Time management essential for university students

Making the cut in university admissions does not mean everything will be smooth sailing. All the hard work back in high school has paid off, and was only a warm-up for what is yet to come. For many people college can be more hectic and stressful than high school.

Unfortunately, many students assume that they can take it easy once they reach college. This is a common misconception of many new university students; that college is little more than a four-year party with a gigantic cover charge.

The truth is that being a university student means a much more work and dedication to studies. It does not mean there's no room for fun, but there it must be strictly regulated to ensure educational success.

The key to successful combination of study and recreation is time management.

Managing time between academics and recreation is not easy, as many university students can attest. It is important to set realistic goals to avoid failing to achieve those goals and becoming frustrated. Goals should not be too simple, lest failure occur from doing too little; goals should be both challenging and achievable. Typically some degree of trial and error is required to find the proper level of challenge.

Many factors should be considered when doing a time management plan. For example, it is important to determine both what the specific goals are going to be, as well as when the work to meet them will be done. This works to avoid the pitfall of procrastination.

A university student is most definitely not at a loss for activities to undertake. Without parental supervision and assistance the myriad of small tasks that all must be personally dealt with can become overwhelming. Not all the amenities of home may be readily available. It may be necessary to drive to the laundry rather than walking to the laundry room, and shopping for groceries and cooking meals may be required. For freshmen it can be very difficult to adjust being a college life.

It is the student's responsibility to manage the time for these activities with the time necessary to study. There is no outside regulation or enforcement to prevent poor planning from destroying overall performance. This provides training for life as an adult, and despite the tendency to view the sudden glut of freedom as license to act on whim, self-control and discipline are vital to a successful academic career.

Passing each and every exam scheduled should be the minimum goal of any academic plan. It will be necessary to study thoroughly and manage time properly to achieve this.

Time management tips for college:

Set an achievable number of goals. Having too few will yield no satisfaction and will increase the likely of academic failure due to lack of action. Too many will often cause a sense of being overwhelmed, failure, and frustration. Avoid this by listing every goal that must be achieved, writing them down, and prioritizing them. Remember to be realistic and find ways to organize the goals so that they can all be completed.

Once the goals are organized according to importance, assemble them into a plan that allows completion of goals on a realistic and achievable schedule. Further break this plan down into weekly and daily goals. Make an effort to leave as much room for reorganization as possible, since life has the habit of disrupting even the best laid plans.

Flexibility is key. If a task takes more time than expected, quickly reorganize the daily or weekly goals to keep everything on track. If extra time is found, consider using it to get ahead of goal as insurance against an unforeseen future delay. Always remember that no plan is set in stone. If mistakes are made or reality turns what once seemed possible into the impossible, start over and re-plan. Creativity often means the difference between success and failure here.

It may seem obvious, but include time to sleep in the plan. Always welcome a break. Too much work and too little rest will wear nerves and cause stress, ultimately resulting in failure on goals. If stress levels simply get too high, take a break and catch up later.

Finally, always remember to have fun. Celebrate the completions of goals by going to parties or whatever recreation is most enjoyable to you. As time management is done more effectively the time available for doing fun things will increase.

Envy of the gods - book review

Envy of the Gods, a science-fiction novel, has a cast of five main characters that struggle through a rise to leadership, tough ethical decisions, the re-discovery and use of ancient textbooks, and a society that strives for a better, more efficient way of life.

In a ruthless and brutal age, much like our age of barbarian kingdoms, the novel takes the reader through immense social and governmental changes. Cold, power hungry Duke Atan Ishtba is on his way towards unchallenged dominance of surrounding kingdoms. Yet Raphela's intense beauty not only brought him to his knees. All his efforts at wooing her with jewels and finery are only in vain. Her heart lay with the rightful leader who is destined to rule the land with a caring and enterprising heart. Between the two they bring education to the masses, equality to women and better economic situations for the general public.

This is not done through some kind of super-human power, but rather through genuine hard work, learning to use their minds creatively and through the generosity of the Ancients – who left behind a written legacy of their advanced knowledge. The loyal support of friends like Mahtso and Fatell, help these two through their many adventures.

The author never tells us much about the Ancients, the terrain or other such background information. I was clueless, until it was made clear in the end, that the book is based in another world entirely. Certainly, the characters were quite likely to be of humanoid life. Envy of the Gods is very interesting indeed, and deserves a second read.

I do, however, feel it is necessary to voice some negative comments. The back cover does not explain the book very well at all and the front cover image does not have much appeal. I felt, that at times, some of the events were not exactly believable or could fit a realistic timetable. But then, science-fiction genres can push many boundaries that other genres cannot.

This 320-page novel by Andrea Savitch is the first in the trilogy and though it does not require subsequent novels, the author has created sufficient curiosity to entice readers to wonder where she will take them next.

ISBN#: 1-933538-11-2

Author: Andrea Savitch

Publisher: Bridgeway Books

Online business vs. brick-and-mortar business

Building Confidence

Your customers are looking for convenient ways to shop, but they have to feel secure in the process. Online businesses are responsible for protecting customer privacy. It is not enough to keep your customers safe and secure, you have to constantly communicate it to them. Posting your Privacy statement on your site conveniently is a good start, but there is more.

Explain your customers what is done to keep their information secure. Assure them that the information they provide you is neither shared nor sold with a third party. Describe the technologies in the background ensuring customer safety. Give details, without getting too technical, about how encryption technology works. When you put in plain words the security measures you take your customers will appreciate it and they are more likely to trust you.

Dealing With The Extra Space

Now that you don’t have to physically store every product you want to sell online, you can increase your virtual inventory without increasing your rent. You can offer a larger variety of products increasing your customer base. If you are a manufacturer, you can offer drop shipping your products for other businesses. (Drop shipping is the concept of the manufacturer-shipping product directly to the consumer instead of shipping to a wholesaler.) If you are a retailer, you can have products drop shipped to your customers directly.

Location Location Location

Brick-and-mortal retail is all about location. The right location can make or break your business. The same is true for online business, except it is virtual location that matters. Your online business relies on store visitors just the same as a brick-and-mortar business. Online businesses get most of their visitors through the search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. The better position you have the more traffic your site will receive. On the Internet, traffic is everything.

Price

The bigger market presents you with more opportunities, but it doesn’t come without a price. The fierce competition dictates competitive prices. You have to be able to set the right price for your product that allots for a reasonable profit margin while maintaining your competitive pricing structure. Many people that shop online are more price conscious than brick-and-mortar shoppers.

Guanajuato too many false expectations

A friend of mine told me about a conversation she had with a person she knows in one of the Mexican Prime Living Locations on the west coast of Mexico. This area, one to which many Americans flock, had become too expensive for her to continue living there. When my friend asked her where she might want to move, Guanajuato was her first choice. But, she lamented; she couldn't live in Guanajuato because she doesn't speak Spanish.

Three years ago, while sitting in one of Guanajuato's plazas and doing nothing much but watching the tourists, a lady from San Miguel de Allende approached us and asked if we lived in Guanajuato. After exchanging pleasantries, she said she was in town looking for cheaper accommodations since the cost of living in San Miguel had become unaffordable for her. Then, almost in tears, she said she would have to retreat back to the States since she could not speak Spanish. She concluded she could not live in anywhere in Mexico other than the exorbitantly priced Gringolandias where she didn't have to speak Spanish.

Four days ago while strolling home from El Centro, we met an American couple from yet another Mexican west coast town that were visiting Guanajuato. They were looking for a cheaper place to live in Mexico because the area where they live has become too expensive for them to keep living comfortably. They were in Guanajuato checking out the lay of the expatriation land. While my wife spoke to the woman, the husband took me aside and spoke to me in hushed tones as if he were revealing national security secrets. He asked furtively, "I suppose we will have to learn Spanish?"

That evening, I was doing some reading on the Mex-Connect forums when I came across an interesting entry. This lady expressed her indignation that while she was in Guanajuato visiting for a week or two, no one would speak English to her. She was, as many Americans seem to be, convinced the locals could speak English but were only pretending not to. She acted as if these Mexicans knew this woman was coming and decided to make a pact in order to torture her by speaking only in their native tongue?

She said, now pay attention to this, "They should speak English."

I would love to tell you this is an isolated nutty woman but I've heard it in person and online too many times for it to be so.

If you really want to see what Americans who do manage to make it to The Mexican Highlands think about the city of Guanajuato, you should read the travel forums. There seems to be a consensus among them that Guanajuatenses are all actually bilingual in English but in some deviously planned plot, all agree never to speak to Americans in English. One lady stood outside a sidewalk restaurant in El Jardin and shouted the "I know you speak English and are pretending you don't" mantra in front of God and all his witnesses—Mexicans and Gringos alike!

The truth is that when we first moved here, we found precious few who spoke English. We set about learning Spanish with a vengeance. Frankly, we couldn't have cared less then nor do we care now if we ever encounter another English speaker. When we encountered trouble, we figured out how to handle it in Spanish. Our reasoning was that Mexicans decided long ago that Spanish was going to be the language they spoke and they have been very happy with the decision ever since.

Of the many reasons I write what I do on expat and Mexico issues (I am most certainly an equal opportunity critic) is for the following reason. The people who make their way to Guanajuato, mostly Americans who come with ridiculous and outrageous expectations, go back to the U. S. as self-proclaimed experts on Mexican culture. They spend the rest of their lives mean-mouthing the city to all their friends, family, and neighbors.

Would you not agree that those who return to the States and then write the following should not be allowed outside America's borders?

"I had to walk an entire block to my hotel and carry my own bags."

"Of all the nerve! I had to walk up some stairs to my room because there was no elevator!"

"I know they all speak English in this hotel and are pretending they don't."

"I screamed (in English, of course, since I don't speak Spanish) at that Mexican kid writing graffiti on the wall. He acted like he didn't understand me. I know he was faking."

These go on and on.

So, how do you get through to these people who are flooding into Guanajuato? You tell the truth.

I tell the truth in my articles so those who do end up coming will not be the types with silly and unrealistic demands. They will be the type who return to America and tell their reasonable friends they had a good time in Guanajuato in spite of the bumps and bruises one is bound to encounter in another culture.

Can you imagine a hoity-toity American coming to Guanajuato and trying to make his or her way through the Pastita barrio to visit the Olga Costa Museum and encountering the not-too-unusual practice of some Mexicans who abandon the issue of their hyper-fertile female dogs alongside a trash dumpster? Dumping puppies at the trash bin will send most Americans I know into a tailspin of apocalyptic proportions. They will not describe Guanajuato kindly in any venue. It's best they know what to expect before they get here.

The Spanish issue is almost an unfathomable one. And, it is sad.

Many could expatriate to Guanajuato if they mastered Spanish. They could live far more cheaply if they could live, shop, and function in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood. Most Americans have absolutely no idea how to begin the process. They resort to taking classes.

One person wrote me and said I had almost convinced him not to come to Guanajuato to study Spanish. That isn't the point at all. Study Spanish in America by using any number of the home study courses before enrolling in a class at home or abroad. The classroom will teach you a lot of things about the language but impart little to no spoken fluency.

Someone wrote and said they had studied Spanish for nearly 20 years but still cannot speak the language.

I rest my case.

About basic bank accounts

Despite easier than ever access to personal finance services, there are still 3 million adults in the UK today who are completely outside the banking system, and don't have access to a bank account.

Many of these people are unable to get a standard account because they have a poor credit score, either because of past financial difficulties or simply a lack of positive financial history. While high street banks are always keen to deal with people with good credit ratings, they can be cautious about making credit facilities such as overdrafts available to people with sub-prime ratings.

A new kind of bank account was needed if the industry's government prompted goal of increasing financial inclusion was to be met, and Basic Bank Accounts were born.

Basic bank accounts, also known as starter accounts or introductory accounts, are a very simple type of account which offer little in the way of credit or ways for accountholders to get into debt. There is usually no overdraft facility, no cheque book, and no debit card. The accounts simply provide a way for money to be paid in either over the counter or by electronic transfer, and withdrawn by cash machine.

This lack of features means that there is little risk or cost involved for the banks, and so their approval rates are much higher. In fact, about the only people who will have their applications rejected are undischarged bankrupts, or those with a history of fraud or very serious bad debt.

So how can getting a basic bank account benefit you? Firstly, most accounts will let you set up direct debits to pay your bills, and this will save you money as many companies will give you a discount if you pay in this way.

Also, the government is moving towards paying all benefits and pensions direct into bank accounts rather than in the old way over the Post Office counter, and basic bank accounts will let you receive money in this way.

Finally, this kind of account can be a 'stepping stone' into other financial services, helping you to build up a better credit rating, and in the future to take advantage of other services available such as overdrafts and debit or credit cards.

Since they were introduced, basic accounts have been very successful, and there have now been around 5 million accounts opened. Both the government and the banking industry say they are committed to increasing this figure even more over the next few years, until ideally every adult has some form of bank account, and so we can expect to hear a lot more about basic accounts in the near future.

How to select affordable term life insurance

Affordable term life insurance is ideal for most individuals. While it’s true that whole life insurance covers you for your entire life and provides a savings component, most Americans aren’t looking for those benefits. With term life insurance, there are no extra costs for benefits you don’t want or need, i. e. savings components, and with no extra costs you pay less. Term life insurance is cheaper and gets to the point. It provides financial benefits to your beneficiaries in the event of you death. Period.

However, there are certain factors you should look out for when selecting affordable term life insurance. Those factors are as follows:

Buy early. The earlier you select an affordable term life insurance policy, the more affordable it the policy will be. Life insurance companies are more apt to offer affordable insurance premiums to younger people because they are less risky to insure.

Make sure the term life insurance policy offer guaranteed renewals. When it’s time to renew your affordable term life insurance policy, you can actually be denied or forced to pay higher premiums than before. Insurance companies implement these policies because, well, you’re getting on in years and becoming more of a risk to insure. While you can’t always get around paying the higher premiums, you can get around being denied. Simply select a life insurance company that guarantees renewal. This way, you won’t have to begin the search process all over again, thus you won’t risk paying even higher premiums than you would if you renewed, or not finding life insurance coverage at all.

Look for premium discounts. Purchasing a lower amount of term life insurance coverage doesn’t always mean you’ll pay lower premiums. Sometimes life insurance companies offer premium discounts if you purchase a higher amount of coverage. So, you may actually be able to get more affordable term life insurance if you purchase $250,000 than you would if you purchase $200,000.

Golf consistency and scoring

I am not the best golfer on earth, my handicap varies from 16 to 18 most of the time, but I am not unhappy. I did not take the game up till my thirties, have never had a lesson, nor do I use the best clubs. For me golf is about camaraderie, being out amongst nature, and competing with myself. Luckily I have a great bunch of friends who share these ideals and we have a great time taking a dollar or two off each other.

Therefore my improvement comes from reading books and magazines, and watching golf shows. I read everything I can, and spend ages reading through the 500 odd pages I found at happygolfhacker. com I would like to share with you two tips that without doubt, reduced my handicap.

The First.

As a consistent swing is the aim for most golfers, and it is important to repeat the swing over and over again, but is that possible when the clubs are all a different size. Therefore I maintain the same ball position for every club. I have come to the conclusion that the ball position is the most critical part of the golf swing. To ensure that the stance is comfortable and correct, I move my right foot closer to the left as the club becomes more lofted. Then I can play with the same swing every time, on the same plane. Every now and then (but rarely) I may change the ball position, for example, to cut the ball around a corner, but of course that’s when I play some of my straightest shots!!

The Second

I believe scoring is best achieved around the green, especially chipping and putting. When putting, I always line up the put, but I do not concentrate on the ball, rather the very last dimple on the back of the ball. I focus on that point alone, therefore ensuring that I will strike the ball from straight behind it, which in turn will get the ball rolling correctly. When you start to use this methodology, you may initially have trouble with pace, but after practising for a while, the technique is very sound.

There are many great stories and hints at happygolfhacker. com

Good Golfing