September 27th, 2007 Josh
Many of us are involved on campus, in a charity project, club sport, entertainment group, or any other type of student organization. Odds are if you find yourself on this blog you are ambitious and like to take command of your life, which means you might be interested in one day heading up that student org you just joined. The following 5 steps will help make sure that you are able to rise to the top and leave your mark on campus.
1. Find your passion
Being a student leader takes work and time. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you won’t enjoy this time. And further, if you aren’t passionate about what you are doing, you’ll likely half ass it. You need to find your passion. What issues keep you up at night? What wrongs do you see that you want to right? What do you want to spend the rest of your life doing? If you can answer these questions, find a group of other like minded people. If that group doesn’t exist yet, start it yourself.
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September 4th, 2007 Josh
One of my favorite blogs, ZenHabits.net, has posted an excellent article written by guest writer and fellow student Scott Young.
The post is every college student’s dream, how to learn more and get better grades while spending less time studying. The article introduces this idea by stating “Time spent studying does not equal learning.” In other words, it isn’t just how long you study but rather how you study that matters.
A sampling from the post:
Holistic Learning
Smart people don’t just learn better. They learn differently. While many students get caught up in memorizing facts, intelligent learners know to seek the bigger picture and connect the facts together. This form of learning I call holistic learning.
Sound too good to be true? After reading the post I don’t think so, but check it out yourself with the link below:
How to Learn More and Study Less [zenhabits.net]
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August 31st, 2007 Josh
Well, for most us here at the University of Michigan school is starting just around the corner. For many others, school has already begun.
With this in mind, I’ve decided to write out some tips and ideas for the much anticipated, or much dreaded, first day of class.
- Be Organized Have your books together, folders at the ready, and schedule printed before the morning of the first day of class. This will allow you to feel relaxed and prepared as you enter your first class. Forgetting something to write on - or never making to class in the first place because you forgot the room number - are common first day stresses that can be avoided.
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August 25th, 2007 Josh
Some of the best advice I ever received was to sit in the front row of large lectures. Doing so has countless advantages, and I think it is a great way to stay interested in lecture material and even boost your grades. The upgrade to the front row is, in addition to being a change in your physical location, a change in your mental state.
Some of the benefits of this easy change include:
- It is easier to pay attention You will be less likely to fall asleep, chat with your friend, or do the crossword in your school paper if you are right in front of the professor. Consequently, you will take more complete notes and more fully understand the lecture.
- Better comprehension If you are in the front row of your lecture hall, it will be easier to understand your professor and the lecture material. It will likely be easier to hear. Perhaps more importantly, you can pick up on body language and changes in inflection that are lost on the best row. These subtle clues can be excellent indicators of what is important - and what will be on the test.
- More personal Being in the front row helps you feel like you are in a more intimate setting with the professor. He or she may even start to recognize you, making it easier to head to office hours for extra help or feel comfortable asking a question after lecture.
- Better grades Combining all the above benefits, you can easily see how your GPA will be benefited by sitting in the front way. What an easy way to boost your grades!
Reflecting on the benefits of sitting in the front row, I’ve realized that this attitude of putting yourself in a position to succeed works for not only class, but for life in general.
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August 21st, 2007 Josh
Jay from DumbLittleMan.com (a truly fine blog) has written a truly fine post on how to keep your energy and enthusiasm on the same high level that you start the year with all semester long. Jay asks the reader “What if you could keep that ‘fresh start’ feeling all semester long?”
I think this is an important tip:
Decide your main goal - Do you want straight A’s, B’s ? Before you can get anywhere you have to know where you are going beforehand. Choose before the semester starts what grades you want and write it down. By putting it in writing, you are setting an agreement with yourself - after that, all you need to do is not break that agreement. 
Don’t stop with only stopping goals at grades though! Think hard in your free time about what you want to accomplish during this year. You have a whole year, and you can do anything with it. Rise to the top of your organization, write an incredible paper, win a contest, make new friends, don’t kill your plants… setting goals is important!
Enough chit-chat. Check out the article: 10 ways to Keep That Back-to-school “fresh start” Enthusiasm All Semester
Thanks Jay for a great article.
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August 16th, 2007 Josh
Bibliographies are a pain in the ass, and everyone knows it. But, after reading this post, making a bibliography will never take as long again! The internet and computers have made compiling and sharing information easier, and your works cited page can certainly benefit from this.
This post contains an introduction to how to make writing a bibliography easy and fast. I’ve included information on the basic formatting and style options, and also some very useful links that will help you to quickly create a bibliography online or with software (for free!).
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