A new year, a new semester, a new slate. Sounds pretty great, right? There’s no reason why you shouldn’t seize the day and prepare to have the best semester of your college life! Plus, you know what they say — it’s easier to start off on the right foot than it is to change course later on. In the spirit of good habits and even better grades, we’ve pulled together a list of the academic resolutions we should all be making this January. It really is all about adapting a few small, simple changes to your lifestyle…talk about an easy-A! Read More »

I can’t study in the library because it’s SO quiet that any amount of noise annoys me. Someone is eating? So annoying, even if he or she is attempting to do it quietly. But, the guy and girl in this video create a really cool interruption for the people studying. They go totally Glee and start singing a library song. Everyone seems confused at the end, but you know they enjoyed it. Read More »

With finals season fast approaching (or maybe it’s already here for you unlucky few), CollegeCandy would like to issue a public service announcement. Yes, classes are officially over. Yes, you will face a series of tests that test the knowledge you acquired in said classes. Yes, obviously, they’re a big deal. But should you ignore the rules of civilized conduct and go balls-to-the-wall crazy in your efforts to secure the best grades possible? Ummm…please don’t.

For your safety, please follow the few simple rules we’ve collected here for you. You’ll thank us later when you’re not 20 lbs heavier and missing teeth.

1. Eat properly. We both know all that Red Bull isn’t good for you. We also know that Gummi worms don’t count as a serving of fruit and awesomeness. Grab some carrot sticks and a eco-friendly bottle of water.

2. Get some sleep. Real sleep. Not in the library.

3. Pace yourself. Devise an organized approach to studying that doesn’t leave you cramming at the last minute. Then stick to it.

4. Stay of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. Ten minutes of “let me just see what people are up to” can quickly turn into three hours of reblogging, live tweeting and stalking exes. That’s embarrassing and unproductive.

5. Avoid any/all crazy situations resembling this scene that arose at William & Mary.

Does it feel like October slapped you in the face? I was unaware that time sped up, but apparently it did. You know what this means, don’t you? Midterms are almost here. Campus is about to get chaotic: Freshmen will be flipping out about their first big tests. Sophomores are going to try to act cool in the library and be really noisy. Juniors will curl up in the fetal position as they realize it’s the hardest year. Seniors like me will be banging their heads against the wall because that class was supposed to be easy. Everyone is going to be cranky and sleep deprived. Prescription drug deals will be happening at every bus stop. This is real (college) life.

To help you fight the good fight this semester, we’ve rounded up some of the best and worst ways to help you stay awake while you’re studying: Read More »

If you want to go to graduate school, then it’s time to start thinking about the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). But before ruining weeks of your life studying and then wasting four hours of your life taking the test, make sure you even need to take it. Do your research! Some schools don’t require it, some care more about certain parts of your score, and some require extra sections. Whatever the case, just make sure you need to take it.

Great. Now let’s say you do need to take it. Unlike the ACT/SAT, which a lot of people didn’t bother studying for back in the day, the GRE tests you on what Educational Testing Services think graduate students should know before grad school. This means you will actually have to study. Remember probability, slope-intercept form, and all those equations from math you thought you were done with years ago? Remember analogies and memorizing flash cards and five paragraph essays? You better hope so, because the GRE brings it all back with a vengeance.

There’s four sections on this bad boy:

1. Verbal – Vocab. Lots and lots of vocab. Go buy some flash cards right now – they will be your best friends soon.
2. Quantitative – Not calculus, thank gosh. But they’re talking all the way back to math you learned in middle school. This includes arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and quantitative comparison.
3. Analytical Writing – Haven’t taken a writing class since freshman year? You may want to refresh your writing skills because you’ll have to write two essays in one sitting: one argumentative and one issue.
4. Experimental (maybe) – This experimental section might show up on your GRE exam, but it won’t count toward your score. ETS wants to do research on future questions on you, and they unfortunately do not let you know. So basically, you might end up taking two Verbal sections and not knowing which was the random experimental part that didn’t count. I was devastated to hear that I would be wasting my time in this manner, but there’s really nothing we can do about it.

Read More »

The school year is back in full swing, and before you know it, it’ll be time for your first test. While I’m sure a lot of you are probably great at studying, if you’re anything like me, it’s not your best skill. But with the help of StudyBlue, studying just got a lot easier and more efficent.

StudyBlue helps you study by giving you a place to store all your lecture notes online and make free online flashcards. What’s brilliant about this is that since everything is stored online with StudyBlue, you don’t have to worry about carrying around all your books and notes with you wherever you decide to study — you can pull it up on any computer!

The flashcards on StudyBlue are easy to make and use — and their digital format allows you to put more than just words and phrases on them! StudyBlue also allows you to add photos or audio – perfect for art, architecture, language or music classes! Also, when you study with flashcards, StudyBlue keeps track of what you know and don’t know, making your study more efficient by focusing your time on what you actually need to learn. Read More »

Almost every college student suffers from a bad study habit or two (or 1,237….) – something you just can’t seem to break or get over. But fear not, I’m here to help! As a reformed terrible studier, I feel like I’ve got the experience and know-how to lead you all on the road to a better GPA before it’s too late.

Trust me, I know how hard it is to break these habits, especially the ones you’ve been working at for 4 years, but it’s definitely worth it. Keep your eye on the prize and get moving.

Bad Habit: Neverending Facebooking
Ever since this little devil popped up in 2003, vulnerable college students have spent their valuable study time creeping that hot guy down the hall or following the drama currently happening on the quad. Seriously, you might as well just pack up the books and go see for yourself because you will not get anything done when Facebook is on. Now, I have some friends who recommend completely de-activating your account for exam season, but I think that’s a bit extreme, especially when some people (myself included) use Facebook as the sole form of communication between cousins all over the world.

The Fix: I’ve found keeping my laptop on the other side of the room or turning off my internet connection to be useful. By doing that, you make it way more difficult to get your creep on. Seriously, just having to get up or switch on Airport gives you more time to consider if changing your status is really a good idea. However, if you really can’t resist, let yourself “creep” to your heart’s content on 15 minute breaks. This is going to be something you need to wean yourself off of, so set Facebook breaks in between study intervals that get longer and longer each time. Example: Break after half an hour, then 45 minutes, then an hour and so on until you’ve realized that you’re not really missing anything. PS – This goes for any website you seem to addicted to (even CollegeCandy!).

Read More »

According to the Daily Beast, Columbia University, my school, offers the most stressful undergraduate experience in the country.

Admittedly, taking a tour of any campus library during midterms or finals is enough to set your nerves on edge. Under-eye bags are as common on campus as Longchamp bags. Many students (especially first-years) constantly complain about their work overload. However, during my three years here, I have never pulled an all-nighter, missed a deadline, asked for an extension, or taken Adderall, caffeine pills or any type of energy drink (though, admittedly, I was studying abroad during the era of Fourloko).

Is this some sort of miracle? Am I a genius? Do I have photographic memory? No, I wish, and that actually doesn’t exist. But that’s another story. What I am is organized and realistic. And successful.

Here are some of my tips for keeping it all together. Read More »

It’s SAT season and you know what that means: high school juniors are buckling down and getting ready to take “the most important test of their lives,” the test that will determine whether or not they get into college, the test that will supposedly predict how well they will do there. Now, I don’t know about you ladies, but as a seasoned college student I have to say I think that is a load of ridiculous. I mean vocabulary and problem solving and knowing who the Kardashians are is all well and good, but is it really an accurate portrayal of how a student will do in college?

No. It’s most definitely not.

So we thought we’d help College Board and all those other important SAT people out by offering them a few alternative SAT questions. Real life questions, the kind of questions that college students may encounter on any give college day…

1. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila…

(A) Four (B) Floor (C) Bed (D) Death

2. Beer goggles is a commonly used college expression. Explain the meaning of this phrase and then use it in a sentence.

3. A walk of shame is:

(A) Walking into class after said class has started (B) Walking home during the early hours of the morning in last night’s clothes after spending said night in with a guy (C) Tripping while walking in high heels

4. A steak dinner is to real life as ____ is to college life.

(A) cafeteria food (B) Ramen noodles (C) Chef Boyardee

Read More »

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