School Shift's Official Blog

Five Minute Room Rescue

2009-05-21T16:48:00.001-04:00

I have to admit it, I procrastinate on pretty much everything. Or at least, I used to, until I found a method to stop procrastinating, or at least reduce it. I read about it in Fast Company magazine. You can read the article here, or you can just let me paraphrase it for you. It's called the Five Minute Room Rescue. It is initially recommend for when you have a room you want to clean. You set your timer for five minutes and clean as much as you can in five minutes. That's it, just five minutes and you're done. But what you'll be amazed at is how much you can get accomplished in that five minutes. Then, you'll want to continue until you finish the room.

This same concept can be applied to anything, even school work. You have an assignment due soon and you don't want to get started on it. Just do it for five minutes. You'll then realize that it perhaps isn't as hard as you thought and keep working on it. Maybe you won't finish it, but you'll get a great jump on it so that when you go to work on it again you'll have an easier time. The hardest part is just doing that first five minutes, but if you can just convince yourself that all you have to do is five minutes of work, you'll find it a lot easier.

So the next time you want to put something off, just convince yourself to give it five minutes. You'll be surprised how well it works.

New Amazon Kindle Will Not Succeed with College Students

2009-05-04T14:05:00.002-04:00

New Amazon Kindle Will Not Succeed with College Students
By: Chris Tsiropoulos

Today, Amazon has announced that they will hold a press conference at Pace University in New York on Wednesday, and the rumour mill suggests that Amazon will unveil a larger version of the Kindle to target college students. With the textbook market at about 8.6 billion dollars annually in the United States alone, Amazon sees a perfect opportunity to capture market share with their new device. However, as a college student, I am not convinced that this device will benefit me financially or physically from carrying all those books.

Let’s face it: the Amazon Kindle is ugly. Period. Although the latest Kindle 2 looks incrementally better than the original, it is definitely not a beautiful device that you want to show off to your friends, as say you would with the iPhone. Also, it seems as though most people who are buying Kindle’s are older people. Now, as college students, we tend to create our own popular trends as opposed to embracing technology meant for our parents.

Also, we must consider the price. According to Amazon.com, the latest Kindle 2 sells for 359$ USD, and with shipping and taxes it is fair to round this number up to 400$. With a bigger, textbook-reading Kindle, I think it is safe to say that it will cost more than 400$, although Amazon may subsidizes this price to give incentive to students to buy their product. However, I seriously cannot see students buying this product because of the astronomical price for a one dimensional product.

The only good thing about the Kindle is that is has a data connection, and this connection is built into the price of the Kindle. However, for 400$ it is not worth it for a student to buy this product. Doing a quick search on Apple.com, it costs 950$ for a new 13 inch white Macbook with the student discount, and during back to school season Apple throws in a new iPod Touch with every laptop purchase for students. If I were in the market for the Kindle, I would seriously consider buying a Macbook (950$), selling the iPod on eBay (roughly 200$), and factoring in the price for an Amazon Kindle ($400), I would be paying $350 more for a Macbook that is unquestionably not a one dimensional product like the Kindle is, and I can still read books from this computer.

Most college students already have a laptop computer and increasingly more students are buying trendy smartphones. These two devices are able to become e-readers with the proper software, and students already own these devices. Personally, I could not rationalize buying a Kindle, just to save money on textbooks. According to ZDNet, instead of buying a textbook for 100$ in the book store, Amazon will charge 35$ to buy it on the Kindle. The Kindle could pay itself off in one year of buying textbooks from it alone! This may be true, although Amazon has underestimated the usefulness of a physical textbook that students use.

Personally, my textbooks take a beating over the academic year. I like to highlight, write in the margins, and underline content in my textbooks to engage and understand the material. How do I highlight, write in, and underline content on the Kindle? Definitely can’t do that. Also, I can sell my books and get 30-50% of the money I spend on them back in my wallet. How do I resell an e-book? Definitely can’t do that. Also, there are some students out there (like our friend Dan Kalmar), who do not buy books at all and still get through their studies. Did Amazon take all of these factors into consideration?

Now I could be wrong about this new Kindle, but when I go to the library I know that it is normal to read from two sources: a laptop and books. I would not want to be “that guy” in the library that pulls out his thin, ugly, over-priced device to read from. I would rather pay the premium and buy the Macbook to read from, among other things. But how would I get my e-book? Apple should push iTunes as a textbook marketplace for students, where students could pay for and download e-books to their computer. Most students have a computer with iTunes already installed on it, so it would be much more realistic for a student like me to buy an e-book for $35 through iTunes versus buying a new Kindle at 400$ to spend $35 each time I download a book.

Update: The new Amazon Kindle DX will go on sale for $489. Madness!

Does anyone agree with me? Leave your opinion in the comments.

How I Got Through My Final Year With No Books

2009-04-29T14:05:00.002-04:00

Yes, you read the title correctly. My final year of university I didn't purchase a single book. Not one. Why did I do it? Well firstly because I pay for my own school, so the idea of saving a considerable amount of money sounded pretty good to me. I also didn't really feel like I needed to buy any of them. I also just kinda wanted to see if I could do it. And I did.

Every year, I've always purchased all of my books and I've wondered why I did. I've always mostly studied from my notes or even Googled a concept that I didn't understand to get more information on it. Last year, I took it down a notch and bought all of my books but one, and all of the books I bought were used. This year, I took it to another level. I didn't buy one single book. And it feels great. The biggest questions people ask are 1) What were your marks like and 2) How did you do it?

1) My marks weren't bad. Any shortcomings were a result of laziness on my part and I believe had no direct relation to having no textbooks.

2) I did it through two ways: going to class and taking good notes. I've always been a firm believer in going to class. You can learn things just simply through sitting there and if you actively participate you can learn even more. From there, I took great notes. I've always much preferred to study from my notes rather than a textbook. With a textbook, you're reading material that the professor didn't cover and that wasn't on the exam. For me, I found that no professor put anything on the final exam that they didn't talk about in class. So since my class notes were just what the professor talked about, I was set. From there, if I needed to get information on a chapter because I missed a class, I could simply ask a classmate for a note or borrow the textbook from the library. That's another major thing that people forget: a lot of your textbooks are in the library. While you might not want to have to fight to get the book the day before the exam, it can be good if you only need to look up a few things.

I'm certainly not suggesting that everyone try what I did. I'm certain a lot of people cannot buy no books and get the marks I did. Also, with some professors, they'll test you on everything even if they didn't talk about it in class. In this case, buying the textbook would probably be a good idea. All I'm saying is that make sure all the books you are buying are needed. Often people don't even realize that they don't really study from the textbook until they really think about it. All I'm saying: think about it.

Turnitin.com: A Necessary Evil?

2009-04-08T14:24:00.002-04:00

Turnitin.com: A Necessary Evil?
By: Chris Tsiropoulos

Turnitin.com (or Turnitin) is essentially a database that has indexed all books, the public internet, student papers and notes. Turnitin sells licenses to universities and high schools (and now businesses) to use their service which essentially checks if the student has plagiarized the work they are submitting. Most students are obligated to use this service as instructed by their teacher or professor, stating that an electronic copy must be submitted to Turnitin and a paper copy must be submitted as well. However, I think students should question Turnitin.com and understand what the main interests of this service are.

Students submit their work to Turnitin without even questioning the authority. I have submitted numerous papers to Turnitin, and I must admit that the submittion process is very smooth. Turnitin makes you feel like you are contributing to the greater good, that "Hey I know I'm not cheating, and I don't want someone else to cheat off my work, so I'll hand it to you guys and you can take care of that.Thanks!" Now, that's how some people feel, while others are terrified of Turnitin because they have copy-and-pasted too many sentences from Wikipedia, but that's another story. After I submit something to Turnitin, I always ask myself why I am doing this. I'm essentially uploading my work to an online service, and they are making profits from my work, and I am not reimbursed at all. The best part about this situation, is that I am obligated to do it. In most classes, a professor will give you a mark of zero if you have not submitted your paper to Turnitin.com.

So students upload papers to Turnitin, Turnitin checks if they have plagiarized, and then sends the results to the teacher or professor. As a student, I am obligated to submit my original work to Turnitin, which is a third-party company not connected to any academic institution, which then creates a massive database and sells their service to most academic institutions. I submit my paper to make sure it's not plagiarized, the university buys the license to use this service, and Turnitin generates profits. I don't think this is fair to the student. If I have to submit my paper to Turnitin.com, I am essentially guilty-until-proven-innocent. All papers are plagiarized, and until they have been scanned by Turnitin.com, you will not receive a grade for the paper submitted. This logic doesn't seem right.

Don't get me wrong, I think idea behind Turnitin.com is genuine. I mean, who is going to catch all the student plagiarizers out there? Someone has to do it! I agree with this. However, Turnitin.com has two major shortcomings: it is a for profit business and students have no choice but to submit their work to the service. The credibility of a service which makes money from papers that students must submit, and then sells their service to academic institutions must be questioned. I think this for-profit structure is the biggest shortcoming of Turnitin because they are providing this service to make money, not to "ensure academic integrity among students." If Turnitin was a social enterprise, their business would be credible in the eyes of students. If I knew that Turnitin generated enough profits to run their organization and then donate their profits back into the education system, I wouldn't mind submitting my paper to this service at all. Seriously.

I wanted to find out if anyone else has questioned the credibility and intent of Turnitin.com and according to it's nemesis, Wikipedia, there are many. Two students at McGill University decided not to submit their papers to Turnitin.com and after winning a ruling from the Senate Committee of Student Grievances their papers were graded without the use of Turnitin.com. I also found it interesting that at Ryerson University, it is entirely up to the students whether they want to submit their work to Turnitin.com or not. Also, the some of the best universities in the world such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford have instituted a campus-wide ban on the use of Turnitin.com. If these credible institutions are banning the use of Turnitin.com, I think that others will follow their lead and begin to phase out Turnitin.com or give the students choice when it comes to submitting their work.

What is the ultimate solution? I don't really know. I think that if Turnitin.com was a not-for-profit business, students would not have a problem with it. I do believe that students must be given a choice and not simply mandated by their professors to submit their work to this service. I am all for academic integrity among students, but there must be a better solution out there.

If you have a solution to solving academic integrity among students or want to give us your thoughts on Turnitin.com, leave it in the comments.

How to Present Part 2

2009-03-30T13:37:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I wrote some tips on public speaking. I told you that it doesn't have to be something that you fear if you follow some guidelines on things that you should do, and sometimes more importantly, not do. Today I'm going to continue this talk on how to give a presentation, specifically a Powerpoint presentation.

Ease up on the effects:
Cool animations can be good, when they're minimal. As far as effects go, stick with the maxim “less is more”. If you have way too many distracting ones, it'll be cool at the start, but then it'll be just that: distracting. I much prefer to have just the simple “fade” effect because it's subtle and won't be distracting when it's done over and over.

Don't look at the slideshow:
Face your audience when you talk. It seems like it should go without saying, but I guess I do need to say it based on how many times people do it. If you can't remember the information on the slide then have your laptop in front of you with the information that is being played behind you. That way at least you are looking forward at your audience and aren't talking with your back to them.

Don't show your sources unless asked:
Nothing ruins the end of a presentation more than saying “Here's where I got my data.” If they ask you to do it at the end, then do it. If they just want you to have it in there somewhere, then say “According to [insert source]...” that way the source is there without ruining the ending. Use the ending to sum up your argument and finish strong. It's the last thing they'll remember, don't ruin it.

Don't address them or thank them:
Don't start off by saying “Professor [Name] and class mates, today I'll be talking about...” and certainly don't end by thanking them for listening or saying that you hoped they learnt something. As I said before make sure you end strong and listing your sources then thanking them for listening is the best way to ruin your presentation.

Presenting doesn't have to be a difficult or scary experience. Make sure that you know what you're saying and say it like you mean it. Make sure that your information is strong so that you don't have to worry about trying to make it look better with distracting effects that will do nothing more than take away from your presentation. Thank you for reading this post. I hope you learnt something. See, didn't that just ruin it?

Is Class Necessary?

2009-03-26T10:43:00.001-04:00

Self paced? For many who are independent learners, professor to student contact may not be necessary. With the amount of information in the 700 page text books and the online posted lecture notes, universities are making the need for class attendance unnecessary. For those who can skim a book and retain the information and who can read the lectures notes themselves, rather than the professor reading to them just like a "reading buddy" would, class is not required to pass or attain respectable marks. Many universities also offer online courses with no professor relations, which proves that classes may not be necessary at all. With machines and technology taking over the production line, will the future of technology abolish professors? Is it possible for universities to be strictly online and self paced? Only time will tell....

Home School vs. Real School: Not Mutually Exclusive

2009-03-25T10:57:00.002-04:00

People often think that you either have to be physically at a school to learn or you're home schooled; there's no alternative. My opinion: that's not even remotely true. Since for many of you the days of potentially being home schooled are far over, you believe that doing work at home means catching up on reading or doing projects, but it should be much more than that. Jim Rohn once said, “Formal education will make you a living; self education will make you a fortune” and it couldn't be more true. If you want to truly excel in the world, you're going to have to be independent and try to learn the things that aren't being taught by your professors and the textbooks that will be valuable to you in the future.

If you're in a job interview, don't expect your potential employer to ask you to draw the graph that appears on page 153 of your Economics textbook, but do expect them to ask them your opinion on the housing crisis. A website called Academic Earth is being deemed as the “Hulu for education” by Tech Crunch and after checking it out, I have to agree. They have videos from some of the top lectures and speakers from around the world. There are hundreds of resources out there that will help you learn about things in your field of study, and outside if you choose to broaden your horizons. Watching videos from FORA or from the TED conference won't just enlighten you on technology, but also on many other issues that may change the way you think.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I believe it's more what you learn outside of the classroom than what you learn inside of it. I'm not knocking what you are learning inside of the classroom, though. That stuff is important too. But don't forget that home time shouldn't just be about working on your given school assignments. Maybe it's time to reconsider some home schooling.

Student Doping: The Ethical Debate

2009-03-24T11:51:00.005-04:00

Student Doping: The Ethical Debate

Note: This blog post is designed to provide a foundation to discuss cognitive-enhancing drugs used by students. This article does not advocate for anyone to use these drugs, although it does provide insight into this student phenomena.

There are various reports in newspapers, online blogs and academic journals that agree on two main issues: cognitive-enhancing drugs are widespread among college students and these drugs are being used by students at an ever-increasing pace. I think that the ethical debate of using cognitive-enhancing drugs must be analyzed to understand this situation from a student perspective.

Ritalin/Dexedrine and Modafinil are the two main drugs that students are using to get through those long reading sessions and cramming for exams. There are many nicknames for these drugs such as vitamin R and kiddie coke. According to the Globe and Mail, a survey suggests that over one in four students have used non-prescription cognitive-enhancing drugs to perform better in school. An article published in The Guardian (UK) interviews students, junior doctors and professors who have used drugs to enhance their academic performance. This article suggests that students using performance enhancing drugs are widespread, common place and growing.

Why has cognitive-enhancing drug use sky rocketed among college and university students since the 1990’s?

Personally, I think that there are many variables involved to answer this question. The major variables in question are:

1. College students generally come from a higher socio-economic status:
a. They have they money to spend $4-6 per pill.

2. Students generally are more Machiavellian:
a. Some students are intrigued by cognitive-enhancing drugs because it gives them an upper hand against other students who are their competition in school and in the future, the labour market.

3. Online pharmacies and buying products online:
a. Almost all students I know have their own laptop and a credit card. With online pharmacies (usually pseudo-pharmacies that don’t require a subscription and ship products from Asia) growing in numbers, a student can get their hands on a large supply of cognitive-enhancing drugs very easily.

4. Minimal side effects:
a. According to the research, there has been no significant or long term side effects associated with taking cognitive-enhancing drugs when not prescribe to students for a condition. However, doctors agree that there may be long term effects that they haven’t really figured out yet, and therefore agree that students shouldn’t be taking these drugs.

Should colleges and universities implement testing students randomly to determine if they are using performance-enhancing drugs without a prescription? No, I don’t think anyone is advocating for this. First of all, it would violate student’s human rights and it would be too expensive to implement. However, there are many people who believe that it is ethically wrong to take these drugs, especially during exams. Using performance enhancing drugs right before exams (because Ritalin allows a person who does not have ADD or ADHD intense short term focus abilities) is equivalent to doping right before running a race.

Advocates for cognitive-enhancing drugs will tell you that it is not a big deal. Using Ritalin is no different than eating healthy, exercising, getting a good nights sleep and drinking a coffee right before the exam. The major variables analyzed above are also contributing factors that advocates use to rationalize their decision of using these drugs or not. The Guardian article suggests that anything perceived as “healthy” is ethical. However, when a student takes drugs to increase their academic performance it is highly stigmatizing. Students who eat healthy, exercise, take fish oil (allows for the brain to function better), and drink caffeine are not stigmatized at all, but once they take cognitive-enhancing drugs they are labelled as cheaters. Although I’m not advocating for students to use these drugs to get better marks, I will suggest that as the use of cognitive-enhancing drugs goes up, the stigma associated with using these drugs goes down. I know many people who have used these drugs and they are not stigmatized individuals, and in some groups using these drugs is definitely the norm. If you don’t take these drugs you are the outsider.

The ethical debate about students using cognitive-enhancing drugs will continue in academic circles. However, two variables are constant: non-prescription drug use among students is increasing and availability of these drugs is widespread. Most students have laptops, credit cards which makes it easy to buy these products online. Students who use these drugs rationalize their decision based on the fact that it’s not really a big deal because a lot of people are doing it and there are no conclusive results of harmful short or long term effects of using Ritalin, Dexedrine or Modafinil.

So my question to you is, do you/would you use cognitive-enhancing drugs to increase your performance in school? Why or why not?

Leave your answers in the comments.

Globe and Mail Link:http://bit.ly/ZD3W6
The Guardian Link: http://bit.ly/ukYe

Final Exams: Plan Ahead

2009-03-22T14:22:00.003-04:00

For most of you, you should by now know your final exam schedule. Unfortunately, this means that you have some work ahead of you, but if you plan now, you can get the most out of it. Whenever I find out my exam schedule, I like to make a timeline of when I should be studying so that I leave myself enough time, and more importantly, cover everything.

Some people like to simply study a few days before each exam, but with back-to-back, or even same day exams, you need a better approach. Also, some exams require more studying than others, so this strategy won't apply across the board.

What you need to do is find out what the final exam will cover for each class and be realistic of how long it will take you to study the material. Take into account inevitable slacking periods. From there, try to devise a schedule for each day approaching your finals so that you can cover everything and aren't cramming. Don't want to spend all day, every day, in the library? Give yourself longer to study.

If you want to get the most out of your finals (read: get good marks) then a little planning right now will go a long way.

Citation: Important, but Overrated

2009-03-18T23:09:00.001-04:00

MLA, APA, Chicago style, I'm not even sure of the difference. Personally, I just find out what my teacher wants, then use citationmachine.net to put it in properly. I can completely understand the importance of citations: you want to ensure that people are citing their work properly so that plagiarism is minimized. Where I draw the line is teachers taking off marks because of incorrect citation form. If you asked for MLA and I gave you a slight variation, point out my error, but don't take a mark off. Citations are used to make sure that I am not claiming other's work as my own. So if I have cited something, even if it was cited in a different style, it is still a citation.

One could argue that deducting marks would be the only way to ensure that students are going to continue to use the correct form, but I believe that it isn't important. As long as you aren't claiming other's work as your own, list the citations as you wish.

Online Classroom: Does the service help or hinder student performance?

2009-03-13T12:46:00.001-04:00

Online Classroom: Does the service help or hinder student performance?
By: Christopher Tsiropoulos

At our university (University of Western Ontario), there is an online portal which is used to access classroom content online. UWO subscribes to WebCT, which in my opinion is a pretty good service. When a professor has signed up the class to WebCT (also called OWL), students are able to interact with each other, download notes/lectures and find out marks on a given assignment. It is also a service to announce something to the class. However, not all classes use WebCT, but that’s a different story.

I wonder sometimes if WebCT actually helps or hinders student performance. According to some of my professors, it really helps ESL and international students who do not like to participate in class because of the language barrier. Participation in classes (which usually ranges from 0-25%) may be earned through online discussion and e-mail to a TA and/or the professor. I think that WebCT is a very good service for people who don’t like to speak in class. It’s also a very convenient service. If you skip miss a class, you can login online and download the lecture and power point. I think it’s a really good way to mesh technology with education.

I also think there is a huge downside to the online classroom. Most of the time, the class you are enrolled in is not signed up for WebCT and it is not updated regularly (unless there is a TA). In my experience, it also takes a very long time for professors to put marks on WebCT, which drives students crazy. I’m not a huge fan of online classrooms, and the main reason why is because they are very informal. Especially if you don’t go to class, it seems like you are taking an online course and you just show up to write your exams and that’s it. Another problem with online classrooms is that there is so many of them. Some professors have their own personal websites, some professors use WebCT, and some don’t use any form of an online classroom except for e-mail exchange with the professor. For example, if a student is enrolled in variations of online classrooms (if any) and you are taking 6-10 courses per year, it gets very confusing. What is most frustrating to students is when a professor does not post cancelled classes in the online classroom.

Overall, I think that online classrooms do help student performance. Services like WebCT are convenient, efficient and effective. However, there is a lot of downside to an online classroom. There are various inconsistencies with online classrooms such as if professors use the service, how often a professor posts updates on the service and the variations of the different types of services available which confuse students. Educational institutions must be proactive in making use of modern technology to improve student’s academic performance in the future.

Encouraging Questions

2009-03-13T10:35:00.001-04:00

One very important thing I've learned about class participation is that if you ask a question in class, you'll always, and I mean always, remember it for the exam. Based on this fact alone, teachers, at any level, should encourage questions from their students. If students knew all the answers, they wouldn't need to be in school.

Yesterday, my professor had said that he encourages students to ask questions. He then proceeded to give an example about a certain text. He said that he found this text to be incredibly straight forward and couldn't understand how anyone could not understand it. He then said that if you do have any questions, that you should ask him. Why would anyone ask him about it? When he has essentially said that you'd have to be an idiot to not understand it, why would anyone ask him about it, essentially “admitting” to him that they are an idiot? The funny thing is that he said he does get questions from students about this text, even though he doesn't understand why. If you get questions, then obviously there must be something about it that is at least conceivable for people not to understand, even if it is understood by you. This man has a PhD in the subject, of course he understands it.

Teachers need to encourage questions, not discourage them. You shouldn't make your students feel like idiots for asking them. There's a saying that a truly wise man asks more questions than he answers. Not everyone has a PhD.

The Work Never Ends, But College Does

2009-03-09T17:04:00.002-04:00

For many of you, your time in college or university is coming to an end. I guess it's coming to an end for everyone, but sooner for some people. When I think about this, I think about this quote:

“You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does...”
-Tom Petty

Know Your Internet Presence

2009-03-06T12:12:00.001-05:00

I was reading an article from Seth Godin about how a simple Google search cost three people jobs. Maybe they wouldn't have got the job anyways, but this certainly didn't even give them a shot.

This raises an interesting point about your own internet presence and how you have to manage it. As a student, I assume that one day you want to have a job. More and more employers are Googling names of potential employees to see what comes up. Make sure you don't have anything out there that could hurt you. If you have things on your Facebook account that you wouldn't want them to see, make sure you change your privacy settings so that you have to be a friend to see your profile. Also be weary of comments that you make on forums and blogs, as these are often crawled by Google and made so that everyone can search them.

When it comes to getting a job, you need every advantage you can get. You don't need something like a picture of you drunk to cost you a potentially great job, just because you didn't untag yourself on Facebook or change your privacy settings. You can't take any chances. So the next time you think about posting something anywhere on the internet, think to yourself: who is going to see this? And maybe more importantly: would you want them to see this? It's all about your online presence.

Public Speaking: Fear No More

2009-03-02T11:05:00.002-05:00

“Public speaking is people’s number one fear. Their number two fear is death. Death is number two. That means if you’re at a funeral, it’s better to be in the casket than giving the eulogy.” Jerry Seinfeld. What a guy. And he’s right, people are terrified of public speaking, but they don’t have to be. Here are some tips on how to be a better public speaker:

Eye Contact:
It seems like a cliché to tell you to make eye contact with the audience. Clichés get said too many times for a reason: because they are true. Not only will this allow you to connect better with your audience, but with your head up facing your audience you can project much better as well.

Memorize, but if you are good at improv, don’t do it too much:
Make sure you learn what you are saying to people. If you don’t have cue cards or something in front of you to read off of, then make sure that you aren’t going to forget what you’re saying. However, when you over memorize something, you often don’t go up and present, you go up and recite. If you have the ability to improvise if you forget a few details, then don’t over memorize, it will take all the passion out of your presentation. If you can’t improvise, then just recite it, and work on your improvisation skills.

The audience isn’t better than you:
People are often worried as soon as they get up to the front because they are worried that if they screw up, that people will judge them. This is why they say to picture people in their underwear, so that you feel superior to them. Whatever works for you. If you don’t want to picture them in their underwear (as I don’t) then just tell yourself that the people in the audience are no better than you.

Focus on your breathing when nervous:
Next time you’re nervous, do this breathing exercise: flex your stomach muscles then focus on taking a deep breath. Hold the breath for about one full second, then release, all the time flexing your stomach muscles. Do this again, but this time, hold it for two full seconds. Now again, but for three seconds. Now breathe normally for about five seconds. Now? The tension is gone. Does this work because it releases something into the brain to relieve the stress? No. It relieves the stress because it takes your mind off the presentation.

People are terrified to get in front of people and just talk. That’s how you have to view public speaking, as simply getting in front of people and talking. You’re going to have to do it many more times in your life, I can assure you, so you better suck it up and practise at it. Just don’t forget to breathe.

Keep Up on Readings and The Catastrophe Syndrome

2009-02-28T19:43:00.003-05:00

Keep Up on Readings and The Catastrophe Syndrome
By: Chris Tsiropoulos

I want to know how people keep up on all of their readings. Seriously. I’m in third year university (almost fourth) and I still have not managed to find a way to stay on top of my readings. Sometimes I have things read before class, but most of the time I just cram all the readings in right before I start studying for the exam in the course. Unfortunately, this is very difficult to do in seminar courses, where readings include a few textbooks and a course pack for a half course. Now imagine taking 4 or 5 half courses per term, how is a student able to keep up?

I don’t have an answer...I’m looking for some advice!

I have this seminar class at main campus and it entails a lot of reading. Every class we talk about the readings and findings, and we create discussion based on the readings. Another consequence of not doing the readings is that your participation mark plummets! (Note: In some sociology seminar courses, participation ranges from 10-25% of final mark).

I had a book report due. I did not read the book. I wrote the book report. I did not receive a good mark on the report. Then I find out that the book is on the final exam (worth 40%).

So it is safe to say that I will be “catching up” on my readings for a few weeks. Does anyone else find that you are always trying to “catch up” with readings, for a long time, and then once you have finished your readings, you put the knowledge to use very quickly (eg. Exam the next day, presentation etc.) and then you do not retain any of the information in the readings?

I think the best way to catch up on about 250 pages of reading is to break it up into small chunks over several days. 250 pages / 25 = 10 days of catching up, each day reading 25 pages. I mean this sounds good in theory, and I hope I can pull through on this. I’m sure I will be writing about this on Twitter, so leave your tips on how to keep up on your readings in the comments or send a message to @ctsiropoulos on Twitter. I will appreciate it.

UPDATE: Speaking with a friend at work, their professor coined the term “Catastrophe Syndrome,” where a student works on catching up in one class and complete the assignment/exam etc., only to move on to the next class which is a catastrophe....and the cycle keeps on going.

School: The Ultimate Social Network

2009-02-25T13:58:00.002-05:00

School is a great learning experience. Sounds like it goes without saying, but I'm not talking about in the obvious sense. There's a lot more that you can get out of school other than just your in class learning. I'm talking about the work that comes outside of the classroom. This can include doing simple things like readings outside what your teacher has assigned, and even outside of the textbook, but can also include something as fun as talking with other people. That's right, I'm talking about networking.

Many young people believe that networking can only come online, with things like Facebook or LinkedIn. If this is true, then how did people do it before these websites came out? They used real world networking skills. That's right, you can make real world connections with people, you don't just have to add them to Facebook for it to be considered networking. Let's say you're in a business program, then it's pretty safe to assume that the people in your classes are also in business, or at least in something related. This is the perfect chance to network with people who will work in a similar industry as you one day. They want to go into another industry? Perfect. This can have just as many advantages as networking with someone who will be in the same industry as you.

In school, I believe that it's not about what you do inside of the classroom that's going to make you successful, it's about what you do outside. This can include reading, but it can also include something fun, like just simply talking to people. Don't think that Facebook is the only way to network with people. You can't forget the long forgotten method of just simply talking, face to face, with people. School is the ultimate social network.

Procrastination: It's not all bad

2009-02-20T11:24:00.000-05:00

Personally, I love to procrastinate. When it comes to school, if I try to work on something too far in advance, I have no motivation. I have to leave it to the last minute. But with pushing that back, I often get many other productive things done. While trying to start writing that essay, I might send off a few emails that I had been procrastinating on. While trying to start studying, maybe I'll clean my room. I find I won't do something like watching TV, because I can't justify it. But if I do something else that I've been procrastinating on, then I can justify it.

Not only that, as I said, I find that I can't get motivation. I can't get that spark that allows me to be creative when I don't have that pressure. That being said, this approach shouldn't be taken for everyone. If you can't write well under the pressure, then you should allow yourself more time. Maybe you can write that paper while you're procrastinating on something else.

A Little Story...

2009-02-19T12:18:00.002-05:00

I was at work yesterday, and a young man (whose name will remain anonymous) came to me and asked for advice. He is in grade 11 and is not the strongest at school however he does get good grades. He asked me, "should I go to university even though college can get me a job faster?" I was stunned, I couldn't believe that he was deciding his future on how fast he can get a job. I asked him, well what do you want to be? He said he wasn't sure which is extremely common for high school students. So I asked him why would you not want to go to university? The young man simply replied, "university is very expensive and I don't even know if I will be able to get a job afterwards." So I asked him if he ever planned to purchase a house or car, because both of these necessities will leave him in debt. Then he proceeded to show me a video clip on YouTube then explained why you don't need university to become successful. I was appalled, I told him that this was the very reason why you go to university, so you don't believe everything you see. The purpose of school is to expand your brain power and to help you think. It is not about getting a job, it is about becoming "smart" so you are not easily deceived. Any job you get, you will be trained in, school in most cases will not teach you how to perform your job, school will only teach you how to think. So I said to him, "if you unsure of what you want to be, why would you close doors when you don't have to?" He was speechless for about a moment, then he had a sudden change of heart. He then promised me that he would do the best he could from now on in and he would try to go to university. So I told him that I would take weekly tabs on him to make sure he is doing everything he can to attend university.

Knowledge is power.

How to Claim Tuition on Personal Tax Filing

2009-02-18T12:26:00.004-05:00

I was at work yesterday, and a first year university student asked, “How do I go about filing my taxes when it comes to school?” After I explained everything, she said, “So what about the people that don’t know this?” So today I thought I would write a post about it.

In Canada, when a person goes to university, the tax form they receive in February for the tax year is called a Tuition, Education, and Textbooks Amounts Certificate. This is also called the T2202a, and it is pretty much the same thing as a T4 slip you get from work. This form displays a person’s student number, what program they are enrolled in, current status of the student, and eligible tuition paid that can be redeemed.

At UWO, the T2202a can be found by going to studentservices.uwo.ca, click “my past,” and then select the tax year. The official T2202a can be printed off and downloaded from this location. I don’t know how other Canadian universities allow students to obtain their T2202a, but I assume it is online somewhere where a student can download it.

Note: You don’t need to take all of your textbook receipts to your tax centre. The T2202a has a built in calculation for how much the average student pays for books which depends on how many months a student was enrolled in school during the tax year. For example, my co-worker, who is in first year, will only receive 1 term of tuition and 1 term of books on their tax form. Since I am in third year, I would receive 8 months of tuition and 2 terms of books on my T2202a.

Now from what I have been told (and could totally be wrong), is that tuition is a tax credit until it is flushed out of the system. So if I paid $5000 in tuition last year, and only paid $1000 in income taxes, I would receive a $1000 tax return and my tuition credit would drop to $4000. The tuition credit is then transferred onto the following tax year until it is flushed out of the system. Now this is a small example, and it is obviously much more complex than this when including other variables.

So along with the Technology and Textbook Grant, students who do their own income taxes usually receive some extra spending cash when they receive their tax return. Remember to file your taxes before the personal income tax filing deadline of April 30, 2009 and don’t spend all your money in one place.

Disclaimer: Please note that this is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional accounting advice. You should consult with your own accountant before acting on any advice given here to ensure that it is right for your situation.

College Students Using Wikipedia

2009-02-11T14:36:00.001-05:00

College Students Using Wikipedia
By: Chris Tsiropoulos

First, I would like to start by confessing my love for Wikipedia. It’s a huge, amazing resource where you can find information about almost anything. Before I start researching for any of my papers, I’m always on Wikipedia trying to find some information to develop into arguments for my papers. However, here is the dilemma with Wikipedia: because it is user submitted data, it is not scholarly or academic, and therefore not worth more than a quick glance.

I totally agree with this. Until I was reading one of my textbooks and the professor used
Wikipedia (including the URL) as the source for her argument.

Now that is just crossing the line! On one hand, all of your professors tell you that you will get a 0 if you plagiarize, you’ll get suspended or expelled from school. How? Most papers must be submitted to turnitin.com (another story for another blog post). But on the other hand, professors are using Wikipedia to do the same thing I am doing: finding ideas to make their arguments better.

So, I think that two things should happen:
1. Professors shouldn’t get mad if students use Wikipedia for assignments/essays/projects
2. Professors should stop using Wikipedia to create academic journals and books.

Your thoughts?

How to Spend Spring Break

2009-02-09T11:21:00.001-05:00

For all Canadian university students, next week is spring break. It comes with many different names. Slack Week. Reading Week. Whatever you want to call it, it's time off from school. The big question is: how should you spend it? Should you spend it slacking, or reading? My thought on the matter: both.

Teachers traditionally will call it reading week, hoping that students will use the week to catch up, and maybe even get ahead, on their reading. Students traditionally call it slack week. Hoping that the week will be filled with episodes of The Price is Right and late night drinking binges. I believe that both parties are right on the issue. Students should use this time to at least get caught up on their reading. Getting ahead on their reading might be too optimistic of a goal, but using some of the week to get caught up could have a great positive impact at the end of the year. But don't forget one important part of spring break: it should also be used to recharge your batteries. Maybe for everyone this doesn't mean going to Cancun, but you should at least relax a little. If you use the week to just overload on reading, you'll more than likely burn out the following week.

So if you are going to Mexico, you probably already know what you're doing for spring break. If you aren't going anywhere, take my advice. Get caught up on that reading, but don't forget to relax a little bit during the break. After all, it's called a “break” for a reason.

Cramming for Exams

2009-02-07T19:44:00.000-05:00

As mid terms approach the majority of students try to cram months of class into a few days prior to their exams. The issue with this method of studying, is that it is all short term memory and none of the information will be retained in the long run. If students kept up with their studies throughout the semester, the information would be learned and remembered for future use. Cramming may allow many students to get by, although top marks are often unattainable and the information is forgotten within days after the examination. Students, keep up with your work, at least retain some knowledge from your 4 year university degree.

The More you Know!

Does School Kill Creativity?

2009-02-04T10:34:00.002-05:00

I was watching a video yesterday (embedded at bottom) from the TED Conference from 2006. The speaker was Sir Ken Robinson and the topic was “Does school kill creativity?” In it, he commented on the fact that schools seem to teach all students in the same manner, even though all students clearly do not learn in the same way. I personally strongly agree with his argument. He further argues that creativity should be just as important as literacy for children. Creativity can inspire change. It can inspire progress.

Robinson tells the story of a woman named Gillian Lynne who was a choreographer for the musicals Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. When she was growing up and at school, she had a difficult time sitting still and concentrating and as a result was told that she has a learning disorder. One day her mother was brought to the school so that her and Gillian could see a specialist. This specialist proceeded to tell her mother about all the things that was wrong with her: she couldn't concentrate, she wasn't doing well on tests, wasn't handing in her assignments on time. At the end, the doctor told Gillian that he wanted to talk to her mother in private and left the room with her mother. Before leaving the room, the doctor turned on the radio and closed the door. The doctor and her mother then stood outside of the door and the doctor told her to take notice of what her daughter was about to do. As they stood and watched, Gillian began dancing to the music. The doctor said to her mother “Your daughter isn't sick. She's a dancer.” Gillian expressed herself in a different way. She learned in a different way. She didn't do so through speaking, but through movement. The doctor recommended that she instead attend a dance school. Gillian remarked on the experience that it was “People like her”. People that learned in a different way. Just like her.

Not all students learn the same way. Yet our education system is designed to teach them in the same way. Granted, there are programs that deal with people that are advanced, and those that are falling behind, but there or more segments than that. There are people that are deemed to be “falling behind” but it isn't because they don't the mental capacity to progress at the same rate as other students, but rather because they need to learn in a different way.

Sadly, this problem may never be fully realized. Even if it is fully realized, it may never be resolved. The public system has a difficult time getting the funding that it currently has, which is minimal, let alone the funding that would be needed for a project as ambitious as this.

The Cheapest Route to Cancun for Spring Break

2009-02-02T13:45:00.001-05:00

The Cheapest Route to Cancun for Spring Break
By: Chris Tsiropoulos

Now most students have midterms this week and next week, but we are always looking forward to spring back. Officially, at UWO and most schools in Ontario, spring break begins on February 16th and ends on February 20th. One of the most popular destinations to get away during spring break is Cancun, Mexico. If you have not booked your vacation yet, I have put together a list of the cheapest – all inclusive vacations to Cancun. All of the vacation packages are all-inclusive deals which fly out of Toronto, Ontario.

Package #1: Expedia.ca

Who: Sunwing Airlines
What: Vacation Package
Where: Cancun, Mexico (Oasis Resort)
When: February 15 – 21 (7 Nights)
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Total Price (Taxes Included) = $1442

Package #2: itravel2000.com

Who: Sunwing Airlines
What: Vacation Package
Where: Cancun, Mexico (Sens Cancun)
When: February 15 – 21 (7 Nights)
Rating: 4 Stars

Total Price (Taxes Included) = $1492

Package #3: selloffvacations.com

Who: Sunwing Airlines
What: Vacation Package
Where: Cancun, Mexico (Solymar Bach Resort)
When: February 15 – 21 (7 Nights)
Rating: 3 Stars

Total Price (Taxes Included) = $1412

Package #4: redtag.ca

Who: Sunwing Airlines
What: Vacation Package
Where: Cancun, Mexico (Solymar Bach Resort)
When: February 15 – 21 (7 Nights)
Rating: 3 Stars

Total Price (Taxes Included) = $1412

So from searching around online it is pretty evident that it is around 1400+ to check out Mexico for spring break. Now this is by no means a scientific experiment, and it will depend on your individual situation. For example, if you fly out of London, Hamilton, Kitchener it may be slightly cheaper. Also, the price of the vacation depends on how many people you have in one room. More people and you pay a little less. Also, the above prices do not include medical coverage. That ranges from $100 - $300. So if you are considering going to Cancun for spring break, save yourself a couple dollars by purchasing your vacation from redtag.ca or selloffvacations.com (they offer the same vacation). And don’t forget to pack your sunscreen!

Getting Good Grades... Continued

2009-01-30T10:46:00.002-05:00

Earlier in the school year we wrote an article about easy ways to get better grades. Today we're going to expand on that concept with an additional concept that is incredibly easy. All you have to do is get up every day and do one simple thing: go to class. Sounds too good to be true, but it is true. Simply going to your classes will improve your marks.

The reasoning behind it is very simple. Going to class will do two things: make the teacher recognize you, and help you absorb information.

First, going to class will help the teacher to actually know who you are. As I said in the previous article, this is a huge element to getting good grades, and a great bargaining chip at the end of the year. If you talk to your professor at the end of the year trying to boost your mark, but it's the first time all year that they have seen you, that's not a good thing. On the other hand, if you go in and they recognize you, and you mention that you have been to all of the classes and in their mind they can justify this fact, that's a huge bonus in their eyes. It shows that you made at least the minimum effort to getting better grades in their class and that you respected them enough to at least show up.

The second reason why it's better that you go to class is for the simple fact that you'll learn more. Even if you go to class and don't pay attention, you're still more likely to learn information through pure absorption by simply being in the same room as the lecture. Studies have show a direction correlation (and hopefully causation) between going to class and getting good grades.

For a lot of people, going to class is a no-brainer. They believe that they've paid for the classes anyways, it would be a waste of their money to not attend. But for those that don't seem to have the will to go to class, just realize that it's probably going to be much more productive than anything else you were going to do.

The (Dys) Functions of Twitter

2009-01-28T15:22:00.003-05:00

The (Dys) Functions of Twitter
By: Chris Tsiropoulos

The team here at School Shift is using Twitter to communicate with each other and meet new people. After using the service for a few weeks, I find it very convenient. I can message all of my followers from web, phone applications and text message. It is very convenient to stay connected with the people around you. Unfortunately, I have discovered that Twitter has many shortcomings. Now this is my humble list, although I would encourage anyone to add your gripes with Twitter in the comments.

1. Why is there no search button?

Kevin Rose has an article on TechCrunch that explains 10 ways to get more Twitter followers. Number nine says:

Reply to/get involved in #hash tag memes. search.twitter.com lists the hot ‘trending topics. Look for the #hash topics and jump in on the conversation (see #4 for links to #hash instructions). Source: ww.techccrunch.com

Why does Twitter not have its own search built into the service? If I want to get in on all the hot topics, to tweet about them to get more followers, why do I have to open up a new tab and go to a different website just to find out this information? I think it should be provided in the service.

2. Why is it so confusing?

Now I know what you are thinking: Chris, using twitter is a joke, you just said it was really convenient. And it is, but what is a RT and a #hash tag topics or #hash tag memes? Is there some instructional manual that is provided by Twitter to explain all of these different techniques users are using to creating new conversations with people? If so, provide me a link in the comments.

3. Why can I not block people from my stream?

If I follow a person, and they update their status, it shows up on my twitter stream. That’s one of the best things about twitter; I can see exactly what everyone is doing all the time. But…this is also a problem. What if I’m following a person who always has repetitive or stupid updates that don’t necessarily engage conversation, but just present facts? Sorry, maybe I want to “follow” you but I don’t want your updates in my twitter stream because “you are eating low calorie strawberry yogurt in the cafeteria, then going to the washroom in 4.2 minutes.” No, I don’t really care about that!

4. Where do I go to create a profile? Oh wait, they already have this ….

The profile feature on twitter is garbage. You can’t even see the whole URL of the website I inserted into my profile feature. It also does not automatically fix the distortion in the resolution of the image you upload onto the background/profile picture. I don’t understand why the profile feature does not allow you to add more information. If I am using twitter, I want to connect with people that I don’t previously know and engage into conversations with the community. When they come to my twitter page, I want them to know who I am. This includes picture, website, name, Facebook page, LinkedIn page, e-mail etc. Twitter must develop their profile feature to allow people to share more information with the community.

Don’t get me wrong, Twitter is a cool service with a lot of potential. I think that is the part that gets me the most, they have 20 something people working for them and they haven’t made these small changes that will make the service (and community) that much better. On that note, feel free to follow any (or all ) of the team on Twitter

The Superbowl and University Students

2009-01-26T23:22:00.000-05:00

It seems like the Superbowl is just another reason to get inebriated on a Sunday afternoon. The majority of university students don't even know who is playing in the Superbowl nor do they care. Its a fun time where people pig out on nachos and wings and drink as much beer as they can in hopes of catching a glimpse of Janet Jackson's breasts. I would put money on the fact that 50% of the people at these parties can not even name a player on either Arizona or Pittsburgh. But none of that really matters. The word "Superbowl" is just a preceding fill in the blank with word obviously being "party". Whether it be Sarcastic Sunday Party or Super Snow Shoveling Sunday Party, party goers will always be out in full force. So go "TEAM" and Happy Superbowl Sunday everyone!

Obama on Higher Education: Too Much Hype?

2009-01-23T17:14:00.002-05:00

The American Presidential campaign has come to an end and Americans are looking forward to change. I am slightly disappointed after doing some research on what President Obama wants to change in the post-secondary education system.



The Obama Agenda  is found at whitehouse.gov, and plans to institute the following changes for post-secondary students:

Higher Education

Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama and Biden will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community service.
Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama and Biden will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/education/

Are these changes very drastic? There are conflicting reports, although the average undergraduate students comes out of college/university with over $20 000 of debt. And this is just debt from tuition. The cost of living for a few years is not included, which could easily create the total amount of debt a student owes over $50 000. I don’t think simplifying the process for financial aid is a great selling point to students either. Although the Obama administration has significant plans to change the primary and secondary schools, I think that his higher education plans make the cut.

Let us know what you think about Obama’s higher education plans in the comments.

Are university students feeling the recession?

2009-01-22T15:40:00.000-05:00

Are university students feeling the recession?

If you have been to a night club lately, you would find it hard to believe the world is in an economic slow down.

Bottles. This is the new trend in the night life scene. If you do not have a "VIP" booth with bottles of Grey Goose vodka or champagne you seem to be inferior to the rest of the club goers. This is the "hollywood" and "MTV cribs" affect that has taken over the minds of our youth. Everyone seems to be living the "GOOD LIFE" spending hundreds of dollars each night at the bar. Take a look around in the club next time you are there and tell me if you think students feel the affect of the recession.

Economic recession or Welcome to the Good Life?

Memory Pill: Survival of the Fittest or Immoral?

2009-01-18T12:09:00.002-05:00

Today I was reading an article about a memory pill that could be used as an over-the-counter way for people to improve their memory. The popular use mentioned in the article was for students to use the pills during exam time. The question arises as to whether it would be moral to take them. If you knew there would be little to no side effects for taking them, would you do it? Are you giving yourself an immoral edge? Or are you simply using all of your available resources to get the best marks possible?

SchoolShift.com Endorses Barack Obama

2008-11-04T23:01:00.003-05:00

SchoolShift.com, your favourite online school resource, is happy to endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States of America. This decision did not come easy, as we had to wait until after the election results to know who to throw our support behind. But we are officially supporting democratic candidate Barack Obama for president of the United States.

School Shift Article: NOT Published in The Gazette

2008-10-21T20:34:00.003-04:00

So here is a little background story:

At one of our meetings, we were brainstorm ways to market School Shift . We tried to write an article and submit it to The Gazette , the daily newspaper at the University of Western Ontario. We tried to submit this article in person and by e-mail.....but we never got a response. So I decided to dig up this article and post it on the blog. Tell us what you think about it.

When you need help with school, think SchoolShift.com. That's the vision for three UWO students who started the website. They describe it as the "older brother" effect: when you need help with school, you go to an older sibling or a friend, someone who has been through the experience. That's exactly what School Shift is all about: experience. Their slogan, "Your Experience. Your Life. Your School." shows what the group is trying to accomplish with their website: the sharing of information among students.

The idea started off when the boys were finishing up first year. Their friend who was thinking about post-secondary education asked them about their experience at UWO. Then it hit them. The idea to connect this information and post it online. RateMyProfessor.com had some information on it, but it didn't really have enough information for students to make an informed decision about school. There's so much more first time students need to know about school than which professors are easy, or even attractive, like RateMyProfessor.com tells you.

At SchoolShift.com, users can share their reviews, post classified ads, share class notes and even look for employment. The founders want to make School Shift your best resource for school. As for the future, the creators claim the website will focus on connecting people with similar experiences. They hope that students at all stages of post-secondary can benefit from the website. They believe that information should be shared to make for the best experience for everyone. After all, no one said you had to go through school alone.

OSAP and the TTG

2008-10-18T21:05:00.007-04:00

So the Liberal government passed a law named the Technology and Textbook Grant. Essentially it cuts a cheque to students to help them out buying books. If you are on OSAP , it automatically signs you up for the grant. The best thing about the grant is that is goes up go 300$ in 2009.

But there are problems with the TTG. First of all, why doesn't the TTG cut a cheque to EVERY post - secondary student in Ontario without applying for it? I mean, it is suppose to help out all of the students right?

Also, the TTG hasn't gotten a lot of press. Most of my friends that I have asked don't even know about it. If the TTG was advertised on TV, on Facebook , or on campuses, students would be signing up for free money left and right.

This is what bothers me: if this grant program is in place, why doesn't it just deduct the bursary from your tuition cost? On a positive note, apply for the grant to get your bursary. And don't complain about it like me.

Getting good grades: It’s about how you play the game

2008-10-17T12:54:00.003-04:00

The biggest thing that I realized in University is that you have to work harder to get good marks. Much harder than you did in high school. In high school, it seemed that with some classes, you could put in virtually no effort and pull off 80%. I can tell you that it doesn’t work that way in university and college. You have to be willing to work hard if you want to get good marks. But there’s more than that. If you want to get good marks, you have to work hard. But if you want to get great marks, you have to do more. You have to learn how to play the game.

Many teachers won’t even look at your name when they mark a test. That way they can’t have any biases when they mark. This is how it should be. But the bottom line is that when there’s something where they know who you are, they’re more likely to give you a better mark if they like you. Even on a subconscious level, you will have a slightly better edge if they like you. This means that you have to learn how to play the game.

There are certain things that you have to do that require some effort, but some things just require common sense. I sometime see someone sitting in the front row of a class with their cell phone in hand texting one of their friends, right in front of the professor. Bad idea. Do you know how disrespectful that is to the professor? This person has chosen to make a career out of teaching students, and you’re showing that not only are you not paying attention, but you are actually doing something else.

Sitting in the front row, or at least near the front, of class is always a good idea. If the professor sees your face often, they’ll be more likely to remember you when it comes to marking time. If they can remember you, that’s usually a good sign that you’ve at least been to class, putting in the minimum amount of effort. And that brings up another point: go to class. If the first time they’re seeing you is at the exam, that probably isn’t a good thing.

My last piece of advice comes with a bit more work to it, but in my opinion is the most important: communicate with the professor. This means asking questions in class, emailing them and most importantly staying after class to talk to the professor. I know that the last one requires the most work, but it is really effective. If you talk to the professor about classes or, more importantly, about how the class relates to real world issues, they’ll see that you really enjoy the class and that you’re thinking about how it effects the real world.

If you want to get decent marks, ignore everything I’ve said to you. Just study and you’ll be fine. But if you want to get great marks, then you have to know how to play the game. I know it’s going to be hard, but when you see the marks at the end of the year, you’ll be glad that you waited until after class to tell your friend via text message that you’re in class.

Barack Obama announces SchoolShift.com as his running mate

2008-08-27T21:09:00.004-04:00

Presidential nominee Barack Obama has announced that Joe Biden will no longer be his presidential running mate. In his place, SchoolShift.com, the online school resource will now be his potential vice president. The move came just days after Republican nominee John McCain announced that Father Time would be his running mate in the November election.

After seeing that John McCain had chosen someone with so much life experience (although admittedly limited political experience) he decided that he needed to go back hard at McCain. After visiting SchoolShift.com and seeing that their slogan was “Your Experience. Your Life. Your School.”, Obama realized that they must have had experience, or else it would be false advertising.

Obama had said that he considered RateMyProfessor.com as a potential running mate, but reconsidered after actually visiting the website. “I was expecting something a little less ugly” said Obama. “They really need a ‘change they can believe in’” he said, as he nudged a reported in celebration of his pun. Political pundits are already saying that this could be just what Obama needs to win the election, although they wouldn’t expand on their reasoning.

I always knew he did...

2008-08-25T11:15:00.001-04:00

SchoolShift.com

In the time...

2008-08-25T11:08:00.004-04:00

SchoolShift.com

Report: SchoolShift.com Hustlin’ Everyday

2008-08-24T15:42:00.003-04:00

Story by: Buddy H.

A new study by the award-winning Hustin’ Institute has shown that SchoolShift.com, the online school resource, has been hustlin’ everyday (sometimes spelled uurday). From their official launch less than a month ago, the website has only take one day off hustling in recognition of Boss’ Day (sometime spelled Baws’ Day).

The online school resource recently challenged rival website RateMyProfessor.com to a debate, a challenge that has not been accepted, nor rejected by RMP. SchoolShift.com now claims that RMP is indeed not hustlin’ everyday, and needs to “Get their money right” according to a company executive.

I Challenge You

2008-08-20T19:49:00.004-04:00

By: School Shift

This is a formal challenge. Ratemyprofessor.com, or is it ratemyprofessors.com? I never understood that, I challenge you to a debate. For years, people have been settling their problems with a good old fashion debate. Mainly because it’s easier and less girly than thumb wrestling. We need to settle this. We need to decide which website is truly better (I’m betting it’s me). The debate will consist of three topics:
1) Does the Ricardian Equivalence hold in a modern economy with rational agents?
2) Is climate change a legitimate issue that humans will have to deal with before it has irreversible consequences?
3) Are kittens cute?

In the unlikely event that there is a tie (mainly because I’m so awesome), we will settle this with an intense game of Jenga. Best three out of five.

Both the debate and/or Jenga match is to be refereed by Digg.com founder Kevin Rose. Although he doesn't know me, I'm sure we could be pretty good friends. I'm a really good website. I'm sure we like the same kinda stuff.

If you choose to except, have your Marketplace contact mine. Oh wait, your website doesn’t have a Marketplace. Then I guess just email me. General@schoolshift.com (we were going to make something like debate@schoolshift.com, but figured that you probably won’t even respond, because you’re too scared).

Wayne Enterprises Buys SchoolShift.com

2008-08-10T16:40:00.007-04:00

Story by William Guerin

In a move that shocked many in the financial sector, Wayne Enterprises (formerly WayneCorp) purchased online school resource SchoolShift.com for $25 million. The acquisition astonished most people because of the company’s lack of experience in dot-com businesses. Wayne Enterprises is owned by Bruce Wayne but the day-to-day operations are largely run by Lucius Fox.

The bidding war began when LexCorp, one of Wayne Enterprises (NYSE:BAT) biggest competitors, put in a bid for the online-business. The terms of the original deal by LexCorp were not disclosed. After the bid by LexCorp, Bruce Wayne said that he had always dreamed of owning a dot-com business, after seeing the success of his favourite website, petsweaters.com.

Analysts aren’t sure if Bruce Wayne will be running the daily operations for the dot-com business, as analysts aren’t really sure what Bruce Wayne does during the day. One thing is for sure, however, that he has a very business nightlife, so he couldn’t possibly have a secret identity.

The already largely rich Bruce Wayne has recently come into additional money around the date of July 18. When asked by original author of this story, William Guerin, what the connection to that date was, Wayne jokingly replied “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.”

In an unrelated story, we would like to send our condolences to the Guerin family on the loss of husband and loving father, William Guerin.

Please note: This story is obviously fake. If you believed this, shame on you. All the names and corporations in the story are property of their respective owners. But while you’re here, why don’t you look around the site. The stock chart is property of Yahoo! Finance.

Launch Party

2008-07-31T11:32:00.000-04:00

So SchoolShift.com V1.0 is officially on the internet. We also scooped up SchoolShift.ca, which should probably increase our traffic by 8 000% (roughly).

We have some new features that we're currently working on that we'll tell you about a little later. As it stands now, start posting and get the site growing as the school year fast approaches.

-The School Shift Team
SchoolShift.com
Your Experience. Your Life. Your School.

Welcome to SchoolShift.com's Official Blog

2008-07-05T22:09:00.000-04:00

Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to welcome you guys to the official blog for SchoolShift.com.
Right now we're just finalizing the website and it should be up soon. Check back regularly to see what's coming up at SchoolShift.com.

-Dan
SchoolShift.com