Students blog

The challenge of being a productive college student is that, for the first time in the traditional student's life, he or she has so much freedom in how time is spent, a sharp contrast from high school. It can be intimidating, but it should really be viewed as a terrific opportunity. Interests, hobbies, class times and majors influence the exact responsibilities each student has, but students should apply themselves in specific ways to make the most of their time.

Here are 6 areas to prioritize to achieve a productive lifestyle.

1. Studying

This is both most obvious and vital, hence it is placed first on the list. Most professors in three credit hour courses recommend a minimum nine hours of study per week—If a student takes 15 credit hours, that’s a recommended 135 hours of study weekly, excluding class time! Realistically, some classes, especially core courses and prerequisites, demand maybe two hours, while a major course could demand 12. Every student is different; just make certain you review regularly and stay on top of the busy work for easy points.

2. Physical Fitness

An active, healthy body makes for a strong mind. Lift weights and run long distances if you prefer, but that isn’t at all necessary—just keep moving to stay fresh. For me, I play basketball with my friends two or three times a week at the campus rec center, push some weights around or hit a treadmill two more times. Choose whatever you prefer; keep a strong body and have some fun while doing it.

3. Campus Involvement

Staying tied in on campus is a great way to get the most out of your college experience. There is plenty of overlap here with other points, but getting an on-campus job and being involved with clubs can help a student immensely. Most schools have student organizations centered around each major or college and are great ways to get involved. However, get out of your comfort zone and try other areas: student government, intramurals, and more.

4. Nutrition/Meal prep

This one can be tricky, especially for those living on campus with no kitchen. As I said in point 2, a healthy, strong body makes for a strong mind, so work on yourself in every aspect. Nearly every eating location on campus is required to offer low calorie or vegetarian meal options, so take advantage. Eat at regular intervals; eat with constraint. Take care of yourself to perform at your best.

5. Outside Work/Side Projects

This one encompasses both short- and long-term development. Some students may need to work full time jobs to help fund college. For a traditional student, part-time on-campus employment opportunities may need a little digging but should be very easy to find. Any good part-time college position will be flexible with your classes. Have new experiences, get some cash to have fun with your friends, and maybe save some away if you can. At the same time, look at career development—work on those LinkedIn profiles, reach out to established professionals in fields you’re interested in. Work on your own projects that excite you: research a topic you often think about, coach a youth sport you love, read a book, or, maybe, even write one. There is no limit to the applicable options here, work hard on whatever piques your interest.

6. Rest and Recovery

Getting to all of those above can feel like a lot to tackle. But what’s just as important as any of those is personal time. College is meant to be enjoyable. Work hard, live hard. Go watch your school play any and all sports, go out with friends on a Friday night. You’ve earned it.

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Thanksgiving break has always been a favorite of mine, even though I’m not a fan of turkey. My love of Thanksgiving is far removed from its original meaning and more about how we celebrate it. Similar to New Year’s or the 4th of July, the majority of children and adults in the US are given time off from work/school because of Thanksgiving, often for an entire week. This common practice gives people time for traveling throughout the break. For example, my immediate family and I live in a different state than the rest of my extended family. We live in Georgia while my maternal extended family is located in Chicago, Illinois, and my paternal extended family is located in various parts of northern and central Florida. Because I get to see my maternal family many times throughout the year, my siblings and I enjoy driving down to Florida once a year to visit my paternal family for Thanksgiving.

Variety at Dinner

I always have such a fun vacation during Thanksgiving break. I have a lot of family members who live in Florida and who drop by sometime during Thanksgiving week. It’s so interesting to catch up with so many different people while listening to music or eating food. Every family that comes chips in a portion of the big dinner Thanksgiving night, with my host cooking the majority of the dishes served. With so many people at the dinner, guests don't typically eat together at one big table. Instead, people are encouraged to eat in the living room, in the backyard, or even on tables set up in the garage and driveway. Music and laughter are everywhere, and the dinner lasts for hours.

The Fall Break

Though I have many personal reasons to enjoy Thanksgiving break, a more common positive about the holiday is when it happens. For college students, the fall semester can be tough. You have to get back to the mindset of school and the weather gets colder and colder. Besides Labor Day weekend, most colleges don’t have a significant break until later November with Thanksgiving. During my first year of college, I would often find myself counting down the days until Thanksgiving as a break from the months of learning I was getting used to. Even if you don’t travel for Thanksgiving, or celebrate the holiday in any way, any student can appreciate the much-needed fall vacation that is Thanksgiving break.

If you were to ask me what my favorite holiday was, I would likely respond with Christmas. However, if you were to ask me what holiday I look forward to the most, my answer would have to be Thanksgiving. I don’t have many attachments to the historical origin of the holiday, but I spend the majority of the fall semester looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with my family.

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Do you remember your childhood stuffed animal? Do you recall that special item that you may have carried close to your heart until the fabric and stitches started to fall apart? I certainly do! Mine was a stuffed bear named affectionately after the holiday he was given to me on! As we grow up, college students may think that they’ve outgrown their cuddly companions, but it has become more and more apparent that these toys have benefits for college students too!

College Anxiety

First off, let's talk about anxiety. We all know college life can be overwhelming at times, and that's where our fluffy friends step in. Consider weighted stuffed animals! The pressure they provide can make students feel comfortable and calm. Some are even made with beads that can be microwaved and heated to give a warm and comforting feeling.

Cuddles for a Cause

But that's not all. Some companies sell stuffed animals for a cause! A love for plushies can actually make a positive impact on the world. Multiple organizations donate a portion of their proceeds from stuffed animal sales to help animals in need. Oftentimes zoos will have this kind of product available or other websites that allow you to “adopt” an animal. Support animals by cuddling them!

Dorm Decor

Stuffed animals can also add a touch of fun to our college lives. They can brighten up our dorm rooms, add a splash of color to study spaces, provide a little reminder of home, and make a boring day a little bit brighter. Plus, they make for the perfect social media buddies and props for cute photos! Not to mention that they can also be collected. I’m sure many have seen how intensely some people collect certain brands of stuffed animals, and it can honestly be a lot of fun! Especially if the stuffed animals come in “blind boxes!”

All in all, those little stuffed toys can have a much bigger impact than what you man think! Give it a shot and give a stuffed animal a hug!

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

Thanksgiving is the season of spending time with family, and big savings within stores. We all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but not many people know about Small Business Saturday. This holiday takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving and is celebrated to bring recognition to small and local businesses. While there’s no wrong in wanting to scour the stores in search of a good deal, it is important to appreciate the small businesses and local shops within our communities. These vendors often get overshadowed by bigger corporations in the frenzy of holiday shopping.

Why is it important to support small businesses?

Whether or not you realize it, small businesses have a huge impact on our local and global communities. Starting at home, supporting a small business helps to bolster the local economies and support underrepresented groups within your area. Many of these businesses are started by locals with a passion and a small budget to achieve their dreams. Additionally, some businesses are started by all-female teams, LGBTQIA+ persons, and people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Buying from these sellers is a great way to directly support them as opposed to buying from collections curated by mass retailers.

In a global context, buying from small and local businesses helps to greatly reduce your carbon footprint. Products sold within larger corporations and franchises are often produced in bulk within factories and/or go through multiple stages of transportation to reach the shelves. This process takes a huge toll on the environment due to loss of habitat, carbon emissions, and resource depletion. Buying from local and small businesses greatly reduces this impact, since the products are usually produced on a smaller scale and take less transportation to reach the consumer. As another bonus, these smaller production scales often result in better quality and longer-lasting products than what you would find from mass retailers.

Where to find small businesses.

Now that you know the reasons why you should support small businesses, where can you find them? Here is a list of some ways to find small businesses any time but especially on Small Business Saturday:

1. Search on social media or Google – You would be surprised what a quick search online could bring back. Yelp and pages curated towards finding local spots are a great place to start! A lot of college towns and cities are also rich with a local business culture.
2. Attend local markets and art festivals – Many small businesses do not have the budget to have a stand-alone shop. Thus, business owners turn to community events to sell. This is also a great way to get to meet and make a connection with the owners.
3. Browse on Etsy – If you're still having trouble finding small businesses within your area after the first two steps, Etsy is a great place to find small shops internationally. While this is not the most ideal option to support small businesses, Etsy has a better filter for small businesses than other popular online shopping sites.

Supporting small businesses on a budget.

Since many small businesses cater towards handmade art, food, and clothing items, prices at these shops can have a vast range. Unfortunately, this also means that some shops might have items priced outside of a reasonable budget for a college student. As a college student in love with local artwork myself, there have been so many times where I have had to walk away from a purchase because I couldn't afford it. However, even if you are on a budget, there are still ways to support small businesses on this holiday! Following small businesses on social media and attending craft fairs are a great way to show your support, without having to worry about your bank account. Even talking about your favorite shops that you’ve seen or plan to buy from one day to your friends and family is a great way to help promote these businesses.

Whether it’s in-person or online, directly, or indirectly, hopefully this article will give you some ideas on how to support the small businesses within your community on this holiday! Happy shopping!

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

Many families’ Thanksgiving menus feature the same thing every year: turkey, potatoes, mac & cheese, green bean casserole, and stuffing. Right? Not in my house. Every year my Aunt Megan creates a new dish or adds a twist to make something different. With such a passion for food, she does this to keep the spark and excitement alive. These are my top 3 dishes that Megan has cooked for our family which might inspire yours for the future.

Appetizer

To hold off the hungry family, maple green beans in a bacon bundle were provided as an appetizer. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of green beans, but I continued to fill my plate with these bites. They acted as a perfect bite size snack that could be made any day and encouraged the entire guest list to indulge.

Main Side

As a main course side, white cheddar rosemary garlic mashed potatoes were created. Mashed potatoes are a staple Thanksgiving side item, but adding extras caught everyone’s eye. This dish was filling and tasty, yet it did not take away from the natural goodness of mashed potatoes. Instead, this dish enhanced the already perfect side and grew the tables' excitement for what was to come next.

Dessert

To close out the meal, Megan produced a pound cake trifle with brown butter crème anglaise topped with berries and whipped cream. Naturally, this was my favorite dish served for the entire meal, and it is pictured above. This dish was like something I had never seen before, and it was layered inside of a large bowl to spread the flavor. This dessert was airy, light, and healthy; it supplied necessary comfort to the family preparing for their food comas.

Every year we are all excited to see what Megan plans to bring, and her thoughts are usually a surprise to all including herself. She uses her experience, the internet, and other restaurants to inspire her dishes. That said, I encourage you to try creating a new dish for your Thanksgiving dinner! Although deliciousness is preferred, it is not needed! Take the risk, experiment in the kitchen, and bring something new to your Thanksgiving table.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

From tuition and housing to food and entertainment, college is expensive! It seems like everywhere you look is somewhere you have to spend money. To help with expenses, many full-time college students have jobs, which can make it difficult to manage your schedule and maintain academic success. Sometimes you may feel like you’re putting too much time toward one, and not enough time on the other. No matter your situation, we could all benefit from some cost-saving tips. Here are three tips to help save money while in college!

Attend Events on Campus

At the beginning of each semester, a lot of colleges hold free on-campus events! These types of events aim to help new freshmen become more comfortable in a new environment. It helps the new students meet other people, get to know the campus, and learn about on-campus groups (i.e. sororities/fraternities and clubs). These events are not only for new students but are often open to returning students. While these events are a great way to get involved with your campus community, there are often free giveaways and swag items up for grabs. From t-shirts to bags to notepads to mechanical pencils, there is a lot of free stuff being given away. As the semester goes on, keep a lookout for more free events on campus. Get involved with on campus events and enjoy the freebies which can help you save money, too!

Take advantage of the Meal Plan

Many colleges require students who live on-campus to select a meal plan. Even if you live off-campus, you can take advantage of this! Especially if you are required to pay for it, you might as well use it! This saves you from having to spend extra money on groceries and having to go out to eat. Most colleges also have multiple meal plan options for students to pick from. Starting out it may be difficult to know what meal plan will work best for you, but you will quickly learn how to maximize your plan and can always adjust the next semester. This way you save money and eat the food you want to eat, whether it be on campus restaurants, in the cafeteria, or at home.

Borrow or Rent Textbooks

In my experience, many teachers use presentations to teach instead of closely following the textbook. That being said, this doesn’t mean textbooks are useless and never required. There are professors who still rely heavily on their textbooks, and even if the professor doesn’t really use the textbook, it can be a great resource for studying and learning more about a topic. The one drawback to physical textbooks, however, is that they are pretty expensive. Instead of buying all new textbooks, try renting them or using a digital eTextbook format. I have found that eTextbooks are available for less than half what the textbooks cost and have other great features such as audiobooks, study tools, and video for on-the-go learning.

From tuition and housing to food and entertainment, college is expensive! It may seem like everywhere you look is somewhere you have to spend money. By using these three tips, you can save some money and still get the full college experience!

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

We’ve asked science majors from universities all over the country to share their no-fail tips for studying success. From the first day to finals, use these tips to help you study smarter.

1) Calendarize the syllabus

The first thing one should do after registering for their class is look at the syllabus. I like using a spreadsheet like Google sheets or Excel to list out all the assignments and quizzes/exams. This lets me know far in advance the average number of assignments I have a week. Plus, I can put the exams in a calendar and track the amount of studying I have to do. - Melanie Perez, Florida International University

Learn more about how to increase productivity and organization when you’re in college.

2) Practice active recall

On some random Tuesday during my first semester, I decided I wanted to use one of the whiteboards in the library to study. I’ve never looked back.

Active recall on a whiteboard is my secret weapon when it comes to studying. Active recall is a study method in which you write as much as you can remember about a topic, then go back through your notes to fill in the gaps.

Back when I used to study with my notes online, I would trick myself into thinking I knew the material just because I read it over multiple times. With the whiteboard, there’s no pretending I know the material. I write down everything I can remember, and then I go back to my notes to fill in what I can’t remember.

After that first round of writing, I erase everything.

I make sure to close my lecture notes and erase every single speck of writing on my whiteboard and write it all over again, trying to include what I forgot the first time. Since it’s not my computer or a notebook, I can’t scroll or turn back to my notes and cheat; either I remember it, or I don’t.

I find that making mind maps with arrows and hand drawn pictures or diagrams is extremely helpful for putting concepts together, especially for biology. The space and flexibility (you can easily erase and move things around) a whiteboard provides is perfect for that.

With this method, I can easily pinpoint my areas of weakness and cut down on study time since it only takes me around three rounds of active recall to remember and connect everything. Also, it’s way more eco-friendly than doing it on sheets of paper! - Ariana Santiago, Temple University

Discover how to find your perfect study space on campus.

3) Stay motivated

The material in most science based classes is extremely dense and can be difficult to take in in one sitting. Something that helps me stay motivated is to take breaks.

Studies have shown our brains can function and focus most efficiently for roughly 30 minutes to two hours. Therefore, in order to keep studying without draining my brain too much, I will study or work on an assignment for 45 minutes then take a five- to ten-minute break.

My favorite thing to do is get outside for some fresh air and even take a quick walk to reset my focus before getting back to work. This helps me stay motivated and avoid passive learning. - Grace Oh, University of Oregon

4) Do practice problems. Don’t memorize.

Memorization doesn’t allow for a deep understanding of a topic, which is crucial in biology due to its complexity.

Rather than just using flash cards to try and understand processes, which are often too intricate to easily summarize, you should try working through examples and practice problems.

This type of studying will give you real experience with applying equations and concepts. It will also make you more confident going into an exam because you’ve gone beyond just memorizing facts. - Maggie Parker, Syracuse University

5) Take care of yourself

The most important thing to do is to take care of yourself.

Studying all day long with no fun in between can lead to burnout. It can take a physical and mental toll on you.

Your college years are an amazing time when you’re young and able to have fun. Go to the sports games, spend time at the gym, join a club, and hang out with your friends! I also love to reward myself with a sweet treat after exams. You are working hard! - Taylor Perline, Ohio State University

For more study tips and tricks, check out the Insider Tips video located within the Freeman Biological Science 7e Mastering Biology course. View an example here.

I wish I could say I have an extraordinary story to tell about why I wanted to be a nurse. Where I saved someone’s life on a random day, or I was impacted a certain way when at the hospital. Truthfully speaking, the reason why I concluded to become a nurse was because of anatomy and physiology. When I was in high school taking anatomy and physiology for the first time, I was captivated by the beauty of the human body, specifically the heart. I was entranced by the simultaneous complexity and simplicity of the structure of the heart. From here, I entered an endless cycle of wanting to learn more.

I knew I had many exams ahead of me before I could finish my nursing journey. However, the first step was to prepare for was the TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) exam. The TEAS is a standardized entrance exam used at my nursing program to judge how competent you are to enter the nursing program. It covers areas such as reading, math, science, anatomy and physiology, and English. Considering that my strongest suits had been reading and math, I primarily focused on studying for the science portion of the exam. This accounted for my many trips to the school library alongside my anatomy and physiology textbook. Each day I would set aside 3-4 hours of studying where I really focused on the foundation of the various systems in the body. Practice questions were my lifeline. As humbled as I would be when I got an answer wrong, it made me realize that I needed to look over the material and figure out what I was not understanding. With the assistance of the Mastering A&P questions, I was able to have a trusted guide to develop my weaker areas.

Soon enough I received my score from the TEAS and got into the nursing program. Now came the hard part: passing nursing school. I cannot describe in words the culture shock I had when entering my human assessment and fundamentals class. It required a different level of understanding and analyzing practice questions, since the course transitioned from straight forward questions to critical thinking analysis. From the whirlwind of late-night study sessions, clinical rotations, and the weekly exams, nursing school has been nothing but a rollercoaster ride. However, I believe the reason I am able to comprehend and pass every exam is my solid foundation of anatomy and physiology. Once you understand how an organ is supposed to function, you can understand where it is going wrong. For example, veins take blood to the heart while arteries take blood away from the heart. Now, a patient comes in with pain in their legs that worsens with exercise, pain eases with rest and reports numbness and paresthesia. As a nurse assessing this patient, I can suspect maybe there is a problem of circulation either between the veins or arteries and can expect a certain level of care for this patient. Nonetheless, I would not be able to come to this conclusion if I did not know the way our bodies receive circulation.

On top of having a good foundation of anatomy and physiology, I have found it critical to pair that with practicing NCLEX-style questions to prepare for the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses) exam. The NCLEX-RN is a computer adaptive exam that has to be passed in order to establish licensing for an individual to work as a Registered Nurse. This dynamic combination is a powerful tool for not only passing the NCLEX exam but becoming a competent nurse. As I am passing the last hurdle of the program, I focus my energy on completing and revising practice questions. Nursing students at Miami-Dade have to take an exit exam that calculates our probability of actually passing the NCLEX. This exam covers all the principles that we have been learning from the beginning. Having questions that mimic real world scenarios requires us not only to recall information but also apply it. It is the bridge that connects our theoretical knowledge of anatomy and physiology with the practical nursing interventions required to be competent. To give an example, prioritization questions help us understand which patient should we designate care to first in critical settings. As you may know, nurses will have multiple patients at a time, but it is up to the nurse's critical judgment to decide which patient takes priority over the others. A patient going into cardiac arrest will take priority over a patient who is vomiting blood. With the recurrent practice of this style of questions I will be able to go into the real world and identify which one of my patients has the higher risk of getting hurt and who I have to assess first.

To sum everything up, nursing school is not about just passing a test. It is the foundation of our nursing care and having reassurance in knowing that we are well prepared to provide safe care to our future patients. Combining a strong foundation in anatomy and physiology with consistent practice of NCLEX-style questions will provide the smoothest pathway to succeed in the nursing field. I know that the first few years of being a nurse will be the most difficult transition in the beginning. Learning the hospital's policies and the way to ease communications with different patients and hospital personnel will be something I learn on the job. However, I can sleep comfortably knowing that I have the knowledge to provide safe and competent care to any patient that comes into my hands.

Growing up being homeschooled, I had to do a lot of reading and learning independently at my own pace. That helped me in high school and college especially with the rise in audiobooks and videos. As soon as I got a computer, I learned that watching the movie adaptation first helped me better understand the book. If I read a physical book, it would collect dust and probably never be finished. But if I catered to my learning style and did what was best for me, nothing could stop me.

Learning Styles

Everyone has a main learning style meaning that there is a particular modality of learning that helps you learn and retain information best. You could be a visual learner, auditory learner, or kinesthetic learner, meaning you learn best by doing hands-on activities. Using all the modalities in one way or another is the best way to learn because it uses as much of the brain as possible. Increased sensory input improves memory and cognition. Now that was slightly science-y so let me tell you about my experience.

Need for Speed

I am an auditory learner. I have always had exceptional hearing which helped with dance and piano, but also with school. I could reread the same page over and over again and be more confused the more I read it. But if I could listen to an audiobook, I could finish the book in a few hours or days, depending on the length of the book. The more I listen to audiobooks, the faster I am able to listen to them. Last summer, I wanted to see how far I could take this by listening to podcasts at 2x speed. Sometimes even 2.5x or 3x. Other people I knew said they speed it up a *little bit* but not to the violent speed that I had. When other people listen to what I am listening to at high speed they say it sounds like another language, yet I understand it perfectly. So clearly, this is my dominant learning style.

Pearson+ Audiobook Features

Sometimes I do have to read the textbook to understand a certain concept or process and know the technical terms. Few things put me to sleep faster than reading. What’s great about the eTextbook feature in Pearson+ is that I can listen to the audiobook and read along with the book. The text highlights as I’m reading so I will never lose my place or re-read a line of text. What is even better is when I can’t sit and read my book and I have to commute, my Pearson+ will sync with what I was reading on my computer and pick up where I left off on my phone app. I can plug my phone into my car and listen to a whole chapter while I commute to school and run errands around town. I even listen to my eTexts when I am going for a walk.

There was one semester where I had human growth and development, sociology, and microbiology courses. The amount of reading was outrageous, but I was able to keep up with it all whether I was either driving and listening or studying at my desk. No matter what, I was absorbing tons of information.

I got some of the highest test grades in those courses because of how well I was studying for my own learning style. Others were making flashcards, studying the PowerPoint, or straight up reading and weren’t doing as well. As soon as you can, take an online quiz or just ask yourself how you learn best and cater to that learning style as much as possible. Whatever your learning style is, Pearson caters to all of them.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started!