My Colleges and Careers

Dec 14 2011, 7:00pm
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Textbooks 101: How to Save on Textbooks

Textbook Tips:

1.) Never buy books from the bookstore.

The price markups are ridiculous, and they buy them back at the end of the semester at a fraction of the retail price, if they even buy them back at all. Save yourself the grief and buy them online or from your inner circle of financially struggling classmates. There are two advantages to this: 1.) You get your books at an incredibly cheaper rate, and 2.) You may even be able to sell them back to someone else at the end of the semester for a similar rate, resulting in a more reasonable net loss (or even gain).

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Reblogged from University of Alaska Fairbanks

Dec 14 2011, 6:00pm
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tastefullyoffensive:

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Reblogged from Tastefully Offensive on Tumblr

Dec 14 2011, 5:00pm
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Six Tips for Getting into a Full Class (and One on What to Do if You Don’t)

By Ellen Bremen

1. Resist making excuses.

It’s an early, important lesson for you in college: Professors care about you, but don’t care for excuses. Profs move to solve problems, so your excuses will just take time away necessary problem solving. Don’t say, “I didn’t register because…” The reasons don’t matter. Bottom line: You need/want the class, so focus on what to do to get in (and read on…).

2. Ask about the purge.

Get in touch with someone in the Registrar’s office and ask, “When do you purge students for nonpayment?” Different colleges manage this in different ways, but often, students on wait list are then moved into the class when existing students don’t pay. Here’s the thing: I can’t tell you how many students on wait list decide they no longer want to be there. This means on the date of the nonpayment purge, you may find openings where there were none previously.

3. E-mail the professor before going to his/her office.

Certainly, you can show up in the prof’s office and beg to be added, but there is likely nothing that the prof can do until the actual first day of class. It’s fine to e-mail the prof instead and say, “I am interested in getting into your CMST 101 class. Should I come to your office to discuss this? Do you have any advice on how students typically get into your class if it is full?”

3. Actually go to the class.

When students come to my office and ask me to sign an add/drop form, I often tell them come to the first class. I have no idea who is actually going to fill the seats and I’m far more likely to sign a student in, even on overload, if I can see the actual number of students seated in front of me. At my college, the wait list shuts down on the first day of class. Therefore, if a student shows up in person, their chances of getting in are far better. So, introduce yourself to the prof after the class ends and say, “I am not enrolled in this class right now but thought I’d come to see if there is room. Is it possible for me to stay in this class?”

4. Stay in touch with the prof.

For my online or hybrid classes (that start on a Wednesday night, usually), I will ask students asking to get in to e-mail me on the first, second, and third day of class so I can watch the roster numbers for changes. With distance education classes, I can’t physically see if a student is going to participate, so I have to wait until day three (or when the introductory post is due) to find out. For the want-to-be enrolled students e-mailing every day and checking in, they have first dibs on space if one comes available. Ask the prof, “Is it all right if I stay in touch with you for a few days to see if the numbers change?”

A Hire Calling: How Choosing the Right Major Can Land You the Perfect Job

prefessionalu:

By Naresh Vissa

As the semester winds down, many of you will head into Winter Break deciding or reassessing your major.

For freshmen, this may mean eliminating what you don’t want to study. For sophomores, it’s a question of finding the correct major for you. For juniors, you might want to think about adding another one. And for seniors, this would be an ideal time to target companies in industries that are hiring.

The general environment may not be under your jurisdiction, but you can be the maker of your destiny. For example, people may want to become doctors because they perceive them as successful and powerful figures in our society. The reality is becoming a doctor is an extremely difficult process that requires hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition and years of dedication.

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Reblogged from A Hire Calling

Dec 9 2011, 4:57pm
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How to Dispute a College Grade

1. Make sure you have a case. Collect assignments and test scores to prove you did the work to a satisfactory level. Review the syllabus. It should have information about how you will be graded and how much of your grade each assignment is worth. Remember that you are not entitled to a good grade just for attending class and doing the assigned readings but that you actually have to do the work to a satisfactory level. If you still think you’re being treated unfairly, continue to the next step.

2. Start by Meeting with your Professor. It is best to address the issue right were it started. Set up a meeting with your professor or drop by his office during his scheduled office hours. You can usually find them on the syllabus. If you’re taking the college course online, call or email your professor. Ask what you could do to bring up your grade. If he tells you there is no way, question how you were graded on previous assignments. This is most effective in classes for the arts where there is room for interpretation, math and science doesn’t have much room to budge.

3. Go to the Department Head. If nothing can be done and you still feel as though you should have passed, speak with the department head. You may not be the only one having a problem with the professor and the department head will be able to sort out any personal issues that your professor may have had with your work. Be sure to bring examples of work to show your case as to why you should have passed.

4. As a final effort, meet with the Dean. You pay good money to go to school and you should be treated fairly. If you feel that this is a matter that goes beyond academics then it is time to meet with the big guy. Again, be sure to bring test scores and past assignments to argue your case.

College Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

Photo: Department for International Development / Russell Watkins

Disabled college students have more educational opportunities than ever before, but they may not always be aware of how their rights and responsibilities change as they transition from high school to institutions of higher learning. Just as non-disabled young adults must learn to take more personal responsibility to achieve academic success in college than may have been required of them in high school, so do their disabled classmates.

The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.

(via collegepositive)

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Reblogged from College Positive