Stay Focused with an iPad and GoodReader

GoodReader will save all of your class files locally, so you can access them even when you're offline.Well, I'm only a few days into classes this year and am already starting to consider my iPad as indispensable as my laptop.  I've been at this long enough to realize that schoolwork is split fairly evenly into consumption and creation.  You consume books, readings, and notes, while you create papers, projects and tests.  My MacBook Pro is terrific for creating things, and I always thought it was just as ideal for consuming the PDF readings Trinity professors kindly assign us in lieu of extra textbooks.  Boy was I wrong.  One day of using GoodReader ($0.99) on my iPad has completely changed the way I study.

GoodReader is basically that; a really good reader app for the iPad.  You can open PDF's from mail attachments in the iPad's default email program, or download them from Blackboard (or your school's hopefully superior equivalent) via the app's built-in browser.  GoodReader will also read Word Documents, save web pages, or even open .zip folders, making it ideal for just about anything a professor can throw at you.  Once you open a file for the first time, you'll immediately understand why this is one of the best ways to organize and consume your class materials.  The reading screen gives you the obvious iOS pinch-to-zoom and swipe-to-flip pages, as well as the ability to rotate the file and change your viewing options. It's also boasts a surprisingly good text-recognition system, empowering you to search for keywords on any file, or even transform the a crappy scan of an old library book into a customizable, distraction-free, scrolling list of clean text.  

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Give Killer Public Presentations With These Public Speaking Tips

There's no reason to fear public speaking, even if you're talking to the future droids in this lecture hall. Image courtesy of Flickr user Squirmelia. Licensed under CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA.Public speaking can be terrifying--an estimated 95% of people experience some anxiety when speaking in front of groups. Unfortunately for everyone except that lone 5%, college is full of public speaking requirements: speaking up as a member of a club, for example, or having to give the first of many class presentations. However, with these tips you can hopefully reduce your public-speaking stress and give killer presentations.

Be Prepared - Part of the terror of public speaking comes from a fear of screwing up publicly. You can reduce this chance (and as a result, the fear) by preparing beforehand: make a bullet-pointed outline for your speech, for instance. If you’re doing a powerpoint presentation in class, be sure not to have everything on the powerpoint--instead, put bullet-pointed cues on the slides and expand upon them while speaking (it’s okay to have personal notecards with the expanded information on them). This way you’ll look like you know what you’re talking about by giving the audience information that only comes from you, rather than your visual aids. In addition to looking competent, an outline or notecards will give you something to go back to should you get completely flustered.

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Featured Desk: Shep's Productivity Nook

Shep's desk makes him a lean, mean productivity-blogging machine.If there's any piece of furniture that college students are tied to, it's the desk. Where else can we convince ourselves to power through that 12-page final paper instead of taking a much-desired nap?

With that in mind, we're introducing a new feature where we highlight the most interesting desks that our readers send us. First up is not from a reader, but a writer: Shep McAllister, a student at Trinity University.

Shep was eager to submit his desk to the pool in part because this is the first year that he's had a real, organized space to use as a desk. To celebrate his swanky new space, he's hooked up dual monitors and purchased a nice desk chair from Ikea.

The above-desk shelf allows him to store a printer, spare paper, and his laptop case, while a below-desk trashcan ensures that he can toss his snacks once he's finished without having to stop working. Perhaps for inspiration, he's got a Dilbert strip taped up to the wall.

As you can see above the light, Shep's zip-tied his computer cables together so they're out of the way--an easy, cheap way to make a desk seem less cluttered so you can focus on writing rather than decluttering.

Click for more photos of the desk after the jump, and if you'd like to submit your own, email emily@hackcollege.com with photos and a description of how you've hacked your desk and why.

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12 Essential Items for Your College Backpack

Okay, so mine's not Eddie Bauer. Photo courtesy of Flickr user ToastyKen. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.This week, I started my first week of classes as a college student. And dear Lord, how different that was. I experienced WiFi in classrooms (some of them at least) and as a result, Facebooking during class, professors who weren't afraid to say what they thought, and the first appearance of the mythical TA.

Last week, Lifehacker welcomed us back to school - with a combination of some of our posts and some of theirs. Lifehacker asked its commenters what's in their backpacks and as cool as some of the responses were (I'd want to be researching for a Ph.D in Botswana!), they just weren't relevant to most of us university students. I also find some things to be "pocket items" - their presence is a given, and I keep them in my pocket (girls might use a purse) instead - those include a cell phone, a wallet, a Moleskine notebook, and my iTouch.

After the jump below, I've got a list of what is absolutely required in every college backpack.

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HackCollege Audio Podcast: Take One

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... the very first episode of our impromptu audio podcast! We get together on Skype every week for a conference call, so we figured we'd stay an extra 15 minutes and record a podcast of sorts where we discuss college-related news and tips.  Yes, it's janky and a little awkward, but it was our first try, give it time :)

We're going to try to keep this up on a weekly basis, so subscribe to us on iTunes and give us a listen on your commute to class.

So what do you think? Leave your feedback in the comments!

Prevent Hunger Pains with On-The-Go Snacks

Peanut butter is a yummy way to combat hangriness during the day. Image courtesy of Flickr user thisisbossi. Licensed under CC 2.0 BY-SA.
han•gry, adjective—characterized by crankiness due to lack of food; moodiness as a result of hunger.

That’s right. Hangry. From the English words "hungry" and "angry." Whether or not “hangry” is technically a word is irrelevant because it certainly is a feeling that every college student feels at sometime or another. It’s not unusual for us to be in class during normal lunching hours or for us to simply be too busy to have the time to sit down and have a decent lunch. Sometimes lunch lines in the dining halls are too long for us to even get something at eat on our way to class. To beat the irritability that comes with an unsatisfied stomach, pack yourself a snack to eat on the run so you don’t fall victim to hangriness.

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Guest Post: 8 Android Apps for Students

Android apps can make college life a little easier. Image courtesy of Flickr user tomsun. Licensed under CC 2.0 BY-SA.

Today we have a guest post written by Brendan O'Neil, who is a junior at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He is also the editor of Officeal and an active Twitter member.

Dropbox

(Free, requires an account)

Dropbox is a must have for students regardless but the mobile application is a welcome addition to the family. Supporting Microsoft Word, PDF files, audio and video files. This is great for having all your documents at your fingertips but the ability to send files via email from the application makes it extremely useful.

 

Slide Screen

($6.99)

Among home replacement applications for Android, Slide Screen stands head and shoulders above all for students. With it's unique row scheme, Slide Screen is perfect for getting a ton of information in one glance rather then checking a bunch of applications or swiping through homescreens, especially ideal for stealing that habitual peak during class.

 

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Beat Grime Using Cheap, Green DIY Cleaning Tips

Mr. Clean supports your cheap, green cleaning attempts. Image courtesy of Flickr user elycefeliz. Licensed under CC 2.0 BY-NC-ND.Dorm rooms and college apartments are not known for being the height of stylish (or well-maintained) living--add in less-than-fastidious college students, and you can pretty quickly get some depressing living arrangements. Not much can be done to fix beat-up facilities, but even the shabbiest freshmen dorms can be kept passably clean in ways that are cheap, eco-friendly, and non-toxic. 

Supplies: Before you can clean anything, you’ll need to invest in some basic supplies: baking soda, vinegar, a sponge or washcloth, and possibly your choice of eco-friendly soap. Discounting the soap, this will cost you about $4--cheap enough for anyone to not have a rank dorm. If you have stains on your walls (it happens), spring for a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser--they’re a little pricier than the other suggestions, but they’re pretty much amazing.

Stuck-on Toothpaste in the Sink/Stained Countertops: It’s gross, but it happens to everyone (especially if multiple people in the room are using the same sink). If you’ve scrubbed with a washcloth and the stuff won’t come off, try sprinkling baking soda on the offending spots and using a damp washcloth or sponge to scrub at it. The abrasive qualities of the baking soda should help get the sink clean, and it won’t make your room smell of Fresh Mountain Meadow Rain the way that commercial cleaners will.

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