Change your study habits, goal approach this school year

Don't you feel more academically centered already? Image courtesy of Flickr user José Feliciano Cerdeño. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.I can't wait for fall to start. (No, seriously. I'm a nerd.) The reason is that--in addition to slightly less oh-god-I'm-melting temperatures where I am--fall brings back regular school. With regular school comes the option for school-year study hacks. This is exciting!

There are two study hacks that I'm planning to implement during my school year, and they're worth a look for anyone who's into the doctrine of efficient, rather than more, work being your best shot at academic success.* They're both from Study Hacks, (which is a great site to kill time on if you want what is basically old-school 43 Folders for college students).

The first hack that I'm enamored of is the Zen Valedictorian philosophy. It's similar to things we've said here before, but this series of articles breaks it down in a really useful manner. The article goes into more detail, but the main point is that there are two kinds of high-achieving students: the grind, and the zen valedictorian. The first is basically Tracy Flick. It's the kid who in high school was able to run pretty much everything and get straight A's. They get to college and--in general--find themselves unable to keep up that pace, and so crash and burn. The zen valedictorian, on the other hand, cedes control: they have one major that they're good at, and one extracurricular that they're really invested in. They become stars in those two things, and in doing so distinguish themselves without running themselves ragged.

If you've found yourself trying to do the grind thing while in college, make a point to check out those articles before the regular school year starts back up. If you're a freshman about to start at college, take a gander in order to prevent yourself from making the mistake of over-involvement in the first place. School year resolutions--as well as a long, hard look at what you want to change about your behavior in order to make the school year better--are useful, and this is a good one to make.

The second hack that I'm waiting to implement is the stealth study. This is particularly useful for kids who didn't have to study in high school and so never learned how. I'm one of them, and when I got to college, I realized that my lack of developed study skills and my laughably short attention span meant that studying was going to be like pulling teeth for me. I hate doing it.

The techniques outlined in the article--short review sessions, question and answer formats, and studying while walking--seem like a really good option for someone who wants to change up their study routine. The basic idea is that short, engaging bursts of information absorption, done frequently, outweigh the learning done during long, boring sessions later at night. For me, at least, it certainly seems to be true--the things I study early in the day stick around much better. I'm excited to implement the full system.

If you're going to go that route, check out StudyBlue (and its integration with Evernote) to keep your outlines digital, rather than having to print them out the way that the original article suggests. That way you don't have to go out of your way for printing, and you're a little eco-friendlier to boot.

Do you have any other changes you're ready to make for the new school year? Let us know in the comments!

* That would be you, HackCollege reader.

Guest Post: Beef Up Your Security and Rip Hackers a New One

This post is by Thomas Frank, a junior at Iowa State University who runs a college blog of his own called College Info Geek. As long as you're not a vacuum salesman, you can connect with him at his website or on Twitter.

As a college student, you're getting to the point in your life when you have a lot to keep track of online. School email accounts, online banking, FAFSA information, social networks... the list goes on. As you get older, your online life just keeps expanding.

Now that you're in college and have this expanding online life to keep track of, your online security becomes ever more important. In high school, most of the people in your network were your age, and you probably didn't have a lot of resources. Therefore, you probably weren't much of a target for malicious attacks. However, now that you're in college and most likely over 18, a lot of sensitive data becomes yours instead of your parents'. You can get things like credit cards, and loans are now in your name. You're also probably a lot more visible on the internet.

I'm going to expose myself to a potential foot-in-mouth situation here and make what's called a "blanket statement": 

 Your online security sucks.

In fact, if we were to somehow personify your online security, it would probably look something like this... Steve RogersOn the other hand, I can tell you that, at the present moment, my online security looks a little more like this. Coincidentally, my dad looks kinda like this too...I say it looks like this at the present moment because, as recently as two weeks ago, I too had terrible online security. What I'm talking about specifically in this article are passwords. Most of us, including me, are or were at some point guilty of using the same password on every site we have an account with. Some of you might even use a really bad password like your name spelled backwards or something with nothing but lowercase letters. In the past, I used to think it was OK to use the same password everywhere as long as it was really secure. Using that line of thinking, I created one really long, complex password, set it on all my accounts, and settled into a false sense of security. It wasn't until I started learning about web security that I knew how stupid of an idea that was. Now that I know, I've fixed my security problems. In this post, I'll show you how to do the same thing easily and painlessly. However, before I do that, I want to give you a short primer on why using the same password is a bad idea, even if it's a really good one. Essentially, there are two potential pitfalls involved with non-diversification in the security world:

• Screw-ups by you, yourself, and thou
• Screw-ups by the owners of the websites you use

Read on to hear Thomas' advice for protecting yourself online.

Click to read more ...

Tips for Freshmen Class Registration

Registration looks like it was just as big of a pain in the ass in 1941 as is now (and rather gender biased). Photo courtesy of Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.Different universities do it different ways, but perhaps one of the most exciting times for freshmen coming into college is class registration (or maybe it just was for me because I am a huge nerd). Some universties have freshmen register months before the first day of school, and some don't have registration until a few days before classes start. Whatever the case is, registration is an important time for new students because it will determine just about everything for the next three or four months of your life. It's daunting and a little terrifying to think about, but with these tips for students entering college for the first time, hopefully you will make great choices for your first semester in college.

Prepare Ahead of Time

It is always a good idea to prepare yourself before registration. It's usually a time of scrambling and cursing at slow computer servers or full classes, so the more prepared you are before hand, the better your registration will go. Take some time to get to know your university's course schedule. Highlight classes you'd like to take and classes you must take. Try to get a feel for what you'd like your schedule will be like. Are you a morning or afternoon person? When do you do homework better?

You will probably not get your perfect schedule, so it's extremely important to have backup options. Make a list of the classes you want and categorize them into priorities, either by classes you must take or ones you want to take. List your backups as well so you can refer to them if you need to fill your schedule. Again, the more prepared you are, the smoother registration will go and the better chance you have of getting a schedule that you're satisfied with. I went just a little big overboard with preparing for my first semester registration (oh man, you should see the spreadsheets I made and how unbelieveably color-coordinated they were), but it all paid out in the end because I got the schedule I wanted.

How Many Hours

Depending on your school, your advisor will probably let you know how many hours you should take per semester. For Trinity, I needed to average about 15.5 hours a semester in order to graduate with the necessary amount of hours. However, since I came into school with some AP credits, I had a bit of a cushion. I decided to take only 13 hours (four classes, plus a dance class) my first semester, and I would encourage freshmen to take it easy on themselves their first semester.

College is a huge jump for anyone. You're moving to a new place, without your parents, with new friends. The adjustment period can take a long time. Figuring out all of that other stuff plus figuring out how to study for college is a massive undertaking. It is perfectly acceptable, and I think even a good idea, to take just a minimum amount of classes your first semester to ease yourself into the college atmosphere. You can take more hours once you've gotten into the college swing, but freshman year is so crazy that it's a good idea not to overload yourself academically right from the start. Work hard in the few classes you do have and get good grades in those. The worst thing you can do is to take too many classes and do poorly your first semester.

Try for Variety but Get Requirements Out of the Way

I am speaking as a student of a liberal arts college, and so I had an immense amount of freedom in choosing what classes I wanted to take in the first two years of my college education. I was taking philosophy, psychology, dance, anthropology, communication, biology, calculus, sociology, and so much more. Now I didn't necessarily enjoy all of these subjects (bleh philosophy), but I am certainly thankful that I took all of them, even if doing so taught me that that subject was certainly not my calling. Additionally, taking a wide variety of classes allowed me to really round out my college education. I learned a lot of stuff that I may not use in my career in the future, but I feel like I know a lot more about the world and life because of the classes I took that were not remotely related to either of my majors.

While I certainly encourage freshmen to test the waters on any subject that they find even remotely interesting, I also think it is a really good idea to get your required classes out of the way sooner rather than later. If you're getting super bummed out by the fact that you have all of these common cirriculum classes that you have to take, feel free to spread them out a bit-- take two or three a semester plus a few elective classes. However, don't push these classes off completely. I can tell you from personal experience that it completely sucks having to take a random, entry level class your senior year. Come up with a strategy for completing those required classes, but definitely make sure that you take a few risks with your class choices. You never know, you might really find yourself drawn to the subject.

What was your experience during freshmen registration? What tips do you have for new freshmen who are registering? Let us know in the comments!

Take Awesome Notes with NoteMaster, Now 75% Off!

Trying to keep organized notes on your iPhone can be frustrating. However, with the newly discounted app NoteMaster you will be able to keep beautifully organized notes for just $0.99. You can create different categories that act as folders to cluster similar types of notes for systematic collection. Within these notes, you can form lists with bullets, numbers, or even check boxes that can be checked off. You can also insert pictures in notes, which I think is super handy when you're trying to remember visual details. Stylistic changes can also be made about the notes, including background pattern or font.

Perhaps the most nifty feature about NoteMaster is its ability to sync up with Google Docs, which can be great if you are taking notes on the go. This little app will extremely useful once the busy school year starts up again. Grab it in the App Store while it's on sale!

[via Lifehacker]

Foursquare Makes its Play For College Campuses

Would badges bearing your school's logo be a big enough carrot to get you into Foursquare?

Over the past year, popular location-based social network Foursquare has employed a number of tricks to get students in the habit of checking in around campus. Many schools partnered with the site to offer custom badges, tips for different buildings on campus, or even discounts at certain campus dining locations. Some schools even hosted Foursquare student ambassadors to get the word out around campus. It appears to be having some effect, with Foursquare passing 10 million registered users, and now they are preparing to double down on their campus efforts.

A recent blogpost announced the impending foursquare For Universities 2.0 program, launching in the Fall. Though the post is light on details, it seems to be focused on providing more schools with custom badges designed around university insignia. The mysterious new initiative also has a number of large universities signed up as launch partners. Foursquare also included links to Google Docs forms (really?) to sign up to be a campus ambassador, or to request your school be added to the program.

I'm not an avid Foursquare user, but I could see the appeal if lots of your friends were using it regularly. It'd be nice to see if they were gathered in the library for a study session, or stopping by the dining hall for dinner. Unofficially, wider adoption would also allow you to gauge the popularity of off-campus parties without needing to waste a cab ride. Unfortunately, I'm not sure virtual badges are going to be enough to entice a wide swath of students to get into the location game. Hell, most students I know still aren't on Twitter. 

So you tell me. What does Foursquare need to do to attract students en masse? What would it take for you to join? 

Back-To-School Laptops that Don't Sacrifice Quality for Cost

Need a new laptop for going back to school? Check out these suggestions. Photo courtesy of Ed Yourdon. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.Laptops are probably without question one of the single most important tools that college student needs. However, they are obviously and unfortunately expensive. It takes a lot of research and patience to determine which machine will be the best choice for you.

LaptopMag.com has put together a list of 12 laptops that will fit a college student's budget but still perform as valiantly as students need them to. These are the three that I thought seemed like the best choices.

HP Pavilion dm1z ($479)

I have been using HP computers and laptops since I was in high school, and I am still a loyal customer. I believe I am the only PC-user on the HackCollege staff, but PCs are what I like. My current laptop is a HP Pavilion model, and so this less-expensive version of the laptop would be a good basic machine for students. This particular model is 11.6", only weighs 3.4 pounds, and lasts six and a half hours on a single charge. Additionally, HP has addressed its machines' tendency to overheat by introducing CoolSense Technology which is software that can sense if the laptop is resting on a table or lap and then adjust the speed of the internal fan accordingly.

For a larger Pavilion model, check out LaptopMag's review of the HP Pavilion dv6t.

Toshiba Satellite E305-S1995 ($899)

Though more expensive, this laptop comes with a few more features which would certainly be desirable for a college-student. It comes with Blu-ray, Intel Wireless Display, backlit keyboard, and USB 3.0. It's 14", 4.9 pounds, and has a six hour battery life. This laptop also features an Intel Core i5-S2410M CPU and a 500GB, 7,200-rpm hybrid hard drive. 

Dell XPS 15z ($999)

Jumping up in price again, this 15" laptop comes with more size and options. If you are perhaps looking to use your computer as both a TV and a work machine, a larger screen might be your best bet. However, you don't need to sacrifice screen size for thickness. This Dell laptop is the thinnest 15" computer you can find at 0.97 inches thick. With an aluminum covering, it features a second-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Nvidia graphics, two USB 3.0 ports, 4GB of RAM, backlit keyboard, and powerful speakers. These features seem to make this laptop a top choice for both a TV and computer. Though it's more expensive, if it takes the place of a TV, it might be worth the extra money.

Apple MacBook Air ($999)

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the MacBook Air and yet it still feels like an obvious choice that many students will elect. It weights only 2.3 pounds is only 0.68 inches, and has an 11" screen. These physical features make it incredibly portable, which is a definite plus as we college students are forever trekking across campus with our beloved computers. It uses an Intel processor and Nvidia GeForce graphics, and also has a five hour battery life. As we've mentioned previously on HackCollege, the new OS X Lion has great new features that students can definitely use to their advantage. For those Mac users, this option will be a good, solid laptop choice. 

[via LaptopMag.com]

What laptop will you be using as you go back to school this fall? Let us know in the comments!

Start Searching Now for Fall Volunteering Gigs, Jobs

You can get your volunteer tshirt before anyone else. Score! Image courtesy of Abhishek Kumar. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.It's tempting to spend the last few weeks of summer either sprawled out on the couch or focusing entirely on your internship/study abroad/summer school/job. However, if you've begun to plan for the upcoming semester (and, given that you read this site, that's a given), these last few weeks can be put to good use as a time to look for retail work, on-campus jobs, and volunteer opportunities.

Retail work: If you plan to work outside of the comforting folds of your campus, now's the time to start looking. This will of course be easier if you live nearby to where you go to school, but if you can find large chains (particularly grocery stores) that have online applications, that will help you even if you're far away. Right now is the time when hiring managers are about to lose their back-for-the-summer student employees, and they're eager to hire right now, rather than waiting until after their current employees head back to their own schools. If you're not from the same town as your school is in, but know people who went to high school there, ask them for suggestions--they'll know local chains which are likely to hire you. Case in point: I applied to work at a local ice cream shop a few months ago and never heard anything back. Yesterday, I got a call back from them for an interview--people who work there have told me that, during the summer months, an interview is as good as a job offer, since the place is struggling to fill its fall schedule.

On-campus jobs: This is a little trickier, because on-campus jobs frequently go to work study students who have priority, which may start getting sorted out once everyone's on campus. However, if there are on-campus jobs which can go to non-work-study students (at my school, they're called workship, but your mileage may vary), they're likely hiring right now. If you're taking a summer school course, this is a great option for securing fall employment. Good places to look for soon-to-be-open jobs are campus computer labs, the dining hall (if your school uses student dining workers), and front desks of gym facilities. Desk jobs in general are likely to employ a large group of students, and so may employ people even before work-study gets sorted out. Ask the students working the desk if the place is about to start hiring--chances are high that they are.

Volunteer gigs: If you know that there's a local organization that you want to work with in the fall, go ahead and reach out to them now. If it's a popular organization, they're likely to be swamped with applications in the fall--you want to be the first to get in, before the rest of the students come back. You'll look proactive, and you can get a leg up on training if you're already living in your college town. Even if not, you'll have a secure volunteer position for when you return in the fall, and that's one less thing to think about during move in.

Do you have any additional tips for the proactive perspective employee? Let us know in the comments!

Carry a Notebook with You at Work to Keep Track of Useful Tips

A lovely notebook like this can be extremely useful while you're at work to jot down helpful tips. Photo courtesy of levinardo. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.This summer has been a fantastic experience for me in more than one way. As many of my posts this summer have shown, I've learned to cook and live on my own for the first time (hooray independence!). Additionally, I've also learned quite a lot at my internship, which has been a really incredible job that I really wish I wasn't leaving in a few weeks. I've made what I hope are career-long contacts and have been taught by those who I now consider mentors.

Since this job has been such a great learning experience for me, I've been given so many pieces of advice that it's incredibly hard to keep track of them. Because of this, I've taken to carrying around a small notebook with me where I have been writing down nearly every bit of advice that has been given to me. It's been extremely useful because I have a notoriously horrendous short term memory, and so now I have a little notebook full of fantastic advice from my summer mentors.

I think that anyone who is working in a job in their desired field should jot down notes in a small notebook to create your own little industry how-to booklet. Whether it's technical skills you're learning or industry knowledge, having a small notebook to write it down in will help you keep track of all of the things you learn at your job or internship.

Do you carry a notebook with you at your job? Does it help you? Let us know in the comments!