A study group will help you study for midterms. Photo: studyusa.com

Alas, midterm season is upon us. While every cell in your body may be dreading studying, the good news that you can get through midterms without flunking your math class and being forced to retake it. Here are some simple back to school tips to help you study for midterms.

1. Study at the library. Just get out of your space, go somewhere different. As you’ll probably agree, it’s a lot easier to goof off at home with your roommates and distractions. Plus, it’s more likely that there will be candy at the library than at your apartment.
2. Avoid cramming: budget study time instead. Instead of cramming for your midterm last minute, pull out your calendar and schedule study time in advance. The steady accumulation of information is going be far more productive than an all-nighter. Remember: slow and steady wins the race.
3. Take breaks to avoid burn-out. Trying to study for five hours straight isn’t realistic. Instead, embrace the Pomodoro Technique which involves shorter intervals and enhances focus and concentration. Simply set a timer for 25 minutes, study hard, then take a break for five minutes. Rinse, and repeat.
4. Get lots of sleep. A good night’s sleep will help you retain more information and learned information better than pulling an all-nighter.
5. Get your heart pumping. If your brain is having a hard time focusing, take a break and exercise. Whether it’s a brisk walk around the block, yoga poses, or five laps at the pool, exercise will help get the blood pumping, release endorphins for a feeling of general well-being, and relieve stress.
6. Get a study group together. Collaborating with other focused classmates will help you divvy up study materials, give you a fresh perspective, and stay on track. Five heads are better than one!
7. Ask for help. If something in your study materials has you duped, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Professors typically make themselves available during certain hours are can be a valuable resource.

What are your best tips to study for midterms?

Maybe you delayed going to college to work and save up for school for a year, then five years later, you’re wondering where the time went.

Maybe you’re a work-at-home-mom who started a family early without starting or finishing your degree.

Maybe you found yourself unemployed after decades in the work force, and it’s time for a career change.

Chances are you’ve thought about going back to school, but as the freshmen start looking younger and younger you’re intimidated about feeling like the oldest person on campus. You may also have regrets about missing out on the college experience like Nick @fleetwoodsc who tweeted, “i regret that i didnt go off to college, not meetin life long friends, missin all the events, and the whole college experience smh [sic]“.

If you have regrets about not going to college, want to finish what you started, or simply need a change of scenery, it’s never too late to go back to college.

Just ask the oldest college graduate, 95-year-old Nola Ochs who earned her college degree alongside her 21-year-old granddaughter from Fort Hays State College in Kansas. After Ochs husband died in 1972, she enrolled in a community college and began taking a class here, a class there. Pretty soon, they added up and she graduated in 2007. She told ABC News, “Everybody has accepted me, and I feel just like another student.”

My colleague’s mother just graduated from college at 51 with a degree in elementary education after taking night classes for years. She is currently working as a teacher’s aide and will be teaching second grade next year.

Many colleges offer classes during the evenings and weekends for associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, as well as certifications or continuing education classes. If the thought of rubbing shoulders with 18-year-old students makes your head spin, online college allows you to finish your degrees in the comfort of your own home, giving you access to professors via email.

If you’re regretting having missed out on the college experience, know this: it’s never too late to go back to college.

Living on the top of the Rocky Mountains, winter comes too soon and lasts far too long. When the mercury drops, it’s so tempting to stay warm in your bed instead of braving the winter winds outside, but who can realistically maintain a 4.0 GPA from their bedroom? (Unless you’re an online college student, but that’s another story.) Students at college campuses in places with prolonged winters need ways to dress fashionably and stay warm. Here are some back to school tips on how to dress fashionably on campus this winter semester.

1. 

   Taylor Swift wearing a red hat. Photo: Splash NewsBoots

   Boots. One of the best parts of winter fashion is the boots. You can go sportive with comfortable flat riding boots (horse not required), or embrace your inner yetti with a pair of faux fur boots.

2. Scarves. Especially if you have short hair (that includes you, boys!) scarves can protect your neck from the biting wind. There are even great detachable cowls that you can snag.
3. Layer! The strategy on the slopes is the same as on campus. Wearing multiple layers are a great strategy to stay warm during winter semester. As air is trapped between the layers, it has a magnificent insulating effect. Try a long sleeve Tee, a zip up hoodie, and a vest under your winter coat. You can shed layers as you heat up.
4. Leggings. While leggings all on their own may not be uber-warm, layering them underneath your jeans can give you an extra buffer against the cold. Vera Wang’s velvet leggings from Kohl’s are affordable and will keep you toasty.
5. Cashmere. So, we get that you’re on a college budget which may not include cashmere, but hear me out. Cashmere can be found at economical stores like Old Navy, or even at thrift shops if you have a good eye. My closet boasts a luxurious Irish cashmere sweater that I scored for $4 at a thrift shop. It can be done.
6. Cover your head. Since we lose 10% of our body heat by leaving out heads exposed, wear a hat, beanie, or knit uber headband to trap the heat in. And have you seen Taylor Swift wearing a darling red beanie recently in Paris? You’ll want to rock one, too.

For the next two Fridays we will be publishing an interview with a legal secretary from New York, Ellen Adams, to help give you an idea about what a legal assistant career is like. This vocation is expected to grow at a faster-than-expected rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, making it a reliable career choice for the future.

1. What advice would you give a student considering a career in the legal field? Be prepared to study and work hard. It’s truly not for the faint-hearted. Even though we are in a so-called “electronic age,” there are fundamental skills that will help you to do the job effectively. You should be detail oriented, meticulous, flexible and diplomatic. Time management skills are crucial. It also helps to have a thick skin. Multi-tasking is a must, since you are often “switching gears” at a moment’s notice. You need to learn to be responsive and anticipate that things can and will happen when you least expect it to. Learn to listen and listen to learn.
2. What is most challenging about your profession?Trying to avoid tedium and/or becoming bored. Once you master the basics, it can be a challenge to stay motivated. Unless you continue to learn and adapt, that can happen.
   
   
3. In what way did your education prepare you for your career?I went to what was formerly called The Berkeley School, which is now called Berkeley College. It was specifically for the “secretarial sciences,” and I earned an associate’s degree (Associate in Occupational Studies or an A.O.S.), after successfully completing their 2 year secretarial program with a legal concentration. You had a choice of doing a general secretarial program, a medical secretarial program, or a legal secretarial program. To be honest, the legal secretarial afforded me an opportunity to earn a higher salary, and that definitely helped me decide which direction to move in.

In case you missed it, here’s the Interview with a Legal Assistant Part I - A Rewarding Day on the Job.

Right now on Twitter, the hashtag #improudtosay is spreading like wildfire. Here are some cool education-themed tweets we found from college students who are proud of their what they’re doing with their learning.

@kay_pro: #improudtosay I’ll be the first in my family to graduate from college.

@jaypresident: #improudtosay that I’m a college graduate…

@RoZaeBaabaay: #improudtosay im a college student workin towards my goals and dreams

@KevinWelchhh: #improudtosay I am paying my way through a nationally accredited private 4-year college.

@Love_Taj: #ImProudToSay Im a college student , Employed , & Loving Life

@KRich014: #improudtosay that I have a COLLEGE DEGREE!!!!

@Nero203: #improudtosay I’m a college student who came from an inner city

@cswansen: #improudtosay that I got into my dream college

@LifeWithMrMoore: #improudtosay i graduated elementary school, middle school, high school, and soon to say college/Graduate School

@TayBoogie_: #ImProudToSay that though I keep having set backs I will continue to pursue my college education so I can be successful

Even though there are lots of people talking smack these days, saying college is a waste of time and money, that no one learns anything for the first two years of college, here’s proof that not everyone today feels the same way. There are still people who see the value in a college education and are working hard to earn their degree because they know it will make a significant difference in their future.

Four years of college teaches you a lot more than just calculus or grammar. A college degree proves to other people like recruiters, future employers, and life partners that we can finish the things we start, that even when things are tough, we’re willing to persevere, and that we’re willing to invest in our lives and collective future.

What are you proud of?

Sometimes college professors say the darndest things. One of your favorite back to school activities may be listening to awesome things that your college professors have to say. If you have a cool college professor, you’ve likely heard things like…

1. “Don’t cheat in this class, you will fail this course and then you will die.” The first words of my class this morning. That woke me up. - Audrey
2. “Our professor strapped a teletubby to a bouncy ball to show us how we can only view a certain part of the sky from different places on earth. Gotta love Discovering the Universe.” - Jessica Banks
3. “In Kingship, I am the king. I love you. You love me…..we’re a happy family.” - Deecue‘s Government Teacher
4. “Yesterday, my Math 1B GSI (Graduate Student Instructor) compared integration by parts to pirates and ninjas.” - feendaffaire
5. “It may seem a silly reason to go to war, but put it in modern terms. Imagine if Michelle Obama ran off with Kim Jong Il. That would be….God that would be so weird…” - rycitycentral‘s Literature as Art professor on the Torjan War
6. “I’m in intermediate microeconomics. My professor is using Harry, Ron, and Hermione as examples of different levels of productivity.” - theycallmeaviendha
7. “So Harriet Tubman was — that was my hip by the way. I didn’t just fart in front of you guys.” - talkingshrimp‘s History teacher
8. “Dear Students, Please consider using our office hours as an opportunity to learn. It feels lonely sitting in my office when nobody shows-up.” - confusedquark‘s Logic Systems professor
9. “You’ve never seen Mickey Mouse stop a dialogue sequence to groom himself. But real mice WILL do that.” - nashhha‘s Neuropsychology professor
10. “In today’s class, my professor said she would give anything in the world for two minutes to be in the mind of her cat.” - xphosho‘s Professor
11. “Student: Is there a participation grade?
    Professor: No, I think that only rewards the bullsh!tters that drone on and on and on.” - yaej‘s Ethics and International Relations Class
12. “What the hell is wrong with you guys? Why the hell are you depressed? Barely in your 20s! Be happy! You are young, beautiful, handsome, brainy, you have the world at your finger tips! These are your golden years. It is beautiful in this world; California weather, eh? God has blessed us! Be happy!” - arrajane‘s Professor Spyridakis
13. “I’d like to live with Bill Murray.” - bccrayolamakher‘s Composition professor
14. “If you haven’t found the textbook yet you guys might also want to try Wal-mart.com.” - fornowjustcarryon‘s professor
15. “Facebook is the Internet meat market.” - lizshutterbug‘s professor, Dr. Phillips
16. “I just wish I was younger. You wouldn’t be sitting there looking so complicated.” - casenpoint‘s professor Billy Turner
17. “Facebook makes me feel like a pervy, voyeuristic old man and I don’t allow it in my class. However, if YOU have an addiction and needs to check it every 30 seconds, just put up your hands and explain to me and I will excuse you outside to check your Facebook or porn or whatever it is you need to do.” - anniesapphire‘s professor
18. “Toast is appropriate for any meal.” - fistflight‘s Psychology of Gender professor
19. “Citing yourself in a paper is like intellectual masturbation.” - witty-‘s writing professor
20. “I will expect at least a few anecdotes of sledding on unusual objects…” - fistflight‘s poetry professor
21. “And those who didn’t agree with the Federalists were the Antifederalists. Obviously they got to choose their name second.” - cdberrios‘s Poli Sci professor
22. “In chemistry something is always taking and the other is always giving. Kind of like life I guess.” - withendlesslove‘s Organic Chemistry professor
23. “There are no strobe lights in heaven.” - zspoons‘ Philosophy Professor’s argument against heaven
24. “If you’re dumb enough to buy it, you’re dumb enough to live with it.” - gatornicole‘s Finance professor

Care to add to the list?

Accounting Career. (Photo: Life123)

If you’re good with numbers, you’re in luck. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, accounting has been named the most sought after degree in 2011. In other words, if you’re earning an accounting degree as we speak, your chances in the job market are extremely favorable.

Accountants make about $60,000 annually on average, with some bringing home up to $104,450/year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As an avid supporting of doing what you love, I’m not suggesting you sell your soul for $80,000/year, but if accounting is in alignment with your talents, skills, and personal values, by all means, go right ahead!

People who are successful as accountants are typically analytical, logical, with a keen attention to detail. One of the reasons we’re currently in this whole economic crisis right now is because of a handful of executives who were willing the fudge the numbers with poor and fraudulent financial reporting. Especially now, a critical attribute that accounting firms look for is a strong ethics and a reliable moral compass.

Accounting majors are making a significant positive impact on today’s financial sector to prevent future financial crises. In a comment on the Huffington Post, Accounting major Mark Goldstein says, “We are the first generation of accounting students who have extensive training in internal controls, informatio­n systems assurance, and fraud risk indicators­. All of these components exist precisely for the purpose of the PREVENTION of future large-scal­e financial crises. We will be the people designing and auditing these systems in order to create larger-sca­le accountabi­lity in the financial world.”

If you’re seriously considering a career in accounting, check out our interview with Certified Public Accountant Jon Funk from last summer where he shares insights into a day in the life of an accountant.

The benefit of a good night's sleep. Photo: Sol S. on Flickr

Can you remember the last time you got a full night’s sleep in college? While 8-hours’ sleep may be uncommon on campus, it’s absolutely critical to thinking clearly and functioning properly in class and study sessions. If you want to maintain a good GPA, you may be surprised at how much sleep can help.

Today’s back to school tip: get a good night’s sleep!

1. Sleep helps you retain information better. Studies show that people who get 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night will retain more information and learned skills compared to the person who stayed up all night cramming. Incredibly helpful in calculus class, no?
2. Sleep helps you control your hunger. A study conducted by the University of Chicago in 2004 found that skimping on sleep “could reduce the body’s ability to regulate hormones that control hunger.” (Source: CBC) Getting extra sleep will help you manage your appetite. In the study, people who had two consecutive nights of poor sleep, the volunteers were craving less nutritious food like cookies and candy over healthier alternatives.
3. Sleep helps prevent illness. If catching the stomach flu at the beginning of the term has totally thrown the rest of your semester, a good night’s sleep might have prevented that. Getting 7-8 hours sleep will help your immune system stay strong and fight off impending germs or illnesses.
4. Sleep makes you attractive. In order to stay attractive to members of the opposite sex, get lots of sleep! Without it, you’ll start to see the appearance of dark circles under your eyes and your skin will begin to look older. And we’re not talking the “I’m-old-enough-to-date-senior-boys older” either.
5. Sleep makes you perform better on the court. “Athletes who get an extra amount of sleep are more likely to improve their performance in a game,” Stanford graduate researcher Cheri Mah told USA Today.

If you need any more convincing that sleep is beneficial for you as a college student, just read USA Today’s article entitled “College students’ performance suffers from lack of sleep.” ‘Nuff said.

Are you playing the college acceptance waiting game? Photo: College Candy

If you’re checking your mailbox six times a day, praying to the college gods, and waiting with bated breath for college acceptance letters from your schools of choice, it may be time to get a life. For today’s back to school tips, here are some suggestions of how to play the college acceptance letter waiting game.

1. Make sure your application was received. One productive thing to do is make sure that your college applications were received in good order. Otherwise you’ll be waiting for a whole lot longer. See if your college has a website that confirms your received application. If you applied online, chances are you’ll receive a confirmation email within 24 hours.
2. Check on the status of your application. Many colleges will allow you to check on your college application status and make sure that each portion of your application has been received.
3. Don’t despair! Though you’ll likely be seeing Facebook updates from your friends about the colleges they were accepted into, stay positive. You may think that college acceptance letters are all mailed at once, but they are typically sent in waves. Yours may be on its way as we speak.
4. Research the colleges you applied for. While you wait, sign up for a campus tour for the colleges you’ve applied for. Seeing the campus, meeting people, and experiencing the college environment first hand will help you weigh the pros and cons of each college and prepare you for the big decision of which campus you’ll pick.
5. Get your finances together. Start putting a plan together with your parents about how you’re going to pay for college. The paperwork process for financial aid can be extensive, so it’s good to get a head start on things.
6. Give yourself a break! The college application process is intense. You totally deserve a break.

Are you suffering from graduation anxiety? (Photo: Macleans.ca)

As a college student, life gets pretty comfortable after a while. Sure, going to classes and studying can get tedious — as can a steady diet of ramen noodles, but you make it work. If graduation is looming on the horizon and the thought of leaving the college cocoon and venturing into the real world has you suffering from graduation anxiety, you’re not alone. The transition from college life to bonafide adult life is a challenging one, but not impossible.

The concerns students have are similar: I don’t want to grow up! I don’t want to get a real job! If you’re suffering from the Peter Pan syndrome, here are few helpful things to do before you graduate to start paving the way for your future.

• Talk to your campus career counselor. They’ll be able to discuss jobs and potential graduate schools with you and help chart a map for your future. If you’re freaking out, you can confide in these campus professionals. Plus, they’ll know when all the recruiters will be on campus. Which leads us to…
• 

  Recruiter Jennifer Armitstead

  Make nice with recruiters. Many companies will send recruiters to colleges to help them find potential interns and employees. As independent recruiter Jennifer Armistead told MCC, “Although you may have another year or two left of your education, and you might be thinking, well I won’t be getting a job just yet, by getting connected with a recruiter today will help you in six months or a year from now. It allows you to have that opportunity to build that relationship with the recruiter as well and then hopefully you’ll stand out from those other candidates, too.”

• Brush off your resume. Make sure to have a 2-3 line professional summary at the top of your resume, introducing yourself and your talents, qualifications, and skills to the reader. While it may be tempting to list every job you’ve had since your paper route, it’s important to consider your career field and include relevant job history and education. If you’re applying for a job at a finance company, don’t tell them about flipping burgers at McDonald’s.
• Land an internship. If you haven’t had a job for the last 4 years or so, getting an internship will give you relevant work experience for your resume. Make sure that you highlight your achievements on your resume. Companies who offer internships are often appraising you for potential full-time positions, so put on your best face forward. My brother-in-law did an internship with an accounting company after graduating in accounting, and was hired by them after his internship was complete.

At the end of the day, you’re still you, no matter where you live, or what you wear (because your new job may require you to expand your sweatpant and Uggs wardrobe), graduating isn’t the end of the world.