IU Educationat Indiana University's School of Education

Appearing for a test might be a difficult task but preparing for the same is tougher. If you are planning to appear for CPA exam, it’s really necessary that you do the right preparation and follow right strategy and study material. Here are few tips for your preparation, exam time strategies, and recommended books for your smooth and fruitful preparation.

Tips for preparation

Doing right and constant preparation is the first and the most important thing you need to do. Follow these tips during your preparatory phase for best results –

• Do steady preparation

Doing continuous preparation is the best way to get you ready for the exam. It’s pressure-free and does not keep you awake the whole night. Remember to have your own study schedules with short breaks to keep your brain and body tense free. Moreover, look for CPA prep course reviews before you start the process of preparation.

• Distractions are destructions!

Oh yes! If you are distracted you are destructed. So, stay away from all the things that distract you, especially the gadgets and social media.

• Study spot

If you are not a study person, better study at random places so that you will not feel bored.

• Take small study breaks

Take small refreshment breaks of 15-20 minutes. However, a long break can damage the spontaneity of preparation.

• Don’t let yourself feel low or demotivated

Self-motivation is the foundation for anything you want to achieve in life. No matter how much you prepare, if you do not believe in yourself, it’s all futile.

• Find groups to study

Study in groups as it exposes you to a large amount of resource and gives you easy daily revision.

• Do regular practice 
• Do revision every day and Focus

Exam day tips

Exam day is very auspicious as well as a sacred day for an aspirant. Keep yourself calm, confident and follow these tips on your way to the exam –

• Use flash cards for revision

Flashcards are the best way for revision. These study capsules help you to recall the whole matter and concept through the use of key points. Moreover, it’s better to set links between the concepts for better revision.

• Appear for oral test

It’s doesn’t mean you have to go give an oral test to someone. Just ask questions and answer the questions raised by your friends, in-short a small discussion.

• Take care of yourself

Health is the most important thing while doing anything. Only a healthy body can give the desired results. So, eat timely and enough to survive, sleep well, don’t do late night study before the exam day.

• Do quick review
• Don’t panic

College is a time to improve your knowledge and skills in an academic setting, but it’s also a time to socialize and network with the people around you. It’s no surprise that most college students spend a good chunk of their free time partying, attending get-togethers with friends and trying to meet new people. 

This isn’t just tolerable, it’s a good thing for college communities. It relieves stress, strengthens bonds, and encourages a diversity of people to meet each other and learn from each other. That said, partying can be dangerous—to your health, to your studies, and even to the people around you. It’s your responsibility to party safely. 

Keep Yourself (and Others) Safe

Your first priority should be keeping yourself (and the people around you) safe at all times. You can improve your safety with the following: 

• Pay attention to what you’re drinking. First, it’s important to pay attention to what you’re drinking at all times. You need to not only understand the ingredients in the beverage you’re consuming, but also how many alcoholic beverages you consume in a fixed amount of time. It’s easy to misjudge how much alcohol you’re consuming, especially if you’re drinking for the first time, so try not to consume more than a few standard drinks in a single night, across several hours. Also pay attention to who is mixing and/or serving your drinks, and don’t leave drinks unattended. 
• Never drive drunk. Intoxication remains one of the biggest motivating factors for car accidents in the United States, yet it’s an easy hazard to prevent. If you’re intoxicated, even slightly, you owe it to yourself and the people around you not to get behind the wheel. Try to get a ride from someone, walk home, or order a ridesharing service instead. 
• Have a backup plan. Things don’t always pan out the way you intend. You might get separated from the friend group you trust. You might learn that the party venue is less safe than you thought. You might accidentally drink more than you intended. In these scenarios, it’s vital to have a backup plan—a place and time to meet up with people you trust or a place where you can crash for the night. 
• Stay with friends. You’re always safer in groups, especially when walking to or from a place you’re unfamiliar with. Try to surround yourself with friends throughout the night, and if you get separated, keep communicating. 
• Set expectations. It’s fun to be spontaneous, but it’s much safer to set expectations for how the night’s going to play out. Understand where the party is going to be hosted and who’s hosting it, and if you’re going to venture to other locations, try to get the scoop beforehand. 
• Look out for others. You aren’t the only one trying to socialize and have a good time, so do your part and look out for others—even strangers. If someone looks like they’ve had too much to drink or they look like they’re in danger, get them to safety if it’s safe for you to do so. 
• Get everyone home safely. If you go home separately, follow up with your friends to make sure they got home safely. 

Prioritize Academics

It’s also important to maintain your focus on your academic work, and not allow your social life to interfere with your grades or in-class performance. 

• Work ahead when you can. Most classes give you a syllabus early on. Pay attention to what assignments are going to be due throughout the semester, and work ahead if you can. You don’t want to spend the weekend socializing only to find out you have an essay due Monday, requiring you to stay up all night Sunday to get it done. 
• Don’t disrupt your sleep schedule. Sleep is incredibly important to your physical and mental health. Even if you feel like you can pull an all-nighter and still have energy in the morning, it’s important to try and get a solid 7 to 9 hours every night (and maintain a consistent routine). 
• Be mindful of your behavior and image. Pay attention to the images and videos you post on social media. If you’re publicly revealed to be drinking underage or doing drugs, it could tarnish your reputation, or even disqualify you from certain scholarships and programs. 
• Drink water, eat healthy, exercise, and recover. There’s no cure for a hangover, and it’s a bad idea to spend an entire weekend partying. After a long night out, dedicate plenty of time to your recovery, and take care of your physical health by eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, drinking plenty of water, and resting when you feel weak or ill. 

The perfect college experience is a blend of both academic and social/recreational activities, so don’t try to exclusively focus on one or the other. Pay attention to your surroundings, exercise some self-control, and always have a backup plan; if you can, you’ll get all the benefits of partying and socializing in college, without the threats to your health or grades. 

If you’re a student of creative writing, journalism, literature, or marketing, you may be considering a future career in writing. While it’s true that writing careers can be very rewarding, it’s also a fairly competitive job market. The best way to make sure that you can land your dream job as a writer is to start building your experience now.

There are many internships out there suitable for college students. Some of these are paid, others are unpaid. Either way, they allow you to gain valuable experience and build skills that will prove invaluable when it comes to your future career. With that in mind, here are 5 tips to help you land a college writing internship.

1. Create an amazing resume and cover letter

For most jobs, a resume is just a place to list your skills for your employer’s to browse through. For writers, however, it’s more important. This is because it’s essentially the first sample your potential employer will actually see of your writing. They’ll not only be looking at the skills, qualifications, education, and experiences listed on your resume but at how well-written it is.

You can’t afford any typos or grammatical errors. You want to come across as someone who is capable of performing professional writing work. Showcase your skills and write a cover letter with a distinctive voice.

Obviously, you’ll also want to make sure that the content of your resume is equally good. By that, I mean you have to list the kind of skills experiences your employer will want to see, which brings us nicely onto tip number 2.

2. Start a blog

If you’re looking into an internship, the chances are that you don’t yet have any paid employment history in the industry. Nonetheless, to land an internship, your employer is still going to want to see that you have some experience, which means you’re going to have to have some samples to show them.

The best way to get writing experience without a writing job is to simply write samples yourself. One way you can do that is by starting a blog. Start your own free blogging website and get into the habit of posting regular articles. Take the time to make sure your articles evidence your writing ability and showcase your distinctive voice. Try to represent the style and tone you want to be associated with in your writing career in every blog post.

3. Pick a writing niche

There are lots of different kinds of writing jobs out there. Before you even begin applying for internships, you should try to clarify exactly what kind of route you want to go down.

For example, are you hoping to be a journalist in your future career? Are you looking to break into the marketing field and work as a content writer? Or perhaps you want to work in the arts as a script/screenwriter, or even a novelist?

It’s no good applying for a writing internship at a newspaper with only fictional short stories to show them. Once you’re clear on what industry you want to work in, you can tailor both your application and your writing samples to that specific industry.

4. Consider cold emailing

Many students will limit their hunt for internships to those that they see advertised. This can work, as many employers will indeed advertise these positions at college employment fairs and on job boards.

However, many won’t. There are lots of potential employers out there who may be willing to give you an internship but who haven’t bothered to advertise their vacancies. A great way to land a job is to reach out to these kinds of people.

The way you can go about this is to first identify potential employers in your specific writing niche. For example, if you’re hoping to become a content writer in the tech industry, look for some online tech websites that have a bunch of contributing authors. Next, you can find their contact details and email them asking if they have any writing internships available.

You’ll find that many of these kinds of employers will jump at the opportunity, especially if you’re willing to go unpaid.

An after college job is an exciting experience and these tips can help you make the most of it.

Finally!

All of the hard work from going to school, getting good grades and going to college is being realized. You’ve almost got your first after college job.

The only thing?

You’re terrified that you’re going to mess it up. What do you do?

Continue reading this article to learn advice for getting and keeping your first job after you graduate college.

Getting Your First After College Job

All of these years preparing and its all come down to this moment. Your friends are getting their dream jobs but you’re nervous it’s not going to come through for you.

With these following tips, you’ll be able to make it happen.

1. Work Your College Connections

When it comes time to get a job, don’t go beat the pavement by yourself. Talk to your college connections and let them know what you’re looking for.

The people that are in the same line of work are great connections since they are likely to pass on information about jobs that they can’t apply for because they’ve already gotten a position.

2. Volunteer for Unwanted Tasks

When you get the job, volunteer for unwanted tasks. You’ll know which ones are unwanted because you don’t want to do them and no one else volunteers either.

Do these tasks and make your boss’ life easier and they will be more than happy to be in your corner.

Whether you’re working at a company like PieSync or working at a law firm, there’s always room to get attention by putting in good, hard work.

3. Set Ambitious Goals

Never feel like your job is secure. Always set ambitious goals and crush them. No one wants to fire someone that is making them money.

4. Seek Out a Mentor

The best way to get to the next level at your job is to ask someone that’s been where you are now. People love to mentor people that don’t take up a lot of their time and take massive action on the advice they give them. Let that be you.

5. Make Friends with the Go-Getters

You are who you hang out with so get around the people that are rainmakers and movers and shakers. You’ll inspire each other to reach for more and to do better.

6. Get into a Routine

Routines help you go on autopilot. If you’re going to win at your job, you need to develop routines for each part of your day. Make sure the routines and habits you’re forming are pushing you toward your goals.

7. Invest in Growth Opportunities

If there’s a conference or training you can take that can help you be better at your job, get in there! Continue learning and growing so you can provide more value in the workplace.

Grow Your Knowledge Base & Win at Your Job

Now that you know more about how to get and keep your first after college job, it’s time to learn more. Now that you’re in the ring, you are likely ready to work on getting promoted — we can help.

Read through our blog for more tips and information about business and life today.

College certificates are just as relevant as a college degrees. Whether you’re looking into starting a new career or if you’re planning to branch out, enrolling for a college certification program can be your ideal starting point.

But you’re probably wondering, why not take a degree instead?

After all, going into debt for a degree isn’t a bad idea given the fact that degree graduates often land better-paying jobs.

However, that’s necessarily not the case. A college certificate requires less commitment and often pays back faster. As such, their value competes relatively well with a degree.

Here are other benefits of getting into a college certification program:

1. Take Less Time

One of the most significant advantages of a certification program is that it requires less time to complete. In most cases, the program stretches between 6 months to a 1-year period, depending on the course taken.

Unlike a degree, a college certification is subject-focused, thus, doesn’t include general education course units.

2. Less Expensive

With the escalating student loan debt, you may want to go for a more affordable route as far as higher education is concerned.

This is exactly what a college certificate offers. A less expensive way of advancing your education without being tied to crippling debt.

It’s worth noting that even with scholarships and other financial aid programs, degree programs still remain expensive due to other costs that aren’t directly related to tuition fees.

3. Versatile

Certificates are more flexible as compared to degree programs, allowing you to build on your skills rather than starting over from the bottom.

For example, if you want to earn a Master’s degree in Homeland Security and you already have a certificate in the same area, it’ll be easier and faster for you to earn the degree compared to a person who has zero backgrounds in Homeland Security.

In addition, a certificate can offer skills in two different academic fields at the same time.

For example, a certification program in Pharmacy Technician Education, allows the student to gain a solid foundation in preparing prescriptions as well as processing insurance claims. Although this can also be achieved in degree programs, you’ll have to take dual degrees programs which may end up increasing your time in school.

4. Improves Your Resume

Earning a college certificate in a field aligned to your current profession boosts your skills and resume, making you unique in the job market. This also increases your chances of getting a pay-rise since a certificate shows that you’ve proficiency in a particular niche.

More so, the job industry is dynamic, so employers are looking for individuals whose skills are up to date. A college certificate is the best way to update your skills to meet the ever-changing demands of an organization.

5. Facilitate Career Change

Changing your career can be difficult given that you may have other commitments tying you down.

However, you can still switch to your dream career by starting at the certificate level. This is because a certification program offers flexibility in terms of time and money, allowing you to easily juggle your full-time job, family, and other commitments.

College life is the most relaxed part of one’s life. With not a single care in the world, college students have very different priorities in life and getting life insurance is not one of them. However, it’s important to think about the future and plan for it. Sometimes, Life is bumpy and full of unpredictable events.

Some people are under the impression that life insurance is a hoax. For them, accidents are unlikely events and paying the premium is a financial burden. I would like to narrate an incident here. A couple of years ago, a 20-year-old boy from Mumbai, Dev was coming back home from college. He was studying at Yale. He was a stellar student, his parents were very proud of his achievements.

Everyone spoke highly of his academic prowess. But a tragedy struck. On his way back from college, he had a car accident and lost both his legs and his eyesight. Dev’s parents Mr. And Mrs. Chouhan had to face a really bad time. They had to repay Dev’s student loan along with the medical bills. This tragedy took a huge financial toll on them. A couple of months later, Dev died. Mr. and Mrs. Chouhan was still in mourning when the bank gave them a notice for immediate repayment of the student loan. It was a very tragic time.

People from all over the country rallied in their support and protested against the bank. Public support pressured the bank into giving Mr. and Mrs. Chouhan 3 years’ time to repay the loan. These tragedies are the reality of life and you to be financially prepared to face such situations.

We will now look at the reasons why college students need life insurance policy:

Dependent Parents: Many students have dependent parents who are old and need medical and financial help. A term life insurance policy takes care of the financial needs of the dependent parents. It also provides surplus money to take care of all the miscellaneous expenses as well as support the dependents.

The primary reason behind buying life insurance is to provide cover for people who are financially dependent on you. The idea of life insurance is to make sure that your dependents can provide for themselves even in your absence. It’s no different for college students.Term life insurance on a college student is quite inexpensive in India.

Student Loans: Every year college students take student loans to receive education in the best possible institutions. Every year, many Indian students go abroad for higher education. Student loans amount to nearly 1 million dollars, every year. Many students mortgage their houses to receive student loans.

Sometimes, the bank sanctions the loan only when the students have a guardian or a surety to sign on their behalf. In situations of untimely demise or accident of the student, the surety needs to repay the loan. Sometimes the banks accelerate the loan repayment schedule after sudden death or even ask for a full repayment as soon as possible.

Life insurance helps to repay the entire loan amount and reduces the financial pressure on the guardian of the deceased.

Marriage at a young age: Apart from loans and debts, early marriage and having a child while still in college are major reasons to buy term life insurance. India has a low legal marriageable age, due to which many undergraduates in small towns and villages get married at a young age. More than one-third of all the undergraduate students raise children while attending college. This makes it even more important to have appropriate life insurance cover in place.

Marriage brings with itself the added responsibilities. Therefore, it becomes necessary to get life insurance in college itself to provide for children as well as dependent spouses. Life insurance will take care of the family after an unfortunate incident of death or accident takes place. The insurance money will also provide for the educational and other needs of the children.

Protecting Family Finances: Several families do not take a student loan to finance their child’s education. Parents finance their children through their own hard eared-money or through the savings of a lifetime. Sometimes families max out their credit cards or mortgage their jewellery, houses and other valuables. In the event of a sudden accident or death, the family falls apart completely. At such critical situations, they will need solid finances to fall back on. There is no replacement for the loss of a loved one but one needs money to survive. In the face of such an unfortunate situation, life insurance policy provides the much-needed financial help to repay the debts and build back the lost financial standing.

Planning for an unforeseen accident is morbid and disheartening but it is a sad reality of life. You need to take charge, for your future and for the future of your loved ones. Don’t think any further and buy a term life insurance right away to help secure your financial future.

Education is a privilege to those of us lucky enough to have access and opportunity to its reaches. However, it is an unfortunate reality that traditional education has limited opportunities for some, no matter how badly they might want them. Traditional brick and mortar academic institutions are built around set structure and broad teaching and learning approaches, making it difficult for students who do not live near schools to attend if they do not have the finances or the means to travel to classes. Now of course, it is important to note that traditional education works wonders for millions of students year in and year out, but the introduction of digital learning is opening opportunities to students around the world, and making global education more efficient and inclusive in the process.

Removing geographical barriers

Online education removes the single most irritable barrier of traditional education: geographical proximity. While traditional education demanded that students either reside in close proximity to any schools to attend (naturally), or have the financial means to travel to school every day to attend classes, online education allows students to learn from quite literally anywhere in the world where they have a reliable device to get their course information and materials from, and a stable (preferably fast) internet connection. This one aspect of online education has profoundly changed the academic sector in an overwhelmingly positive way, effectively allowing anyone who wants access to education to have it, without having to live in close proximity to access it.

Allowing students to learn at their own pace

It is a fact of life that no two individuals have the exact same, precise learning approach. One weakness in traditional education is that it creates a structure where a sole learning approach is broadly taught, and students are all expected to adhere to it and respond positively to it. On the other hand, online education is incredibly inclusive in that it removes the broadly-set structure of traditional education, effectively allowing students to learn at their own pace. Additionally, students who learn via online education can find practically all their learning materials and resources online (including external resources like a reliable writing service to help ease the stress of high-impact assessment blocks, for example).

Giving modern students study/life balance

Similar to the pace of digital learning, online education gives students the chance to find the ideal balance between their studies and the rest of their lives. Online education is so effective for students because it gives them the chance to work in their studies around their lifestyles, rather than the opposite way around. Students these days are busier than ever, and so the freedom to study whenever they choose is something that cannot be overstated – nor should it be. Students being able to access lectures online during their lunch breaks at work, or on the commute to and from places, is a game changer, and it is one that is propelling online education forward at ever-exceeding speeds.

We all know that sometimes cleaning can be a tough job. Not only can the process be tedious in nature, but it also demands a lot of hard work to get the job done properly. Whether we do the cleaning in our environments ourselves, or invest in the professional work of cleaning services, there is no question that it is a job that you get out of it what you put into it. Nobody wants to spend their time or money in the cleaning department if the result is not going to be of the highest quality, if the space is not going to look and feel sparkling clean. When it comes to school cleaning, it is more important than ever to make sure that the area is spick and span post-clean. But why? Why is the cleanliness of a school any more important than the cleanliness of any other environment?

Schools as a breeding grounds for sickness

Schools are environment for learning and nourishment, but they are also a breeding grounds for germs and sickness. This is not (in most cases) a mark against schools and their cleanliness, but rather a testament to how messy children are by nature. With so much foot traffic and energy in one environment practically all the time throughout the weekdays, it is inevitable that the area is going to get quite dirty. Having a clean learning environment not only makes people happier, but it also significantly decreases the chances likelihood of students or educators getting sick too often.

Eliminating the nasties from the cleaning process

While it is a (perhaps surprisingly) common view that only the toughest of cleaning products get the job done properly, it is an inherent truth that any of these products contain chemicals that are unhealthy for us to be around, to touch, to breathe in. That is why natural cleaning products are becoming more and more popular. In the beginning, natural cleaning products were criticised, with people insisting they could not possibly be as effective as the products that include a list of harsh chemicals. But in fact, natural products work just as effectively. In using plant-based properties or organic oils to enhance aromas, there are also no dangerous synthetic fragrances – which is always a plus.

Creating a healthier standard for schools

The simple fact is that with a school being such a diverse environment for people to be in, people have different reactions to different things – including the types of cleaning products that are used. Having natural cleaning products in place of harsh chemical-based cleaning products eliminates a lot of the nasty chemicals that abound the air when schools use harsh cleaning products. Additionally, embracing a more naturally-inclined approach to school cleaning services will encourage students and educators alike to embrace a more natural approach to life in general, which can only ever be a good thing. Keeping things clean is important, but keeping them healthy is even more so.

One of the most important factors for your academic success is how you’re able to study on a regular basis. Studying is how you’ll reinforce what you learn in class, how you’ll learn new materials not discussed in class, how you’ll prepare for exams, and how you’ll research your essays and assignments. “Studying” itself comes in a variety of forms, and there are dozens of variables that can influence how effective your studying is—not just the number of hours you spend staring at a textbook.

So which factors are most important in determining how effective your studying is, and what can you do to control them?

Factors to Improve Your Studying Efficiency

Rather than the sheer number of hours you invest in studying, these are the factors most likely to affect your comprehension, retention, and overall efficiency:

1.       Distractions. Getting a good internet plan when you finally live on your own (or with roommates) can be liberating, but it can also serve as a powerful distraction. If you study in the same room as three other people who are watching TV, playing video games, and listening to music, it won’t matter how much time you spend reading or how good you think you are at multitasking; it’s going to distract you. Finding an environment with minimal distractions, and learning how to resist distractions like smartphone notifications is a must if you want to succeed.
2.       Consistency. Studying is less about how much time you spend in a single session and more about how consistent you are in your studying habits. For example, it’s typically better for your retention if you study in one-hour sessions, once a day every day for a few weeks than if you stay up for 24 hours cramming everything at once. This may be difficult to pull off if you struggle with self-discipline or if your schedule makes it difficult to create new routines.
3.       Proactiveness. It also helps if you study proactively. Most college courses provide you with a syllabus that outlines the curriculum for the entire semester, detailing which assignments are coming up, when your test is, and what information you’ll need to learn. This allows you to start studying and working on assignments very early in the course, which is ideal. This will allow you to study under less stressful conditions, manage your time more easily, and possibly have access to more university resources.
4.       Medium diversity. Most people lean toward one preferred learning style, but that doesn’t mean the other styles of learning should go neglected. If you spend the entire course reading out of a textbook, without studying in any other formats, you may not learn as quickly or retain as much as someone who reads, studies visuals, re-listens to lectures, watches videos on the subject, and talks to others at the same time. Shake things up, and try to learn in multiple formats.
5.       Social support. Social support can help you tremendously in achieving your studying goals. Studying together as part of a group can help everyone involved learn more efficiently, but more importantly, talking to other people about your goals and intentions can help you stay accountable to those goals. Try to build a network of other students who share your academic aspirations, and work to keep each other accountable to those goals.
6.       Environmental factors. The nature of your environment also plays a role in your ability to study and retain information. We already covered the importance of avoiding distractions, but there are other factors to consider as well. For example, it pays to be comfortable, but not so comfortable that you aren’t paying attention to the material. You’ll need sufficient (but not blinding) lighting, and low-volume background noise is ideal.
7.       Health. You also need to consider your physical and mental wellbeing. If you don’t take proper care of yourself, you might be more susceptible to catching a cold, which can interfere with your ability to concentrate on your studying materials. If you’re overly stressed and aren’t managing that stress, you could become depressed, which in turn can interfere with your ability to retain information and concentrate. Be proactive when you notice something “off” with your physical or mental health.

Improving Your Studying Efficiency

It’s entirely within your power to improve your studying efficiency, though it may take time to polish your habits to perfection. Once you do, you’ll find that every hour of time you spend on studying will yield more value to you, and you’ll be less stressed as well. Don’t panic or become distressed if you aren’t a master studier your first year on campus; it may take a few semesters to find the approach that works best for you.