HEADS UP: the holidays are coming so you’d best start preparing.  It’s time to give and receive, and that inevitably means that a good amount of loving thought and hard-earned cash will be going into the venture.  We thought we’d offer some suggestions to prime you for the season to be jolly.

Top Gifts to Give:  Your family misses you (even if they really don’t, odds are that they will say that they do) so consider giving them something that shows that you miss them (even if you really don’t, just suck it up for a little while.)

CONSIDER GIVING

- Anything homemade: this tends to fit well into small budgets and will show that you put a fair amount of fore-thought and effort into the gift.

- Anything sentimental:  if you have just ‘left the nest’ known as Mom and Dad’s house, they will be tickled by anything that shows that you remember what good parents / providers / coolios they were to you in your earlier years.

- Anything that proves that sending you off to higher education was a wise investment:  Mom and Dad might have had to shelve a few dreams of their own so that you could act like a jackass at Frosh week.  Offer them something that shows you respect what they have done.

TOP GIFTS TO GET

This section is small because the main thing that you need is:

- Money, cash, mucho deniro.  You may, however, not want to come right out and ask for it, so consider (instead) asking for:

- Gift certificates/gift cards for the shops and restaurants that you would otherwise need money for.  Somehow gift cards just seem a bit more tasteful than cold hard cash.

- A ‘donation’ to your credit card account.  Boosting the coffers of the credit account is just as good as receiving money really.  Besides this surely this will make you seem quite responsible, what with wanting to manage your debt.

- Food.  You can never go wrong with asking for a gift of food and people usually love to give it.  Really, how many scarves or sweaters do you need?  But chocolates, specialty cheeses or canned crabmeat will never sit in a drawer unopened.

Holiday giving and receiving in 2011 may be a little less lavish than past years (even for those of us who are not students) but it can still be filled with the holiday spirit.

Don’t you hate it when the rain, sleet and snow stop on workout day?  Take this morning, for example.  It was a scheduled run day, but the early downpour meant that the workout could be cancelled.  That’s fair, isn’t it?  Who can be expected to jog in the sopping wet?  One could catch pneumonia, one could slip on a wet leaf and fall and get hurt, one could ruin their high performance runners.  But what are you to do when the rain dries up and the damn sun comes out; when the rustling leaves seem to call out to you, “Go for a run, slacker-pants!”

Well, it’s clear what to do: work out.  Repeat after us:  “Must remind myself to work out.   Must get strong and fit. Must look good in economy clothing.”

Here are some tips and tricks to get there, and make all your workouts work out!

1) Affirm that you are worth it.  Say, “I am worth it, worth it.”  Do so in private.  Do so every time you lace up the runners or prepare to hit the gym.  Say it ten times when you are deliberating going for a work out.  If you still don’t believe yourself, then you’re probably right.

2) Pick up on the cues from the Universe.  When the rain dries up and the sun comes out on jog day, then get the hell out there for a jog.  Just go.  The bloody sun came out for you, what more do you need to sway you?

3) Use the workout as an opportunity to pick up dates.  Why not combine two chores into one?  May as well.  The apple of your eye has the added benefit of being able to see you in action, and to see that you think that you are worth it…

4) Think about how good you’ll feel after the workout is done.  Fit as fiddle, strong like bull, lean like fighting machine.

5) Remind yourself of your reasons for working out.  See above: that should help.

6) Scream out loudly, “Endorphins get ready to hit me!”  This will in fact get them ready, which is handy because as soon as the workout begins those suckers are going to be flooding your happy system.

7) Just do it.  Hey, it’s worked for Nike, and it can work for you.  Put a set of blinders on, shut out your Inner Whiner, take all excuses and shove them down.  Just. Go. Workout.

College changes everything. You may be the same person that you were when you left high school, but everything that surrounds you will be different. Having a variable schedule each day that you can choose, designing an academic program that consists of courses that are required as well as courses that are of interest to you, and most importantly, the new people that you will be exposed to will all have an integral impact on your college experience. Often, your friends become a surrogate family for you when your own family isn’t around or available to you. Sometimes, the relationships that develop at college become lifelong connections; in any case, the people we meet along the way make lasting impressions, even though we may lose contact with them.

If you live on campus, the most natural relationships that form are those that are based on living together with a group of peers. No other situation in life allows you to be around people your own age 24/7, sharing rooms and bathrooms, spending time in common areas such as dormitory lounges, or sitting outside together on a beautiful day, people-watching. If you have a roommate that becomes a close friend, so much the better. However, if you and your roommate do not have much in common, it should still be possible to work out a relationship based on mutual respect, while going your separate ways with different friends.

                          Don’t Jump to Conclusions Based on a Mohawk or a Nose Ring

The connections you make in college should be based on the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” People that may look entirely different from anyone that you ever associated with may in fact have a great deal in common with you on the inside. An important way to connect with like-minded people is to join some organized activity such as a sports team, or a club that may be social, political, or activity-based; this will put you in touch with people who have some of the same interests as you do.

Besides meeting people in classes, there are many places for college students to go in between classes or to study, such as the library, student center, and the cafeteria, all of which are casual places to go that will expose you to a number of different people. If you have a friend with whom you develop conflicts, there are always new groups of people at school to discover and connect with. It is important not to spend all of your time with one person, especially if you become involved in a romantic relationship with that person, because if the situation does not work out, you’ll be left with no support system in its place.

                                Some Grown-Ups Are Cool–Really!

Finally, some of the most important relationships one should form at college are those with an adult or two; it can be very helpful to build a connection with a counselor who can help you with academics as well as social issues, a resident assistant who can also be a resource to turn to about personal issues, and one of your professors as well. Because college can sometimes have large lecture halls leaving one feeling anonymous, having at least one faculty member know who you are and take an interest in you can be a powerful motivator in helping you achieve your academic goals. Many people remember that certain special college professor and his or her impact on them for the rest of their lives, and frequently have their future career plans influenced by that very important relationship.

You know what it’s like. You’re in a dorm room and your roommate is jamming to music, beating a tattoo on the walls.  Next door—through the dried toast walls—your neighbors are having a loud discussion about…who knows what?  Folks in the hall are arguing over their favorite music groups.

And you’re trying to STUDY. Hah!

OR…you’re at home, after a long day at work. Your kids are squabbling.  Your mate is nowhere to be seen. Everyone’s hungry. The house is a mess. Two weeks of laundry are waiting.  And your dust bunnies are so big you’ve started slipping them a lettuce leaf on occasion—after all, they’re the only residents of your home who don’t make noise.

And you’re trying to STUDY.  As if.

So how do you do it?  How do you study when chaos is all around you?

Strategy #1: Libraries & Bookstores:  Your best study friends.

While not always possible, consider packing up your books and heading for (gasp!) the library or a local bookstore-with-coffee bar.  Or outside if the weather is nice. Or anyplace quieter than home.

Strategy #2: Wear headphones.

Once you’re sure no one around you is bleeding or on fire, pull out your set of noise-canceling headphones (essential study gear!) and put on your favorite music-to-study-by.

Strategy #3: Try bribery.

If you’re desperate and simply cannot escape, consider bribing your roommates or housemates to keep it quiet for an hour or two.

Strategy #4: Try the bathroom.

This doesn’t work so well if you’re in a one-bath house.  But otherwise, think about retreating to a place where privacy is more readily available: the bath. There’s usually an outlet there too. Take a pillow and blanket (tiles are cold!) plunk your butt on the floor (or the throne) and get cracking.

Strategy #5: Ever thought of a movie?

No, not for you, unfortunately.  But how about shipping kids, mate, roomies, and other distracting wildlife off to the bargain movie for a couple hours. Most places have a second-run theater that costs only $2 or $3 per person.  It’s not the cheapest solution, but when you’re really desperate…

Strategy #6: Try lunch.

I bet if you’re working while going to school, you get a lunch break.  Keep your books and computer handy, pack a bag lunch, and use that precious hour to study while you eat.

Strategy #7: Use hours when no one else is around.

In the middle of the day most dorms are (relatively) empty because (gasp!) people are in classes!  (Who knew?)  Or they’re out and about doing whatever they do instead of attending classes. That’s actually a really good time to study—and it leaves the evenings free to have fun making noise so your roomie can’t study. If you’re not on campus, try the early morning before everyone else gets up.  Try to reorganize your life (and your sleep schedule) so you can get up an hour or two earlier and study then.

You are going to classes, right? – Check

You are making time for studying, researching and writing projects, right? – Check

You are selflessly giving of yourself by showing up at the Uni pubs and bars and clubs on a regular basis, right? – Check

You are keeping in touch with your family (they always worry about you), right? – Check

You are drinking some water, eating a few green items and getting at least some exercise, right? – Check 

Are you getting enough sleep?  PROBABLY NOT

Hey, you’re young and you have a lot of energy we know.  But missing out on your sleep can lead to serious consequences including but not limited to things like:

• Repelling the Opposite Sex: Sagging bags under the eyes, droopy faces and pale skin is so not attractive.  Remember that you are in the largest dating pool of your life, so take advantage of it!
• Looking as Dumb as Homer Simpson:  General forgetfulness, that ‘numb brain’ sensation and its resulting “Duh” look are directly related to not getting enough snooze time.
• Paranoia:  Sleeplessness can create a sadness that may start out small but grows increasingly strong.  This can develop into bouts of crying and even a sense of paranoia.  (We hear that from the people stalking us…)
• Stalking (see above):  An urge to stalk people, usually of the opposite sex (often past hook-ups), is a certain sign of fatigue.  This can lead to a sure-fire inability to get the girl / guy that you’ve had your eye on (usually due to being caught stalking them)
• Damaging of the Private Areas:  A lack of motor skills or reduced motor functions may result in the spilling hot coffee into your lap.  Even worse, it can lead to the spilling of beer.
• Nodding Off:  Falling asleep, for real (not strategically) in the middle (or even at the beginning of) a class or lecture is beyond your control when exhausted.

The thing is that sleep is one of those things that’s really under-rated.  We need it and we need it every night.  Some of the BENEFITS OF SLEEP include:

• bright eyes and bushy tails (the kind that are still in fashion)
• generally sharp brains and increased acute thinking that is able to process information really fast thus saving you a lot of time, effort and energy
• avoiding embarrassment of many shapes and sizes

So consider hittin’ the sack!

We all encounter him sooner or later:  The T. Rex of professordom, who is a tyrant, a miserable grader, a petty dictator. The instructor who can’t teach his way out of a paper bag due to incoherent lectures, disorganized classes, or mumbled and arcane lectures.  In a word, a terrible professor.

If you haven’t met up with this species, count yourself lucky.  Trust me, you will.  No one gets through college without meeting up with a member of the Professoris T-rexius species.

The issue is, how do you cope with a professor who seems determined to make your life as miserable as possible?  Try these tips.  And remember, though I’m going to use “he” and “his,” mostly because my encounters with Professoris T-rexius were male, they also exist in the female gender too!

#1 – Figure out why he’s so terrible

What is his purpose in sticking you with three term papers and two midterms plus a final?  Is it really to prove he can?  Or is it because this is how you will best learn the subject?  If it’s the latter, respect that he’s trying to help you and suck it up.

#2 – If he’s a bad teacher, see if you can drop the class

If he shuffles in late, doesn’t look at the students, and spends the class time muttering to the blackboard, he simply has terrible teaching skills.  You probably won’t learn much from this jerk.  See if you can drop the class and take it again later—from someone else.

#3 – If he’s a strict teacher, but he teaches an essential course, tough it out

If he teaches an “essential”—a course in your major, or another required course—and if your primary dislike is that he is demanding and strict, try to tough it out.  You probably really need to know this stuff, and you may be grateful down the road that he made you learn it.

#4 – Find others who have taken his class: what worked before?

Bad teachers who have been around a while garner a reputation among the students.  Ask around either in person or on line.  What strategies worked for others in his classes?

#5 – Is there another instructor who teaches this class?  Can you transfer?

If someone else teaches the same class, consider dropping the class this term, and signing up again later—with a different instructor.  Sometimes that’s possible—sometimes it’s not.

#6 – Talk to him about your problems—but do not confront! And do it early in the course!

If you’re having trouble with the class assignments, consider talking to him.  But do so carefully. Professoris T-rexius should e approached with all the caution you would his dinosaur ancestor.  Ask for clarification of requirements. Ask for suggestions for how you can better meet his standards. Make it clear you want to succeed.  Occasionally this will soften the Professoris T-rexius roar down to a reasonable tone of voice.

#7 – Hunker down and suffer through it

When all else fails, and you can’t escape, and you can’t come to terms with him, it’s time to recognize that this is good training for real life.  Sometimes you get a boss just like Professoris T-rexius.  Consider this course good practice on how to cope, hunker down, and just get through it.  The course only lasts one term, after all.  You can survive anything for that long!

But here’s an extra tip: Design a T-shirt: “I survived Professoris T-rexius”, get a few printed up, and sell them to other victims of this guy.  That way, you’ll profit from the experience!

Some of us struggle with getting out of bed in the mornings. Okay, most of us struggle. But how can a hike across campus on a blustery day to get to a lecture as dry as toast compete with the mattress that warmly supports you and the blankets that caress you in their folds? Really, it can’t. But a student has gotta do what a student has gotta do. And that starts with getting outta bed…

• Sleeper, know thyself

If you know it takes you an hour of hitting the ‘sleep’ button on the alarm clock, then set the alarm back an hour. That way, you’ll have the luscious knowledge that you can turn Miley Cyrus OFF and get back into the dream of the moment. This will also allow you to wait until you awake to a great song which may just be the thing to get you up. There’s no better way to start the day than with a kickin’ song.

• Add some distance

It’s one thing to keep hitting the snooze button, but if you know that you’re going to shut the alarm off in your semi-conscious state then something needs to be done. Try moving the alarm clock. Put it straight across the room so that you’ll have to (yech) physically get up and out of bed to beat the shite out of it. Nothing gets the heart pumping and the blood racing then an early morning fight. And though you will be wide awake feeling nasty, you’ll wide awake.

• Get a wake up call

Consider asking for a wake-up call (the ringing kind) from the early riser in your circle of friends. You know that cheery morning person who pisses everyone off with their chatty morning tirades and demanding questions? The alarm clock can remain step number one; the call from Suzy Sunshine or Cheery Chuck will be step number two. Just remind the person who has agreed to make this call not to expect anything more than grunts or monosyllabic words from you. If they expect friendly conversation in return for the call then the friendship will be doomed.

• Change your class schedule

You know you want to. A schedule of afternoon and early evening classes would be blissful, wouldn’t it?  Though unlikely to be possible, this is the ideal scenario for those of us who don’t respond well to the jolt of early (or even mid) morning. The trade-off will have you reading and studying into the night, and getting to the pub on the late side of the night. But it may just be worth it for your sanity.

It’s midterm season!  (It’s always midterm season, actually, because professors tend to give these suckers throughout the term.) Ready to panic at the thought?  Don’t.  Here are seven ways to keep the panic at bay.

# 1 – Study regularly

Yadda-yadda-yadda.  Everyone says this.  No one listens.  But if you really care about the subject, this is the number one option to keep panic at bay. If you study regularly, midterms won’t be a reason to panic.

#2 – At least do the homework assignments

Here’s what I’ve discovered:  If you go to at least most of the classes, do the reading, and do the assignments—guess what?  You’ll probably do pretty well on the exams, even if all  you do is scan your notes the night before  the exam.  I know—no one listens to this little gem either.

#3 – Take notes in class—by handwriting them

What? You think I’m some kind of techno-Neanderthal?  Well…maybe. But there really is scientific evidence that the simple act of handwriting your notes literally embeds them into your mind.  That does not happen if you type them into a computer.  If you’re a slow writer, type your notes as before, then make part of your study process handwriting them onto paper.  Try this—it really works!

#4 – Make a study plan

Yadda-yadda-yadda.  I know. You’ve heard this before.  But your course syllabus tells you exactly when that midterm is going to strike—and you know that date weeks before it happens.  So figure out how much time you’re going to need to prepare for that exam and schedule it in.  No one listens to this gem either…

#5 – Get a study partner

Don’t have the discipline to study by yourself?  You’re not alone.  Find someone else in the class who is

• cute,
• tolerable personality-wise, and
• smarter than you.

Convince them to be your study partner.

(Note: You can probably find any two of those three criteria in one person. You decide which one you’re willing to drop…)

#6 – Don’t pull an all-nighter unless there’s no other choice

Staying up all night is not your best option because walking into an exam exhausted from lack of sleep isn’t the smartest strategy.  Still, there are times when there aren’t too many other options. Make a conscious decision the night before whether you’re better off going into the exam having under-studied, or over-exhausted.  But if you do decide to pull an all-nighter:

• make sure you study smart by having a plan over what specific points you’re going to study and
• how long you’ll study each,
• you may be better off reviewing the material multiple times rather than focusing on reviewing one or two points in depth all night long.

#7 – Study more often… Seriously

If this is a class where you really need to know the material for your future career, scientific research on learning and memory shows the single best way to ensure that you do well on the test is to study more often. If you spend, say, six total hours studying for the exam, doing an hour a day for six days is actually more effective than one six-hour session the night before the test.  But the best study technique scientifically is to go over the material multiple times. So find some time to review the information on the test several times—and then go in and ace it!

It’s hot and churning.  It bumps and grinds, it shimmies and shakes.  It washes away all the distress of the day.  And it’s something you’ve probably never done before.  You’re going to need some lessons.

It’s LAUNDRY.  What did you think we were talking about?

Unless you actually had to earn your allowance while under your parent’s roof, this is one chore that may be totally new to you.  And it can be a bit tricky and, er, embarrassing should others see you struggle with it.  (This scenario has been successful fodder for so many sit-coms over the years, we’ve lost count…)  Here are some tips to get you started.

Find out where the laundry room is; easy first step.  Take a moment to go there (sans dirty clothes) and scope the place out.  Find out, in this reconnaissance mission:

• how much money it costs per machine;
• what denominations of coin are needed (this is one of the biggest rookie mistakes);
• be prepared for the first curve ball: you may need to use a prepaid card;
• casually ask around about this card.

This first step, of course, needs to be done well in advance of your running out of clean clothes, towels or sheets.

Next step: sort the basket of dirty duds.  Fundamentally, you want to sort light from dark.  There are some exceptions to this basic rule, but if you are a laundry virgin, then don’t even worry about it.  It’s a basic dark vs. light, just like the battles in Starwars.

Specialty items: some things can’t be put in a washer or dryer.  The tags will tell you.  Your spidey senses will alert you to these items.  Basically, anything your mother or grandmother hand-made for you can’t go into a commercial machine.  Any item that cost over a hundred dollars is suspect too.  Check the tags.

How to read the tags is another lesson in itself.  Unfortunately, nobody really knows what all those different symbols mean.  The global clothing industry uses symbols instead of words so that every language can understand them.  Nobody understands them, except your mother, grandmother and perhaps a few aunts.  Pick up the phone and call to ask (do this under the guise of calling to say hello and catch up, then slip the question in at an appropriate time.)

When in doubt, it’s best to hand-wash the questionable item.  A little dish soap in the sink and a couple of squeezes and then rinse, rinse, rinse.  This is how it was done back in the prehistoric ages (well after the invention of indoor plumbing, but before the mighty machines.)

As for laundry soap, don’t overdo it.  Less is more: the machine will do most of the ‘cleaning’ work.  Overdo at your risk: just be prepared to hear a lot of giggles when the suds start overflowing from the washing machine that you are so casually leaning against in your last pair of clean jeans.

It’s one of those new and popular hybrid words you’ve probably heard being bandied about lately–“fashionomics.”  This is where fashion meets economics and it’s where you need to be.  Why?  Well, the reasons are obvious aren’t they?  Well, in case the reasons are not so obvious, take note below as we review the top seven reasons that you need to tune into this trend…

Reason #7:  You are now officially (and probably for the rest of your life if you are in a Bachelor of Arts program) on a budget.  Fashion, whatever that means to you, must be economical.  Period, end of story, get used to it.

Reason #6:  In college and universities around the globe you will find a long standing tradition of wearing ‘eclectic’ clothing.  This is the perfect blend of economics and fashion.  Look around you: nobody can afford new clothes!  You all have no choice but to go down Eclectic Avenue.

Reason #5:  Fashionomics, the word, remains grossly under-used.  Help it out a little.  When asked, “Er, what IS that you’re wearing?!” simply bat the back-handed compliment back with a slight roll of the eyes and the response, “Duh, fashionomics dude.”

Reason #4:  You may not have time to watch television anymore (does anyone watch television anymore?), so you may not know that this trend has now been built into advertising campaigns.   Jump aboard the train before it leaves the station!  The highly paid advertising execs say that it is a cool trend, and who knows better than these Mad Men?

Reason #3:  Fashionomics articles can be home-made.  Just think of the money you’ll save, the crafty fun you’ll have and the amount of recycling that can be done.  For Halloween consider making a grass skirt out of old paper grocery bags cut into strips.  Whack a coconut shell in half for the top half of your body and viola, instant Tahiti!

Reason #2:  (you must be getting pretty excited as our count-down approaches the top reason why!)  You are very busy, what with a new grown up life in on campus.  You have classes to attend, studying to do and God knows how many new kinds of alcoholic concoctions to sample.  Who has time to spell out the specs on their wardrobe?  Not you.

Fa-shion-om-ics.  Four quick little syllables will suit you well.

Reason #1: why fashionomics is what you need to be wearing:  There is no combination of clothing excluded from this clothing trend.  That makes life (and getting dressed in the morning) very easy.  Combining stripes and plaid? Wearing white after Labour Day? Swaggering in shorts and a wool sweater?  It’s all cool – it’s fashionomics!