31 Money Saving Tricks for Students

Do you have fine wine tastes on a cheap beer budget? It’s ok – most college students are living on a budget. If not, they’re likely students getting themselves into a cycle of debt.


While neither is fun or easy, you can become smarter about the way you spend your money. Keep in mind that the key to financial success is being aware of how you’re spending your money.


Also, know that there’s a difference between being cheap and having spending savvy. There’s nothing wrong with living within your means, rather than beyond.


Stretch your dollar further with the following money-saving tips:


1. Buy or rent used textbooks and sell last semester’s books back.


2. Don’t make impulse purchases.


3. Never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry.




4. Limit the number of times you eat out monthly.


5. Cut out vices – smoking and binge drinking are terrible for you and expensive.


6. Always pay bills on time to avoid late fees.


7. If you have a credit card, pay it off as quickly as possible. (It’s good to establish credit, but a bad credit score follows you everywhere.)


8. Walk, use public transportation or ride a bike instead of having a car.


9. Live with others so you can split rent and utilities.



10. Cut out expensive cable packages you don’t need.


11. Consider more basic phone packages and plans or plans that include unlimited texting with free incoming calls

12. Don’t buy the most expensive college meal plans. Figure out what you actually consume and get the correlating package.


13. Shop where they offer student discounts. There are so many places that offer discounts to students with a school ID.


14. Look into a campus gym versus a gym in town. Many colleges offer memberships for free or at a reduced rate for students.


15. When planning meals, make dinner with friends and split the cost of groceries. Often times, you’ll be cooking too much for one person anyway!


16. Sell what you no longer use or need. There are plenty of stores and web sites, likePoshmark and Craigslist, where you can sell your used clothing, furniture or tech items.


17. Don’t buy unnecessary school supplies. Why buy cumbersome notebooks when you can type on your laptop? It’s better for the earth anyway!


18. Don’t buy books you will only need for a short period of time – check them out from the library instead.


19. Take advantage of what your campus has to offer in terms of activities, rather than spending money on going out. Many campuses have an array of museums, offer movie nights and other social events for cheaper or, sometimes, for free.


20. Skip expensive spring break and summer trips – look into alternatives, like volunteering, instead. 

21. Wait to get a pet until after college – a pet can become very expensive. Not only do you have another mouth to feed, but veterinary bills are costly. If you love animals, there are plenty of shelters that need volunteers.


22. Go to class. You’re paying for it and skipping is like throwing money out the window!


23. Drink water. It’s free and better for you, anyway.


24. Make your own coffee. While coffee shops are convenient, they charge hefty prices that really add up over time.


25. Open a savings account that earns interest. Credit unions have fewer fees and are great for students.


26. Use a free tool, like FinAid’s Student Budget Calculator or the one offered byMint.com, to keep track of your finances. It’s harder to be frivolous when you see where your money is going.


27. Never take out a loan for anything that’s unrelated to your education.


28. Don’t buy music. Use the free services like Spotify or Pandora offer.




29. Look into class requirements and the options for testing out of classes. Why pay for a class you could easily test out of?


30. Consider becoming a resident advisor. Many get free room and board.


31. Avoid buying name brand items. Purchase generic items whenever possible. They are exactly the same item, at a highly reduced price. You can even check the ingredients to make sure

How to Improve Your Analytical Skills

Successful businessman Warren Buffett named analytical skills among the most important skills for young people to become successful. Analytical skills are among the top five skills frequently sought by small companies, large corporations and organizations around the world. Therefore, the world’s top universities attempt to differentiate themselves by focusing on building and developing analytical skills. And yet, while many students are keen to develop their analytical skills, they often struggle to develop, demonstrate and use these skills in workplace situations.

Here is how you can make the most of your time at university to improve your analytical skills.

1. Understand what is meant by “analytical skills”.

There are as many definitions of analytical skills as there are application areas. In general, most experts, teachers and trainers talk about the ability to deal with information in deductive and/or inductive ways. Sometimes, it is an ability to collect, visualize and analyze information to see the bigger picture or trend behind facts. In other cases, it is an ability to take big pieces of information, or the “big picture” of a situation, and deconstruct them to identify the details, as well as the systematic trends or links, which bring them together.

2. Participate in analysis-based student projects.

Almost every year my students work on practical policy-related in-class projects jointly with partner institutions. For example, we had a project analyzing the success of Silicon Valley’s technoparks in order to assess the applicability of that experience in the environment of research universities in Kazakhstan. The idea was to take big pieces of information about the success of several technoparks around San Francisco and deconstruct the data to see practical policy trends and micro-steps, which could explain how the innovative system actually works in technoparks and what should be done to learn from that experience.

Our current student-led project is about analyzing the work of small technoparks in Kazakhstan, including a technopark at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Al-Farabi KazNU). The main idea is not only to exercise analytical tools and analytical work at our MDP/Global Classroom program but also to come up with a big picture for the university and for all interested and inspired student-startuppers about how to improve the efficiency of their startup projects and discuss the formation of innovative and workable networks and infrastructures of technoparks.

3. Start with a clear framework.

When we talk about developing analytical skills and applying them to our projects, there is often a temptation among students to jump straight into analysis. However, good analytical work requires students to follow some protocol, procedures and a well-established plan, and that is especially important in the era of information revolution, as we have sometimes too much information on important topics. I always advise my students that the first rule is to start with the basics and foundations and not skip the first step: reading textbooks, articles and other materials in order to come to a common understanding of the general types of analytical skills and analytical tools that we need for our projects.

4. Focus on the analytical skills relevant to the project.

The second rule I have is that students also need to develop subject-specific or project-specific analytical skills, or perhaps interdisciplinary analytical skills. In the case of students at Al-Farabi KazNU working on the assessment of small technoparks in Kazakhstan, interdisciplinary analytical skills were needed. This is because the report on KazNU and other technoparks required analysis not only of the policy aspect of establishing and running these technoparks, but also managerial, commercial and legal aspects of successes and failures.

5. Practice your analytical skills regularly.

One secret of long-term success in analytical work lies in developing and strengthening analytical skills and practicing them regularly in order to maintain the quality of analysis and indeed the quality of the analytical mind. Some people claim that analytical skills are a gift given by nature, while others say that it is the intellectual environment around a person that shapes these abilities. In my view both of these assumptions are off the mark – analytical skills are talents that can and should be seen as soft technical skills. Thus, these skills should be developed through regular exercises – from “mind games” like Sudoku and chess and computer strategy games, to academic studies where a student evaluates different pieces of information for identifying trends and strategies.

6. Identify analytical tools that can help.

For group projects (and for individual efforts too) students can acquire specific analytical tools that will enable them to run a successful analysis. For our purposes, our MDP/Global classroom students at Al-Farabi KazNU often use a tool dubbed the “analytical decision tree”. An analytical decision tree is commonly used in policy research and especially in decision-making analysis. This analytical tool uses a graph or model to analyze the chain of decisions and their possible consequences, and visualize them with a tree-like graphic focusing on policy/action outcomes and resource costs, in order to identify a strategy to reach desirable goals.

7. Seek feedback and new ways to develop.

Creative students in my class regularly look for innovative ways to develop and strengthen their analytical skills. And one of the best ways is to work on group projects, discussing these projects within the group and presenting them to a larger audience. The feedback or what we call “bouncing ideas” between team-members or just friends – both positive and critical – help form self-assessment of analytical skills to work on sharpening and improving them. Famous businessperson and practical management guru Mr. Lee Iacocca once said: “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you cannot get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere!”

 

7 Time Management Tips for Students

1) What do you have to do?

The first stage of improving your time management is to list absolutely everything that you have to do. This may sound obvious, but speaking from experience, most students tend to leave important tasks until the last minute, which can impact on the quality of their work and their overall grade.

Include any university deadlines as well as any shifts you work on the list, and make a note of how much time each priority will take out of your schedule.

2) Create a life schedule

Whether it’s a pin-up planner, a timetable or a calendar on your phone, find an organizing tool that works well for you and add your list of priorities to it. Also, think about when you are most alert, so that you can plan your study periods around these times.

Find time for socializing, but also make sure that you get enough sleep. Most people need between 7 to 8 hours sleep every night to remain focused and alert during study periods.

3) Be flexible but realistic

Typically, allow around 8-10 hours a day for working, studying, socializing and anything else practical you need to do.

As a full-time student, you’re expected to dedicate 35 hours a week to university studies, including the time you spend in seminars and lectures. If you only spend 15 hours a week attending tutor-led learning, you should use the extra 20 hours for independent study.

It’s also important to remember that things often take longer than expected. So, allow a little extra time in case you spend longer on a task than you thought you would.

4) Allow time for planning to avoid repetition

Taking the time to research, plan and think about your work is crucial for good time management. Allow yourself the time to process new information and plan how you are going to use it, as this can help you to avoid having to re-read and repeat any research.

One way of effectively planning before researching is to make a list of everything you want to find out, so that you can make notes below each subheading as you go.

5) Avoid procrastination and distraction

One way to avoid procrastination is to think about the different places you have been when studying – where were you the most focused? Where were you most distracted?

Remember, what works for one person might not necessarily work for you. For some, studying with friends can limit their productivity. But for others, studying in groups can help to increase motivation and avoid procrastination.

6) Exercise to clear your head in between study sessions

Believe it or not, exercise works in the same way sleep does. It can focus your state of mind, helping you to clear your head in between study sessions. If you’re new to exercise, aim to fit in a 10-minute run here and there, steadily increasing the amount you do as you go on.

7) Has your organization been effective?

Constantly reviewing and reassessing your schedule can help you to recognize whether you need to make any changes in order to help you complete any university tasks and also have time to relax and spend time with friends and family.

credit: http://www.topuniversities.com/

Aku Idamkan

sesungguhnya...
perjuanganku masih jauh beribu batu...
aku sekarang hanya di titik permulaan utk menjadi terbaik untuk diriku,keluargaku,bakal pendampingku nanti (insyaAllah),agamaku,bangsaku... tanpa semangat yang cekal,pasti diri ini kecundang di tengah jalan...

Aku idamkan... aku inginkan.... suatu perubahan kearah yang lebih baik.. bantulah aku Ya Allah.. aku mahu menjadi anak yang solehah... sentiasa menjadi penyejuk mata dan hati mak dan ayah... aku ingin menjadi yang terbaik disisiMu..

Aku idamkan seseorang yang boleh membantu dan mengingatkan aku tentang mati.. tentang amal... dan sama-sama mengimamkan aku dalam solat...penuh lemah lembut... aku tidak mengharap kedudukan pada pangkat didunia.. yang aku harapkan imannya teguh dan teguh bersemangat dalam berjuang demi agamaNya.... Aku yakin insan seperti ini pasti dapat menjadikan aku sebaik mungkin wanita solehah..InsyaAllah....

Aku mohon kekuatan dari Mu  Ya Allah... untuk terus melangkah dalam mengharungi segala cabaran dan dugaan..

Apabila hati aku terjatuh pada seseorang, pimpinlah hatiku agar aku tidak leka daripada mengingatiMu Ya Allah..

Allahhuakbar... Mati hidupku hanya untukMu...

Ya Allah Aku Jatuh Cinta

Ya Allah,  aku jatuh cinta,

cintakanlah aku pada seseorang yang

melabuhkan cintanya pada-Mu,

agar bertambah kekuatanku untuk mencintaimu

Ya Allah, aku jatuh cinta,

jagalah cintaku padanya agar tidak

melebihi cintaku pada-Mu,

Ya Allah, aku jatuh hati,

izinkanlah aku menyentuh hati seseorang

yang hatinya tertaut pada-MU,

 agar tidak terjatuh aku dalam jurang cinta semu.

Ya Rabbana, aku jatuh hati,

jagalah hatiku padanya agar tidak

berpaling dari hati-Mu.

Ya Rabbul Izzati, aku rindu,

rindukanlah aku pada seseorang yang

merindui syahid di jalan-Mu.

Ya Allah, aku rindu,

jagalah rinduku padanya agar tidak lalai aku

merindukan syurga-Mu.

Ya Allah, jika aku menikmati cinta kekasih-Mu,

janganlah kenikmatan itu melebihi kenikmatan indahnya bermunajat

di sepertiga malam terakhirmu.

Ya Allah, kau halalkan aku merindui kekasih-mu,

jangan biarkan aku melampaui batas sehinggah melupakan aku

pada cinta hakiki

dan rindu abadi hanya kepada-Mu.

Ya Allah Engkau mengetahui bahwa hati-hati ini telah berhimpun dalam cinta pada-Mu,

telah berjumpa pada taat pada-Mu,

telah bersatu dalam dakwa-Mu,

telah berpadu dalam membela syariat-Mu.

Kukuhkanlah Ya Allah ikatannya.

kekalkanlah cintanya.

Tunjukilah jalan-jalannya.

Penuhilah hati-hati ini

Dengan Nur-Mu yang tiada pernah pudar.

Lapangkanlah dada-dada kami

dengan limpahan keimanan kepada-Mu dan keindahan

bertawakal di jalan-Mu

* cinta kpd Allah jualah yang hakiki :) 

Himpunan Hijau Ke Putrajaya

Assalamualaikum!

apa habaq semua? semoga sihat-sihat selalu :)

Dah baca tajuk kan?

oke,

entri ni Farhan nak ceritakan pengalaman pertama Farhan mengikuti program yang disertai ratusan ribu orang. Sebelum ni ada join jugak program2 macam ceramah semua tu. tapi tak ada la seramai macam ni.

Setiba sahaja Farhan di stadium Darul Aman, terasa menegak bulu roma!

"Subhanallah! ramainya orang!"

Setibanya di Stadium. Ustaz Azhar Idrus sedang memberi kuliah asar. 

Farhan bersama mak dan ayah duduk di stadium tu daripada petang sampailah ke malam. Dapat   berjemaah di dalam stadium adalah satu pengalaman yang baru untuk Farhan. Sebelum ni berjemaah kat masjid ja. Perasaannya Masyaallah!  tak tau ceq nak habaq kat hampa. ;P

Acara kemuncak sebelah malam bermula dengan solat maghrib yang diimamkan sendiri oleh Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang dan kemudian Tuan Guru Haji Salleh mengimamkan solat sunat hajat.

Tatkala selesai Tuan Guru Mursyidul Am membaca doa, para hadirin sekali lagi berasak-asak keluar stadium. Walaupun berasak-asak namun tetap dapat dilihat kesabaran dalam kalangan mereka. Mereka yang tua, yang OKU dan seumpamanya diberi ruang dan dibantu untuk keluar.

Farhan dengan mak dan ayah terpaksa berjalan lebih satu kilometer untuk sampai ke tempat ayah letak kereta. Penat tapi seronok.!

Dapat juga berkenalan dengan pengunjung daripada pelbagai negeri. Dan paling teruja apabila sempat bertegur sapa dengan non muslim yang sama-sama bersemangat turut serta dalam himpunan hijau ni.. =)

Antara intipati kuliah asar yg disampaikn oleh Ustaz Azhar Idrus  : sebagai pengundi, kita wajib mengundi parti ISLAM sebagai wadah perjuangan utk menegakkan hukum ISLAM di Malaysia... =)

sumber gambar daripada diri sendiri dan FB

Bulan Rejab

Bulan Rejab merupakan salah satu dari bulan-bulan Haram di dalam Islam.

Allah berfirman, ”Sesungguhnya bilangan bulan pada sisi Allah adalah dua belas bulan, dalam ketetapan Allah di waktu Dia menciptakan langit dan bumi, di antaranya empat bulan haram. Itulah agama yang lurus, maka janganlah kamu menganiaya diri kamu dalam bulan yang empat itu, dan perangilah kaum musyrikin itu semuanya sebagaimana merekapun memerangi kamu semuanya, dan ketahuilah bahwasanya Allah beserta orang-orang yang bertakwa.” (QS At-Taubah: 36)

Bulan Haram yang dihormati itu ialah: Zulkaedah, Zulhijjah, Muharam dan Rejab.

Umat Islam dilarang berperang dalam bulan-bulan ini kecuali jika mereka diugut.

Al Allamah Ibnu Hajar menulis, telah meriwayatkan oleh Abi Daud bahawa Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم) memandubkan (yakni SUNAT) berpuasa di bulan-bulan Haram.

Berpuasa dalam bulan Rejab adalah digalakkan tetapi tiada satu hadis sahih yang membuktikan bahawa berpuasa pada hari-hari tertentu dalam bulan Rejab akan mendapat ganjaran istimewa.

Diriwayatkan daripada Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik رضي الله عنه beliau berkata: Adalah Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم apabila telah masuk bulan Rejab, Baginda صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم berdoa:

"Ya Allah Ya Tuhan kami, limpahilah berkat kepada kami pada bulan Rejab dan Sya’ban dan sampaikanlah kami ke bulan Ramadhan. "(HR Imam Ahmad, ath-Thabarani dan lain-lain)


*Di bulan Rejab yang penuh barakah ini, jom kita perbanyakkan istighfar kepada Allah, semoga Allah mngampunkn segala dosa2 kita.. InsyaAllah.. =)

sumber dan sumber