Choosing a Degree - Take a BIG Bite

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: College Advice
• Date: Jun 26,2008

You have finally decided on a major! Congratulations! And now I am going to downgrade your decision by telling you not to get too comfortable with your decision. Ask a few of your friends who have gone to college, chances are they have changed their major just a few times, and there is a good chance you will too.

The reason why many students change their major is because they believe choosing a major is the last step. It is not.

The Next Step – Take a BIG Bite

Imagine you are at a restaurant. You are given a menu, and just like looking at possible majors, you read short descriptions of the choices, maybe see a few pictures, ask the waiter what he would suggest, and then you make a decision.

When your food comes to you, it looks delicious and it confirms that you had made a good decision. But after you take that first big bite, you hold your breath as you swallow the horribly seasoned food. Obviously your decision was not the right one, even though it was a well thought out decision.

Many students will “Order” their degree, but they never seem to take a real bite out of it. Yes they go to class, read half of the text material, and do well on the tests. But those achievements are more like looking at your food, not eating it.

To really test your degree decision you really need to take a bite.

Ways to Eat your Degree

Research – Research is a great way to get involved in your major. Help your favorite professor do research. Doing research with a professor allows you to learn from the best, and you can possibly begin your own research on a topic that branches from the professor’s topic.

Follow the Top Gurus – Figure out who is top in your field. Follow them. Read their blogs, read their books, watch YouTube videos of their presentations. Pay attention to the conferences they attend. Get their background info. Find out what they studied in college. Did they go to college? Don’t become obsessive, but following the paths of successful people is an excellent way to start out.

Subscribe – Get used to using Google Reader, and subscribe to news pertaining to your topic of interest. Know the news of your topic allows you to better build a relationship with your professors.

You are What You Eat – Try acting like what you want to become. If you are studying English writing, become a writer. Just going to class won’t do it. Act like an expert, be confident. Instead of having a professor to student conversation, make it a peer to peer conversation.

Now don’t go acting like an arrogant fool, by pretending to know things that you do not. But build your confidence. You may know more than what you think.

Did you like your meal?

Do you ever go to a restaurant and know exactly what you want, and you always get that meal? But after having the same meal for the fiftieth time, you decide to finally try a different entrée. What happens? You realize that this new entrée is just as good as the other one, and you can’t believe you have gone so long without ordering it.

The same scenario can happen with a degree choice. Just because you like one degree, doesn’t mean you won’t like another. This is why elective courses are very important. Experiment with different courses and read books on various topics.

It Can be Frustrating

Deciding on a major can become very frustrating, especially after you have changed your major two or three times. But you should not be intimidated. Think positively! Every time you realize you are heading down the wrong path, you discover something about yourself, and knowing yourself is the most important key to happiness and success.

Choosing a Degree - Issue of Income

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: College Advice
• Date: Jun 25,2008

Everyone wants to be happy! But what makes us happy? When you discuss your future with people many people will tell you to forget the money and choose a career that will make you happy!

No matter what people say, money does matter. Many people desire to settle down and have a family. Being able to support that family is a critical part to your happiness. When deciding on a career choice you will need to look at the income potential.

Luckily, the key term is potential. By doing some research on different careers you will discover that there usually is a large range of income potential. With most careers you could be making $15/hour or up to $40/hour.

Yes there are careers that are going to start out with higher pay than others, but if you want to make more money than everyone else, then there is only on fact to consider. You have to be better than everyone else.

No matter the career choice, higher income is relative to how hard you work. You must continue to educate yourself, become a LifeHacker, and be innovative within your field.

Yes, being a doctor will get you a lot of money. However, becoming a doctor is a very challenging task. If anyone applied as much effort as it takes to become to doctor to their own career field, they should be able to obtain a high level of income comparable to that of a doctor.

Do not make money a priority, but you do need to think about it.

Resources

Here are some resource for looking at incomes and industry growth.

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Career Voyages
Career Videos
The Career Key
What Can I Do with a Major in…

Choosing a Method, Not a Career

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: College Advice
• Date: Jun 24,2008

You sit down with your advisor and you tell them the degree you have decided to pursue. The next thing they will ask you is “What are you going to do with that?” When I ask that question to my peers I get the same answer from them, “I don’t know.”

Should you be able to answer the question of what you are going to do with your career? I believe we are able to answer that question; however, the reason you and I can never seem to find the answer is because we are asked the questions in the wrong order.

The first question we should tackle is “What do I want to do?” Then we should answer “What Degree Should I get?”

A Degree is a method, Not a Career Choice

I am an economics and history major. That means I am going to be a historical economist, right? While I may end up being a historical economist, it is not the only option available to me. To assume that your degree will inevitably be your career is a trap.

First, we should ask ourselves what we would like to do. When we ask what degree we would like to get, it should because the degree is the method to get into the career we desire.

Let’s assume that you want to be a historian. Do you need to get a degree in history? Not necessarily. Getting a degree in literature is just as a logical method as a history degree. Literature only exists in the past, and usually represents the society of the time period in which it was written. Studying literature can greatly improve your writing skills, which enable you to write better history books. In literature you obtain analytical skills, comparable to those obtained by studying history.

If you desire to be a history professor, instead of studying history from your Bachelor degree to your Doctorate, a Bachelor degree in Literature could be followed by graduate studies in History.

A quick reminder that Heinrich Schliemann discovered Troy and many other Mycenaean sites by following the clues left behind in Homer’s epics.

Ask Yourself

If you are having difficulties deciding on a degree, stop thinking about the degree and begin thinking about your desired career and lifestyle. Then decide on which would be the greatest method, degree, to obtain your goals. Not only will this help you decide on a degree, but it will also help on deciding a second major, minor, and your elective classes.

NEW iPhone - Beneficial for College Students?

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: Jun 11,2008

The new 3G iPhone has been announced to launch July 11. It is a very tempting product with great improvements over the first generation iPhone. Is now the time to invest in an iPhone? Perhaps it is the right time, but I would like to examine whether or not the iPhone can increase productivity for a college student. Because increasing productivity is the purpose of smart phones. Correct?

Who Cares about the iPhone – Mobile ME is more Important

At the WWDC Keynote address Apple announced not only a new iPhone, but they also announced a new program, which I am very excited about, called Mobile ME.

Mobile ME is an email service that will be competing with programs such as Microsoft Outlook. You will have access to email, contacts, calendar, a photo gallery, and online storage with iDisk. There are two aspects of Mobile ME that appear very appealing.

• 1. It is not a program installed on your computer, but a great internet browser program. Therefore, you can access your email on any computer, and use a format similar to Microsoft Outlook or the Mac Mail program.
• 2. Push Technology! I won’t explain what “push” means, but I will tell you what it allows. “Push” allows you to sync many computers and phones together, over the “air” without needing to dock the phone. If you have ever heard of Microsoft Exchange for businesses Mobile ME is the equivalent for the individual.

Note – Watch the video at Apple to better understand Mobile ME

I will be testing the free trail first. If Mobile ME wins me over, I will pay the $100 and year, get rid of Gmail, and either get rid of Microsoft Outlook or sync it with Mobile ME.

Increase Productivity?

I believe that Mobile ME will increase productivity because it allows for easy access to your email on any computer, and is worth the yearly payment of $100. But what about the iPhone? One negative of Mobile ME is that it will only sync with Apple products and Microsoft Outlook. If you have a different model of Smartphone, you’re out of luck using Mobile ME.

The new 3G iPhone is priced at $199, which is a swell deal. But there is a catch. A purchase of an iPhone requires signing a 2 year contract with AT&T, unlike the first generation iPhone which could be purchased, unlocked, and used with other providers. The phone service + data plan will be $70 a month. With a two year contract that puts the total price of an iPhone at $1,879 for two years of use.

Will the increased productivity from using the iPhone be worth $1,879? For a business person the benefits may be worth the price, but for a college student you would have to work more to afford it. Working more would take time away from your studies and exhaust you, decreasing productivity.

Luckily for us, the iTouch has the same software as the iPhone. The only features it lacks are a camera, GPS, G3 internet, Bluetooth, a phone, and speakers (headphones are required for sound). What it does have is Wi-Fi, and on a college campus Wi-Fi is available about everywhere. Therefore, when you are in a hotspot you will be able to access:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Email
• Stocks
• Sports
• Weather
• Facebook
• eBay
• Notes
• Calendar
• Facebook… again
• Instant Messaging
• Wikipedia
• Maps
• And any website you can think of and any of the applications available in the App Store.

I figure the combination of Mobile ME($100), iTouch(currently $299), cell phone ($50), 2 years of cell phone service ($20 a month while on a family plan) will be a total of $930, half the cost of the iPhone scenario, which did not include Mobile ME.

Pre Game Opinion

I believe that the combination of Mobile ME and the iTouch will increase my productivity; however this is my expectations. Once Mobile ME is available for the free one month trail I will be borrowing an iTouch to test everything, before spending the money on technology that is not beneficial.

If you currently use an iTouch or iPhone for productivity purposes, not just music and videos, leave a comment with your opinion.

I will give an update as soon as I begin my experiment.

In the meantime, check out Lifehacker.com’s thorough review of the new iPhone.

Benefits of a Small Local College

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: College Advice
• Date: Jun 3,2008

It is the time of year when many students are making their final decision on what college they will be attending this fall. Many students feel that they must go away for college, but I would like to share some benefits of going to a smaller local college.

The most apparent benefit of attending a small local college is the price. A large university can cost $20,000 a year or more. A local college may only be $8,000. There is a big difference. But an important question arises. “When you pay less, do you get less?”

I believe the answer is yes; however, would you spend $200,000 on your first house? I know I wouldn’t. I would purchase a starter home.

Possible Potential vs Potential Used

I know many students who are going to large universities and are spending a fortune. When the semesters are over and I reunite with my friends and discuss school, many of them have achieved just as much or less than I have.

Just because a university has a higher level of potential for a student, does not mean reaching that potential is reasonable for the average student.

Unfortunately, I do not have any statistical evidence to support this claim. But I will say that I view myself as an average student, if not slightly higher, and I do not believe I took maximum advantage of my local college.

Professors are Just as Good or Better

Universities are businesses, and research is very important to the business; therefore, many professors are hired for their research, not because they are good teachers.
At a local universities research is important, but not to the point where it will drastically affect the professors.

At a local university you will actually have classes with professors, and not their pawn graduate students. Even though graduate students are capable of teaching the course, they too are distracted by research and their expected dissertation.

Small fish in an ocean or a big fish in a pond!

With Social Darwinism in mind which sounds better, 1 out of 40,000 students or 1 out of 6,000. Which is better? I’ll let you decide.

Growth

I am going to a small local college, and one thing I have noticed is that the college is growing. When I started college last fall, the honors program just started its first year. As an active member of the program I have the ability to help the program grow. At a small university there is a smaller amount of student organizations, allowing you to start one of your own.

Living with Your Parents isn’t too bad

Yes, I live with my parents. But because I live with them I have help with chores and finances. I can work less, eat healthily, and avoid large debts.

There are Downsides

Obviously living with your parents can be a blessing and a curse.

Large universities offer an environment that you cannot discover at a small local university. Local universities are lacking a diverse amount of students from different ethnic backgrounds.

Local colleges also lack a sense of camaraderie that usually can be found at large universities, especially those that have a lot of focus on their sports teams.

Can you think of more Pros and Cons of a small local university? I’d love to hear everyone’s opinions.

Dealing with a Change in Your Schedule

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: Personal Development
• Date: Jun 2,2008

Getting on a schedule is one thing, but what happens when there is a dramatic change in your life? I have recently gone through a change in my life and it drastically diminished my productivity and my ability to keep a schedule. However, I found a solution, an amazingly simple solution.

The Story

At the beginning of spring semester, I had recently quit my job; the blogging world was calling me. I decided to go a semester without having an actual job. It was great. I had time to work on my blogs, research, and classes. I was able to work at a schedule that allowed me to go to bed and wake up at the same time, eat at the same time, write blog posts at the same time, and study at the same time. I was reading a lot of life hack blogs and I was mastering the advice.

Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. It was the end of the semester and I had found myself with an empty bank account. It was time to get a job!

Selling computers was taking most of my time. Some days I worked a night shift, others a day shift. My perfect schedule was destroyed.

Luckily, my life hack training has given me the ability to recognize when I am off track. My life hack GPS unit was indicating a cliff straight ahead.

The Solution

Instead of running around like my head was chopped off, I sat down and asked myself why I was having difficulties, because it was easily recognizable that, even though I was working, I had plenty of time available to write blog posts and study for my summer class.

My schedule was flawless before hand, which means my solution lied within the things that had changed.

I discovered that my mistake was misinterpreting what had changed. Work was not the change, because work just took the place of school. What had changed was the method I was using to deal with my schedule.

I took a look at my surroundings and quickly recognized what had changed. My room and desk were a mess. Even my car was a mess. I had allowed my irregular work schedule to deform my daily schedule. I wasn’t waking up and going to bed at the same time. My mind and body were confused.

Recognizing my mistake, I quickly began cleaning my room every day and going to bed at the same time; back to the basics. Something as simple as cleaning your room and making your bed when you wake up puts structure in your schedule making it easier for you to visualize your schedule as a whole.
Now I am back on schedule, and I feel that I have all the free time in the world.

Let’s Review – Rules for Handling a Change in Your Life

• Keep with Basics
• Continue to block out your day, even when the day is open for relaxation.
• Do the simple things: make your bed, clean your room and car, and eat all of your meals.
• Identify the Real Change: Many things are not a change in your life, but rather an alternative to something you had previously been doing. If that is the case, keep doing what you had been doing.
• Don’t Procrastinate – if you notice that you have been less productive, ask “Why?” The longer you wait, the deeper the hole.

My Rule of Scheduling – Most things in life will occur at random (which is a good thing). However, random occurrences are difficult to put in the schedule. Therefore, the things that are guarantee should be put in your schedule. That way randomness can be appreciated, because you are not concerned with the small guaranteed tasks.

Just a Post and an Interesting Video!

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: May 27,2008

It’s been a while since I have posted. I recently got a job and my schedule got out of whack. In a few days I will write a post explaining why I failed at maintaining a schedule and tips for staying on track, even when there is a major change in your life.

For now I will share a fun YouTube video. The instrument in this video is a hang (pronounced hung) drum. It is a very new instrument made by two guys in Switzerland. If you want one of these, be prepared to pay a pretty penny. To get one to America will cost about $3,000 — $1,200 for the drum plus the amount for a trip to Europe or the shipping. At least that was the cost last time I checked a few months ago.

I have jet to actually see one of these in the United States. They are probably fairly common in Europe, because obviously it is easier to get to Switzerland from Europe than from the Americas. Has anyone from the Americas seen a hang drum in America?

Enjoy the Beautiful Music!

Why I Blog

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: College Advice
• Date: May 7,2008

Over at HackCollege the guys are doing a Student Blogging series in attempt to convince more students to start blogging, not only because it is fun but because it can improve your resume. I’d figured I join in on the conversation with my own post explaining the benefits of blogging that I have discovered.

Why Did I Start Blogging? My Blogging Story

I had been working for a company, which was owned by my best friend’s parents, for about three years. It was a fun job, but this past December I decided it was time for me to quit and try something new. But what was I going to try? I had done some internet browsing and came across a few sites such as Associated Content where they paid you to write for their website. Since I had plenty of money in the bank I decided I can take the risk for a couple of months.

I tried writing a few articles for Associated Content, made a few bucks, but I just wasn’t into it. Then I began looking at how to build my own website, which I did. I taught myself web designing and published a site by the end of December. It failed!

This whole time I had no clue what a blog was. I knew they existed, but I really didn’t know how they worked. Then I discovered Google’s Blogger, and I started this blog. I was having fun, I wrote a few posts, but something wasn’t right. Then I figured it out. The Blogger platform is awful. So I switched to wordpress.com, which was a painstaking experience, but well worth it as wordpress is amazing! I suggest you start out with wordpress.

In the end, my blog has only been up for about month (I’m not counting the time that I was using Google’s Blogger), and I still am not making money with the blog. The good thing is that I have discovered many more benefits of blogging than just making money.

Blog=Resume

Kelly Sutton at HackCollege was just featured in an article in the The Chronicle of Higher Education. Kelly said, “We personally believe that blogs are kind of replacing résumés as far as indicators of talent and past experiences.” All I am going to say is I agree, and leave it at that.

Become Someone

Kelly is living proof. He was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education because of his blog. Your blog has the power to make you important. In the real world it doesn’t matter how smart you are, or how good you are at your job, what matters is marketing. A student who is mediocre and has marketed himself well will get a better job than a genius who has done absolutely no self marketing. In the age of the internet there is no better way to market yourself than becoming Googleble, and a blog is the best way to become Googleble.

Opportunity

The internet is where things are happening. It’s where millionaires are made, where people sell their books, share their ideas, revolutionize society, and where you need to be. Blogging is an excellent way to get in on the newest things. Countless people have joined forces over the internet to write books or start companies.

Motivation

The most beneficial thing I have discovered is that blogging gives me motivation. Because my blog is about college and studying, I always find myself thinking about ways to improve my performance. The better I perform, the more I can write about on my blog. In the next month I intend to start another blog that is focused on my majors. My hope is that by studying more, acquiring more knowledge of my major, I can write a better blog.

Discover Your Passions

“You are what you eat.” In the blogging world this changes. “You are what you write.” Since blogs are relatively cheap to start, if you do not like the first topic you are writing about, quit, and start a different blog. Or you can start a general blog for a couple months, find out what you enjoy writing about the most, then start a new blog on that topic. You may discover you enjoy writing about topics not relevant to your major.

There are a lot of benefits to blogging. Some people will discover benefits that others will not. But no matter what, blogging is fun!

If you are interested in blogging, you should head over to HackCollege and join in on their student blogging series.

The Have Fun Misconception

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: Personal Development
• Date: May 6,2008

When do you go out with friends? When do you have fun? For most college students, fun is when the sun goes down. But fun does not have to happen only at night. Spending time with friends during the day is possible and may increase your productivity.

“But we are busy during the day!”

It may seem that you do not have the time during the day to hang out with friends, but you actually do. First of all you need to ask yourself where your time during the day has gone. Maybe most of your day went to sleeping, because you stayed up half of the night. One concept that just does not make sense is taking a two hour nap so you can wake up and have some fun.

How much time did you spend checking your facebook account? If you didn’t check your facebook for a whole week, you probably could accumulate several hours you could spend with your friends.

Once it gets to be about 7 pm you may discover that your productivity really diminishes, and you sit around until it’s time for the evening’s gathering. Why not begin social functions at 7? It makes since doesn’t it?

Night vs Day

In my honest opinion fun does not have to be during the night. Think about it. Is there a stronger correlation between amount of fun and the time of day, or the amount of fun and who you are with? The answer is obvious. Friends do exist during the day!

Relaxation, Fun, Friends, and Excitement can be a part of your life. Integrate your friends within your day, don’t add extra time.

Increased Productivity

I do not have proof, but I hypothesize that by spending time with friends during evening hours will increase your productivity. Why? Because you have less time to work. One of the biggest productivity mistakes is allowing too much time to do a task. When you have more time to do a task, you are more likely to allow yourself breaks, check your facebook, grab a snack, or sit down and watch a TV show.

The Challenge

I am guilty of this misconception that night=fun. The challenge of overcoming this is that everyone has to participate. If 20 of your friends are going to hang out late at night, you are not going to tell them, “Hey guys, it’s too late for me.” You will miss out on a lot of fun if you do. Not because you won’t stay out late, but because you won’t be with your friends. Therefore, if you want to stop staying out till 2 am it will have to be a group effort among your friends to change the time that you spend together.

Things to do During Summer

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: Personal Development
• Date: May 5,2008

Some students will spend their summers working, partying, and sitting in front of the TV or computer, but summers are an excellent time to explore new opportunities and grow as a person.

Internships

It is a late to apply for internships for this summer. If you are doing an internship, then great! I hope you enjoy yourself. But if you aren’t you can do two things to help you get an intern next summer. The first thing you should and can do is work on your resume. By working on your resume once a week for thirty minutes you will have a clean and organized resume that you can use to apply for internships.
The other thing you should do is begin searching for an internship and decide what type of intern you would like to do. It will take a lot of research. Deciding on an intern should not be a task you take lightly. After you come across a few internships you are interested in, spend your summer researching the internships and the information you will need for the intern. The more knowledge you have of the position the better cover letter you can write, and the more prepared you are for an interview.

Improve a Hobby

Do you have a hobby that you haven’t been able to do since last summer? School can take a lot of time away from us, but you should keep up with your hobbies. Attempt to take your hobby to the next level, or to a different area. For example, if you are a pianist (like me) who has spent your entire time at the piano playing classical music, begin to learn a new genre of music. Learn how to play jazz or compose your own piece.

Get a New Hobby

photo by KhayaL

If you aren’t a musician, maybe now is the time to get an instrument and teach yourself how to play. There are plenty of free lessons on the internet to help teach you. You are probably smart enough to teach yourself a few things. One thing I would love to do is build model ships (the real thing, not the cheap plastic stuff from the dollar store).

Improve a Skill

Are you a science major? Unfortunately, science majors rarely get the opportunity to work on their writing skills. Perhaps summer is the time that you can improve your writing skills. Or maybe you are a writer and you could study sciences.

Tangent: If you do want to be a writer you should consider studying things outside of writing. Though it is great to imagine becoming a New York Times bestselling author, that can take time, and you will need a job to support you. As a writer having a large database of knowledge will greatly increase your chances of getting employed.

Research

Summer is also a great time to work on an individual research project. If you are doing any type of historical research it is a great time to travel the country, visit libraries, find hidden text, discover ancient Native American cities inside Mount Rushmore. Alright it may not be that intense, but you would be surprised at how much is hidden inside libraries right under our noses. Just because someone has looked at a piece of writing or photo, does not mean they understand the significance; therefore the item is still hidden.

An Out Doors Trip – Road Trip

photo by Bitterroot

By the end of spring semester I am sick and tired of being inside. I don’t think there is anything healthier for the soul than staying out side for a week. Plan a camping, hiking, or canoeing trip. Take a few friends with you and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Set a Goal

Give yourself a goal. Read X amount of books, or write X amount of pages. The great thing about summer is that you can have goals that push you to the limit, without all the stress of deadlines and expectations of your professors and parents.

Structure

If you really want to maximize your summer, you need to have a structured schedule. That means you wake up at the same time every day, go to bed at the same time every night. But remember it is summer. If you end up staying out all night a few nights that’s great, but don’t make a habit out of it. Try to get back on schedule. Finding the balance between social fun, and some form of academic fun is the key to having a productive and enjoyable summer.