Learn for Fun!

While many college students are busy and preparing for their core classes for their college degree, it is important to relax and smell the roses. College courses can be stressful at times, especially when they are 300 or 400 level classes. Every college student I meet, I highly recommend taking an extra class that the student will love and enjoy that has nothing to do with their chosen degree.

A full time college student can take anywhere from 12 credits to a max of 18 credits in a semester. Even though all students can take up to 18 credits, the majority of college students only take between 12 and 16 credits in a semester. This leaves room in a schedule for extra credits. All students should take advantage of these extra credits and enroll in a class that they would enjoy. Taking the extra credits will not cost any more, and will help you enjoy college and eliminate stress from the tougher classes.

The extra college courses I recommend that students take are the physical education class; such as running, swimming, soccer, or any other sport, as well as fun classes such as art, painting, and photography. Only enroll in one extra class each semester and make sure to enroll in something you think would be really fun. This fun class is not meant to go towards earning your college degree, but can be added as an elective.

The college years are meant to be fun. So why not make the most of the education you are given. If a student enrolls in a fun class, there will not be extra workload or stress for that extra class. Instead, the fun class will help the student enjoy college classes, help make friends in an active or fun environment, and reduce stress for the other classes.

 

College Course Formats: Intensives

Intensives are a great way for students to squeeze in an extra class in between semesters. An intensive is a class format where students will meet in class from 8 to 12 hours a day, for 5 to 10 days. This format provides students the option of completing whole courses in a short amount of time. Although the schedule format is different, the class requirements are still the same. This means that the student will have to be in-class for the same amount of hours and complete the same amount of class work and home work in a shorter amount of time. The format can vary depending on the class. Some intensives are scheduled from Monday through Friday from 8am to 5 pm for one week. My personal favorite intensive format is Fridays from 5pm to 10pm and Saturdays from 8pm to 6pm for four weekends in a row. This format is great because students do not have to miss school or work to complete a course. They are available on the weekends and are done within one month, which is one quarter of the time of a typical 16 week course.

Some of the pros include:

1) Possible shorter class time. Some college professors will let class out an hour early on a long day of teaching. Although not all professors will do this, it is still pretty nice when they do. 2) Better test prep help. Professors of this format typically help students on tests a little bit more because the information piled on in one day will be tested on by the end of the day. The professors are usually more lenient with assignments and sometimes easier for the whole class. 3) Closeness and support from classmates. When the students meet for so much time and so frequently, they are able to make relationships and help each other, which is not so common in a typical 16 week class. 4) Courses can be completed in between the fall and spring semester or in the summer semester. Students are able to get ahead on courses or catch up if they are falling behind.

Some of the cons include:

1) Much longer class time. Classes can get long, boring, and tiresome. 2) Taking an intensive will either take away a week or every weekend for a month. A student will not have any time for any other weekend activities and will be energy drained during the course.

 

College Course Formats: audit a course

Students have the option of auditing a course if they do not need the course credits toward their degree. To audit a class, a student can sign up to audit the class rather than take it for credit. The student is able to sit in class lectures and work on assignments in order to learn the class subject. However, a student auditing a class will receive no grade and therefore will receive no credit. The student that is auditing a class is there to learn as much as they can while the other students in the class will be enrolled for a grade. A student has a limited number of classes they may audit in a semester. Also, there may be a limited amount of student allowed to audit a class.

Some of the pros include:

1) Auditing a class is much cheaper than enrolling in the class. 2) All class assignments are not mandatory. 3) Students will not receive a low grade on any assignment because assignments will not be graded. 4) Students have the ability to learn any subject, whether it’s difficult of fun. So if a student wanted to learn about art, but did not need to take it for their science degree, they would be able to audit it without it affecting their GPA for their science degree.

Some of the cons include:

1) The student does not receive credits for auditing a class. The class would be for increased knowledge or for fun. 2) Since assignments are not graded and the student will not receive a final grade, it may be difficult for students to have the motivation to complete assignments. As a result, students will not receive the full learning value of the class. 3) A student generally has to enroll with a full course load in order to be allowed to audit a class.

 

 

College Course Formats: Hybrid Courses

Hybrid courses are a format that is great for many working professionals that allows partial in class education. A hybrid course is a mix of both in class and online formats. There is much less face-to-face class time than a regular in-class course, while the rest of the course is completed online. For many hybrid classes, online class is conducted at a specific time where the student can “log in” to a virtual classroom and listen to the student lectures.

Some of the pros include:

1) There is less classroom time than a typical in-class course format. 2) Hybrid courses have much of the same flexibility as an online course where learning and coursework is completed at the student’s best schedule. 3) The hybrid format allows some time in-class where students can directly speak with the professor on difficult of confusing topics.

Some of the cons include:

1) Students must live within the proximity of the college or university in order to attend the classroom sessions. 2) Some students may find it difficult to focus with the online virtual classroom when at home. 3) The hybrid format is not always offered for the class a student needs.

 

College Course Formats: Online Courses

The new trend in college courses are online courses. An online class is a format that a student can sign up for where every part of the classroom learning is done online. All class assignments are given online, all class teaching is either in writing or in a video to watch, all questions are asked through email, and all assignments are submitted online. Online courses can be taken with online colleges and with regular “brick-and-mortar” universities. Online classes can either be taken as a 16 week, full semester course, or as a 6 to 8 week, or half a semester course. The online classes that are 6 to 8 weeks long receive the same amount of credits, but are condensed in a shorter amount of time. This means the same amount of assignments in half the time. This class format alternative could be the best fit for any student.

Some of the pros include:

1) Online classes are made to fit the busy schedule of a working adult. Class assignments can be completed at whatever time is best for you. Flexibility of schedule is the number one reason students prefer the online format. 2) Some people believe that online classes tend to be a bit easier than a regular in class course. 3) If a student takes an 8 week online class, then they will be able to finish twice as many credits in one semester. 4) Students do not have to live in a close proximity to the university or college in order to complete the course.

Some of the cons include:

1) Some working professionals do not look as highly on online degrees as they do degrees earned in a face-to-face format. 2) Online communication with the professor or classmates is not as easy as an in-class format. Many professors respond to emails and questions in a timely matter; however, this is not true for every professor. There is a slight possibility you will get stuck with a poor professor. 3) If a student does register for an 8 week online class, the assignments and learning will be done at a much faster pace. There will be many large assignments that will be completed in a short amount of time.

 

College Course Formats

There are several different types of class formats a student can take when signing up for college courses. Although many students enroll in a regular 16 week, in class course, there are other options to choose from. The different options each have their own pros and cons. It is good for students to understand all course options in order to decide which class format is right for them. The alternate course formats include:

–          In class courses

–          Hybrid courses

–          Online courses

–          Audit a class

–          Distance Learning

–          Intensives

The differences in these course formats are important to note when registering for a class. Different course formats can benefit students at different times. For example, it may be better for students to take a very difficult class in a different format than a regular in class semester long course. Knowing the different options can benefit all students. By taking a variety of these class formats, students can use the various class formats to their advantage and find which format is best for them.

 

Inspire Writing

Writing is the number one skill learned in grade school that is not practiced enough. The vast majority of students do not write enough, which can result in not having writing skills appropriate for their grade level. When students do not learn advanced writing skills that they should have by the time they graduate high school, they are far behind their peers academically. If these students go on to college, they will run into severe struggles when they receive their first 20 page paper assignment.

Do not let students fall behind in writing skills! Have students and children practice writing daily, for both long and short writing assignments. In order to initiate the process of writing daily, have the student start off with a fun or imaginary scenario of their choice. For example, “What would you do if you were president for a day?”. This will get them comfortable with putting pen to paper and translating thought to words. As the student or child becomes more comfortable with writing, have them write longer papers or more specific topics. For example, “Explain a lunar and solar eclipse”. As the student or child becomes stronger in their writing skills, have them write more difficult research papers that require in depth knowledge or facts.  

The more they write, the more comfortable they will become and the better their writing will be. By having students and children write daily, they can ensure they do not fall behind in their writing skill level for their grade. Writing skills are vitally essential in academics, and even more so as the academic grade level increases. At the college level, writing is required in every class regardless of subject. Don’t let students fall behind in college. Encourage daily writing now so that their writing skills will continually improve throughout the years.

 

Choosing a College Degree

As college students are beginning a new school year, college freshman are gaining the new experience of the college life for the first time. Many college students, especially freshman, may be taking a set of general classes this semester because they do not know which major to choose for their college degree. Although taking general classes for the first year is fine, by the sophomore year, students should have a general idea of what major to declare and begin to work towards. Unfortunately, many students get anxiety about choosing one major. Although this decision is very important, it is not the most important decision a person will have to make.

When choosing a college major, it is important to choose something you enjoy or something you are skilled at. For example, I personally do not understand law, and would not do well with a law degree. Nor can I draw well, so I would not appreciate an arts degree. Choosing something you have skill at or you enjoy will make the entire college experience that much more enjoyable.

Although some degrees can be very specialized and important for the given field, such as law or nursing, many degrees will give you a broader range of employment opportunities. So depending on the field that you would like to go into, the type of degree may not be pivotal.

Here’s some encouragement: I work in an office at a desk job, and, although all my co-workers may have degrees, the type of degree varies greatly. One person may have a degree in business, while another has one in literature, while another person has one in physics. So if you choose to change fields after you obtain your degree, then that is absolutely possible.

Overall, choosing your college degree may be important, but, in the end, employers are more impressed that you have a degree rather than what major you obtained. Just remember, college students change their declared major 3 to 4 times on average. So release the anxiety when choosing a college degree, and do your best with whatever you choose.

Summer College Courses

The summer is here and, for many college students, this is the time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the summer. However, now is the best time to take college courses. Summer is the best time to catch up or get ahead on your college degree program. There are several benefits to taking classes during the summer rather than waiting for the fall and spring semester.

First, taking summer credits are less expensive than taking fall and spring credits. Summer credits can be anywhere from a few hundred dollars off per credit to half price. There are tremendous cost savings when taking a 3 or 4 credit summer class with your college. There are even better costs savings when you take a few summer classes at a local community college and transferring the credits to your college at the end of the summer. Just double check in advance that the credits will transfer.

Second, by taking summer classes every summer, you can easily eliminate one to two semesters at college. If you take a total of 15 credits spread out over three summers, you will be able to finish your degree early, eliminating your last semester. Every college student can clearly see the extreme cost savings advantage of a whole semester. Depending on the college, you can save anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000.

Although taking summer classes may mean a busy summer, the amount of money you will save is well worth the work. For most colleges, it is not too late to sign up for summer college courses. The price of getting a degree can seem overwhelming. So sign up now and enjoy the cost saving benefits of summer classes.

Prepare for the Next Semester

Many college students have just finished the spring semester of 2013 and plan to sit back and enjoy the summer break. Although summer break is the best part of the year, college students can still focus on getting good grades for next semester. Since there are several months for the summer break, college students can greatly utilize this time for preparing for the fall semester of 2013. But how can college students prepare when the semester has not even begun?

1. Evaluate last semester. Evaluate your struggles and weaknesses from the previous semester. What areas did you struggle? How can you improve? What can you do now to perform better in the future?
2. Improve on your weakness. Do the work now in the areas of weakness in order to improve your quality of learning and quality of performance. For example, if you struggled in the reading part of last semester, focus on improving your reading speed. If you struggled with writing long research papers, continue to write essays over the summer.
3. Study the text for next semester. If you are already signed up in your classes for next semester, then you can begin to study and familiarize yourself with the subject. Beginning to familiarize yourself with the topics and concepts now will help ease the burden of learning and information overload once the semester begins.
4. Rest and Relaxation. R&R is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health. The semester can be overwhelmingly demanding on your time and energy. So it’s important to relax and decompress before the next semester begins. Being completely recuperated for the start of the next semester will allow you to be energized and better able to take on the mental demands of the semester.

Although summer break is a time for fun, the summer months are a great time to get a jump start on the coming fall semester. By utilizing this time properly, any student can greatly improve themselves to be better prepared for the challenges the next school year brings. As a result, the fall semester will be less stressful, less time consuming, and less mentally demanding, which ultimately results in improved grades.