How NOT to Study for an Exam

There are probably a lot of different good ways you can study for an exam but I figure it would be much easier to list all the ways NOT to study. I have tried every one of these methods and can be the first to say that these methods don't work out so great.

Cram All Night!

Studies have shown that the human brain can retain more information if saturated over a long extended period of time. Needless to say, craming won't get you an A on your next midterm. I have tried cramming before a miderm and I barely able got a C-, though I'm sure some of you are thinking, that's still better than failing. True a C- is better than failing, but a C- minus is not going to help you get a job. My rule of thumb is always to start preparing at least one week in advance to give yourself time to cover more material with more detail. Pulling an all nighter to get a C is not the most rewarding experience you can have.

Study Only the Practice Exams

A professor's favorite tactic to ensure a good grade distribution is the old "bait and switch". Give the students a couple practice exams and then pull a fast one on the real exam with material covered only in lecture. Granted, all professors aren't so evil but this kind of of switch are not that uncommon. Practice exams are a good way of gauging how well you understand the material but you should never assume that this is the only material the professor is going to cover. If you can, ask older classmates for their practice exams so that you can have a better spread of questions and materials to prepare from.

They're Only Homework Questions

Why bother looking at old homework questions? Three to five weeks of homework questions is an ample supply of material to study from. Professors pick out the homework questions for a reason as they feel that they represent the material of that week. Review old homework assignments and look for similar ones to flex your brain before an exam. You never know, but professors have been known to use homework questions as exam questions before.

You Get a Cheat Sheet, Why Study?

Cheat sheets are great for classes that require a lot of reference material. But what's the point of using them if you don't know how to use any of the material you put on the cheat sheet? Cheat sheets can become a false sense of security for many students when the true intentions of the cheat sheet is to study your material ahead of time and understand everything you put down on the cheat sheet. Making a cheat sheet is actually a great study method as long as you can use everything on it.

If you have any do NOT study techniques to add to this list, please leave a comment below.

Staying in Shape on the Cheap

In order to avoid the Freshmen 15 and yet still live frugally, I ran into a great post about working out without all that expensive gym equipment. It's a great way to unwind and get rid of all that stress built up from assignments and midterm studying. Even though I'm not in school full time anymore, I still take the time out a couple days a week to exercise to get rid of work stress. Trust me, it's well worth it!

Minimalist Fitness: How to Get In Lean Shape With Little or No Equipment [ZenHabits]

Soul Searching

At about this time of the year, when I was a sophomore, I was dreading the fact that school was starting again because it forced me to face the reality that I was under Academic Probation. I was under Academic Probation for the second time during the Spring Quarter of my freshmen year, and the summer break had allowed me to forget about my worries. I was conflicted on what I had to do for my future career. Was engineering just not the right fit? How do I deal with changing majors? Would switching schools be the worst thing? These were some of the many questions racing through my head. The reality was that I should have just switched majors but I was too ashamed to think that I would fail my parent's expectations to consider it a real option. I decided to bite the bullet and stick with my major and hope for the best.

In retrospect, I should have given more thought towards changing my major to something that was more enjoyable and better suited for me. Though I was able to survive through a rigorous engineering curriculum, it was a difficult journey that made me doubt myself on more than one occasion. Being on Academic Probation should have been a sign that I needed to either change my study habits or that this major was not for me. I am currently working as an engineer now but find myself leaning away from it more and more. My regrets of course was that I was not able to pursue something I would have enjoyed. But these are the choices in life we make.

If you are currently on academic probation or finding that your major wasn't what you were expecting, make sure to think long and hard about your future. Don't worry about what others think and find what's right for you.

Interview Quick Guide

Being successful at an interview to get an internship or a full time job can really become a full time job itself. There are many ways to prepare for an interivew, but for those who need a quick guide to getting past an interview, I have listed some pointers below:

Do your Homework

The sure fire way to bomb an interview is walking in blind. Not doing research about the company or organization tells the interviewer you don't care enough about the position to learn more about them. I would advise doing as much research as possible about the company through their company website, annual reports, or third party research.

Always Asks Questions

At the end of any interview the recruiter will always ask, "Do you have any questions for me?". If you answer no, you might as well give up your interview spot and stayed home. This is another sign for the recruiter that you didn't care enough about the position to inquire more about it. This is the best time for you to turn the tables on the interviewer and ask some well pointed questions. Can't think of any you really want to ask? Generic questions such as benefits, work-life balance, and social environment are good ways to start a conversation with a recruiter.

Dress to Impress

There's nothing that says, "I am wasting your time" more than coming in slopily dressed. This of course should be a no brainer but just in case, guys: dress slacks, dress shirt, and tie at a minimum, and girls: dress slacks and a blouse.

This is just a basic list of interview tips just to get by. Redsprouts is working on a series of articles designed around acing the interview. Until then, good luck!

Job Searching in a Recession

I have recently been talking with a friend of mine who just recently graduated and mentioned how difficult it has been looking for a job in a currently tough job market. Many of my clients have told me that they are currently under a hiring freeze and the state of the economy of course does not help. Though typical job search engines like Monster and Career Builder do a decent job looking for job postings, I stumbled upon a new search engine called InDeed, www.indeed.com, which aggregates job searching data much better allowing for better matches.

If job search engines don't cut it, I would try trade associations or private organizations. Many professional societies allow students to join for free or at a very low rate and allows access to their job posting which are industry specific.

Temporary agencies are also a good way to get in the door with many major industry leaders and allows you to learn more about your job so that you can make a better decision. Temp jobs also provide alot of flexibility for those who don't necessarily want to commit to any one company and want to have some spare time to travel and relax.

Credit Cards Galore

Credit cards can be a college student's best friend or their worst enemy. On one hand credits cards, used with responsibility, provide you the opportunity to begin building your credit score up that will qualify you for simple things such as cell phone accounts under your name and access to apartment leases. Unfortunately, credit cards can also lead many students down a dark path towards debt mentioned in an earlier article. I do believe that building your credit score up early is an essential way of transitioning into the working world. Even if you use it sparingly it will get you ahead of the credit score game and get you on the right path towards different financial options.

There are so many different credits cards from different banks, credit unions, and creditors that it can be headache just finding the right one. The credit cards I would recommend to anyone and not just college students are those that have no annual fee and a rewards program such as mileage or cash back. Certain credit cards provide 2% to 5% cash back on gas and groceries or miles rewarded for every dollar you spend and can be redeemed for round trip plane tickets. Below are a list of credit cards I would recommend to anyone looking to increase their credit score:

Chase Freedom Visa Card

Rewards:

2% on Supermarkets, Gas Stations, and Fast-Food Restaurants
1% off everything else
No Annual Fee
Link

Citi Driver's Edge Platinum Select Master Card

Rewards:

6% on Supermarkets, Gas Stations, and Drugstores for the first year
3% on Supermarkets, Gas Stations, and Drugstores following the first year
No Annual Fee
Link

Capital One No Hassle Miles Rewards

Rewards:

Earn 1.25 miles for every dollar you spend
Book Travel on any airline, any time, and no blackouts or restrictions
No Annual Fee
Link

Packing For College

Another day of web browsing lead me to this site with some overlooked items that students should bring to college. The two items I wish I had brought with me to freshmen year were ear plugs and duct tape. If any of you have more ideas to add to this list feel free to leave a comment.

18 Overlooked Things Everyone Should Bring to College [College and Finance]

Living Frugally - Good Eats

Here at RedSprouts, we're all about studying hard and making ground on your future career. But while you're doing all that you got to make sure that you're eating healthy. More importantly though, you're a college student on a budget so you got get good eats on the cheap. As you might have guessed, the best way to get good eats on the cheap is cooking a meal yourself. Now this may seem like a foreign idea to many of you, but cooking at home is actually quite simple and you will save loads of money. Not enough time you say? Some meals only take 30 minutes to make and you can have enough leftovers for a couple days that you can easily heat back up in minutes.

One of my favorite dishes to make due to its ease is the Simple Pasta Dish. Boil water with some salt and throw in your preference of pasta. While that is going on slice up carrots, celery, and onions to brown in a skillet. Add browned ground beef and tomato sauce and you got yourself a great simple sauce. Put it all together and you have yourself a cheap meal and depending on your portions a day or two of leftovers. In terms of cost, your meal will only cost you 2 to 3 dollars a day compared to eating a 10 dollar pasta dish at a decent restaurant. Now I've only been cooking for a couple years and so far I've felt satisfied with what I've come up with. But if you readers have any suggestion I would love to see it in the comments.

School Started - Now What?

As students return back to the college lecture halls and freshmen begin a life long journey getting acquainted in their new dorm rooms, a common question always comes up, “Now what?” For the upper classmen, they’re halfway through their college career and the idea of getting a job is finally sinking in. For the lower classmen, they’re wondering how they get started and where college might take them. Below is a great way getting started for every level.

Freshmen

In retrospect, freshmen year is really the time for student to explore their options and have some fun. Now just don’t let it get out of hand or you’ll end up where I was trying to play catch up for the rest of the year. Transitioning from high school to college can be quite difficult since for many of you it’s your first time on your own and like I had mentioned in a previous article, high school study skills are sub-par. This is also the time to back track and make sure the major you have chosen is the right one for you. Take classes in other fields that interest you as a way to explore other majors. If you want to switch majors this is the best time to do it as you haven’t taken many classes and transitioning from one to another will be quite simple. The most important thing that a freshman can accomplish is to establish steady study skills and get your GPA up. If you’re really ambitious, go visit a career fair and just orient yourself with companies that show up. There’s no pressure to talk to recruiters and it’s a great way to get some free stationary items.

Sophomore

Now that you’re back from your first year of college and finally ready to take the world on, you’re wondering what to do next. My suggestion? Start networking! Join a professional club related to your field on campus and start socializing with other students. It never hurts to get started and you can even get a leg up on the competition. Another great way to begin networking is meeting recruiters. Now many companies don’t tend to hire interns who have only completed their sophomore year, but sometimes they’ll find the need for someone to complete less glamorous jobs. But hey, job experience is job experience and any recruiter can see the effort you’re putting into your own career. Even if you can’t find an internship with a particular company it never hurts to ask more about their company and what kind of steps you should take between now and when you’re looking for an internship to better secure one.

Junior

To me junior year is where your career really begins to take off. Now that you’re going to complete some upper division course work, you’ve finally qualified to play in the big game of internship hunting. This is the year to get serious about your resume and hitting the career fairs hard. As the job market gets flooded with more and more graduating students, the harder the competition for securing a full time job. Job experience is a big indicator of your skill set and your potential, so obtaining one is very important. Just as important as internships are research positions as many companies see research as the future and if a candidate shows interest, it’s a very big positive. Networking opportunities from this point on will become very important so attending more professional events is a must.

Senior

It’s the last year of a long and wonderful journey and regardless if a full time job or a slot in graduate school is at the end, you should all congratulate yourself for getting this far. Hopefully you have some job experience tucked away and you’re ready to take on the world. Access your network that you’ve built up for opportunities you’re interested in and try to have some fun your last year. If you’ve been successful thus far, you’ll know exactly who to ask and where to look for any opportunity. Most importantly though, go on vacation! You’ve earned it and it’ll be a great way to unwind before moving on to the next part of you life.

Resources - Online Tools

I ran into a great post that had a number of online tools I would recommend to any college student to use as a resource. Some of the tools such as MynoteIT and Tadalist are a great way to keep track of your everyday tasks and keep your college life organized. Google docs and spreadsheets are a wonderful tool to use, especially when doing group work. When it comes to saving a bit of money, Book Finder helps by comparing book prices from different websites and stores. Lastly Meebo.com is a great way to connect online without having to install AIM or Yahoo Messenger on any computers on campus.

Top Web Tools For College Students [Next Path]