The GlamNERDS Guide To Starting The Spring 2012 Semester Right!

Classes are resuming this week or next week for many of my GlamNERDs and, as I’ve done in previous semesters, I’m back to help you all start the Spring 2012 semester right.   In this blog you will find links to posts on cost effective textbook shopping and how to handle your first week of classes.  In short I encourage students to get ahead of the curve by gathering as much information you can as the semester kicks off.  Dont miss the bus children 

Don’t wait until the first day of school to buy your books. Visit bookstores as soon as you can to determine what books you will need for each of your classes. Once you’ve got that information, be resourceful identify the books that you can obtain for nothing  (via libraries, book swaps, etc) and shop around for the best prices (whether purchasing or renting). You can find more information on textbooks by checking out the links below for previous posts and videos on acquiring course materials. 

The Textbook Hustle

The Hustle Continues (More Textbook TIps) 

Check out my Review of Amazon's Textbook Rental Service (Video)

It is also imperative that you attend all of your classes and obtain and review your syllabi. Your professors aren't handing them out as a formality. Consider them a outline of how the semester will with progress.  They will tell you when certain content areas will be covered, how many assignments/exams you will be responsible and when they will be due/given. I encourage my students to read them thoroughly, that way you will know what you're up against.  Additionally, many students believe the myth that showing up for the very first class is nt mandatory. That is a  bold face bald headed big burly lie.  Education is a booming industry; classes are crowded.  Most professors have a lot of information to cover and not much to cover it with.  This is especially the case in the spring semester, with holidays, spring breaks and snow days.   To make sure they get through all of the subject matter most profs jump in on the first day.  So you’ve got to be there.  You can find more information on how to make a great first impression and how get the most of your first week of the school by clicking the link below.  

Starting the Semester Right

There will be lots more Back to School information in upcoming posts.  Keep reading and please tell a friend to come check us out as well.

Prepping for Midterms- Organizing Yourself for Midterm Season!

It’s midterm season. Professors and TA’s and colleges and universities around the globe are getting us all together for mid semester assessments.  Don’t let them sneak up on you.  I always encourage students to constantly check their syllabi and follow up with their professors. Will you have exams, projects, presentations, papers and when everything be due.  Determine preparing for midterms will require for each course and prioritize.   Armed with this information you’ll be able to manage your time and  schedule of studying.  This post will highlight the information students should gather in preparing for midterms.  Don’t miss the bus children.

For each class it’s best to find out....

1.  The format of your midterm- Is it an exam? ( if so is it multiple choice, Short Answer, Essay,etc.). Is it a paper? Project? Etc.

2. The date and time of your midterm or when your midterm must be submitted to your Professor.

3. Find out if your midterm will be cumulative or non cumulative- Cumulative exams assess your knowledge of all the course content from the first day of class until this point.  In other words, what was discussed the first week of class will probably be on the exam. Non-Cumulative exams just test you on the material that was taught since the most recent exam/assessment .  

4. Find out if your professor or TA will provide in class review or access to study guides.  If so, plan to attend them. If not, consider supplementing your personal study with group study.

5. If you don’t know already, find out your current standing in class ( In other words, inquire about prior test grades, missing assignments, etc. 

6. Review returned quizzes, exams. paper and assignments. Read and review your feedback and comments that your professors made on your tests/quizzes, especcial the questions you got wrong.  Note areas where you professors made specific suggestions that would improve the quality of your work. If you’re unclear about anything you see in these comments don’t be afraid to reach out to you professors or TA. If necessary, you can even visit office hours, study groups or supplemental instructions sections. If you’ve struggled in a course thus far, learning where you’ve gone wrong is the first step you should take in making sure you don’t make the same mistakes twice.

Asking these questions will best prepare you to handle midterm season Fall 2011.  . Most of the answers to these questions can be found on your syllabi and/or through a brief conversation with your professor before or after your next class. I’ve learned the hard way that failure to be organized about your studying results in a lot of unnecessary anxiety, stress and cramming.   Save yourself the heartache.  I’ll be back with more study tips later in the week. As always I hope this helps. Feel free to leave your comments, questions, feedback below.

Prepping For MidTerms - Assessing/Monitoring Your Study Habits

As Midterm season is upon us I wanted to leave a little information to help get us all geared to study for mid semester exams and projects. As a professional student I’ve learned that a common mistake made among students of all levels is not making the effort to learn how we study.  We get into the habit of studying like everybody else studies. We read, reread and highlight, we study in groups, we make study guides etc. all because that’s how we’ve been conditioned to study.  But many of us never take the time to figure out if the study methods that we are using are the strategies best fit for our individual needs and learning styles.

Throughout our high school/college experiences many of us navigate the same path.  Curriculum ensures that we are all  presented with the same information and  sometimes in very systematic and prescribed ways.  However, we are all individuals, we have different experiences, upbringings etc, and therefore we sense, engage, process and retain information differently. In other words, the way that I study may work for me but it doesn’t necessarily work for you.  Many students come to college and have never had to truly studyl.  We were able to do our work, memorize the facts for the test and pass. But college requires a new level of thinking and analysis and the days of standard memorization are over.  

The first step in studying successfully is understanding the conditions that are necessary to help you understand and retain the subject matters.  Some students can re and reread and re read again.  Some students are really good at coming up with mnemonic devices, riddles and songs that help them recall the concepts.  Personally, I’m a writer.  The physical act of writing and rewriting my notes helps me review the material, identify the areas of confusion and develop the connections between the subject matter and my own prior knowledge that contribute to my understanding and conceptualizing the subject matter. It took me a while to realize learn that studying in this way was most useful for me but once I figured it out, my life as a student was a lot less difficult.  

There are a few tools available online that are very useful in helping us learn more about the way we study. The surveys are helpful in identifying areas where your present study skills/strategies are effective and areas where you may want to make some adjustments in the way you approach studying. I’ve used the following surveys and I encourage you to take the time to do them as well.  


Study Guides and Strategies
Study Skills Assessment- Columbia Basin College 
Study Strategies Homepage- University of Minnesota Duluth

The feedback from these assessments will be really helpful as you prep yourself to study for Midterms this semester. Feel free to share any tips or strategies that have worked for you in the comments below.  And as always keep it here for more study tips throughout the month.

Best wishes!

Back to School 2011- Prepping for Class Registration

 I’m sorry I'm so late with today's post. But let's not dwell on the hole and forget to enjoy donut! The important thing is, I'm back and I've got useful general information about course registration.  As an academic advisor, I consistently find that most students, regardless of class level, go about course registration all wrong. Most rely on advisors and professors to do it for them and/or take whatever classes are available with little to no thought of their overall academic and professional goals. Selecting your classes haphazardly can be dangerous.  You could end up with horrible professors or taking classes at ridiculous times of the day and you could even end up having to take and extra semester/year to complete your degree. I've provided some general information below that will hopefully help students prepare to register for their classes.  In future posts I will discuss more class/major specific information.  These are just your basic do's and don't.  Don’t miss the bus and keep checking back for more.  .  

Photo Courtesy of  http://farm3.static.flickr.com/

1. Have a Plan-  Nothing grinds my gears like asking a student about his/her plans for the semester and hearing the infamous “ I don’t know” as a response.  When I hear it I have to pray and consciously repress the reflex like desire to immediately throat chop my student and consequentially lose my job. Even if you have not yet decided your major you should have some sort of idea of the classes you’d like to take this semester.  Take some responsibility for you college experience.  It's the moment you've been waiting for,  you get to take what you want to, when you want to.  Familiarize yourself with your degree requirements, read through the course calendar, etc.  Identify required courses and courses that may be of interest to you.   This way when you meet with your advisor, you have something to build on.
2. You have an Advisor, take advantage – In my experience I’ve noticed two common misconceptions when it comes academic advisors.  Either students treat advisors like personal shoppers and expect them to find and select all of their classes for them, or students don’t feel that they need academic advisors and  take care of their own course registration.  Realistically, the student /advisor relationship should be a balance of these two extremes.  You as a student must take responsibility for your education but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself.   Your advisor is an indispensable resource that you should take full advantage of.  Your advisor is there to help you find yourself and find your way through your college experience.  Think of him/her as a liaison, a person who is there to connect you to the classes, professors, campus resources etc that will maximize your academic experience. 
3. Make You Liberal Arts/General Education Requirement Your First Order of Business - Ask any senior who waited until his/her last year to take Public Speaking 101 of Intro to Biology (Plants & Phyla) and he/she will tell you that putting liberal arts/general education requirements off is not the move.  These classes are fundamental and introductory requirements and everyone has to take them.  This almost always means that these classes are of boring, crowded and offered at inopportune times.  If you are a freshman, sophomore, take as many of these liberal arts/general education classes as you can. If you have to get up at 8:30am on MWF, trust me, you would rather do it your freshman year! In your junior/senior years you will need to focus your time and energy on your major classes and preparing for graduate school. Also if you have no idea what you want to do with you life, and haven’t declared a major taking these classes can also help you find your niche. 
4. Keep it Real- Be honest with yourself,  figure out the conditions under which you are most efficient and productive and try  your best to govern your schedule accordingly. Take a long hard look at yourself and be honest even if it exposes some of your flaws.  For example, I’m tragically tardy and I’m not a morning person.  I played myself one time and registered for an 8am class.  It was TERRIBLE.  Mid semester I promised God that if he got me through that class I’d never ever play myself like that again.  Avoid what you know won’t work. For example, If you’re like me and can’t pry yourself from your bed until you’ve hit the snooze button 25 times. DO NOT fill up your schedule with all morning classes.  
5. 15 credits or Better * Case Closed* - A lot of times, students are told to only take the minimum number of credits  (12) as to not “overwhelm” themselves. Baby, That is GRADE A BOLOGNA!!!! Nobody taking 12 credits each semester (fall and spring) will graduate in four years without taking summer or winter session classes (which are typically not covered by your financial aid).  The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was to tell a senior he/she wouldn’t be graduating on time because they were short 2, 3, 4 classes. It may take some doing, but as a college student you can and will learn to multitask and prioritize to handle your courses. Multitasking and time management are a part of every adult’s life.  College/grad school is the perfect training ground to learn these valuable lessons. A great way to do that is to take as many classes as you can.  I recommend students carry a minimum of 15-18 each semester.  

I hope this has been helpful to you.  Keep it here for more  on the Back to School 2011 Series.

Back to School 2011: TheGlamNERDS.com Reviews Amazon Kindle's Textbook Rental Service

Photo Courtesy of www.Blogcdn.comOn Monday July 18th, Amazon Kindle announced the launch of their long awaited Textbook Rental Service. Now students can rent ebook versions of their textbooks at discounted rates.  Textbooks can be rented from 30 to 365 days. Students can even extend rental or even purchase the ebook at a discounted rate after the student established renting period has expired.  Kindle allows students to electronically highlight passages in their e textbooks and make annotations, which can also be accessed throughout the textbook rental period and after it’s expiration.  So now you may thinking, “but I don’t have a Kindle.” No worries.  Kindle apps can be downloaded for Mac, PC, Blackberry, IPad, IPhone Android and Windows Phone 7 Users.

 

According to the Amazon website, students can save up to 80% off the list price of new hardcover textbooks by renting textbooks through Kindle.  I decided to check out the textbook store and see for myself. I found a good example of savings with a counseling psychology textbook entitled. “ Intentional Interviewing and Counseling: Facilitating Client Development in a Multicultural Society”.  The list price for this  paperback textbook and cd-rom is $126.95 (new) and $93.99 (used).  You can download the kindle version of the book for $76.70 or rent it for 30 days at $30.17 ( A total savings of 76%). I checked out rental prices for the fall semester to see if there would be a significant jump in prices and I’m pleased to say that there was not.  If you rented this from today until December 15, 2011 you would only be charged $42.43( A total savings of 67%).  I’m impressed.  Clearly there is great potential to save your coins.

 Photo Credit 

While I have yet to use this resource personally, I would definitely recommend that students give it a try. I can see it being useful especially in classes where professors use multiple textbooks and reading materials throughout the year. Personally,  I loathe having to buy 7 and 8 textbooks for a class, especially when professors may only require a few chapters from each.  I also think the capacity for highlighting and making annotations on your e- textbooks is really an excellent feature, especially since you can access your notes even after your textbook rental has expired. However, I am concerned that since this is a brand new service, most textbook publishers will likely have not bought on to the textbook rental service and that most books will likely not be available for rent.  But, I do encourage students to check out the textbook store to see for themselves. I would also advise that students rent for the semester as opposed to just one month as you see the additional costs in doing so is minimal.  You often need to refer back to your books during midterms and finals. 

Finally, it’s also important to test the waters first.    Start with one or two rented textbooks to see if  reading and studying electronically suits you.  Some of us tend to do better when we can hold and handle actual pages. E Readers are not for everybody.  But if you can handle it, I find the Amazon Kindle Textbook Rental service to be a great resource for students.    

Check it out and Don't Miss the Bus!