Reasons and Values of Doing Homework

We've all been doing homework...well, at least most of us. Back in high school days we've generally been confronted with tons of writing tasks or math assignments. However, when students finally finish high school and move up to college or university, they tend to forget reasons and values of still doing homework and writing exercises.

The reason for this is the lacking sense of obligation, which forces students to do their work as they had to in high school. College students live an independent life and are often provided with great freedom in terms of homework, especially in natural sciences. Yet, homework tasks help in revising and remembering subject matters, which were taught in lecture rooms or specific courses. As a  result, students will keep material easier in mind when brainstorming in the evenings.

Another essential and important function of homework for students is to consider situations and circumstances critically. Courses often rush through material and cover subject matters only to a certain degree – homework exercises help fully inquire and think beyond the learning material. Take liberal arts as an example: you have to transfer the things taught on different cases, especially in juristic matters. Homework provides the basis for "training" your mental skills and can be seen as encouragement for creativity. Moreover, the ability to scrutinize, to research, and to bring circumstances into question will always turn out useful in life.

Clearly, out-of-class tasks a great preparation for midterm exams, final exams, or any other academic challenge is required. Considering the schedule structures, the activities of any student's life, it is very important to arrange enough time for each exam. Preparing for multiple exams in a very short amount of time is extremely hard and, in addition to that, it is slightly impossible to receive yet a good grade unless you're experienced in leaving everything until the last possible minute. Statistics prove that this type of student is usually doomed to fail, but this is not due to the lack of intelligence – it is due to bad preparation and psychological overload.

Another thing that homework teaches is to make one's own hours so there will still be enough time to finish midterm papers before the due date. It's not unusual to meet deadlines when studying in college. However, this understanding of commitment needs practice and endurance. In any occupational field it is of major importance to comply with a set term, hence homework lays the foundation stone for punctuality.

When actually doing homework and grasping information together, you'll also feel emotionally relieved once you're finished. You'll feel better when your professor thinks you're smart – it gives you a psychological advantage and as a consequence improves your self-confidence.

Finally, from the pedagogical perspective, exercises or homework tasks should generate a stronger sense of duty, evoking a greater feeling of reliability and commitment. Taking all the above aspects into consideration, it is unquestionable that homework is a good way to exercise your mind and to remember things. This is of major importance in any future occupational field.

What do you think about doing homework? Are there any other reasons why homework assignments are necessary for students? Please go ahead and share your views.

Tags: college, homework assignments, final exams, homework, homework tasks, homework help, help with homework, doing homework, preparing for exams, how to prepare for an exam, preparing for tests and exams, writing tasks, writing exercises, midterm exams

How to Spend Summer Vacation Wisely

The sights, smells and sounds of summer are different. There is an air of anticipation especially if this means, for a student, closure of college books, the end of homework assignments and an opportunity to spend some time on one's own. And for the working student, bogged down with work commitments, deadlines and achievement of targets, the summer vacation is a time to gain some perspective and simply get away to relax.

The question however is whether to spend summer vacation, just like all the others before, or to find a way to make this wonderful time interesting and productive without the pressure of performance usually associated with college and work?

Travel to Your Favorite Destination

One of the key activities during summer vacation is traveling, and these days, with airline rates becoming more competitive and the hotel industry clamouring for more business, it is often possible to get really great deals for travel. For individuals on a shoestring budget however, there is no need to pack the family or just yourself into a plane and then into a posh hotel in order to have a meaningful summer vacation. A simple bus ticket to an unfamiliar destination, a friend to hang out with for a week and a good map of the location will suffice.

The point is that summer vacation can be spent wisely while on holiday if it becomes an adventure of curiosity, exploration and discovery.

TIP 1: Whichever of these travel choices appeal to you, a little notebook and pencil to keep track of what you do and who you meet, your likes and dislikes and even your thoughts will serve well as a gentle reminder of the time spent.

TIP 2: If you have a trusty camera to capture images of summer, this too adds flavour to your getaway.

For parents of students, the advent of summer usually means the risk of war breaking out at home and so it is imperative that some solid summer vacation planning is in order.

Do Some Cleaning

Apart from the trip away, summer vacation is a perfect opportunity to do some spring-cleaning, although for the benefit of the petulant student, this should be tagged as reminiscing. Use this opportunity to take a trip down memory lane – sorting family photos and clearing the attic or cellar will invariably drag up long-forgotten tales to tell.

Volunteer for Activities

Another useful activity during summer is to volunteer for some activities with organizations that work with people. Whether it is at an orphanage or the nearby soup kitchen, participating in helping others is meaningful and the warm glow of sharing will often last long after the summer vacation is over.

Spend Time With Your Children (if you have any)

If you have young children, this is a terrific opportunity to allow them to see what the real world is like and to value what they have. It also encourages a spirit of sharing and caring, and creates awareness of one’s self and one’s world.

Summer vacations are not just about shopping, sleeping and chilling. Perhaps the best perspective is that the summer vacation is an opportunity of self-discovery that will leave you filled to the brim till the next summer.

How do you spend your summer vacation? Go ahead and share your favorite activity.

Categories: College Life   Tags: college, summer vacation, summer, how to spend summer vacation, volunteer, students, college books, homework assignments

5 Tips on Being a Role Model in College

“Role model” – it sounds nice and proud, doesn’t it? The one who is a role model for others, arouses interest and respect, sometimes even admiring envy. A lot of people when asked would tell you they’d like to become a role model, but in fact only a few of them reach the goal and even less succeed in this image. It doesn’t mean you should give up your desire for being a role model; it means that the task is not as easy as it seems to be and to cope with it you should be ready to sweat. But the thing is worth the effort! Admiration of people around you – it’s only outside, while inside there is your strong personality, self-confidence and self-respect.

  • Think of a student in your college whom you consider to be a role model now (if not, try to recollect experience of your school life). Which of his/her qualities you consider to be the most important? Which of them appreciate other people in the college: students, professors? What are the situations when you clearly feel his/her advantage over others?
  • Now let’s proceed to the detailed analysis of your own personality. Take a sheet of paper, divide it into two parts, and make a list of your advantages on the one side and the list of your disadvantages on the other. Be objective, you’ll not lay it open for public inspection, and if properly done it will help you choose the right direction to move.
  • Look through your strong points. Underline the ones which you’ve already thought of when analyzing an example of the role model. Ponder over other advantages: how can you use them to reach the goal? They are for sure helpful!
  • Switch over to the list of your weak points. Which of them bother you the most? What can you do to control these disadvantages? They should not stand in your way to self-improvement.

Keep common sense when making demands to yourself. A role model is not the one with all the highest grades, the best achievements in sport and intellectual competitions, the best qualities… It’s simply impossible! Just try to do the best of what you have and you’ll for sure win respect of the people around, at least for the efforts.

Categories: College Life   Tags: college, 5 Tips on Being a Role Model in College, role model

Ideas on How to Combine Leisure, Studies and Work in College

Ideas on How to Combine Leisure, Studies and Work in CollegeDo you remember the last time you visited a circus? If you do, you should for sure remember deft juggler holding five, seven, or even eleven balls in the air without letting them down. Do you believe it's so easy as it seems? Not in the least! The earnest of his success is well-tried succession of movements, control over each of the balls, and total concentration on the activity he performs. And now imagine that the juggler on the arena is you, the balls he juggles are different spheres of your life. Do you manage to combine all of them as successfully as he manages to juggle colorful balls?

Though it may seem strange, but one of the ways to cope with different activities is to learn to "juggle" them. And the more you master this skill the better results you have. It's not that you should change them all the time or close the account with your right hand and write an essay research paper or thesis with the left. It's all about the ability to maintain them so that not a single one runs away. It becomes possible when you can organize your schedule in the best possible way, pay proper attention to each activity, and concentrate upon the one you do at the moment. As a lot of other young people, you are to cope with three main activities: studies in college, work, and leisure. Let's look how this method works!

• The first idea is an efficient schedule, or in other words time management. Like a juggler has chosen the best succession of movements to keep the balls up and control them, you should organize your activities the way you find it the most comfortable. For instance, you can't influence your schedule in the university, but you are free to choose working hours. Then try to put one after another, long breaks are often spent on roaming around. If you can't avoid that, fill such breaks with something useful, like sports or self-development.

• The second piece of advice concerns attention distribution. There is one important thing that needs to be stressed: although these activities are of different value in your eyes, make sure to pay SOME attention to each of them. Otherwise, the ball you've lost from your field of view will inevitably fall down. Another question is to decide, how much time and efforts to devote to each sphere. To do this, you are to establish priorities. Do you find studies to be of primarily importance? Then two working hours a day are enough to get some first experience. Or maybe this job is extremely challenging and exactly what you were dreaming about? You may devote more time to it if all the necessary papers for your classes are ready and you feel prepared for the final test. Anyway after so many intensive activities, don't forget to relax in a good company or to return to your hobbies.

• Finally, form a habit to concentrate as much as possible on the task you perform and not to divert your attention on other things. Very often when overloaded with affairs, we can't stop worrying about it; therefore, whatever we do, we are reproducing the same thought: "There are too many things to do. I can't cope with all of them." Thus, we are worrying instead of acting and in the long run we really fail to succeed. On the other hand, if concentrated on the task, we manage to do it better and quicker, so you we have more time for the next activities.

Tip: Never despond if something goes wrong; try to analyze the problem, correct a mistake, or begin all over again. Be flexible and open to changes!

Categories: College Life   Tags: essay, thesis, college, research paper, time management