College Life
Hello everyone: My topic for today is how to use your holidays to get ahead on your schoolwork. Let’s say that you have Thanksgiving off. Oh, my, you do! What do you do with those four days of not being in school? I suggest you work ahead. Here’s how you do it: Take your syllabi for each class and figure out what is due in...
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College Life
Hello everyone: This is the time of the semester when some students are pretty worn out, if they are taking an 8-week course. You’ve made it through the first four weeks, but the end really does not seem in sight yet. There is probably a boatload of assignments yet to be done, and they are probably the most heavily-weighted of the term. How will you...
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College Life
Hello everyone: I had some students ask me recently how to plan their group project. I would suggest that they begin at the end result and then plan backwards. For example, let’s say you have a group project due in one month. Today is the 1st, in this example. When do you want to have the document finished? (I suggest at deadline of two or...
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College Life
Hello everyone: As you know, I teach at three different colleges. My students range from first year freshmen to graduate students and everything in between. No matter their year in college, they sometimes share a common problem: they don’t follow the directions. One thing about college, and about work life, it is important to give your boss what he or she is looking for. It’s...
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College Life
Hello everyone: Yep, it happens. College websites crash, leaving online students in the lurch. You have deadlines and limited time available to do your work, so what do you do now? Well, do not panic, for one thing. Do all the work you can without the website. Write essays and discussion boards that are due (hopefully, you did not wait until the last minute to...
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College Life
Hello everyone: So, here you are, just days away from the big exams. What do you do now? I recommend going over all of your summaries a few last times and then taking the night before the exams lightly. That is, don’t try to cram a bunch more stuff into your brain, just review the basics, and then go to bed in a timely manner....
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College Life
Hello everyone: Here is the information I promised you on studying for individual topics within your qualifying or comprehensive exams. Take all of the books and articles you had for this class and make a summary of them. If you have a study group, assign each team member a specific book or group of articles to summarize. Begin with a 20-page summary of a given...
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College Life
Hello everyone: A couple of my online graduate students were sharing their mutual concern about their upcoming comprehensive exams. Since I went through my qualifying exams a couple of years ago, it seemed like a good idea to share some tips with you, my readers, on how to successfully go through these difficult tests. First, check any recent written material you have from your university...
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College Life
Hi Everyone: I have been asked to discuss the differences between undergraduate programs and graduate ones and how to make the transition. Here goes. Simply put, graduate programs are undergraduate programs on steroids. Where you might have been pretty coddled in your four-year program, you absolutely need to take responsibility for your own education in graduate school. Do not even think about coming to class...
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College Life
Hello everyone: Maybe you have set your goals for the future and that future includes graduate school. When do you begin preparing? Right now. The first four parts of this college prep series have gotten you well-organized and ready to hit the deck running. You are taking your assignments seriously and you are not making excuses for not doing the work. You enter each class...
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