GOOGLE Cheat Sheet of Tips & Tricks: How To Use Google To Study

Almost every college student uses Google on a daily basis, and most think their Googling skills are pretty good too. However, a recent study revealed that 3 out of 4 students don’t know how to perform an effective Google search. When your final grade depends on the term paper you’re stressing over, using Google with maximum efficiency is imperative. But so many students aren’t aware that they don’t know how to Google.

For those who have never taken the time to learn the ins and outs of Google, fear not. The following is a helpful cheat sheet of tips and tricks that will increase your search productivity:

“example” searches for the exact phrase in the quotation marks

~example                        searches the term and words related to the term

-example                         excludes the term from search results

*example                        replaces itself with common terms in your search

filetype:pdf                     searches only results of the specified file type 

site:www.example.com searches only the pages of the specified site

intitle:example                displays only results that have the term in the title

author:example              searches only articles/papers by the specified author

####..####                     searches within a range of numbers/dates

Be sure to make the above commands part of your repertoire when searching for information on the web. You’ll soon notice that you get better Google results while finding them a lot quicker. However, don’t forget about the various other resources at your disposal, including your school library and online databases.

Complete these tasks to ensure you find the right school for you: COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE TIMELINE

Now that you’re almost done with college admissions, make sure to stay on top of things to give yourself the best chance of being accepted. Here are a few things to watch out for at this time of the year:

• Don’t delay in applying to schools with late deadlines or rolling admissions – they may still be filling up their class for next year.

• Make sure to keep your grades up. The admissions process is almost over but practically every college makes acceptance contingent upon continued academic success. You’ve worked hard for the past 3+ years; don’t lose focus now!

• Register and study for any AP exams you are scheduled to take.

• Be sure to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible. Many colleges have deadlines earlier than the one listed on the FAFSA, so be sure to check with each school individually. Guidance counselors may be able to assist you with the process.

• Continue to search for scholarships that you may be eligible for.

• Keep track of acceptances, waitlists, and rejections. As acceptance letters come in, compare financial aid packages and consider campus visits in order to get an idea of which schools are a realistic possibility.

Complete these tasks to ensure you find the right school for you as soon as possible.

What should a college student do for Spring Break?

You’ve heard it all before: spring break is the time when college students fly somewhere sunny to party it up for a week. However, what you probably didn’t hear is that not ALL students do this – in fact, many students have made it a point to engage in alternative spring break activities. A very popular alternative is to go on volunteer trips, because they still allow students to take a vacation and spend time with friends. Here are five reasons why a volunteer trip should be part of your spring break plans:

Everyone else is going to Cancun. Simple question: What happens when everyone wants to fly to the same place at the same time? Plane tickets rocket to sky-high prices, as do hotel reservations, transportation, and even meals. You could save yourself a fortune by participating in a service project in beautiful Guatemala, while having a different experience than everyone else.

You’ll have a much more unique experience. Decades of pop culture and teen movies have established spring break as the time where undergrads party non-stop for a week. No matter how amazing people might make their spring break trip sound, there’s still a “been there, done that” vibe for most. Not many people can claim that they’ve spent a week in Greece helping the poor. By participating in volunteer trips, you’ll give yourself a spring break story to REALLY talk about.

Start a tradition. Your school may never have participated in a spring break volunteer trip, but all it takes is one group of friends to try it out and have a blast to establish a lasting tradition. Hearing stories packed with excitement from people who never thought they’d go on such a trip is enough to get a few more people to sign up the next year.

Give back. As a college student, you are blessed with so much: fun adventures, exploring your independence, the opportunity to make new friends, and receiving an advanced education. The majority of the world – and even many in the United States – aren’t fortunate enough to attend college. Therefore, give back by stepping out of the classroom and the comfort of home to learn from people whose culture is different from yours. And while you’re at it, the people you visit will be able to learn from you too.

Feel awesome. This last one is self-explanatory. Volunteering on a service trip will make you feel great about yourself – simple as that.