How to stretch a paper

 What can you do when you are running out of content, but aren’t even close to that 10 page limit? Here’s some things you can add in that will hopefully help you out.

1. Give more background on the history of what you’re talking about. Doing a book review? Talk about what the author was going through. Doing a women’s studies paper? Talk about the causes of the movement, the historical background of the women’s lives even.

2. Through in some quotes.

3. Talk about symbols.

4. Compare your topic to another – find similarities and give evidence.

 

Dorm Room Attire

Is your roommate going to be uncomfortable with you going to bed in your underwear?

Yes.

Are your hall mates going to be freaked out if you walk around in a tiny robe and that’s it?

Yes

That’s really all you need to know.

 

Common Dorm Mate Problems

 Different sleeping schedules

Having people in the room when you don’t want them there

You want to be in the room alone when they are in the room

Borrowing things without permission

Eating each other’s food

Different living habits – clean/messy, loud/quiet, etc.

Roommates being “nosy”

Unwillingness to compromise

Behaviors that you just plain do not like

 

How to fall asleep

As a college student, I tend to have a hard time falling asleep. Here are some tips I’ve found to be quite helpful.

1.  Make yourself ready for bed. Relax at least an hour before bedtime – bathe, drink some warm tea, get into your pajamas. Even try reading before bed.
2. Make your bed as comfy as possible. I know that dorm beds can be pretty uncomfortable, so try to get a mattress bad, or just a blanket that you really like. Have good pillows.
3. Dorm rooms can sometimes house parties, and it always seems like it’s the one right next to yours that is loud. Invest in some ear plugs, or even turn on something that will at least make a constant sound rather than something irregular.
4. Wear comfy clothes. Stay in a comfy position. Don’t wear anything tight to bed. I’ve also heard that you should try going to sleep in the position that you tend to wake up in the morning.

Do you have any tips?

 

How to live with your roommate (in peace!)

1.  If you have a chance, get to know your roommate a little bit before school starts. Talk about what each of you should bring (in terms of bigger electronics, like a tv). Ask if they have any special requests or needs that you can help with.
2. Be careful what you tell your roommate the first time you meet them. Get to know them before revealing private details, you never know how your relationship will end up after the first week or so.
3. Create separate spaces in the room. Try to keep spaces equal, but don’t isolate yourself to just one small area.
4. Talk about cleaning issues before they actually become issues. Who will clean what, and when?
5. Talk about visitors. When is it appropriate to have boys/girls over? When should they leave?
6. Talk about party times and study times – when can the room be loud, and when do you need quiet?
7. Try to strike up a conversation every once in a while – you never know what might come out of it.

 

Avoid the Freshman 15

 A lot of freshman have trouble avoiding the dreaded “Freshman 15″, it’s really harder than it looks. There are ways to avoid gaining the extra weight, however.

Exercise – Exercise is probably the best thing you can do for yourself. Tone those muscle, burn those calories. That way, no matter what you eat or drink, you are well on your way to avoiding the extra pounds.

Be careful in the dining halls – Dining hall and cafeteria food can be hard to avoid, especially if a meal plan comes with your dorm. Try to stay away from things like ice cream, fried food, meat that you are unsure of, cream cheese, and chips.

Avoid drinking excess alcohol -  Alcohol is one of the major contributors to the reasons why students gain the freshman 15 because it is consumed in large quantities in short periods of time – empty calories.

Watch water consumption – Make sure that you are drinking enough water to keep you hydrated.

Eat regularly – Make sure that you eat regular meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism up and your need to binge eat down.

 

How to study history

 The most important thing is to make the information stick to your mind. Make sure that you understand the terms used in context, and how it relates to the subject at hand. Also, in history, it is very important to remember why a certain event or time period is important.

One good idea before a test is to make your own list of vocabulary words from each chapter. Make sure you understand each term completely. You can also make flash cards.

When you think that you know everything that you could possibly know from each chapter, go ahead and try to make a timeline from memory of all the events. Keep doing it until you get the time line correct – repetition will help you learn.

Share your own tips and techniques!

 

Forums You Should Check Out

Here are some discussion forums and communities that you may find useful. They all deal with education or college life in some way. If you would like to add your own to the list, feel free.

College Confidential -  A pretty comprehensive discussion site for all things college related, even college preparation.

College Sports Club – A discussion of college sports.

College Central -  A new up and coming forum that deals with all aspects of college academics and life

 

How to study a foreign language

1.  Study out loud. Work with an audio teacher in the car and at home. Study with a friend who is also learning the same language, or is fluent.
2. Study regularly. Don’t try to cram, you won’t retain the information. Vocabulary can be memorized quickly, but grammar cannot.
3. Review old vocabulary. You might surprise yourself with how much you forget on a regular basis.

Learn to strengthen your reading skills in that language

• Before you read the chapter, read the vocab list.
• Read the questions about the reading
• Read the entire passage. If you don’t know something, use context clues to make a good judgement call.
• Make flash cards with vocabulary and study them at least once or twice daily
• Make flash cards with new grammar rules and study them several times daily

Strengthen your writing skills in the language

• When you first start out, write out the full conjugation of verbs, etc. each time you encounter them. You will learn to remember them all by heart this way.
• Memorize irregular verbs
• Practice dictation with a friend, or maybe even online. Do 10 words at a time, having somebody dictate words to you. Try to spell them correctly.
• Each time that you learn vocabulary, try to write a short story or essay with it.

Studies show that as humans, we generally remember things that we do creatively more than anything else. Try to find ways to study creatively. Make diagrams, charts, pictures, etc.

 

How to make money in college

1. Paid forum posting – Get paid to post in forums for others. I’m hiring right now at Rock Your Forum if you are interested. There are also other sites out there that are hiring, all you need to do is run a Google search.
2. Types of jobs that are ideal for college students:
   1. Retail – clothing stores, department stores, book stores, CD stores
   2. Cafes
   3. Restaurants – waiting tables, cooks, host/hostess
   4. Call Centers – telemarketing, customer service
   5. On campus employment
   6. Tutoring
   7. Mystery Shopping
3. Sell Textbooks
4. Sell on Ebay
5. Write news for a website
6. Scholarships
7. If you have a blog, monetize it
8. Save up your cans and bottles
9. Take part in experiments
10. Sell your own designs on CafePress