Back To School Podcast: Take Notes Like a Pro

The quality of the information you capture in class can determine how well you do on exams, so it's important to find the system that works best for you. Today, Shep, Emily, and Laura discuss their favorite tactics for tackling class notes.

Note: we're using the html5 <audio>  tag for the media player, and it should work fine in Chrome and Safari. If your browser isn't supported, go ahead and download the .mp3 file here, or subscribe on iTunes.  

NOTE: For more information on Google Docs shared note taking, check out Shep's full description of the method.

Back to School: College Cookware 101

Moving into a new apartment? Don't forget some cookware! Photo by 91RS and licensed under CC BY 2.0.On Monday, Emily wrote about getting cheap school supplies at the dollar store. While this is great for getting all your notes down in class, it’s important to remember that you need a lot more to survive being a college student. For example, before you left home, did you consider how you’re going to be doing all your cooking? After all, as many students soon learn, you can’t live off of ramen forever. You’ll need pots, pans, spatulas, and all the other myriad kitchenware to whip up your grub. 

But where exactly do you find this stuff? While no one store specializes in cookware, many retailers do stock it. From Target to Macy’s to Wal-Mart, there are a lot of places you can go for your pot and pan needs. However, take one look at the price tags at these places, and you might just go back to considering eating only ramen. They often stock single pots for as much as $30! And trust me: you’re going to need more than just a pot.

To really do all the types of boiling, frying, and sautéing that most college cooks will have to do to prepare tasty dishes, you’ll need:

1. Large nonstick frying pan
2. Small nonstick frying pan
3. Large saucepot (aluminum or stainless steel)
4. Small saucepot (aluminum or stainless steel)
5. Colander
6. Baking dish (glass or ceramic)
7. Two cookie sheets (at least)
8. Several resealable plastic containers (for leftovers)

If you round up all the stuff on this list at a place like Target, you’ll probably spend at least $75. Want to get the exact same stuff for half the price? Then you should head on over to Ross and IKEA. I know it might seem weird that a clothing store selling unbought department store fashions and the giant Swedish furniture store are good places to pick up cheap cookware, but head to the household section at both and take a look for yourself. You’ll find all the things I listed for at least half what you’d pay at other retailers, and they’re all high quality to boot. Alternatively, if your parents have a lot of this stuff lying around the house, you could probably just take some off their hands and avoid spending more money!

So now that you’re in the know about the tools you need to be a master chef, gather up those pots and pans and start cooking!

Do you have any other college cookware tips? Where do you get your cheap pots and pans? Let us know in the comments!

Give your computer a back-to-school tune up

Prevent computer rage with a basic tune-up that will improve overall speed and performance. Photo courtesy of stuartpilbrow. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.Unless you got a shiny new laptop while back-to-school shopping this year, it's likely that your PC or Mac could use some routine maintenance before classes start. With time and use, a computer's hard drive gets bogged down with junk and sometimes begins to suffer from performance-impacting errors. Since your laptop will probably be one of the most important tools in your college student workflow, it's a good idea to tweak it back into optimal condition before the first day of class. These tips will have your PC or Mac running faster and smoother in no time.

Free up space on your hard drive Error logs, browser caches, downloaded program files and everything in your Recycle Bin or Trash can usually be deleted with no side effects. Just to be safe, it's a good idea to perform a hard-drive back up before you start deleting away.

• Do this on a PC: From the Start menu, click on Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Disk Cleanup. Check the boxes for the files you want to delete. Click OK and then Delete Files.
• Do this on a Mac: There is no built in cleanup utility on a Mac, but you can use third-party apps like Onyx (freeware) or CleanmyMac ($14.95). For a download-free solution: empty the trash, go to ~/Library/Application Support and delete all the folders for uninstalled apps, and clear your browser cache.

Clean out the list of apps that autoload when you login to your computer account Sitting there staring at your computer screen for five minutes while you wait for it to boot is probably not very conducive to productivity, and besides that, is severely annoying. If you're experiencing slow bootup times, it's likely that you will find some of the programs that have weaseled their way into the list of startup processes completely unnecessary. If you don't know what a program does, make sure to look it up online before you assume it's safe to disable. 

• Do this on a PC: From the Start Menu, go to Run, type msconfig and hit enter. Under the “Start Up” tab, uncheck the unwanted programs and press OK.
• Do this on a Mac: From the Apple menu, open System Preferences, click the Accounts icon, and then click the Login Items tab. Uncheck items to stop them from launching as a startup process with your Mac.

Check for disk errors Use diagnostic utilities included with your computer to repair some computer problems and improve your computer's performance. 

• Do this on a PC: Right-click on the "C" drive in "My Computer." Select "Properties." Click the Tools tab, and then, under Error-checking, click Check Now. Check the boxes next to "Automatically fix file system errors" and "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors." Click "Start."
• Do this on a Mac: In a Finder window, go to ~/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility and double click the "Disk Utility" application. Highlight "Macintosh HD" in the sidebar and click "Repair Disk Permissions." 

Handyman/Handywoman Tips for Your New Student House

It's finally time to apply all those skills you've learned. Photo courtesy of Flickr user roxeteer. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.

Moving into your own student house or apartment is an exciting adventure. You’ll learn how to cook, clean and maybe even unclog a toilet. Moving away from Mom and Dad also means that you may have to become the resident Handyman or Handywoman of the house. Fret not, you can accomplish most jobs around the house with the right tools and a little guidance.

Buy the Essentials

First things first, you’re going to need some tools. After all, it’s hard to screw a screw without a screwdriver or nail a nail without a nail…hammer. I’m not saying you need to go out and pick up a set of professional tools, but it’s good to have the basics around the house just in case something breaks. This Apollo General Tool Set should be enough to keep you covered, ladies it even comes in pink.

Prevent Paint Drips

There’s tons of resources online that can show you how to paint a room, so I’ll leave the teaching to the pros. However, I do have one little tip that can save you a fair amount of frustration when painting your new bedroom. Although using a paint roller is pretty straightforward, a small change in technique can prevent the dreaded drip lines we’ve all fought with. On your first stroke after dipping the roller in paint, roll upwards as opposed to down, this prevents paint from pooling underneath your roller that will result in paint drips down the wall. Also, before painting, check if it’s okay with your landlord. Some put up a big fuss about painting, while others encourage it. For example, my last landlord covered the cost of all materials when I painted my room as long as I didn’t use dark colors.

Mount Pictures and Shelves Properly

There’s nothing worse than an unstable shelf or a picture that seems to accelerate towards the earth quicker than 9.81 m/s^2. The most probable cause of your woes? You missed the stud. Sure, you can knock around and try to guess the location of a stud in the wall, but in the end, the deck is stacked against you. Electronic stud finders are so cheap these days, it doesn’t make sense not to pick one up. These magnificent little devices sense the changing density of the wall and will alert you once you’re overtop of a stud. I wouldn’t feel comfortable mounting my cherished belongings any other way.

Magically Stick Your Keys to a Light Switch

If you’re like me, the task of figuring out where you left your keys is just a part of your everyday routine. Sure, you could mount a key hook to give your keys a home, but let’s be honest, a magnetic light switch is way cooler. This simple little hack is nothing more than a strong neodymium magnetic placed inside your light socket. Instructables has the details.

Well, there have you have it folks. Hopefully these simple tips will get you on you’re way to pimpin’ and fixin’ your new student house. If something does break, Google is always there to help.

Back To School Podcast: To Bring or Not to Bring

Every year we have to decide what to pack up and take to college, and what to leave at home. In this episode, Emily, Laura, and Shep discuss what you should bring for your dorm, and what you'd be better off without.

Note: we're using the html5 <audio>  tag for the media player, and it should work fine in Chrome and Safari. If your browser isn't supported, go ahead and download the .mp3 file here, or subscribe on iTunes.  

Cool Down Your New Dorm Room with a DIY Air Conditioner

Image by Instructables contributor Pretty Idiot ProductionsEven in today's modern world, many older dorm buildings still haven't been retrofitted with air conditioning. While this might not a huge deal come Autumn, that's no excuse to be miserable during the tail end of summer. Luckily, with just a few cheap supplies you can build your own portable air conditioning unit that will make you the envy of your hallmates.

We're no strangers to DIY Air conditioners, but this design is incredibly simple and portable. You can get the full rundown at Instructables, but essentially you'll be using a PC fan cut into the lid of the cooler to suck in the warm air in your room. Inside the cooler you'll need to keep a supply of ice, icepacks, or cold soda cans to keep the temperature in the cooler down. The newly-chilled air will then escape through a standard AC vent mounted on the other side of the lid.

While this isn't going to match the performance of a legitimate window unit, it should be sufficient to keep a tiny dorm room comfortably cooled until mother nature turns off the oven. One consideration to watch out for is how you'll power the fan. Since PC fans don't use standard AC power, you can get a converter that will let you plug it into any outlet, or choose a USB-powered fan that you can power with any laptop or iPod wall charger. 

How do you keep cool in a hot dorm room? Let us know in the comments!

Be Sustainable As You Do back to school shopping

How could we make school supplies more sustainable? Photo courtesy of Dvortygirl. Licensed under CC BY-2.0. Heading back to school means buying new school supplies like pens, pencils, folders, notebooks, etc, etc. However, as you do your shopping, consider trying a more sustainable route to choosing your supplies.  

• Eco-Friendly Erasers - These erasers made by Jet Pens are a great alternative to regular erasers. According to the website, they are "made of biomass polymer, and it reduces Co2 emissions by 50% in its product Life Cycle Assessment compared to the conventional plastic erasers." They're available here for just $2.50.
• Recycled Notebooks - There are many places to buy recycled notebooks, even at your local Office Depot or Target. They're made of recycled paper and work just as good as any other notebook. At Trinity, there's a program where we made notebooks out of recycled paper and old cereal boxes for the covers. If you're that dedicated to make a sustainable notebook, I say go for it. For a super cute alternative to the cereal box notebook, check out this notebook from ModCloth at $17.99.
• Recycled Dividers - For those of you who love dividers to keep organized, this is a great option for you available at Amazon. It's 100% recyclable so even after you use it, you can recycle it again. Check them out here.
• Sustainable Markers - Now we've probably outgrown using markers in our classes, but I use markers to decorate signs for clubs and use them for project posterboards. If you're looking for markers for your next semester, these eco-friendly markers are a pretty neat choice, available fom Sustainable Supply.

But the best way to be sustainable as you do back to school shopping is to do as little shopping as necessary. I use individual folders for each of my classes, but I reuse these folders at the end of every semester. I simply slap a big piece of masking or duct tape over the title I had written there four months earlier, and voila, I have a folder for my new subjects. Reuse your supplies as much as you can, and you'll be on your way to helping the planet one step at a time.

How do you recycle and use sustainable practices in your back to school shopping? Let us know in the comments!

[via Re-Nest]

Back to School: How to Network for a Campus Job

Feel free to hit up the bookstore for inspiration. Image courtesy of Flickr user Lucius Beebe Memorial Library. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.If you're in the process of moving back to campus and find yourself unemployed, it can be disheartening. Particularly if your friends wrapped up their employment situation months ago, it can seem as if there are no jobs to be had on campus. However, if you find yourself in such a situation, there's no need to despair--jobs are out there! Here's how to network your way to an on-campus job.

Find Jobs That Aren't Just Work Study: How schools handle work study varies pretty widely, so I can't give any universal advice on that front. However, there are likely some jobs that are guaranteed for work study students (or for which work study students get preference). If you're not work study and are just looking for a way to earn some extra change, talk to your older friends or advisor for help figuring out which departments or positions are going to be the most open to you--and learn what non-work study jobs are called (ours are work ship, but your mileage may vary). At Emory, front desk jobs and jobs requiring skill (like computer help desk workers) are often open to everyone, but jobs doing clerical work for an academic department are harder to come bay. Plan accordingly.

Ask Your Friends: If you have friends who are already working on campus, ask them if their bosses are looking for any last-minute workers. I know that at my on-campus job, we're in the middle of creating the work schedule for the year, and some spots are still empty. This means that we're making some very last minute hires. Your campus no doubt has some similar issues which can be taken advantage of in order to get a job. The fact that your friend can vouch for you will mean that you're a more appealing candidate than someone who the employer has no one to vouch for. (Of course, this is contingent on you being a good employee, so don't just flake out and make your friend look bad.)

Check Campus Message Boards: If your friends turn up no leads, campus message boards are going to be the next place to look. Check both the physical message boards on campus (particularly in administrative buildings) and digital message boards, if your school has them. Classifieds and job postings are often hidden on their own sub-board, so you may have to root around for it. Anything you have to look around for means that their are probably fewer applicants--a good sign.

Do It Now: The key for positioning yourself as a useful new hire is to start feeling around for jobs as soon as you can. You want to be job hunting while everyone else is still unpacking, so you need to start looking before freshman orientation ends (regardless of your class standing--freshmen represent competition). If you wait a week, the jobs you want will likely be filled, and campus staff will have their hands full trying to help the influx of new students.

Do you have any other tips for last-minute employment? Let us know in the comments!