Students blog

Throughout my high school experience, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted for my future. Eventually, I chose to attend a university based on these preferences. I started as a first-year student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) as a Cybersecurity Engineering major (which was not a common major). As time went on, I started falling behind in my classes because everyone else had been exposed to the major-related content in high school, but I hadn’t. In other words, they came into college having the foundational knowledge that I wasn’t exposed to. At the same time, I was taking psychology courses and eventually picked up a minor. I fell in love with this program at UAH, so I decided to switch to majoring in psychology. I was hesitant at first but have never regretted my decision. If you are having trouble deciding whether to change majors, here are some of the things I learned from my experience that might help!

Stress and anxiety are common in college students because they have so much to balance. From work to school to friends and family, there is so much going on. In the end, however, no one knows what you are feeling or going through better than yourself. When changing majors there is one more thing added to one’s plate. What really helped me is weighing the pros and cons of what would happen if I changed my major. In the end, the pros outweighed the cons, which was the biggest reason I decided to switch majors. However, I recognize this might not be the case for everyone. My suggestion is that before you officially switch majors, take a minute to weigh the pros and cons of the situation.

My first year at UAH, I took an intro level psychology class to fulfill one of my general course requirements. I did well in the class and liked the topics and material. This course was my first step to changing my major, even though I did not realize it at the time. From this experience, I can confidently say that if you are thinking about changing your major, taking a class in the major is a terrific way to see if it is really something you are interested in. One probably should not change their major without knowing much about what the major is like. In addition to learning more about what the major is about, this also gives you a connection to a professor within the major.

A big question when it comes to choosing a major is what you can do in the future with it. Here is my advice: start by doing some research online. Look for what other people in the major have gone on to do for a career to see if there is anything you might be interested in. If you still have more questions or concerns, set up an appointment with a professor in that field at your school. They will most likely be able to give you more information and possibly good advice! From my experience, most professors are happy to discuss these kinds of things! Finally, not only will these actions help alleviate stress and anxiety about changing majors, but it will also give you more information and a good connection if you do decide to change majors.

Picking a major is a large part of the college experience, and there is a lot of pressure to “pick the right one.” If you find yourself in a situation where you are thinking about changing majors, I hope these tips from my experience help!

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! 

One of the first things I think about when reflecting on my college experience is my roommates who have been with me the whole time. I have three roommates and somehow, we have managed to live together since the first year. We get stressed at times and do not always get along perfectly, but we have a rhythm that works for us.

Finding good roommates is not always easy, especially when you do not know anyone else going to your college. Relax, though, it will be ok. Here are some tips I have learned on how to have a good relationship with roommates!

Most, if not all, universities, and colleges with on campus living have a survey for residents to fill out to find roommates their first year. Personally, I was very skeptical about how this survey would work, but looking back, I should have trusted the system more. Here’s why! Before move-in day, I had only briefly met one of my three roommates, and I was anxious about not getting along with them. There was one roommate I knew, so we met up to talk and get to know each other better, and I discovered that she was not worried in the least about the other two roommates neither of us knew. So, I decided to take a page out of her book and stop worrying so much about it. In the end, my worries were unfounded because this school year is my fourth year with the same roommates. Everything worked out better than I could have imagined, and it would have been a lot easier on me if I had just trusted it would be ok and relaxed.

When my roommates and I first started living together, we each were trying to figure out how to live with people besides our families. It was a gradual process, but we learned two key points that helped us live together:

• First, communication is key! If you need help with the chores or do not like the way someone does something, talk to your roommate(s) about it. They might not know it is bothering you and will try to compromise with you once it is brought to their attention.
• Second, do your part. If everyone in the room is contributing one way or another there is likely to be less frustration and arguments.
  

In the end, every roommate group is different and has a different “system” that must be used and followed so everyone gets along. You do not have to be best friends with your roommates, but you also want to live peacefully with one another. That said, the biggest and most helpful advice I can give is to find the system that works for everyone in the room and follow it. After living with my roommates for about 4 years, this is what has helped me the most. I hope this helps you too!

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

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

Attend Events on Campus

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

Take advantage of the Meal Plan

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

Borrow or Rent Textbooks

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

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

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

If you ever look at one of those websites that catalog annual holidays and awareness days, you’ll find that nearly every day there is something to celebrate, and I mean this literally! November 21st, for example, is World Television Day! So, in celebration, let's talk about the pros and cons of watching television.

Overly Stereotyped

Watching TV is occasionally stereotyped as lazy and unproductive and shows can often be described as too violent/graphic. To this point, let me ask you a question: How often are the shows you watch in English? Probably most of the time for the majority of the United States. However, television can go beyond those stereotypes if you let it. After all, television reflects the culture of its creation. If you allow yourself to go beyond the comfortable and known, you can venture into a world full of new experiences, knowledge, and skills.

TV from Different Cultures

Culture doesn't vary by plots of land but depends on the groups of people living there. Culture, by definition, is a group's shared practices, beliefs, and values. For this reason, it only makes sense that a society's culture becomes embedded in the television shows it creates. When watching a show/drama from South Korea, for example, the viewer gets a small glimpse of the culture in South Korea. This example holds for any television show from any country on Earth. Using South Korea as an example again, K-dramas (South Korean television shows) show what daily life might look like for someone living in South Korea. It shows what foods they might eat, what clothes they wear, what they do for fun/entertainment, what religious traditions are most standard, etc. Sometimes this might be overlooked, however, because it is all in the small details of the shows.

Multicultural Understanding

Again, each country's television programming will show parts of the culture unique to that country. One exception is that because these television shows are for entertainment, there is bound to be some exaggeration. On the contrary, this holds for some points in the storyline, not the setting and background information. If someone watches television from multiple countries, they will have a better general understanding of the people and cultures in those countries.

Subtitles and Reading Comprehension

Watching television shows in another language requires reading subtitles to understand what is happening. Subtitles demand that the viewer to be able to read through and quickly comprehend the words appearing and disappearing on screen. Rewinding to re-read can go from mildly aggravating to very frustrating. However, by watching shows with subtitles, they can tremendously increase their reading speed. This skill is helpful not only when trying to watch a show in another language but also helps with general reading skills, including reading for work, school, or enjoyment.

While watching TV for entertainment does come with a few negative stereotypes, there are more positives to consider. Watching television shows from non-English speaking countries can introduce people to new cultures, expand a person's knowledge and experiences, and increase their reading and comprehension speed. In conclusion, to celebrate World Television Day, try watching a show from a different and new genre or a different culture/country!

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! 

Organization skills are vital for college students, but sometimes can be a little difficult to maintain. Whether it is making a schedule for the week or finishing and turning in assignments on time, there are so many tasks that require organization. There are plenty of ways to be organized, and not everyone has to use the same method. The way someone keeps organized usually differs from person to person. If one way does not work for you try another way! Here are some different tips to try on how to be organized and stay organized.

Organize Your Time

Staying on top of commitments and due dates is a required skill in college, and it can be a little difficult for some. Many students find using a planner or calendar, either hard-copy or digital, to be the best solution. However, it is not the correct way for everyone. Instead of using a planner or calendar, try using something else to keep track of what is coming up that day and that week. I have found that using sticky notes is very helpful. Every time I know there is something I need to do or remember, I write it on a sticky note. Then I stick them together somewhere I can easily see. When I am finished with whatever is on the sticky note, I crumple it up and throw it away. This helps me keep track of what I have coming up.

Organize Your Stuff

Another thing students might find a little difficult to organize is their possessions and belongings. This is especially true for people living in dorms. Even though dorms are, as a rule, pretty small, that doesn’t mean it will be easy to find what you are looking for every time you need it. It might sound cliche, but putting stuff in the same place every time makes finding it when you need it much easier. Another useful tip is to put things close to where you might need them. For example, I usually only need my keys when I leave. So, I have a spot close to the door where I put my keys every time I enter. I find that this helps me to remember where my keys are and to not forget my keys in the room when I leave.

Building solid organizational skills now will pay off for your future. There are many things in life that require a person to be organized. Everyone must find their own way to get and stay organized. A way that works to keep a friend organized might not work for you. These tips are the ways that I have found to help keep me organized. If they don’t work for you, keep exploring! The thing that matters is that you find a way that works 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! 

MyLab, if you didn’t know, is a Pearson online learning platform that covers over 50 subjects and classes. MyLab has great features for both students and instructors. Two of my favorites are the homepage calendar and the “Show Me an Example” button.

Instructors also have a wide variety of ways to customize the platform. In the end, the wide range of features in Pearson’s MyLab benefit both the students and the instructors.

Getting Organized with the Homepage Calendar

The homepage calendar is one of my favorite features on MyLab. On the calendar, the days with assignments due have a small blue dot. The assignments are listed under categories. The most helpful is the one with the upcoming assignments. The homepage calendar is a terrific tool to help students get and stay organized.

A Little Help from the ‘Show Me’ Tool

Another one of my favorite features is the “Show Me an Example” button. This feature comes in especially helpful when taking math or math-related courses. If a student is having trouble working out a particular problem or part of a particular problem, clicking the “Show Me an Example” button will create a very similar problem. The platform will then walk the student through how to do the problem or part of the problem. It can help the student learn, reinforce a concept, and help with homework all in one. When I don’t fully understand a concept in class, I know I can use the “Show Me an Example” button to gain more mastery of that concept.

Instructor Resources

Instructors have some options in how they structure MyLab to align with how they want their students to learn in their class. An example of one way they can change MyLab for the students is by setting the maximum attempts each student has to answer a question. Another example is that an instructor can turn off the “Show Me an Example” button if they don’t want their students to use it. They can also pick the quantity of questions they want to assign as well as which specific questions. There are many more customizable features at the disposal for instructors to use at their preference.

Pearson’s MyLab is a great online learning platform no matter what class you are using it for. The wide range of features make it a valuable resources for both students and instructors.

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!