Michael Kirst's Blog, page 12

How to Get An Internship : An Example From Software Development

By Emma Bonney

It’s your dream to be a software developer? Then you probably hope to land a software developing internship that would help you gain experience and enhance your skills. But not knowing how to approach this situation can be a problem. Here is what you need to do to get an internship in a software development company.

Start early

Don’t wait until spring to start looking for open positions. The recruiting season for companies specialised in software development from Eastern Europe starts in August/September because they are technology experts who want to make sure that they have time to check all the resumes they receive before choosing their interns. It’s advisable to search for an open position in Eastern Europe because it’s a centre of the tech development world and the opportunities are endless in countless industries. Start looking for internship positions in August, early September or October. Most of the companies end their recruiting process by November or December.

Use your connections

As a college student, you may feel that you don’t have any connection, because you think they should be real adults. Well, this is a misconception, you probably know some alumni who work in teams of software developers at the companies you want to work at. Also, it’s the moment for you to discover LinkedIn, it can help you build a network that facilitates your admission to the internship you want.

Reach the connections you know and who work in the field, it’s easier to ask for help from people you already know. Don’t forget to ask your friends and colleagues if they interned at companies that have dedicated teams of software engineers, they can refer you to the recruiter.

Besides reaching your connections to find out more about possible internship programs you should also use your college’s career affair. There are great chances the companies to be there to recruit students.

Your personal projects are more important than your GPA

Some students are focused only on school because they believe that their grades will bring them success. But the fact is that you should focus on the projects that passion you, the ones that help you improve your skills, and make you happy. The personal projects related to software development solutions look amazing in your resume because they show employers that you are a creative person and you have initiative.

You will notice that if you start focusing on your personal coding projects your grades will not budge even if you spend less time in school. You will acquire knowledge that will help you maintain your good grades, only that you will get it another way than studying in the traditional manner.

Also, if you focus on the things you like you will be more relaxed, and you will be able to retain more information. You will no longer be stressed out about your performance, and this will improve it.

In the IT world, side projects are always an effective way to learn new skills and to build your resume. As a student, you will also find this activity quite rewarding because you will be able to practice on your own the skills you acquired. It’s advisable to do a side project you are passionate about, don’t start one just to build your resume.

A great idea is to do coding work for non-profits, you will work with people who have the same interests, and it will help you understand what you want from your next job. Working together with other people, on a team will prove a fantastic experience.

Always apply for an internship

Keep testing the market, always apply for internships even if you’re not looking for one at the present moment. Popular IT companies like the ones from Eastern Europe give out their internships a year in advance. In the worst-case scenario, you will acquire more interview experience.

Many people apply to jobs only to test the market, you should use the same strategy. If you’ll get an internship with a popular company, it’s no reason not to accept it. You can always change your plans when it comes to your career opportunities. By testing the market, you understand where you stand in terms of your competition.

If you don’t get interviews you should keep improving your skills and resume. Work a little harder and you will have greater chances next time when you apply.

Don’t accept a job before researching the workplace culture

Sometimes it’s not hard to get accepted, it’s challenging to decide what internship is the right one for you. If you are part of a minority group, you should check the company’s culture to understand if you’ll find difficulties working there. Some tech companies can make their employees feel uncomfortable, and this is the last thing you want as an intern.

Other times you don’t have to be part of a minority to feel like your internship is the worst decision you have ever made. This type of experience can deter you from software development completely.

Do research; try to get in touch with employees, and former employees, to find out their opinion. Check if someone from your network has worked at the company and ask them to share their experience

Don’t be afraid to aim high

Sometimes IT students find hard to believe that they will ever be able to get an internship or job at a popular company because they don’t trust their skills and knowledge. Don’t have the misconception that you’ll never be good for that job. Those companies are not looking for geniuses, who spent their entire life coding; they are looking for talented people who are willing to learn new things.

IT companies are looking for people with good soft skills, good developers who can give a fresh perspective to their team. If you work hard, gain experience while working on your personal project, have a decent GPA, and you apply for the internship, you’ll definitely receive an interview invitation. You have a chance to work for a big company you only have to apply.

A bit about myself:

Emma Bonney is a successful blogger whose articles aim to help readers withself-development, Women’s Empowerment, Education, entrepreneurship and content management.

 

Working on Campus? Useful Tips for Undergraduate Student Employees

BY SYLVIA KOHL

Gaining experience during your college years is beneficial for students in more way than one. They get practical knowledge of the area they’re working in, they grow professionally, and they learn how to manage their own finances. However, being an undergraduate student employee is not the same as a regular employee.

There are a lot of things you need to be focused at the same time, and if you add your job to it, your life can get pretty hectic. In this article, we bring you tips on how to find a job that fulfills you and doesn’t negatively impact your other student activities.

Determine what you want

 Not all students have the same amount of free time on their hands. Thinking you can work four hours per day just because your friends work that much will not bring you any good. Focus on your own situation and see how many hours per week you can actually work. Also, ask yourself what type of job would you like to have. Do you want a job which will help you expand your knowledge from college or you want something completely unrelated to your studies? For instance, if you’re studying marketing, would you like to have a part-time job in a marketing agency or in the marketing department of a big corporation? Knowing what you want will help you achieve your goals in your professional life.

Know when to quit

 It’s inevitable that you will have to quit your job eventually, especially during student years. It can be due to an increase in student activities, new job opportunity or you simply got tired of doing that particular job. The biggest mistake students make to continue working because they are focused on the money they earn. But, working somewhere you don’t feel motivated will have a substantial impact on your overall student life. Quitting a job is never a pleasant experience, and it will never be. However, when you decide to quit, it’s vital you do it the right way to stay professional and not harm your reputation as an undergraduate student employee. You should take a look at several resignation letter samples to deliver a good one to your boss and make your few last days as enjoyable as possible.

Track your time

 Every student has numerous activities, from attending classes, studying to other student activities such as visiting events related to your studies. When you add your job to that list, you barely have time to see your friends and family. However, by tracking time, you will become more efficient and productive. Time management helps you find the time for other things that make you happy while having that healthy feeling of control. There are plenty of tools that can help you track your time and make sure you don’t forget any of your activities. One of the most effective time tracking methods for students who often have unpredictable schedules is calendar editable. This type of calendar is created on a weekly basis to make student’s plans easier to track and execute.

Ask for advice

 Most of the times, we tend to neglect the fact that our job choice significantly impacts the rest of our life. Asking someone you trust or talking to somebody at your college for help can save you a lot of time which you would probably spend wandering from one place to another. People who have been working for a while now can help you understand this world much better and give you a piece of advice that will significantly help you with your job search.

When you are looking for a job, keep in mind that you should find something that helps you develop your skills and learn new things. In the end, when you find a job you like, you will not feel the burden of going to work every day. Instead, it will be a joyful experience for you, as it should be.

Sylvia Kohl is an IT teacher with more than 8 years of professional experience. Her main spheres of interest are e-education and she convinced that learning process doesn’t stop after years in school and university.

 

 

Best Tips on How to Find Cheap Student Flights

BY LINDA ANDERSON

Travelling as a student often comes with a major constraint of money. From transport to stay to food to sightseeing entry costs, money is a huge factor when it comes to travel. If you are looking to get yourself a good hotel or book airport parking for your car, all it takes is a little smart planning to reduce and sometimes even, eliminate a lot of your expenses during your vacation. But one of the biggest expenses of any travel plan is the flight fares. Use these life hacks to find yourself cheaper flights when you are booking your next trip.

 

Go incognito

Most sites use cookies to help them serve you better and in turn, expose your browser data to the web server. You will often see that once you have searched about a particular destination, ads related to the place start popping up on your social media. It is often seen that travel sites get hold of your data, not only promote, but also to increase your fares since you are already contemplating the trip. In order to avoid having your information stored in cookies and used by websites, use your browser on the incognito mode.

 

Avoid the peak season

Flight fares are at their highest during several times of the year such as school vacations, holidays, as well as during the best season to travel. Going home for the holidays is definitely something every student looks forward to, but if you can manage to avoid this seasonal rush, you will get cheaper tickets for sure! Similarly make use of the shoulder season to travel, for cheaper flights and other vacation expenses.

 

Look for cheaper airports

If you are travelling from or visiting a place with multiple airports, look into the flight prices to and from all the different airports that cater to the locations of choice. You might be surprised to how much the price varies depending on the airports you choose. Other than the flight, several other expenses vary too. For example, if your location is San Francisco and the flight fares are the same, SFO parking might just be a tad cheaper than OAK parking, saving you some good bucks there!

 

Learn to travel light

Most budget airlines charge extra fare per kg of cabin baggage. Check the baggage weight limits and pack light to avoid paying exorbitant prices for extra luggage weight. Make the best use of your hand baggage weight limits to distribute your luggage more efficiently, and thus avoid paying extra baggage charges.

 

Look for student discounts

Like in restaurants and stores, there are discounts you can avail on flights as well, simply by virtue of being a student. There are several websites which can actually help you book your tickets for cheap if you can provide them with proof that you are currently a student. Even your school might have such tie ups which you can avail. Make the best use of your student discount to book your next tickets and save up quite a bit of money.

It is a wrong conception that travelling requires a lot of money and hence, a student has to wait to be employed to travel well. A little bit of planning goes a long way in making your travel cheaper and more efficient.

By line for Linda Anderson

I’m a writer and musician residing in Boise, ID in the United States, although I spent a small amount of time (about three years) living in the UK growing up, due to my father’s occupation. I graduated from the College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Business and a focus in marketing in 2014.

Ways Students Can Improve Their Academic Writing Skills

By Gloria Watson

Essay writing can be a daunting task that many students do not look forward to because it is a complicated process that requires inspiration, creativity, and good knowledge. However, writing is one of the most important skills for success in higher education. Needless to say, writing ability is also one of the highly prized skills by employers. An academic essay should provide a solid and debatable thesis that is supported by relevant evidence and have content that is clearly and precisely expressed.

Very few people have the ability to write effortlessly and perfectly while most of us must sweat over the process of revision, drafting, and redrafting until we get it right. To improve essay writing, students often need to practice and to learn how to apply new things to create content that is more readable and interesting. The good news is that writing skills can be learned and improved with practice and by learning the most important basics of writing. Check out these great essay tips and techniques that will improve your academic writing skills.

Research your topic

Some academic subjects will require you to write essays about topics that are part of common knowledge. However, you will also most probably be asked to write an academic paper on a subject that you are still not familiar with. Either way, deep research is the very first step you need to start with before drafting your ideas. With so much information potentially available at your fingerprints, it is important to find a way to research your topic in a thoughtful and comprehensive way. Use keywords to find sources that have the information you need and once you have found them, you can start organizing your information into a logical way. You should start by looking up general information about the topic and then narrow your research with more specific questions you want to get the answer for. Spending a lot of time on research will help you deepen your understanding of the subject; thus the ideas will flow more easily once you start creating the content of your essay.

Set up a drafted version of your entire essay

The most professional content writers suggest that creating a full outline from start to finish is the best way to organize your writing. A draft is a rough sketch of your future piece of writing which will help you elaborate on the main points of your essay. In the first draft of your writing, you start transferring the ideas you have created while doing research which will help you stay focused on the most important knowledge you want to pinpoint in your essay. This will help you control the web of your thoughts and help you stay focused on what you have planned on writing about. Writing an essay without creating an outline first will not only take longer but can also make your essay coherently weaker.

Focus on the clarity of thoughts

Clarity is perhaps one of the most important qualities of an excellent essay. Obviously, it means making your content easy to understand by anyone who reads it. if the reader is struggling to understand your point, they will instantly lose their interest in continuing reading your essay and will have lower respect for the content you have created. The secret to creating a well-flowing essay is to form well thought out sentences and paragraphs. Writing with clarity requires you to know exactly what you want to say.  Secondly, it is crucial to know who your targeted audience is. The better you know your audience, the more clearly you can communicate to them because you customize your vocabulary and writing structure according to the level of understanding of your readers. For better clarity of the content, professional content writers advice novice writers to define unfamiliar words especially if the essay focuses on a particular subject.

Get a second opinion

Just because something sounds good and understandable to your ears, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your essay is coherent. Since you already know what you wanted to say, the content might sound extremely logical and coherent to you, but not to someone else. It is always wise to ask for a second opinion before submitting your essay for someone else to confirm its validity. Also, even the most experienced writers can make grammar mistakes that they accidentally overlook, a good editor will make sure that your essay is clean and free from any grammatical mistakes and easy to understand.

Byline: – Gloria Watson ’24 grew up in Texas and graduated from University of Texas. Nowadays, she’s a freelance writer whose aim to write article on computers and school education today.

 

Effective Ways to Promote Your On-Campus Event

By Emma Bonney

College campuses are always full of events, whether it’s a concert, a film screening or a nationally acclaimed speaker. When you’re planning a campus event, getting people to attend can sometimes be more difficult than coordination the event altogether. So, what are the most effective ways you can get people to hear about the event and spark their interest to participate?

Social Media

Social media is probably one of the most effective ways to advertise an event. Create an event on Facebook and share it with everybody on campus. Invite people to the event and ask them to invite their friends as well. Instagram and Twitter are also a good way to promote the event, although it has to be done in a more creative way. You can share the poster of the event on Instagram or even go a bit further and share stories from the whole planning process. This will attract people’s curiosity and convince them to attend.

Email

When trying to find an effective way to advertise something through email, think about the newsletters that you receive from your favorite subscriptions. You would not even open the email or read the content if it was not something that caught your interest. Try to create the content of the email based on that idea. Put together an informative text about the main theme of the event and advertise your event in the end. This will make sure to get people’s attention and will not make the email seem like spam. Then, send it to everybody on campus and ask them to further invite their friends by forwarding the emails to them.

Flyers

Although they are one of the oldest forms of advertising, this does not mean that flyers are less effective. Eye-catching flyer designs will attract people and spark their curiosity. Don’t put too much information on it. Just the highlights of the event, the date and time and one or two important ideas. Leave flyers in the most frequented places on campus, such as cafeteria, dorms or library. Ask friends to spread them around and don’t forget about bulletin boards. Another effective way to make sure they reach your audience is to also send flyers in the mail.

College Newspaper or Website

If your college has a newspaper or a website, discuss with the editor and ask if they can post a short article or description of the event. It can either be a short O&A session with the speaker or a short story about the overall event. You can write a short text explaining the reason you thought about putting together the event, what your experience has been so far and what you plan on accomplishing with this. Don’t forget to include the date and time of the event, contact information if necessary and any other important info. You can also choose to go a simpler way and just have the flyer or poster of the event un in the newspaper or on the website.

Word of Mouth

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to attract people’s attention is to have other people talk about the event. Make sure you spread the word about it through friends, classmates and even teachers. Tell people about the event and make sure to encourage them to tell their friends also. If people are talking about it, this means the information is going to reach more students and bring more attendees. Make sure to also ask people to share the event on social media or invite their friends. Although not literally, this counts as word of mouth too.

Send Invitations

If you plan on inviting the professors and faculty members too, it would look more professional if done through a printed invitation, instead of an email. Just like the flyers, make sure to include the important information on the invitation, as well as the name of the person it’s handed to. A nice touch is to handwrite the name, as it will look more personal and thoughtful. Make sure someone from the organizing team is handing down the invitations, so they can answer any questions the professors might have. Tell them about the importance of the event and why their presence would be valuable.

A bit about myself:

Emma Bonney is a successful blogger whose articles aim to help readers with self-development, Women’s Empowerment, Education, entrepreneurship and content management.

Academic Excellence isn’t Everything: Using College for Growth, not Grades

BY ANTON LUCANUS

 Anyone that has been a student at some point in their lives can attest to the fact that it is an experience that is unparalleled by any other. The information that you learn and (hopefully) maintain during your time at college ultimately proves to be the building blocks of your future career path, it is important for you to realise that university is essentially a stepping stone into the trajectory path towards your career. There is a lot of advice that is almost certainly going to come your way from all angles throughout your academic years. However, the single most important piece of advice you will ever get as a student is precisely that: to treat university as the learning curve it is. University will give you the academic tools to move into your desired career path, but it is but it does not provide you with all the experience you need to make it when you reach the point of entering the workforce in your chosen field.C

 University and college is an experience that is both challenging and exhilarating. Its unique nature is something that is at once a testament to the power of intellect and the chaos of humanity. For many students, the years spent at university are some of – if not the – most high-pressure years of their entire lives. There is so much that is riding on the successes and failures of the experience, and students are so immersed in it that they often treat their experience as a student as the be all and end all of life as they know it. Now of course dedication is a trait to be admired. But it is also important that students realise that university is not the be all and end all. In fact, university is a stepping stone, a pivotal point in the trajectory towards one’s career. Designed as the biggest and longest learning curve there is, university works so well because it provides students with the knowledge and the basic tools to establish a foothold in their respective industries.

Figuring out how to tap into that potential

Whether that means  improving writing skills to help you get through the high-pressure periods in the semester as you work hard on all fronts, or investing in therapy sessions to help you keep calm and sound mentally (or any other manner of coping mechanisms), do them. Because it is always better to take care of yourself, while taking care of your health, than it is to sit in the back of a classroom uninspired, waiting until class ends so you can go the next classroom and do the same, for three years. Great minds are as such because they are driven to succeed, to make a lasting, profound difference. And university is just the first stepping stone – but it is also the biggest. So, make adequate use of your time as a student. Go above and beyond. This is the time for you to show everyone what you are made of. This is the moment in time that shapes other key aspects of professional development. Make sure that you are involved in every aspect of the experience – not just the classes themselves.

The necessity of branching out to reach your full potential

However, more than that, college cannot give students everything they need to succeed professionally. This is the mistake made most often by students. So engrossed in academic excellence, many students make the mistake of giving their entire being to their school work. This becomes a problem because school can only provide you so much. There is a lot of self-imposed work to be done too. When you have time, volunteer or intern at companies that specialise in your professional interests. Whether you’re studying to become a personal injury attorney or a literary professor, this is incredible important. Go out of your way to network, attending events and seminars that can help you establish a rapport and a reputation while you are still a student – this can (and often goes) prove to be priceless. While higher education is one of the most challenging experiences you are ever bound to go through, it is also so important to keep in mind that this unique experience is stressful. So, asking for help when you are struggling is sometimes not only recommended, but necessary, in every sense of the word.

At the end of the day…

College and University is a truly unique experience for any individual who decides to expand their academic and intellectual horizons. And every single student who has been a higher education student knows all too well that there is what seems at times like a limitless influx of advice that is offered from every conceivable angle. While most pieces of advice are helpful in their own way, there are some that stick out more than others, that seem to click for most (if not all) students. And the advice to treat university as the stepping stone into one’s career is perhaps the single best piece of advice that any student can and will ever get. At its core, university of course gives students the knowledge and the tools to begin figuring things out professionally. But students must ultimately do more than simply attend their classes if they want to excel academically and adequately prepare themselves for their future as an industry professional. It is about so much more than classes; it is also about interning, networking, and doing everything you can to not only flourish, but positively thrive.

Byline – Anton Lucanus is the Director of Neliti. During his college years, he maintained a perfect GPA, was published in a top cancer journal, and received many of his country’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships. Anton writes for The College Puzzle as a means to share the lessons learnt throughout his degree and to guide current students to achieve personal and educational fulfilment during college life.

Federal Student Loans vs Private Loans: Things to Keep in Mind

BY KIRSTIAN KRISYK

With the costs of education being higher than ever and continuing to grow, few students have an opportunity to fully pay their way through college or even have their parents do it for them. If you don’t want your parents to go broke for your sake or to take a reverse mortgage on their house to pay for your degree, you have to think about ways of finding extra resources. And one of the most obvious ways to do it is a student loan. However, there is a question: what is better, a private or a federal loan? The answer, as usual, is: it depends on your situation. So let’s take a closer look.

The main difference

Federal loans are funded by the government and have strictly fixed terms and conditions: what you can use the money for, what your interest rates are when you have to start making payments. Usually, they come with a grace period, postponing your first payments until after you graduate.

Private loans are funded by private organizations (banks, credit unions, even schools themselves) and can have a wide variety of conditions. Most of them are more expensive than federal ones, and many have you start paying them off while you are still in school.

Why not just choose a federal loan, then?

At a glance, it may seem that federal loans are better by any measure – and normally you should look for them before applying for a private loan. However, it is not as clear-cut as this. Firstly, federal loans come with a cap and are often just not enough to cover the tuition costs, forcing you to look for other sources. You can take only a limited number of them. Finally, they strictly limit what you can spend the money on – normally it is just tuition and education-related expenses, and your definition of this term may differ from that of the lender. This is where private loans can help you scrape up the necessary cash to cover the expenses not included in your federal loan – e.g., relocation to your first place of work or living costs.

What to keep in mind
Be careful when determining the terms of repayment

Federal loans allow you to choose very extended repayment periods, up to 30 years. This way you will have to pay only a small amount every year, compared to a shorter repayment, but you should remember that you will pay much more over the lifetime of your loan. Thus, if you believe you can afford it, you should try to choose a shorter term.

Take your starting salary into account

Don’t take on debt that is more than your expected first year’s salary. Calculate how long it will take you to repay it and try to make it 10 years or less.

Start with federal loans

Federal loans usually offer better and more lenient terms than private ones but are limited. Start looking for available options among them, and only move on to private loans after you maximize your federal loans.

Shop around

In order to find out the exact rate you are going to get from each lender, you will have to apply for a loan. The advertised price may come hand in hand with additional conditions that make it unacceptable in your case. Get in touch with a number of lenders before settling for any of them.

A student loan can give you the means of getting an education of your dreams – but if you do it wrong, you can end up with more debt than you can handle.

BY LINE–Kristian Krisyk had been working in the field of web design for 7 years before becoming an entrepreneur in 2014 in design and marketing. His professional interests and hobbies defined major topics of his articles. These days Kristian runs his business and looks for new development opportunities. Follow him @KristianKrisyk or contact at kristian.krisyk@gmail.com

 

5 Ways to Study Outside of College

BY SEBASTIAN MILLER

In youthful stages, the university was not only a pleasant place to be but also a great way to convert the surpass free time at hand into resourceful skill gaining time. Once you land a job, however, time becomes a limited commodity, and as such the ability to get back to college and expand your skills is limited.

Although this is the case, forfeiting to learn additional skills is not a path you may opt to venture. Similarly, you cannot limit the growth of your skills to campus or college degrees. Given the vitality of skills in landing better-paying positions and increasing know-how in your field of operation, study outside of college remains the ideal solution.

Without organizing your method of approach to self-study, the entire process could end in jeopardy and cost you time and your hard-earned money. To ensure that you rip the most benefit from studying out of college, here are some tips to steer you in the right trajectory.

Keep tabs on current news and trends in your field of expertise

Among the most significant ways to learn and build your skills, updating yourself with current news ranks top on the list. By browsing the news often, you acquaint yourself with new developments in your field and top grossing skills at any point in time.

After gaining the information, pursue outlets that offer tutoring and material thus keeping yourself at per with technology and increasing your marketability. With the ample supply of content both on online forums and libraries, gaining relevant skills and honing them to a pro level proves an easy endeavor.

To even better your journey, platforms of the likes of usessaywriters.com offer assistance on multiple niches and ensure that you cover all the nitty-gritty items entailed in specific fields.

Enrolling for online classes

Thanks to technological advancements, it is now easier to access essay services from various parts on the globe, and the classroom no longer is the only place to gain skills. With online tutoring sites like Udemy and Coursera, you can increase your prowess in any niche at a lower cost and without breaking your schedule.

Unlike traditional class systems, the online study allows you to study at a time convenient to you and also gets updated frequently to tackle the most recent developments in a field. To supplement your selected method of approach, you may consider using YouTube videos and other online resources thus extensively tackling every topic you come across.

Since there is a plethora of free and paid for courses, you can create an ideal combo of resources and still without having to break the bank.

Signing for programs your employer/ HR department offers employees

Among the trends in management, certification and skill training are playing a crucial role in shaping the development of companies. To get higher ranks and attract a more substantial pay, enroll for company offered courses often and regularly update your skills on your portfolio.

Unlike self-education, HR developed courses save you tons of cash as the company covers a more substantial part of the fees thus incurring lesser cost on your pocket.

Using a lab/site to test acquired skills

A major miss for many people studying out of campus is lack of practice. By tackling a course without exercise, you retain fewer skills thus undermining your delivery at the workplace.

When going about self-education, ensure that you access an online lab/site to test and perfect your skills. For the case of IT skills, ensure that you practice regularly and come up with solutions for issues you come across as you exercise recently acquired skills.

Reading books

Books are perhaps the only resource that surpasses online resources in terms of information. With a plentiful supply of authored content available in libraries and online shops, gaining knowledge for self-education proves an easy endeavor.

Unlike online resources, books are handled by many authors and publishers before launching thus offer more accurate information. To save money and access information provided in books, you may opt to invest in e-books as they are cheaper, more comfortable to access and easily portable.

Bio: Sebastian Miller is a former Calling Lake School science teacher. After four years of teaching, he decided to become a freelance writer. In Sebastian’s opinion, math is the core of all science, and his goal is to enlight as many schoolers as possible through writing.

 

6 Activities That Give College Students a Positive Attitude

BY LORRAINE McKINNEY

Sometimes you hit a point in the semester where you are feeling down or depressed. It seems like you have neverending papers to write and endless books to read. Sometimes it is a good idea to put your books and homework aside for a little while and focus on you. You will feel better and be able to get through your reading and writing. Here are six activities that will help you maintain a positive attitude while you are at college.

1. Goals – Take some time to write down your goals both long term and short term. If you write down when you next paper or assignment is due it will help you figure out a good time management plan to accomplish your goals. Sometimes seeing things laid out in calendar form can help you wrap your head around what needs to be done and when. Your assignments will seem less imposing and you will be able to relax knowing that you have your goals set.

2. Organize your workspace – You will be more productive and less stressed in an organized workspace. Get some file folders and some organizers and put the mess in its place. The more organized you are the less chance you will forget to do an assignment and the less anxious you will feel. Take half and hour and re-organize your workspace to feel less anxious and more productive.

3. Try something new – Go out and take some dance lessons. You can learn the hustle or many other dances. Go to a park and take part in an ultimate frisbee game. Trying something new and exciting will up your happiness levels and help you make new friends. Getting away from your desk and moving around is beneficial to both your mental and physical health. The healthier you are the less anxious you will be.

4. Think positive – Instead of worrying about how much reading you have to do, think about all the new things you are learning while you read. Take your negative thoughts and turn them around to positive thoughts and actions. Just taking a few minutes a day and thinking positive thoughts can help your whole outlook become happier and healthier. A positive attitude starts with you. See life in a whole new way by just changing this aspect of it.

5. Help someone out – Sometimes the simple act of helping someone in need is all it takes to feel better and more positive. Take some time and volunteer at a local animal shelter or food bank. Helping those who cannot help themselves is a great way to feel better and do good. You will be helping the world while feeling better. Animals will love just having you around and people will appreciate that you took time off from your busy day to help them. You can find local places to volunteer through your college or online.

6. Give yourself a treat – Whether it is a piece of chocolate for each paper you write or a long walk outside after reading your chapters for the day, a treat will brighten you up and show you what you have accomplished. Treating yourself for accomplishing things will help you have a more positive attitude and will encourage you to finish your reading and writing.

There are many ways to develop a more positive attitude. If you follow the steps above you will be on the right road. Take some time away from your studies and do something that feels good to you. This will help you hone a more positive attitude towards your studies and your life. Having a positive attitude will change your world for the best.

 

Lorraine McKinney is an academic tutor and elearning specialist.

 

How to Keep Learning When You Have Low Motivation

By Connie Benton

We’ve all been there. You need to study, but the motivation just isn’t there. Most people would say you need to cheer up and find the reasons to study. You have to think about long term goals, and envision them. You have to understand how hard work today converts to your happiness tomorrow.

But if you tried to do this, you know it barely works. You may get the motivation you need for a couple of weeks, but once studying becomes routine again, the motivation is gone.

That’s not the only way you can go about learning, however. Here’s how you can learn with low motivation.

Sleep well

Often, students ignore sleep to study more. If you ever tried to get an A, the odds are you were cramming the whole night before an exam at least once. But that is not the best way to learn.

In fact, sleeping well increases your memory. But that’s not the main thing you should be looking for in sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, lack of sleep decreases your focus. Creativity and ability to form new neurological links suffers as well.

Since you study best when you are able to associate new information with the information you already know, having a good night’s sleep is crucial.

Diet

No, this doesn’t mean you have to try intermitted fasting again. Besides, it doesn’t even work. What this means is there are specific foods you can eat to boost your ability to study.

Omega-3 fatty acids are not the superfood many journalists want them to be. Despite this, they’re really good for you. Take foods rich with omega-3, and you will fight anxiety and improve your eye health. Salmon or sardines are a great choice for such foods.

Another food you want to eat is chocolate. There’s evidence that dark chocolate is good for cognition. Have a piece of chocolate, and you will focus more.

Have a coffee

It’s no secret that drinking coffee makes you more alert. There’s plenty of scientific evidence for it as well.

This beverage is what drives the world forward, so you should join the club if you want to study better. Make sure you don’t indulge in caffeine for too long, or you may be getting the negative side effects instead of positive ones.

Squat

You probably have seen a weirdo who leaves his chair to exercise at least once. Bad news, you have to become that weirdo.

It’s becoming a standard practice for businesses, and even HR software nowadays may include excercise breaks for employees.

The Guardian says, the benefits of exercising include better memory, and better alertness. So, if you’re not feeling like studying, all you need is just a dozen squats.

Focus on the process

The problem with long-term motivation is that you will reap what you saw in four years. You have to do the boring groundwork now. This runs contrary to the way our brains work.

There are two options for how to break this vicious cycle. You can either boost your willpower to deal with the problem or fall in love with the boring groundwork.

Learn to enjoy the process of studying, and you’ll have fewer problems with concentration.

Join a community

The easiest way to love what you study is to talk about it with someone except your teacher. Find a community of people who study the same thing, and you are half way to success.

Talk about what fascinates you about the things you learn and how you can apply them. Once the discussion starts, you’ll be very much interested in continuing the study.

If your motivation is to have fun studying, you don’t need to try and follow your long-term goals.

You don’t need long-term motivation

Long-term motivation is a rational thing. We, humans, don’t always act in a rational way. If you want to get to your long-term goals, find irrational ways to reach rational ends. These 6 are a great start.

BIO: Connie Benton is a passionate freelance writer and regular contributor.