StudentHacks.org

Your college major is just one part of your college education.

You’ll probably devote only a third of your total course work on your major. And most of your time will be spent on general requirement courses and electives.

That said – your college major is important if you’re choosing a particular career field. And it’s also important if you want to get into a particular grad school program.

So here are some tips on what you should consider before choosing a college major:

Don’t choose a major until you’re absolutely sure.

The worst move is to choose a major without seriously thinking about it. It’s best to be “undecided” until you know for sure what major is for you. Sure, the academic bureaucrats want you to choose a major quickly, but don’t let them stress you out. Choose your major when you’re ready.

Talk with academic counselors.

If you know that you want to work in a particular career field — like law, health care, or journalism — take the time to visit with an academic counselor at your college. They are there to help you decide on classes and majors that will fit with your career interests.

Take a personality/career test.

Many career centers offer free testing to students who are trying to figure out a career field. Take these tests as soon as you can. You’d be surprised how revealing these tests are about what types of careers you should consider. Your unique personality type will work well within certain career fields, and these tests will highlight those careers for you.

Think of the long-range marketability of the major.

I strongly believe you should take college classes that interest you. And that you should choose a major you are passionate about. However, it’s also important to think about college majors that will help you with your future career. And if you’re planning on going into a grad program, you need to choose a major that will interest that grad school.

Consider minoring in the less marketable subject.

If you’re very passionate about Women’s Literature, then this might be a good subject to minor in. However, if you’re ultimate goal is to go to law school — consider majoring in political science, which will give you a strong background in public policy and help you later in grad school.

Think beyond your first job out of college.

No matter what career field you choose, think big when choosing your college major. For example, let’s say that you want to work in journalism after college. Well, there’s a possibility you’ll be in a management role within 10 or 15 years. And that’s why a well-rounded college education that included accounting, media law, and business administration would be important. So take courses outside your major because you never know what you might be doing 15 years from now. And if you want to be in a management or director role in the future, a background in business is always very helpful.

Recommended Reading

• How to Choose a Professor
• Application Timetable for Graduate School
• 8 Unconventional Student Research Projects
  

If you’ve ever had to take a test you weren’t prepared for – this article is for you.

Obviously, there are many types of surprise exams – and I’ll provide some advice for handling each type here:

Multiple Choice Questions
If you don’t know the answer straight away, here are some multiple choice question tips:

• If two answers are very similar, except for a few words, choose one of these answers
• If the answer calls for a sentence completion, eliminate the answers that would not form grammatically correct sentences.
• It two quantities listed are almost the same, choose one of them
• If answers cover a wide range of numbers (1.3, 100.89, 1000,89), choose one in the middle range.

True and False Questions
Even though you have a 50% chance of getting these questions right, they can be really tricky, so read every word carefully. Here are some tips:

• If any part of the statement is false, the entire statement is false.
• Look for words like all, most, sometimes, never, or rarely. Those are important qualifiers upon which the question depends.
• Absolute qualifiers like ALWAYS and NEVER generally indicate a false statement

Essay Questions
Write as if you expect your teacher to be tired, bored, and overworked. Make your essay well-organized and interesting – and you’ll win every time.  Just make sure you answer the question.

• Make a quick outline to argue your point (3 or 4 solid arguments)
• Get straight to your point – don’t write unnecessary sentences like “there are a variety of interesting points to consider when answering this type of question.”
• Start your essay arguing the best point first
• Answer common objections

*This post is inspired by a tweet sent to me from Arthus – who recommended an article like this be written. Thanks again for the recommendation.

If you have a suggestion for an article, please send me a tweet or email.

Here are some tips to help you on your next math exam:

1. Estimate first.
Before you start, try to estimate what you think the answer might be. Even a rough estimate will help you double-check yourself after you arrive at your answer.

2. Translate problems into something you understand.
When you study equations and formulas, put them into words. The words can help you see a variety of applications. For example: c^2=a^2+b^2 can be translated as the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the squares of the other two sides.

3. Perform opposite operations.
If a problem involves multiplication, check your work by division; add, then subtract; factor, then multiply; find the square root, then the square; differentiate, then integrate.

4. Make a picture.
When you are stuck on a complex math or science problem, try to draw an elaborate colored picture or diagram. Sometimes a visual representation will clear your mind and help you figure out a way to solve it.

5. Write down memorized formulas on your test.
Memorize any formulas you think you’ll need for the exam. Write them all out on your text the moment it gets handed to you. Then you won’t need to worry about forgetting them, which will help your anxiety level.

6. Check your work systematically.
Ask yourself if your answer makes sense. Are the units correct? Is your answer consistent with the parameters of the question? Check your formulas.

7. Write each number clearly.
Write your variables clearly so that you don’t confuse them with other ones – especially variables that look similar like 4 and 9; 1 and 7; x an y

8. Answer the easy questions first.
Begin answering questions that you know right away. This will build your confidence and help you focus your time and energy on the tough ones later. This is a good way to manage your time as well.

9. Show all your work.
Don’t skip any steps when solving math problems. This will help you proof your answers later, and help you avoid any logical mistakes.

10. Organize Your Calculations
Line up your numbers in each step. Use graph paper if it helps. .

11. Finish your test last.
Remain calm and relaxed during your test. Take extra time after you’ve finished your exam to check all your answers thoroughly. Plan on being the last person in class – and don’t worry about others finishing before you.

Any others you would like to recommend?

Please leave a comment . . .

As the new school year is beginning, it’s important to start setting goals for yourself.

The following guidelines will help you to set realistic goals:

State each goal as a positive statement.

How often have you been excited to accomplish a goal that didn’t even sound good when you brought it up? If you are not comfortable or happy with the goals that you have set, the likelihood of succeeding is pretty low. When you are beginning to set your goals, it helps to state your goal as a positive because it will have others seeing it as a positive as well.

Be precise.

Set a precise goal that includes starting dates, times and amounts so that you can properly measure your achievements. If you do this, you will know exactly when you have achieved the goal, and can take complete satisfaction from accomplishing it.

Set priorities.

When you have several goals, give each a specific priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the most important ones and follow each in succession.

By doing the most important first and moving to the least important in succession, you are enabling each task to be easier than the last. It causes the accomplishment of each task to get easier and easier, which will encourage you to complete your goals.

Write goals down.

In writing your goals down, you are better able to keep up with your scheduled tasks for each accomplishment. It also helps you to remember each task that needs to be done, and allows you to check them off as they are accomplished. Basically, you can better keep track of what you are doing.

Keep operational goals small.

Keeping goals small and incremental allows you more opportunities for reward. Derive today’s small goals from the larger ones you hope to achieve.

Set performance goals, not outcome goals.

You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible. There is nothing more dispiriting than failing to achieve a personal goal for reasons that are beyond your control. These could be   bad weather, injury, or just plain bad luck. If you base your goals on personal your performance, then you can keep control over the achievement of your goals and get satisfaction from achieving them.

Set realistic goals.

It is important to set goals that you can actually achieve.  That’s why it’s better to work on smaller goals that lead to big goals.

Do not set goals too low.

Just as it is important not to set goals unrealistically high; do not set them too low. People tend to do this where they are afraid of failure or when they simply don’t want to do anything.

You should set goals so that they are slightly out of your immediate grasp, but not so far that there is no hope of achieving them. No one will put serious effort into achieving a goal that they believe is unattainable.

Achieving your Goals

When you have achieved a goal, you have to take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having done so. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards other goals. If the goal was a significant one, you should reward yourself appropriately. Think of it like this, why would you choose to ignore any accomplishments that you have made?  In doing that, you are downplaying your accomplishment which will convince you that it wasn’t that important in the first place.

With the experience of having achieved each goal, you should next review the rest of your goal plans and see them in the following manner:

• If you achieved the goal too easily, make your next goals harder
• If the goal took a disheartening length of time to achieve, make the next goals a little easier
• If you learned something that would lead you to change other goals, do so
• If while achieving the goal you noticed a certain lacking in your skills, decide which goals to set in order to fix this.

You should keep in mind that failure to meet goals does not matter as long as you learn from it. Feed lessons learned back into your goal-setting program.

You must also remember that your goals will change as you mature. Adjust them regularly to reflect this growth in your personality. If goals no longer hold any attraction for you let them go.

Goal setting is your servant, not your master. It should bring you real pleasure, satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

The Successful Student Series is an assortment of interviews with students who have worked hard and earned degrees from top universities. The purpose of this series is to learn about their study habits, college survival skills, and making the transition from college to career.

Featured Student:

Paul Fang

Undergraduate Degree/School:
UC Berkeley
BA in Molecular & Cell Biology (Genetics)

Graduate Degrees/Schools:
Harvard University
Masters of Education

Arizona State University
Masters of Natural Science (Physics)

[High School Questions]

How would you describe your study habits in high school?
My father instilled in me the idea of work first, then play. This has been beneficial throughout my academic career.

What types of extracurricular activities did you choose – and why?
I was on the swim team for 3 years. I also did choir, journalism, speech, and Academic Decathlon. I knew colleges wanted well rounded students.

Tell me about any goal planning or organizational strategies you used to get everything accomplished.
I try to make the best use of my time. In school, many teachers would give us time in class to start our homework. I would always take advantage of that time to get my work done.

If you could go back in time – and redo high school all over again – would you do anything different? And why?
I would try to do some internships or shadow someone in their job. This would have given me a better idea of what I wanted to do in the future.

What practical tips do you have for high school students who want to attend a top college?
Find out what the colleges are looking for. Visit the schools and drop by the admissions department. Sometimes they can give you some insight as to why some applicants were accepted and some were not.

[College]

What was the transition from high school to college like for you?
I think I was already a disciplined student in high school. So I didn’t have too much problem with slacking off which a lot of first year students have because their parents aren’t around to tell them what to do.

How did you decide on a college major?
The Gourman Report is a book that lists the top majors of universities. Even a great school has good and mediocre programs. So I looked through the list of good programs at my school and picked one that interested me the most.

How did you balance your academic life with social activities?
I lived in the dorms and spent a lot of time with my dormmates. I was also active in my church’s fellowship group.

Did you take any internships in college – if so – what types?
I did research in a genetics lab and also did research for an education professor. Both experiences were very worthwhile.

At what point were you thinking about graduate school – and did you know what program you wanted to attend?
I knew I wanted to become a teacher around my junior/senior year. So then I started looking at graduate programs in education. I also talked to other students who had already been accepted into these programs.

Any tips for college students planning on attending graduate school?
Visit the school, talk to professors, and drop by the admissions department for that program.

[Graduate School]

What was the application process like applying to your grad program?
I submitted my academic records and took the GRE. I also visited the schools that I was seriously considering. At a couple schools, I made appointments with professors to chat with them about their program. Sometimes these professors are the same ones on the admissions committee, so if they know you, you have an advantage.

Do you have any recommendations for students planning on going to grad school?
Talk to the students in that program and in that field. Ask them what they like and don’t like about it.

Aside from the academics, what was the biggest benefit of grad school for you?
Meeting people who come from all different kinds of background. It allowed me to discuss and debate various issues.

[Career Path]

Any recommendations for college grads making the transition to their first “real” job?
Talk to people in the profession and ask them what they like and don’t like about their job. Ask them what skills and abilities are needed to succeed in that profession. Learn social etiquette and professionalism. Employers want people who will show up on time, are competent, and dress appropriately.

Any other advice for college grads getting their first job?
Don’t expect to start at the top. You may have to start at an entry level job. But be persistent and work hard.

The Successful Student Series is an assortment of interviews with students who have worked hard and earned degrees from top universities. The purpose of this series is to learn about their study habits, college survival skills, and making the transition from college to career.

Featured Student:

Cal Newport

Undergraduate Degree/School:

Computer Science, Dartmouth College

Graduate Degree/School:

Working on PhD, MIT

The interview follows:

What was the transition from high school to college like for you?

I had pretty terrible study habits in high school. I tried to be organized when I first arrived at college, but had no idea what I was doing, so ended up exploring all sorts of craziness — from mind maps to speed reading.

How did you decide on a college major?

Somewhat randomly. Seemed interesting to me.

How did you balance your academic life with social activities?

I’m allergic to overload. I try to take balanced course loads and keep my extracurriculars both light and flexible.

Did you take any internships in college – if so – what types?

I spent a lot of my off terms working on undergraduate research projects.

At what point were you thinking about graduate school – and did you know what program you wanted to attend?

This all happened my senior year. I decided that might be a cool lifestyle. I applied to some grad schools, wrote a book, and applied to Microsoft. In the end I choose MIT because I thought it would be the most fun.

Any tips for college students planning on attending graduate school?

Only two things matter: your grades and your undergraduate research. If you want to go to a top school, drop your other activities, drop your double-major, and focus on becoming a departmental standout. The admissions committee could care less how many months you spent building houses in costa rica.

Did you take time off between college and grad school?

No. Some students get burned out. I find this stuff fun.

[Graduate School]

What was the application process like applying to your grad program?

You write some essays, get some recommendations, send in transcripts. I took the GRE at some point. It’s all pretty low key.

Why do you think you were a good applicant to the grad program you applied to?

I had good grades. Good recommendations. And a good research resume.

Do you have any recommendations for students planning on going to grad school?

Focus on research, research, research. And do well in your major classes.

What do you plan on doing after your PhD?

The professor life is the one for me.

Can you tell me about your two books — and how they can help students?

I was tired of seeing student guides that were written with the goal of “surviving” college. They seemed to have a lot of filler about things like packing lists and credit cards, and the tone sounded too much like a cheesy motivational speaker.

My goal was to write college guides that were more like business books: direct, unabashedly focused on doing really well, and based on real experience.

For my first book, HOW TO WIN AT COLLEGE, I interviewed award-winning students (Rhodes Scholars, Marshal Scholars, etc.) from across the country. I distilled their wisdom into 75 pithy rules.

For my second book, HOW TO BECOME A STRAIGHT-A STUDENT, I interviewed 50 straight-A students from a variety of schools. I honed in on how they studied and produced the first detailed look at the academic habits of *real* students how do *real* well. It busted a lot of myths. The most surprising observation is that these students studied less time than many of their peers.

Are you writing another book right now? Can you tell us about it?

I’m finishing up a proposal for my third book. Whether or not my publisher picks it up is another issue. (Selling books is tough, the conditions and the idea and the timing all have to be just right.)

The most I’ll say about it now is that it less tactical like my previous two books and more big picture. It deals with issues of stress and burnout, and how to build a successful student career that’s also fun to live.

Thanks so much, Cal!

Check out Study Hacks – to learn more about Cal and to read his student productivity blog.

Here are some popular student hacks to help you get ready for the Fall semester:

How to Choose a Professor
Learn tips on how to choose classes and professors this semester.

Where to Buy Cheap College Textbooks – 29 Nifty Websites
This is a complete list of popular discount book websites to help you find cheap textbooks.

How to Organize a Cramped Dorm Room
Learn how students are organizing their tiny dorm rooms.

Free College Scholarships You Should Know About
Find creative ways to pay for your education with some free college scholarships.

How to Hack Google Scholar and Get Journal Articles By Email
Find out how you can use Yahoo Pipes and Dapper to keep up with current research on the topic you’re interested in studying this semester. This is an essential tool for grad students.

The Nuts and Bolts of Time Management
Get ready for the hectic schedule of balancing school with your social life by following these time management tips.

As the Fall semester approaches, it’s time to start thinking of potential research projects to focus on this year. Here are some unconventional student research projects to get your creative mind going . . .

1. Crickets Playing Pac Man

Grad student Wim van Eck turned to crickets to add a bit more unpredictability to a game of Pac-Man, casting them in the role of the lowly ghosts against a human-controlled Pac. There’s few details about how the system actually works, but it seems that the crickets actually proved to be more worthy adversaries than your typical AI-controlled enemy: at one point, a particularly clever “ghost” decided to shed its skin, probably knowing full well that it would become invisible to the game’s color-based detection system. Watch the video . . .

2. Urine (You’re In) Control

These MIT seniors developed a game that is played when using a urinal. “The video game is our interpretation of the classic carnival game ‘whack-a-mole.’ Position on the back of the urinal corresponds to position on the screen. The player attempted to hit hamsters as they jumped from one hole in the ground into another hole in the ground. A successful hit turned the hamster yellow, made it scream and spin out of contol, and rewarded the player with ten points. The parabolic paths of the hamsters concealed the grid-like arrangment of sensors, resulting in a fluid transition between input and output. The game was programmed in C++.” See the whole project.

3. Flash Game – Flow

The addictive little flash game was posted on the USC website as part of his graduate thesis in the Interactive Media division. Within two weeks, it had over 100,000 hits – with no intentional promotion. In the game: as you grow, you can eat bigger and bigger things and survive at deeper and deeper depths. This eventually became a PS3 game. Play this addictive game online.

4. Rubik’s Cube Solving Robot

University of Michigan students Doug Li, Jeff Loevell, and Mike Zajac created a “Rubik’s Cube Solver” robot for their final project — it can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 54 seconds or less. Watch the robot conquer the cube.

5. Prototype Hand Gesture Based iPod Remote Control

Zhuan, Derrick, and Colin of Purdue University created “Handy”, a prototype hand gesture based remote control. The setup consists of a Handy box, an iPod Nano, and a BOSE Sound Dock. Watch the video to see it work.

6. Cheap Solar Power System

A team of MIT students, led by mechanical engineering grad student Spencer Ahrens, has come up with a prototype that one day could be mass-produced. The system is a 12-foot-suqare mirrored dish that concentrates sunlight by a factor of 1,000. Read the full story.

7. Star Trek Replicators and Diatom Nanotechnology

This paper helps demonstrate that silica can be replaced atom for atom without change of shape – a step towards the Star Trek replicator. Learn more about this Trekker project.

8. Using the Force: How Star Wars Can Help You Teach Recursion

The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges published this research article on how Star Wars can help students learn about recursion. Check out the paper’s abstract.

Any other student projects that should get mentioned here?

I was very honored this week to interview one of my favorite writers – David Rakoff.

Rakoff is a regular contributor to NPR’s This American Life, and writes for New York Times Magazine, Outside, GQ, Vogue, Salon, Seed, The New York Observer, Wired, et al. He’s also received the Lambda Book Award twice.

His books “Fraud” and “Don’t Get Too Comfortable” have been my companions for many years, and I highly recommend you check them out when you get a chance.

The interview follows . . .

[About College]

Q. What type of student were you at Columbia University?

A: It’s very hard to remember. I wasn’t super academically distinguished. No Greek letters follow my degree. I was an East Asian Studies major, which meant learning Japanese (for someone of European extraction, learning an Asian language is a great exercise in being very, very bad at and unfamiliar with something. It’s been an invaluable lesson for me as a writer, where every new piece puts me right back in that spot). What else…I did fun theater, wore a long black thrift store coat, and smoked like a dream of adolescent alienation. It was an urban paradise.

Q. What did you like/dislike about college?

A: The entire process of picking a major was more about putting aside many things that interested me as opposed to choosing one true and great love. I had tried to design a major wherein I might learn four or five languages, but it was the early 80s, before students were customers, before universities catered in that way, and before I–green Canadian–knew the ropes. I regret not having really good French, Italian, Spanish, and German under my belt, for example.

If you could redo college, would you do anything differently?

A: See above. I’d also exercise more and sleep around a lot.

What advice do you have for current college students?

A: Exercise and sleep around a lot. And remember two things: youth is the least interesting thing you have to bring to the table, namely, don’t concentrate so much on being a prodigy. And There Is No Map (this is just a sidebar to the first rule. It’s largely unimportant what age by which you achieve most things. Try not to measure yourself against the inevitable hot shots. There’s no profit in it).

[About Writing]

What is your writing process like?

A: Oy vey. The writing’s not going great right now. I do make it a point to stay home all day every day, but it feels like I manage about ten minutes of writing a day, if that. There are some snacks and naps and e-mails and phone calls thrown in there, too. Plus art projects. Lots of duct tape wallets of late.

Do you have any strategies for staying productive and making your deadlines?

A: The perceived disapproval and disappointment of others in me is the most effective goad for my productivity.

When do you know/feel your essay is finished for publication?

A: A lot of it has to do with deadline. The actual time when something is due and necessarily has to leave my desk. But there’s also a point where you’ve written rewritten, walked away to let the gluten rest and then done yet another pass when you know something is finished. Or as finished as you can make it in that time. It turns out to be not quite as mysterious a moment as you might think.

Can you tell us about your next book?

A: To reiterate, Oy Vey. Well, it’s ostensible arc is a defense of melancholy, pessimism, anxiety, and all of the emotions that have been tarred with the brush of negativity and therefore stricken from the larger cultural conversation. I hope to argue (in a highly discursive, collage-like and possibly unintelligent manner) that, while these emotions may well be hedonically less pleasant, they remain necessary and even beautiful at times.

Learn more about David Rakoff:

• Don’t Get Too Comfortable [Flash Video]
• King of the Forest (Essay)
  
• Listen to an interview with David on Salon.com
• A Basket Case in North Carolina [NY Times]
• David Rakoff’s Online Diary [Slate]
• The Love That Dare Not Squeak its Name [Salon]

I’ve only used an MP3 recorder a couple times in my college career, and these were for classes where my professor would spit out tons of information in a brief amount of time (and my pen couldn’t keep up).

Here are some pros and cons of recording lectures:

The Benefits of Using a Recorder

The class lecture is complex and difficult to understand.
If you’ve ever had to sit through a lecture about Foucault, you know how difficult comprehending a lecture can get. And that’s where listening to a lecture a second or third time can help.

You’re going to be absent.
Ask a friend to record a class lecture if you’re going to miss it. Sure, you could just copy his or her notes, but a recorded class lecture in it’s entirely will make sure you don’t miss a thing.

You want an audio archive.
If you’re scared you might lose paper versions of your notes, then you might want to consider having an audio version available as a backup.

You can’t keep up with how fast your professor is lecturing.
I have horrible penmanship, and my handwriting is too slow. So if you have a professor or TA that lectures fast, you may want to consider recording the lecture to catch anything you missed.

The Problems of Using a Recorder

Listening to Recorded Lectures Takes Time
The biggest downside of using recorded lecture notes is that it takes time to listen. It’s another hour or two out of your day to scan through an old lecture. It’s a time killer.

Recording Lectures Encourages Half-Listening
When you know everything is getting recorder, you’re apt to daydream or not pay full attention to what’s being said.

Recorders Require Batteries and Might Not Work Properly
You never know when your last battery dies, or when the recorder didn’t capture everything your professor said. You also miss out on any notes your professor writes on the board.

Common Recording Problems
Here are some recording problems I’ve encountered: batteries died, pause button left on, volume too low, and recorder microphone not close enough to the speaker.

For the most part, I never used a recorder – but what about you?