College gives you choices and those choices can help express your identity. Will you be the kid always 15 minutes early to class? Will you be the social butterfly of the school? Will you keep your schoolwork a priority or let it drift off to the waste side?
A balance can be struck between keeping a great GPA and having a social life. Freshmen may not believe in such a thing. Some enter a hard semester of courses and quickly become overwhelmed. The key to this is both managing your time well and staying organized.
First, try getting a planner. This comes in various forms: a whiteboard, a booklet planner or a calendar, either electronic or physical. Add in your class schedule, and then look for the empty blocks of time in your week. Do you have a day off? Do you have a few mornings, afternoons, or evenings open? Weigh your workload and your speed of completing homework, and figure out how many blocks of time you need to finish your homework. Dedicating specific blocks of time to study ensures that your work will get done.
“Wake up early and do your school work, that way you can have a social life,” one senior from Penn State suggests.
A junior from California State University of Monterey Bay comments balancing school and friends is not hard if you have the right people in your social life. Finding friends who influence you in a positive way and keep you driven is important.
For many, doing homework right after class while information is fresh in your mind can lead to a stress-free academic life. You will never forget about an assignment and will keep your free time actually free.
Personally, I write in my planner that each class is one or two hours longer than it is, this way I can complete all of my homework. If classes are back to back, adding a study block of time towards the end of the week tends to balance things out.
Stay organized and remember college is the most exciting time in your life. Enjoy it, just don’t go overboard!
-TravelBug
I’m reading The Career Fitness Program: Exercising Your Options
I have been watching movies since the cradle. With older siblings, those rated R movies have been in my grasp since third grade. But how many of these movies were actually good? Hollywood today keeps cranking out the remakes, “people” versions of Disney classics, and putting “new” spins on old favorites. Let’s cut out the garbage and stick to the hits—whether they did well in the box-office or just in our hearts. (These are in no particular order, because I am super indecisive and have a list of about 100 favorite movies).
15. The Lion King (a.k.a. the best Disney classic there is) – I saw this bad boy in 3D and I still sob like a baby when—spoiler alert!—Mufasa dies. Not only did these singing African animals top the box office again in 2011, but it has been a movie after any child’s heart, whether they’re really into Disney or not.
14. Titanic – This movie is also getting the 3D treatment in April (I am SO seeing this in theaters!), but this cash-boat doesn’t even need to make money. Only second to Avatar now in all-time money made at the theaters, this film will make you laugh, sob, smile, and likely cause you to yell at Rose: “You liar! You did let go!”
13. Mean Girls – Who can forget Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, and Lacey Chabert as the ultimate high school girl clique? This film basically is our generation in a nut shell. Four for you, Mean Girls! You go, Mean Girls!
12. Fight Club – Obviously, I’m not allowed to talk about it.
11. Inception – One of the most original movies I’ve seen in a while, with some of the best original tracks I’ve ever heard. And yet another film in which Leonardo DiCaprio was snubbed at the Oscars. Do you think he won the award in a dream? Maybe a dream within a dream?
10. Harry Potter series – If you haven’t read the books—which is sinful, in my opinion—you’ve probably at least seen the movies or heard the iconic theme song. They also got progressively better with each new sequel. Unlike the Twilight series, there is some substance of good story telling. We grew up with the Potter kids and they won’t be forgotten any time soon.
9. X-Men movies – We just love all those mutants, especially James McAvoy as Professor X and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. I’d pay good money to see young Magneto (Michael Fassbender) square off against old Magneto (Ian McKellen).
8. The Hangover – What college student didn’t see this movie? It’s basically our worst nightmare—in a hilarious film version with older, mostly employed guys. This movie gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “Walk of shame”.
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Who hasn’t wished they could erase someone from their memory? I’d pay top dollar to rid myself of my annoying ex boyfriends. Plus, Kate Winslet is basically perfection in every role she ever takes on.
6. War Horse – Easily the best movie of 2011 and it has the Oscar nomination to prove it. I love most war movies, but this one was more moving than Saving Private Ryan.
5. Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Peter Jackson created the most amazing world and Elijah Wood got lots of screen time. They pretty much paved the way for nerdy fantasy movies. These movies are my precious…es.
4. Jurassic Park – These movies will forever be the best dinosaur movies ever…and a new one is being made. Hear that, Littlefoot? Although the first movie is by far the best, the last twenty minutes of its sequel where a T-Rex is rampaging through L.A. is 100% pure Hollywood awesomeness.
3. Edward Scissorhands – We can learn a lot from Eddie. How to sort-of cover scars with the Avon lady’s help. How we should decorate our lawn with shrub sculptures. And just how bad a bad haircut can be.
2. Forrest Gump – Forrest Gump is such a great character. This is one of Tom Hanks finest and most quotable roles of all time. I believe that almost every college has seen and loved this movie. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. Just like this list.
1. The Usual Suspects – The fine art of storytelling in many ways. You instantly sympathize with all of the main characters; especially poor Verbal. It also has one of the greatest twists in movie history; even rivaling Fight Club. Who is Kaizer Soze?
-ToonyToon
I’m reading Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing
So you’re ready to get fit? Good for you! The hardest part of any workout regime is convincing yourself that you’re ready to make the commitment. It’s often hard to drag yourself to the gym. But whatever the excuse may be, “It’s too far, it’s too cold, it’s raining, I’ll workout tomorrow”, you just have to get up and go for it. Want to know the best part? Sometimes you don’t actually have to go anywhere! Your dorm room can double as a gym, especially in these upcoming colder months. As a result, you are forced to throw the excuses out the window and prepare yourself to sweat.
Here is a list of some easy and effective workout moves that will get your blood pumping, and your body tone in no time—all without leaving your comfort zone, or stepping foot in a gym!
What you need: Dumbbells, water bottle, and preferably a little pump-up music (to get you in the mood!) No dumbbells? No problem! Grab two water bottles or two cans of soup—same difference!
Side Bends
Here’s a personal favorite of mine—and a great place to start if you want to work on that pesky midsection! Grab one of your weights (or water bottles) in your right hand and stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your right arm at your side. Put your left hand on your hip, elbow facing out. Lean to your right, letting your right arm (with the weight or water bottle) hang to just about your knee or mid-thigh. You should feel a slight pull or stretch on your left side. Return to the starting position. Do 25 reps and then switch sides.
Pushups
No surprise here, but pushups are a sure fire way to feel the burn. They are difficult, but a great exercise to get familiar with and a good tool to tone those arms and chest. Keep your back straight and hiney held high. If you can’t grasp the full pushup right away, do a modified pushup, starting on your knees. Be sure to lower yourself so that your elbows form 90-degree angles. When you come up, extend fully. Do 10 to 20 for starters to test your comfort level. Start slow and take breaks if you need to!
Planks (With mild alterations!)
So these exercises are a bit of a doosie but really worth your while. To start get into the pushup position and form a triangle with your hands. Keep your back super straight and hold. In no time you should feel your midsection working hard! To make planks even more beneficial try these variations!
1. First, try alternate shoulder taps. While in plank position, lift right hand and touch your left shoulder. Return to plank. Next, lift left hand and touch right shoulder and return to plank. Do 20 total taps.
2. The second plank exercise involves curls. Break out your water bottles. Start with the water bottle in right hand, while in plank and do 20 curls. Switch sides, and do 20 curls with left hand while in plank.
3. The third plank exercise involves kicks. While in plank, lift right leg slightly off the ground. Kick up, then lower leg almost to the ground—but don’t touch it. Repeat with left leg. Do 20 total kicks.
Mini-Squat Kicks
For this exercise, start with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Bounce down, then come up and kick to the right with right leg. Return to center, bounce down, come up and kick to the left with left leg. Do 20 total kicks.
So there you have it—a short and sweet routine that will leave you feeling great! If you want to kick it up a notch repeat the total routine 3 times—we want you to really feel the burn!
The final tip I have for you, if you aren’t too exhausted, is to bundle up and go for a walk! Doing moves in your dorm room is a simple way to work out, but nothing compares to a brisk walk to get those legs moving and take in a bit of fresh air.
-Ring Queen
I’m reading DK Guide to Public Speaking
How much do you think you know about Valentine’s Day? Do you know the names of the most famous couples in history or just in Hollywood? Can you guess what time of year the most couples break-up? We are happy to announce our newest giveaway challenge! Test your Valentine’s knowledge with our fun daily trivia questions.
From January 31st – February 13th we will be giving away a daily prize of a $50 Skinit.com gift card and on Valentine’s Day we will give away a grand prize of $250 CASH! The contestants with the highest score each day will be entered to win the daily prize. Continue taking the trivia challenge every day to increase your cumulative score! The people with the highest cumulative score at the end of the challenge will be entered to win a grand prize of $250 in cash! So enter now for your chance to win!
The term networking isn’t my favorite. It makes it sound like you have to do some high tech fancy stuff to make connections. But that’s not true! Most of you are probably already on social networks or have already made some kind of professional connection without even really thinking about it. Networking, in person and online, is important though, and will only get more important as you get older.
When should you start networking? Right now! The sooner you start the better. There are four main social media platforms you should be on to really bolster your connections: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Though Google+ is new to the scene, it has quickly become one of the biggies in getting your name out there. With a Google+, your posts are more likely to show up higher on search results, making it easier for potential employers to find and approve of you. If you like writing and have the time, a blog is also a great way to start getting your work and name out there.
Just being on these sites isn’t enough, however. You need to keep what you’re saying and doing professional. That doesn’t mean you have to go back to your Facebook posts from middle school or high school talking about your break up or mishap with a face mask—though you might want to anyway, with that whole weird timeline thing that can bring people anywhere in your past (creepy!). Not everything you post has to be completely professional or impersonal either. In fact, you want your employers and connections to get some sense of who you are outside what you want to do with your life.
There are some basic tips you can follow to keep your profiles tasteful, personable and professional. Make sure you’re using proper grammar and spelling. On Twitter with only 140 characters to use, sometimes it’s hard to write in complete sentences, but at the very least make sure what you are saying makes sense. Don’t write Facebook statuses with “$up hom3sk!ll3t” or any other weird spellings associations.
Avoid swearing! Though they’re rather common these days and might slip out of your mouth in daily conversation, filter online! Remember, you may be friends with your young cousins and you don’t want to be accused of being a bad influence. Also avoid posting every single thing you do in a day. Your Twitter account and Facebook feed shouldn’t be filled with “Walked the dog. Text it” or “Now I’m eating a grilled cheese. Getting ready for the movies. Then partay!” Only update on important life moments, like getting into college or nailing a job interview, and post about other things relevant to your career or goals. Don’t be afraid to share links to news articles or blog posts you liked or retweet a favorite company of yours—in fact, the more retweeting you do, the higher the likelihood for you to get noticed and maybe give you a boost on the competition.
A good way to start building your connections is to simply search for people you know and get talking. Whenever you get a new job or internship, update all of your profiles and start connecting with others who work there. Be friendly and try to start conversations; even if you don’t get a response, keep trying (but only once every three days at the most, you don’t want to look like a psycho). If you have a blog or website, promote it frequently by tweeting the URL and sharing posts on all your other platforms. The more active you are the better as long as the information is relevant, interesting and shows your personality.
Finally, the best way to really get going is to just jump in and experiment. Even if you’re shy, adopt an outgoing online persona and reach out to people. Follow and friend request companies you’re interested and people who could potentially land you a job in the future. Most importantly, don’t forget about networking in person. Professors, people working in offices on campus, local companies you visit can all prove to be beneficial to your future. The more friends, the merrier—even if they don’t ultimately land you the job!
-ToonyToon
I’m reading Modern Management: Concepts and Skills
