By Emily Stewart

Chances are you definitely know where you’re going to college, but you have no idea what to pursue once you get there. It seems there is a common misconception among incoming college freshmen that once they decide on a college, they automatically have to decide on a field of study-but there’s no shame in declaring yourself “undeclared.” In the meantime, here are some tips to help you start exploring different areas of study.

Make Lists

It might help to make a list of high school subjects that interested you most-you may even find that these are also subjects you excelled in academically. Start with the first subject on your list, and look into the majors that are offered within that department at your college. For example, if English is first on your list, check out the offerings of your college’s English department, such as literature, creative writing, technical and scientific communication, or linguistics. You may find a field that strikes you, or you may not. If you don’t, try the next subject on your list.

Read Up

If you’re unsure about what subjects interest you, pick up information packets from different departments at your school on each major that’s offered. These packets should include required classes for each major. You can also read about these individual requirements in a class bulletin that the school provides. If you think you’ve found a potential major from this information, talk it over with your parents and/or advisor to get some feedback on your decision.

Expand Your Course Horizons

All incoming college freshmen have to take a certain number of general requirement courses. Before scheduling, read up on courses that would fulfill these requirements and look more closely at those that spark your interest. Take courses in a wide range of subjects allows you to explore many areas of study. You may ultimately decide on a major because of a general requirement course.

It’s OK to Change Your Mind

Just because you’ve declared a major does not make it a blood oath. If you find that the major you’ve chosen isn’t for you, go back to the drawing board. Once you’ve decided on a new major, meet with your advisor so they can help you make the official change. Also, devise a plan with your advisor that will help you catch up on your new major’s course requirements.

Emily Stewart is a senior at Miami University majoring in journalism and literature. She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.

As posted on CollegeView.com

So, you’re in college or off to college soon.

Big question: Are you having fun yet?

If the answer is “no,” what I say is this - get yourself out of the classroom, your nose out of that book, flee the lab, and vacate the library. If you don’t, you’re going to miss out on a large part of your college education. That’s right! The college experience offers a great deal more than scholarship - it also offers countless opportunities to gain confidence and know-how in making things happen.

A long-lost college friend contacted me the other day. She reports that she is now highly successful in college development work: designing and producing an award-winning newsletter and promotional videos, writing and supervising large-scale grants, and planning and executing fundraising events. She loves her work and does it well. “A lot of this stuff,” she confides, “is just my work with the Distinguished Visitors Program and the university concert association ‘grown up.’” My friend was referring to her undergraduate extracurricular activities.

As I thought about it, I realized that, like her, a great many of my college friends are engaged in careers related to what they did in their “free time” while at school. Oddly enough, almost none of them is making a living at jobs related to their undergraduate majors.

Knowing this, I find it ironic that I don’t remember my professors, my parents, or my advisor talking with me about what I did outside of the classroom (except when they thought it was interfering with my grade-point average). The admissions people did stress the sports, cultural activities, clubs, and opportunities for “student life” as part of their marketing strategy. But once I was in school, no one talked with me about how to take advantage of the many enjoyable and rewarding opportunities available. No one helped me to understand that, far from “goofing off,” participating in these activities would ultimately have tremendous value for me personally and professionally.

The activities of campus life are not incidental to the “real” work of college. They are the forum for mastering the organizational and people skills that are requisite to being successful in almost any profession. Campus activities provide practice in working with others to solve problems, meet deadlines, prepare and spend within a budget, make money, make something happen, and make sure that others know about it. And, unlike high school, college-level clubs and activities often have little adult involvement; students have the freedom to test their abilities, to make and learn from mistakes, and to celebrate successes that are indeed all their own.

Knowing First-Hand
My husband and I freely admit that we spent as much time on campus activities as we did in our respective majors. And both of us feel strongly that we use the skills we learned in those activities almost every day.

I met the friend quoted at the beginning of this article when we both served in the school concert association. Our little group had full responsibility for bringing famous musicians and performing artists to campus. We negotiated the contracts, managed the budget, arranged the schedule, worked with the tech people to set the stage, did the publicity, designed and published the programs, and hosted the performer for six to eight events each year.

I’ve been managing human services agencies for years. My three advanced degrees in education and psychology taught me what I needed to know to be a teacher and psychologist, but they offered nothing in the way of management skills. The basis for my self-confidence and skill as a manager (the other half of what I do) lies squarely in my experiences with those undergraduate concerts.

My husband was active in student government. When he was in school, the student senate not only argued for issues of student policy but also organized, distributed, and monitored a multimillion-dollar budget generated by student fees to support the various campus student organizations. Student senators learned about the politics of negotiation, became fluent in Robert’s Rules of Order, served on subcommittees, developed a working knowledge of constitutional law, and gained an intuitive understanding of legislative process.

My husband’s degree in forestry does not contribute to his daily work as an expert in electrical code or to his involvement in town government. But his days as a student senator laid important groundwork for his current expertise and political knowhow.

Join the Fun!

Involvement in campus activities is the other piece (maybe even the more important piece) of your college education. If you can find something to do that is an extension of your academic work, so much the better! But putting on a show, participating in student government, publishing the student newspaper, staging a protest, or managing a team all require you to stretch your skills in organizing people, ideas, time, money, and material.

It almost doesn’t matter what activity you choose. It matters a great deal that you choose something that takes you out of the books, out of your head, and into the world of doing. It matters a great deal that you jump in and find the competence and confidence that comes from being really involved in something. It matters a great deal that you discover the excitement and joy that comes from making something happen.

Go ahead - join the fun!

As posted on Psychcentral.com

1. A Personal Time Survey

To begin managing your time you first need a clearer idea of how you now use your time. The Personal Time Survey will help you to estimate how much time you currently spend in typical activities. To get a more accurate estimate, you might keep track of how you spend your time for a week. This will help you get a better idea of how much time you need to prepare for each subject. It will also help you identify your time wasters. But for now complete the Personal Time Survey to get an estimate. The following survey shows the amount of time you spend on various activities. When taking the survey, estimate the amount of time spent on each item. Once you have this amount, multiply it by seven. This will give you the total time spent on the activity in one week. After each item’s weekly time has been calculated, add all these times for the grand total. Subtract this from 168, the total possible hours per week. Here We Go:

1. Number of hours of sleep each night ________ X 7 = _______

2. Number of grooming hours per day ________ X 7 = _______

3. Number of hours for meals/snacks per day - include preparation time ________ X 7 = _______

4a. Total travel time weekdays ________ X 5= _______

4b. Total travel time weekends _______

5. Number of hours per week for regularly scheduled functions (clubs, church, get-togethers, etc.) _______

6. Number of hours per day for chores, errands, extra grooming, etc. _______ X 7 = _______

7. Number of hours of work per week _______

8. Number of hours in class per week _______

9. Number of average hours per week socializing, dates, etc. Be honest! _______

Now add up the totals: _______

Subtract the above number from 168 168 - _______ = _______

The remaining hours are the hours you have allowed yourself to study.

2. Study Hour Formula

To determine how many hours you need to study each week to get A’s, use the following rule of thumb. Study two hours per hour in class for an easy class, three hours per hour in class for an average class, and four hours per hour in class for a difficult class. For example, basket weaving 101 is a relatively easy 3 hour course. Usually, a person would not do more than 6 hours of work outside of class per week. Advanced calculus is usually considered a difficult course, so it might be best to study the proposed 12 hours a week. If more hours are needed, take away some hours from easier courses, i.e., basket weaving. Figure out the time that you need to study by using the above formula for each of your classes.
Easy class credit hours ________ x 2 = _______

Average class credit hours ________ x 3 = _______

Difficult class credit hours ________ x 4 = _______

Total _______

Compare this number to your time left from the survey. Now is the time when many students might find themselves a bit stressed. Just a note to ease your anxieties. It is not only the quantity of study time but also it’s quality. This formula is a general guideline. Try it for a week, and make adjustments as needed.

3. Daily Schedules

There are a variety of time schedules that can fit your personality. These include engagement books, a piece of poster board tacked to a wall, or 3 x 5 cards. Once you decide upon the style, the next step is construction. It is best to allow spaces for each hour, half-hours for a busy schedule. First, put down all of the necessities; classes, work, meals, etc. Now block in your study time (remember the study time formula presented earlier). Schedule it for a time when you are energized. Also, it’s best to review class notes soon after class. Make sure to schedule in study breaks, about 10 minutes each hour. Be realistic on how many courses to take. To succeed in your courses you need to have the time to study. If you find you don’t have time to study and you’re not socializing to an extreme, you might want to consider lightening your load. Tips for Saving Time Now that you know how you spend most of your time, take a look at it. Think about what your most important things are. Do you have enough time? Chances are that you do not. Below are some tips on how to schedule and budget your time when it seems you just don’t have enough.

4. Don’t be a perfectionist

Trying to be a perfect person sets you up for defeat. Nobody can be perfect. Difficult tasks usually result in avoidance and procrastination. You need to set achievable goals, but they should also be challenging. There will always be people both weaker and stronger than you.

5. Learn to say no

For example, an acquaintance of yours would like you to see a movie with him tonight. You made social plans for tomorrow with your friends and tonight you were going to study and do laundry. You really are not interested. You want to say no, but you hate turning people down. Politely saying no should become a habit. Saying no frees up time for the things that are most important.

6. Learn to Prioritize

Prioritizing your responsibilities and engagements is very important. Some people do not know how to prioritize and become procrastinators. A “to do list” places items in order of importance. One method is the ABC list. This list is divided into three sections; a, b, or c. The items placed in the A section are those needed to be done that day. The items placed in the B section need completion within the week. The C section items are those things that need to be done within the month. As the B, C items become more pertinent they are bumped up to the A or B list. Try it or come up with your own method, but do it.

7. Combine several activities

Another suggestion is to combine several activities into one time spot. While commuting to school, listen to taped notes. This allows up to an hour or two a day of good study review. While showering make a mental list of the things that need to be done. When you watch a sit-com, laugh as you pay your bills. These are just suggestions of what you can do to combine your time, but there are many others, above all be creative, and let it work for you.

8. Conclusion

After scheduling becomes a habit, then you can adjust it. It’s better to be precise at first. It is easier to find something to do with extra time then to find extra time to do something. Most importantly, make it work for you. A time schedule that is not personalized and honest is not a time schedule at all.

As posted on AcademicTips.org

How to find and buy the best laptop computer online

Every year students and parents go through the process of buying a new computer for college. Previously the question was “should I get a desktop or a laptop” but now laptop prices have come down so much it makes more sense for a college student to buy a laptop computer.

Finding the best laptop for college students is not always the easiest task. With so many brands, models and specs it may seem overwhelming at times. Check out our tips on choosing a laptop computer for college students

Students Who Love PC’s Think HP is the best laptop computer for college students

Students who love PC’s tend to go with top notch brands such as HP or Dell. A PC laptop or desktop computer can allow students to run more programs, and are great computers for all around use. PC Laptops are also great when budgets are tight, because students can usually find really good deals. For $500 you can get a basic inexpensive laptop computer that can get you on the internet.

Tip: Don’t forget to buy software for it so you can write papers, create spreadsheets and presenations.

Students Who Love Mac Think it is the best laptop computer for college students

Students who love Mac’s think Mac Book laptops are great. Easy to use, portable, powerful, efficient, and they look cool. Choosing which Mac laptop to get could mean additional homework, so its important to refer back to the questions you answered earlier.

If you have more than $1000, the MacBook is one of the best laptops for your money. Its fast processor (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor which gives better performance and uses less electricity than previous processors), included software and portable size make it a perfect choice for college students. Parents and college students will love the fact it starts at around $1,000 and is one of the “best bang for your buck” laptop computers.

The MacBook Pro is a bigger, more expensive, and more powerful version of the MacBook, that allows more options as far as computer components. If you are looking for a laptop as a desktop replacement, and dont plan on traveling much, this might be your best bet.

The MacBook Air is a new laptop computer that may not be the best laptop computer for college students, but it is the lightest and one of the coolest laptops for sale today. Technical stuff: It has a 13.3″ widescreen display, and only weighs 3 pounds. It is only .76 inches thick. It includes wireless and bluetooth. It uses LEDs for display so it uses less power and has a clearer display. It includes the built in iSight video camera and microphone to use for video conferencing. Parents and college students could use video conferencing as an easy way to stay in touch, to save money on transportation and gas, or if a college is too far to travel.

One thing to note, there is no built in CD/DVD player on the MacBook Air (you don’t really need it). You can get an external drive, or use “remote disc” which allows you to use a CD/DVD player on another computer to install programs from DVDs or CDs).

As posted on CollegeTips.com

As Facebook crosses the 70 million active US user mark this month, one surprising group of Facebook users is actually coming back less: college students. Facebook’s audience amongst users 18-25 decreased by nearly 600,000 users (3%) in the last month, while their parents (and grandparents) are logging on in record numbers.

While users 18-25 are still the largest age group on Facebook by far, college-age students and recent college grads are easing up on Facebook over the summer. Why? Now that most students are out of school and busy working, they may just have less time to keep up with friends than they do during the school year.

However, as you can see, the number of US Facebook users over 35 grew significantly in the last 30 days, up by nearly 1.5 million in each of the 35-44, 45-54, and 55-65 categories. In fact, the number of US Facebook users 45-54 has more than tripled in the last 6 months, to a record 7.7 million active users today.

Thus, it appears that recent dips in baby boomers’ Facebook usage were only short-lived. Usage amongst users over 55 have just surpassed their March 2009 levels to reach all time highs - now, nearly 4.2 million Americans over 55 are logging into Facebook each month. The fastest growing group? Men over 55 - up 42% in the last month to nearly 1.5 million. The number of women over 55 on Facebook grew by 39% in the last month to over 2.5 million.

Facebook users over 26 now represent 60% of the total US Facebook population - and users over 45 now represent nearly 1/5 of Facebook’s US audience. In other words, Facebook now presents larger and larger marketing opportunities for brands interested in reaching older adults.

Methodology - All of these numbers are estimates provided by Facebook through its advertiser tools. We have been monitoring Facebook’s data closely over the last year.

As posted on InsideFacebook.com