Xatal

One of my favorite parts of college is that it’s a chance to break free of the M-F, 8AM – 3PM routine of high school. College classes are scheduled throughout the day on all weekdays, giving a lot of opportunities to mix things up.

If you’ve already picked your college courses that you want to enroll in, take some time to look over your schedule and decide if it works well for you. Here are some things to consider:

Decide how to balance your days.

Do you want all of your classes one after another, or do you want some break between each class?

If your classes are all consecutive, you’ll be finished earlier with all of your classes, giving you a lot of contiguous free time to do whatever you want — study, hang out, play video games, whatever. However, consecutive classes really wear you down, and if you have a bunch right after another, you’re going to be worn out by the end. Keep reading »

Moving into college is extremely exciting, but it can also be incredibly hectic if you’re not properly prepared. There’s always a lot to do and only so many hours to do it. Here’s how to make your dorm move in go as smoothly as possible: Keep reading »

If you’re starting off at college for the first time and you’re finally going to choose your classes, you’ll want to know that college classes are a bit different from high school classes — there are different types of college classes. What you do in each type and what you can expect from them will vary.

From my experience, there are four major types of college classes: lectures, seminars, discussions, and labs. Keep reading »

The next time you hear somebody mention college rankings when calling one college better than another, kick them in the shins.

Well okay, don’t be that harsh, but you should stop taking them seriously right there.

Somehow, college rankings have become a significant way to judge universities, yet few realize how difficult it is for one small number to fully and accurately summarize a university. Many use college rankings as a way to quickly compare two schools, yet few actually realize just how faulty rankings are:

#1: College rankings lists differ a lot.

The most commonly-cited list of college rankings is from the US News & World Report. This publication holds the most weight and is referred to more than any other, but there are still other ranking lists out there. Forbes has a list as well, and the Institute of Higher Education ranks schools as well. Each publisher uses an entirely different method to rank schools and emphasizes different factors.

The end result? A school ranked highly on one list might be terrible on another. UC Berkeley, for example, ranks 3rd overall on the Institute of Higher Education’s list, yet a modest 73rd on Forbes‘s list. The US News & World Report places Berkeley in the middle, at 21st. The University of Michigan ranks 26th from the Report, yet only 161st from Forbes. Keep reading »

Liam McIvor Martin is a teaching assistant with 5 years experience and runs a tutoring program that specializes in college tutoring.  He also runs a blog that concentrates on giving college students effective study skills.

Hello all!

So for all those first year freshman students that are ready to take their first leap into college life there is an important factor you must take into consideration.  Many of you have probably overlooked how to connect with professors and teaching assistants.  It’s central to understand how to communicate with them if you want your classes and the rest of your college career to be successful.

What is a teaching assistant?

A Teaching Assistant (TA) assists the professor in marking tests, papers and exams, putting lectures together, putting tests together, running discussion groups and pretty much anything else the professor wants.  Most teaching assistants are graduate students and are therefore quite busy with classes, teaching and doing their own research. Keep reading »

If you’re used to sleeping like a king or queen at home, that’s going to change when you arrive to your college dorm. Dorm mattresses are notorious for being uncomfortable because colleges use cheap durable mattresses to cut costs.

Even though you’re living away at home, there’s nothing quite like sleeping on a comfortable bed, and you’ll be glad if you take the time to make your new bed as comfortable as you can.

Most dorm beds are extra long twins. So, when you buy things for your bed, bear this in mind so that it will actually fit. Keep reading »

One of the unfortunate truths about college is that theft can still occur there. Your car can be broken into, and your bike can be stolen.

Easily one of the biggest targets for thieves is laptops. Think about it — you’re holding a one-thousand dollar piece of technology designed to be portable. For thieves, stealing a laptop isn’t too hard, and few people will even notice. During my freshman year, my friend’s car was broken into and his computer was stolen. One student even broke into an on-campus apartment to steal computers.

So how can you protect your valuable laptop from theft? Keep reading »

After graduating high school, many couples have to face the rough decision about the future of the relationship. Whether one of the two is still in high school or both are going to separate colleges, choosing how (or if) to continue is not at all easy.

For most couples, this means entering a long-distance relationship. Going from seeing each other daily to as rarely as once a month is not at all easy, and it’s no surprise that nearly every long-distance relationship eventually ends by the end of freshman year. It takes a lot of work, and your relationship might not be up for it. Keep reading »