So, you’ve enrolled in college and you’re super pumped about your degree in Marine Biology.
Then, you find out that you have to take a bunch of random subjects before you even start studying coral reefs and the migrating habits of narwhals! What’s that about?
Welcome to the world of General Education.
What are General Education Credits?
General Education is the first part of a degree, before you get into the Area of Study courses (the main classes that define your degree) or top off the degree with Free Electives.
Basically, General Education (or Gen Ed for short) is required curriculum that makes up the foundation of an undergraduate degree. This set of standard classes goes by many other names, including Core Curriculum and Shared Experience.
How much of my degree will be General Education?
Colleges (and even individual campuses of the same university) have a lot of leeway in determining how many General Education credits go into their offered degrees. However, most general education requirements cover ⅓ to ½ of a degree, between 42-60 semester-based college credits. Highly-focused or technical degrees may have fewer Gen Ed requirements to allow for more time on core subjects.
By offering accredited online courses that are 36% less expensive than the average price of college courses, we allow students to meet Gen Ed requirements and save money on their degree. Want to learn more? Reach out to Accelerated Pathways and see if we can help you meet your degree requirements for less.
What courses are considered “Gen Ed” classes?
While university standards vary dramatically, here are several categories of classes you will likely find on your Gen Ed requirements. (All credit estimates assume a semester-hour system. Required credits would be different for universities operating under a quarter-hour system.) Note: The degree you choose can affect your General Education requirements. For example, although General Education requires math credits across the board, an engineering major would need Calculus 1 and 2, while a music major could take any math available.
English: The skill of composing coherent sentences is sometimes overlooked, but it is one of the most foundational aspects of cultural communication. Nearly every school requires 6 credits of English such as:
English Composition
College Composition
Math: Whether running an organization, working in a business, or managing a home, adult life goes much more smoothly with at least basic number skills. Most degrees require 3-6 math credits, although math-intensive degrees will require more. Courses that fit into this category include:
Algebra - (Other titles could include College Algebra, Intro to Algebra, or Foundations of Algebra)
Geometry
Calculus
Trigonometry
Statistics
Quantitative analysis
Natural Science: Science is much more than rock collecting or the domain of geeks. As the study of the natural world, it gives us a framework for safely and creatively interacting with the matter that surrounds us. Colleges typically require 3 to 8 credits of natural science, including subjects like:
Chemistry
Biology
Anatomy and physiology
Ecology
Geology
Environmental science
Astronomy
Physics
Oceanography
Social Sciences: Social sciences give us insight into who humans are and how we interact with one another. As the study of human groups, social sciences encompass:
Psychology
Sociology
Anthropology
History
Economics
Political science
Government
Geography
Humanities: Culture is a huge part of civilization, so every well-educated person needs a little insight into how people express themselves in a culture. With such a broad range of subjects, colleges vary widely on what constitutes “humanities,” but often include courses on:
Art
Music
Communication
Speech
Philosophy
Religion
Literature
Ethics
Languages
History (rarely)
Diversity: A newcomer to Gen Ed requirements, diversity courses teach students to value other cultures and beliefs. Depending on the school, diversity courses may include:
Religion
Cultural diversity
Social responsibility
World religions (also a humanities subject)
General Education Electives: This Gen Ed category can include your choice of subjects from the English, Math, Natural Sciences, Humanities, and Social Science categories. Often, your college will give you a list of options and tell you how many courses to choose. For example, “choose any 3 courses from Social Sciences, Humanities, and/or Natural Sciences.”
Special thanks to Jared Brandau and the Accelerated Pathways Academic Advising Department for lending their expertise to this post. Every year, this team builds hundreds of customized degree plans to help students with transfer credit or specific goals find the best route to a degree.
If you’ve just gotten a low score on a standardized test, you might feel like a real loser. But before you give up on your academic career or contemplate a minimum wage future gluing glitter to greeting cards, take heart.
There’s more you should know.
Playing The Numbers Game
Our society prides itself in being scientific, and science loves things it can measure. From the SAT and ACT to GRE, GED, GMAT, LSAT, CBSE, and ASVAB, we have a slight obsession with measurement.
We began our love story with standardized tests about a hundred years ago, when the US Army was recruiting soldiers to fight in World War I. Needing to quickly place recruits into the roles best suited for them, the Army turned to the brand new IQ test as the scientific solution for measuring individual potential.
Over 1.7 million recruits took the test, which included questions like this one:
The most prominent industry of Minneapolis is:
A. flour
B. packing
C. automobiles
D. brewing
If you were a recruit who chose flour, that meant you were smart and might become a pilot and go fight the Red Baron. If you weren’t very smart (or just didn’t know much about Minneapolis) you might be relegated to a remote outpost as junior associate potato peeler.
This rigid system of standardized testing attempted to boil down your interests, giftings, and talents--indeed your whole personhood--to a numeric score. While that might have worked in 1915 to keep the potato peelers away from dirigibles, it doesn’t work so well today in our post-industrial age.
Today our national education system still tries to reduce human competency to numbers.
Public school funding? It’s linked to standardized test scores.
College scholarship money? Standardized tests.
Top college rankings? Acceptance rates, again based on standardized tests.
Tests can measure a few things well, like your quantitative ability, test-taking, and reading comprehension. But those skills aren’t the only ones you need in life! You'll also need skills like empathy, collaboration, communication, and a host of 21st century skills that can’t easily be measured.
More Than A Number
In our rush to quantify everything scientifically, it’s easy to equate personhood with a number. In countries like China or India, where a teen’s performance on the national standardized tests are considered the key to the future.
We often equate good grades or a good score on a standardized test with long-term life success. Historically though, these things haven’t predicted genius in some of our biggest geniuses.
For example:
Albert Einstein couldn’t even read until he was seven.
Winston Churchill failed 6th grade but became a skilled orator, won a Nobel Prize in literature, and led his country in their darkest hour.
Isaac Newton was never very good in school, yet he discovered gravity and described laws of motion and universal gravitation.
Not everyone who struggles to keep up with the system is a failure, yet the standardized test is revered as an accurate measurement of smart kids.
New Perspectives
Fortunately, a growing body of research is beginning to confirm what we know to be true: that human beings have a value that can’t be measured by test scores.
In one interesting study, a student’s level of hope was found to be a better predictor of success. In another, choosing a career that matches your personality hinted more accurately at success than your score on the ACT or SAT.
Respected researchers like Howard Gardner have begun to advocate for more useful ways of looking at human potential. Rather than ask, How smart are you? on an IQ test, Gardner believes we should be asking, How are you smart? Gardner calls this multiple intelligences and believes it to be a more nuanced and useful measurement of human ability. You can take a free version of his test here.
If you need financial aid, it may be hard to get around a school’s expectation for a high score on the SAT or ACT. Happily, you can do that. While you’re studying and waiting for the next test to come around, you might even find you don’t need it.
Why?
Many colleges are beginning to acknowledge the shortcomings of standardized tests and offer alternatives. ACT and SAT scores have become optional at over 800 colleges, including most recently, George Washington University.
That’s actually what I did. Using some of these 11 alternatives to college debt, I graduated from a fully accredited college that didn’t require an ACT or SAT score. Instead, I transferred in credits that showed them my ability to do college-level work.
Failed Your ACT or SAT Test? There's Hope
So if you’re not doing well on filling in the right bubbles on an examination, take heart.
This system of measurement our society loves and tries to impose on you is old and flawed. You might need to jump through the hoops, but never, ever tie your personal worth to your score on a test. You have traits and gifts and skills that other people need you to use.
It’s been well said, “A man’s talent can take him where his character cannot sustain him.”
A standardized test measures a few things that you can change and improve. But ultimately, it’s the determination, creativity, and persistence you show that’s the true measurement of your ability. That’s what makes the Einsteins, Churchills, and Newtons to shine.
That’s called character, and no standardized test can measure that.
“Am I a terrible mom?” Carson’s mother wondered, watching her son struggle through another chapter of his tenth grade literature book. None of the half-dozen homeschool curriculums she’d tried through the years seemed to work. Getting Carson to study was still like pulling teeth.
His intelligence definitely wasn’t the problem: Carson’s IQ was 110, on the higher side of normal. “Maybe his dad can talk to him about work ethic,” she mused. “Then again, Carson studies for hours, and it doesn’t seem to help.” She sighed, sinking into a chair. “I’m just trying to give my son a good education. What am I missing?”
Is your teen getting more and more lost in high school? Have you wondered if there’s more behind their frustration than difficult coursework and too many late nights?
Believe it or not, a learning disorder could be the culprit.
What is a learning disability?
A learning disability occurs when a person’s brain manages information in a different way than other people do, complicating and slowing down their learning. About 4 million American school children have diagnosed learning disabilities, varying from mild to severe.
Dysgraphia, difficulty with forming and recording written thoughts.
Dyscalculia, a challenge with numbers and math skills.
Auditory Processing Disorder, a condition that makes it hard for children to translate sounds into coherent thoughts.
Visual Processing Disorder, difficulty translating images into meaningful information.
How could I miss my teen’s learning disability for so long?
If they have an undiagnosed learning disorder, your student has probably been using their scholastic strengths to compensate. Students often compensate by:
writing sloppily to cover up spelling problems
adopting a lazy demeanor to cover up lack of skill
making you believe he can do a task when he really can’t
memorizing information to make up for not being able to calculate or read it
recognizing context and patterns to get right answers
picking up knowledge from TV, social interaction, or other sources outside school
What are signs of a learning disability in my high school student?
Some symptoms of learning disabilities are:
Exaggerated difficulty, dislike, or delay in writing, reading or computing (think back to early education as well)
Withdrawal or “acting out"
Inconsistent learning
Disconnect between reading and comprehension OR comprehension and expression
Difficulty with mental fact organization (i.e., can’t remember facts or connections between facts)
Frustration or apathy toward school
Extreme disorganization or sloppy work
Of course, just because a student may be frustrated with a class or have poor handwriting, doesn’t mean they have a learning disability. But, especially if several signs are present at once, this list can help you uncover the truth.
Do I need to get my student tested and into a therapy program?
Ultimately, the only way to know for sure that your teen has a learning disorder is to get them tested. Specialists use an array of tests to pinpoint the kind of learning disorder that your student has, enabling you to focus on the best education and therapy options for their unique needs.
Many parents are reluctant to have their student “labeled” or prefer not to involve doctors, but that is not always the best thing for either you or your teen. Especially if your student has severe learning problems, it may be wise to seek outside help.
One significant reason to seek help sooner rather than later is that in K-12, the educational system generally takes more responsibility to diagnose and help a student with a learning disability. In college however, the burden increasingly falls on the student to document their learning disability and request an "accommodation."
An accommodation is a term used to describe the exceptions a school may make on behalf of a student with a documented learning disability. These accommodations can include things like more time to take an exam, an alternate assignment, or someone to read questions to them. Getting tested and helped early not only maximizes the help available, but it also means your child enjoys more years of success in their learning.
You have two testing options, public testing or private testing.
Public Testing:
Public testing is free to public school students. If your teen is in a public school, you can simply contact the school and request testing under the IDEA legislation.
Note: While free public testing is legally available to all qualifying taxpayers (including those who choose homeschool or private school), disputes and attendance requirements can make it a big hassle for homeschool families. Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) recommends that homeschoolers should not seek public testing for their students.
Private Testing:
Private testing is available through specialists such as clinical psychologists or psychiatrists. (Medical insurance does usually not cover testing for learning disabilities, so this option can be quite expensive.)
To find a private specialist, ask for a recommendation from your family doctor, call a medical clinic, or search online for a local specialist to set up an initial visit.
If my child does have a learning challenge, what’s next?
If you chose public testing, you can also get free therapy through the public school system. If you went the private route, private therapists are also available to work with your teen. Usually, they will help with what they call "interventions" as part of an Individualized Education Program, or IEP.
If, after weighing all your options, you don’t want or can’t afford professional testing, you still have diagnosis and treatment options:
Experiment with different teaching methods to find what works well for your student. For example, some families have found great success with reading, writing, and grammar struggles using the Stevenson Program. The program uses mnemonics, rhymes, and other techniques to help students get around a "mental roadblock."
If finances allow, private academic therapists provide intensive, informed learning therapy.
If you don’t feel able to teach your student yourself, but can’t afford a therapist, you may be able to hire a tutor familiar with learning disabilities. Teachers willing to put in after-school hours, local reading classes, or homeschool co-ops may be good places to start.
Experts acknowledge that even very involved parents can miss a student’s learning problems. Don’t feel bad if you are only beginning to suspect a learning disability in your teen.
As you and your student discover the best way to face their challenges, be encouraged! Scholars believe many famous people, including General George Patton, inventor Thomas Edison, and renowned writer Agatha Christie, struggled with learning disorders. Through their brilliance and hard work, they overcame their difficulties and each made an unforgettable impression on the world.
With determination, your student can do the same.
Special thanks to private academic therapist Marlee Joynes, whose gracious answers helped me fill this post with practical guidance and so many invaluable details.
“I’m the quarterback on the varsity team. I’m the co-founder of a startup. I run a non-profit. And I’m double majoring in international business and interpretive dance!”
For a long time, choosing a double major has been a good way for overachievers to beef up their resume and impress their friends at the same time. Can't decide on a single major? Choose them all!
Should I double major in college?
Double majors used to be a way to pursue a primary interest that might not work out and still have a solid backup plan with better job prospects.
But dramatic changes to what a degree represents in society and the skills employers expect are causing many to question the value of that second degree. Employers today are usually more impressed by your experience and what you can do than by showing them you've earned multiple bachelor's degrees.
Most colleges today are still fine if you choose to double major. After all, you'll stay enrolled in their school longer and pay more money. But what if "one degree in hand" is worth "two in the bush"?
Seven alternatives to double majors
College should be flexible, affordable, and purposeful. Often, that can be achieved without a double major.
Here are seven practical alternatives to double majoring that are more likely to pay off down the road:
Finish earlier and on a master's degree or work experience.
Double majoring might work really well for a few people in a few situations. But at the end of the day, a double major college grad is still only a college grad. (And don’t get us wrong: being a college grad is a good thing!)
Double major with caution. Think carefully about whether a single degree could put you farther ahead, with more work experience, a higher level of education, and less debt.
Amidst a pile of mail, your dream employer slices open an envelope with a sharp wrist flick. It’s your reference letters. Moments later your phone rings. Next week, in the interview you’ve always hoped for, you’re sitting in that employer’s office speaking face-to-face.
This is everyone’s fantasy, right?
But is this even close to reality? How does a reference letter set you above the crowd? In the last post, we learned who qualifies as an ideal reference. Now, let’s explore why references are important and the best ways to request them, so you have a leg up on the competition.
Why Reference Letters are Important
Anyone can boast about their own abilities. But self-proclamations are rarely compelling.
Reference letters—also known as letters of recommendation—let someone else speak for you. They vouch for you in the form of first-hand experience from an unbiased, third-party source. By lending a relational and personal dimension, reference letters transform your resume into more than just a sheet of paper, while at the same time confirming its claims.
Imagine how you would receive someone praising another person’s abilities (especially a former employer praising their employee’s work). I’d put a lot more weight onto an outsider’s opinion of a potential candidate.
Prospective employers would, too.
A reference letter acts is a way for a knowledgeable and trustworthy person to praise your qualities and skills, without them having to make an appointment to meet with your prospective employer.
When to Get a Reference Letter
The ideal time to request reference letters is before you need them. Even if you don’t know exactly how you’ll use them, make a habit of collecting reference letters at the time you move on from a life experience (i.e. when you leave a school, town, job, organization, etc.)
There are two perks to requesting reference letters at this time:
By requesting your letter before you actually leave a town, school, or position, the writers have the clearest, freshest memory of their experience with you.
By gathering letters as you move from experience to experience, you will accumulate a well-stocked resource of references ready to supply at a moment’s notice.
However, if you’re already knee deep in the job-search jungle and need your reference-letter-resource stocked yesterday, don’t worry. There’s no time like the present. If you’ve already left a position or place and forgot to grab a reference on your way out, there’s nothing wrong with calling up that old boss, teacher, or friend and requesting a letter after the fact.
Whether you’re looking down the road towards your future professional goals or scrambling to provide letters for a current opening, just be sure you request your reference as professionally and effectively as possible.
How to Request a Reference Letter
To professionally request a reference, make thoughtfulness your rule of thumb. Remember, the writer is doing you a huge favor, so make the process as easy and enjoyable for them as possible.
1. Avoid a harsh yes or no question.
When asking for a reference letter, don’t simply put forth the question. Instead, use your request to open a topic of conversation. For example, you might say, “Do you feel you know me well enough to write a reference letter?” or “I’m in need of a reference letter. Is this something you would be available to assist me with?”
This not only opens a door to further discuss the specifics of your request with your potential writer, it places them in a position to comfortably accept or decline your request. The last thing you need is an overworked, underpaid teacher feeling guilty about saying no because she has 13 papers which need to be graded by next Friday.
Even if your potential writer responds in the negative, be considerate and express your gratitude considering the idea. Remember thoughtfulness is your guide!
2. Once you receive a favorable response, provide any information that would be helpful to the writer.
Helpful information would include a current copy of your resume, any applicable position- or profession-specific details regarding where the letter will be sent, as well as a reference letter template.
Also, feel free to express any particular qualities or skills you feel are important for the writer to emphasize. This will help the writer understand your expected content, purpose, and format of the letter.
3. Follow through by attending to the little, but important details.
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the writer so they can mail the completed letter back to you. Once you receive the completed letter, write a concise but sincere thank-you note. These gestures show your respect and appreciation of the writer’s time and effort and confirm you’re the kind of quality person whom an employer would want on their team.
Now it’s time to go put what you’ve learned to use! With a little head knowledge and a lot of heart, you’ll be through the application phase, past the phone call, and into that dream employer’s office in no time.
“Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation.” - a 16-year-old boy to Sherry Turkle, psychologist and sociologist studying technology and its effects.
Scary, right?
With texting and social media allowing communication to happen without even opening our mouths, it’s no small surprise that “verbal communication skills” is one of the top things employers look for in a new hire.
According to Turkle, “Face-to-face conversation unfolds slowly. It teaches patience. When we communicate on our digital devices, we learn different habits. As we ramp up the volume and velocity of online connections, we start to expect faster answers. To get these, we ask one another simpler questions; we dumb down our communications, even on the most important matters.”
There’s no doubt verbal communication is important. But in an age when it’s much easier to pick up your phone and send a faceless text than to drive to a coffee shop for a face-to-face conversation, we don’t get much practice.
1. Turn off your phone and computer for 30 minutes a day.
Go on a walk, take a nap, cook a meal, meditate, or simply do nothing.
2. Strike up conversations.
Next time you stand in line at the grocery store, talk with the person in front or behind you instead of hopping on your phone.
3. Read good books.
Simply reading will boost your vocabulary, build your attention span, and, through example, help you articulate your thoughts more clearly.
4. Focus on listening to others.
When you have a conversation with someone, intentionally listen to what they’re saying instead of thinking about what you’re going to say next.
5. Meet one new person at work, school, or social groups each week.
Learn their name, where they’re from, and what they like to do in their free time. Be sure to greet them by name the next time you see them. This might prove to be extremely difficult, especially for those on the shyer side, but it’s a great way to expand your comfort zone in a “safe” environment.
6. Create your own boundaries and stick to them.
Decide which (if not all) face-to-face conversations you won’t allow to be interrupted by digital voices. Work on being fully present. As you start weaning yourself off your phone dependence, your friends will learn they may not get an immediate response from you by text. And that’s okay. Seriously.
7. Know the limits of communication methods.
Text messages can be great for short messages like where to meet, yes or no questions, a quick check-in, or a simple note of encouragement. But the higher the stakes the message, the more important it is to use more nuanced methods of communication.
Parents:
8. Model a healthy relationship with technology.
Set boundaries for yourself—when you will or won’t use your phone. By modeling these skills and disciplines, you are not only setting a good example, but also helping your children develop healthy communication skills that will last for a lifetime.
9. Give your undivided attention.
When people (especially your children) are speaking to you, put down your phone. Even if you’re an awesome multitasker, listen fully to what they’re saying and carry on a distraction-free conversation.
10. Declare certain rooms or times of day to be “technology-free.”
Turkle suggests three “sacred spaces:” the dining room, kitchen, and the car. Find out what works best for your family.
11. Create face-to-face opportunities.
Help set up study groups, offer to chauffeur a group of teens to Dairy Queen, or host a volleyball tournament at your house. Not only will this help your student grow their communication skills, you’ll be helping other teenagers get more face-to-face time.
Growing your communication skills isn’t an overnight process. Nor is there a perfect, one-size-fits-all solution for doing so. But there’s a lot of truth in the old adage, “practice makes perfect,” and that certainly applies to honing your verbal communication skills.
We can all use a little help in using technology as a tool, instead of something to hide behind. There’s nothing scarier than saying, “Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation.”
Let’s work to make that “someday” today, for ourselves and for others.
The day had begun so nicely. As you rolled out of bed and donned your favorite hoodie, you held high hopes for the day. “Today will be the day I finally have the breakthrough I need to finish calculus,” you proclaim. You smile to yourself as you pour coffee into your oversized mug.
Three hours later, you’re staring out the window and realize you haven’t accomplished anything.
Well, that’s not entirely true. You’ve refilled your coffee twice, answered the phone, checked Facebook three times, and finally replaced that light bulb in your closet. Sighing, you flip open your textbook for the millionth time. As you find the correct chapter, you hear your Labrador barking frantically at the back door.
While it may sound nice to stay in your pajamas all day, studying at home is not without its pitfalls. But it doesn’t have to make you crazy. Here are 13 ways to avoid just that.
1. Establish a routine
Set a time you wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed, and begin studying. If you don’t set a routine for yourself, you may find your breakfast break stretch into... lunch. A routine provides a structure to get things done, keep the little things (like showering) from falling through the cracks, and frees you to plan for times to not study as well.
2. Get dressed
I know it’s tempting to wear pajamas all day or neglect brushing your hair for 15 days in a row. After all, you’re not planning to leave the house except for picking up emergency Doritos. However, you’ll feel much better about life and your studies when you take care of yourself. Make it a point to get dressed, brush your hair, and look presentable every day. (You might end up feeling a bit more motivated, too.)
3. Change your location
Discover a good coffee shop (and learn to like the house brew), grab a blanket and take your books outdoors, or scope out your local library to provide a change of scenery when hitting the books. Even moving to a new location in your home can work wonders.
4. Switch your schedule
If you have a set routine, but find yourself in a rut, switch your schedule around a bit. Often, a bit of variety is all it takes to restore enthusiasm. If you generally stay up later and get up a bit later, try an early to bed/early to rise routine for a bit. Perhaps slipping in a few hours of study before anyone else in your house is up will transform your study process.
Or, if you’re a night owl, try taking a longer break in the morning or mid afternoon and getting a few hours of work accomplished at night when the rest of your family is asleep. If you’re trying to get 4 hours of studying in each day, try working in a 4-hour block with only short breaks, or four 1-hour sprints at various points during the day. There are no hard and fast study rules—mix it up and see what works best for you.
5. Shut down your computer every night
Shutting down your computer will give you a sense of closure. Set a “quitting time” for your day, and get away from the screen. Take some time to play a board game with family or friends, read a good book, or take a walk. By shutting down your computer, you’ll ensure your work is saved and you won’t feel like you are in eternal study mode (plus, regularly shutting down will help your computer will run faster!) Since you may not be able to change locations when your study day ends, it’s important to use other means to create a sense of closure to your studies each day.
6. Keep your study space clean
This one is more important than you’d think. First, a clean space helps you think clearly and focus, but that’s not all. When your study space is clean, you can find the supplies you need, when you need them. Nothing derails a study session like spending 15 minutes looking for that pencil you know you saw somewhere yesterday….
7. Get a Beta fish
Random, I know, but having a low-maintenance “study buddy” can be a fun way to perk up your study space. If fish aren’t your thing, find some way to make your study area fun and interesting. Try a lava lamp, silly putty, a Rubik’s Cube, a coloring book and crayons, or a stress ball to help you stay focused or challenge your brain while at your desk.
8. Invest in a good headset
No matter how excellent your focus, if you study at home it can be virtually impossible to tune out the noise around you. Dogs, younger siblings, and ringing phones are all very distracting and difficult to avoid. A good noise-canceling headset will be a huge help in this regard! You’ll be able to preserve both your sanity and your love of those around you.
9. Have a good chair
It’s tough to stay focused on the Battle of Waterloo or that tough statistics problem if you’re distracted by your aching back. Invest in a chair that is comfortable and promotes good posture. You’ll be able to focus more and be healthier along the way!
10. Don’t work from your bed
Your bed is comfy. The pillow WILL beckon to you. And if you’re sleep deprived, the temptation just may be too much to bear. But that’s just one of your concerns. Sitting on your bed when studying also promotes poor posture—which will decrease your focus and cause long-term health problems. Not to mention, crawling into bed at night won’t provide the same sense of restful relief if you’ve been using your it as a study station all day.
11. Resist the snack attack
The beauty of studying at home: you have a kitchen and fridge at your disposal. The downside of studying at home: you have a kitchen and fridge at your disposal. Even if food is plenteous (and your mom’s peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are legendary), resist the urge to constantly snack. You’ll feel healthier and avoid the dreaded “freshman 15.” Stock some healthy snacks—carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, nuts, and hummus—for those times you simply must munch... and the Oreos are calling.
12. Have friends
Maintain your relationships while working on your degree. If you don’t have regularly-scheduled social events (like volunteering or study groups), this will require creativity and effort. But good friendships are worth the investment. Allot time for 15-minute calls just to catch up, and schedule the occasional coffee date. By carving out time from your schedule now, you are solidifying lifelong friendships.
13. Be considerate
Of course, you’ll have to block out time to study, and you won’t be able to participate in every activity you’re invited to. And you’ll probably need to kick a sibling out of your room from time to time for some peace and quiet. Your family is making sacrifices to allow you to be successful—so show them the same consideration you would to receive.
If you have been studying for a few hours, and your sister needs the room to make a personal phone call, take a study break to let her use the room for a bit. Help with household chores, and do little things to make each family member feel special.
Studying at home doesn’t have to equal hours of mind-numbing solitude! Give a few of these solutions a try and watch how your study time (and life in general) benefits.
If you want to start a business in college, you’re either blissfully ignorant or crazy.
Do you have any idea how much time it takes to run a business? Imagine tripling your workload as a full-time student and you might be in the ballpark. Do you think you can handle that?
Most people can’t.
Our culture has romanticized the idea of the college startup. Businesses like Facebook, Google, and Snapchat are pointed to as shining examples of what is possible for college entrepreneurs. These are the ultra-successful moonshots—the businesses every young entrepreneur knows they’re destined to start. But the reality is, for every ultra-successful Facebook, there are thousands* of failed businesses that never make it off campus.
You can’t ignore the realities of being a student. Your classes, homework, physical and psychological well being are all going to (rightfully) demand your attention. Have you ever met a college student who had the extra time, energy, and money lying around to start a business? I bet you haven’t. How do you plan to start your business without these crucial pieces in place?
You can try, but you’re probably going to fail spectacularly. These things are not easy to accomplish.
Despite all of this, if you’re persistent and crazy enough to try, it is possible to be a college entrepreneur. You just need to be smart about it.
I know, because I did it.
Here are 9 businesses you can realistically start in college
If you’re a student at a traditional university, there are only a few types of businesses you can realistically start. With the limitations on your time and attention, founding a large-scale coffee roasting company, for example, might be beyond your reach. However, there are certain businesses that are much better at working with or around your limitations as a student.
Knowledge-based businesses
Because so much of your mental bandwidth is already taken up by classes, it’s important to leverage knowledge you already have. Starting a business that requires you to learn completely new skills or gain specialized knowledge would put much more stress than you want. So be careful! This type of business can quickly lead to burnout.
Here are a couple business opportunities that naturally grow from knowledge you’re already gaining.
1. Tutoring
College is hard. However, there’s always at least one subject you naturally excel at. Why not make a little money on the side by tutoring on a subject that you’ve already mastered?
Tips for starting a tutoring business:
Let the professors who teach your chosen subject know that you’re available to tutor any of their students who need help.
You likely won’t earn enough to retire with this business. Aim to earn a little more freedom, not your first million.
Be disciplined and clear with your schedule. Work by appointment primarily; keep strict “office hours” only for your best clients.
2. Consulting
Consulting can be a gold mine for business administration students who want to work for themselves while building real-world experience. For example, most businesses today use social media to market their services, and all businesses need to monitor their cash flow. However, most small business owners are too busy to develop specialized skills in either of these areas. That’s where you come in.
Tips for starting a consulting business:
Pick an area to specialize in and take as many classes as you can on that subject.
Intern with a respected organization in your chosen field to get practical, first-hand experience.
Always provide more value than is expected.
3. Coaching/training
If, like me, you’ve been an athlete for as long as you can remember, you’re in luck! There are thousands of parents across the country willing to spend hundreds of dollars for someone to give their child focused, one-on-one training.
Tips for starting a training business:
What’s the average hourly rate of training in your area? Doing a little homework to understand what’s currently being offered for your sport, and at what price, is the best way to know how you should price your services.
Never try to offer the cheapest service. Make your service more attractive by offering something unique or extra at the same price.
Get your name out everywhere that your potential clients go. Your church, local athletic clubs, and high schools are also great places to find clients.
Expertise-based businesses
Expertise-based businesses take a lot of time and attention. These are services. More than that, these are expert services provided at a premium price.
In order to start a successful expertise-based business in college, you’ll need to limit how many clients you take on. If you’re not careful, your business could easily dominate your time, and you’ll find yourself flunking out of English 101 because you forgot about that 10-page essay that counts for half your grade.
4. Editing and professor proofing
If you happen to be one of those lucky souls gifted with the written word, your skills are in high demand on every single college campus. Simply posting “I will edit your paper for the price of my next meal” on the community bulletin board will bring in so many clients that this type of business almost runs itself!
Tips for starting an editing business:
Become familiar with the quirks of the professor who will be grading the paper.
Limit the scope of your services. You will be asked to write papers for your clients. Don’t. That’s how you get in trouble. Be clear about what you are (and aren’t) willing to do for your client before starting.
Just like with the tutoring business above, you won’t earn a ton of money with this business, but you might earn a little freedom.
5. Photography
Kristen Faulkner started her photography business as a senior in college. While taking pictures of interesting things and people started out as just a hobby for her, it has since grown, naturally, into a small business.
Tips for starting a photography business:
Take great pictures, post them on social media, and consistently let your followers know that your available for hire.
Focus on producing lots of content and growing your community. The more eyes you have on your pictures, the more business opportunities come your way.
Never be satisfied with your current skill level or experience.
6. Web Design and development
Web design and development is always in demand, but rarely done well. Very few business owners have the time or desire to learn the basics of web development. Because of this, most are willing to pay a premium price for a well-designed website that makes their business look great.
Tips for starting a web development business:
Do some research on potential clients before contacting them. Understand their business goals, history, brand, and audience.
Don’t just provide a service, solve a problem the business is currently facing.
Specialize in a particular element of digital marketing and implement it in your own designs. Use this as a unique selling point for your business.
7. Product-based businesses
Of all the types of businesses you can start in college, developing and selling a product is likely to be the most difficult. However, That doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful with this type of business. If you can see a need and recognize opportunities, you can build a product-based business.
Take Letric Longboards for example. This company was started by an engineering student and a marketing student. They saw a need—broke college students need an easy means of transportation—and provided their solution by taking advantage of their opportunities.
Tips for starting a product-based business:
Don’t go it alone! Having a partner in business significantly increases your likelihood of success.
Get a mentor. Having a go-to person to ask questions, or run ideas by also increases your likelihood of success.
Take advantage of any resources your school has for entrepreneurs, like workspaces and incubator programs—or even fellow students.
Passive business
I saved this for last because this type of business is, by far, the most effective business type for a college student to pursue. Why? Because it works with the opportunities readily available to you at this stage in life while working around the limitations of being a student.
The beautiful thing about a passive business? You set it up once, and it continues to make money for you whether you work on it or not. It breaks the typical business model of trading time for money.
8. Drop shipping
This is a simple and nearly risk free business. Essentially, a drop shipping business is a product-based business without the product. You’re the middle man—selling product online, directly from the manufacturer to the consumer. Trust me, it’s easier than it sounds.
Tips for starting a drop shipping business:
Automate as much as you can. This leaves less room for human error and frees up more of your time.
At least 80% of the time you spend on the business should be some form of marketing. The more traffic you drive to your products, the more growth you get when you’re not working on the business.
9. Create and sell virtual products
There is a type of passive business that requires no inventory, and no supplier at all. While this business type is dominated mostly by writers and coders, it’s very similar to drop shipping. Create a product like an app or an ebook, put it up on a large marketplace for people to find, then sit back and watch the money roll in.
Tips for starting a virtual product business:
Update the product regularly with new, up-to-date information.
Create your product for a specific niche. Narrowly targeted products sell better than products meant to appeal to everyone.
Someone who buys a virtual product is looking for immediate gratification or a quick solution to their problem. Do your best to provide that solution as quickly as possible.
Just because it’s realistic, doesn’t make it easy. But…
College is hard. Business is harder. You really would have to be crazy to do them both together.
As a college entrepreneur, you’ll face a lot of long nights and early mornings. You’ll face stress and fear bigger than you can imagine. Self doubt will try to cripple you. Even with all of the opportunities available to you, you’ll have to make very real sacrifices and agonizingly difficult decisions. You’ll have no choice but to grow and struggle through the pains that come with it.
And despite all of this, you’ll love every second of it.
Because if you persevere through the pain, if you’re smart about your approach, if you take care of yourself and maybe even give yourself the best possible chance to succeed, you’ll find that nothing you have ever done before is quite as satisfying or as freeing as being a college entrepreneur.
Psychology is a fascinating field containing a plethora of job opportunities. The degrees available are extensive: you can pursue a general B.A. or B.S. in Psychology (what’s the difference?) or choose a specific emphasis such as counseling, criminal, developmental, or life coaching.
Whether you want an overview of the field, or you’re driven to pursue a degree that’s tailored to your needs, here are some things every prospective psychology student should know before diving into this fascinating field.
What You Should Know About Psychology
Psychology is a Science
Just like biology or geology, psychology is a science. Specifically, it’s the scientific study of the mind.
There are countless misconceptions about what psychology actually is. Sometimes it’s thought of as asking clients “ how does that make you feel?” as they lie on a couch, while some people get psychology mixed up with psychic readings. (Psychologists don’t read your mind!)
Given how often the field is misunderstood, what psychology is can most easily be defined by what it is not.
Psychology is not:
Online personality tests. Personality is just one aspect of psychology. Admittedly, I myself started researching psychology because of a silly online test, but it’s best to realize early that studying psychology is more than relating the color blue to your natural punctuality.
Facts. As a scientific field, psychology is primarily formed by theories. As a newer scientific field, psychology poses many theories that we have yet to explore. Science constantly evolves as our understanding deepens. What was “true” yesterday is not always true today. As psychologists draw conclusions from new experiments and data, theories are adjusted to fit the new findings, and ongoing research pushes the mental health field to modify treatment to better help people.
Easy. I cannot count the number of times people have scoffed at the idea that psychology is difficult. “Pft. I know what it’s like to be a human!” Just because you’re a human doesn’t mean it’s easy to understand why people do what we do. That would be like assuming you understand the chemistry and composition of the earth’s atmosphere just because you breathe air every day.
Psychology is a Diverse Field
One objection to this field of study is the perceived notion that psychology majors can’t find jobs. Psychology is often thought of as a helping profession, but in fact, many psychologists never hold a private practice!
As I said in the beginning of this post, psychology is a diverse field: where there are people, there is a career for psychology majors. Many with psychology degrees find jobs in businesses, schools, or the military. They may seek higher education and become neuroscientists, psychiatrists, or other similar medical practitioners.
Job titles for psychology majors may include, but aren’t limited to:
Counselor
Researcher
Life coach
Consultant
Professor
Social worker
Human Resources representative
How to Succeed in Psychology Courses
So you’ve decided that psychology is the right path for you. Wonderful! Studying the mind can be extremely rewarding, as it grants insight into how people think and behave the way they do.
Luckily for you, I’ve blazed the trail and have made it to the other side in mostly one piece. I’m here to share what I learned from both my successes and mistakes, so you don’t have to totally wing it!
Here are my top four tips for budding psychologists. Following these will save a lot of pain later in your academic career.
1: Psych 101 is important—pay attention!
Every psychology major (along with almost every other college student) will take Psych 101. This is your foundation. Every psychology course from here on out will reference concepts and people you learn about in this introductory course.
My greatest success in Psych 101: I painstakingly drew out, color-coded, and labeled a diagram of the brain. This is something that I referenced in every. Single. Course. It truly helped me throughout college.
My greatest failure: I did not take good notes on anything else. Learn from my mistakes!
2: Get your terms right.
In Psych 101, you will be flooded with potentially brand-new terms that are necessary to understand both for your academic success and the sake of your grades. Don’t assume you know what a term means! (Even if you’ve heard it before.) It is entirely possible that a term meaning something very technical in the psychological field is widely misunderstood by the general population.
Here are some examples of commonly confused concepts:
Psychologist vs psychiatrist. Psychologists are trained in psychological testing, and often use a therapeutic approach when treating patients. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who primarily diagnose mental disorders and prescribe medications. These titles are easily confused, especially because the two often assist one another with the same patient!
Introverted vs antisocial. Introversion is a personality trait which could be described as a preference for one’s inner world (as opposed to the external world). Antisocial, on the other hand, is a personality disorder that is far from introversion or “shyness.” Those with antisocial personality disorder have a complete disregard for the rights of others and lack of remorse, among other symptoms.
Psychosis vs psychopathy. Psychosis describes a mental break with reality, which could involve a number of causes (schizophrenia or Alzheimer’s disease, for example). It is a symptom, not a disorder itself. Psychopathy is described by professionals as a disorder which manifests itself as amoral and antisocial behavior. Psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder (described in the point above) are seen as similar, if not identical, disorders. Either way, psychosis and psychopathy are very different!
3: Focus on the theories.
As previously mentioned, psychology is a science—a relatively new one at that—and therefore there aren’t many things that everyone agrees on. Like all sciences, Psychology uses the scientific method: observing, hypothesizing, testing, theorizing. As theories are developed, evaluated, and refined, psychologists better understand the human mind and are able to apply this knowledge to their specific field of work. Psychology students study the theories resulting from the scientific method of research.
Therefore it’s crucial to understand:
who some of the foundational theorists were,
what they theorized,
and how it’s been tested.
For instance, Freud, Pavlov, and Erickson were groundbreaking in their particular views of the human mind and behavior. Their theories will come up in almost every psychology course you take, so be sure to understand their theories thoroughly and early in your studies—you’ll thank yourself later!
4: Understand your worldview before starting your studies.
The field of psychology can be a confusing place, with conflicting theories and strong opinions continuously begging for your attention. This is why it’s especially important in this field to know what you believe before beginning your studies.
Your philosophical opinions should form your psychological ones—not the other way around.
Psychologists all have different worldviews, and as the science evolves, theories that once appeared solid reveal themselves to be shaky at best. If psychology shapes your worldview, it is entirely possible that you will have an illogical worldview that borrows from several opposing views, and falls apart when theories are disproven.
Understanding your own views prior to burying yourself in psychological theories will help you to sort through the opinions and find which ones fit within your own beliefs and understanding of the world.
However difficult it may seem, it is possible to view psychology from the lenses of your worldview and understand how it fits! It’s your job to always wear those hypothetical glasses to interpret theories, therapeutic approaches, and psychological studies according to your views, not the theorist’s.
Whether you go for a B.S. in Psychology: Life Coaching to assist people in achieving their goals, or you end up becoming a super-genius psychiatrist addressing mental health medically, all psychology students should remember that psychology is science, paying attention in Psych 101 is essential, and knowing your worldview will keep you from drowning in theories!
Understanding these basic principles will help you survive your psychology studies with little to no scarring. You’ll come out with a better understanding of yourself and humanity in general, and will be well equipped to help your fellow man in whatever profession you choose. That’s the goal, right?
