College Textbook Blog

There’s no doubt that high school is a pretty significant phase of any teenager’s life, but there comes a more important time just afterwards. College is one of the most essential elements that go into building a firm foundation in each of our lives. It provides us with education and experience, two aspects that are invaluable assets when it comes to achieving success in any walk of life. Both high school and college are forms of education, but that’s where the similarity ends – they’re both completely different ball games as far as experience and attitude are concerned. So if you’re on the threshold of college and wondering how different your experience is going to be, read on:

• You must choose your field of study: High school is more like being a horse with blinders on – you go where you’re led. And if you’re a good horse, you score better than your peers and graduate valedictorian of your class. In college though, you get to choose the subjects you wish to study, so you can go with the ones that you have the most aptitude for and that you’re interested in.

• The kind of studying you’re supposed to do is very different: In high school, it’s more a case of reactive studying – you do it because your teachers tell you to do so and your parents hound you to get good grades. In college though, studying is a whole new ball game. It’s more an active process that you have to initiate on your own if you wish to have even the slightest chance of success. There is no one to egg you on to keep up your grades or tell you what you have to do in order to score a good GPA. It all boils down to how much of an effort you’re willing to put in.

• You can miss class, but not the consequences: Yes, you’re freer in college than in high school and no one is going to ask you why you missed a class or two. But this does not mean that you must make a habit of this, because if you do, you’re going to end up the loser. When you miss class, you miss out on a whole lot of learning and knowledge, something that affects your final grade.

• You have more opportunities, but will you use them? College is a place where you’re deluged with opportunities to excel or just participate in activities of your choice. It’s up to you to grab and make the best of them so that you enrich yourself personally and academically. High school does offer you most of them, albeit on a smaller scale. But college is different in that the opportunities you utilize could end up having a larger significance in your career.

The key aspects to remember when setting foot in college is that the level of freedom and choice is higher than in high school, but that this is all the more reason to use it responsibly and judiciously.

By-line:

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of accredited online universities . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com

College dorm life can be rather trying. The transition from home life to college dorm life is one that involves many changes. The experts agree that one of the best ways to cope with the loneliness that can accompany college dorm life is to get involved in activities on campus. Allowing yourself to get bored can lead to sadness, so make sure you have things to do; the more you get out of your dorm room, the more you’ll get out of college dorm life.

By finding activities you like, you’ll meet like-minded people and develop friendships, and when you broaden your college experience you’ll find that college dorm life becomes easier and easier.

Meeting new people on campus, how to tackle college academics, and how to stay healthy and in shape during your college years, are all things you need to be aware of for a great college experience.

Ask your parents to send regular care packages as this will help narrow the gap of homesickness. Remember, college life in reality is not like what you see portrayed on tv. Also, get posters of your favorite things & views, or get some of your pictures enlarged to poster size. There are many poster sales at the start of each semester.

Many students try avoiding the typical college dorm life that consistently tolerates drug and alcohol use. Don’t get caught up in that environment! Also many new students mix up college dorm life and post-college adult living, and wind up doing poorly in college as a freshman.

It requires hard work and dedication amidst all the distractions there are in the life of a student, especially in college dorm life. You will bring back such fond memories of college dorm life if you think about what you need, what you want & if you get homesick, make sure to communicate with parents and advisors.

Please help others by submitting your ideas for making college dorm life better.

Thank you,

BookDealFinder.com

Now that you have graduated from high school and are preparing for your first year of college dorm life, you probably have a lot of questions and concerns. You may be facing the first time you’ve ever shared a room with someone to whom you’re not related. What if you don’t get along?

For many, this will be an entirely new experience. Chances are that most other freshman in the dorms will have the same fears and concerns. Take time before school starts to prepare yourself. You can begin by reading articles and talking with others about what to expect and how to handle college dorm life.

It’s natural for some homesickness since you will be in a new environment. You may like that there are no more curfews, no constant reminders to do your homework, no questions about where you’re going, or who you’re going to be with. But you’re on your own for what might be the first time in your life. Who’s cooking your meals, making sure your homework gets done and you get up for class on time, or washing your clothes? The freedom with college life can be both a blessing and a curse.

During the college transition, many students find that the biggest hurdle they face is homesickness. Finding an inexpensive way to keep in touch with family and friends can be a great way to smooth the transition into college dorm life. Use your Internet connections in the dorms, e-mail and instant messaging are two ways you can check in with people at home. In addition, to save on long distance phone bills, use your cell phone or look into available VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services.

Sharing your experiences with people from home can help dismiss feelings of isolation and loneliness. You may actually learn that you’re not missing much. However, if feelings of homesickness and sadness persist as a result of college dorm life, make sure you talk to someone about them. A good place to start with is your dorm’s resident advisor.

Are you looking to save money and purchase cheap textbooks this term? It’s conceivable to acquire cheap schoolbooks for college, you just need to know where to look. This article will encompass the best internet resource to get really cheap textbooks.

For many college students, “cheap textbooks” are inconsistent terms. Coming up with low cost textbooks for college seems to be an unworkable task these days. First of all, when you want to think about the textbooks, there are often offline stores that will give you plenty of options but the best place is online.

There are many ways that you can find that book you need. Something that you want to consider no matter what year you are in school or what type of textbooks you need is: Do I rent or buy the books? Renting can be from the library, or searching Book Deal Finder will provide sites that rent, the lowest-hassle option for cheap textbooks online, and often the best deal available.

To get cheap textbooks, you can always try to old way of going to the off-campus book store and buying used textbooks, but the result may be suspect, writing in the book, highlighted words, pages missing, and will it be the correct version?

Get started finding cheap textbooks for college, just search “book deal finder” to start saving money today. Getting very cheap textbooks isn’t rocket science, you can use BookDealFinder.com, type in the textbooks you need, and choose from the many book seller as they show you the price and shipping arrangements. When you are looking to buy that cheap textbook, make sure that you order the correct book, version & volume.

This is great news for students who want to buy their textbooks, cheap. It is the student’s number one marketplace to buy. You can try to find your books from 20-30 different web sites, but Book Deal Finder does that for you, and presents you the many options. So, now that you have found the source for cheap textbooks, be the cool friend and share BookDealFinder.com with everyone.

Petition - A petition is both the process and the form a student fills out to request consideration of special circumstances. For example, if a student is denied admission, they may petition for admission based on extenuating circumstances.

Prerequisite Courses - A prerequisite course is a course taken in preparation for another course. For example, Accounting 1 is a prerequisite for Accounting 2.

Syllabus - An outline of the important information about a course. Written by the professor or instructor, it usually includes important dates, assignments, expectations and policies specific to that course.

Transcript - The transcript is a permanent academic record of a student at college. It may show courses taken, grades received, academic status and honors received.

Tutors - A tutor is a person, generally another student, who has completed or demonstrated proficiency in a course or subject, and is able to provide instruction to another student. Tutors help students better understand course material and get better grades.

Undergraduate- An undergraduate is a student who is pursuing either a one-, two-, or four-year degree.

Withdrawal - Students may withdraw from courses during a semester, but there are established procedures for doing so. The college catalog generally specifies the procedures. Written approval from a university official is required.

If we missed any terms, please let us know and we will add them!

Fraternities/Sororities (aka- Greek System) - Fraternities (for men) and sororities (for women) are social organizations that are active in various activities. Through a process of mutual selection, called Rush (which takes place during a specified period of time), students may be offered the opportunity to “pledge” a certain fraternity of sorority. Not all colleges have these organizations.

Lab Classes - Laboratory classes require students to perform certain functions in controlled situations that help them test and understand what is being taught in the lecture.

Letter Grades & Grade Point Averages (GPA) - Most colleges use both letter grades and GPAs in determining students’ grades. Grades at most colleges are figured using the following method: A’s are worth 4 points B’s are worth 3 points C’s are worth 2 points D’s are worth 1 point F’s are worth 0 points. Some colleges also use the +/- system to allow more definition between letter grades. To figure a GPA, simply multiply the number of hours a course is worth by the number of points for the letter grade, then add up the totals for each course and divide by the number of credit hours. The result is the grade point average.

Major & Minor - A major is a student’s chosen field of study. It usually requires the successful completion of a specified number of credit hours. A minor is designated as a specific number of credit hours in a secondary field of study.

Non-Credit Courses - These are courses that do not meet the requirements for a certificate of a degree at a given institution. Non-credit courses may serve several purposes like exploring new fields of study, increasing proficiency in a particular subject, or enriching life experiences through specific studies.

Pass or Fail Courses - Pass or fail courses do not earn letter grades or grade points for students. If a student passes a pass or fail course, they receive a “P” (pass) or “S” (satisfactory) on the transcript and the credit hours. If the student does not pass the course, they will receive an “F” (fail) or a “U” (unsatisfactory) on the transcript and no credit hours. The evaluation for the pass/fail course is not figured into the student’s GPA.

CLEP - The College Level Examination Program can be administered to students who want to obtain college credit by taking proficiency tests in selected courses. If the student scores high enough on the test, college credit can be awarded.

College - A college is an institution of higher education that grants degrees and certificates. Often times, there are many colleges that make up a university.

Credit Hours - Courses taken in college are measured in terms of credit hours. To earn one credit hour, a student usually attends a class for one classroom hour per week. Classes are offered in 1 - 5 credit hour increments, and sometimes larger amounts.

Curriculum - A curriculum is composed of those classes prescribed or outlined by an institution for completion of a program of study leading to a degree or certificate.

Enrollment - This is the procedure by which students choose classes each semester. It also includes the assessment and collection of fees. Pre-enrollment is the method by which students select courses well in advance of the official enrollment date of the next term.

Faculty - The faculty is composed of all persons who teach classes or perform research for colleges or universities.

FAFSA -Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The almost universal application for financial aid, including loans, grants, college work-study and other federal and state programs. It is often required before a student can be considered for scholarships as well.

Finals - Exams are given during the last week of classes each quarter or semester. Final exams are given on specified dates that are usually different than the regular class time.

Financial Aid - Aid is made available from grants, scholarships, loans, and part-time employment from federal, state, institutional, and private sources. Awards from these programs may be combined in an “award package” to meet the cost of education. The types and amounts of aid awarded are determined by financial need, available funds, student classification, academic performance, and sometimes the timeliness of application.

The college vocabulary will be very different for you since there will be students from all over the world. We cannot help you the individual dialects, slang, terms or meanings but we might be able to assist with college terms that should be standard and consistent.

Adviser or Counselor - This person will help you select the correct courses, review the course requirements in the field you have selected, and help you with any academic problems you may encounter.

Academic Probation - All colleges require students to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) to remain in school. Any student not maintaining this minimum grade will be placed on probation for a quarter or semester.

Academic Suspension - A student on Academic Probation may be placed on Academic Suspension if he or she fails to maintain the minimum cumulative GPA required. If placed on suspension, he or she will be dismissed from the college for a specified time period.

Associate Degree - The Associate Degree is granted upon completion of a program of at least two years. The Associate Degree requires completion of minimum credit hours and minimum grade point average (GPA) designated by the school.

Audit Class - A student who does not want to receive credit in a course may, with approval of the instructor, audit the course as a visitor to learn if it is interesting.

Bachelor’s Degree - This is the undergraduate degree offered by four-year colleges and universities. The Bachelor of Arts degree requires that a portion of the studies be dedicated to the arts - literature, language, music, etc. The Bachelor of Science degree requires that a portion of the studies be in the sciences - chemistry, biology, math, etc. The minimum credit hour requirement is 120 hours for most schools.