5 Activities To Boost Brain Productivity While Studying

By Melissa Burns

 The brain is the central unit of the body and it is using almost a quarter of total body energy for its work. It is a pretty sensible mechanism which needs a lot of care to function properly. Its entire work consists of five essential cognitive operations: memory, concentration, speech, visual and spatial skills, and executive ability. Each one of them can be trained although there is a strong connection between all of them.

Here are some methods and tips for students to make their brains work better:

1. Stimulating the brain

Given the functional diversity of the brain, it is mandatory to stimulate it in various ways. To train the part which is in charge of the speech and memory, try to read many different literature and books. You can even read the less interesting things. Another suitable game is solving the crosswords, as well as listening and memorizing the texts of unknown songs. One of the easiest tricks for improving the concentration is changing the usual routes of walking. It will offer the new information to your nervous system and force it to work. Playing some video games can also increase the level of concentration.

2. Using the opposite hand

Have you ever tried to use the computer mouse or play the table tennis with the opposite hand which is not dominant? You are aware that it might be hard in the beginning, but it is because you have transferred all the requirements and jobs to the one hand. Doing so, you are putting your brain under pressure. If you make an effort and use your weaker hand, your thinker will be grateful to you because you just wake up the neglected part of your central nervous system. Although it is hard in the beginning, you will see the progress very soon.

3. Getting rid of stress

Maybe you remember the lucky days from your childhood when you were just playing games and been free of any worries. It was the time when you were truly happy and living your life without a stress. Well, those days are gone, and now we have a fast rhythm and a constant communicational availability which is affecting our health. Therefore, it is very important to rest your brain regularly with the quality sleep. Performing the activities that will relax your nervous system such as meditation, yoga, listening to music, etc., can also help refresh your central nervous system.

4. Taking care of diet

Various supplements in a diet are recently becoming the target for experts. The vast majority of advertised products do not have any impact on brain functions, so the doctors claim that we are just wasting our money. Therefore, it would be much better to focus on the quality and balanced diet which is proven to be useful. It is primarily the food which is full of Omega-3 fatty acids. In the first place, we are talking about fish, salmon, and similar products. Some recent studies showed that the coffee consumption could also boost the brain functionality.

5. Learning a foreign language

Learning the foreign languages is one of the most efficient ways to stimulate and improve the mental condition and make you a better student. Entering the unknown field is like walking through the deep snow. It is indeed hard, but at the same time, it is forcing you to move the limits. Solving the mathematical tasks has the similar effect. While learning a foreign language will have a positive influence on your vocabulary, mathematical tasks will improve your logical thinking. Lastly, you can not go wrong whatever you choose.

Conclusion

In addition to all of these activities and tips, it is necessary to highlight the importance of regular and healthy meals as it is the first condition to maintain an outstanding brain productivity. The combination of the quality food and the mentioned activities will help young people to keep their thinkers in good shape. Regarding the fact that students need to learn a lot of stuff, particularly during the exams, they will have to continuously practice the mental exercises and habits to keep their brains in the top form.

Melissa Burns graduated from the faculty of Journalism of Iowa State University in 2008. Nowadays she  is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. Her sphere of interests includes startups, information technologies and how these ones may be implemented.

 

  

Things to Know About Student Federal And State Financial

BY RICK RIDDLE

Every year, college students sit down, often with their parents to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is the document that is used to determine how much money the student is entitled to receive towards their education. These funds come in the form of grants that do not need to be paid off, loans that do need to be paid off, and work study.

Filling out these forms can be both frustrating and intimidating, and many students worry that they will make a mistake that could result in them losing out on financial aid. Parents may also worry that they will be expected to pay for more than they are able.

Here’s a bit of good news. The process is not as intimidating as you might think. Here are ten important pieces of information that all students should know about financial aid.

 

1. You Need to Get Your Financial Aid Forms Filled Out as Soon as Possible

The sooner you apply for financial aid, the better. First, doing so will get your information online and available to your schools of choice. You will also have the benefit of knowing as soon as possible exactly how much money you can count on. If you plan on applying for other types of aid, filling out your FAFSA early may put you on the short list with state and private agencies.

 

2. Your State Might Offer Financial Aid Over And Above What The Feds do

As you are filling out your financial aid forms, take a few moments to see if your state offers any type of grants or other financial aid. Remember that the more help that you can get, the better off you will be.

If you are applying to a public school or university, be sure to check out their rules about in state or in district tuition. If you live within a certain geographic area, you might qualify for in state tuition even if you live in another state. This can save you quite a bit of money on tuition and other fees.

 

3. Beware! Not All Student Loans Are The Same

Once you begin applying to schools, you will start receiving mailers about student loans. Be careful! Most of these are not federally backed student loans. Instead, they are high interest student loans offered through private lending institutions. Sometimes you will pay more than four times the amount of interest than you would through a federal student loan.

Be sure you exhaust your options with federal student loans and parents plus loans before you start pursuing loans through fully private entities. You will save yourself and your parents money. Plus you won’t qualify for any kind of deferment with these private loans.

 

4. Some Students Could Qualify For Student Loan Forgiveness

Are you interested in a career that serves others? If you are, you could qualify for partial or total student loan forgiveness. Do a bit of research, many students pursuing teaching, nursing, social work or other similar fields may not have to repay their loans if they agree to certain conditions.

 

5. Know if You Are a Dependent or Not

One of the key points addressed in the FAFSA is whether or not you are a dependent student. If you are a dependent, you will be required to provide information about one or both of your parents’ incomes. Then, depending on their expected family contribution you may not qualify for as much aid as you need.

However, it is possible that you do qualify as an independent student. This means that your student aid reward will be based on your income alone. Here are some of the things that could qualify you as an independent student:

 

• Aging Out of Foster Care
• Being an Active Member of The Military
• Getting Married
• Having a Child Whom You Support on Your Own
• Parental Abandonment or Estrangement

Your financial aid office can help you to determine if you qualify as an independent student.

 

6. Don’t Forget About Financial Aid And Scholarships Offered Through Your School

In addition to financial aid offered through the state and federal governments, many schools also offer financial aid to qualifying students. Some of this is need based, while other aid is merit based. Do some research. You could be leaving money lying around uncollected.

 

7. Work Study Money Can go Further Than You Think

Many work study jobs are only for a few hours each week. This may not seem like much until you realize that the pay is often tax free. This means more money ends up in your pocket than it would if you worked off campus.

 

8. The 2017 2018 FAFSA is Available Early

Good news! You don’t have to wait until after the first of the year to fill out your FAFSA for next year. The form has been available since the first of November. You may have to go back and add in your tax return information, but at the very least you can get the remainder of the forms filled out and sent to your school.

 

9. Filling Out The FAFSA Alone Won’t Qualify You For Student Loans

Once you fill out your FAFSA, you will learn how much you qualify for in student loans. However, this does not mean that you will get these funds. If you want to obtain a student loan, you will need to visit the website StudentLoans.Gov. There you will have to fill out more forms and undergo loan counseling. Only then will you qualify to borrow money.

 

10. Don’t Pay Anybody to Complete Your FAFSA

Applying for financial aid may not be easy, but there is plenty of free help available to you. Don’t fall for scams offering to fill out these forms for you, or that offer financial aid guarantees in exchange for money. Your financial aid department at school or your high school guidance office will help you for free.

ConclusionHopefully now that you are armed with some good information you will be able to to maximize your financial aid award. This money can mean the difference between being able to attend school or not.

 About the author: Rick Riddle is a career advisor, life coach and an up-and-coming blogger. He writes mostly about career, entrepreneurship, e-learning and blogging as a part of OKdissertations team. To keep up with his latest publications follow Rick on twitter.

Top 6 Signs That You Have Chosen the Wrong Major

By Juliette Morgan

 

There are many factors that can influence your choice of a major. Some of them are positive. Your choice in major might reflect your passions, talents, and curiosities. You may have chosen your major because you believe it will lead you to opportunities to be of service to others or to pursue your dreams.

On the other hand, your choice in majors could reflect family and societal pressures. Many students choose majors because they are told that their true preferences aren’t practical or they are pressured by parents to go into the same fields as other family members.

No matter has led you to the major you have chosen, there is always a possibility that you have made the wrong choice. Obviously, if you have been pressured into a major, that’s a bad thing. On the other hand, simply having a talent or passion for something doesn’t mean that it is a good fit for you as a college major let alone a life-time career.

If you are unsure of your choice in majors, keep reading. Here are six signs that you may need to rethink your choice

 

1. You Find Yourself Getting Lost in Classes Related to Your Major

 

While he was in high school, J. was a stellar art student. His paintings were shown in a cafe in his town, he won scholarships to art camps each summer, and he even earned permission to complete an independent study art project during his senior year. It seemed natural that he major in art when he started college.

When he started, J.was enthused about going to his art classes. By midterm, he was miserable. He just slipping further and further behind. During studio classes, it became more and more clear that he just didn’t have the skills that his peers did. In classes where art history and theory were discussed, J. simply didn’t have the depth of understanding that the other students did. Ultimately, it became clear that while J. was a talented artist, his natural abilities simply did not run deep enough for him to make art a career.

Anybody struggling in more than one class related to their major, may want to reconsider their path.

 

2. The More You Spend Time in Your Area of Concentration The Less You Enjoy It

A’s dilemma was a bit different. She chose to major in Mass Communications with a goal of going into radio broadcasting. Her classes came easy to her, and she even picked up part-time work at a local radio station. The only problem was that the further she progressed, the unhappier she became. Unfortunately, because she was successful, she found it difficult to get people to understand why she was unhappy.

Talent is important, but that shouldn’t overshadow the importance of personal satisfaction.

 

3. You Cannot Clearly Define Why You Picked Your Major

Why did you choose Finance? It’s an innocent enough question, but D. cringed every time someone asked him that question. He couldn’t answer it without stumbling over his words. He chose his major when he was 18, because financial aid demanded that he do so. Choosing something business related just seemed safe.

Now, while his friends could talk about their majors and hopes for the future with excitement, D. would just mumble something about maybe working for a good company.  It’s a shame that so many college students feel pressured to choose their paths so early.

 

4. Your Classes Are Boring

 

1. didn’t consider changing majors for a full year. He just assumed that he wasn’t hitting it off with a couple of his professors and that classes the next year would be more engaging. They weren’t. This was when he had to face the fact that it was the major itself that he found boring. In his case, the idea of video game development was much more exciting than the detailed work it actually entailed.

Eventually, G. stayed in the same department, but changed majors. Art direction allowed him to pursue his dream of working for a video game studio, without forcing him into a major that was a bad fit.

 

5. It’s a Struggle to Find Your Place in Your Department

If you hit your junior year in school, and have yet to find your place in your academic department, it might be time to take a step back. Is this just a reflection of a less than welcoming or cliquish department, or is it something else? Will you also struggle to fit in on the job?

This was something that Z. had to face. She loved sports and being outdoors, so she decided to major in Recreation. The only problem was that the other students were outgoing and gregarious. She was quiet and reserved. The other students were certainly nice to her, but the personality differences made her the odd one out. Eventually, she had to acknowledge that her temperament may cause her troubles if she pursued her chosen field.

 

6. You Feel Resentful Towards Friends or Family Members

I never wanted to be an engineer! You just wouldn’t leave me alone about it! Those were tough words to say, but after three years, Q. felt better once they were out. He isn’t alone. Each year students choose majors that don’t really interest them due to subtle and not so subtle pressure from others. Eventually, they become angry and resentful.

Conclusion

There may be worst things than pursuing the wrong major, but as a college student, it can be hard to imagine what that might be. It is so important to choose a major that interests you and reflects your talent. Students who do find that they aren’t happy with their majors should certainly look into transitioning into something more fitting. Even if it means an extra year at school, it is more than worth the effort to save a decades-long career.

Juliette finished her studies at 2015. And now she works as a blog editor at SupremeDissertations.com. At the same time, Juliette is working as a blogger at different resources. She writes about educational process, students` life, parenting (especially with teens), etc.

Tips To Do Well on Your Final Exams

By Danika McClure

Finals week is a stressful time for students, no matter how far they are in their educational journey. Properly preparing for final exams is no easy task, and the process often leaves students stressed out and sleep deprived–neither of which are optimal for student success.

While there’s no surefire way to ensure that each student will be able to ace their final exams, there are a number of effective learning strategies that will help students put their best foot forward during final exam week.

Harness Your Own Unique Way of Learning

In 1983, Howard Gardner published his now well-known theory about “Multiple Intelligences,” in which he unveiled his belief that people rely on a variety of skills in order to master difficult subjects. From there, he identified seven core “intelligences” that people use to learn. What does that mean?

“While the conventional method of lecture and note-taking works for some students, it bypasses the needs of many others,” Education.com author Cindy Donaldson writes. In difficult subjects, like math and the sciences, many students believe they’re not good at the subject–yet in reality, they may just need to harness a different way of learning in order to master the material.

In order to determine your unique style of learning, try taking this self-assessment. From there, you can develop new techniques in order to maximize your study time.

Study with Partners

Studying with a partner is a surefire way to gain new learning skills and help you to better understand complex concepts and problems. Since each person has their own unique learning style, studying with a partner may help introduce you to new ways of thinking about difficult concepts and help to balance out each other’s shortfalls in understanding. Studying with an additional person can also motivate you to work towards your study goals and avoid procrastination.

If you’re struggling to connect with your classmates or need more advanced help, there are other of course other options available. Professors and T.A.s are typically available in the weeks before finals to help you prepare, and there are professional tutoring services available to help students no matter their age or ability.

Manage Stress

With college admittance comes high academic expectations, a new level of independence, and more challenging work than most students are prepared for. It’s no surprise then that college students are more stressed out than ever before. Stress can manifest itself in a variety of ways that impact both your academic life, your physical health, and your social relationships.

It’s important that students learn how to healthily manage their stress in order to succeed academically. In order to manage that stress, students ought to be cognizant about the amount of effort they put into their work, and balance that with other important aspects of their life. Rest, socialization, exercise, and healthy eating are all aspects that are equally important to studying.

Prioritize Sleep

Scientists have gone to great lengths to prove that a good night’s sleep is an essential ingredient to healthy living. Despite this, in college campuses across the country, the all-nighter continues to be a popular study tool. Studies prove, however, that pulling all-nighters does more harm than good.

A 2008 study by Pamela Thatcher at St. Lawrence University found that all-nighters impair reasoning and memory for “as long as four days,”–which is hardly ideal for optimal studying. Instead, Dan Taylor of the University of North Texas suggests that students review the most challenging materials the night before their final exam and get a good night’s rest.

Alternate Your Study Location

Recent analysis by New York Times author Benedict Carey find that much about what we know regarding effective study habits is wrong, including the location in which students best learn. For instance, instead of choosing one place to study for an entire semester, alternating the room where a person studies has proven to improve retention.

In one experiment, psychologists found that college students who alternated study rooms did far better on vocabulary exams than those who studied in the same room. While studying, the brain associates location and background with material learned. Therefore, if you study the same information in two different environments, retention becomes much easier. For maximum retention of course material, it’s best that you break up study habits in multiple locations conducive to studying.

Preparing for finals is a necessary and difficult task that many students struggle with throughout their educational journey. However, with proper preparation, healthy living habits, and strategies for success, any student can find a study routine to ensure success in their final exams.

What Healthy Living and Higher Education Have in Common

By Mikkie Mills

There’s a notable link between what you eat versus what grades you get at school, what lifestyle you live versus which job position you assume later on in life. In a nutshell, there’s an undeniable connection between healthy living and higher education. And while most people go about their lives not noticing this tether, those who do understand it can leverage it towards making a better life for themselves. Here’s five ways how healthy living and higher education are connected and what you can do to improve.

Healthy Social Function

Healthy living and higher education both play key roles in a person’s ability to function socially. A physically and mentally healthy person is at a position to conduct experiments and participate in activities that can potentially benefit society. They are also less prone to making decisions that could jeopardize others around them. To improve one’s social capabilities, regular application of social skills are important. Theory is one thing, but only real world situations can keep people mentally sharp.

Higher Life Expectancy

It’s a widely recognized fact that life expectancy has to do with healthy living. And to be able to afford the healthcare services and the healthy lifestyle that promotes this higher life expectancy, one must be able to get a good job. Higher education is key to getting a good-paying job. A high school diploma is no longer enough nowadays to compete in highly saturated job markets. To put this into perspective, let’s look at some numbers. At age 25, Americans without a high school diploma are expected to live 9 years less than those with an undergraduate degree, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Another study shows that occurrence of diabetes was eight percent higher for adults without a high school education.

Better Ability to Navigate Around Life

Healthy living and higher education enables you to navigate around complex aspects of life, such as healthcare, taxes, money management, family management, etc. College graduates and those pursuing their master’s degrees are much better at learning and mastering things they encounter on a daily basis. They have the temperament to handle situations they have little to no knowledge about because they are confident that they can learn the steps to effectively use it later on. In other words, people who are mentally and financially healthy are able to absorb worldly information better than those without these attributes. To improve, read more books and keep applying the theories you learn to real world scenarios.

Better Environment

People who obtain higher education and better-paying job have a better chance of living in neighborhoods that provide a bigger and cleaner space. They have more access to parks, sidewalks, yards, and other facilities that can be used for recreational purposes or entrepreneurial pursuits. More space equates to better mood and stress levels, which ultimately contribute to lower risk of heart problems and other physical ailments that commonly befall those who live in heavily dense communities.

Access to More Services

A better job means more disposable cash for services, such as organic food delivery, local gym membership, and private schooling for your children. Access to these services can potentially yield a healthier lifestyle. For instance, organic food deliveries means you can eat fresh produce that haven’t been washed down by chemicals. To improve this particular aspect of life, learn to prepare and cook meals that are rich in protein, carbohydrates, and minerals that you need.

Healthy living and higher education definitely go hand in hand. Poor lifestyle can lead to bad grades, which can lead to a low-income job after high school. Try to balance out the two by planning not just your immediate needs and wants, but the long-term initiative as well.

Mikkie is a freelance writer from Chicago. She has a passion for advanced learning, reading, and health and fitness. She is also a mother of two who loves sharing her ideas on education, learning, health, fitness and yoga. When she’s not writing, she’s chasing the little ones around or can be found at the local climbing gym or doing yoga.

 

 

 

5 Things Every College Student Must Do Before Graduating

By Eliza Medley

University is a special time. Sure, you’re supposed to learn stuff, but it shouldn’t all come from books. After all, this is where you explore, try new things and experiment with the different lifestyles you might want to live.

The problem, however, is that it’s far too easy to get distracted. Perhaps there are midterms. Maybe there’s a party you want to go to. Heck, this might be (another) night to stay in and watch movies instead.

To avoid the temptation to not make the most of your university time, I advise you have some sort of bucket list. A ‘this is what I want to do before I’m done’ kind of thing. Then, based on how many items you’ve got on that list, you know how many things you’ve got to do a month in order to be able to do it all.

But what will you put on that list? That’s what the rest of this article will cover.

Take a road trip

You can’t really say that you’ve been a student if you haven’t taken a road trip. Driving long distances with a bunch of friends to see something odd and do something exciting is how you lay down memories that you’ll be able to draw on for the rest of your life.

Don’t just go somewhere close by, either. Commit yourself to something far away and something slightly out of the norm. Make sure you take some people that have interesting things to say. Talk politics, religion, women, and men. Stop often, to look at things. Take pictures, selfies and drinks.

Do whatever it takes to make the road trip special, memorable and a little bit crazy (but stay safe). Yes, doing all of this might turn it into an ordeal, but the pain will fall away and ultimately you’ll remember it as one of those moments in your life when you were truly alive.

Attend a guest lecture

Find out what famous speakers are coming to your university and attend a lecture on something that really interests you. It doesn’t have to be in the direction that you’re studying. It doesn’t have to be something you know anything about. That’s not the point. The point of university is to come to understand different things and see different sides of life.

There is no better way to do that, then to listen to somebody who really knows their stuff and knows how to communicate it well explain these things to you. Doors might end up opened that you didn’t even know existed.

Remember, when you’re out of school you won’t get these opportunities again. The public is rarely invited to hear some of the smartest people of our generation speak. So make the most of it while you can.

Write for a publication

When you’re in university you’ve got some strong opinions. Share them by writing articles for some sort of publication. If it turns out to be nonsense, then you can say that those were your university days. When it turns out to be brilliant, you might just have found your new career.

A lot of writers started out at their university publications. There is a lot of freedom there that you won’t get later on in life. There’s a time to shape and form your opinions, your ideology, and your politics that you’ll struggle to find later on in life.

OF course, you will have to make sure that you’ve actually got the skills to write, so make sure that you practice. You could even consider following a writing workshop or ask about help some special services, such as get good grade.

 

Get to know a foreign culture

There are bound to be people from other countries at your school. So, find out about their cultures. This is a great chance to hear some great stories about other countries, try out some wild food that you otherwise wouldn’t have, and possibly find a country to visit over summer break.

What’s more, often people from other countries struggle to integrate because they have different expectations, different social rules and might not control the language. For that reason, they’ll quite often be thrilled to talk to somebody from the US, particularly if that person takes an active interest in them.

And what is better than having a friend in the US? Having one outside of it, that you can visit and whose house you can stay at.

Join a protest

Stand up for something you believe in. Wave a placard. Show that you care. After all, ‘the only thing that’s necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing’. So don’t do anything. Get involved with a cause that’s important.

People that have gotten involved in things like this often say that it shapes them. It becomes an important part of who they are, who they hang out with and what they do. Now, I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me.

 

Last words

There are so many things you should do in university than we’ve covered here. Still, with this list at your disposal, you’ll at least have a good place to start. Hopefully, just reading through it, you already came up with a few ideas of your own that you’d love to try. Write it all down. Don’t be shy. Take everything that comes to mind and put it on paper.

Then, when you’ve got a list with everything you possibly might want to do, start organizing these things into, ‘have to’, ‘want to’, and ‘might do’.

Then all you’ve got to do is put it somewhere prominently, where you’ll be sure you’ll see it and work your way through. Try to cross off at least one thing a month (preferably more). If you can do that, then you won’t regret it as you’ll have a slew of memories to enjoy for the rest of your life.

Eliza Medley is a tutor and freelance writer. She loves to cover topics on content marketing, education and college life. Contact her via Facebook.

Student Loan Mistakes to Avoid And Tips To Reduce Loans

BY ROBERT PARMER

 

When I first attended college, I was supporting myself completely. This is the case for many students around the globe, especially when coming from povertous living situations. The same can be said about degree seekers that are the first in their family to attend college.

While attending college I needed help paying for school and the associated costs, and this is by no means a unique situation.

An article by LendKey points out that “over the ten year period from 2004 to 2014, students’ average debt has rose 56%, from $18,550 to $28,950.”

And these figures keep growing, because despite what societal class a person may fall into, the desire for people to better their lives through a college degree is all encompassing.

With the second term of the school year just ahead, many students who are struggling to make ends meet are debating taking out more loans. This should be handled with care, as not all loans are created equal.

These mistakes to avoid will help you make better choices whether you’re putting yourself through college and needing more money, or just trying to avoid the massive waves of debt and frustration associated with the costs of higher education.

Understand the Different Types of Student Loans

The first step to success is understanding the different types of student loans out there. As a young college student, I can say that I wasn’t fully informed about the intricate differences between common types of student loans.

The most important thing to understand is the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized student loans.

Subsidized loans are reserved for students who have direct financial need and are more forgiving when it comes to paying off the interest. The government pays the interest on subsidized loans while students in need are attending school, and continues paying interest for a six month grace period after a person stops taking classes.

Unsubsidized loans can be taken out by any student, regardless of financial need. The students themselves are responsible for paying interest, which starts occurring even while still attending college.

Avoid taking out unsubsidized loans whenever possible. Just because you can take out unsubsidized loans doesn’t mean you necessarily should.

Check out the Federal Student Loan Fact Sheet for more in-depth information on the intricacies of the range of student loan options out there.

And if you get to a point where you absolutely must refinance student loans, there are many companies that exist and they are designed to help students.

Mine for Scholarships and Look for Grants

Scout the internet far and wide for all relevant scholarship and grant opportunities. A great jumping off point is to use scholarship search engines and spend a good amount of time browsing them and self-educating.

Also be sure to define your scholarship niche. In what areas do you thrive? Are you an athlete or an artist? There’s likely something about you that makes you particularly qualified to receive money for school. Having conversations about this and brainstorming a list with a loved one can be crucially helpful.

Once you’ve found a good amount of potential scholarships to go after, delegate time to write essays and letters for these scholarships. It’s not easy, and it takes time to apply for scholarships, but in the long run it can literally save you thousands of dollars in tuition and living expenses.

Also remember that you can keep applying for scholarships regularly. While school work should obviously be a focus during the majority of your year, a smart use of breaks and downtime involves routinely searching for new scholarships and grant opportunities.

Have an Emergency Credit Card, Use it For Just That

There are a plethora of student credit cards out there designed for those with little or no credit. It’s possible for most students to qualify for credit cards but this should be approached with caution.

Sometimes it’s necessary to have a line of credit for emergencies and unavoidable situations. This is where credit cards can be incredibly useful. However, using credit cards for day to day expenses or other non-emergency purposes can add to debt significantly.

Avoid this at all costs, because you’re likely already going into debt just by attending college. You don’t want to create a student debt snowball effect!

Vacation Wisely or Not At All

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring, and Summer breaks all have something in common: they are times of year where students decompress and crave vacations in order to break away from thoughts about school work and rigid schedules.

While taking vacations can be beneficial to mental health and may eliminate stress and burnout, this should be approached with a great deal of care.

It’s easy to go overboard when taking trips, because let’s face it: school is draining. Taking time away to relax helps boost student morale. But keeping trips modest may be the best decision students on a limited budget can make–there’s no reason to completely drain your savings!

Keep vacations practical. That could mean simply returning home for extended breaks or visiting family where you know you won’t have to pay for lodging and in many cases food (most of us have relatives with the ‘feeder’ mentality).

Practical vacationing can also mean saving for an extended time and picking the best time of year to buy a airfare at discounted rates. There are typically great deals on airfare around Black Friday and the weeks before and after.

Also keep in mind that the US dollar goes further when traveling to certain countries. Consider going to a place where you can stretch your funds, and use a currency converter to plan ahead and see what the exchange rates look like.

Seek Help For Financial Planning

Remember that there’s no shame in asking for help! Whether that’s from an advisor, a close family member or friend, or a third party designed to help students make wise financial choices, planning ahead and seeking assistance is a wise decision.

The frugal tips and student loan advice above should be seen as starting points. Stay organized by creating lists, guidelines, and goals for yourself. Use the resources you have right in front of you and those that are all across the internet.

While you are ultimately responsible for your fiscal success, there’s a wide range of helpful assets and likely a lot of knowledge people surrounding you.

Robert Parmer is a freelance web writer and student of Boise State University. Outside of writing whenever he has spare time, Robert enjoys creating and recording music, caring for his pet cat, and commuting by bicycle whenever possible. Follow him on Twitter @robparmer

 

 

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.