Why college doesn’t have to be stress-inducing swamp

BY ANTON LUCANUS

 All over the world, going to university or college is a rite of passage for millions of students each year. There are a lot of moving pieces that shift and switch when students uproot their lives and go to university or college. No matter how well suited an individual thinks they are for life as a university student, there will be at least one point in time where they feel the pressure, where they start to crack. Learning to balance and give enough to studying, working, loved ones, and time alone (along with all the other spinning wheels and cogs that turn up) is so incredibly important. Whether it is something as simple as moving into one’s dorm and deciding which mattress for college students best fits their needs (and budget), or something more complex like struggling to keep their health in check while committing time to studies, balance is key.

As with everything in life, studying moves along a little easier when one knows the value and actively practices balancing the different aspects of life as a student. No matter how much a student prepares and organises for this drastic lifestyle change, there will inevitably be bumps along the way – that is unavoidable. It is also how we learn. Take a step back, the bumps in the road in stride, and everything else will more than likely fall into place. And if it doesn’t…it will probably make for a good story one day.

For a lot of college students, going to school is the first time that they have had financial independence – handling money becomes more of a responsibility and less of a novelty. It also becomes an absolute necessity if one is to survive live as a student. While a lot of students live on campus or move into their own place when they go to university or college, there are also students that prefer to live at home and commute into campus (or even study online, effectively taking the commute out of the equation). If a student has moved into their own plus they are rendered entirely responsible for their finances. Others still live at home but previously had more free time to work more – the cull to leftover time away from studying can be substantial, so students must learn to handle their finances responsibly and diligently.

One of the best lessons that anyone can learn before even going into university is that, despite what everyone tries to tell you, professors are not the enemy. Some students feel like their educators are on a power trip and while sometimes this can certainly appear to be the case, most your professors genuinely just want to help their pupils.

If students communicate, get their assessments done in time, and actually show up to classes (there is nothing worse than getting to the end of the semester feeling like you smashed it, and then failing because you did not attend enough classes to get the attendance marks to pull you over the line), chances are that their professors will not only learn their name over time, but treat them kindly in return. If students are lucky enough, their professors and tutors might even have some contacts in the industry if students are interested in taking on a paid placement during their studies. Paid placements can be tremendously useful once students graduate, so if a student has the time and energy to commit to an additional facet of their studies, it is advantageous to do so.

Another thing to note with educators is that they are obviously there to help students academically, but they are also more often than not open to helping their students with health concerns, whether it be agreeing to extend an assessment deadline by a few days or taking the time outside of the classroom to set up a meeting during office hours to answer any questions their students may have. Your mental health must be a priority always, but this is especially true when you are a student. Do not (repeat: do not) skim on taking care of yourself in all aspects of your health just to push your grades up by a few marks. To be able to succeed academically, a student must be able to take care of themselves first and foremost – no one produces their best work when they are off their game.

University and college are known for being not only places of esteemed, higher education, but breeding grounds for stress, anxiety, and general unease. With so many moving pieces constantly in motion, it is inevitable that the wheels fall off even the most well-oiled machines sometimes. Nobody will get through their years as a university student without being tested in some way or another. The key to getting through the stress-filled haze and out the other side is hard work and patience. As Robert Frost said, “the only way out is through”. Fight for your right and your place to educate yourself – in a world that is constantly being trailed and tested, the world needs more fighters. Be one of them – starting now.

Byline – Anton Lucanus is the Director of Neliti. During his college years, he maintained a perfect GPA, was published in a top cancer journal, and received many of his country’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships. Anton writes for The College Puzzle as a means to guide current students to achieve personal and educational fulfilment during college life. You can contact Anton via email at antonlucanus@gmail.com

3 Tips for College Students to Save Money While Shopping

By: Susan Parker

Most college students live on a budget and in the process, learn financial prudence. If you’re a college student, you have to watch out for your expenses, otherwise you’ll get into debt.

Though it is neither fun nor easy, you become smarter at the end of it all.

Here are some tips to help you stretch that dollar, so you can save money while shopping.

Look for discounts

One of the best ways to save money is to find discounts and coupons for all the things you want to buy. Many companies today offer a range of discounts on their products to increase their sales and to build their customer base. You should just know where to look for these discounts.

These online discounts and coupons are easy to find if you understand how SEO works, as all companies incorporate the principles of SEO to help their customers find what they want. In general, below are some tips that help you find the right discounts and coupons.

• There are many sites dedicated to giving away coupons and discounts. Constantly scour these sites to find coupons for the things you want to buy.
• The retailer’s site may offer coupons when you buy certain goods or even free shipping if you order above a certain amount.
• Make the most of search engine optimization to find coupons. Type the name of the product you want to buy in the search bar of search engines like Google and Bing, and this will display a set of relevant results for you. Navigate through these results to find the coupons you want.
• Buy in bulk as this is where most discounts are offered.
• Many sites even offer students discounts if you register with your college email ID. So, make the most of this option.

Share your rent and utilities

Privacy is a luxury that you can’t afford while being a student. So, share your housing and utilities with a bunch of other students. If you’re particular, you can look for like-minded individuals, but don’t be too insistent on that. Just find roomies who will be willing to share the cost with you.

Stay on top of your budget

You have to understand that some things are a big no-no while you’re in college simply because you can’t afford it.

Avoid frivolous activities like eating out often as it is definitely more expensive than cooking your own food at home. Also, try drinking water instead of juices, when you’re thirsty and this can help you to save money as well.

Another area to save money is to look for amenities in your college. Most colleges offer free fitness classes, gyms and movie nights, so try to make the most of it instead of spending for the same outside.

Thus, life as a college student is tough because you have to live within a budget. But nevertheless, it is a great learning experience and helps to prepare you for a world beyond college.

Susan Parker is a writer and tech geek. She volunteers for local environmental conservation programs and writes stories online about things that inspire her. Email: SusanWritesWell@gmail.com

How To Write A Persuasive College Essay

BY BRETT CLAWSON

Whether you are in high school or college, you will need to write a persuasive essay at some point. A persuasive essay is a composition in which the writer presents a clear explanation and convincing evidence to persuade readers to share a viewpoint. Essay writing can bring either an opportunity or challenge. The goal is to write a compelling essay that perhaps convince the audience in the process.

Articulate Your Position

The only way to make the audience understand your goals and interpret the essay is to articulate your position. Writers should avoid ambiguous positions and use simple terminology, deliberate claims, and careful distinctions to cut through the confusion. You should use evidence and data to make readers understand your views.

Understand Your Audience

It’s crucial to know the interests and preferences of your audience when writing a persuasive paper. Your goal is not to prove to the teacher that you read an article or report facts to the targets. Instead, you want to persuade the teacher and readers to share your viewpoint. You might need to use different approaches for different audiences, so it’s crucial to know your target readers. Whether a writer wants to persuade a panel or class, the tone should adjust accordingly.

Organize Your Essay

The key to sticking to the crux of the argument throughout the essay is to get organized. Writers should use a thesis statement to preview the ideas they want to discuss. In short, a thesis statement helps writers to structure their subsequent paragraphs and lay out their supporting points. You could also use a thesis to lay out evidence that will backup your argument. Writers should start with making an outline that should include an introduction, thesis statement, and the body, which should incorporate the evidence gathered and a conclusion. Your conclusion should tie all the collected evidence and use insightful ways to restate the argument.

Persuade Audiences with Passion

It’s far easier to argue a topic that has a personal meaning persuasively. As such, it’s crucial to bring passion to an essay. Pick the most exciting topic if you have the freedom to make a choice. Choosing a fascinating subject matter can motivate a writer to dig deeper into the research and write with passion. It also allows writers to convey their feelings to the audience in an energetic way. In fact, readers are more likely to understand a viewpoint when writers channel their emotions into a rational argument. That makes readers receptive to the core argument of the essay.

Research Extensively

It is not enough to persuade readers with unfounded or inaccurate information. As such, writers need to familiarize themselves with all views of their chosen subject before starting to write an essay. You should research the best evidence for and against your argument. Note that only credible, legitimate sources such as peer-reviewed articles and journals can support a persuasive argument. It’s easier to write an exciting essay when one understands the strengths and weaknesses of different viewpoints. Researching will also enable authors to formulate a rational defense against scholars that will disagree with their perspective. It’s also easier to intensify an argument and prune distracting facts when one understands the subject matter well. In short, writers need to know what they will discuss before starting to write an essay.

Draw on Life Experiences

Part of the research process can and should include drawing back on life experiences. Living away from home and in a different country, for example, can be beneficial to your personal, academic, and social growth. Students could enroll in either structured or unstructured gap year programs and spend their holiday volunteering or traveling abroad. Some gap year benefits include acceleration of the transition from high school to college. It also ensures students experience life beyond school and apply real-life experiences in solving mathematical problems and writing essays. Below is a guide to writing a fantastic persuasive article.

Be Honest

Ideas in a persuasive essay often have consequences. Make sure you are aware of the implications of a topic that seems controversial in the public realm. You won’t worry about lawsuits if you write an essay responsibly and with integrity. Maintaining honesty and mindedness in a persuasive essay helps avoid descending into deceit and fallacy. Integrity is what distinguishes a compelling article from propaganda. As such, writers should be careful not to let their personal bias mischaracterize sound evidence or opposing views.

Author:

Brett Clawson is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in Business Management. He enjoys researching emerging business trends and sharing their impact on business and the industry as a whole. He believes that the best way to influence others and share his knowledge with the world is through his writing.

5 things college students should never do on social media

BY MELISSA BURNS

In the past, what one did in college – including irresponsible, dubious and just plain idiotic things – mostly became memory fodder. Something particularly stupid could have become local campus lore, but the rest of the world was none the wiser. After graduating, you were able just to turn a blank page and get on with your life.

Today, however, social media opens up a whole new world of possibilities to behave irresponsibly and do stupid things – and, unlike before, it is all open to the entire world to see and remains publicly available years after posting. A silly Facebook post can seriously harm both your studies and your future career. Here we’ve gathered some of the worst things you should avoid doing on social media.

1.    Posting objectionable photos

A good rule of a thumb is to ask yourself this before posting any photo online: “Do I want my parents, my grandparents, my teachers, my future employers, my pastor, my future children and all the people I know to see it?” Because chances are, they will, and at the worst possible moment. Some photos (e.g., of illegal activities) can cause you harm right now, resulting in expulsion and even criminal charges. Others may float up five years from now when you are applying for a job. Social media profile checks were a relative novelty a few years ago, but today they are much more mainstream. Whatever you post becomes an almost unerasable online footprint – even if you delete some of the photos later, somebody could have already downloaded them.

2.    Drunk posting

A post that looks and feels like a good idea after a tenth beer can (and probably will) look quite different the next day. If you know yourself doing this from time to time, either keep away from social media when trashed or get into a habit of taking an early night at parties. Everything you can write about when drunk you can still cover after a good night’s sleep, only without all the awkwardness it may cause.

3.    Trash talking your professors (elected officials, other colleges)

Firstly, it is never a good idea to alienate somebody who may influence your grades while you are still in college. Secondly, it is an even worse idea to post negative comments about people who can help you find a job in future. Professors usually have professional connections in the industry they teach about and can give you valuable job searching advice. You may feel annoyed at a particular professor right now and relieving your anger with a testy comment may be cathartic, but it isn’t worth ruining your prospects.

4.    Relying on privacy settings

It is best to take for granted that anything you post online is likely to be seen by the least suitable person at the least appropriate moment, no matter how much security and privacy boxes you’ve ticked. Privacy settings get updated without you noticing, information leaks happen even with the seemingly most secure networks, and you may just forget what else you’ve posted under this or that tag when giving somebody access to it.

5.    Talking on religious or political topics

In an ideal world, one’s religious, political or other beliefs shouldn’t influence whether you get hired or not. We don’t live in such a world, and by making your opinion on controversial issues publicly known you alienate large shares of your potential employers.

All these tips make handling social media look like walking through a minefield, and there is something in this analogy. However, if you use your common sense, you won’t have any problem telling what is appropriate on SM and what isn’t.

Melissa Burns graduated from the faculty of Journalism of Iowa State University. Nowadays she is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. Follow her @melissaaburns or contact at burns.melissaa@gmail.com

6 Things High-Achieving College Students Do During Semester Break

BY LORRAINE McKINNEY

The semester is over and it is time to relax. You can put the end of a semester behind you and laze around the house for a few months. You could do that, or, if you want to be a successful college student you can follow these six suggestions for what to do during your next college break.

1. Volunteer – Take this time to give back to your community. After all, your community helped shape you into the successful college student that you have become. Help other students by becoming a tutor. You could also mentor a high school student and help them keep on track with their studies. There are many volunteer activities out there waiting to be filled. Also, volunteering looks good on your resume.

2. Try something new – This is the time to try something new. Learn how to cook. Finally start playing the guitar. Build a bookshelf. Go on a nature walk and find out what local birds and animals reside near you. Visit a city you have never been to. New things are all around you just waiting to be discovered. All of these will help shape the person you are becoming. Learning something new helps your brain to stay in shape during your break.

3. Study something new – You can find many interesting things on online courses. Take a course on Jewish studies. Discover a branch of literature you have not read. If your major is English, delve into the world of science. There are many courses out there for you to discover. The more varied your studies, the more interesting you will be to future employers.

4. Independent study – Use this time to create an independent study either with your college or a local business. Decide what you want to get out of the study, and form a plan. Sometimes internships are too broad for what you want to accomplish. An independent study can help you narrow your focus and learn from experts in your field of study. Future employers will applaud your resourcefulness in creating an independent study.

5. Contacts – During your break you can call or write to former employers or a favorite professor. Ask them to write letters of recommendation for you. The more letters you have available, the better chance of getting a good job. Also, if you ask for the letters during break, professors will have more time to sit and think about what they want to write. Do not wait until the middle of a semester when your professor is busy.

6. Get ready for the next semester – While you might not want to think about school, this is the time to do so. You are not busy writing another term paper or reading another book that is due tomorrow. Sit down and think about what you want to accomplish the next semester. See if you can pre-order your books so you can look at them before your first day in class. Organize your schedule and make sure to balance study and down time. Prepare ahead of time and you will be less likely to cram for a test or stay up late creating a final project. This will benefit your mind and body and help you glide through your next semester.

To be a successful college student, you need to keep your mind active while you are on break. Instead of being a couch potato, learn how to cook latkes. Education comes in many forms. Take advantage of the time you have to educate yourself and broaden your horizons.

Lorraine McKinney is an academic tutor and e learning specialist.

Changing Your Mind at College ( Concerning Careers and Majors)

BY ANTHONY MASTERTON

It can be hard to come to terms with the fact that the career you dreamed about growing up might not be the right fit for you.

A good friend of mine spent two years making almost nothing as a sound engineer before coming to terms with the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to make it as a musician. Nowadays he’s an incredibly successful, classically trained, chef working in midtown Manhattan. Another friend was convinced they wanted to be an electrical engineer until they hit their third year of college, slogging through coursework, and realized they much preferred physics.

But how do you get from point A to point B – from recognizing that you’re unhappy or unsuccessful to actually pivoting? I can tell you as a tech entrepreneur, I ask myself this question half a dozen times a year, and many lean startup methodologies teach you to learn to recognize what isn’t working (fail often, fail early) and pivot: use the momentum you’ve built and pull forward what is working.

For my musician-turned-chef friend, he pulled forward his creativity, his desire to make existing arrangements his own, and his enthusiasm for experimenting with new compositions – to shift from music to cooking. The two fields are both creative outlets, with similar conceptual structures (ex: following sheet music vs. following a recipe).

Being flexible in how you achieve the type of life you want will keep you moving forward, even when you face blockers.  Let’s take another example, imagine that you always dreamed of saving lives as a doctor:
The Medical Doctorate

A doctor is in training for ten years (including residency programs). The training is extensive, exhausting, stressful, and can be expensive. But what happens if the process burns you out physically, mentally, emotionally, or financially? You don’t have to give up on a career in the medical field entirely, you still have options for saving lives, it’s not all or nothing.

Consider Becoming a Nurse

Comparatively, nurses only need a four-year degree to work in a hospital; it’s still a heavy course load and a serious degree choice. You may find that you enjoy having a more consistent and direct line to patients, and you still get to witness powerful moments and save lives.

Look Into Being a CNA

A CNA, or Certified Nursing Assistant, is a critical part of any hospital. CNAs don’t go to school for more than a few weeks, depending on the program, and they’re in constant demand. As a CNA, you’re trained to care for patients’ basic needs, like bathing, making sure they have water, and drawing blood for examinations. CNAs have a tough job, but an important one, and it’s one of the best short-degree jobs available.

Delve Into Healthcare Administration

Hospitals need to be managed just like any other large-scale operation. This is one of the most critical and impactful jobs within a hospital or medical facility. A healthcare administrator acts as a hospital’s manager, and if you’re interested in hospital work, a job as a healthcare administrator could be right for you. After getting a four-year degree, you could even set yourself apart from the competition by earning a Masters in HR Management degree online.

Life doesn’t have to be a linear path and, for most people, it won’t be. Take time to be self-aware, acknowledge what you want and what you enjoy. You can always pivot and apply the skills you’ve gained in new ways.

–Anthony Masterton is a young entrepreneur trying to break through in the tech world. When he’s not working on growing his young startup, he writes about everything from tech advancements to his own experiences as a young CEO. A self-starter, he likes to help others learn from his own successes and failures, as it’s always most impactful to learn from experience.

7 Student Tips To Build a Personal Website To Get a Job

BY JANE HURST

In this day and age, having a killer resume is not always enough to guarantee you will get a job. Employers today often look past the paper trail and onto the screen. Having a personal website that promotes your brand will enhance your chances of landing your dream job. Not all website are created equal, however, so here are some tips to make sure your website shines above the rest.

1. Take your time 

When you decide to create a website, keep in mind that this is not a one day task. Building a personal website that catches an employer’s eye takes a bit of time. Usually a good site can be done in about a week. The worst thing you can do is rush through the process.

2. Your words 

You are building a page about yourself, so you need to use your words and let your personality shine through. Be sure to take your time and figure out exactly what you want to say about yourself and your brand. If you rush this section it will be sloppy and future employers will not even take the time to peruse the rest of your site.

3. Introduction

This section is the most important part of your page. Employers will see this first. Make sure your wording expresses who you are and what you want to accomplish. You can use this section to highlight your resume or make it short and sweet and to the point.

4. Resume/Portfolio 

On this page you want to present your portfolio or a link to your resume. You can use images to highlight what you have accomplished, or you can use simple links and explanations. If you are a writer, you can use this page to link to published or sample articles. Employers are looking at who you are. They will understand if you have not published, yet. Show them an article you wrote for class or a sample your personal writing. The important thing is to show yourself through your work.

5. Links to Social Media 

If you look around you can find your best website builder to help you with the above tasks. A good website builder will also show you how to create links and boxes for your site. Some important links to remember are your social media sites. Providing links to these sites sends your employer the message that you are using them to complete and promote your brand.

6. References 

A reference page is a good addition to your personal website. If you have published anything or have been mentioned in any online articles, this is the place to include links to those articles. Also a list of people who know you and have shown an interest in your work should be included here. Professors, advisors, and employers are all good sources for references and they will show employers that you have stood out among your classmates and employees.

7. Proofreader 

The last step, and an important one, is getting people to proofread your page before you go live. They can double check phrasing, spelling, and offer critiques on your layout. Ask your professors if they would be willing to look at your personal website. A couple of family friends should also be included to give you a well rounded critique of the page. Once everyone has seen it and you have performed the necessary edits you are ready to go live. Do not forget to promote your page on your social media sites and keep it up to date.

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.

How to Use the Internet to Study Wisely

BY ALEX HASLAM

The internet is the most powerful research tool on the planet, but as any fellow student will tell you, it can also be a distraction. If you want to stay productive, start with the basics and then build from there. A well-equipped browser will allow you to collect your resources in one place, and a reliable internet connection will let you work as quickly as possible to meet deadlines. Once you have the basics, you’ll also want robust tools to help you research, review, write, and focus.

As studies have noted, some of the best resources are the hardest to find online—so we’ve done the digging for you. Here are a handful of useful free apps and websites available to help you use your time online wisely and get down to the business of studying without the distractions.

Collaborate with StudyStack

Create free flashcards and share them with your study group, or use a deck from the database. StudyStack makes it easy to stay efficient and collaborate with other students. You can also use StudyStack to create and play games with flashcards so cramming doesn’t feel like a chore.

Edit with Grammarly

If you’ve been staring bleary-eyed at the same paper for hours, let Grammarly do the cleanup for you. This free writing assistant catches most simple spelling mistakes, sentence fragments, and significant grammatical errors. Advanced versions of Grammarly may be worth the additional cost as they also check for plagiarism and offer suggestions to align the writing to your audience.

Read with Gutenberg

When you’re scrounging for resources and access to books online, don’t forget about Project Gutenberg. It offers more than 57,000 free e-Books, many available for download or to read online. You’ll also find books in several languages including German, French, Italian, and Portuguese.

Review with Crash Course

Have you forgotten the basics of a subject and you need a quick review before you start cramming? Crash Course is a fantastic place to start. This free YouTube channel, founded by author John Green, breaks down complex topics across a variety of areas like statistics, history, computer science, and study skills. These bite-size videos are fun, dynamic reviews of concepts that get you prepared for a deeper dive.

Focus with Cold Turkey

Sometimes we all need a little help with self-control. Cold Turkey has your back with a free filter that blocks distracting websites and helps you impose time limits for studying online without surfing social media. There’s also a free version for writers that doesn’t let you exit until you’ve reached your selected word count goal.

Stay Productive with RescueTime

It’s said that awareness is the first step towards resolving a problem. RescueTime takes that to heart, monitoring your productivity online and producing weekly reports about how you’re spending your time and which apps or websites might be the most distracting. It also lets you set goals and alarms to keep you focused and give each activity a productivity score so you can track your improvement over time.

Alex Haslam graduated from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah in 2017. Today she is a freelance writer who focuses on consumer technology, entertainment, and higher education.

How to Excel at College Class Presentations

BY ANTON LUCANUS

 It’s one of the aspects of higher education that students dread the most – class presentations. Trying to get our point across clearly, succinctly, and effectively can be difficult, but it doesn’t need to be. There are a few things to keep in mind when working on your presentation that can help make the entire process easier, and result in a stronger presentation overall.

If you find yourself struggling with presentations, in college, school, or even in work, some of these tips might help you get a handle on the situation. Here are some of the big ticket items to remember when writing and presenting your work.

Keep It Simple: Giving Yourself the Best Possible Start

 Starting a project is always the hardest part, and presentations are no different. If you’re presenting in front of your class, you’re likely all working from the same base understanding of a subject. Straight away this gives you an advantage when it comes to determining the information you need to cover in your presentation. To avoid a messy, aimless presentation that reiterates information that everyone already knows, you can omit broad and basic points entirely.

Take some time to brainstorm your ideas and choose only clear, specific points to focus on. Choose your angle, and be sure it’s something you can explore in detail. It’s sometimes difficult to find a balance between covering ground that’s too broad, or selecting something too niche and difficult to examine. Write out a list of your aims for the presentation, and from there decide which aims to prioritize over the others.

A good rule of thumb in any project is to keep it simple, for your own sake and the sake of your audience. Challenge yourself to write everything out in short, snappy bullet points and use those to form the basis of your slides.

Finding the Right Structure: Working Within Your Allotted Timeframe

 Once you’ve decided upon what information you want to cover in your presentation, it’s important to work out how you’re going to structure that information and how much time you’re going to afford to each slide and/or point.

Look over your bullet points from before, and break each of them down into further, more detailed points. This will help you get your ideas in order, and also get an idea of how long each point is going to take. Time yourself reading the points aloud, and try to round off to the nearest minute. Don’t be afraid to read them aloud to a friend or family member too, just to get an accurate idea of how it sounds to an audience. Sometimes when you’ve been working on something for a long time, you lose perspective on how it sounds or appears to an observer. That’s why it’s important to get second opinions from people outside your class, who can be impartial and unbiased.

This process can also help you to omit further information if you find it no longer flows well with the rest of the presentation, or if it takes up too much time that could be better occupied by other points.

Lay It All Out: Creating A Powerpoint Presentation

 So you’ve chosen the points you want to cover, and you’ve got a rough structure to work from. The next thing you need to do is build your Powerpoint presentation. This can sometimes be the most daunting step of all, because there are so many options and formats to consider. To make things easier for yourself, you can always check out some Powerpoint templates online. There are a lot of pre-made templates that lend themselves well to college presentations, so all you have to worry about it filling in your information.

There are some basic do’s and don’ts when it comes to making a presentation. Always devote your first slide to a quick run-through of the information you’ll be covering, to give your audience a brief overview of what they can expect. This can be as simple as showing the headings of each subsequent slide.

Remember, you don’t need to include every single sentence of your presentation in the Powerpoint. You can keep things brief and simple in the presentation, and elaborate on each point when speaking. This allows you to keep your presentation streamlined and visually-appealing.

It can be difficult in the beginning, but once you’ve practiced these steps long enough, writing and presenting information becomes second nature. And don’t zone out during the presentations of others, either. Not only can you learn from the information they’re presenting, but observing the presentation habits of others can help you improve your own. See what works and what doesn’t, and try to incorporate that into your own presentation style.

Learning good presentation techniques will help you in college, and later in life too. It’s always good to start practicing public speaking and getting into good habits, to allow you to communicate effectively and clearly throughout your career.

Byline – Anton Lucanus is the Director of Neliti. During his college years, he maintained a perfect GPA, was published in a top cancer journal, and received many of his country’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships. Anton writes for The College Puzzle as a means to guide current students to achieve personal and educational fulfilment during college life. You can contact Anton via email at antonlucanus@gmail.com

 Freshman Mistakes You Should Avoid To Achieve College Success

BY SYLVIA KOHL

The first year at college is an exciting and unique experience that is likely to occupy a special place in your memories. However, how you spend it is also going to have a huge influence on the rest of your life – and even if you want to experience it in your own way, it may be a good idea to avoid some of the most common freshman mistakes that can both spoil your time in college and even have unpleasant far-reaching consequences.

1.    Relying Too Much on Junk Food

Cooking your own food may be quite a pain, especially when you barely have time to eat, let alone go for groceries, plan your meals and prepare them. However, freshman 15 isn’t called this for anything – students in their first year of college really tend to gain weight – it may be less or more than 15 pounds, but suddenly switching to pizzas and hamburgers will do it to you, especially if you don’t move around much (another thing many freshmen don’t find enough time for). If you cannot avoid junk food altogether, at least limit its share in your diet.

2.    Not Having Enough Sleep

What with a significantly increased workload compared to high school and newfound freedom, a freshman often feels that there are not nearly enough hours in a day. There are so many things to do: you have to find time for studying, revising for exams, doing homework, meeting new people, partying, working a part-time job, taking part in extracurricular activities and much, much more. With all these possibilities dangling in front of you, you are probably tempted to cut down on your sleeping time heavily. However, coffee and energy drinks can get you only so far, and if you try this kind of lifestyle for a while, you risk a severe breakdown that can put you out of commission for a long time and may even have a lasting effect on your health. So make it your rule to set aside time for sleep before you allocate it for anything else.

3.    Staying in Your Dorm

Suddenly finding yourself surrounded by strangers without a single familiar face around may be intimidating, especially for introverts, and it is all too easy to decide that staying inside is less nerve-wracking and better for your studies. However, while partying 24 hours a day isn’t the best way to organize your studies, the reverse is also true – if you spend the entirety of your time neatly tucked up in your dorm you won’t get the full college experience, not even close. So go outside, take part in a free campus event, join a club or greet the next stranger you meet – remember, you are not the only freshman who knows nobody around and is looking for new friends.

4.    Procrastinating

Procrastination is probably the student’s worst enemy. Compared to high school you are given a much greater degree of freedom when it comes to arranging your schedule, and many freshmen get somewhat high on the feeling, especially if they take part in too many extracurricular activities. Work piles up, it gets even harder to get started with it – until suddenly you find yourself surrounded by deadlines you cannot realistically meet. So make it a rule early on to deal with your workload methodically, without delaying it in favor of more enjoyable activities – and you will find yourself breezing through the amount of work other students consider unmanageable.

College life may be fun and doubly so for freshmen who are new to it all – but it is even more fun if you manage to learn from mistakes of other people and not your own!

Sylvia Kohl is an IT teacher with more than 8 years of professional experience. Her main spheres of interest are e-education and she convinced that learning process doesn’t stop after years in school and university.