Video Games

So I am faced with a problem and its name is Portal 2. The game will be released on Tuesday of next week and I have wanted to play this for a while now. The problem is, I have a test next week and another test the week after. So I am faced with two basic choices; get the game before I'm done with my tests or wait the two weeks and get it when I'm done with my studies. The choice seems very obvious but not an easy one for me to make. I will most likely wait to get the game but this is not a unique occurrence. Last semester, Black Ops was released smack in the middle of my finals. I just have to remind my self that I really don't need to play this game the second it comes out.

Degree Inflation

Say what you will about it, but the college degree is not worth what it used to be. I remember being told as a little kid that graduating from high school meant much less than it used to and how college was important. This is very true, in fact, 10 of the US presidents did not graduate from college. This was back when high school was considered a luxury. Today, a high school education means nothing if not coupled with higher education. In many cases, an associates is meaningless, and in some cases a bachelors wont get you very far. On example of this is psychology. In psychology, having only a bachelors can leave you very restricted in what you can do. I know someone who majored in psych and never went to grad school. Three years after he graduated from college, he is still working at Papa Johns.

Are you planing on going to Grad school? why or why not? what is your major?

Extra Credit

Extra credit is one of my favorite things. you do a minimal amount of work and get rewarded for it with a better grade. It is absolutely ridicules not to take advantage of extra credit if you have an opportunity. Let me give an example. In my economics class, the teacher gives you 2 points on tests for every school sporting event that you attend. He will also add five points to your over all grade if you wright a five page paper on anything that has to do with economics, provided that the paper isn't total BS. For some reason, there are quite a few people not taking advantage of this. I could understand that if they already have an A in the class but I hear many of these people complaining about how the class is so hard.

Doing Things and Stuff: Disk Golf

Doing Things and Stuff is a new weekly articular about things you can do with your extra time, something to do while you're not dealing with school. This week, the topic is disk Golf. The name of the game says it all, its golf played with a disk (frisby). Just like golf, you start of by t-ing off. you have to get you disk into the basket or "hole". There are even different types of disks such as long range drivers, fairway drivers and putters. Its not as complicated as it sounds, and its a whole lot of fun. Check out the video to see what I'm talking about.

Aside from the initial cost of buying a few disks, which are very cheap, most courses are free. They tend to be in parks and on college campuses. To find a course near you, check out PDGA course directory. I was surprised at the number of courses I found in my area. So get some friends together and check this out.

Getting Known Pt. 2

Reading threw the comments I came across a very good point that I neglected to mention... talking to other students. This is useful for many reasons. First off, you never know who you're gong to meet. For all you know you could be sitting next to your future wife/husband. Knowing a few people in the class can also be a life saver. Lets say you miss a class and you need the notes for that test coming up, you now have someone to ask. Speaking of tests, talk to the people you know about having a study group.

Pro Tip: always always always dress to impress. You dont need to show up in your sunday best every day but make sure to shave, shower, and were clean clothing. Remember, no one likes a dirty neckbeard, there almost as bad as hippies.

Getting Known

One of the most underrated tools in a students utility belt is recognition. If a teacher recognizes you they are much more likely to be easy on you when grading papers or even do you favors. I have had tests rescheduled because teachers know who I am in class. Getting teachers to know you is not that difficult, even in classes with 300 - 500 students. The first thing you should do is sit in the first 3 or 4 rows of the class. Second, ask at least one question at the end of class, introducing the first few times. Third, go to office hours every now an again. There is nothing more boring about a teachers job than office hours and you showing up is giving them something to do. Most teachers will give you better grades if they know who you are, so stop sitting at the back of class and leaving the moment class is over. One word of warning, while its good to have recognition, not all types of recognition are good. So don't be a class clown, you're not 12.

Finding Deals

College students are a famously broke demographic. Im broke and chances are, if you're a student, you are too. If you find your self in this situation you have two options; becoming a mooch (which will make you an automatic pro with girls) or scouting the internet for good deals. Finding good deals on the internet is not  as tough as it sounds thanks to a few websites that do the work for you. One such website called Woot! does a great job of compiling deals from all over the internet.  I have gotten deals on things such as laptops, iPods, and even movies using this site. Of course, if you dont like saving money, there is always the mooch option.

Use Wikipedia Like a Boss

So you realize that you have a 7 page paper due tomorrow morning and you haven't started it yet because you win at life. So you grab a cup of coffee and prepare for the long night of fun and rainbows ahead of you. After formulating your idea and writing an outline you are going to need a good source or two. 

This is where Wikipedia comes in. You know how your high school teacher always told you never to use wikipedia? Well im going to let you in on a little secret... SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT!!! (thats probably why she teaches high school in the first place) Wikipedia is a great place to find a source for a paper, just dont use it as THE source.

When an article is written on wikipedia, the author will list sources. Have you ever noticed the blue numbers at the end of some sentences? Thats a link to the source citation and its a great place to find your sources. Just make sure its a credible source and not some blog like the one you're reading now.