy a nice little jolt in the middle of the afternoon or late in the evening? (Let’s be honest, you’ll probably be up all night anyway.)

 

3. Take Short Breaks

If you’re attempting to study non-stop for three or four hours at a time and you find it difficult to stay motivated, you’re just human. The human brain can’t stay focused for long periods of time. Instead, we thrive on working for short periods – such as 30-45 minutes and then taking 5-10 minute breaks. Try this and you’ll find it easier to stay motivated. It also gives you little things to look forward to throughout the day.

 

4. Set a Prize or Rewards

The great thing about exam time in college is that it always precedes a major break. You either have a month-long holiday break coming or an even longer summer break. This means there’s light at the end of the tunnel. One way to motivate yourself is by planning something fun with your friends. Maybe you all want to take a snorkeling trip to the Bahamas? Or perhaps you’re all going to rent a house on the beach? Whatever it is, find a prize or reward, and use it as motivation.

 

5. Focus on the Big Picture

“I see a lot of students that are really overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel at this point in the year in regards to their studies,” says study coach Jane Genovese. “If you’re a student, remind yourself that this won’t go on forever, that everything changes and all you need to do is just keep taking action.”

In other words, think about the big picture. Yes, studying may feel like it’s consuming your life right now, but it won’t be like this forever. You’re studying so that you can pass a class, graduate, and obtain a good job. Remember the end goal.

Make Motivation a Priority

 People often complain that they hate studying, and therefore, they frequently fail tests, projects, classes, etc. Quite honestly, this is a load of crap. Nobody loves studying. The difference between people with good study habits and those with bad study habits is that the former find ways to motivate themselves.

How will you find motivation?

David Gutierrez has worked in the field of web design since 2005. Right now he started learning Java in order to get second occupation. His professional interests defined major topics of his articles. David writes about new web design software, recently discovered professional tricks and also monitors the latest updates of the web development.

 

 

Things to Consider When Choosing a Double Major

BY SOPHIA ANDERSON

Many students have the same questions on their minds: “Should I bother graduating with a double major? If I opt for a double, I’ll have to study harder and take extra classes. If I get only one major, I’ll have to take some useless classes just to get the credits. What’s the better option?”

A double major is definitely useful. When the two majors are from related fields of study, such as math and statistics for example, the admissions committees in graduate programs will look favorably on your application for an MA or PhD in statistics. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll get a huge advantage over other applicants.

We’ll clarify few things you need to consider when opting for a double major.

A Double Major? What Does That Mean?

A double major means completing two sets of undergraduate degree requirements throughout the same period of time. You will not get two Bachelor’s degrees if you have two majors, but both majors will be listed in the degree you get. A 2012 report from Vanderbilt University showed that the trend of double majoring was increased by over 10% at the most selective schools at that time, and some schools reported that 30 – 40% of their undergraduate students were double majors.

Richard Pitt and Steven Tepper, the authors of that report, explain: “Many students report that their double major combination helps them think differently, solve intellectual puzzles and approach assignments more creatively. These gains are greatest when students major in two disparate domains of knowledge, especially combining science with art and humanities.”

That’s an interesting finding. Any additional major related to writing, art, or music can boost your skills in any career. However, you can also gain those skills through extracurricular activities and individual practice.

Is A Double Major Always a Good Choice?

There are certainly things you need to consider to know if a double major is right for you. Get to know these factors and you’ll be closer to a decision.

1. The future perspectives

If you opt for related majors (such as law and social sciences) the employers will appreciate the versatility of your knowledge. However, you’ll also need more time to complete all courses needed for each major. In that time, you could gain experience that employers would also appreciate.

2. The combination of courses

You must be certain that you can maintain the interest for both areas of study not only throughout your studies, but throughout your professional growth as well. If you lose interest, it makes no sense to waste that time and effort into a double major.

3. The advice from your college advisor

If you have any questions or doubts, that’s where you should address them. Get information about all requirements you need to meet in order to declare a double major.

4. Your time-management skills

A double major means you’ll have more mandatory courses, and most of them will be really challenging. Are you willing to sacrifice the parties that everyone else will be attending? There are different tools that can make that process easier for you: iStudiez Pro to plan your studies activities; Essaysontime when you get stuck with writing assignments; RescueTime to fight online distractions.

5. Double major = double efforts = double stress

Everything doubles. You will have to study more, take more challenging courses, and be more committed to the studies.

6. A double major may prolong the studies

If you’re majoring in related fields (such as chemistry and biology) many classes will overlap and the difference won’t be too great. However, it will take you longer to meet the major core requirements.

7. Experience from other students

Do you have any double-majoring fellows? Ask them to share their experience. Their tips will teach you how to manage a double major better.

8. Expenses

If you stay at college longer for the sake of getting a double major degree, it means you’ll be spending more money. You’ll be taking extra classes and buying more books. Think: will the expenses pay off?

Is There an Alternative that Makes More Sense?

Having two majors may be unnecessary if you don’t intend to use them both to build a career. Kathryn Favaro, an independent college counselor, explains that a second major doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a job after graduation: “There are many jobs that require a bachelor’s degree, so we know that’s the importance of going to college in the first place. But there are very few jobs that specifically require what that bachelor’s degree is. Yes, major is relevant in some situations, but largely not.”

If you’re interested in majoring in two subjects that are related to one another, maybe you should opt for an interdisciplinary program. If, for example, you’re interested in politics and social sciences, a public administration major might be a good choice. That would enable you to explore both areas of study without investing more time, effort, and money in the degree.

Another alternative would be an internship in the other area of interest. That can help you gain experience that future employers will appreciate. If you still want to get a degree in that area of study after you graduate with your first choice of a major, you can always go for an MA degree.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to major in two disciplines. It is an option, and it’s useful for students who intend to pursue a PhD degree. However, it’s not mandatory and it doesn’t necessarily pay off. Consider all factors before making the decision.

 

Sophia Anderson is an associate educator, tutor and freelance writer. She is passionate about covering topics on learning, writing, self-improvement, motivation and others. She believes in the driving force of positive attitude and constant development. Get in touch with her on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Computers and Social Media Create Negative Student Relationships

BY SYLVIA KOHL

The vast majority of young people, particularly those between 16 and 25 years old, always carry their smartphones in their pockets or handbags. They often publish too many statuses, posts, and other kinds of updates.

Some of them use social networks and messengers to spy on their partners. People are aware that modern technology can significantly affect relationships. The result of all of this is that youths or students are becoming more arrogant and prone to exaggeration.

It seems that the use of computers and smartphones has completely changed the boundaries of what is socially acceptable, and also, it appears that they are massively destroying relationships.

Smartphones have become their obsession

If we are to believe the latest studies, young people have become a great nation addicted to technology.

The study which deals with the influence of digital media on society and human psychology shows that students do not think or act the same as they did a decade ago. They do not use cell phones only to call family or friends, they tend to rely on them obsessively, and in the absence of the smartphones, they feel anxiety.

Social media is making the even worse thing. It is encouraging narcissism among young people, of whom at least half admits to publishing stuff on social networks only for the purpose of obtaining a particular reaction from their friends.

Young people are getting more prepotent and narcissistic

Today’s youth is more prone to showing the arrogance, and the reason for this is to cause a particular reaction. For this purpose, they are massively lying on the social networks. Almost a third of them publicly admitted that they like to exaggerate when it comes to publishing posts and statuses.

The thing with addictions is that you will most likely not be able to limit them. That is why the perfect solution for students and other school children would be to deactivate Kik, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and other social accounts temporary. You may reactivate them as soon as you improve the concentration and get rid of anxiety.

Furthermore, the studies also revealed that the majority of young people are using social media to continuously check out and spy on the ex-partner profile, while the vast majority of them believe that social media like Facebook can destroy the relationship.

The results show that the recent young generations are significantly changing the boundaries of socially acceptable behavior. Almost two-thirds of them openly admits that they are using their portables even when hanging out with colleagues or buddies.

That is not all because 79 percent of them think it is acceptable to use smartphones on the toilet, while 81 percent thought that using them in quiet areas such as libraries is completely normal.

Social networks are drastically altering the psychological structure

The modern technology affects the attitude of young people in the workplace or college because many of them believe it is okay to use smartphones during the business meetings or college classes.

The communication system is significantly impoverished, and the feelings are mostly expressed through emoticons. People are losing consciousness on the borders between the real and the virtual world.

According to Dr. Larry Rosen, a psychologist at California State University, social networks have both positive and negative effects at the same time.

Facebook causes attention deficit disorder and may adversely affect the learning process. Research shows that school children and students who are checking the news on Facebook at least once per day have lower grades in school and at the university.

However, social networks such as Facebook have some positive effects on the development of children and adolescents, says Dr. Rosen. The young people who spend more time on Facebook show more “virtual empathy” to their online friends.

Introvert children in adolescence may socialize painlessly behind the security screen monitors or smartphones than it would be the case in real life situations.

Sylvia Kohl is an IT teacher with more than 7 years of professional experience. Her main spheres of interest are e-education and beta-testing. This writer chose news about the increasing role of IT usage in colleges and schools as the most common topic for her articles.