The Power of College Students

Recent events in California regarding student protests against rising tuition costs demonstrates one of the points I make in my book, The Secret to College Success. Students have power. Students need to realize they have the power to change to world and in fact college students in the past have changed the actions of people. For example, college students at North Carolina A&T State University staged a sit-in at a local department store in the 60's to demand equal treatment for people of color. College students today also have this power. Use the power you have wisely and peacefully. Change the world right where you are.

Parents Can Now Track Students at College

This is a funny video on how parents can track their students while at college using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Funny but keep this in mind, this can really can be done.



Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids

Internship of a Lifetime?

Ok, this has to be the internship of a lifetime. Interning at Disney! I am sure it is hard work but what a great place it would be to work for a while. It's also a great resume booster. Check out the link below to get started.

In my book, The Secret to College Success, I recommend to students to work on an internship before graduating. Getting a job is competitive and you want to stand out. One way to stand out is to say to employers that you have interned at a company while in school. Disney would be a great company to intern with. I know college just started but you want to plan now for your internship. Remember the saying, the early bird catches the worm? Get started now! And let me know if you get the internship of a lifetime. Here's the link: http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/disneycollegeprogram/epresentation/index.html

iPhone app Helps Students Save Money on Books

Under the tag line of "Protecting the Universe from High Textbook Prices," the company BIGWORDS.com has created an iPhone app to help students search for cheap prices on textbooks. The article on the FoxNews.com website states that the app already has a few thousands users and has won The New York Times' App of the Week on Aug. 18. Get more details here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,542965,00.html.

Letter to Your College Student

This blog entry is for parents who are sending kids off to college. I have crafted a letter that you can give them to help prepare them for success in college. The letter is below. You have my permission to copy the letter and use it to encourage your student. Just make sure you insert their name in the letter. And while you are giving your child the letter, don't forget to give a copy of my book, The Secret to College Success.

Dear _______:

The moment we have been planning for so long is finally here. You are going to college. This moment has been years in the making and you have done it. You have worked so hard to get to this point and this is an achievement you have truly earned. All your assignments in school, all the extra activities, all the extra work, have brought you to this point. I want you to know that I am very, very proud of you. And I want you to be proud of this moment too. This is your moment to shine and I want you to shine brightly.

Remember, you are leaving home but you're not leaving us. Leaving home is a rite of passage, a part of becoming an adult. I look back over the years where I watched over you and did my best to keep you safe and loved. I remember the child who asked questions about everything and who wanted to be adventurous. You are now embarking on your next great adventure. Enjoy the journey.

College is a place where you can spread your wings and grow. It's where you can flex your intellectual muscles and soak in the knowledge that will surround you. You are entering a time of your life that is exciting and rewarding. You are beginning a chapter of your life where many people make life long friends. Choose them wisely.

If you ever doubt yourself in college I want you to remember this one thing. You are ready. You are ready for college and I believe in you. Believe in what you can accomplish and you will accomplish great things.

This is your time. While you will be missed, it is great to know you will be working toward your future. Remember it is your future. You will be making decisions in college that will affect how your life will be years from now. Make choices that will be good for you; your choice of study should reflect you, not me or anyone else. Get all the information you need to make good choices. I trust your judgment. Now you trust yourself.

When your eyes are red from studying too late or from crying because you miss home, I want you to know that I love you and I am so very proud of you. Do not give up. Remember you can be a success in college. Look at what you have already accomplished. You graduated high school and made it to college! Learn, learn, learn while you are at college. You will have so many doors open to you while there. This is your time.

You are on a path to greatness. Follow your road.

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Passion

Passion. All successful people have it. Passion is what gets you up in the morning. Passion is what makes you stay late, passion is what drives you.

Are you trying to determine a major? Are you tryingto decide what to do with your life? Think about your talents, think about what stays on your mind throughout the day. What do you really want to pursue? This is a question for you, not your friends, not your parents. What really drives you?

Brian Tracy in this book, Focal Point, states that people who make a significant difference all have a passion for what they are doing. They are willing to suffer and to sacrifice to see their dream realized. They are willing to go all out for what drives them. For people like this, their passion is a part of them. It has literally taken hold of them.

Answer this question. Think deeply and answer honestly. The answer to this question can help you during your college years and in your career. What's your passion?

Use Social Media to Find your College

Colleges are getting into this Web 2.0 thing. And they should. Many students are now using social media to research colleges to see where they may want to spend the next four years of their lives. Research is good. The blog Mashable has a post about 10 ways you can use social media to find your next college. Click the link for details http://bit.ly/yVtwq.

You can also see some of the sites listed here that you may find in the comments section of the aboved referenced link. Good luck.

ecampustours.com
campusbuddy.com
morethangrades.com
zinch.com

Seven Secrets to College Success

Congratulations. You have made the decision to pursue higher education and to meet your goal of obtaining a college degree. You are embarking on a journey that can take you places you may have only dreamed of. Being in college can be fun but it can also be challenging. There are seven things a college student must do in order to be successful in the collegiate arena. These seven steps can be the difference between a B or C student or an A student.

Be punctual: Being late for class is a sign of disrespect. It tells the instructor you don’t want to be in his class or that you don’t take the class seriously. You also miss important information when you are late. Do you like it when people are late for something you’ve planned? Of course not. The instructor has spent time preparing for the class and you should give the instructor the time you have scheduled for his class. Besides, you have spent money for the class so you should show up on time to get what you paid for. Being punctual also helps when it comes time for grading. Grading is subjective and you want to do everything you can to leave a positive impression in your instructor’s mind so he can remember you this way doing grading. Being late for class doesn’t make a positive impression. So if you are habitually late, why should he sweat over your grade? Take my word for it, show up on time.

Do the homework: It is a waste of your time and the instructor’s time if you just sit in class but never do the assignments. Not doing class assignments is a guaranteed way to fail. Instructors use assignments to determine your knowledge and your grade. Assignments also help you to learn more about your field of study. Instructors can also tell if you half-heartedly completed an assignment. And don’t wait until the last minute to do your assignment. If you start early you will have a better product than if you waited until the due date to start on it.
Ask questions: Some people think asking questions is dumb. In reality it’s just the opposite. Instructors like students who ask questions. It shows you are interested in the class and that you really want to learn more about the subject the instructor is an expert in. The question you ask is probably the same question several other students in the class want answered so you’ll be doing them a favor.

Be confident: As an instructor, I like students who are confident in their abilities and act on them. Many times students are afraid to speak up in class or write a paper about an interesting subject because they are afraid what the instructor or their fellow students may think. As a result research papers or projects are sometimes dull and boring because they cover “safe” topics. It’s okay to be afraid. It’s not okay to let fear keep you from doing something you really want do. So go ahead and write that paper you’ve been longing to write or start on that project that you truly believe in. Be confident and be able to back up your findings or conclusions with evidence.

Volunteer: College instructors like students who volunteer. Volunteerism shows you want to really want to get involved in your major or your school. You don’t have to volunteer for something big. It could be something as simple as agreeing to be a group discussion leader or leading a class project. It could be volunteering to be on a student committee or to be on the board of a student chapter of an organization. Find ways to volunteer. This will not only help your grades but it can also enhance your studies.

Be prepared for tests: Depending on your instructor, you may not know when she may call a pop quiz. Successful students are prepared and always ready. You can be prepared by reading the class material before the class, participating in class discussions, and by doing the assignments and exercises in your textbook.

Get to know people: Successful people network. You have to do the same too, even on a college campus. When you get to know people on campus they share with you information that they have. This information can help you in a class, help you to save money or a purchase, assist you in choosing a class, or even choosing a major. Networking is a very important tool in the world of business so you might as well practice the skill while you are in college.
Remember that you can be a success in college. Yes it’s hard but you can do it!

Bruce Gibbs is a college instructor and the author of the college success book, The Secret to College Success. You can visit the book’s web site at MyCollegeSuccess.com or pick up a copy at Amazon.com.

Need Extra Money?

If you need some extra money you can enter the contest to create a PSA for Internet Explorer 8. Go here for details: http://www.brickfish.com/Lifestyles/WindowsInternetExplorer8?tab=entries&=tweetbeep_ie8. Good Luck.

Diigo - New Site to Check Out

Diigo is a site perfect for college students. The site lets you bookmark pages to read later, you can highlight web pages (like with a yellow highligter), and you can even create a presentation on the fly. The site is http://www.diigo.com. Have fun exploring.

Get Money for College

From time to time I will remind you about ways you can get money for college. Finding money for college can be time consuming but let's face it. You need money to get through college. And you need lots of it. So let's find ways to get it. I have some resources on my site to help you find additional sources of money. The link is http://mycollegesuccess.com/money.html. Good luck!

Free Books Online

Hey, everyone likes the word "free". Reading books are great and being able to read them for free is also great. Check out the web site http://www.readprint.com/ to see what great books they have.

Get the College Success Book at a Discount - But Hurry!

Barnes and Noble is offering a 10% discount on books so you can purchase The Secret to College Success at a discount. Here's the link to the coupon code--http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/affiliate-coupon/379000463?lkid=J28009224&pubid=K84208.

Here's the link to the book at BN.com http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Secret-To-College-Success/Bruce-Gibbs/e/9780615192567/?itm=1

Purchase several copies of the book to give to new high school graduates. They will love you for it!

College Recruiters are Twittering Too.

College recruiters are now using Twitter & Facebook to review applicants. As with anything online, you have to be careful with your words and pictures. You don't want to miss out on a scholarship because you posted something that the recruiter may find offensive. Be careful what you tweet. What you tweet today may come back to haunt you tomorrow. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-04-29-admissions-twitter_N.htm

Professors Who Tweet

College professors are now using Twitter to supplement their classroom experience. They can have students who follow them on Twitter to get more indepth information about a news topic or she can post links to additional reading material. Is this the future of learning? Interesting. Read more here http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/43747152.html

New Google Scholarship

Google just announced a new scholarship for students with disabilities who are pursuing university degrees in the field of computer science in Canada or the U.S. They are doing this in conjuction with Lime. Lime is a not-for-profit organization that brings together global corporations and people with disabilities. Scholarships will be granted for the 2009–2010 academic year, and recipients will be invited to attend an all-expenses-paid retreat at the Googleplex in Mountain View in 2010. Go here for details: http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/static.py?page=students.html&sid=scholarships&src=scholarships

The Future of College Education

What is the future of college education? I believe the future is already upon us. The Web will make the college experience into something different, something we are already seeing with social networking sites. The future of higher education is online, where education is open to everyone. Will we continue, in the future, to command students to leave their cities to relocate to site in a lecture hall to learn from an instructor. Now I know college is more than that and I also know that part of the college experience is being on campus and getting to meet peers and create life long relationships. But that is now beginning to happen with social networking sites.

Many colleges are also putting courses online. YouTube has even seen the benefit of online learning by creating an education channel that shows video from various universities such as MIT and Yale. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/edu. This may even help you choose a college to attend.

Change takes time, but change a'comming.

College is Your Oyster

While you are in college sweating the issues of grades, instructors, etc. don't let the importance of college pass you by. You are in a moment of time in your life where the possibilities seems endless. You have the opportunity to focus on several things and you can make those things happen. Don't get too pressured with the small things that you forget the big picture. Take this time to spread your wings. Look at your opportunities. Take a look at your major and other majors to see different ways you may use it in your life. For example, if you are majoring in the healthcare field, how can you use that background in ways that may not be a typical fit. Now a typical fit is fine, if that is what you are seeking. All I am saying is to look at your choices. Open your eyes to possibilities. They are all around you.

Never Give Up

College life can be hard. Working on papers in the middle of the night, studying for tests, completing duties in organizations, you name it. It can all be taxing on you and sometimes you just may want to quit. I am telling you to not give up. You can make it to another day. In fact, you can make it to another month. Keep reaching for excellence. Don't let peer pressure make you give in to what you really want. You have worked so hard to get to this point in your life. Don't let a set back or hard work do you in. You can do this! You can make it and finish the semester/quarter strong. Yes, people are counting on you but that's not why you want to finish strong. You want to do this because of you. You are stronger than your problems. You can complete what you set out to do. You can finish strong!

Easy Bibliographies

Is it time to write that research paper? Don't wait until the last minute to get started on the paper. To help you write and keep track of your bibliographies for the paper, there's a tool to help you manage this. Visit Ottobib.com and just enter in your book's ISBN. The website does all the rest. So go to http://ottobib.com.

Free Money for College

We all know college is getting expensive. Well, it's always been expensive, but in these economic times, its getting even harder for a person to pay for college. Don't despair. Here are some sources to free money that help you fund your collegiate dream. Visit http://mycollegesuccess.com/money.html for a list of money sources.

Feed the World by Getting Smarter

Here's an interesting site. The site, FreeRice.com states that they will donate a grain of rice for every word definition you get right on their site. It's a great way to learn new words (that you can use on that college paper) and help feed someone at the same time. Try it out and get smarter. www.FreeRice.com.

Great online note taking/research tools

This is a quick note about two free tools that you can use to help you retain notes while you are working on your research paper.

Google Notebook (http://www.google.com/notebook) is a great tool to use help you keep track of notes and links. You can organize your links by topics and you can install the Notebook in your web browser. So when you need it, it accessible.

I really like the Yahoo Search Pad tool (http://tools.search.yahoo.com/SearchPad/Video.html). While you are searching Yahoo is paying attention to your search and after a few messages Yahoo asks you if you want to record and save your search topics. You can save your search topics and links and organize them. It's really a great feature to help you keep track of topics when you are writing a paper.

There are other tools that do similar things as the two listed above. Some may even be better. Just remember, with all these tools, don't copy someone else's work. Yes, take notes, but write your own paper!