This is the time to get to know yourself and determine what you want to do with your life. You will have time to think about what you want to do, whether it is become a doctor or teacher, travel to a third world country to volunteer, or start a non profit, and map out a plan on how to get there.

Good luck!

Below is a mash-up of some of the best posts on the web for college students. Enjoy!

• 10 Tips for College Students
• Perfect Your Presentations
• 25 Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year and Beyond
• Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path
• Advice for Students: Slow Down and Read
• Students @ Lifehacker
• College Professor Pet Peeves and Positive Student Behaviors
• Learn a Foreign Language on the Cheap
• Advice for Students: Use a Wiki for Better Note Taking
• How College is Different from High School
• It’s Never Too Early — or Too Late — to Visit Your College Career Office
• 10 Tips for Getting Good (or Better) Grades
• What Good is a College Education Anyway? The Value of a College Education
• The Insomniac’s Guide of Things To Do When Failing to Sleep
• Tutorial: Colorful Waterfall Charts in Excel
• Chowin’ Down in College
• 18 Tips for Killer Presentations
• 10 Tips for Razor Sharp Concentration
• Six Ways to Start the Writing Process
• A Beginner’s Guide to Mind Mapping Meetings

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Final tips for a great school year

Articles with Related Content:

• School Planner (or Life Planner) Organization 101
• 10 Ways to Trim Your Budget
• Writing Skills Every Student Needs
• Coordinate your social schedule the EASY way!
• Test Taking Skills that Produce Results

1. Wash only full loads of clothes. Don’t waste your quarters by washing only one or two items. Bonus: Don’t use the dryer to dry your clothes completely - hang them up while still damp to save an extra quarter or two.

2. Take public transit, bike or walk. Not only will you save money from gas or car costs, but you will get some exercise and fresh air!

3. Group your errands. Do all of your errands that require a car in one afternoon, and/or carpool with friends. This saves gas - which is a big money burner for college students.

4. Stop eating out. While it seems convenient, fast food and restaurants actually take lots of dollars from your pockets and add pounds to your hips. It is far less expensive to make your own lunch and take to school, or make meals with groups of friends.

5. Use generic medications. Even if you are just taking an antibiotic for a cold, select the generic version of your medication. It is less expensive. Many stores, including WalMart and Target, offer discounted generics for as low as $4!

6. Buy classically designed clothes with trendy accessories. If you have trendy clothing, it will be out of style by next season, and you’ll be having to spend your summer earnings on a whole new wardrobe! Instead, buy classic items that will last through many seasons. Spice them up with trendy accessories like funky jewelry, handbags or ties.

7. Go to beauty schools for haircuts and spa treatments. Not only will you pay up to 90% less than at a regular salon, but you are providing the students with valuable experience!

8. Use University resources. Most universities offer free or deeply discounted gyms, tutors, counseling services, career centers and more. Find out what is free on your campus and use it! Also find out if your school offers any discounts for students for electronics, car rentals or apartment complexes.

9. Stay away from credit cards. One of the top ways to get yourself into a budget crisis is to charge all kinds of stuff on your credit cards and then not be able to pay the bill off in full. If you can’t pay it off in full within a month or two - without going hungry - then you probably shouldn’t get it.

10. Check online for better prices. While it may seem like a great idea to buy your books at the campus bookstore, or your computer at your local electronics store, 9 times out of 10, you can get a better deal online.

Coming tomorrow: Final tips for a great school year

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10 Ways to Trim Your Budget

Articles with Related Content:

• When it is time to get professional help?
• It’s Tax Time!!?? All About E-Filing
• School Planner (or Life Planner) Organization 101
• How well do you detect phishing?
• Final tips for a great school year

While campus gyms are often better than those off-campus, sometimes you may want to beat the monotony of going to the gym with these free exercise videos!

Yoga Instructor Marcia Langenberg provides short, but effective Yoga training videos for download called Yoga @ Desk, that you can watch and perform at your desk!

These exercise videos are especially designed for people who work at their desks for most part of the day - such as students or computer geeks:

Part 1: Introducing the Exercises (9:40 minutes)

Part 2: Linking the Exercises to Your Breath (12:17 minutes)

Part 3a: Varying the Exercises (9:57 minutes)

Part 3b: Varying the Exercises (8:40 minutes)

Yoga is not as easy as it looks! The class I took this past school year helped me burn lots of calories, without a bunch of jumping around! You learn how to control your body and become more away of how your body operates!

Another fitness instructor has posted free exercise videos on YouTube for your viewing and exercise enjoyment. You can also search YouTube for other videos which have been uploaded by members of the YouTube community.

Additionally, you can find links to more videos at Digital Inspiration.

Not sure how to jump start your diet? Try these tips from g333k Living:

4 Healthy snacks to have in front of your screen (and a drink)
8 easy things you can do to lose fat

Miss hearing your mom saying, “Sit up straight!” every time you slouch? Check out Dumb Little Man’s 7 Postural Habits To Make Now To Increase Your Health

Be sure to consult with a doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.

Coming tomorrow: 10 Ways to Trim Your Budget

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Stay Healthy by Exercising

Articles with Related Content:

• How to Protect Yourself from Salmonella
• Microsoft Office Ultimate for $59.95!
• School Planner (or Life Planner) Organization 101
• Final tips for a great school year
• 10 Ways to Trim Your Budget

Though there are certainly the bigger name stores (which I’ll mention in each section), I’ll also turn you on to some smaller places to buy things and give you the vital information to protect your money and guarantee you get what you ordered.

Simple enough, eh?

Books

So you have that booklist for your classes and know which books are required and recommended. You’ve figured out which ones your professor will actually use (why blow $500 on books that you’ll never touch??) and go to the bookstore to price them (or use the online book price lists that many universities use now [check your university bookstore website]) and the prices are OUTRAGEOUS. So what to do? You need it quick fast and in a hurry and don’t want to pay much.

Check out Big Words first – it searches several places that sell new and used books and gives you the best prices by the quality and store. It points you in the right direction to get what you need and it’s a free service. Plus the jokes as you wait on it to compile an answer are great corny ones. Some sites Big Words overlooks are TextbookX, Books-A-Million, Borders, etc. Check them too, but considering that Big Words looks at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, half.com and eCampus.com among others, you’ve already got a pretty great bargain in front of you.

Do know the ISBN number for the book you are looking for as a general rule – with many texts having multiple editions and changes year to year, you want the exact copy your professors are asking for. If the booklist or syllabus doesn’t give this information, take the book name and edition and plug that info into Amazon’s search box.

Example: Principles of Epidemiology by Gordis, 3rd edition is the book; in the search box type “principles of epidemiology gordis 3rd”.

The search results will be pretty deep but the right one should be in the first five or six. Check the results with title and author and edition (year if you know it) and look in the book info section for the ISBN 10 number (you have to click the link to get to the info page on that particular result). Even if you were calling a book store, knowing the ISBN number is the best way to get the right answer fast.

Shipping is quick from most places online. Though they are rarely there, check Craigslist or Facebook or your college’s LiveJournal (LJ) community (or similar sites) for people who have had the classes you are taking and are selling their books – quick pickup and happy exchange. If you are a member of your college’s LJ community, create a posting and maybe you’ll come up lucky.

Don’t ever let anybody borrow your textbook(s). Especially if it’s one you want to keep for future reference because you’ll never see it again and they’ll claim they don’t have it or they have it and will give it to you later. However, if you have a friend or two you really trust and you have classes together, go in together and split the costs of the books. This works well for general classes you don’t care about (or that have so many books to purchase, you can’t possibly read them all), but if the course is of particular interest to you both, someone won’t have that book to add to their professional library later because one of you will be the one to keep it.

Decide ahead of time what happens to the books after the semester – if you’ll pay for the other half of the text so you can sell it or keep it or if you’ll both just sell it together and split the profit (not a great idea in the spring semester – you’ll both forget this over the summer). And don’t send a “friend” to resell your books - you might not see that money.

Clothes

First off let me say ONLY buy clothes online if you actually know your sizes as they run in that particular store. This means get someone to measure you (no offense, but your roommate may not be the best choice). This person could be a parent or an actual seamstress (what is the male version of seamstress??) or someone who works in a clothing store – these people know what they are doing and it’s generally a free or very very cheap service. Reputable online stores will have a sizing chart somewhere on their site so make sure to match up the info. There are flaws in the online sizing charts (and in real life ones too) especially for plus size women and taller people.

Note the return and exchange policies before you buy if you haven’t purchased from that store before, just in case it doesn’t fit. If they don’t allow returns or exchanges, don’t buy if you aren’t sure. The XXL tshirt you thought you were buying might be a tube top or a toddler’s tshirt– and wearing that in public would be HILARIOUS.

There are some bargain websites for clothes – sierra, ubid, ebay (in bulk only) – but I suggest going with quality before cost here. If you are wanting something that will last, cheap won’t get it. Do look for sales and coupons and ways to get discounts (short of a credit card – don’t fall for that trap when it comes to clothing stores). Signing up for mailing lists is a sure way to get a coupon every week. I’ve been flooded with 20-70% off coupons the last month.

If you want something just cheap to wear, hit up Walmart. During undergrad I shopped at Walmart for clothing religiously. I could find nicer clothes, grunge clothes, some workout clothes (I’m really picky about workout clothes so that was the drawing line), chill clothes and stay under budget. I still wear Walmart jeans (faded glory!) all the time because they are cheap but take a beating for at least 2 years and fit and look good.

I’ve started to pay a bit more for some other items like career clothing, but as I’m still a student, my budget is on the low low. Buy clothing in cycles – don’t buy everything at once because they all end up wearing out at the same time and you’ll end up spending a lot at once. If you buy a few pieces each month or every few months, it spreads the cost out and ends up making it more affordable and you well dressed.

When it comes to shoes, hands down my favorite place to shop online is zappos.com – free shipping and returns plus awesome prices and a wide variety of styles and color and sizes (I can wear anywhere from a women’s 11 to a 13 depending on the shoe style and maker and they have my size). I’ve bought running shoes, dress shoes, winter boots, etc there. If they don’t fit, send em back with the printable prepaid label from their website and you’re done. Exchanges are easy as well.

Others to look at are shoes.com, Rockport and Neutralizer. Find a style you like in a store or elsewhere online and find places that will give you a price match or guarantee so you can get the best price and have them quickly. If you like New Balance shoes, check out Joe’s New Balance Outlet - they’ve got all the types of shoes New Balance makes and are always having awesome deals on shoes and clothing plus accessories.

Electronics

I’ve gone into a lot of the offline and online buying for electronics in a previous post, Technology for Students, that you might want to check out if you are a new reader to Soulville. There is a Part Deux of that tech post here.

Random Items For Room/Apartment

There are lots of things you truly need and things you want for your room or apartment. Some you’ll go buy in a store but others you’ll think of as the year goes by. I trust places like Bed Bath and Beyond, Walmart and Amazon for buying online pretty much all the items I’ve needed (microwave, bed in a bag, dishes, glasses, etc), though I buy some of my toiletries on drugstore.com (I am a fanatic for adidas women’s body wash and I have a women’s electric razor) and some specialty stores that I’ll probably never shop at again.

I used PriceGrabber to find the cheapest price for my noise proof headphones and will never buy from that guy again (except maybe for someone else as a gift) [and yes, noise proof headphones are a must if you live in a dorm room or like to study in Club Library (whatever happened to being quiet in the library????) or just really like to actually hear your music while flying].

Some stuff you can get for free: Check classifieds and freecycle.org. Some house items and fun items you might want to search for online –

• Musical instruments (Musicians Friend is where I buy all music gear online, guitars and basses and amps etc. a friend of mine who uses synthesizers and keyboards buys his stuff here. When I buy my new trombone, I’m getting it here)
• Home surround sound system (Walmart’s got a 1000W system for $200 online and it’s not durabrand)
• Printers and scanners
• Cameras
• Furniture (craigslist is a first stop - I bought a HUGE desk, a couple of chairs, and a smaller desk on there for way cheap)
• Storage shelving
• Air conditioners
• Backpacks (eBags is my favorite place to find all types of bags, wallets, luggage, etc)
• Posters and tapestries
• Software
• Planners (Payne Publishing is who I always buy from…I’ve used the same type planner for the last 5 years)
• Sports gear
• Stuff to show your school spirit - get that team flag on eBay, some shower curtains that rep your team, the garbage cans, the koozies, etc; the options are limitless!

Quick Tips for Everything:

1. Buy from a reputable dealer – if the website looks shady or doesn’t use some kind of secure checkout, don’t touch it
2. If the site needs your social security number or whole birth date, just say no!
3. Use paypal when you have the chance – it keeps your info secure
4. If using eBay, read ALL the details in the listing before buying. There’s nothing like buying that “new phone” and it’s just a toy phone they use for displays.
5. Look at the shipping time and method before you hit “purchase” so you’re not sorry later – You might like USPS but I wouldn’t trust them to get anything to me on time (their time frame must have been developed by Greyhound because neither has one that makes sense in practice)….look to find someone that has 2-3 day shipping and/or cheap FedEx and or UPS shipping with the purchase. Some of the places, booksellers especially, can have 4-14 day shipping policies for general shipping or the ‘free’ shipping that generally happens when you buy X amount of merchandise. You might need the book faster than you need the money you’ll save by just using their free shipping (aren’t first week assignments great??).
6. Don’t be afraid to shop from multiple stores. Your parents do an awesome job of bargain shopping for groceries and clipping those coupons – you can do a similar thing online buy grabbing the best overall price with your items. If you can get both books from site A for $60 but can buy a book from site A and one from site B for a total of $50, which one would you choose? That $10 could be a pizza or four loads of laundry. You choose.
7. Speaking of coupons, many online stores have discount coupons that you can use for a percentage off of your purchase price before taxes and shipping. If you’re on their mailing lists, you’ve probably gotten one via email but if not, just Google “coupon STORE X” (where STORE X is the store or website that you’re shopping). That percentage off could be about what their expedited shipping cost is, meaning all you are paying is the cost of the books (essentially).
8. Some online stores have no tax and some have tax. The ones who actually have land stores in the state where you live or are being billed will charge tax. Others won’t. Sometimes it makes no difference. But on big ticket items this can be a deal breaker. However, do remember that some stores (Frys for example) has deals all the time, but sometimes their online deals are even better than in the store even with the tax still added in – advantage internet.
9. If you’re buying used and it’s in “good” condition or it’s a book “with cover damage” or “highlighting”, beware that you might end up with a less than satisfactory product. Learn how to read phrases between the lines – cover damage could mean water damage, doodles, broken spine, pages separated from the spine, etc; highlighting could be slight or it could mean the last owner thought the pages should be yellow. Find an item that has the least amount of damage that you can deal with and go for it.
10. RESELL – Unless you’re obviously going to need it again, or you just really liked it, resell what you buy online. If you resell textbooks on campus or even at a local bookstore, you are almost never going to get anything back for them ($15 back for a book you paid $130 for and they are going to resell for $120 is not a good deal). Some websites allow free listings and I recommend those ahead of paying to sell (the point of doing it is to save not spend) – half.com, ecampus marketplace, textbookx marketplace, etc. Watch what their cut of what you sell is – some places have extremely high cuts (read: fees) for selling there. Only sell if you agree with the amount they will take. And be competitive with your pricing – if you bought it for $80 and never opened it, yeah list it for $80 or a price that is at the high end of what they are selling for in similar quality. But if you bought it for $80, used it and all the others are selling for $40 and are in similar condition, list it for a price that is somewhere in the fray of everyone else and give it some attributes in the listing that will make it stand out. Many sites give you a few bucks to mail the item so it’s not totally out of pocket for that (you can set up direct deposit into your bank account which usually takes a few days after the sale is completed to make it there or get a check via snail mail…read previous comment about USPS and opt for the direct deposit). The more you resell and make back, the more you have to spend on the next semester’s books or on those “other” college necessities (don’t even act like you don’t know what I mean).
11. If you are a bibliophile (and technophile) like me, you’ve already got memberships at big booksellers and places that sell things helpful to students. If you don’t have one, please think about it. True they cost you up front, but I can’t tell you how much I have actually saved because I use them so much. If you’re only going to buy 1 or 2 items, it’s not worth the cost. But, for example, I buy textbooks every semester (and fun books), my sister buys textbooks every semester, two of my brothers buy textbooks every semester and I LOVE getting my tech stuff online (and occasionally cereal and candy) – so I got the Amazon Prime membership for $75. With that I get free 2 day shipping and for the number of books we’ve purchased in the last year, it would have cost over 300 bucks for shipping alone (you can share it within a household….loose definition on household). Compare that to $75 and there is no question it was the better choice.

Followup

Thanks for reading this week and I hope this info helps. Take a good look at the places you spend your money online - everybody isn’t honest or fair, even some of the sellers on half.com or other marketplaces. Know the rules of where you shop (read the FAQs and help forums they offer before buying - if you don’t find an answer, message them). I’ve written another post for this week as well as a makeup to Ellie for being late with last week’s post - it’s an addendum of the previous technology post I wrote a couple of weeks ago, or as I’ve dubbed it Technology Part Deux.

I’ll be back next week (August 30) with a how-to for using a planner for class/being organized and keeping up with school and everyday life. I’ll delve into different types of planners and how everyone can benefit from five minutes of planning and followup each day to become more productive.

Here’s the schedule for September:

September 6 will be a how-to on planning a service project then September 13 I’ll be writing on doing library research. September 20 & 27 will be a two part how-to on website building (HTML & CSS + an overview of some programs).

I’ll post the October schedule in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for reading and keep up the comments! If there are any topics you would like to see addressed, stick it in the comments and I’ll get to work on it.

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Buying On The Internet: What to Do and What to Avoid

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• Where to Watch Internet TV
• It’s Tax Time!!?? All About E-Filing
• How To Buy Retro - Computers with Win XP
• How to Properly Watch Holiday College Football
• Hand Coding Anyone?

Typically, you will be asked to write essays or papers that communicate your theories and understanding of a particular topic. It can be difficult to get organized, but with these tips, you will quickly be on your way to becoming an excellent written communicator, as well as earning high grades!

Perhaps the most important and best advice that I can give you is to create a schedule and stick to it when preparing to write an essay or paper. If you know you have a paper due in 6 weeks, do a little bit of it at a time, instead of waiting until the last minute. See Back to School: 5 Time Management Tips that Work for tips and tricks to getting papers done efficiently and with less stress.

These articles from lifehack.org are VERY helpful for providing the advice every student needs for becoming successful writers. Bookmark, print or save these pages to your computer. Refer back to them when you need some direction!

• Advice for Students: How to Write Research Papers that Rock! - Research can be tricky for many students, but these tips will help you get prepared for doing research online or at the library.
• Improve Your Grammar With These 40+ Tips - As a former instructor, I’ve found that grammatical errors often take away from the strength of an argument.
• Advice for Students: 10 Steps Toward Better Writing - These 10 steps are good ways to continue to improve your writing skills.
• A Guide to Becoming a Better Writer: 15 Practical Tips - Again, these tips will help you continue to improve. It is amazing how many things on this list are things I do already!
• Advice for Students: 10 Steps Toward Better Research - Improving your research skills can lead to better grades, employment and even graduate school admissions!
• Design Better with CRAP - While targeted mainly to bloggers, this method works well for formatting papers.

Additional articles of note:

• The Impotence of Proofreading - from Daily Writing Tips
• Back to School with the Class of Web 2.0: Part 1 - from Solution Watch; pay special attention to the section on “Learning and Research”
• Back to School with the Class of Web 2.0: Part 2 - from Solution Watch; this article features great information on Diagrams and Mindmapping - good ways to sketch out your ideas

Coming tomorrow: Welcome to Soulville’s Back to School installment #2

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Writing Skills Every Student Needs

Articles with Related Content:

• School Planner (or Life Planner) Organization 101
• Final tips for a great school year
• 10 Ways to Trim Your Budget
• Coordinate your social schedule the EASY way!
• Test Taking Skills that Produce Results

It does involve a little effort to set up (mainly to make sure the dates are correct), but after that, it’s a breeze! If you plan on doing a lot of socializing or want to plan something more regularly, take the time to do the entire year’s calendars in advance.

Note: You need an email client that supports monospaced fonts (like Courier). Otherwise this chart will look terrible. In Gmail, use “Rich Formatting” and Courier New to maintain the formatting.

Step 1: Write names on the vertical and the dates on the horizontal, like this:

Step 2: Insert your information - using a code system. The one provided is pretty easy, but feel free to make up your own codes. The one I used is:

• + means “I’m free”
• - means “Busy”
• ? means “I don’t know yet or it depends on other people’s plans or something”
• c means “I can cancel whatever else I have planned”

Step 3: Email the chart to everyone else. Wait for their replies. Here’s the response I got:

Step 4: Look at each day and see where I have the most likely matches. It appears that the 9th, 10th and 11th are the only days in August that work for everyone. Mark those days and then send out an email suggesting the day you think is best.

Everyone will agree on the date suggested (since they are already free) and now you can get ready for your night out on the town!

Special thanks to ButtUgly’s The Iteration List for the inspiration. This solution ROCKS!

Coming tomorrow: Writing Skills Every Student Needs

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Coordinate your social schedule the EASY way!

Articles with Related Content:

• School Planner (or Life Planner) Organization 101
• Final tips for a great school year
• 10 Ways to Trim Your Budget
• Writing Skills Every Student Needs
• Test Taking Skills that Produce Results

Students can use Google to get things done and stay organized through the semesters and beyond.

I began using Google products in earnest in 2005 and I haven’t looked back! All of the products listed are products that I have personally used, plus tips and tricks for how to use them.

Please add any additional tips into the comments - let’s make this a great Google-y-goo resource!

Email: Gmail - www.gmail.com

• You can sign up for a free account by visiting www.gmail.com. This login can also be used to access all of Google’s other services, such as Calendar and Notebook.
• This is a powerful information warehouse. You can even set up your school email address to forward to Gmail and utilize Gmail as your one-stop email stop. Directions for using Google as your universal email account can be found at Google Tutor.
• Be sure to set up your email to look professional - no “hotmama211″ or “dudeigotadell”. Get 8 great tips at Productivity 501, especially # 1-5 and 8.

Information Filtering: Google Reader - www.google.com/reader

• Instead of visiting 50 sites a day in search of information, subscribe to their RSS feeds in Google Reader. Look for the little orange symbol on websites that you frequent - either on the site itself or in the toolbar. Some sites may customize the colors to fit their design, or not have the image at all - but look for the words RSS, feed and/or subscribe to find the feeds. Press the link or button and follow the directions to subscribe via Google Reader.
• Looking for an extra information boost? Productivity 501 has a comprehensive list of Free Academic Podcasts. Subscribe to them in your Google Reader, so you can get updates to download to your computer. Open Culture has foreign language podcasts that can be extremely helpful if you are taking language classes and need some extra practice.
• Some of the best feeds for students are Hack College, Lifehacker and Lifehack.org. Just don’t waste too much time learning how to save time with these websites, instead of just getting your work done!
• Read more about how to maximize your Google Reader with Get More Out of Google Reader from lifehack.org.
• Firefox Users, see Subscribing a feed in Google Reader using Firefox for instructions on how to bypass the Google Homepage/Google Reader option.

Keep track of everything: Google Calendar - www.google.com/calendar

• Create different calendars for different things or areas of your life. I have calendars for class schedules, work schedules, thepinkc posting schedules, activities/extracurriculars, TV shows, and another for holidays and birthdays. Because you can color code the calendars, I can see at a glance what I have to do each day.
• Set up email and/or SMS notifications for your Google Calendar! This will save you some time and keep you on task. I have a daily agenda emailed to me, as well as SMS reminders 3 hours before an event.
• Integrate your Google Calendar account with the online “things to do” list, Remember the Milk. Add your assignments to Remember the Milk and get access to them via Google Calendar.

Take notes: Google Notebook - www.google.com/notebook

• Organize electronic notes for papers, then print them later for reference.
• Use the Google Notebook/Firefox Sidebar Hack or Firefox Extension to take notes while surfing the Internet.
• Collaborate on group projects with the sharing feature.
• Note: I do not recommend that students take notes on their computers or via Google Notebook for class. There are benefits to writing your notes by hand. Consider typing your written notes into Google Docs and Spreadsheets later!

Create and maintain documents: Google Docs and Spreadsheets - www.docs.google.com

• Upload files that you create on your computer and share with group members on group projects, or for a friend to proofread for you. Share your class notes that you’ve typed up.
• Backup your files on Google Docs and Spreadsheets. Sync them often, to ensure you have the most current copies both in Google Docs and Spreadsheets and on your computer. You can also use these documents from any computer with an Internet connection!
• Use Google Docs and Spreadsheets as your main word processor and spreadsheet program. It has most of the features that you would find in established programs, but it is free!

Find Information: Google Search - www.google.com

• Google’s search feature is its most popular. It has even spawned new verbs, such as “google”. No one searches for information online anymore - we google it. However, most of us don’t get the most out of Google. Search Google Like An Expert can help you begin utilizing Google to its fullest.
• Download the Google Cheat Sheet and post it near your computer, so you can always have the search tips handy.

Share Photos: Picasa - www.picasaweb.google.com

• Picasa offers the ability to upload photos and videos and share and collaborate with friends and family.
• Uploading is as easy as one click of your mouse.
• There is desktop software that can be downloaded, to make the uploading process easier.

Geek’s Paradise: Google Code - www.code.google.com

• If you are into software or tinkering with Google’s products and services, check out Google Code. You will find all kinds of goodies to help you enjoy your online time - and offline time, too, with Google Gears!
• Upload your own code and share with the world. Collaborate with other users to create useful programs and widgets.

Get Your Research On: Google Scholar - www.scholar.google.com and Google Books - www.books.google.com

• Search via Google Scholar for all types of resources for your papers and projects - including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.
• Search for books that you might want to buy or borrow from your local library with Google Books. This search engine permits you to see full text of books!

Other resources, such as Google Groups, Google News, and Alerts can be found at “More Google Products.”

There are tens of Google products to help you become more productive at school - test them out and find the best combination for you.

Happy Googling!

Coming tomorrow: Coordinate your social schedule the easy way

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Google to School

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• Gmail Introduces New Features in Gmail Labs
• Geek Girl’s Software Pack
• Zoho goes Offline!
• Use Gmail’s Permalinks to Share Searches
• blog.gears - Great for Offline Blogging

See TestTakingTips.com for additional study tips, including how to do well on certain question types, like multiple choice, essay and short answer.

Preparation for your first test should begin after the first day of class; this includes studying, completing homework assignments and reviewing study materials on a regular basis.

• Budget your time, make sure you have sufficient time to study so that you are well prepared for the test. This goes back to having good time management skills and techniques.
• Pay attention to hints that the instructor may give about the test. Take careful notes and ask questions about items you may be confused about. Ask the instructor to specify the areas that will be emphasized on the test. You may not get a good response with asking for specific information, but if you’ve been studying all semester, you’ll be fine.
• Make sure you go to the class right before the test; it’s another good time for the instructor to give out more hints or the format of the test. Matter of fact, don’t miss class at all, unless it is totally unavoidable.
• Go over any material from practice tests, homework assignments, sample problems, review material, the textbook, class notes, etc. Borrow and make a copy of someone else’s notes. It is amazing what you find is important, someone else doesn’t - and vice versa.
• Eat before a test, having food in your stomach will give you energy and help you focus, but avoid heavy foods which can make you groggy. A good breakfast for a morning test is a scrambled egg (or two) and bacon slices (beef or turkey bacon works, too). Do not drink water before a test - try Gatorade. It is closer to the pH level of blood, which means it takes longer for your body to excrete.
• Don’t try to pull an all nighter, get a full night’s sleep before the test. While this may seem like a crazy idea before a big midterm or final, the last thing you want to do is to fall asleep during the test!
• Make flashcards or a study sheet from the main ideas/information/formulas that can be quickly reviewed many times. This makes it easier to retain the key concepts that will be on the test.
• Show up at least 15 minutes before the test will start. This will give you time to go to the restroom, catch your breath, say a quick prayer, get settled in your seat, review your notes one last time and be ready to start the test ON TIME.
• Set your alarm and have a backup alarm set as well. Try the Naked Alarm clock if you have a broadband connection.

Coming tomorrow: A special Back to School Geek Girl - “Google to School”

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Some of these tips may seem repetitive or “common sense” but they work!

Remember - academic reading is different than pleasure reading in numerous ways, so you have to approach them differently.

1. Do required reading on a regular basis. You should definitely have a weekly reading schedule set up. Experience tells me that you should schedule a minimum of 2-3 hours per week per credit hour to reading and studying. For example, if you are taking 15 credit hours, you should be reading and studying from 30-45 hours per week. Schedule this time in manageable blocks. Seriously, 30 hours may seem like a long time, but school is a full-time job! Some of this time should be spent reading new material and some on reviewing the material you have already covered, even if you know it!

2. Preview material to get an overview of the material to be covered. The first thing you should do when you start reading is to read through the introduction, the conclusion, any questions or terms at the end of the chapter, then go through the chapter and look for any bold words or terms. Now, you should have a good idea about what you’ll be seeing in the assigned chapter.

3. Think of questions to answer and reflect as you read through the material. Not only should you be reviewing the questions that are usually at the end of a chapter, but think of some on your own. Create acronyms or phrases to help you remember the material.Think about whether or not what you are reading has biases or is valuable to you. Does this material mesh with what you already know or believe?

4. Summarize what you have read. Make notes in the margins and in your notes. Honestly, highlighting doesn’t work for everyone; if you spend more time highlighting than actually reading and remembering what you read, you probably shouldn’t do it. Compare your reading notes to your lecture notes. Do they compare? Do they support each other? Write down any questions you may have for your professor and ask him or her via email, before or after class or at office hours.

5. Don’t forget to take breaks! The easiest way to tire of reading is to not take regular breaks. You should aim for 30 minutes of reading, a 2 minute break, and repeat. Take the 2 minute break to get up and stretch or get a drink of water! Don’t allow yourself to get out of the study mode during the breaks - so no cell phone calls or loud music!

Read more about academic reading via The University of New England’s Academic Skills Office.

Coming tomorrow: Test Taking Skills that Produce Results

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Reading Skills that Produce Results

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Involvement is a key to being happy in college. And college is one of the few places you can try as many things as you want without consequence or spending a lot of dough. So why not try out all your interests? Why not join a few clubs and meet new people? Why not take advantage of the free movies, the free concerts (or low cost at least), or other activities your college itself or organizations team up to offer? Over and over again, research (and personal experience) has shown that students that get involved are less likely to drop out of college and are more likely to have higher grades and graduate from college.

Ok so I’m at college - where are the clubs and organizations?? Check out the student affairs website - there should be a listing of organizations or an office where you can go to get more info on the clubs and organizations. Many clubs and orgs put up flyers at the beginning of semesters to gain interest in what they do. Interested in watching anime? Try the anime club. Want service? There are tons of these groups around. Want to do something more local than a large national organization? Colleges have these too.

Let’s say you’re interested in what lots of the groups are doing but don’t want to stretch yourself thin - go to a couple events that those groups throw and decide which one you can give more time. Just because you’re not a member doesn’t mean you can’t go to their events. My undergrad institution had what we called “Club Expo” and all the clubs and organizations (all 300+) took over the student union to hand out info on their organizations and get interest lists together. Just because you have interest doesn’t mean you have to join. It just meant they would contact you when things were going on and give you space to make your own decision.

Every year I was involved in a lot of things, but super involvement isn’t for everyone. If you can handle one thing, join one thing. Clubs and organizations are worth the time you give, not only because it’s fun at the time, but you 1) meet new people, 2) get to go places you may never have been (and for CHEAP), 3) get something to put on your resume. Employers love involvement, especially steady involvement. Some people I know joined one group freshman year, added a second Sophomore year, etc. Building on the skills they gained from the first organization they were able to be a leader in the others as well. However, if you join and organization and it turns out to be totally different than something you want to be involved in, there is a simple solution - quit. I quit a couple of groups I was in and there are no regrets. No need in spending your free time doing something you hate. If you like the purpose of the organization, but you hate the people, I recommend not joining it but that might be exactly what you want to do. It’s up to you. If you find that no organization is what you want, check with your college about the rules of starting a new organization. Many times, you simply have to have a certain number of other people interested and they will grant you club status and maybe even give you some money to get started.

Are you a college athlete and still want to be involved? It’s possible. You’ll sometimes find that your practice or game schedule conflicts with something the org is doing. Be open with your coaches about what is going on and be open with your organization. Sometimes there is a solution and sometimes you’ll just have to miss it. (Yeah that sucks - I missed a few events over my four years of competing in track and field).

Want to work out and meet new people? Join a club sports team or intramurals. An organization you’re in might already sponsor that 3 on 3 basketball team you want to be part of. Great way to bond with others. Or get together with people in your organization and go work out. Nobody else will know your interests unless you say them.

Want to meet even more people in your dorm? Join the resident student association for your building. You get to plan some of the events and activities for your dorm and get free money to do it. It helps to be a part of this sometimes if you want to be an RA the next year.

What if it is halfway through the semester already? Some clubs and organization will be open to join at any time of the year. Others usually only let people in at the beginning of the semester. But generally if you’re interested they will let you hang around and not to worry - the beginning of another semester is already around the corner.

Clubs and organizations aren’t the only ways to be involved at your university. Working at the gyms are one way, working at the library another or working in the community service office another. There is SGA, Judiciary, etc. Many campuses have student ambassadors or tour guides - this is another way to be involved but usually is limited to sophomores and above. Work with offices that work with high school students such as Upward Bound or the diversity office for their open houses. Student affairs or admissions should have more information on opportunities such as these. Tutoring is a great way to be involved - there are opportunities to tutor middle and high school students and many campuses also hire students to tutor classes they have already completed. It’s a fun way to be involved if you love helping others and understand how to help others learn.

Despite your urge to be super involved, the main reason to be in college is to get a degree. No matter what, your organizations should understand if you need a day to go study. Make sure you get your studying in. Form a study group with friends that you can actually study with (sitting in the library talking about how you hate your professors or the cute guy working circulation is NOT studying). Make sure you keep up with your work or the university will take away your privilege to be in a club or organization and put you on academic probation - not the club you want to be in. Some degree programs have clubs within themselves - usually this is a good way to find study partners for those difficult classes and to enhance your knowledge in your chosen field.

Do know that clubs and organizations can cost money. Some of the opportunities your campus gives you to be involved pay you to do what you do (ambassadors, Upward Bound, etc). Others just give you a chance to be involved at no cost to you. Usually club dues per semester are 5-15 dollars per club. Some can cost hundreds of dollars. Make sure to budget your money wisely and try to work it out with a club if you don’t have all the money but want to work out a payment plan. If they say no, they may not be what you want to join anyway.

Good luck and happy involvement hunting!
Harrimac’s Undergrad Involvement –
Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity; Gamma Beta Phi Honor and Service Society; Appol Corps (Orientation) Leader; Appol Corps Coordinator; Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honorary; Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges; W.H. Plemmons Leadership Fellow; Multicultural Student Development Peer Mentor; Diversity Scholar; Varsity Women’s Track and Field; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; RSA Gardner Hall

Harrimac’s Graduate Involvement –
Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Quo Vadis; Pennsylvania Public Health Association; Minority Student Organization

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