December 29, 2010

The in-class essay exam is perhaps one of the most intimidating exams a college student can face. It’s a timed exam that requires you to put together a coherent essay to a prompt that you most likely haven’t seen until you get the exam booklet. You often have to write the exam longhand. And you usually do not have access to course materials that will help you answer the question.

Of course, professors understand that the exam’s restrictions can limit the content of your paper; however, it doesn’t mean that it should affect the quality of your paper. There are still ways to prepare for the exam, and professors expect you to do your best.

For many students, it’s not the preparation that is intimidating but the actual process of answering the exam question during the class. Many students often do poorly on these exams because they don’t have a good strategy for writing the essay. Don’t be one of those students; develop a strategy!

First you should make sure you understand the question in the prompt. Be sure you understand key words from the prompt, as these will tell you exactly what the professor expects you to do. Know the difference between “compare and contrast” and “summarize and respond to.” These key phrases will dictate the nature of your task. And finally, make sure you answer the question! Don’t let yourself get off-topic.

After you fully understand the question, you should take some time to brainstorm and outline a response. Start with your thesis statement. This statement should directly answer the question and provide points that support the thesis, which you will later explain in body paragraphs. From your thesis draw out an outline of key points you must cover as well as any brief ideas you can think of to will help you come up with evidence. A good rule of thumb is to spend between five and 10 minutes working on this brainstorming session. Any longer, and you risk taking away from your writing time.

Once you have your outline completed, dive into the writing. Use the activity of the writing to get your mind flowing. Don’t worry about erasing or fixing minor errors. Cross out errors quickly and move on. Erasing takes time and can damage the paper. If you have bad handwriting, try leaving a black space between each line so your professor has a better chance reading the essay.

Leave yourself a couple minutes at the end to reread the essay. You’re just checking for basic coherence. Again, you’re not worrying about spelling errors; instead, you’re checking to make sure you maintain the thesis throughout the essay and have provided good supporting detail.

December 28, 2010

Many individuals strive to earn a postsecondary education through online colleges, and new legislation is helping veterans achieve this goal. The Post 9-11/GI Bill offers soldiers reduced tuition costs, and more people are enlisting in the armed forces in order to take advantage of the legislation, according to the New York Daily News.

Military officials told the news source that in the five boroughs of New York, the spike in enrollment has even resulted in waiting lists. This year, the Army set a goal of recruiting 1,888 soldiers in the metro area. Officials say more than 2,000 people enrolled, and the number continues to grow as more individuals seek to take advantage of the Post 9-11/GI Bill.

"Some of us don't have money," high school student Abby Teves told the news source. "It's a really good deal for us."

Depending on the individual who is applying for benefits, the bill covers everything ranging from textbooks to tuition. Individuals who wish to earn a postsecondary education through an online institution may be able to obtain a degree at a quick, economically efficient pace.

Approximately 90 percent of high-wage jobs that will be created within the next decade are expected require some postsecondary education, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

December 16, 2010

Women who have taken the time to raise their children at home have typically been removed from the workforce for a number of years. This can make it difficult to earn a job once a mom finds the time to embark on a new career. Online colleges can help individuals obtain a postsecondary education from the comfort of their own homes and prepare to dive into the job market.

Recently, Ashford University announced that it has awarded 50 full-tuition scholarships to stay-at-home moms who share the same goal of finishing their schooling. More than $2 million has been given to recipients over the past three years as a part of the Project Working Mom program.

"The overwhelming response to Project Working Mom was astounding," said Jane McAuliffe, president of Ashford University. "Online higher education helps people achieve their goals, and it's an honor to have provided the resource for 50 of them to attend Ashford University."

A recent Babson-Sloan study found that approximately eight out of 10 students who attend online colleges are working toward bachelor's degrees. Many of these individuals are finishing their schooling with the help of financial aid and scholarships after taking the time to raise their families.

December 15, 2010

Generally, doing well academically, getting praise from teachers, and paving the way for a college degree and a successful career are considered good things, but not when you've been labeled as the teacher's pet. These sycophantic characters have brown-nosed their way into teacher's and principal's hearts, but often haven't won the admiration of their classmates or siblings. Check out this list for some of the biggest teacher's pets ever conceived in film and television.

1. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter: This know-it-all witch-in-training spends a great deal of time with her nose in a book. She always knows the answer when called upon in class and many teachers admire her academic abilities — even the pricklier ones — as she is a standout student from the first scenes of the series. While her quick wit and encyclopedic knowledge of everything from spells to ancient wizards has helped save her friends on multiple occasions throughout the movies, her other peers are often annoyed by her and her academic success and sometimes snobbish attitude when it comes to studies.
2. Jessie Spano from Saved by the Bell: While friend Zack Morris may have been a bit of a troublemaker, Jessie Spano was the show's overachiever and teacher's pet. She is often seen pursuing a wide variety of causes, all while keeping up her high grades  and serving as class president. While her dedication to success at one point leads her to indulge in caffeine pills to stay awake, she graduates at the top of her class (after super-geek Screech yields her the honor) and starts off her college years at Columbia University.
3. Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons: While Mrs. Hoover may not always appreciate Lisa's smarts, Principal Skinner does, as well as a host of other adults and one very handsome substitute teacher. Lisa is the ultimate brown-noser and overachiever, learning to read and spell at a very early age and outpacing nearly all of her classmates academically. Her know-it-all attitude extends outside of the classroom as well, and she crusades for a number of environmental, political and generally very liberal causes. Her braininess often makes her the victim of taunts, and she is sometimes excluded from activities with her peers.
4. Kent from Real Genius: Virtually all the students at the fictional technical college, Pacific Tech, featured in the movie are nerds or geeks in some way or another, but most aren't teacher's pets. New student Mitch Taylor begins his semester as a bit of an overachiever, but after being mellowed by fellow student and genius Chris, he learns to relax and enjoy himself as the pair and fellow student Kent work on a Laser project. From the beginning the jealous and spiteful Kent is bent on destroying Mitch, and taking the honor and praise of their instructor for himself. Not only disliked by his classmates, but virtually despised, Kent is perhaps the most alienated teacher's pet on this list.
5. Martin Prince from The Simpsons: Like Lisa, Martin is a student at Springfield Elementary with superior intelligence to his peers. But unlike Lisa, Martin is a bit more of a stereotypical nerd and is often bullied by his peers. Martin is perhaps the archetypical teacher's pet, fawning over his teachers, and even going so far as to encourage that the school day be extended by twenty minutes. These actions make him the darling of his teachers, but often make his life outside of the classroom difficult. While he has occasional friendships with Bart and Millhouse, his only consistent friends are the nerds Wendell and Database and the foreign exchange student Uter.
6. Carol Seaver from Growing Pains: Unlike her class-clown brother Mike, who was known to write the answers to test questions on his shoe, Carol Seaver never needed to cheat to get perfect grades in class. This overachiever and teacher's pet is an honors student and often looks down her nose at her troublemaker brother. It is revealed in a later episode of the show that Carol went on to Columbia University and got a degree in law, which makes sense for this goody-two-shoes character.
7. Willow Rosenburg from Buffy: Part of a good group of friends called the Scooby Gang that surround vampire-slayer-in-training Buffy, this shy and nerdy girl spends a good deal of time studying and always gets good grades. She often uses her intelligence to help her friends learn about new and dangerous types of monsters, and even hacks into a few computers as well. While her character shifts in later seasons as she develops magical powers and becomes a bit of a force to be reckoned with, she is always, at heart, a bit of a nerd.
8. Cast of Head of the Class: There were few characters on this late 80's TV show who weren't in some way or another a bit teacher's pettish. The series follows a group of gifted students through their honors program studies, as well as outside relationships and interactions as well. From bespectacled nerd Arvid to ultraconservative Alan, this show essentially featured a class full of very-diverse teacher's pets. Many refuse to accept any grade lower than an 'A', are on an academic team and are generally pretty big overachievers– with the exception of the rebellious Eric– who while smart wasn't quite on the same wavelength as the other students.
9. Summer Hathaway from School of Rock: When Dewey Finn takes over teaching at a prestigious prep school, student Summer is immediately put at unease, used to doing everything to get good grades and win the favor of her teachers. Serving as the class factotum, Summer eventually wins her way into the hearts of her classmates and her new teacher, and even learns to let go a little bit and have some fun.
10. Topanga Lawrence from Boy Meets World: In her early days on the show, Topanga was a bit more of a weird kid than a real teacher's pet. As the show evolved, along with her character, less emphasis was put on her strange hippie upbringing and more was placed on her role as smart overachiever. While Topanga is a bit of a teacher's pet and a definite overachiever, she is also loyal to her friends and boyfriend, choosing their companionship at Penbrook College over admittance to Yale University.

December 14, 2010

Long ago a student working towards their bachelor’s degree was able to earn it in four years. But nowadays, it typically takes about five years. This prolonged graduation time is due to a number of different factors, including being enrolled as a part-time student because of work, switching majors mid college-career, and wanting to purposely stall graduation so that you don’t have to face the real world. Whatever the case, that extra fifth year means extra tuition money and more time studying for tests. To learn how to get out of school in four years or less, continue reading below.

If you are still in high school, you want to make sure that you enroll in Advanced Placement classes. Not only will taking these classes look good on college applications, but if you take AP exams and pass with a score of a 3 or higher, you can claim credit in college. These credits will not only save you thousands of dollars but most importantly time. This is because your AP credits will allow you to skip introductory education courses (such as lower level English and history) and allow you to go straight to upper division courses. Just make sure that you actually claim your credits and fill out the proper forms (your college of choice will not automatically claim the credit for you even if your scores are sent to their offices). The credits you claim will not count towards your GPA. You have up to 10 years to claim your credits.

To graduate in four years or less you also need to make sure that you enroll as a full-time student. This means registering for four classes (or 12 credit-hours). But sometimes that’s not even enough. Typically, most students are recommended to register for five classes (15 credit-hours). If you think that the coursework will be too intense for you to handle, then it is highly recommended that you consider summer school and winter-mini semesters to compensate the loss time.

Lastly, it’s important that you pay close attention to your degree requirements and make sure that you are taking the right classes. You don’t want to end up wasting precious time and money taking a class that doesn’t count. A good way to make sure that you’re on the right track is to see if your school has an electronic degree audit reporting system. This system will display which classes you have completed and which ones you still need to complete to earn your degree. Another excellent way to check your status is to simply make frequent visits to your academic adviser. He or she will be able to make sure you’re on a good route and might even be able to suggest some neat classes come registration time.

December 13, 2010

Laundry can be a scary task for college students, especially if you’ve never done it by yourself. The good news is that you’re not alone in your laundry struggles. Plenty of college students learn how to do their laundry while at school and it takes a couple go-rounds to truly get it down. Even if you know the basics of laundry, you can still benefit from these laundry tips that will make your clothes last longer and look as good as new.

• Sort Your Clothes: Before you dump all of your clothes into the washer, you need to sort them first. Clothes should be sorted by whites, darks, reds and delicates. This will help prevent colors from bleeding and transferring to each other. Always check clothing tags for laundry care instructions, so that you don’t accidentally wash something that should be dry cleaned or hand washed. It’s also a good idea to separate laundry by the type of fabric and its recommended care instructions. Also, be sure to check pockets for loose items before putting your clothes in the washer.
• Pre-treat Stains: Stains happen and some are not reversible, like permanent marker, bleach, paint and certain oils. However, you can get rid of most stains in the laundry by using a stain remover before washing. In order to successfully remove a pesky stain, you’ll want to pre-treat the stain as soon as it occurs so it doesn’t have a chance to set in. Most stain removers recommend that you rub in a small amount to the stain, let it sit and then launder like normal. If you don’t have a stain remover, use liquid detergent on the stain instead and let it sit overnight for optimal results.
• Dry with Caution: You may want to throw all of your wet clothing into the dryer and cook it, but the truth is drying can shrink and damage your clothes. Certain clothing items and materials cannot stand the heat or tumbling of the dryer, and it usually says so on the clothing tag. If you don’t want to go down a size in your jeans or see your favorite sweater pill, you might want to line dry or lay your clothes flat to dry. For optimal drying and safety, don’t forget to clean the lint trap or filter before you start the dryer.
• Don’t Leave Your Laundry Alone: You don’t want to leave your laundry alone for couple a reasons. For starters, there could be some laundry thieves in your dorm, but more importantly, you don’t want your clothes to get smelly sitting damp in the washer or wrinkled in dryer.

When you’re in college, grades may be the last thing you want to discuss with your parents. However much you want to avoid talking about exams and your GPA, you just aren’t going to escape this inevitable topic. Mom and Dad have a right to know about your grades and you should tell them the truth. Here are some tips for talking grades with your parents:

• Keep Them Informed: One way to make talking to your parents about grades easier is to keep them informed from start to finish. Parents want to know what classes you’re taking, which ones are the hardest and the easiest and how you’re doing in each one. If you give your parents this kind of information from the get-go they won’t be in the dark about how you’re doing in school. Open communication will make talking about grades easier and smoother because you’ve been upfront all along, and they’ll be less surprised (or mad) if you don’t get all A’s.
• Be Honest: When talking to your parents about school and grades, it’s in your best interest to be honest at all times. You won’t benefit from telling your parents that chemistry is going well if you’re actually failing. Plus, your grades could be sent to your parent’s house and you don’t want to get caught in that kind of lie. If you’re struggling in a particular subject, your parents will want to know. Chances are they’ve been in your shoes and know what it’s like and may be able to give you some helpful advice or words of encouragement.
• Be Prepared: If you’re about to tell your parents about a not-so-stellar grade, you’ll want to come prepared before dropping a bomb on them. If you’ve failed a class and you have to repeat it, find out the necessary information beforehand so you’re prepared to answer any questions your parents might have. Once you’ve addressed the problem, you can talk about solutions together.
• Make Good Grades: Let’s face it &ndash it’s much easier to talk to your parents about grades when you make good grades. Every parent has their own academic expectations for their children and opinions about grades. Some parents may expect straight A’s and others may consider a B just as good as an A. Whether or not your parents emphasize grades, you should still strive to do your very best in every class so you can make yourself and your parents proud.

December 12, 2010

The number of Christmas-related television episodes produced in the U.S. alone is staggering. Other holidays might rank well — Halloween is usually pretty big with sitcoms, for instance — but Christmas is the undisputed champ of TV tie-ins. A lot of these are, well, pretty forgettable: no one's going to go to their grave cherishing the memory of seeing The Dukes of Hazzard's "The Great Santa Claus Chase." But there have been some truly unforgettable TV Christmases over the years, and thanks to the magic of the Intertubes, you can relive most of them with ease. (If you want to just mainline the nostalgia, you can hit up BetaMaXMas.) Whether you're home from college on a winter break or just looking to pass the work hours, these classic TV Christmases will get you through the season. In no particular order:

2×08 from Zenit on Vimeo.

1. "Noel," The West Wing: The second-season Christmas episode of The West Wing follows Josh as he talks with a therapist and makes a major breakthrough regarding the PTSD that's been plaguing him since the assassination attempt of the first season. The episode uses the White House's Christmas events to great effect and ends on a note of hope and forgiveness that's perfectly in tune with the holiday season.
2. "My Own Personal Jesus," Scrubs: Scrubs started out with a strong season that balanced the whimsy and maudlin vibes pretty better than those that followed, as seen in this holiday episode that explores Turk's wavering faith with humor and honesty.
3. "Christmas Party," The Office: The American version of The Office was never stronger than in its earlier seasons, and the second year's "Christmas Party" is a hilarious example of how good the show is when it fires on all cylinders. Michael's overbearing attempts to throw a fun Christmas party backfire before working out, and we even get some nice moments with Jim and Pam. Plus who doesn't love seeing Dwight rail against Yankee Swap?
4. "Marge Be Not Proud," The Simpsons: This one barely edges out "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," the first episode the series ever aired, thanks to its more polished story and jokes. The presence of producer James L. Brooks means the series often looks for moments of genuine warmth, and this Christmas episode features some great moments between Bart and Marge as the young boy gets caught shoplifting and decides to make it up by giving Marge the family photo she's always wanted.
5. "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo," South Park: The guys at South Park have never been subtle. Only they could get away with using an anthropomorphized human turd to attack the dangers of political correctness. (And it works, too.)
6. "The Best Chrismukkah Ever," The O.C.: The O.C. burned up almost all of its creative juice in the first season or two, but at least we got episodes like "The Best Chrismukkah Ever" in the bargain. Smart humor, soapy melodrama, and teen-angst alt-rock for the new millenium. Never gets old.
7. "The One With the Holiday Armadillo," Friends: "My favorite part was when Superman flew all the Jews out of Egypt!" If you aren't laughing already, you might be dead inside.
8. "Comparative Religion," Community: Community is one of the best comedies on the air today, and the first season's "Comparative Religion" was a hilarious and epic throwback to 1980s hero-vs.-bully flicks while also frankly exploring the importance of religious tolerance. All that, plus Anthony Michael Hall? Sign me up.
9. "So-Called Angels," My So-Called Life: Television shows that deal with homelessness tend to do so in a treacly and cheesy manner, especially series aimed at teens (off the top of my head, Saved by the Bell and Growing Pains each had some groaners). But the short-lived, critically revered My So-Called Life dealt with the issue with skill and honesty, just like it did with everything else.
10. "Xmas Story," Futurama: Nothing says Christmas like a homicidal robot Santa, right? Futurama's typically twisted take on the holiday skewered expectations but also let the characters come together in their own way. Sounds like an ideal holiday.