Ways To Conquer Working Full
Theres no two ways around itsplitting your attention between the demands of a full-time job and a college education isnt ideal. But that doesnt mean it cant be done. One thing we learned after speaking to our panel of experts is that working full-time while earning a degree is possible if you take the necessary steps to set yourself up for success. So lets make some lemonade out of these lemons and take a look at the 10 tips theyre sure will help you.
Overlearning Material Enhances Memory
Psychologists tell us that the secret to learning for future reference is overlearning. Experts suggest that after you can say, I know this material, that you should continue to study that material for an additional one-fourth of the original study time. The alphabet is an example of overlearning. How did you learn it? Probably through recitation which is the best way to etch material into the memory trace. Manipulate the material as many different ways as possible by writing, reading, touching, hearing, and saying it. In an experimental study, students who overlearned material retained four times as much after a month than students who didnt overlearn.
Start The Important Stuff Right Away
Lots of students procrastinate regularly, but you probably don’t want to be one of them. The more you procrastinate, the less likely you are to succeed. At least, that’s true of most people. Playing catch-up all the time is a recipe for stress and burnout. Instead, it’s smarter to start on important things like big reading assignments, research papers, and exam prep as soon as possible. The earlier you start, the more your subconscious can filter ideas and work on problems for you in the background. It also gives you a chance to actually enjoy the process at a more leisurely pace. No cramming necessary.
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Seek Help If Your Mental Well
If you feel lost, hopeless, or depressed, isolating yourself will probably only make your inner world darker. The important thing to remember is that those feelings are nothing to be ashamed of. So reach out instead. Find people you can talk toâthose who will truly listen. And don’t be shy about getting help from a professional counselor. More people than you may realize need that kind of assistance. It’s OK. You’re human.
Classwork: How To Make The Most Of Your Time In Class
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Answer Every Part Of A Test Question
With all of the pressure that comes from trying to complete an exam on time, it can be easy to overlook questions that have multiple parts. But many college instructors will mark an entire answer as wrong if you haven’t addressed each partâeven if you answered one part correctly. So don’t be in such a rush that you miss the details. Approach each question as if it might be multi-faceted.
Making A Plan For Success
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How To Survive College When You’re Paying Your Own Way
You’ll have a lot going on in college, and managing your time is a critical skill to master. Use your planner to control your schedule. Write everything down: your classes, your work shifts, assignments and meetings. Let your schedule help you find small windows of time to knock out smaller tasks and keep track of bigger deadlines.
3. When studying, don’t just put information into your brain. Draw it back out.
We know from research that the most common study strategies are rereading textbooks, rereading notes, and highlighting. We also know that those methods don’t really work, because they only focus on the input, not the retrieval, says Pooja Agarwal, a cognitive scientist at the Berklee College of Music.
Think of learning as a two-way street. When you re-read and highlight, you’re only focused on getting information in, not doing any retrieving.
Easy Ways To Make Going To Class More Beneficial
The simplest actions are sometimes the most powerfulâand overlooked. So it’s good to be reminded of them. And when it comes to going to class, you might be surprised by how much you can gain by being mindful of a few key things.
The seven tips below provide common-sense advice on attending college classes and getting all you can from them in the process.
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Plan Ahead For Your Hardest Days
Letting the hard days sneak up on you is never fun. Besides, there’s no excuse for it. Make sure you have the syllabus for each course you’re taking, and highlight all of the most challenging components like major class projects, midterms, and final exams. Then start setting aside time on your schedule to prepare for them well in advance of when they happen. Make notes to limit partying and other distractions before those times. But also plan to reward yourself with some memorable fun after getting through those days. By doing this, you might just turn what would have been your hardest days into your easiest.
Lack Of Financial Support:
Due to the lack of support from parents and sponsors, you might not be able to buy some certain textbooks and materials that is why you are not doing well in college.
Sometimes you might feel like eating a light food so that you can read well at night but due to lack of money in your pocket, you would eat a heavy food thereby making you tired and unable to study well.
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Maintain A Proactive Mindset
If you have a goal or an idea, dont be afraid to chase it yourself. Youre in control of your future, professionally and personally, and your level of determination will help you get as far as you want to go.
Instead of waiting for someone to tell you what to do or have them baby-step you through the college process, get out there and learn independently. Do some research. Show a little initiative. Become self-sufficient. Youll find you have a lot more confidence than you might have initially credited yourself for and you have the drive to go far.
Can You Balance Working Full
The idea of maintaining a full-time job while putting so much valuable energy toward earning a degree seems daunting to many. While it certainly wont be easy to accomplish, it can be an inevitable necessity for those who hope to move their careers forward through the empowerment of higher education.
Heed the advice of the many accomplished professionals who have walked these steps before you as you prepare to transition into life as a working student, and striking the right balance may become easier than you had anticipated.
As you journey toward enrolling in a degree program, youll want to be sure youre selecting a program that best fits your needs and your busy schedule. Take the first step in narrowing your options by determining the type of program youre looking for. You can learn more by visiting our article, Online vs. Traditional Education: What You Need to Know.
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Class And Note Taking
How To Do Well In College
Youve signed up for classes, youve learned your way around campus and now, youve got to make sure you survive all the way to graduation.
Laptop or paper notes? Highlighter or flashcards? And does music help while studying? Heres how to take better notes and study so that you remember what youve learned without getting crushed by college stress. Plus: what to do if you do feel crushed.
1. Learn how to take notes.Theres no single magic way to take notes, but the act of writing down our interpretation of what weve learned helps organize and consolidate information in our brains.
2. Get a planner and actually use it.Youll have a lot going on in college, and managing your time is a critical skill to master. Use your planner to control your schedule. Write everything down: your classes, your work shifts, assignments and meetings.
3. When studying, dont just put information into your brain. Draw it back out. We know from research that the most common study strategies are rereading textbooks, rereading notes, and highlighting. We also know that those methods dont really work, because they only focus on the input, not the retrieval, says Pooja Agarwal, a cognitive scientist at Berklee School of Music.
Think of learning as a two-way street. When you re-read and highlight, youre only focused on getting information in, not doing any retrieving.
Here are warning signs to watch for:
Listen to a podcast on this topic:
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Consider An Online Degree From A Reputable University
Over the last several years, the opportunity to take classes online has become a respected and viable option for many students. Whether you struggled with performance in high school or you are an adult learner that wants to go back to school, an online college offers many degree programs that may have less stringent application requirements than a brick and mortar college.
To figure out if an online school is something that may work for you, first, you have to do your research!
While there are a number of high-quality online universities out there, there are also some that do not have the accreditation necessary for you to get a meaningful degree. To avoid the trap of a degree mill, look for accreditation from one of these organizations when examining the credentials of an online university:
- Council for Higher Education Accreditation Regional Accreditation
- Distance Education Training Council
- United States Department of Education
Top College Interview Tips: How To Prepare Effectively
Many of the top colleges either recommend or require interviews. To give yourself the best opportunity to make a good impression in your interviews, and to improve your chances of getting accepted to these schools, you should absolutely prepare for your interviews.
In this article, I’ll explain exactly how prepare for a college interview, and I’ll give you detailed college interview tips that should make you more comfortable and confident during the interview process.
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How Do You Get Financial Support
1.Scholarships: You could apply for scholarships e.g AGIP, TOTAL etc. They provide financial support to students through a yearly provision of funds.
2. Learn a Skill: A skill is another source of income. If you have value to offer, people are always willing to pay. The more value you add, the more money you make.
Forget About Learning Styles
Researchers and learning experts debate the concept of learning styles, some even go so far as to say they don’t exist. Our conclusion is this: Despite the amount of work on the subject, scientists have found “virtually no evidence” to support the concept of learning styles, though they left the possibility open to further investigation in years to come. We recommend you donât go out of your way to try to make your material fit a specific style because it may not be worth the time or effort.
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Know Your Learning Style
In order to become a better learner, you need to define and categorize the method by which you learn best. Once you have done this, you will have a much clearer idea of how to help yourself to process, absorb, and memorize information.
The VARK model of learning styles, developed by Neil Flemming an educational theorist identifies 4 distinctive categories of learners:
- V Visual Visual learners learn through seeing, therefore respond well to visual aids such as maps, charts, graphs, presentations, images, and videos.
- A Auditory Auditory learners learn through hearing and best absorb information that they hear such as lectures, discussions, and listening to audio books.
- R Reading and Writing Reading and writing learners learn through the input and output of words. This includes writing assignments, essays, reading books, manuals, and websites.
- K Kinesthetic Kinesthetic learners learn through touching, interacting, and doing. They learn best when they are physically engaged or active during the learning process. They remember and process knowledge best by interacting hands-on with their environment.
Assess yourself! Once you know how you learn best, you will be a far better learner.
Start With The Right Mindset
How you approach your studies can affect how much you get out of them. Many students get overwhelmed by everything they have to do and put things off as long as possible, which just leads to more problems. Stress interferes with your ability to concentrate and learn, so be sure to check out these tips for dealing with college stress.
If you start to panic, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Remind yourself that you have skills and abilities, and avoid negative self-talk. Instead of thinking, “I’ll never be able to do this,” try telling yourself, “I’m getting started now, so at least some of this will get done.”
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What Looks Good On A College Application 7 Key Elements
In addition to key personality traits, such as ambition, passion, genuine interest, and academic curiosity, what looks really good on a college application?
In general, a great application will have most or all of the following elements:
- A high GPA and a rigorous curriculum
- Strong test scores
- A specific, honest, and well-written personal statement
- A unique extracurricular interest or passion
- Volunteering experience with measurable impact
- Compelling letters of recommendation written on your behalf
- Work experience, particularly jobs related to your academic or professional interests
It’s OK if you don’t have every single quality listed above, but if you do, your chances of getting accepted to the college of your dreams will go way up!
Now then, let’s take a look at each of these qualities in more detail.
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