March 2nd 2008
Cramming has different views, some say it’s great, others disagree. Personally, I always cram at the last minute, especially for classes I don’t feel are pertinent to life or my career (classes like history or biology). Yes, it’s nice to know that stuff, but it’s not important enough for me to spend hours learning it all. So, I’ve devised a nice, easy way to fit as much info into my brain in a short amount of time long enough to be good for a test.
1. Figure out what you need to know.
This is the most important step. Don’t try to force feed your brain information that isn’t important. If you have a hard time figuring out what your professor will test over, ask someone or go through the book. Most chapters have key facts, a summary, etc. that outlines the most important things.
2. Timing: Give yourself enough.
It’s best not to start at 2 am the night before a 9 am test. Cramming works best the night before, but with a good amount of sleep. A foggy brain doesn’t recall well. Make sure you have enough time to cram, depending on the material, at least a few hours, and enough time to get a decent sleep.
3. Mood: Be in a good one.
If you’re upset, distracted, pissed, whatever, it’s going to affect your cram session. Try to relax, forget about the outside world. Do whatever you need to, even if that means *gasp* going to the library to find yourself a nice, quiet place. Personally, I hate the library. Something about the incredible quiet bothers me. Plus, it always smells like an old lady.
4. Make a plan.
Know how you’re going to go about this. Do you mostly need to learn vocab? Do you need to learn theories? Do you need to know formulas?
Memorization
For classes where you need to regurgitate definitions, try creating a matching test at Easy Test Maker. It’s free and is easier and cheaper than flashcards. There’s also flashcard software available if you’d rather do that. Either way, this is a great way to memorize.
Multiple Choice
Most professors have two very possible, one could-be and one completely off choices on multiple choice. By the time you’re in college, you should be very familiar with this format and very good at taking them. So, study important facts, but focus on details. Anything bolded or reiterated in lecture and anything that might be related. Multiple choice is when you’ll be asked who passed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Essay
If your professor provides possible essay prompts, definitely take advantage and at least get all the information you’ll need. I don’t recommend actually writing the essay out, just write it in shorthand, get all the info out and how you’re going to answer the question. Read over this a few times afterward and then once again before the test and you should be set.
If you’re not lucky enough to be given the question ahead of time, you’re in for a little more work. Learn the big picture and a few things to fill in the lines. Once you have that down, bullshit is your best friend. Don’t make things up, just surround your facts with fluff.
Posted in Academic, Tricks with 5 comments
February 23rd 2008
Have you filed your FAFSA yet? Don’t worry, I haven’t either. I’m still waiting on my mom to do her taxes. You’re allowed to file January 1 and it’s better to do it as close to then as possible so you can get everything squared away and have access to the most money. But if you can’t file until now or even the end of March, you’re still okay. It’s when you’re waiting until June or July that you should get worried.
Myth: If my parents make too much money, I can’t get any financial aid
Fact: You won’t qualify for nice things like Pell grants, but you can still qualify for federal loans. Depending on which year you’re in, you can get a nice chunk of tuition covered with a Stafford loan. I was able to get a subsidized loan, meaning the government pays the interest while in school. Unsubsidized you have to pay, but the interest rate is incredibly low.
Myth: I don’t have to worry about paying loan interest while in school.
Fact: Depends on your loan. If you get a loan with no accruing interest until after you graduate, then you don’t have to. But most loans do accrue interest. If you have a Parent PLUS loan, pay that interest right away. Better yet, don’t get another one of these loans unless you really really have to. They are a ripoff. The interest rate is incredibly high and if you let it build up while you’re in school, you’ll be amazed at the amount owed by graduation. Multiple that by four…ouch.
Myth: I don’t have to file scholarships and grants on my taxes.
Fact: Sometimes you do. It depends on what kind of scholarship. If you get mailed a 1099 form, you definitely do, if not, you still might. Always ask your financial aid office just in case.
Helpful websites
Posted in Financial Aid with 3 comments
February 17th 2008
1. Sell on ebay. This requires some research, but what I do is scour Best Buy and Circuit City (and other such electronics retailers) for great sales, then buy the product and put it on ebay. Best Buy has some great sales where you can get $100 off retail value, sell it on ebay and get a $50-75 profit easily.
2. Join websites that pay you to fill out surveys and do free trials. The ones with high payout are usually trial offers that require a credit card to join, and if you cancel within the trial, you won’t be billed. I’ve made $80 in two months with Cash Crate. You’ll also need an extra email address for all the spam you will get from the surveys.
3. Do laundry for your friends. It costs me $2 to wash and dry one load of clothes, so charge $4 and you make easy money with a few minutes of work.
4. Bring energy drinks and snacks to all-night study sessions in the university center or library and sell them to the different study groups. This works best during finals week.
5. If you’re decent with computers, start a computer maintenance “business”. Post flyers advertising your services around campus. Offer to backup hard drives, clean up and optimize computers, install new memory…Charge half of what it costs to take it to Best Buy.
Posted in Money with 12 comments
February 9th 2008
Scary…thanks to The Best Article Every day.
Posted in Misc with 10 comments
January 31st 2008
Surviving College Life has created a list of 50 Ways to Save Money in College. The list is broken down into eight categories that basically covers everything. Here are what I think are the top five tips (with my comments):
19. Use student discounts when you travel. Check with the bus, train, or airline you are using, or use a student travel site like StudentUniverse.com. Don’t limit this to just travel. Most places in a college town have discounts for students. Use them!
22. Reduce your electricity bills: turn off your computer when you’re not using it, turn off lights when you leave the room, unplug appliances you aren’t using. Electricity is my second-highest bill, which I thought was due to my air conditioning. After doing some experimentation, I realized it’s my huge entertainment stations - TV/Playstation and my computer desk. When I turned these things off for a week, my bill was CUT IN HALF.
35. Understand what your credit score is, and keep it healthy! It will help you save money later when you’re looking for low interest rates on car or home loans. Credit is very important for later in life and if you start building it (smartly) now, you will be ahead of your classmates by a long shot. Need help with this? Try Get Rich Slowly.
39. Don’t eat out. It adds up quickly, and if you’re not getting fast food, you have to add a tip. Eating out is one of my vices and I’m working on that. Restaurants are expensive and can be just as unhealthy as McDonald’s. You’re much better off (budget-wise and health-wise) if you cook healthy(-ish) meals on your own.
48. Sign up for freebies with your favorite restaurants. By signing up with Hollywood Video’s newsletter, they send you free movie rental coupons on a regular basis. I use these to supplement my Netflix addiction.
Visit Surviving College Life to read the full article, 50 Ways to Save Money in College.
When in debt, people often think of weird debt help solutions. Usually they resort to loans, and in some cases, mortgages. This issue is frequently faced by individuals who do not use their credit card well and have never believed in investment of any sort.
Posted in Money with 6 comments
January 25th 2008
I’ve been wanting to hold a contest for my readers for awhile, but couldn’t think of a good way to go about it, but my mind has been made up for me. On behalf of H&R Block, I received two copies of H&R Block’s TaxCut Premium software for a giveaway, and so the contest begins. That College Kid is a student productivity website and so it’s only natural to have the contest center around that instead of creating backlinks or other such nonsense.
How to enter
Submit tips, tricks or advice via the comments. Subject should be directed towards students, productivity, school, etc., basically anything that would help students out.
Guidelines
1. You can submit as many as you like.
2. Enter correct detail information (especially email address) as that is how I will be contacting you.
3. I will choose ten of the best submissions and hold a poll to find the winners.
4. Submissions must be in by February 15.
Prizes
1st place
There will be one first place winner who will receive a free copy of H&R Block’s TaxCut Premium software and $20 via paypal. The winner will also receive a mystery package designed just for students.
2nd place
The second place winner will receive a free copy of H&R Block’s TaxCut Premium software and a link.
3rd place
The third place winner will receive a link.
Contest has ended!
There weren’t as many submissions as I would have liked, and because of that, I’m not going to hold a poll. I’ve chosen the winners. If you’re one of the top three, you should have received an email. I want to thank everyone who entered. 
1. Chuck - If you are procrastinator, always pull your all nighter at least a day before the test. It sounds strange, but by doing this, you will be much better rested the day of the test and if you pull one the day before, none of the anxiety can build up, causing you a restless night. Also, since you just pulled an all-nighter, physically you will need sleep and not be tempted to stay up all night.
2. ES - Ever e-mailed your professor? Well, if you have, you’d realize that writing an e-mail to a prof is probably more difficult than a term paper. Why? Because your guard is down. You know you have to be formal in a term paper but when it comes to writing an e-mail, we often take the same attitude when writing to our friends. Big mistake! When you speak to your professor, at least he or she can tell your sincerity through your body language but when you send it through such a faceless medium, all he or she can gauge you by are the words you write and more importantly, how you write them. So always maintain formality in such e-mails, be courteous and use proper sentences and grammar. That e-mail could just be your ticket to an A (or an F).
3. Campus Grotto - Before selecting your major, consider taking a few related classes or even doing an early internship to make sure it’s actually something you want to do.
Posted in That College Kid with 11 comments
January 20th 2008
H&R Block is holding “Ask a Tax Advisor” sessions in honor of National Tax Advice Day 2008. Through January 31, you can have a free session, by email or phone, with an H&R Block tax professional. You’ll be working with someone with more than 8 years of experience and 250 hours of training. This is a great deal and you can get any tax questions answered.
Their website also has helpful calculators and tips.
Click here to get free tax advice with H&R Block. And remember, with H&R Block, you’ve got people.
Before investing in any property, appropriate home work is essential on real estate investing. Not everyone is apt for this. This is why people should learn with reading and interpreting free insurance quotes and work about their home insurance before getting stuck into complicated mortgages matters. Generating mortgage leads should not be their priority.
Posted in Money with 4 comments
Chipie
Casino
Research Writing
Sell my annuity
Athletic shoes
Address stamp
Home Loans
Maytag Parts
Low-Priced Appliance Parts
