Procrastination can seriously hurt your grades and force you to pull an all nighter, which is never fun or easy. Being a college student requires taking responsibility and avoiding procrastination at all costs. Here are ten tips to help you avoid procrastination.

1. Anticipate future assignments.  You will find that most instructors will stick to a certain pattern.  You will, for example, be instructed to read a chapter and then answer the review questions at the end of the chapter.  Be sure to ask your instructor which chapter you will cover.  Nothing is worse than doing an assignment and finding out that chapter will be skipped.

2.  Don’t put assignments off until the last minute. Once you know what the assignment is, get started on it.  Procrastination will tempt you to put these assignments off until the last minute, but don’t give into that temptation.  Do your work early in the week and you’ll be able to hang out with your friends later in the week rather than staying in and doing your mountain of homework.

3. Do hard assignments first.  It’s sometimes easy to get started on assignments that are easy or are of interest to you.  It’s also easy to procrastinate on harder assignments and put them off until you absolutely have to do them.  You will rush through these assignments that should have been worked on for at least a couple days and end up with grades that are lower than you expected.

4. Work on large assignments in chunks.  If you have an assignment that is huge and is screaming to be put off until the last minute, break it up into smaller parts.  For example, I have a paper due in Literature in a month.  I have broken the assignment up so this week I will choose the short story I will be writing about, next week I am going to brainstorm and find out how I will approach writing the paper, the next week I will write a rough draft and probably have my instructor look over it.  The last week before the assignment is due, I will write my final draft.  This makes this assignment very easy.  It’s easy to think about procrastination when it comes to an assignment like this, if you think about doing it all in one night, be easy on yourself and break it up.

5.    Use a planner.  Using a planner is a great way to avoid procrastination.  First write down all the due dates for assignments and tests.  Then go back and write down time slots for when you want to work on these assignments and study for the tests.  I suggest you study two hours each day in your attempt to avoid procrastination.  Procrastination is easier to conquer when you have a schedule.  But you must stick to this schedule. 

6.    Expect the unexpected.  No one expects to get sick or for a family member to die, but these things happen.  You must schedule your time so that you have extra time to work on an assignment and study for a test if needed.  This is when avoiding procrastination comes in very handy.  Let’s say you have an assignment due Friday and you’ve put it off and it’s now Thursday night.  You get a call from your boyfriend/girlfriend and they are extremely ill and would like for you to take them to the emergency room.  Are you going to say no to your sweetie?  I didn’t think so.  So you rush to the side of your loved one and by the time you get home it’s 7am, one hour before class?  You should have planned for the unexpected and had the assignment finished or at least 90% completed by Thursday. 

7.    Just get started.  Sometimes all you need to avoid procrastination is to get started.  Once you start working on an assignment, you may find that it’s really easy and you’re going to get done really quickly.  Procrastination tempts us to put off even the easiest assignments, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Start out by reading the first page of a chapter that has been assigned.  The next thing you know, you’re finished with the chapter and the review questions are really easy.

8.    Page numbers.  I find that one of the easiest ways to avoid procrastination when it comes to reading a chapter is to avoid looking and counting the page numbers.  If you are constantly looking at what page you are on and counting to see how many you have left, you’ll never get done.  Plus if there are a lot of pages left, you’ll be tempted to put the book down and take a 15 minute break which ends up turning into a hour and then the whole night, because you were tempted by procrastination.

9.    Avoid distractions.  If you want to avoid procrastination, avoid distractions.  Don’t try to study in front of the TV or even in a place where you can hear the TV.  You’ll be tempted to look up or listen to just about anything when you’re stuck studying a boring subject.  Also turn off the ringer on your phone and completely turn off your cell phone.  If researching something online, do not have your email open, it will only be a distraction.  Once you see the little envelope pop up on the screen you’ll be tempted to check and see who it’s from, then you may be tempted to check other things like the news, anything to get you away from your homework.  That’s procrastination tempting you again, avoid it!

10.    Reward yourself.  To help yourself avoid procrastination tell yourself that you’ll reward yourself for getting the assignment done early.  If it’s something as big as a midterm or final exam tell yourself that if you study each day for the two weeks leading up to the exam, you’ll buy yourself that MP3 player you’ve been wanting and if you make an “A” on the exam you’ll get a subscription to an online music service to go along with that new MP3 player.

Avoiding procrastination isn’t as hard as it seems.  If you follow these tips you’ll be on your way to a procrastination free life.  Remember, if you avoid procrastination and get your assignments done early, you’ll have more time to do the things you want to do.  Avoid procrastination and have fun without worrying about having to finish up an assignment.

Source: Associated Content

Get Your Resume in Shape for Jobs and Internships
Before you rush out to find that perfect job or internship, you’ll need to write your resume. And not just any resume, but the kind that’ll separate you from all the people applying to your college of choice or eager to land that dream job. Here are some ways to avoid the pitfalls of resume writing and land yourself in the spotlight.

First Things First: Getting Started
Samantha was just weeks away from finishing her junior year in high school and still looking for a summer internship. She always wanted to be a nurse, so she sent her resume to several local hospital recruiters, but was just not getting any responses.

Panicked and sure she’d be jobless for the summer, Samantha passed her resume to her family for constructive criticism. They all told her the same thing: her resume did not reflect enough experience and education related to nursing. She did include her volunteer work at the neighborhood health clinic, but she mostly listed jobs as a cashier and her involvement with school sports.

Focus on Relevant Information
A lot of students think a generalized resume describing everything they’ve ever done is a great way to get any kind of job or internship. Not true. The first rule of thumb for resume-writing is to only include information that is useful to the job you’re applying for. For example, Samantha’s experience as a cashier would have come in handy if she was applying for a job in retail or sales.

Be Ready to Write More Than One Resume
If you’re applying for summer jobs or internships in a variety of fields, be prepared to write more than one resume. Once you have the first done, use it as a template and just cut and paste the most relevant information for different jobs.

The Four Key Elements
Four main themes you should always include in your resume, no matter where you’re applying, are volunteerism, association memberships, computer proficiency, and knowledge of other languages.

1.  Volunteerism
No matter where you’re applying or what you plan to study in college, potential employers want to know you’re a well-rounded member of society. Listing your participation in a program, such as Habitat for Humanity or your weekly work at a local soup kitchen, can definitely add some pizzazz to a resume short of work experience.

2.  Association Memberships
It’s also an added bonus for younger high school students to list any associations they’ve belonged to, such as:

National Honor Society (N.H.S.)
National Art Honor Society (N.A.H.S.)
Distributive Education Clubs of America (D.E.C.A.)—an association of marketing students
Juniors and seniors probably have more experience in this area, but never underestimate participation in group roles. This includes any other club participation at school or in your community.

3.  Computer Proficiency
Let’s face it, technology is everywhere. Knowledge of computers will most likely be a requirement for just about any job. List any and all experience you have with computers, naming the actual program names you’re familiar with (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Photoshop).

4.  Other Languages
The world is getting smaller and smaller, especially in the job market. Knowing a second or third language can put you at an advantage in qualifying for a job and will certainly separate you from other candidates.

Putting It All Together
While you definitely shouldn’t go over a page, don’t feel that you have to use the resume template that’s found in most word processing programs. These models, though helpful, are often generic-looking. It’s good to go the extra mile and show employers that you are as creative as you are intelligent. Differences in formatting (bullets, borderlines, or headings), fonts, styles, and sizes will catch the eye and draw attention to the most important information.

Organization
You can organize your resume in many different ways, but the following order is one of the most common. Use it to help you get started.

Objective:  state what kind of job or internship you’re looking for.
Experience:  describe your job history.
Education:  just list your high school, unless you’ve taken college courses on the side.
Other Skills/Information:  list your computer or language skills and any associations or memberships to which you’ve belonged.

Action Words
Be sure to describe your roles and accomplishments with strong action words and key terms that will pop out at employers, usually ones that signify leadership and team roles you’ve had. These include words such as: team work, team player, multi-tasking, executed, organized, performed, maintained, supervised, managed, directed, developed, implemented.

Writing Style
The wording of your resume is just as important as the look. You may have to write several rough drafts to come up with one that will really shine. Here are a few writing style rules to keep in mind:

Use matching verb tenses.
Keep all descriptions short. Descriptions should generally take up no more than three to four lines on the page. Full sentences are not necessary, but be consistent with punctuation.

Resume Resources
Several job search engines have resume-building pages on their websites that will give you step-by-step guidelines to writing a resume. Some popular sites to check out include:

Monster Jobs, www.monster.com
Yahoo! HotJobs, www.hotjobs.yahoo.com
JobSniper, www.jobsniper.com
CareerBuilder, www.careerbuilder.com
MSN Careers, www.careers.msn.com
JobWeb, www.jobweb.com

While these sites are free, they also offer resume-writing services you can order for a fee. It’s always best to learn on your own, however, because knowing how to write a resume properly is a valuable skill you’ll have for a lifetime.

Source: collegeboard.com

When you’re in college, it’s easy to get caught up in a busy lifestyle. With all of the studying, part-time jobs, hanging out with friends, and extra activities, it’s easy to forget about a very important aspect of your life - your finances. Read on and discover some proven tips for a college student’s budget.

1. Plan ahead. Figure out where your cash flow is coming from. Make a list of your income from parents, your student loan, or your part-time job. Then figure out what your monthly expenses will be. Include expenses for food, books, and other activities. Make sure that you have enough income to meet your expected expenses. Also, allow a little extra for emergencies. Once you have a budget, be disciplined and stick to it.

2. Save on food. When you were living with your parents, this is one expense that you didn’t have to worry about. But in college, it will be one area that you’ll need to watch. Be sure to use your food allowance and avoid eating out at fast food places, as this will most likely to ruin your budget. Pack your lunch and plan meals as much as possible.

3. Take full advantage of student discounts. Use your student ID’s and memberships in organizations to get discounts in several establishments. Discounts can really add up over time.

4. Use cash as much as possible. If you already have money on your Student ID card, use it first. Avoid using your debit card when you have cash with you. Use your credit cards only in emergencies. More colleges students are leaving school with high credit card debt that will take years to pay off due to careless spending habits.

5. Keep yourself busy. Be sure to join clubs in your field of interest. Keeping busy will help you stay away from things that you spend money on when you get bored. You will be surprised at the amount of money you will save by spending less on items you don’t need and following your student budget.

Source: Michael Freedom, eZine Articles

Students of the University of New Hampshire have an opportunity to really live green. Bryant Park West, a new apartment complex coming soon to the UNH community, is driven by sustainability and green living.

From planning, to site selection, to construction - Bryant Park West are built green. What makes Bryant Park West sustainable?

• Following the LEED certification check list for sustainable buildings
• Site of the apartment complex is on public transportation, allowing for fewer use of automobiles
• Construction materials built to last 40 years, as apposed to most buildings that need remodeling every 20 years
• Use of dried concrete flooring - more sustainable and ecologically prudent
• Programs for tenants for recycling, car sharing, and reduction of personal carbon footprint
• Use of solar, wind, and hydro-energy systems for heat and lights
• Environmentally friendly landscaping

Want to know more? Check often for progress updates.

Did you know the most important way to reduce your carbon footprint is to reduce the use of your car? It’s true! If your car gets 30 mpg and you drive 12,000 miles a year, you will create about 3.55 tons of CO2 each year.

Renting with Bryant Property helps you to reduce your carbon footprint. Our apartments are on the bus line that drops you off right on the UNH campus. Buses run approximately every 7-8 minutes and run all day. This is a very convenient alternative to driving your car to and from campus.

Additional benefit to the UNH student:

• No more searching for a parking spot, saving you time.
• Fill your tank with gas less often, saving you money.
• Less wear and tear on your vehicle, also saving you money.

In addition, Bryant Property is in the process of developing a car share program to eliminate as many cars on campus as possible. Renters of Bryant Property will be able to sign-out the use of an electric vehicle for personal use. Details of the car share program are coming soon.

Typically, every three out of four UNH students bring their car to campus. Our goal is to reduce that number to every one out of four, which will greatly reduce our overall carbon footprint.

The next time your heading to class, ditch the car and hop on the bus. You’ll save yourself time, money, and reduce your carbon footprint.