How To Maximize Your Learning Through Lectures

You can maximize your learning through lectures if you will do some preparation before it and make a follow-up after it. By doing this, I can guarantee you that you will not need to cram and panic before and during your exam.

Even students need to prepare for lectures by knowing what is the topic or subject matter of your upcoming lectures. Browse the stated chapter of the book so that you will become familiar with the terms that the lecturer may give. Identify or highlight those terms that seems hard to understand so that you could ask them during the lecture.

During lecture, be sure that you listen attentively and actively. Remember that it is more important to listen than to take notes and not understand anything. But do jot down the important terms or significant data for your reference later. If the question or the terms you set aside earlier was not mentioned or still not clear to you, you may ask the lecturer at this time.

After the lecture, it would be better to review the terms and data you jotted down and fill any missing information. The terms you have noted no matter how brief it is will become a valuable review material for your future examinations.

10 Reasons You Need to Make a Decision Today

You need to make a decision today.

You know it. And you probably even know your choice.

Yet, it has been put off for some time.

You need to make that decision today.

Not Making a Choice is a Choice

Recently, I was talking to a friend who passed up an opportunity to switch jobs and careers.

He was not looking, but an opportunity found him to join a company he respected in a role that really excited him.

Yet, he passed.

Well, that’s not entirely accurate.

He didn’t pass… he didn’t choose.

He didn’t make a decision. He thought about it. He worried, mulled, pondered, and waited. He could not bring himself to an answer.

The opportunity passed. The job went to someone else.

“When you don’t make decisions, life will choose for you.” 

My friend was scared to make a change. He was afraid of making the wrong choice. He wasn’t sure of himself or the opportunity.

Now, he will not know what could have happened. (Good or bad…)

What opportunities are you letting pass by because you don’t make decisions?

Making Decisions Makes All the Difference

The one thing that you truly control in life is your own decisions.

Make sure that you exercise your ability to choose.

Otherwise, life will make those choices for you.

Here are 10 Reasons You Need to Make a Decision Today:

You May Not Get Another Chance – Sometimes opportunity only knocks once. Don’t let an option pass you by because you don’t make a timely decision.

You Can Change Your Mind – Don’t let the fear of making a wrong choice paralyze you. There are very, very few decisions in life that are not changeable. Your degree, your job, where you live, even your relationships. You can choose again.

It’s Not That Important – As well, there are very few decisions in life that are truly that important. Don’t let perceived importance scare you from choosing.

Not Making A Choice is a Choice – When you don’t choose for yourself, life will choose for you. Ironically, too many people make their decisions by not choosing.

A Good Decision Beats a Perfect One – To re-phrase a famous quote, a good decision now always beats a perfect one later. Don’t wait to make a choice that may pass you by.

Choosing is a Privilege – It is the one thing that you control in your life. Make sure you choose your own path.

Other People’s Decisions Are Not Your Own – Make your own choices. Live your own life. Otherwise, you will look back and realize that you are living someone else’s life and priorities.

Inaction Leads to a Boring Life – Some people choose not to make decisions because they think it is easier. They tell themselves that it is less stressful if they don’t choose. This may be true, but it is also boring. It is uneventful and lazy. Be bold in your decisions and live with the good and the bad.

There is Never a Perfect Time – Don’t wait for the right time. There isn’t one. There is never a perfect time… just time.

Today Always Beats Tomorrow – Today is the only day you have. Tomorrow is only a promise and may never come. Dream for tomorrow, but live for today. Make your choice and do it now.

It’s Your Choice

Making decisions can be the difference between a life well-lived and being driftwood on the river of life.

If you don’t make your own choices, then life or someone else will make them for you.

Make today the day you decide.

Tips For Effective Note Taking During Lectures

Note taking is a common activity to many students but doing it effectively is a skill that must be learned. To make effective note taking a student must do multi-tasking because during lectures they are required to listen attentively to understand what the lecturer is discussing. At the same time, they have to write note to recall what has been discussed.

Remember that in taking notes one must write more for a better recall and to ensure that highlights of the discussion were included on the notes. Write as much as you can and make sure to note the lecturer’s ideas. This will help you to capture and to put in good use the note that has been taken down. Using highlighter is recommended to mark the key points.

Most of the lecturers give important message or tips at the first and last part of the lecture. Listen and focus on these stages. Make sure to adjust your attention and write the ideas laid down on each topic.

Observe and identify the phrases used by the lecturers like “take note that….or the key point is…” these are clear indications that such details are important and can give value on the topic.

5 Bad Health Habits Commonly Developed in College

College is often a time to experiment with indulgence of various kinds. Unfortunately, some of those indulgences never seem to fade away as we enter the real world. Here are seven poor health habits we often develop in college, and have trouble un-developing once we graduate. If you catch them early, maybe you won’t become a victim of these lifelong issues!

Smoking

That first cigarette is normally the only one that smokers truly regret. A large percentage of smokers start in college, often in the middle of a night of binge drinking. Unfortunately, the cigarette habit is a much harder one to kick when you’re beyond the college years. When your chimney friends offer you a smoke to keep them company outside the party, do yourself a favor and say no!

Skipping Breakfast

This is a bad habit with only one solution: eat something for breakfast. Those who skip breakfast are more likely to develop chronic diseases, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and obesity. Skipping breakfast in college can cause poor attention in your classes, afternoon binge eating, and an unhealthy reliance on caffeine.

Train your body to drink a liter of water in the morning and eat a little something for breakfast — peanut butter toast or a banana — for a healthier brain.

Procrastinating

Believe it or not, there are actually long-term harmful health effects of procrastination, namely increased stress. Planning and preparation are a happy person’s best friends, but procrastination in college and later in life can cause lots of problems.

From forgetting to buy a birthday present for a friend, to missing the deadline to pay a bill/turn in an application/buy tickets, the increased stress of lifelong procrastination can wreak havoc on your health. Battle the procrastinator now while you still have a chance!

Media Overuse

Yes, it’s great to have a newsfeed, it’s important to stay up to date on current events, and it is nice of us to check in with friends and family throughout the day.

However, college students develop a terrible habit of interacting more via technology than in person, and this can cause major issues later in life, especially when you hit the job market or start raising kids. Buy a watch, and leave your smart phone at home every once in a while.

All-Day Earbuds

Music is great. It’s been loved for centuries, and for many, it’s a way of life. However, it’s a good idea to take a long break from those headphones you shove into your ears at full blast.

I know you’ve got things you want to block out, like your roommate, or your parents, but according to this study, the prevalence of hearing loss in youths is on the rise, and once your headphones kill those auditory hair cells, you can’t grow more. That youthful hearing is gone forever. Opt for some noise-canceling headphones or regular speakers instead. Your 30-year-old ears will thank you.

What to Do When a Plan Doesn’t Work Out

There are very few things in life that are certain. We always hope for the best, but there are just times when everything doesn’t go as planned. Life is going to throw curveballs at you from time to time, and knowing how to respond and adapt to these changes is crucial both in and out of college.

These tips will help you deal with the changes in your life and come out on top. Remember, change is inevitable. But it’s up to you to figure out what kind of impact changes have on your life.

Find the Silver Lining

One characteristic of positive people who adapt well to change is that they’re able to find the silver lining in nearly every situation. Maybe you didn’t get accepted to your dream school, but that doesn’t mean that your entire college career at another school will suck. Find the silver lining.

Instead of instantly thinking about all of the negative aspects that come along with change, spin your outlook and think of it positively. You and your best friend aren’t going to the same school? Use the change as an opportunity to make new friends and keep in mind that with text messaging and social media, you’ll still be able to talk to your best friend all the time.

 Look at the Big Picture

In the grand scheme of things, how much of an impact on your life does one change have? There are definitely situations where a change will have a lifelong impact, such as the death of someone close to you. But even in those situations, you have to think about the bigger picture.

Would that person want you to live miserably every day for the rest of your life? Or would they want you to celebrate the things they did while they were alive and live your life to the fullest? Think beyond just the current situation, and start thinking of things from a more holistic point of view.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Change is tough. Luckily, you don’t have to go through it alone. Reach out to people that you trust, or even consider talking to a therapist of you need to.

There are some people who are great at handling change and prefer to handle it all on their own. But most people will find that it’s much easier to adapt to a change when there’s someone in their corner to help them along the way.

Embrace the Change

Going to college is a huge transition that can be overwhelming for a lot of people. If you’re going to school out of state, you’ll have to deal with separation from your family, new financial responsibilities, and being away from some of your old friends.

Instead of freaking out about how the in the world you’re going to make it through the semester, embrace the change and accept it as a new part of your life.

Learn from the Situation

Use change as an opportunity to learn something new. When you’re used to something in your life being the same for a long period of time, you’re forced to have a new perspective after things get shaken up a bit.

For you to learn from a change, though, you have to go into it with an open mind. To quote Winston Churchill: "A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Relax

No matter what you’re going through, remember that it will eventually end and it’s just a part of life. Someone who has never experienced change hasn’t done anything worth doing. Being able to remain calm and avoid all the stress that comes along with change will help you get through it much better.

Your “Plan A” might not always work out, but that just opens up the door for something new. Sometimes we need a little change in our lives to grow.

The College Bucket List

Admit it: You already have a bucket list, that long catalog of stuff you’ve got to do before you kick the bucket. But if you don’t have a college edition of that same list, make one now and start working your way down it. Why? So you don’t miss out on any essential college experiences. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Road trip: : Isn’t this the first idea that comes to mind? If you’re looking for a good time, a road trip is pretty much old faithful. Just pick a faraway destination (say, a random fast food restaurant in a different state), get a pack of friends to squeeze into a car that’s on its last legs, turn up the radio, and go.

Sit in on classes you didn’t sign up for: To get the full college experience (on the academic side of things), why not sit in on a class or two? If there’s a course or two that look awesome but you didn’t want to sign up for, show up and take a seat, just once. What’s the worst that could happen? The professor asks you to leave? Chances are they won’t even notice.

Get on the roof: Whether it’s the roof of your dorm, the campus center, or wherever, there’s a way up there, and the view is no doubt amazing. Grab a couple friends and maybe a snack, find your way there (you might have to pick a lock or two), and appreciate it.

Karaoke: This should be on everyone’s bucket list no matter what.

Join a band: What student doesn’t love music? The answer: no student, because everyone in college loves music, and you’re not the only one who has a guitar or instrument lying around. So why not get together and see what you can do? Sad but true: it’s a lot harder to rock out when college is over.

Go streaking: Through the library.

Help out: Sometimes it’s not what you take, but what you give that has the biggest impact. So ask around regarding who or what needs some help in your community. It could be as simple as raking some leaves, painting a fence, or tutoring. Whatever it is, you’ll be glad you did it.

5 Life Lessons You Should Learn Before Graduating

If you’re graduating college (or will be soon), then consider this: at the very least you’re in your early twenties. You aren’t getting any younger and life is about to get far more real. In light of that, here are some life lessons to take with you when you walk across the podium with your diploma in hand:

Stay organized: Now that you’ve handed in an ungodly amount of term papers, sat uncomfortably while completing an innumerable amount of exams, and have slugged countless cups of coffee while cramming in some homework, chances are you might have learned a thing or two about how to organize your time. Now that college is almost in the rearview mirror, don’t leave those organization habits behind. Remember: the world only gets bigger as you progress, meaning you still need to keep track of your obligations and your time.

Keep looking for help: Whether you’ve sought relationship advice from a friend or have stopped by your professor’s office hours for help learning difficult class material, college has hopefully taught you that asking for help is often the best (and fastest) way to adapt or learn something new. With the real world on its way, you’re going to need a crash course on office life, renting apartments, navigating your student loan repayment, and way, way more. When encountering a new experience or something unfamiliar, keep your college spirit alive and look for assistance; there’s no shame in reaching out to make sure you get the job done right. Remember that the best resources you have are your professors from college, your friends (who will be going through the same thing as you), and your parents, who have years, and years, and years of experience.

Appreciate the small stuff: Any college student knows the perils of living and sleeping in the dorms—hot, stuffy, uncomfortable, and crowded. So remember: when you move on from college, be sure to appreciate the small stuff. Life may get real, and financially difficult, but at least you have a little more space, and maybe an air conditioner.

Friendships are meant to last: You’ve probably made some friends and have shared many bonding experiences with them. Don’t throw those memories away even though you might all be moving on to different places. Keep in touch with your friends and you won’t regret it. One truth most college graduates will tell you: it’s much harder making friends once you’re out of school, so it’s wise to keep some of the ones you have.

Keep looking for the next adventure: Just because college is over doesn’t mean you have to play the role of “boring adult.” Keep looking for facets of life that keep you excited to be human—travel when you can, eat good and weird foods, read more, watch old movies, or pick up a crazy sport like rafting or rock climbing. In other words: remember that life is short and you can’t take money with you when its over.