You know that scumbag brain of yours? The brain that cannot remember anything you want it to, even when you make a solid effort to do so? Well, now with technology, us humans can replace our brains’ bad memories with something as simple as a phone. The way to do this is by simply taking ...
Thinking of studying abroad, but not sure what you need to do to have the best semester you possibly can? Whether you’re going to an non-English speaking country, participating in a formal study abroad program, or thinking about doing a master’s program abroad, here are 101 ways to make your semester memorable. Choose your study ...
Time is money, as the saying goes. And while we’ve worked on a bunch of college hacks and hints on how to work your money to the best, we haven’t devoted enough time to, well, time. But rather than deal with how to save time in college, I decided to take a more unusual ...
For those of you who didn’t know, I’ve been spending the summer in New York City interning at a startup called Updater, a service that helps people organize every step of the moving process – from changing your address with the post office, to getting a new driver’s license, to renting a moving truck, ...
Since the season of sunshine and freedom is upon us (AKA: summer!), many people are hitting the road and traveling. Traveling is so much fun and exposes us to new places – but it can also expose us to a less than healthy lifestyle. While on vacation, most people tend to not eat very well ...
Ramen has been a staple in American student cuisine for quite some time now, because of how inexpensive and edible it is. Ramen can also be quite filling if you add some of your own signature cooking hacks to it. This original Hack College Infographic was created because we, like many students around the world ...
You probably have a $15 plastic bottle of vodka hiding in your dorm room sock drawer. Since that stuff tastes like gasoline, why not put it to greater use? Instructables has a great tutorial with 15 less-than-obvious ways to use that vodka. For example, if you wear glasses, vodka and water in a spray bottle ...
Must… resist… Nutella. Image courtesy of Flickr user Domesticat. Licensed under BY NC SA 2.0. It’s easy to talk about “shoulds” in college. You should get a degree, you should do your homework, you should really start on that paper that’s due in an hour. However, it’s often difficult to turn those shoulds into action–thus ...
Here’s a friend of mine demonstrating how to open a bottle with just a piece of office paper. It’s a little hard to see what he’s doing in the video, so so it basically boils down to: Fold paper in half hamburger style. Keep folding the paper in half hotdog style until it won’t fold ...
an class="full-image-block ssNonEditable">
Sometimes there's just too much to read. Photo by Flickr user Brewbooks and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
It doesn't take most students long to realize it's impossible to read every word of every page of every book for every class. There's just too much to cover, and not enough time in the day, especially if you want to run a club, play for a team, or pursue an internship. Here are some of the best ways to scan through text and still pull out the key ideas in the shortest time possible.
The single biggest restraint on reading speed is your inner voice, or subvocalization. When you read silently, you probably hear your own voice in your head reading the words out to you. This is great when you're trying to dissect meaning from every word, but it prevents you from reading any faster than you can vocalize the words (roughly 200-250 words per minute). Luckily, your brain is capable of processing written words much faster than this, but only if you can circumvent the subvocal bottleneck.
The trick is to read with your eyes, not with your voice. With practice, your brain will automatically make sense of the words that your eyes absorb, even without "reading" it in your head. Spreeder is a free web-based tool that helps train you to shut up your subvocal self. You simply paste the text you want to read into the app, set your reading speed (I like 600 WPM) and a number of other parameters, then stare at your screen as the text flies by one word at a time. Concentrate on silencing your inner voice, and in no time you'll be able to translate the skill to your non-digital textbooks.
Read on for two more tricks!
an class="full-image-block ssNonEditable">
She figured out the backpack thing. Image courtesy of Flickr user Lin Pernille Photography. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.
As I've mentioned before, I'm spending the summer doing a partly-pedestrian commute. Though it's a great way to get exercise and reduce my carbon footprint, I have to struggle with the Atlanta heat. Walking to school, even early in the morning, is sort of like swimming through a soup made of car exhaust and UV radiation. It's sweaty and humid. I'm not a fan.
So, in order to avoid being known as the "freaky sweaty chick" in my morning chem session, I've come up with a few ways to either reduce sweating during my commute or make it less obvious once I'm there. Though the morning commute is still pretty hot, I can at least look normal once I arrive at my destination.
Use a side-strap bag: I used to commute with my beloved Timbuk2 laptop backpack. I had to quit, however, because that backpack has the same flaw as any other: it traps heat (and thus sweat, and my shirt) against my back. By switching to a side-strap bag (I use this one, but any messenger bag or tote with a short strap would do), I allow heat and my shirt to flow away from my body. This means that--at least from the outside--I don't look as hot as I am. Anything that moves heat away from your body is a good thing.
Read more...
an class="full-image-block ssNonEditable">
Yeah, this? Don't do that. It's not helpful. Image courtesy of Flickr user Hishaam Siddiqi. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Thursday was not a good day for me. I botched a quiz I'd spent time studying for, discovered my lab locker was missing equipment, and managed to completely screw up my lab experiment for the week. I felt like a complete failure, as far as chemistry went. My lab TA must have noticed, because when I told her about the mistake I'd made in the experiment (the straw that broke my chemistry-related back), she took me aside.
"Don't dwell. It happens. Re-do it and move on."
The woman is getting her PhD in chemistry, so I assumed she knew what she was talking about. So I followed her instructions, re-did my experiment, and was back on track in a few minutes. Nothing exploded. No one ate me. My grade for the experiment, and in the class, will probably not be what I want, but I'll survive.
Read more...
Allison WatersAuthor
Span DanielAuthor
Robbie WillifordAuthor
Greg VoakesContributor
Sean QuinnAuthor
Caitlin SelfAuthor
Sarah FengEditor
Lev NovakAuthor
Mark FrostEditor in Chief
Tyler MangrumNews EditorCheck out thousands of schools from all across the US.
