Students blog

Explore the latest trends, tips, and experiences in college life in this blog written by fellow students.

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  • An open laptop on a table alongside a baby monitor.

    Balancing College with Parenthood

    Linda Roman

    College can feel overwhelming. Registering for classes, getting books, finding a classroom, and just finding your way around campus. In my scenario, it gets overwhelming because I need to work with my kids’ schedule as well as my class schedule. Here’s how I balance college life with two kids!

    Online Learning

    For my lifestyle, I rely heavily on online classes, which give me the flexibility to plan accordingly around my two kids. Having a schedule is essential to stay on task and meet deadlines, which helps me meet family responsibilities as well as college tasks and time management.

    Organize with Planners

    Organization is the key to success. Having a planner, calendar, or a digital planner helps me stay on top of assignments, exams, and family commitments. I have a planner at my desk, so I can see everything coming up for the work week. I also use a digital calendar on my phone where I can see everything at a glance - my kid’s appointments, school events, doctor’s appointments as well as my class assignments. Staying organized helps me stay positive and not get overwhelmed by all the different events happening.

    Establish Support

    Balancing college with two kids can be challenging, but it's possible with efficient time management and support. My husband is my support system. He takes over when I have a work meeting or watches one of our kids when the other one has an appointment. My professors can also be a part of my support network. The most important factor here is communicating, whether it’s with your professors or significant other, about your situation. Most of my past professors have been understanding and offered flexibility or accommodations when an emergency came up.

    Practice Self-Care

    Finally, don't forget to take care of yourself. Find time for self-care activities to maintain your overall well-being. For me, I find time to go to the gym at least four times a week and weight train. It helps me feel stronger and it helps me mentally, to focus on myself.

    Whether it’s enrolling in online classes, utilizing planners, leaning on your support network, or taking time for yourself, it is possible to balance pursuing your college education with parenthood. Find what works best for your situation and reach for your goal!

    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! 

     

  • A clothes rack with a row of black, blue, tan, and grey blazers hanging from silver hangers.

    Building Your Business Professional Wardrobe on a Budget

    Peyton Maria

    I am a business student at a school where it is the most popular degree, and because of this, the program is full of classes and simulations that allow you to experience what it is truly like to be in the business world. However, in order to act the part, you have to dress the part, and business professional clothes can cost more than what your minimum wage barista job is paying you. In order to not break the bank over a blazer, I have spent countless hours online shopping for the best deals in business professional clothes and have come up with a list of the clothes on a budget.

    The Best Overall Value

    H&M is the Holy Grail of basic business necessities. With a sale every other day, you are certain to walk out with slacks, a button up, and a blazer for under $100. For pants, I would pick these straight leg pants. These specific ones are only offered in black but are an essential closet staple for any business student, and less than $30 a pair. For a button down, this collared long sleeve, offered in 4 colors, is my dream. Finally, blazers can be hard to shop for, but this fitted blazer runs around $40, and will have you standing out at every interview in the best way.

    More Expensive but Better Quality

    If I were to win the lottery, I would buy my business professional clothes at Abercrombie & Fitch. All the products are high quality and bring a sense of style, comfort, and professionalism that is rarely found in business professional pieces under $100. This place is more expensive, but incredibly worth it. These tailored pants come in, wait for it, TWENTY colors. No matter who you are or what style you’re going for, I promise you will find what you’re looking for in these pants. For a matching blazer, they offer a classic fit and a lightweight option, both with six color options. Finally, when looking for a collared long sleeve, Abercrombie’s satin button up looks professional with or without a blazer.

    Cheaper in Price and Product

    A place usually overrun by moms, Old Navy is a hidden gem when it comes to business professional clothes. The options are limited on dress pants, but this blazer runs about $50 depending on the color. Also, this long sleeve will pair well with any dress pants, and is offered in six colors for as low as $20 when on sale.

    Shopping on a budget can be hard, but it’s not impossible. By searching for sales and buying staples that can easily be rotated through different outfits, you can manage to save yourself some money and impress your professors, peers, and future bosses.

    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! 

     

  • A college woman sits looking at a calendar entry on her tablet.

    5 Steps to Simplify Your College Experience

    Caroline Yocum

    While one of the most exciting times in life, college can feel like a place you’re being pulled in a million different directions. Managing school, extracurricular activities, a social life, and maybe even a job is both challenging and overwhelming.

    When I first got to college, I dove headfirst into the social and extracurricular opportunities campus had to offer while also being a full-time student and working part time. While the organizations I joined on campus are some of my favorite parts of my college experience so far, the entangling of my social, work, and academic calendars soon became a huge point of stress in my life. I felt like I could never get ahead of anything. In fact, I refused to look ahead in my calendar more than a day or two in advance because it stressed me out knowing everything I was going to have to do that week.

    Eventually I decided to start taking on my day rather than letting it overtake me, and that’s when I added 5 steps to my routine to help me tackle my agenda. I’ve found that these 5 things help me stay on top of assignments and activities, while making me feel better prepared for the week ahead of me.

    Step 1: Choose a Calendar

    In college you’re going to get sent what seems like 100 different calendars with 100 different dates on them. My school uses Canvas, my sorority uses Google, my job uses Microsoft, and I would get emailed about campus events left and right. Nothing is worse than having to shift through a dozen sites just to figure out the agenda for the day, not to mention it makes it easy to forget about things all together. By condensing all your assignments, activities, and meetings into one calendar, you will have a one stop place to tackle the day. I prefer using the calendar app on my iPhone because it pops up on my home screen, but there are hundreds of other calendars out there that might work for you. There are simple applications like the iPhone calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and Google Calendar, and ones with more features available like Power Planner. Some people also prefer to have their planner on hand with them in a physical copy, which is great too. Regardless of what you use, consolidating your calendar is key.

    Step 2: Stay Updated

    When getting constant updates through school applications, emails from professors, employers, and organizations, it’s easy for information to get lost in the shuffle. Set aside a specific time in the day to check your notifications on all platforms and add information to your calendar. I prefer to do this first thing in the morning, as well as around 5pm but the important thing is to find a time that works for you and commit to being consistent with it each day.

    Step 3: Plan a Time Designated for Homework

    It’s easy to get behind on homework in college with so many other things going on in your life. After you’ve chosen a calendar and updated your assignments and schedule, it’s important to assess time during each day you can set aside to complete assignments. This time might look different each day depending on your class or work schedule, but this will help you stay focused on your assignments and keep from procrastinating. Procrastination is one of the biggest causes of stress in college and setting aside planned time for homework can help prevent you from getting behind on assignments.

    Step 4: It's Okay to Say “No”

    One of the hardest lessons I had to learn in college is that it’s okay to say no to things. I tried to pick up every shift, attend every meeting, and volunteer for every event, and I found it being more detrimental to me mentally than it was beneficial. The great thing about college is that there will always be another opportunity, and it’s okay to say no. Even though you might have FOMO in the moment, taking the night off to prioritize rest or homework is okay and you’ll thank yourself in the long run. Making sure I was choosing the activities I participated in each day intentionally helped my days become less stressful and allowed me to really enjoy what I was doing.

    Step 5: Get Some Sleep

    The last part of my daily routine I changed that drastically helped my ability to balance the craziness of college life was prioritizing my sleep. It’s incredibly hard to be productive running on 3 hours of sleep. Along with this, it’s hard for your body to keep up when you go to bed at 9pm one night, and 3am the next. Once I started going to bed at a consistent and reasonable time each night, I saw my mood and energy boost dramatically. This goes along with planning out your homework time, so you don’t get stuck with a last-minute deadline having to pull and all-nighter.

    College is an amazing time filled with once in lifetime opportunities, but no student is exempt from the stress and busy schedule that comes with this season of life. I know incorporating these five things into my daily life has helped me find the balance between my social, academic, and work life and I hope they will do the same for you. Everyone's schedule and preferences are different, so make sure to try out different calendars, study periods and sleep times to see what works best for you.

    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! 

     

  • An empty bedroom in a college student’s apartment.

    Off-Campus Chronicles: 10 savvy tips to navigating adulthood

    Cydell Still

    As you go through your college experience, the sense and urgency to mature and embrace adulthood starts to dawn on you. The realization is not just something you understand in your head, but something you feel and experience. Many have their own view of what that first real step of adulting in college feels like, but to me, the first thing that comes to mind is to take that big step of renting an apartment off-campus.

    Though this may seem intimidating, here are 10 things every college student should know about living off-campus!

    1 - Checklists! Checklists! Checklists!

    Even before you move in, it’s a good idea to have a bunch of different checklists of what you are looking for in an off campus living space, some examples being location from campus or any amenities you desire, such as a shuttle to campus or a gym/pool. All those things should be listed to help track pros and cons of each living space you come across in your search.

    2 - Communication is Key

    If you plan on living in a space with a roommate or several, it is important to establish clear communication with all parties. Make a set of guidelines for the different responsibilities and things that could cause conflict in your shared space. Since you oversee your own things and there is no overall authority, it would be a good idea for everyone to contribute to the guidelines.

    3 - Smart Shopping

    Without a meal plan it can be quite challenging to decide on what to buy food wise. For those who live alone, it would be best to decide your essentials beforehand so you can get the basics of what you need. As for people with roommates, it’s better to decide together who buys what or if you’re going to split the grocery bill at all.

    4 - Practice Self-Control

    Along with smart shopping, knowing the difference between needs and wants is a huge skill to learn while you live off campus. This is not money coming out of your tuition, this is your own expenses and learning where to invest that money is very important. You do not need those $500 headphones.

    5 - “Hey Siri, Play the Clean Up Song”

    It is crucial for tenants to fully comprehend their responsibilities regarding the maintenance and repairs of the rented property. This is where you live, and you want to make sure everything is up to your standards. Utilize maintenance request for larger repairs, but a bi-weekly clean up goes a long way.

    6 - Public Transportation is Your Friend

    As someone who does not drive, I was getting tired of spending money for Uber and Lyft. Check out the local transportation and see what services they offer. If your residence is close to campus, ask if they offer a shuttle that drives to the local stores in the area. Bikes are also useful forms of transportation, going to class or to your local corner store, and you can get some exercise done.

    7 - Stay Safe!

    Become familiar with local emergency protocols and resources. Using tools like a Ring camera on your front door keeps you at ease when you’re away. It is also a good idea to become aware of the location of the closest police, fire, and hospital stations.

    8 - Don’t Always Rush Home

    Having a gap between classes allows you to use that time productively. Instead of going home and potentially getting distracted, you can stay on campus and make the most of your time. Whether it's studying in the library, working on group projects, or catching up on readings, staying on campus can enhance your focus and productivity.

    9 - Remember the College Experience

    No matter how far away you may live off campus, you are still considered a commuter student. A lot of emails about events and other activities that happen on campus might not reach you until it’s too late. Try to keep a schedule of the different events that way you can still get that thrilling college experience.

    10 - Sweet, Sweet, Freedom

    This is your own place! It gives a better sense of adulthood, and you get a more profound sense of independence without supervision. Living off campus gives you a high level of privacy that you are probably looking for after the lack of it in dorm life. The creative possibilities are endless. Decorate or design it however you like. You make the rules, enjoy it!

    Living off campus during college comes with several perks. It offers a taste of independence and responsibility, preparing you for life beyond the campus bubble, while also encouraging you to engage with the local community and develop a more well-rounded college experience. I hope the decision to live off campus can contribute significantly to personal growth and a more enriching college life.

    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! 

     

  • A large dry-erase calendar with various student commitments listed, including classes and meetings.

    4 Tips for Staying Productive in College

    Deron Crockwell

    The college experience is often described as living life to the fullest but it does have its ups and downs. No matter what your major is, you will face some obstacles and find yourself less motivated and productive at times. In order to raise spirits, some students indulge in their favorite hobbies, and others may sleep, but for those who are not sure what to do to stay productive, here are four possible solutions!

    Plan ahead

    As cliche as it sounds, planning is a strong foundation for remaining productive and motivated. Often, before I go to sleep or right after I wake up, I take a few minutes to plan out the things I wish to accomplish for the day ahead. As you follow your self-made agenda, you will notice how satisfying it is to complete each task. At the end of the day when you realize all the things you have completed you will feel more accomplished and ready for the next day! Remember, it is important to plan some time for yourself as well.

    Consider your future

    One of the biggest reasons we attend college is to mold our future for the better. Constantly remind yourself of your ambitions and of what awaits at the finish line. For some individuals, it may be a certain career, while for others it may be a certain lifestyle. Just continue to remind yourself why you want your future to look like this! If you are finding it hard to imagine what the finish line looks like for you, ask yourself some of these questions:

    1. When pondering on a future home, what does it look like? Any unique rooms that you do not have in your family's house now?

    2. What does your work situation look like? Are you remote?

    3. Do you want to have the ability to give back?

    4. Will you develop new hobbies or continue your current hobbies?

    5. Do you wish to travel or try new things?

    After you consider these few questions, I want you to ask yourself how you will attain them. Constantly reminding yourself of this vision will serve as a liaison between your current status to your future one. Remind yourself of the steps you need to take to reach your destination!

    Get adequate sleep

    Sleeping is one of the biggest factors for being motivated and productive. Failing to get adequate sleep can increase laziness which can indubitably lead to you skipping class or assignments. A lack of sleep can impair your brain's ability to think and process information, which are key factors for your time in school. With adequate sleep, you will undoubtedly feel more refreshed and energized to get your day started leading to more productivity!

    Surround yourself with a strong community

    One of my biggest factors for staying motivated and productive is my circle of friends. It is very important to keep like-minded individuals around you. If your friends are driven and goal-oriented, you will find that their accomplishments motivate you. It is important to try and make sure that you push your friends to do their best and vice versa. Overall, do not spend time around people who only influence you in recreational ways because there are times when work comes first!

    Most importantly, staying motivated and productive starts with you. You must try your best to facilitate yourself. The world is yours for the taking, just make sure to have a strong will to do so!

    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! 

     

  • The blog author Suhani is standing between her mother and father. All three are wearing traditional Indian clothing.

    Holi – The History of the Festival of Colors

    Suhani Chopra

    Color brings a happiness into one’s life that very few other things can. An easy example of this is how the sky’s color can affect someone’s mood or motivation. I don’t know about anyone else, but at least for me, waking up and seeing a dreary, overcast day makes me even more reluctant to get out of bed and start working. On the other hand, if I wake up to a bright, sunny day with clear blue skies, I typically have more energy, and at the very least would be looking forward to getting outside and enjoying the beautiful weather!

    Holi, an Indian traditional festival, embodies this joy and beauty of color, and celebrates unity as well as the triumph of good over evil. With mentions as early as the 4th century, it is likely one of the oldest religious festivals still celebrated today. It will be observed on March 25th this year and is one of my favorite times of the year!

    Though Holi is celebrated by most (if not all) of the Indian subcontinent, different places can celebrate it in different ways. For example, larger communities may get together and light a bonfire before Holi officially starts, representing “burning” evil out of the world. Families may spread just a pinch of powder on each other’s faces or dump entire buckets or empty water guns filled with colored water. Adults may be more religious about it and celebrate Holi by praying to and worshiping the god or gods they believe in, whereas children tend to be more relaxed about it, and just enjoy chasing their friends around. People celebrate it with friends, family, and even strangers, and enjoy the festival for a full day and night. And no one skips indulging in some delicious Indian sweets afterwards!

  • A young man working alone in a large art studio.

    Maintaining Your Creative Hobbies

    David Marquez

    Creative hobbies can be some of the most influential pieces to maintaining a healthy balance within your life. Having a creative outlet is human nature, it is how we have all the things that exist around us.

    Avoid comparisons

    Through our hobbies, we express ourselves by putting our passion into what we make. It is important when you are creating to avoid comparing your work and output to others, as every process is not the same. Even if we follow directions step-by-step, the end will never be the same result as others. It is important to keep in mind that regardless of what you create, you are learning and exploring just like everyone else. As you continue to advance into your practice, you’ll find that you start making the patterns that help you tie together a community that grows from the simple fact of creation itself.

    Be open to exploration

    Sometimes it can be difficult to keep creating; things in life come up and the world seems to spin faster than it did before. It is okay to then branch out into new things. When you find yourself in a rut you might feel lost, but it is thinking and learning outside of what you know that will get you going again. As humans we were not meant to stay in one place forever, our brains won’t allow it. Simply exploring one corner for all time will leave you there. It is only when you turn around that you find a whole space full of your interests. And don’t think that you must give up on the medium you love if you need a break. Sometimes it is those breaks that enhance our comeback to our creations.

    The world is full of countless crafts; whether physical, digital, auditory, etc. You can find creative practices all over. When creating, we become attuned with the world around us, taking a break from the pressures of our environments and allowing us to escape into a world of expression.

    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! 

     

  • An old-fashioned alarm clock sitting atop a stack of school notebooks.

    Studying STEM on a Time Crunch

    Kennedy McGrath

    No matter what your major is, it can be hard to find time to study in college. As students, we work, join clubs and sports teams, and maintain a social life outside of school. Assignments and projects can take up a lot of time and energy, leaving an empty tank when it’s time to study for exams. For those in a STEM field, labs, research groups, and a heavy course workload may present additional obstacles to finding time to study effectively.

    Time management is an important skill you can develop over time, but there are also ways you can adjust your studying habits to perform better despite having a busy schedule. Some things you can do include committing to a study plan leading up to an exam, only targeting trouble areas using high-retention study strategies, and making concentrated study guides soon after receiving material in class.

    1. Make a study plan – Mark your exam dates in your calendar at the beginning of the semester so you always know when they are coming up. Have a rough study plan of what unit or material you are going to review each day that you can refine as you get more material in class and figure out what you need to work on most. Include time to use effective study strategies rather than just re-reading notes or lecture slides.

    2. Use course objectives to make study guides – As you receive material in class, begin to compile a study guide of the most important concepts, usually presented as learning objectives. If you do this little by little after every few lectures, you will have a complete study guide of the most important information to refer to use to study for each exam. When it is time to study for your final exam, all the most important concepts from each unit will already be compiled for you to study.

    3. Use high-retention strategies to target trouble areas – Once you’ve identified the areas of a course where you need to study the most, consider using strategies that will help you remember the most information in a short amount of time. Have a concentrated study session with timed breaks to reduce fatigue. Instead of flashcards, consider making practice questions from your professor’s learning objectives or find some online. If you are a social learner, ask your friends to quiz you on the material you’ve spent time studying.

    If you are still running low on time as an exam is rapidly approaching, condense your learning objectives into five or six major concepts to know. If you can boil those subjects down further, find trouble areas and do your best to resolve any major confusion before the exam. This may mean carving out time to go to one office hour session with your professor for 15 minutes to answer a list of questions you came up with after reviewing the exam material.

    Combining these strategies with ways you know you study best can help you reach your academic goals while still balancing social and professional extracurriculars. Sometimes you may do your best to study hard for an exam and still not get the grade you want, and that’s ok! At the end of the day, your mental and physical health is more important than any grade. You will learn from your experiences and be able to better prepare for future exams, so keep working hard and your academic goals will be easily attained.

    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! 

     

  • A screenshot of the Dynamic Study Modules resources showing what it looks like when the student is Sure and Correct in their answer.

    Dynamic Study Modules: A MyLab feature many take for granted

    Saige O’Rourke

    Many students, including myself, only open up MyLab to complete their homework and cross it off the list. Studying is different for everyone, but we may use textbooks, internet, or flashcards to prepare for a test over the content. Pearson’s MyLab has recently released a new feature called Dynamic Study Modules that incorporates textbooks, concepts, and study tactics similar to flashcards; unfortunately, not a lot of students are aware of what this is or how beneficial it can be!

    How To Use DSM

    Dynamic Study Modules (DSMs) are a feature that provides you a set of questions that you can answer with a variation of “I’m sure,” “I don’t know,” or “I think so.” Depending on how you answer, a dark green, light green, or red circle will appear above the question as you continue. To complete the module, you must obtain a dark green circle above each question to show mastery of the topic. Once completed, you can review the information as much as you need or receive your grade if it’s an assignment.

    Efficient Use of Time

    Many students use flashcards to study for a test, but they waste a lot of valuable time creating these cards. Flashcards are mainly used for repetitions and memorization, but DSMs supply both while also being interactive and conceptual. Instead of memorizing the answers for each flashcard or question, the program builds your critical thinking and conceptual skills of the topics within the textbook. This program saves students hours of preparation, and it is also a better alternative for studying & creating new habits.

    Even though this is a fresh feature added to Pearson, it has already been beneficial to many students like me. Students may not be aware of this opportunity unless they do the searching themselves throughout the platform, so it is often overlooked. It might be good practice as a professor to ensure that students are aware of everything they are offered with the program. This is your sign to take the 5 minutes, explore your resources, and take advantage of the study tools provided to you! Dynamic Study Modules are changing the study game right in front of our eyes, and it is included with the purchase of the platform!

    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!