Student Review And Testimonial Sites
Review websites, just like Yelp, exist for higher education too, and they can be a great way to get to know your potential colleges a little better. That being said, they can also be a hotbed for stressed-out and misinformed students , so take what you read with a grain of salt. Use multiple review sites and look for patterns to get a sense of what life is really like at a collegebeyond what they tell you in a picture-perfect brochure or on an official campus visit. College Confidential is a popular option, but youll also find student reviews on sites like Niche, Unigo, and Cappex.
Different Schools Different Expectations
At some large universities, it is possible that you will need to pick a field of study when you apply. For example, some of the California public universities are trying to balance enrollments within different programs. You will often be asked to indicate a major on your college application. And if you are applying to a business or engineering school within a larger university, you will often need a specialized application for that school.
At most colleges, however, being undecided is fine or even encouraged. At Alfred University, for example, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences changed the official designation for undecided students from “Undecided” to “Academic Exploration.” Exploring is a good thing, and it’s what the first year of college is for.
What Should I Study In College
Ever wondered what you should study in college? Stop overthinking it, and take this quiz instead! The answer may surprise you, and give you a push in the right direction!
Questions
If you’ve been struggling to select a college major, then this quiz is for you! It can give you the exact major to go for, or at the very least, a push in the right direction.
Fun
This test is not based on any scientific study whatsoever.It is intended for fun only so do not treat the result too seriously 🙂
Answers
Do not think about the answers too long. If you think you answered incorrectly, you can always go back to any question and change your answer.
Enjoy and share
At the end of the quiz we will give you the result. You can share it with your friends 🙂
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How To Figure Out How Binding A School Is
How do you find out how binding the choice is? First, search the undergraduate admission site and see whether it offers any guidance or advice for picking an undergraduate school or division. Usually, this will be on the application requirements page.
For example, on Boston College’s admissions page for its majors and minors, it explains that all applicants must apply to a specific undergraduate division. Further down, it gives more in-depth information about what to do if you’re still undecided about what you want to study, or if you’re considering an internal transfer.
If you can’t find this information on the admissions website, search ” internal transfers.” Most universities with strictly defined undergraduate divisions will have processes and policies for students who have already enrolled and decided they want to switch.
If you can’t find any of this information online, look up the contact information for the school’s admissions office and either call or send an email. Also, don’t be scared to contact admissions officersthey tend to be very friendly and helpful!
Once you’ve figured out whether the choice of an undergraduate division is binding or not, what do you do next?
If the Choice Is Binding …
If a university on your list has a binding admission policy to undergraduate divisions, make sure you have other college options that are less strict. You wouldn’t want to get stuck committing to a college or area of study you later decide you’re not interested in.
Problems Are Your Friend
Working and re-working problems is important for technical courses . Be able to explain the steps of the problems and why they work.
In technical courses, it is usually more important to work problems than read the text . In class, write down in detail the practice problems demonstrated by the professor. Annotate each step and ask questions if you are confused. At the very least, record the question and the answer .
When preparing for tests, put together a large list of problems from the course materials and lectures. Work the problems and explain the steps and why they work .
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Other Ways To Help Determine If The Shoe Fits
So you want to be an English Major . According to College Raptor, there are more than 300 four-year colleges with a large English program, so how do you possibly choose a college? After isolating your geographic region of choice, size, and selectivity, you may still find the list is longer than you can manage. You can now look at some nitty-gritty to help you determine which places are best suited for you.
Its here that you will want to begin looking at the personality of the college. Is the campus very conservative and you consider yourself pretty liberal? Is the percentage of students belonging to fraternities and sororities a number that excites you or scares you?
Eliminate Potential Distractions Before Your Study Session Starts
Sure, working in a noisy coffee shop or productive library may help some people, but trying to watch a movie or carry on a conversation while studying is doubtful to help anyone.
Before you start, eliminate anything that might cause your mind to wander.
First, gather everything you need. Having to wander somewhere else to collect your notes or important textbooks is an easy way to get sidetracked.
And if other people are in the house watching television or music, you might want to move to a spot where you cant hear.
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Career Services And Other Campus Support
For many students, college success means tutoring. Others might need counseling for dealing with homesickness or other emotional issues. And most college students need at least some guidance as they conduct their first internship and job searches.
Thats why colleges and universities have ample resources to support you throughout your time on campusand often long after you graduate.
Questions to ask:
- How will the school help me determine and achieve my career goals?
- What is their postgraduate job placement rate like ?
- What does the career services office offer?
- What kinds of experiential education opportunities, such as internships, co-ops, and volunteering, exist on and around campus?
- What academic services are available, such as tutoring?
- What health and wellness services are available, such as mental health counseling and fitness facilities?
- Are any of these services available after graduation?
Understand The Study Cycle
The Study Cycle, developed by Frank Christ, breaks down the different parts of studying: previewing, attending class, reviewing, studying, and checking your understanding. Although each step may seem obvious at a glance, all too often students try to take shortcuts and miss opportunities for good learning. For example, you may skip a reading before class because the professor covers the same material in class doing so misses a key opportunity to learn in different modes and to benefit from the repetition and distributed practice that youll get from both reading ahead and attending class. Understanding the importance of all stages of this cycle will help make sure you dont miss opportunities to learn effectively.
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Remember Studying Better Is Not Just About Success In College
The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if youre willing to work. Oprah Winfrey
Sure, organizing your time spent studying and staying consistent across an academic year goes a long way towards avoiding the stress and difficulties of trying to cram study at the end. You get better grades and you get to live a normal life while youre at it.
But what a lot of students miss is that college is a training ground for life.
And teaching yourself to study smart rather than study more creates a pattern of work you can ride to success in your career after school.
Its about learning to make sure academic pursuits never get excessive or dominate your life. About getting a handle on procrastination and time-wasting distractions before they can start interfering with a paycheck.
So focus on your ability to retain information now
And youll be well set to progress faster towards meeting your goals not just in school but far beyond.
What Are You Good At
Understanding your natural skills and talents can go a long way in helping you make an informed and confident decision when choosing a major. It may be your parents’ dream for you to be an artist, but what if you skew more toward business or the sciences? Just because someone else has a degree path in mind doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
One way of determining which academic fields best suit you is to take a close look at your class grades in high school, as well as your ACT or SAT scores. Doing this can highlight your strengths in specific academic areas.
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Your High School Years
Real talk: The best preparation for your college search is to do your best academic work throughout high school and take advantage of activities that are meaningful to you. This starts basically day 1 of freshman year.
However! If youre a junior or a senior, dont worry if your high school résumé isn’t perfect. And if youre a freshman or sophomore, dont go thinking the whole point of high school is getting into college. Your high school years are an important part of your intellectual and personal development, and spending too much time focused on college minimizes how much you get out of them.
Regardless of what year you arefreshman, sophomore, junior, or even senioryou can make the most of high school by doing the following:
Bait Yourself With Enticing Treats For Study Goals
Dont just reward yourself for the bigger achievements small rewards for small wins can also be a great way to build up better study habits.
When you complete a successful study session, for example, reward yourself by doing something fun or buying something youve been wanting. Its about creating extra incentives and more motivation for doing whats necessary.
The anticipation of your reward should give you extra energy to help you achieve your study goal.
As your habits develop, you can raise the bar on treats. You might reward yourself for putting in more hours than normal one week, or getting a project done ahead of time.
Get creative.
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What To Do After Class
- Re-read your notes the same day. Make sure that you got everything and didnt miss something important. This gives you an opportunity to put the entire days lecture together, since the memory of the actual lecture is still in your mind. If you wait a couple of days before looking at your notes, you wont remember the lecture and you will be relying on your notes alone, instead of your memory.
- Re-write your notes in a condensed form. This is best done right after you have re-read your notes. Condense your notes into a smaller space . It has the concepts that you need to understand. These will make great study sheets for the exam.
- Look at the problems soon after you have done one in class. Each day after lecture, look at the back of the chapter and find the types of problems you did that day in class. Do those problems then dont wait until right before the exam, because there are too many problems to do in a short amount of time. If you do them that day, you will still have the method in your mind.
Attend Open Days/university Fairs
As much as you can, go to university open days and university fairs. Talking to people who teach the subject and students already on the course can give you much more of a feel for what its really like, the kind of topics covered, and the style of teaching and studying. If youre studying at undergraduate level, the QS World University Tour can help you explore your options, or if youre looking to study at graduate level, the QS World Grad School Tour allows you to meet with admissions officers .
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Reasons Students Dont Know How To Study No : Financial Stressors
College students have a lot more to worry about than what is on their plate as far as class load goes.
While many of us are concerned with how were going to make enough money to save for our retirement, students are facing a future where they are told there will be no jobs, no Social Security, and less benefit to continuing their education through a four-year college or university.
Worse, unlike previous generations, they dont have a small number of news agencies and a 24-hour news cycle repeatedly beating this negative data into them.
The truth of the matter is far from what most college students are being sold, but it can become discouraging to hear that narrative over and over again on a loop and stay focused on studies.
Dont Lurk: Using The Internet In Your College Search
Thanks to the electronic superhighway, you could actually conduct an entire college search from the confines of your home. College websites, virtual campus tours, school-sponsored blogs and chats, and online college newspapers allow you to collect a tremendous amount of information without a school ever knowing who you are or that you exist. But, simply lurking on the internet can be the wrong approach when it comes time to make your decision.
Often influenced by college rankings, colleges seek to fill their first-year class by being as competitive or selective as possible. This is their admit rate, which they want to be as low as possible. However, they want the number of students who choose to enroll to be as high as possible. That is their yield rate. Statistically speaking, these colleges know that your odds of enrolling are better if you have shown some demonstrated interest in them. Register as a prospective student on the schools website and visit the campus.
Many schools will keep track of these meaningful interactions. They take this into account when determining how sincere your interest in them really is. At schools that need ways to delineate between similar students, your demonstrated interest could potentially push you into the acceptance pool.
So, bottom line, do your homework using all of the tools available to you . But, dont just lurk. Let schools know you exist and that youre interested in them!
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Work More Efficiently With The Pomodoro Technique
Pomodoro, the Italian word for tomato, was the shape of the kitchen timer used by Francesco Cirillo, who invented this popular technique for getting things done.
He would do one task for 25 minutes, and once the timer buzzed, he would take a 5-minute break. Rinse and repeat.
This technique is superb for getting in the zone when studying.
Its much easier to tell yourself to study for 25 minutes than an entire hour. The little break you get in between will also serve to refresh your brain before taking on the next chapter.
One task, one tomato at a time.
Key Takeaways: An Interview Question On Your Major
- Know the school asking the question. At most colleges, it is perfectly fine for an applicant to be undecided about a major.
- If you are sure of your major, present your love of the field in terms other than earning potential. What about the major excites you?
- If you are unsure of your major, be sure to present some academic subjects that interest you. You want to come across as excited about learning.
- Make sure the major you identify is offered by the school interviewing you. It won’t look good if you say you want to major in Archeology and the school doesn’t have that major.
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Athletics And Other Extracurriculars
A lot of your time in college will be spent in activities outside the classroomas it should be!
College extracurriculars span virtually every interest you can imagine, from academic clubs to cultural groups to theater troupes to intramural sports. Campus clubs can also help you figure out what major is right for you or if youre on the right career track. And they can help you develop all kinds of useful skills, from teamwork to creative problem solving .
If youre serious about sports, athletics can also add a whole new dimension to your college search too. Student-athletes should start by realistically assessing their abilities and considering which schools are most likely to give them a team jersey. Talk to the coaches at your high school and at the colleges youre interested in and ask them to evaluate your chances of being formally recruited for your sport.
Questions to ask:
- Does the college offer what Im looking for when Im not in class?
- What kinds of extracurricular opportunities exist on campus in art, music, theater, community service, athletics, etc.?
- How many students participate in extracurriculars?
- Are there clubs or pre-professional associations related to my major or intended career?
- Can students start their own clubs? How easy is it to do?
- What is the athletic recruitment process like?
- What athletic conference and division is the school?
Feed Your Brain Study
Your brain is like any other organ in your body, and responds well to nourishment.
Eat brain foods known to improve energy levels and focus for more effective study sessions. Examples of these include fatty fish, broccoli, and leafy greens.
For those averse to vegetables, youll be happy to note that dark chocolate is also considered brain food!
On the flip side, avoid brain poison like sugary snacks or junk food. These foods spike your energy, which is great at first but not so much when the sugar crash hits.
Fuel your body well and it will keep your most important engine running.
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