Surviving Midterms – Tips to relieve stress and find balance

February 17, 2021

I have been at NECO for about two months now, and it’s safe to say that school has kicked up a few notches. I had my first midterms, and it was quite the learning experience. Using the word stressful would be an understatement, especially not knowing exactly what to expect. Having five different finals over the course of one week teaches you that balance is key. You realize quickly that waking up, studying, taking minimal breaks for meals and going back to studying really takes a toll (not that I would know from experience or anything).

I learned a lot through the process and am happy to share with potential (and current) first year students some helpful tips on how to relieve stress and not drive yourself crazy during midterms or finals!

Tip 1: EXERCISE. Say it with me, endorphins. Exercising puts you in a good mood and ready to take on the days’ challenges. To quote one of my favorite movies, Legally Blonde, “exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy…”! In our case, happy people study and do well on their midterms, but nevertheless, solid advice.

In addition to elevating your spirits, exercising also increases blood flow to your brain, which helps you stay focused and retain more information. I’ve found that I love to go to exercise classes like indoor spinning, but I have friends who do kickboxing, barre classes, and have even joined intramural teams like soccer and basketball.

Whatever you prefer, whether it’s lifting weights, going for a run outside, or playing your favorite sport, do what works for you and put down the notes for an hour.

Tip 2 – Time management. This is the tip that every optometry school you visit will tell you is important. What I found most difficult was trying to budget time to study for each final during midterms week. Going straight to the library to study for an upcoming test after exerting all energy taking on the one I just took is extremely difficult for me. I learned the hard way that not budgeting time and spending four days studying for one test and leaving one day to study for the other is not the move. Still, do not underestimate how hard it is to have a test the next day and start studying for the one that’s even after it.

It’s a real mental marathon of a week, but it’s doable! Use a planner, write things down on sticky notes, or as I’ve come to really like, Google Calendar. Trust me, you will thank me so much in the long run.

Tip 3: Balance. Similar to the exercise idea, make some time for things you really enjoy. Watch an episode of your favorite show before bed after studying. Eat your favorite foods this week. I mean, try to incorporate some fruits and veggies, but if you want to get Shake Shack every day, get Shake Shack. You need comfort food! I made mac and cheese once a day during midterms and it was honestly a lifesaver.

What I also found helpful was the support of the people in my life. Call your mom, dad, sibling, best friend that lives in another city, basically whoever you enjoy venting to. The amount of people that reached out to me made me realize I’m not alone, and even if I doubt myself there are people who believe in me! I spent a lot of time with my friends in my program, and it was so nice to have a night or two to just decompress and talk about things other than school. Lean on the people who make you happy this week, it will help you so much with the stress.

15 Helpful, No-Fluff Productivity Tips For College Students

February 10, 2021

//Wake Up Earlier

The early bird catches the worm, right? College students are notorious for staying up late. It just seems like a given. Especially if you have later classes. I’m not telling you to wake up at 5 AM every day (I certainly don’t). Start by waking up an hour before you need to and go from there. For example, if you have an 11 AM class, wake up at 8:30. You can go to bed at around 1 AM, get enough sleep, and still have enough time to do something productive in the morning before class.

//Use A Planner

I am guilty of not following this tip. At the beginning of the school year, I’m incredibly on top of my planner, but slowly stop using it. This affects my productivity and my sanity because I forget to do things sometimes. This shows in your grades. A planner will also help you manage your time wisely. There’s a reason this tip is in every productivity book and blog post you read.

//Get Dressed And Feel Put Together

I could write a whole post on the importance of getting dressed. (In fact, I probably will!) Looking good is not the goal. Sure, that’s a great way to feel confident, but being well-dressed and put together will help you get more done. Personally, I don’t get as much work done when I’m wearing my pajamas because that gets me in a mindset where I want to lounge around and do nothing. That’s why I get dressed every day. When I look like I’m ready to do something productive, I do something productive.

The same goes for working out. A lot of people feel motivated to exercise when they’re wearing workout clothing. Getting dressed sometimes gives you the push you need to get stuff done.

//Set Daily, Weekly, And Monthly Goals

You don’t necessarily need to do all of them. If you’ve been here a while, you know that I used to post my monthly goals on this site. I stopped because it stopped being productive for me. As a college student, my routine was broken up by weeks, so making weekly goals made more sense. I’d set goals for studying, my blog, and everything else weekly. This process may be different for other people. For people who own businesses, it would make more sense to set quarterly goals rather than weekly goals because that’s how their projects naturally line up. Choose what works for you, but make sure that you are always setting goals.

//Make An Assignment List Based On Your Syllabus

At the beginning of the semester, create a long list in chronological order of all the dates your professor gave you. Throughout the semester, cross things off as you go. This way, you’ll know exactly what is due the soonest and what takes priority.

Here's an example:

August 28, 2017
    - Algebra: Pg.5-12
    - Econ: Chapter 2
    - Spanish: Capitulo 2
August 29, 2017
    - English: Book Report 1 Due 
    - Chem: Lab Report due

Create something like that listing all your assignments for the semester. Color coding wouldn’t hurt.

//Don’t Listen To Music While You Work

I know. I know. You’re one of those people that can multitask and “work well with music,” but I’m here to tell you a secret. You’ll work faster without it. Music is fine when you are doing things like folding laundry or cleaning your room because you’re doing it passively. Your brain doesn’t need to focus that much. But when you’re writing an essay or studying, the music will distract you. Even if you can study well with music on, it doesn’t mean you’re studying efficiently. I used to be one of those people who would leave music on in the background, but ever since I stopped, I get work done SO much faster. (All caps doesn’t do this lesson justice). Don’t listen to music when you work!

However, I do need some ambient noise when I work. I live in a house (with incredibly thin walls) with six other people after all. I usually just turn on the fan in my room and put a towel over it so it doesn’t get cold (it also makes it louder). You could also use a white noise machine. You’ll end up finishing your work much faster and you can use that extra time to do other things you enjoy.

//Clean Your Room

Having a messy workspace is distracting and it certainly doesn’t motivate you to get things done. There’s a reason I never get anything done in my room. Many people, like me, get significantly more work done at the library or at Starbucks. This is because those places are generally tidy. Unfortunately, we can’t work outside all the time. We have to make it work at home, too.

Before I can get any work done on my desk, I have to make my bed. Even if all else is messy, making my bed makes me feel like I have my life together. Sometimes I fold the clothes piled up on my chair as well, so I can actually sit at my desk. This means there are less distractions for me and I can get to work.

//Only Check Your Email And Social Media Twice A Day

I’ve gotten really good at this, recently. Another way you could do this is by only checking social media in the bathroom. I’m sure you do this anyway, so you might as well make it your designated social media time. That way, you won’t waste as much time on your phone when you should be studying.

//Work Out

During midterms and finals, the gym is significantly more empty. During this time, I heard one of the trainers say,

“So many students don’t come to the gym during midterms because they “don’t have time.” Working out makes your day more productive. Not less.”

And I have to admit that I agree. During the school year, I work out 4-5 days a week. This isn’t because I’m a health nut (far from one actually). I just feel so much more energized after I work out and crossing that item off my to-do list motivates me to be more productive. Moving your body is also an important part of self-care, so don’t avoid it.

//Carve Out Time In Your Schedule To Relax

You can’t work productively without taking breaks. Studying for 8 hours straight is not the answer. Studying for 2 hours, then taking a 30 minute break is. Make sure there are moments in your day you can relax like reading on the train or watching Netflix while you eat lunch. Taking a break never hurt anyone.

//Organize Your Desk And Your Desktop

My desk tends to be pretty clean. I just have a framed photo and a pencil holder. Other than that, my desk is clear. (The bulletin board in front of it is where my decorations live.) My desktop, on the other hand, is a mess. It’s an organized mess, but a mess. I recently cleaned up my desktop, and oh my lord, it’s beautiful. It’s much more relaxing than seeing a bunch of blog post images, old essays, and other random icons. Cleaning up my desktop has given me peace of mind and makes working on my computer so much more productive.

//Work At Your Desk

Whenever I work on my bed (which is something I do more than I’d like to admit), I end up surfing through Pinterest, reading blogs, and watching Netflix. This is because I associate my bed with relaxing. Don’t get me wrong, I do get work done on my bed, but I could get the same amount of work done faster if I worked at my desk. This is because I’m sitting in a chair instead of lying around waiting for dinner time. Sit at your desk and stay there. Keep snacks and a bottle of water with you so you’re not tempted to get up and get to work. I can work for an hour straight on my desk, while I take frequent breaks when I work on my bed. It just makes more sense to study at my desk.

//Work Outside Your Work space Sometimes

Don’t work at Starbucks everyday because you’ll waste more money than necessary, but as I’ve mentioned before, people tend to work more productively in places that aren’t their homes. You’ve heard me say this before: I try to get all my work done on campus because I’m a lot more focused there than at home. I’ve gotten a good chunk of my blog work done at my local library this summer because I write much faster while I’m here. (I take more breaks at home). A change of scenery is always a good idea in my book. Moving your work space to your dining table works, too.

//Pay Attention In Class

This way, you won’t need to study as much at home. Just hear me out, you’re paying for these classes anyway, so don’t skip them and don’t waste your time. You’ll be a lot more prepared for the test if you sit and listen to your professors’ lectures. This way, you won’t have to waste your time scouring textbooks looking for important information. Your teacher will have already given it to you! I get that some professors aren’t great at teaching, but they’ll give you important information in regard to your tests. Don’t waste that opportunity.

//Know Your Natural Rhythm

I don’t get as much work done first thing in the mornings. When I first wake up, I’m not in the mood to do homework and study. My brain isn’t ready yet. I need an hour or two to get the gears going (which is why waking up earlier gives me more time to do that). My energy is better served in making my bed or working out. I get significantly more work done in the afternoons, then hit a slump in the evenings. I know my natural rhythms. I understand when I’m most productive and when to do the right things. My rhythms probably aren’t the same as yours, and that’s okay. Just make sure that you schedule things around your natural rhythms.

Your natural rhythms can change, so update your routine to accommodate that.

4 Strategies for Completing Your Dissertation

February 3, 2021

Students take about eight years to complete a doctoral degree — twice the time of a bachelor’s degree. Also, the average age of a doctoral student is 33. Many doctoral students work full-time and have families and outside responsibilities than can make completing a dissertation an impossible task. In fact, almost half of all doctoral students complete their course work but not their dissertation.

This article explains how to avoid the dreaded doctoral degree attrition — by being your own manager, surrounding yourself with wise people, developing a professional relationship with your chair and creating good habits. You can increase your odds of finishing your dissertation by following these four steps.

No. 1. Practice time management, be organized and meet deadlines. Time management is essential. Make two-week deadlines for every part of the dissertation process, including reading, writing, edits and meetings. Set your own goals for dates on writing your proposal, defending your proposal, seeking IRB approval, conducting your research, conducting your analysis, writing chapters and preparing for your defense. Create deadlines for each week and always stick to them.

Once you start dissertating, don’t spend fewer than 10 hours a week researching, writing, editing and repeat. Schedule this time in. Dissertating now becomes your priority and routine. Cut out extra noise in your life. Trying to be a rock star at work, doing PTA work for your kids or committee work, teaching extra courses, taking lunch breaks, working out and sleeping all need to get cut out of your life. I’m kidding … OK, only a little. Make your dissertation a priority to be done in a year. Dragging this out even longer will make you feel like you are scratching your nails on a chalkboard.

Organize a folder on your cloud drive that has subfolders for chapters, presentations, tables, figures, meeting notes and example dissertations. You might create at least five drafts of every chapter, so this will help keep you organized.

Know your graduate school’s deadlines. There is the defense notification deadline, the abstract deadline, the application to graduate deadline, commencement RSVP, regalia purchases at the bookstore deadline, the defense deadline, submission of dissertation for formatting review and the defer commencement walk deadline (optional). Oh, and you need to complete forms for all these deadlines. Knowing all this information — and your faculty or staff liaisons in the graduate school and your college — is important. It is not your chair’s job to remind you.

No. 2. Surround yourself with wise and supportive people. Get your life partner on board with you. Let your partner read this article and let them say to you, “I love you, I support you, I’m right here to help you to the finish line.” Then specifically outline what you need from your partner. I told my husband to do all the dishes, take out all the trash, take our son to school, grocery shop every Saturday (I wrote the list), help me prepare meals on Sundays and let me shower once a day in peace. I also let him know I’d need to write on some Sundays, so he’d better prepare for life as a single dad. You need a “unicorn partner,” so turn yours into one for a year.

Second to your life partner, get your boss on board with you. I told my boss I was ready to finish and asked him to give me one working day a week to complete my dissertation. He agreed, and I promised him I would always put work first, use lunch breaks if needed and come in to work early.

Before bothering your chair with questions, first ask other sources — such as your other doctoral candidate friends or your graduate school writing center — and research answers online. Also ask your doctoral friends for their favorite statistical analysis books. This will help you with references for your methodology chapter.

Hire a tutor if you are deficient in one area, like statistics, before bothering your chair with endless minor questions. It’s not their job to teach or reteach you statistics. For example, I hired a graduate student that knew STATA statistical software and paid him $400 cash for 16 hours of consulting. We met for four hours every Friday for a month.

Also, get help editing the final draft. Hire a professional editor if needed. In addition, have a staff member in the graduate school writing center help you. After staring at this document for more than a year, you are bound to make a few extra spaces, forget a comma or spell “from” as “form.” Get it perfect, and get it right … just one last time.

Read/skim at least 10 different dissertations using the methodology you like — whether quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods. Then pick your top three favorites. Do not plagiarize, but use the structure of your favorite dissertations as a guide for your own. This isn’t rocket science — don’t reinvent the wheel.

Finally, attend a dissertation proposal and defense. That will help you see the room, prepare you for what you need to bring, help you understand the flow of the process and help ease your fears.

No. 3. Develop a professional relationship with your chair. Understand your department chair has a research agenda, courses to teach, service committees to deal with and a plethora of other dissertating students just like you. You are a small part of their life. Don’t take advantage of this, because you will wear them out for future students.

Have a solid conversation with your chair at least once a year, either face-to-face or on Skype. Get your check-ins with your chair down to every two weeks and make good use of their time and expertise for the 20 minutes you have their attention. Remember, meetings with your chair are effective by phone or online. Learn Zoom and Skype for Business.

When your chair says, “You might want to …,” “investigate …,” “maybe I suggest …,” know that isn’t really an invitation to intellectually debate. Don’t argue — rather, write down what they have to say, and go do it. At this point, your chair has listened to you and is giving you words of wisdom, not merely making suggestions. Take notes in every meeting with every committee member, then come back to your desk and type out your notes. This information is crucial to how you will prepare for your defense.

No. 4. Create excellent dissertation habits. Before you solidify your topic, you need to research. Don’t bore your chair with endless conversations about what you could research. Simply present your chair with three ideas, and then let your chair pick one.

Save research articles on Mendeley or a system that works for you. I eventually printed out my 100-plus sources and put them in binders alphabetically.

The next step is to write an annotated bibliography of at least 30 peer-reviewed articles. Create at least three headings of general topics you are going to talk about. Then write a draft of your literature review. Present this to your chair and ask them about theories to use. Then go with the suggestions you receive and just start writing.

Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Close the door to social media to simplify your life. Write when it’s a good time of day for you. Carry a notebook and pen to write things down, as you will start obsessing over your dissertation.

Know your APA manual; keep it close. Refer to it often. Also, keep the book Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less with you at all times. Read it often.

When presenting your proposal and your defense presentation, practice out loud at least five times. Type out what you will say in the notes section of your PowerPoint. Ask a recently graduated professor whom you respect for a copy of their PowerPoint, and use it as a template.

No single piece of advice will help you complete your dissertation, but these suggestions may help. Know that, in the end, completing your dissertation is worth it. You may finally feel like you have a seat at the table, and others finally listen to your wisdom and insight. A raise and promotion may even come your way. Good luck.

How to Prevent College Burnout

January 20, 2021

If you got into college, there’s a good chance you’re a go-getter, someone with a can-do attitude who constantly tries to go above and beyond. That’s not a bad thing, but there’s a reason why many college students experience the burnout syndrome. A medical definition of burnout is hard to give because the phenomenon is still being studied. However, the experts at PubMed Health say continuous stress and pressure to excel may be the root cause of burnout.

Symptoms of burnout may include:

Feeling mentally exhausted
Feeling physically exhausted
Feeling alienated and depressed
Reduced productivity
Difficulty concentrating
Anxiety

In students, burnout is a result of school-related tasks taking priority over self-care. If you’ve felt any of the symptoms of college burnout, there are some simple things you can do to feel better and to prevent burnout from happening again.

1. Organize your planner.

Planners are useful time-management tools. Those who struggle to prioritize their tasks may be at a higher risk for burnout. A planner can help you manage your homework, class schedules, and other commitments.

2. Stay inspired.

Choose a role model in your career field that inspires you and follow them on social media. Seeing someone succeed in the same job you wish to have can keep you motivated through tough times at school.

3. Use all your tools.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or burnt out, don’t fall for the idea that you have to solve all the problems on your own. Most colleges offer counseling, career guidance, and academic support for free through various campus organizations. Search online for any tools your school offers that might help you.

4. Use course reviews.

One way to make sure your course load isn’t too heavy is to read course reviews before registering. Course reviews on sites like Rate My Professors can tell you how other students felt about the course and if any professors were better than others. Look out for professors who assign too much homework — you may want to take the course under a different professor.

5. Make flash cards part of your study routine.

Flash cards are a great tool for memorization. If you need to memorize vocabulary, definitions, or formulas, then you should use flash cards as part of your study routine.

6. Create a study guide.

Study guides are another great way to study. If your exam includes short-answer or essay questions, writing a study guide will help you extract the big-picture concepts from your textbook.

7. Get a tutor or join a study group.

Another way to avoid burnout over too much studying is to study with a tutor or a group. Having another person to study with takes some of the pressure off your shoulders to learn everything on your own. You can ask a tutor questions if you have trouble understanding a concept, or use the synergy of multiple brains coming together in group study.

8. Brighten your mornings.

It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning when you experience burnout. To brighten your morning, create a morning routine you enjoy. That might mean brewing your favorite coffee, showering with a great smelling soap, walking your dog, watering a plant, or some other light-hearted task. If the first action of your morning is one you enjoy, you’ll be in a better mood for the rest of the day.

9. Set daily goals.

Small daily goals are extremely helpful in combating college burnout. One reason students burnout in the first place is unreachable goals. Getting straight As might sound like a good goal, but reaching that goal actually involves a bunch of smaller goals. Rather than focusing on the final grade, focus on the assignment at hand. Set a daily goal for how many hours of study time you want to complete or which assignments you want to work on. A day-at-a-time mentality will take you further than a semester-at-a-time mind-set.

10. Eat breakfast.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that’s not just an old adage. Overnight, the body’s storage of glucose and carbohydrates is used up to keep the body functioning properly while we sleep. It’s important to replenish your glucose and carbohydrate levels in the morning so you have energy for the day ahead.

11. Have “you” time.

Fit “you” time into your busy schedule to prevent burnout. College is a four-year balancing act, so you have to give yourself time to rest and recover. Take a nap between classes, make time to visit with friends, and enjoy the weekends. Find a balance between responsibilities and relaxation.

12. Listen to music.

There are many health benefits of listening to music. When you feel overwhelmed by a mountain of homework, an approaching deadline, or extracurriculars, it can help to turn on your favorite song. Initially, music can serve as a distraction from anxious thoughts, and listening to it for extended periods of time can improve your mood and decrease stress.

13. Get some fresh air.

Get some fresh air to clear your mind. Break up your study sessions with a walk outside, and you may notice that you feel recharged and ready to get back to work afterward. When you spend time outdoors taking in the fresh air, you get more oxygen to your brain. This improves brain function, concentration, and motivation.

These 13 tips can help you prevent college burnout. If you’ve felt mentally exhausted or overwhelmed, these are small things you can do to start feeling better. Try some out, and share these ideas with any other students you know who might be dealing with stress and other burnout symptoms.

How To Get a Master’s Degree: 8 Tips For Success

January 13, 2021

ThinkstockPhotos-843242504 — Impossible erase in possible writed on a blackboard with wooden frame

How can you set yourself up for grad school success?

If you’ve chosen your program, that’s the question that now matters most. Before you enroll and start that first graduate school course, you must be prepared for what’s ahead. Many well-intentioned degree seekers start strong but fail to finish. You need a plan that will keep you on track to completion.

The good news is, you can start building that plan right now. And, in turn, you can set yourself up to avoid the things that cause many people to slip up and fail.

The information, warnings, and advice below will give you a tactical guide for success.

4 Big Reasons People Fail to Complete Their Master’s

We won’t sugar coat it: getting a Master’s degree requires a lot of hard work. It’s not easy. And not everyone who attempts a Master’s program will actually complete their degree. Below are some of the most common hurdles to success we’ve seen.

1. Falling Behind on Their Coursework

Procrastinators will quickly find that the constant, high volume of reading, writing, and research means that falling behind is not an option.

“From day one, you need to think about time management. Make sure in your first classes that you set your time management expectations: learn how often you need to study, for how long, and on what days. Over the long course of your continued studies, the time management habits you develop early on can either make or break you.” George Pomeroy, Graduate Admissions Advisor at Franklin University

Typically, “pulling an all-nighter”—as some do when they get behind in undergraduate studies—won’t be enough to get you caught up.

2. Struggling to Write at a Graduate Level

The style of writing is different at that graduate level. That catches some students off guard. If you’re unable to articulate your research or your unique point of view, it’s hard for a professor to see how well you are achieving in your classwork

“You will need to adjust your writing style to graduate-level work. Begin writing through the lens of your experience and the subject you’re studying.” George Pomeroy, Graduate Admissions Advisor at Franklin University

Also, remember that you’ll need to be reading, reviewing, consulting, and footnoting multiple references and sources. Your writing must reflect your critical thinking, showing both theory and applied knowledge.

3. Expecting Too Much Hand-Holding

Graduate work is designed to be independent in nature.

“Earning a degree involves massive blocks of work that you must plan for on your own. Although professors are there to coach, prod, and advise, they will generally assume you’re doing your work on a schedule that works for you.” George Pomeroy, Graduate Admissions Advisor at Franklin University

Unlike undergraduate programs, professors are not likely to plan “check-ins” or “first draft reviews” for their Master’s students. You’ll be held to a much higher standard of independence.

4. Interrupted by Unplanned Life Events

Of course, graduate school doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Real life always factors in. Sometimes, major life events cause school to take a backburner.

“Perhaps a spouse loses employment. Or a child is hospitalized. Or a parent needs extended care. Any number of things can make life suddenly very difficult. When it happens, students end up feeling trapped between two high-demand worlds.“ George Pomeroy, Graduate Admissions Advisor at Franklin University

This is one advantage to choosing a program with flexible scheduling options. Students can manage their coursework amid challenging life events by taking six or twelve weeks off, and picking right back up where they left off. Or, they can reduce their load to one class for 6 weeks or 12 weeks.

What matters most when choosing a master’s program? Compare features, benefits and cost to find the right school for you.

8 Proven Strategies to Get a Master’s Degree Successfully

In reality, a host of issues can impede the path toward a Master’s degree. But you have ways to overcome those challenges. Here are 8 steps to take to increase your odds for success.

1. Build a Support System—and Use It

In a Master’s program, you’ll find yourself surrounded by some intelligent and motivated people. Consider them to be a part of your network.

Many of them will be adult students—an average age of around mid-30s—with notable career experience already behind them. That’s why your peers are a great wealth of resource, advice, information, and practical input. In your next course, there might be a CEO or an executive working right alongside of you.

These people can guide you and be a part of your education. Some classes have you working in groups and collaborative exercises; these are great opportunities to stretch yourself and build a network that can last a lifetime. When you see someone familiar from one class to the next, you may find ways to help each other

2. Take Advantage of Free Help

Also remember that most schools offer tutoring services. In some schools it’s free. Typically, undergraduate students try to muddle through on their own, and as a result grad students may not even try to ask for help. Don’t hesitate to tap into tutoring or even writing services. Your school will be able to tell you about educational experts who can help.

3. Schedule Milestones, Not Due Dates

Rather than placing looming due dates on your calendar, break your project down into micro-steps to achieve—steps that will lead up to fulfilling the assignment by the due date.

Having a project management regimen can be very helpful to stay on top of the many long-term and daily deadlines of a graduate program. Using digital tools, like the ones above, can ensure that all your tasks are synced across devices, and always at your fingertips.

Consider using a combination of Google calendar and the todoist app to keep track of these activities.

4. Find Work Times That Work

Your home, work, social, and school efforts can feel as if they’re competing for priority.

Remember that this isn’t like undergraduate programs. You’ll likely be working on weekends. Maybe your personal life will need to adapt because you’ll need uninterrupted weekend time for coursework, reading, and writing.

TIP: As you schedule, it’s good to account for the unique demands of your chosen school and each individual professor. As an example, at the working-adult-focused Franklin University, assignments are generally due on Sunday evening. That lets Monday-through-Friday employees have some time on Saturday and Sunday to complete and submit their assignments. On your calendar, try blocking out certain hours on every weekend or evening in order to have time at the ready.

Until you get your degree, you may have to set aside things you used to do on the weekends, like watching movies or sports, hanging out with friends, and doing other leisure activities.

5. Create a System to Organize Notes & Insights

There’s a major difference between the “regurgitation” of undergraduate work (memorizing, understanding, and knowing) and the “application” of graduate work.

To stay organized, consider using an app like Evernote or try creating detailed, nested folders in the GDrive app.

In a Master’s program, you’ll be expected to already know the information; you’ll now have to apply it by sharing your thoughts, opinions, and practical use of it. And that takes a lot more time and organization.

6. Hire a Freelance Editor

As mentioned earlier, the type of writing will be held to a much higher standard than undergrad work. If writing isn’t your strong suit, you should secure an editor to help you better position your writing. You can easily find them online using a service like Upwork.

You might be surprised at how affordably you can hire this kind of service. Editors can typically begin at $5-$10/hour.

7. Talk to Your Professors

Your professors and other faculty members are there to help. Remember that graduate schools want you to succeed, so think of it as a partnership where everyone wins. Let your professors know when you might need a little more guidance, and they’ll get you back on track.

8. Keep the End in View

It’s going to get hard. Be ready to fight off feelings of frustration. It’s a good idea to constantly remind yourself of why you’re getting your degree. When you’re feeling upbeat, get on your smart phone and set up a series of encouraging text reminders to pop up in the future, when you know your workload will be heavy.

Mastery Is in Your Grasp

Taking on a Master’s program can be overwhelming and might even inspire some feelings of fear. Now you have some advice that will put hurdles into perspective, help you address them as they come at you, and put you on the right path to successfully complete your degree.

A Guide to Starting Your Career Off Right

January 6, 2021

It used to be that a college education in itself was enough to guarantee you a high-paying job immediately after graduation. But with more and more Americans choosing to attend college, a degree alone unfortunately doesn’t cut it anymore. Increasingly, employers expect you to have internship experience so that you come to your first job out of school ready to hit the ground running. We know that getting one can be tough, though — which is why we’ve come up with a guide containing everything you need to know about how to get an internship.

Follow our advice, and you’ll get an offer in no time!

Consider Your Qualifications

One of the most common misconceptions that students have about how to get an internship is that they must apply to every position that catches their eye to increase their odds. But this is a sure-fire recipe for radio silence from recruiters and hiring managers. Instead, think about the skills and experience you currently possess, and which positions you might be a good fit for based on that information. A few ways to narrow down which internships are right for you:

Think about your degree: Look up common career fields and job titles for people with your major.

Consider your experience: Think about your previous work experience, and which roles it might prepare you for. A student working at a campus newspaper might consider a journalism internship, while a student who tutors for a statistics class may want to look at data science internships.

Identify transferable skills: Skills that help you succeed in school or in the student organizations you participate in — such as organization, critical thinking and time management — will all be useful in the working world. Some quick research should reveal which jobs require these skills.

Explore your interests: With how much time you spend at work, you want to make sure you enjoy it! Write down a few career fields that interest you, and search internships in those areas.
Start small: Don’t feel pressured to get your dream internship right away, especially if you have no prior work experience. Start by exploring small local organizations, groups affiliated with your school or volunteer work in order to bolster your resume.

Know Where to Look

Once you have a more concrete idea of which internships would be the right fit, it’s time to see what’s out there! Here’s how you can do that.

Visit Job Sites: Websites like Glassdoor have millions of job listings, so you’re bound to find something that’s right for you. You can search for the internship titles you’re interested in, and narrow results down by location, size, industry, company ratings and more. To get relevant results delivered to your inbox, create a job alert.

Use Your College’s Career Resources: Almost all colleges have a career site where employers interested in hiring their students can post positions. Career and internship fairs can also be invaluable, as they allow you to connect face-to-face with hiring decision-makers.

Leverage Your Network: Getting a personal recommendation can make all the difference in your internship search, so make sure to reach out to friends, family, colleagues, classmates, professors and alumni to see if they know anyone hiring. Another great strategy is to look up the companies you’re interested in and reach out to employees there for an informational interview. You never know what opportunities it might lead to!

Contact Companies Directly: If you have a dream company in mind, but they don’t have any relevant internships, you can always try writing them a letter of interest in hopes that they will either contact you when one opens or even create a new one for you. It’s more of a longshot than applying directly, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.

Prepare Your Application Materials

No matter what job you apply to, there are a few key materials you’re going to want to have on hand. Here are the most common ones, and how to perfect them before you apply.

Resume

Resumes are brief documents that showcase your skills, education and professional background. Typically, resumes will contain your name and contact info, education, professional summary, work experience, skills and additional experience. If you’ve never written a resume before, using a template can be helpful.

Some tips to keep in mind as you write your resume:

Use the STAR format — situation, task, action and result — in your work experience bullet points
Quantify your impact whenever possible (e.g. ‘Served 50-100 customers per day and handled a cash register that totaled over $1,000 a day in sales.’)
List your key wins and accomplishments, not just your day-to-day tasks
Highlight meaningful extracurriculars & awards
Emphasize skills & responsibilities found in the job description
Keep it clean, concise & easy-to-read

Cover Letter

Cover letters add additional color and context to your application. It’s important to note, though, that cover letters shouldn’t just list what’s on your resume — they should persuade whoever is reading the letter that you are uniquely right for the job. While not always mandatory, cover letters are almost always a good idea. They show that you are passionate about the opportunity, and provide a more well-rounded picture of who you are as a candidate.

Some tips to keep in mind as you write your cover letter:

Start with a unique opening line — anecdotes, quotes and fun facts are all good options
Do some research into the company, and mention a few things you’ve learned about it throughout the letter to showcase your knowledge of and passion for the organization
Explain how your previous work experience has prepared you for this role
Share a few ideas about how you would contribute to the company if hired
Customize your cover letter for each new job that you apply to

Social Media Profiles

Many recruiters use social media to research candidates — some may even require a link to your social media profiles. So if you haven’t already, you may want to create a professional social media profile, especially on a networking site like LinkedIn.

A few best practices to follow as you polish your social media presence:

Choose a professional headshot for your profile picture
Add relevant work experience as applicable
Keep it appropriate — delete any suggestive references or pictures
Share and engage with relevant industry content

Online Portfolio

If you’re entering a creative field like web development, graphic design or writing, an online portfolio is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd. Platforms like Squarespace and Wix make it easy to put together a polished collection of your most notable projects and work samples.

As you’re creating your profile, remember:

Highlight the projects that most closely resemble the type of work you’d like to do moving forward
Describe the impact these projects had
Feel free to add some color and design, but keep it clean and easy to read
Update it frequently

With your materials ready, you’ll be ready to apply! It will likely take multiple tries, but if you keep at it, you’re bound to eventually hear back from a recruiter or hiring manager hoping to set up an interview.

Interview Like an Expert

Interviewing is often the process of the job search that people dread the most. But if you adequately prepare, it won’t be nearly as intimidating. Before your interview, make sure to look up some basic information on the company — things like what products/services they offer, who’s on their leadership team, what milestones they’ve reached recently, who their competitors are, etc. Any of these subjects are fair game in an interview, and not knowing the answer to one of them will show that you haven’t done your due diligence.

You can also use this information to come up with a few questions of your own. Asking your interviewer specific questions about the company will show that you are passionate, curious and well-informed.

You’ll also want to research common interview questions beforehand. You can reference Glassdoor’s list of the 50 Most Common Interview Questions, as well as search interview reviews for your job title and company on Glassdoor in order to see what real recruiters are asking candidates like you. Once you’ve identified a few of the questions most likely to come up, practice them aloud with a friend.

Here are some tips that can be applied to answering nearly any interview question:

Get specific: There’s nothing interviewers find more frustrating than a vague or evasive answer, so when responding to a question, share specific ideas, examples and anecdotes.
Think positive: Always exude enthusiasm and optimism. No one wants to hire a candidate who makes it clear that this isn’t their first-choice internship.

Ask for time if necessary: When faced with a tough interview question, sometimes your mind just goes blank. That’s okay — it happens to the best of us! Rather than rushing through a half-baked answer, say “That’s a good question, let me think about it for a second,” and take a few moments to gather your thoughts.

Be yourself: Students often get caught up thinking about what interviewers want to hear, but if you just tell somebody what you think you should, you risk coming off as artificial or maybe even ending up at an internship that isn’t right for you.

Follow Up & Finalize the Offer

Once you’ve gotten past your interview, breathe — the hard part is over! But your work isn’t quite over just yet. To start with, you’ll need to send a thank-you note to anybody you spoke with. Thank-you notes show that you’re organized and thoughtful, which both matter a great deal to employers. To write a great thank-you letter:

Send it within 24 hours
Thank the interviewer for their time
Mention what you enjoyed learning about the company
End with a call-to-action that invites them to reach out to you for anything they might need

Then, it’s time to wait until an interviewer provides you with an update. If they don’t reach out to you when they said they would, feel free to send a short check-in note — something like the following:

Dear [contact name],

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to follow up about the [job title] role. I really enjoyed meeting you and the team last week, and I’m very interested in the opportunity. I’d love to know if there’s any further information I can provide during your hiring timeline.

Thank you,
[Your name]

With any luck, you’ll get an internship offer from the company shortly afterwards. Most companies make it official by sending you an offer letter, which you will be expected to sign and return to them. Look out for important details like start dates, responsibilities, pay and location. You should also ask if there’s anything you can do between now and your start date in order to prepare for your role — you want to make sure to start off on the right foot.

5 Tips for Studying for Final Exams in College

December 9, 2020

Everyone in school has to take them – final exams, that is. But, not everyone knows how to study for final exams, and college is where things get tricky. Exams in college are much different than they are in high school. Likely, in high school, you received a study guide, or an explicit list of information to know for your final exam. In college, you may not get anything at all, so you’ll need to study in a very different way. Here are a few tips for how to study for final exams in college. Use them to your very best advantage!

Identify the Type of Exam

Some professors or adjuncts will give you an essay exam at the end of the semester. Just think of it – tons and tons of information crammed into a three-hour essay. Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it?

Other teachers stick strictly to short answer questions, while others will give you a multiple-choice exam or a combination of sorts. The variations are endless, so it’s imperative that you find out the type of exam you’ll be receiving and whether or not you’ll be able to use your notes.

Multiple-choice final exams are a whole different ball of wax than essay final exams, and as such, must be studied for in quite a different way! Ask, if your teacher isn’t forthcoming.

Divide and Conquer

So, you have a semester’s worth of material to remember for the big day. How do you manage to learn it all? Some of the stuff you were taught at the beginning of the first nine weeks has gone right out of your head!

Divvy up the material you have to learn according to the number of days prior to the day before the test. (You need an overall review day before the final). Then, divide the material accordingly.

For example, if you have fourteen days before the exam, and you want to start studying, then chop the semester into thirteen equal parts and study a section on each day. Leave one day before the final to review everything. That way, you won’t get overwhelmed with the enormity of the task.

Schedule Time

As you know if you’re a college student, it’s not only important to learn how to study for final exams, it’s important to find the time to do it! You’re busy – it’s understandable.

You must carve out an hour or so a day to fit studying into your schedule. It will not present itself – you’ll have to sacrifice some things to get it done.

Learn Your Learning Style

You may be a kinesthetic learner and not even realize it. Take a learning styles quiz and figure it out prior to studying – your solo, sit-at-a-desk study session may not be doing you any favors at all!

Or, you might be a group study person. Have you given it a shot? Sometimes, students study the best for final exams with others.

Or, maybe you’re into studying solo. That’s great! But figure out if it’s better for you to study with music or without, and choose the best study spot for you. A crowded coffee shop with white noise may be less distracting for you than the library. Everyone is different!

In college, it’s imperative that you figure out how you learn best, as you’ll have little guidance. At this stage of the game, professors assume you know what you’re doing. Make sure that you do!

Review Session

More than likely, your professor or TA will host a review session before the final exam. By all means, attend the darn thing. If you fail to go to this class, then you’re really in big trouble! This is “How to study for final exams” 101! In it, you’ll learn things like the type of exam it is, what kind of information you’ll be expected to showcase, and if it’s an essay exam, you’ll probably get a selection of topics you may see on test day. Whatever you do, don’t miss it!

What Holiday Treat Should You Stress Bake/Eat?

December 2, 2020

It’s the most stre-e-essful time of the year!

Let’s face it: the Hallmark movies they’ve been showing since Halloween don’t depict the real end-of-the-year hustle no matter who you are, whether you’re a high school senior trying to finish your college applications before the end of the year or a college student with finals beating down the door. Even if you have everything under control, there’s the stress of traveling, family gatherings, shopping, decorating, entertaining, and all those holiday parties you have to attend!

Luckily, December is prime treat season. Now’s the time to stress-eat or, even better, stress-bake. Stress-baking, especially to share with others, has actual psychological benefits associated with it, according to science.

So take an application/study break, pull out the baking sheets and cookie cutters, and whip up one (or all) of these stress-beating snacks!

College app stress

If you’ve got your Common App filled out and all you need to do is finish those pesky supplemental questions and essays, you’ve earned yourself a decent break—which means you have time to put into baking some delicious gingerbread cookies or sufganiyot.

Depending on how well you’ve budgeted your time, you can donate more or less time to your cookie-making break. You can use store-bought dough that’s premixed or the kind you just need to add eggs and water to; you can make your own dough but limit your decorating to the bare minimum or not at all; or you can go all out and make the dough and frosting yourself and decorate each cookie with individual detail (if you really need to procrastinate take a break). What’s great about gingerbread is that you should let the dough rest for a little bit, and watching an oven is no fun, so you can work on your apps during those times. Just don’t forget to set a timer!

Sufganiyot are time-consuming but delicious jelly doughnuts for Hannukah. What’s great is that there’s a long inactive period while making these because the dough has to rise. Set a timer for the recommended rising time (maybe add a five-minute buffer just to be sure) and work on your applications intermittently. You can be busy in the kitchen and keep busy at work too! (Here’s a recipe for baked sufganiyot in case you’d like to be slightly healthier this season.)

Exam stress

With exams, you probably just want to step away from everything for a few days, or better yet, just not take them at all. While this seems like a great idea, it’s not really that possible. You’re better off to take a short break to make a quick fudge or some candy.

A lot of fudges are pretty easy to make and aren’t that time consuming. You have to give them time to cool before eating, but let that be your incentive to study hard or finish your essay in a timely fashion and reward yourself with decadent fudgy goodness. And all you need for a lot of fudge is a microwave, a microwave-safe bowl, and a pan to put it in! You can find some simple fudge recipes here and here.

There are also a lot of candy options. Again, these tend to require setting or cooling times, but that allows you to schedule different breaks in your studying. From a holiday twist on classic muddy buddies to homemade gelt to microwave-made candy, there are plenty of easy candy recipes floating around.

If you’re super nice and your class is on the smaller side (not a 100+ person lecture of course!), you might consider bringing some to your final for your classmates. Unless there’s none left of course!

General holiday stress

This is for the Golden Students who submitted their college applications early and are cool as a cucumber about exams. This time of year can still be anxiety inducing with all the pressure surrounding the holidays, plus Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) setting in for some people. You might need a little pick-me-up, and making food can be great stress relief. That’s why it’s called stress-baking! Since you don’t have to worry about being crunched for time, bake something delicious that will force you to focus on it for a while. Try making pie or maybe some truffles.

When it comes to pie, the prep time is long, but the payoff is big. And there are so many different types of seasonal pies you can make, from an old-fashioned pecan or apple pie to something less traditional like eggnog or cookie—warning: the literal best thing you’ll ever eat!—pie. If you’re really bored (and creative), you can get fancy with the crusts.

Truffles are delicious, addictive, and typically easy to make. However, they are a time commitment. They typically take at least an hour just to chocolate-coat them. But if you’ve ever had truffles, you know they’re worth it. You can find some recipes here and here.

The True Meaning of Thanksgiving Break for a College Student

November 25, 2020

Many students want to forget about schoolwork over Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Break is ideally supposed to be a time when you relax, enjoy family and friends, catch up on the sleep you’ve missed from studying, and reflect on what you are thankful for. But when you are in college that idea is far from reality. Here are five things me and mostly every other college student will be doing during Thanksgiving “break”:

1. Playing Catch Up!

And by this I mean trying to email your teachers and see what late assignments they will accept because you’ve finally had some free time to calculate your grade, and you are regretting not turning in that 5-point response. Also, catching up on shows you haven’t watched in-between time. Somehow when you are in college TV is non-existent due to late night study sessions and falling asleep between chapters.

2. Roadtrip Homework

The awesome part about Thanksgiving break is spending time with family you haven’t seen in a while. Georgia State has so many students from so many places, it can be easy to get homesick. But the unfortunate thing is while making that trip to Grandma’s everyone will be catching up on sleep, watching their fav Netflix series, and then there will be you, studying for those tests you have as soon as the break ends.

3. Eating Thanksgiving Dinner with a Book in Your Lap

Like I said before, I have no clue why professors schedule tests right after the break. That’s almost like saying “enjoy your Thanksgiving ‘Extended Studying’ Break” because they have to know that you will be using your so called “break” to study for a test. So while everyone’s around the table sharing laughs and memories, you’ll be stuffing your face and reading chapters 4-11 because you had no time to do it before now. There’s nothing like enjoying mac and cheese and a good read!

4. Attempting to Catch Up on Sleep

Between homework, work and extracurricular activities, being a college student is almost like being a superhero. We are always on the go and never in bed on time. So between studying, trying to hang out with the friends and family you never have time for during the semester, and stuffing your face, one thing we must be sure to do is to catch up on that thing that hasn’t happened in a while, …

5. Doing what we do best: Procrastinating!

This break is seven days to get your school-life back together, which seems pretty hectic around this time of year. With that fact in mind just like every other student, we will probably wait until Saturday to actually study for that test on Monday, finish up old assignments and start that project you’ve known about since August. But at the end of the day, we always get the work done. And this break, be sure to enjoy family and friends, get some sleep and finish up the work you need. Luckily for us, the semester is almost over after this break, so finish strong and have a happy Thanksgiving!

How to Keep Learning When You Have Low Motivation

November 18, 2020

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 exercise 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.