Archive for January, 2008

If you’re looking to pursue higher education beyond college — such as a Master’s or Ph.D. — you need to make careful considerations that your grad school is the right one. You wouldn’t want to be halfway to your Ph.D. and then realize that the fit isn’t good for you. Since graduate school is a tremendous time commitment, you want to make the right decision early.

How do you make sure that the match is perfect? You’ll want to start by visiting school and by talking to graduate students in addition to the faculty, particularly the professors you’ll be working closely with. It’s not as useful for you to look at prestige, because a prestigious school may not be the right fit for you. You should seek out programs that fulfill your goals (ask yourself: what do I want to accomplish with my graduate study?) and you want your opinions and needs (be them religious, personal, etc.) are accommodated. Start asking (and answering) this basic list of questions.

• What does the program emphasize? Theory or practice? What am I looking for?
• What kind of research do they conduct in this department?
• What kind of graduates does the program have? Do they expect graduates to go onto big corporate careers? Do they want graduates to continue learning in academia and continuing research?
• How much competition exists in this department? Are the students working together or are they working against each other?
• What are the faculty positions on various debates that surround the field of study that you are going into? Do they want to work with students who disagree with these issues?
• How supportive is the department to those who are women/minorities, or have family obligations?

These are just a few things you should touch upon. In later articles, we’ll discuss other questions you should tackle, including financial issues, more faculty questions, student culture, and if the programs align with what you’re looking for.

Are you going on a trip for spring break? You may be overwhelmed with school, but you should start looking forward to spring break now (which will hopefully make your classes a lot less stressful too!) Here’s how you should prepare:

Book now. It’s better to book early than later, because fares will go up for trips as you get closer. Also, if you’re traveling in a group, you likely won’t have seats next to your friends because the seats will sell out. The sooner you book, the better off you’ll be.

Look at all-inclusive packages. One winter break, my friends and I went on an all-inclusive hotel+airfare trip to Vegas. It was totally awesome and very cheap compared to buying airfare and hotel separately. It helps a lot to limit your expenses by doing trips like this where the prices are spelled out for you beforehand and not after you arrive.

Overcrowd your hotel room. If you want to make the most of your money, have a long slumber party in your hotel room. Get cots for your friends and split the cost 4 or 5 ways.

Bring your food. Eating out is costly. Bring snacks and other food to nosh on so that you don’t have to pay the high costs for eating. Don’t forget that hotels have bars and buying it is not cheap at all.

Take public transit. Think about it this way: public transit is often cheaper than a cab. If you must do cab, pack in as many people as is allowed legally and split the bill.

Can’t travel? Make the most of your spring break anyway. Take advantage of the local hotspots or just hang out and enjoy the spring with our without your friends. Either way, you’re in for a great time.

If organization is not your strong suit, no worries. Personally, it is’t mine either. How do I stay organized? Easy. Here’s my list of items that I use for keeping things intact.

Gmail. Gmail is probably the best email application there is. You can label everything (with new colored labels), so it makes categorizing them easier. Also, you can star items, so that you know you need to get back to something.

PDA. One thing you should have on you at all times is some sort of personal digital assistant. A PDA that allows you to check your email is a plus. Manage your classes, schedule, and to-do items with a pocket-sized PDA. Hopefully your cell-phone has this as a built-in feature.

Notepad. Sure, you can use a notebook or your laptop for note-taking, but an online tool that’s just as good is Notely. It pretty much encompasses anything you need for organization (except it won’t help you organize your dorm room):

• Calendar
• To-Do List
• Homework organizer
• Manage Courses
• Write and Save Notes
• Organise Links, Contacts and Files
• Keep a Notebook or Lab Book

Whiteboard. Get one of these in your dorm room and start keeping track of what you need and what you don’t. I know how tempting it is to put one of these on the back of your dorm room door for friends to leave messages, but it’s a lot more practical if you actually use it regularly for yourself.

What tools do you use to stay organized?

If you’re just back in the school groove and looking to buy the cheapest textbooks around, fret no further. Here’s where you should look to get some hot deals on textbooks.

• Half.com. eBay’s “brother” site, half.com, offers books for a pretty good discount. You can also use half.com to get good deals on other items, such as electronics. While half.com is a great place for deals, since you’re working directly with a seller, you may not actually get your book on time, so if that’s the case, borrow in the meantime. By the way, while half.com is a great site in itself, don’t forget to check eBay out because you might find the book there even cheaper!
• Amazon.com. If Half fails, Amazon succeeds — usually. Check the site for new and used books. You can also pay the seller for expedited shipping if you need the book immediately, but media mail is typically a good (and still fast) choice.
• The library. Some college libraries may let you take out the book for an extended period of time if the book is not on reserve. This is a good option, but do it quickly. There’s probably a lot of competition for the same book!
• Share. Share with your classmate. Obviously, this isn’t the best idea (though it might be if you have the same class at different times and therefore don’t have the same homework due at the same time. The other option would be to photocopy only the necessary pages when you’re in a time crunch.
• Ask your professor. Sometimes you don’t have money to the book. It happens. Don’t be afraid to approach your professor because chances are he has one or two in his office. If not, he can point you in the direction of someone who does. And that person might even be a Teaching Assistant, which is another option if the professor path doesn’t pan out.

Other resources:

• Bigwords.com
• Dogears.net
• Facebook Marketplace
• TheNaturalSapphirecompany.com
• BookRenter.com
• SocialBib.com
• Chegg.com
• CheapestTextbooks.com
• AbeBooks.com
• CampusI.com
• Ecampus.com
• DirectTextBook.com

If you’re cheap like most college students, buying an expensive computer is out of the question. Fortunately, you have college students to guide you with what you should do, and Paul Stamatiou is a blogger who does. In his article, he explains how you can build a fully-functional computer using $200 in spare parts. You’ll need to supply your own case (if you have a spare one, or you can get one of these super small Mini-ITX cases), monitor, keyboard, and mouse, but everything else is included in the package: a cheap motherboard ($65), decent RAM ($20), a power supply unit ($50), and a 250GB hard drive ($65). Your operating system will be the free and increasingly popular Ubuntu Linux.

One of the benefits of such a computer is that it doesn’t have to be your main machine. You can use this to set up a home theater to stream the movies you stole bought on iTunes.

The price of your machine might end up being a little higher, but for a small machine that doesn’t cramp up your style or your dorm room, this is a good choice — and if you’ve never built a computer before, you’ll realize how easy it really is.

Living in a stuffy dorm room? Turn it into someplace you’d want (your second home — or better yet, the place you want to be instead of home). Make the most out of your living space while you have it. If you’re not sure how and you’re super busy with classes, getting internships, or work study jobs, that’s where I come in.

So how do you make the best out of your space? If you’re in a small room or have a roommate or two, you won’t have unlimited space to store your stuff. Chances are you won’t have a lot of space at all. You can buy containers online or at your nearest department store. Some college stores also have good containers suitable for dorm room accommodations. You can usually find anything from futons to media storage to cabinets. Yaffa Blocks are very popular among the college crowd.

You can also find college-sized sheets (twin extra long!) at stores online, especially Campus Linens. Most of the sets are perfect and can save you a trip to your local Bed Bath and Beyond. You can get color-coordinated sheets, pillowcases, and towels, as well as a really nice comforter.

Get inspired with organizational tactics from sites such as Lifehacker or Real Simple. These tips will allow you to maximize your space while still feeling like you have a lot of room.

The next stop is to decorate. I personally like dorm rooms with personality: posters, photos, pictures, and the like. You can get a lot of decorating ideas online. Some of my favorites: take old pictures of calendars and put them on your wall. I also find that the Have a Day poster is one of the favorites in college dorm rooms. Add paintings or glow-in-the-dark stickers to your wall. You can even go crazy with some crazy college furniture.

Without a doubt, if you have the mind to decorate and you want to, your dorm room can be more than just a place to sleep at during school. It can be your humble abode, your castle, your mansion. And why not make the best of it while you have time? There’s nothing stopping you from exercising your creativity, so just do it and relax.

Do you sit at your computer all day and never have time for fitness? Don’t shy away from the answer if it’s yes; thousands of students are in your shoes. Whether you’re an active student (in which case you have a healthy regimen in place, for the most part) or you’re not so active, you can get ideas or inspiration from these items listed below.

Do some jumping jacks. Even the biggest couch potato or IM-aholic can stop for 5 minutes and do some jumping jacks. It will get your cardio up and give you a little bit of a physical boost. You can’t really say no to jumping jacks.

Run up the stairs. College elevators are often full of students, and I remember the resentment I got in my freshman dorm when I would take the elevator to any floor below the fourth. Take the stairs instead. If you don’t have stamina, do it slowly at first, but then start sprinting up the stairs.

Walk to class. If your campus is small, you’re already doing this. If you take a shuttle bus around campus, skip it and walk. You’ll feel better that you did.

Do 5-10 sit ups. I don’t care if your dorm room is super small. Clean up that floor and do some sit ups. You have no excuse to build up your abdominal muscles. Do a few sets of 5-10 and get a little stronger.

Go to the gym. You’ll have some free time to go to the gym, so take advantage of the equipment you can access there. College gyms are often a lot better than other gyms with more equipment.

Set up a ball game. Sometimes you need your friends to motivate you. Grab a bunch of those and play some basketball, or if you can’t get as many people, go with tennis. Jump to the campus courts and wind up.

Game on. There’s no denying there’s another fad out there, and while it’s a welcome distraction from schoolwork (yay!), it’s also great for you. Hit up the Dance Dance Revolution or Wii Tennis. Reward yourself with the game when you’re done with homework, or even take some breaks during. Just remember that you need to get that all done too!

How do you work out during a hectic day at school?

…but if you ever wanted to surf the web anonymously and bypass filters, use a proxy service!

Here are some services that may work for you.

AvoidFilter.net is a web proxy that allows users to browse the web anonymously. Our proxy service will allow you to unblock websites, unblock sites, bypass work filters, school filters and much more like Avoiding Filters.

wwwfilter claims: “we allow you to bypass restricted sites at work, school or college, including unblocking sites like MySpace, Bebo, Facebook and plenty more! The best thing is that we are free and simple to use, so check it out and tell your friends!”

Proxydoo: An anonymous free web proxy allows you to bypass local proxies and security restrictions and browse blocked sites or simply browse privately and securely without the need to install any software on your computer. If you browse the web through a public web proxy, the websites can not find your real IP address, and you also need not configure or update anything locally, everything is prepared and working. Access sites like MySpace, Bebo, Facebook and plenty more!

Unblock Anything is a free proxy that will unblock websites for your viewing pleasure. Our free service will allow you to unblock sites that may be restricted due to your network at school or work. Feel safe while you can anonymously browse the internet freely and securely. No compromising data will be given out such as your IP address or location. Access Myspace, Youtube, Facebook and others popular sites anywhere.

Surfing7 is a free anonymous proxy. The web proxies offers free anonymous surfing to protect your privacy. The server also can be used to easily bypass internet web filter, unblock websites Myspace Bebo Facebook from schools, help you share photos video and music.

Zero Anonymous Web: Never let your teachers, boss, or principal control your web browsing again! To bypass web filters, all you have to is type the URL of the website you want to unblock and hit ENTER! Protect your anonymity and remain safe with this site. Why wait any longer? Start unblocking sites now! Remember to bookmark us and to tell your friends.

What are your favorite proxies? Are they on this list? Have you had any bad experiences?

You may have aspirations to get good grades in college, but don’t stress it. Blogger Jon Morrow writes on the Brazen Careerist why it’s not worth focusing on top-notch marks.

Jon argues many different points that you should think about post-college. Here they are in condensed form.

Your GPA really doesn’t matter after you graduate. Jon says that nobody asked him about his GPA once he graduated. Sure, some employers do, but it won’t make-or-break job opportunities if you meet other qualifications. If you have the work experience, your GPA is just a number.

Study much? You won’t sleep. If you’re aiming for straight As, you’re probably going to work really hard and never sleep. College is more about academics. It’s about learning among your peers, building your network, and getting job experience. There’s more to college than just academics.

You’ll forget everything after school is over. Okay, not everything, but you won’t need to know the intricate details about mitochondria or the Depression. You won’t need to know every little aspect about John Milton’s Paradise Lost either. You’ll learn this, you’ll be quizzed and possibly tested on it, but after school is over, it’s about the experience you gained while taking exams and doing your homework.

The exception to the rule: If you’re going to graduate school, your grades will matter. But don’t forget the important things like building up relationships and getting pertinent graduate study and work experience in the interim.

Ask yourself: “what’s the most effective use of my time?” Do you want to look back on college and feel like you’ve missed out on some exciting opportunities? If you’re still in school, don’t let grades take over your academics. Have fun and build up work experience too.

There’s a saying that some people are book smart, and some others are street smart. The truth is that you won’t learn everything in school. Real life experiences will show you that there’s much to learn both in and outside the classroom. Just like the saying goes, you learn something new everyday.

Inspired by this list, I’ve expounded upon the thoughts that are being shared. The sad reality is that real life experience comes outside the classroom, and survival isn’t dictated by getting all As. While you focus on your book smarts, you should also make sure that you’re broadening your views, learning with new people, and building up new experiences.

Fact: Life is not fair. The sad reality is that you won’t get everything you want. The best thing, though, is to realize that you can make the best of it. You can also make yourself have a different focus or negotiate to make things angle a little better for you. And sometimes, that just won’t cut it, but at least you know that you’ve made a good faith effort towards it.

Fact: Your school will care about your self esteem. The real world won’t. Bottom line: schools want their students to be mentally healthy and well. They don’t want to have the reputation of giving their students a hard time. It would make their ratings falter if they were known as schools that didn’t address your issues. When you’re out of school, you’re on your own. Watch out for yourself. Take responsibility when it’s needed. Learn from your mistakes and don’t let them eat at you.

Fact: Money doesn’t come from going to school. I know someone who graduated from an Ivy League university. His first job out of school was in New York City and he was making $17,000 a year. This wasn’t in 1987. This wasn’t in 1994. This was in 2003. What you’ll have when you’re out of school is the ability to move ahead of your peers who didn’t pursue higher education. What did my friend learn? First of all, money wasn’t everything. Second of all, these things still take time. It’s been five years later and my friend is making six digits. Just be determined to succeed, and hopefully you’ll see yourself as a manager, a business owner, or a CEO in time. But it won’t happen right out of school. You get the academic smarts and then you build the business smarts. After all, you learn something new everyday.

Fact: Most bosses are tougher than your teachers. Put it this way: your teachers aren’t making money off of your successes and failures. They have a base salary and they’re just helping you when you get a boss. Your boss is making money off of your successes and losing it off of your mistakes. You’ll need to be a lot more disciplined out of school.

Fact: Don’t knock others’ opportunities. I’ve seen so many college students who have these high aspirations of jumping out of school and expecting the world when they graduate. Listen up: that barely happens. I speak for myself when I say that I was sadly disappointed when I graduated. I didn’t have the job I wanted nor did I have the salary I wanted. And I’m still working towards it. Take every little moneymaking stint and savor it. It’s what some people call opportunity. If you live in a populated city and see a homeless guy walking buy, realize that you’re better off than him, but realize that if you don’t work towards your goals, you might be just like him in a few years.

Fact: Your parents might have created you, but you’re your own person. Don’t blame your faults on your parents. You’re an adult now, and you’re a responsible one at that. It’s time that you actually take responsibility for your actions and use it to better yourself. Heck, maybe in a few years, you’ll be more successful than Mom and Dad. Wouldn’t that feel just great?

Fact: You can become boring if you don’t vary it up. As the article states, “before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now.” I bet they were just as fun as you were as a college kid. But priorities shift and having fun takes a backseat when you focus on your career successes and your family. Life isn’t about partying forever.

Fact: Life isn’t divided into semesters. Unless you’re going to be teaching for the rest of your life, you’re not going to have off for summer break or even for spring break. You might not even get “Election Day Weekend” or “Columbus Day Holidays.” You’re expected to go to work for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for as long as you’re at this job. You won’t be able to switch it up every 10 weeks like you did at school. You’ll have to deal with this and accept that this is a product of growing up and moving on.

Fact: Television is fiction. Your problems may take a lot longer to solve, and even if you’re dying to have these issues resolved, you might just have to wait. Sometimes these things take years. Sometimes things won’t get resolved at all. While the plot line of Friends keeps you smiling, real life is different.

Fact: Don’t pick on your dorky classmates. If you start working for them, you might be embarrassed that you did.

Fact: School is enjoyable, so suck it in while you can. Believe it or not, you’re lucky to be a kid. So take in every moment and bask in the glory of being a student until you’re older.

Don’t get us wrong. Life is still great beyond college, but don’t complain that life isn’t fair. You’re lucky to have your college years ahead of you, so take advantage of them while you still can, and enjoy it. College is great, and the “real world” is great too.