Advice for Students: 11+ Ways to Make this Your Best Semester Yet

Right about now, students are heading back to school for the Fall semester. Last week, I gave some very specific advice about using a wiki to store and organize notes, but keeping good notes is just part of being a successful student. Over the weekend, I decided to offer up some more general, all-purpose advice for students. Whether you’re just starting college or returning, the tips below will help you make the most out of the coming school year.

1. Get organized! Pretty self-explanatory, that one. But here’s a few things you an do to make that vague advice a little more practical.

Write everything down. Get a Moleskine notebook and a packet of Post-It “Durable Tabs”. Divide the notebook into sections for your todo list, projects (stuff that takes more than a step or two to finish, e.g. research papers, club activities, etc.), and notes. Stick that and a nice pen or mechanical pencil in your pocket, purse, or backpack. Carry it everywhere. Use it. Religiously. Write down assignments, appointments, trips to the library, shopping lists, phone numbers, classroom numbers, everything and anything that crosses your mind. I keep todos on the right-hand page and notes on the back of the left-hand page. Or figure out some other system — use index cards, a DayPlanner, a PDA, whatever works, but use it.

Review your lists regularly. Weekly, if you can. Bring your todo list up to date. Write down your upcoming deadlines. Copy your notes into a OneNote or EverNote file on your computer. Transfer email addresses and phone numbers into whatever software you use for contacts. Make sure you haven’t forgotten anything important, and brainstorm your ideas for the coming week.

Have an inbox. Pick a place in your dorm room or apartment or wherever you end up living and put all your new stuff (assignments, papers, books, things you bought at the store) there. Go through it every day and put everything where it belongs — into your todo list, in a desktop file box, into whatever drawer or closet it belongs in.

Organized doesn’t necessarily mean “clean”, just keep a general system so you know that what you need is somewhere you can fin it. Remember that you need ideas, too — write them down and keep them safe!

2. Know your professor. Check out your professors’ bios on their departments’ websites. Google their names. (Use “firstname lastname” in quotes, then try “lastname, firstname”, also in quotes. Try with and without their middle initial, if you know it.) Look them up in whatever research databases your school’s library makes available to you. Look them up on Amazon. Pop in for a chat during their office hours. You don’t have to get creepy — don’t go through their garbage or anything like that. Just find out something about their work, what their research interests are, what sort of stuff they’ve written, what their teaching philosophy is (many profs post that kind of stuff). Find out where your interests intersect with theirs, and what they have to offer you that might be outside the scope of whatever class you’re taking.

3. Find a mentor. Seek out someone (or more than one, if you can) whose success as an academic, researcher, administrator, business person, artist, or writer inspires you. This may be a professor, but may well be someone outside the university altogether, too. Contact them. Tell them who you are and ask if you can meet with them some time. Offer to buy them a cup of coffee. Tell them why you admire them or their work, and ask if they have any advice for you. Offer our services as an intern or employee. Build a lasting relationship. You may well find a lot of jerks this way — stop admiring those people so much. Move on.

4. Visit the writing center. Or whatever other tutoring resources your school offers. Sign up for a writing workshop or study group. Take some flyers. Regardless of how well you think you write, you can always write better. Skilled writers are rare and in high demand — become one. Use whatever resources are at your disposal, including your school’s writing center. They’ll be more than glad to see you!

5. Join something. Join a club or sports team, a gaming group or a knitting circle. Join the theater group, or sign up to hand out environmental flyers in the student union. Nominate yourself (or ask someone to nominate you) for class president, or treasurer of whatever student group interests you. Check if your school offers a service learning program, and sign up. Volunteer. Develop leadership qualities by leading. Connect with as many people as you can, both because it’s smart networking and because it’s damn good fun. And you might change the world.

6. Speak up. Maybe you were shy in high school. I was. Stop that. When the professor asks a question, raise your hand — regardless of whether you know the answer or not. Give speeches in the student union or on the quad during lunch time. Step forward whenever the opportunity arises. Give presentations in class, even if there’s an alternate assignment. Join Toastmasters. Become a self-confident and able speaker.

7. Read for pleasure. No, seriously. This means two things: 1) learn to find pleasure in the reading you’re assigned, and 2) read stuff that isn’tassigned. Pick a topic that interests you and check out a book a week from the library. Read 10 novels this semester. Read literary magazines. Subscribe to RSS feeds, print out stories, and stuff them in your backpack for the random quiet moments that happen between classes, during meals, standing on line, or waiting for an appointment with a professor. Cultivate a thirst for knowledge above and beyond the subject matter of your classes.

8. Set goals. What do you hope to accomplish this semester? Forget about grades — grades are bunk. What is it that would satisfy you, as a person, if you achieve it this semester? What do you hope to get out of your classes? Make a list of goals, both short-term (this month, this semester, this class, before Thanksgiving, etc.) and long-term (during college, over the next year, within the next five years, etc.). Look at what you’re doing with your time; is it helping you reach those goals? Is it detracting from them? Of course, not everything has to contribute to helping you reach your goals for your life at 50, but if too much of what you do today seems to be at odds with where you want to be tomorrow, it’s time to re-examine either your goals or your actions.

9. Start something. Write a play or a novel. Organize a theater group or a weekly movie night. Curate an exhibition of your friends’ art work in the library’s lobby, or start a musical group and hit open-mike nights. If your school doesn’t have one, start a humor magazine; if it does have one, start a better one. Put together a rally at the book store opposing the use of sweatshop labor in school logo sweatshirts. Start a business delivering late-night snacks during study weeks.

10. Fail. While I realize you are firmly under the thumb of the tyranny of grades, and would not advise jeopardizing your GPA if you can help it, a little failure is often the best lesson you can learn, at school or elsewhere. Go out for activities you have no talent for, or that frighten you. Undertake Quixotic missions of protest against the administration, the school’s catering contractor, or the city government. Rally behind an unpopular candidate, whether for class secretary or for US Senator. Ask out a student that’s way out of your league. Apply for a job you have no qualifications for — without irony. Push yourself to do things that are well beyond your comfort level, if for no other reason than to assess the distance you’d have to cover to succeed at them.

11. Find balance. When mid-terms are done, have a drink (assuming that’s legal). Call home. Hang out. Play guitar. Schedule goofing off time, if you have to — you’re not only earning the right to waste time, but you needto if you’re to be at all successful. Remember, you’re here to grow as a person, and that means doing things that are personally satisfying even if they don’t come with a grade, paycheck, or certificate attached. Figure out now how to balance work and play, because it’s going to be easier now than when you’ve got bills up to your backside, screaming kids, and a micro-managing boss looking over your shoulder.

Bonus tip: Keep reading lifehack.org for advice and tips throughout the school year.

Bonus tip two: Know yourself. Learn your strengths and apply them. Learn your weaknesses and overcome them. College offers a unique time in your life when you can focus exclusively on self-improvement and personal development. Take advantage of it.

Obviously you won’t want to do every single thing I’ve mentioned here, but use these tips as a guide to build relationships, skills, and self-awareness, ostensibly the things you’re in school for (well, that and the beer, but I think you know where to find that already, right?).

What advice do you have for the students of 2007-8? If you’re in school, what have you figured out that works for you? If you’re out of school, what did you come up with to make your college years as productive as possible? And what are the problems and challenges facing today’s students? What secret do you wish someone would just come out and say, already?

credit : http://www.lifehack.org/

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/