That College KidBetween these three lists, there are 252 things that you should know about college. Most things can apply to just about everyone and most will make you laugh.
What College Viewbooks Don’t Tell You
Semesters are coming to a close and it’s time to sell the textbooks you’ll no longer need. Some of them you never needed in the first place. I’ve been researching and found a few different websites that are best shots for my books. The offers from these websites were the highest, but it really takes time and effort to find where you’ll get the most money back.
If the prices given at the above websites aren’t high enough for you, or they don’t want your book, try eBay or, go through the Google search results for sell college textbooks.
Usually when people find their perfect domain amongst homes for sale, they do anything to get it, including loan applications to the bank etc. They even apply for a credit card everywhere in order to borrow cash on it. They do not even have the sense to get an insurance quote first and probably don’t even know about free insurance quotes. If they would have known the bad impact of their credit reports on their future, they would stay within their limits.
That College Kid is a hobby website. It’s not my only, but it is currently my favorite. The purpose of this website is NOT to make money. It’s about the content, the readers and myself. That’s why there’s not ads everywhere. However, I do profit a little. I do have the Text Link Ads InLinks plugin installed on this site, which I think has three or four links throughout the website. I follow a few money-making blogs and know of the different ad systems. I’ve tried sponsored posts before and found one or two per month (between my different sites) is plenty of money for me.
A friend recommend a website called Cash Crate, which I signed up for today. You get paid to complete offers and surveys. Most give you about $1, but there are some (that require a credit card) that pay $10-15. Those offers are the free trials for services like Stamps.com, Netflix and eFax. If you’re a careful person and you can keep track of when the free trial will end and cancel, you won’t be charged for anything. It’s been two days and I’ve made $20 with another $30 pending approval (the websites I completed offers with send notice back to Cash Crate). I’m actually pretty impressed with this service and have been talking to other members who’ve been successfully paid and enjoy the website. If you’re looking for an easy way to make money without a website, Cash Crate is a great place to start.
I’m on the lookout for other survey/offer-completing sites that are similar to Cash Crate and don’t require ridiculous things to get paid. I’ll keep everyone updated.
Usually loans in adult life begin with student loan consolidation. Later there are mortgages, and huge bills on credit cards. The usual debt management solution one comes up with is getting even more loans. Of course, none of this is ever done after going through an insurance quote.
I’m getting pressure on all sides to join a student organization. Why? Because it opens up doors. Most scholarships are for well-rounded students. Most employers want a well-rounded student. I was pressured to join clubs in high school and I thought that would stop once I got to college. I was wrong. Jon Morrow recently wrote a guest post, Why I regret getting straight A’s in college and Cal from Study Hacks wrote a rebuttal post, Why I Don’t Regret Getting Straight A’s in College. There’s an equal number of reasons for both sides of the argument, but my two cents is that well-rounded with good grades wins it all.
How do you get straight A’s and still be a campus butterfly? It’s hard work and impossible for some students. If studying is difficult for you, put more emphasis on school work. Some people can pull it off and those are the kids everyone loves to hate. But is it worth it? If you feel like you’re always preparing for the next step in your life, you’re actually hurting yourself. If you never have time to stop and enjoy yourself, you’re the busy squirrel always storing acorns, but never getting a chance to eat them, then you definitely should stop worrying so much and take a breather. Look at your life and see if that is really what you want.
A’s without breaking a sweat
If you’re able to make A’s with little to no studying, try for a few student organizations that do community service and volunteer work. The extra activities will help fill up time and fill out your resume. Potential employers DO care about things other than your GPA. Your 4.0 may get you an interview, but if that’s all that sets you apart, you may not get the job.
B’s are no problem
This is the middle ground. If you’re the student who can walk in on test day and walk out with a B, not having studied the night before, then you definitely need some extra curriculars. Try joining a club that has a moderate level of outside work. A few hours a week to buff up your resume is worth it.
C’s are a struggle
Students that need to study all the time, just to ensure a B or a C need to find a group that will help them academically as well as round them out. Try the science, math or biology club. Academically-based organizations are often filled with top students who can help you out with tutoring, notes and studying.
The English language is very complicated and there are many sets of similar words that people have trouble with. Are you one of the many that confuse these words?
accept - to receive: “She would not accept my proposal.”
except - all but: “Everyone went except John.”
access - admittance, a way of approach: “No one had access to the room.”
excess - amount larger than needed: “He had an excess of paper.”
accent - particular way of speaking: “She had a New York accent.”
ascent - upward climb: “The mountain has a long ascent.”
assent - to agree: “The teacher assented to accepting a late assignment.”
advice - recommendation: “His advice was to study.”
advise - to make recommendations: “He advised me to study.”
affect (verb) - to influence: “Her actions will affect the rest of us.”
affect (noun) - an emotional response: “Even when his dog died, he showed little affect.”
effect - result: The effect of his good grades helped him get a scholarship.”
alter - to change: “She had to alter her plans.”
altar - platform in a church: “The priest stands at the altar.”
capital - 1) city/town that holds government seat: “Austin is the capital of Texas.”
2) supply of wealth: “You need capital to start a business.”
capitol - 1) U.S. Congress building in Washington D.C.: “You can tour the capitol.”
2) a building where a legislature meets: “You can go to Austin to see the capitol.”
conscience - sense of right or wrong: “Some people seem to have no conscience.”
conscious - aware of: “He made a conscious decision to help us.”
eminent - well known: “He is eminent in the field of psychology.”
imminent - about to happen: “The storm was imminent.”
stationary - unable to move: “I rode the stationary bike.”
stationery - paper for letter writing: “I bought new stationery.”
A lot of college students work in the food industry I’ve just discovered a service called ScheduleFly that uses employee scheduling. It allows for the restaurant manager to do online scheduling so employees actually know what shifts they’re going to work in a decent amount of time. The manager posts employee schedules online and an email is sent letting you know when you work. Theoretically, this sounds like a good service.
An automated employee scheduling website that would make your life easier…unfortunately, I don’t know how well this would be implemented. Your restaurant would have to actually sign up for the service, which isn’t free. There is a 30 day free trial for restaurants, so you could try talking your manage into it. I like the idea, but unless it’s a widely-used service, it’s not a very helpful.
It is easier to forget something than to remember so to help yourself remember something, apply as many of the following techniques as possible.
1. Be flexible. Experiment with what helps you remember, whether it’s a mnemonic or simply adding color.
2. Overlearn. Practice and reorganize what you intend to remember in as many ways as possible. Use it while speaking and writing, even act it out. The more time you spend, the more it’s ingrained.
3. Imitate. Schedule study time to reflect the time of day when you’ll be using the material (make study time the same as test time). Create a similar environment. Study without music if the room will be quiet. Study at a desk instead of on your bed.
4. Rephrase and explain. Try role-playing. Take the view of the teacher and explain the material to someone else, your dog, or a stuffed animal. You definitely understand the material when you can teach someone else.
5. Eliminate accidental and unrelated associations. A study situation where a phone rings constantly produces breaks in the association process. If you’re singing along to Eric Clapton throughout your study session, you will relate the material to Eric Clapton. This is only helpful if your topic is indeed Eric Clapton.
6. Eliminate previous mistakes. Take note of any previous mistakes you’ve made while studying and don’t do them anymore. If music distracts you, don’t play music during your next study session.
7. Decide on order of importance. Some things are more important than others. In a particular chapter or topic, decide what’s the big picture and organize everything else around that.
8. Become emotionally involved. This doesn’t always work with schoolwork, especially if you don’t care about a particular subject. But notice how you remember things you care about. If you can somehow relate the topic to something you care about, you’ll remember it better.
