Study Tips

It should come as no surprise that investigations have shown that many for-profits do in fact target low-income people who can’t pay. These people areoften minorities.

Steve noticed the same thing at his school: “Most of my students made minimum wage, and over half were black. Every one of my students had a loan, and it’s all they ever talked about. Some felt strong-armed into them, but some wanted them. They lived off of them. They wanted the loans as another source of income because they couldn’t make ends meet with their regular jobs. They took a few classes to keep up appearances, but I would always know why they were really there. Every college has these students, but at my college, I had several in every class I taught. I never knew what happened to them after the semester and they were 20 or 40 grand in debt. Many struggled to make ends meet, and the college offered an easy way to get loans. What did you think was going to happen?”

For-profit universities vastly prefer loans – and the long-term, interest-bearing income they generate – to straight cash payments. So much so that they often don’t take cash: “One student in particular told me that she had $20,000 from an inheritance in cash, but ran into roadblocks everywhere. My college wouldn’t accept cash, so she tried a check. They told her they couldn’t, since they had too many issues with bounced checks. She then tried paying online in full, but she was told she shouldn’t because ‘What if you decide to drop a class? Would you still want to pay for it?’ She then tried monthly payments, but she was informed she was too late to sign up. She could only take a loan.”

I Teach At A For-Profit College: Here’s Why It’s A Scam

PREPARATIONS FOR AN EFFECTIVE STUDY SESH

1. Wash your face so you feel refreshed and ready.

2. Get a bottle of cold water and a small healthy snack to stay hydrated and nourished which really does help when you’re studying because it keeps the brain active. A study snack example could be, fruit and nuts or maybe a guilty pleasure (but don’t go overboard!)

3. Clean your study area if it isn’t already. Remember, a messy area = messy brain. But thats not the case always I know. However, a clean and organized study area stimulates your mind and makes you want to sit down and study.

4. Gather ALL your study essentials like your pens, pencils, ruler, paper (basically your general stationery), and most importantly, your actual subject material of course (textbooks, notebooks, handouts and past papers).

5. Lay all your study essentials neatly on the desk to how ever you think everything will be easily approachable.

6. Block out ALL distractions which will prevent you from studying effectively. Turn off your phone and put it away as far as possible. Put away EVERYTHING that you know for a fact that will keep you from studying your best. If you listen to music while you study, then classical music is said to be very helpful, however use the phone just for that purpose, and for what you will encounter in the next tip. You can also use your iPod if you have one or any thing that plays music. Just remember, don’t procrastinate. 

7. Set yourself a timer to make sure you don’t spend too much time doing one thing or waste time. Keep your phone ONLY for this purpose, unless your watch can set the timer, anything else. Most popular method is the pomodoro method. If you are unfamiliar with this, let me explain. So basically in this method, you study for about 25-30 minutes and take 5 minute breaks and then a long 15 minute break. You change this to how ever you want but don’t go extreme for example study for a about 40 mins and then take a 20 minute break. No. Again, if using the phone for the timer, PLEASE PLEASE refrain from checking social media. 

8. Start the studying now that you are fully prepared. Remember, practice active studying rather than passive studying. Active studying would include annotating lecture notes, doing practice questions, organizing and identifying main points, making summaries, etc. Passive studying would be just reading through your notes.

Hope you found my tips useful (and i hope they made sense) even though you probably saw these everywhere else. I’m just here spreading them out again to remind you what’s better for you and your grades and general studying. My name is Aditi, and I hope everyone is having a fantastic day! 

i cannot stress this enough

if you are an eligible voter in the US this coming election and bernie sanders does not have the democratic nomination

you. have. to. vote. for. hillary.

i am not fucking messing around

i am not gonna sit here while you write in names or go on some fucking strike. hillary is not on the same level as donald trump. all of you who act like that’s a hard choice are ridiculous. you vote for hillary clinton if she gets the primary. if you don’t, you give trump the presidency. clear and simple. normally i would not advocate against writing in names, but at this point writing in names would take away from hillary’s vote if she is the nominee–EVEN IF YOU WRITE IN BERNIE SANDERS, YOU GIVE TRUMP A HIGHER CHANCE AT THE PRESIDENCY, AND YOU DON’T WANT THAT.

not even a year ago y’all were laughing about donald trump. don’t fuck this up. in no world is hillary clinton as bad as donald trump.

My first year at university came to a close and here are some important things I learned along the way that really helped me succeed throughout the year (but most importantly survive to the end)

1. Start working hard from the beginning

A common thing students do for the first few weeks of classes is try to convince themselves that they don’t have anything to do because it seems like they haven’t learned enough material. The moment you learn something on day 1, you have something to review or catch up on. If not, try to get ahead a little. I promise that staying on top of your work from day 1 is how you can help prevent midterms from sneaking up on you.

2. Make schedules and learn to manage your time

This goes with #1 because scheduling, planning, lists, etc. are how you can stay on top of things. Simple to-do lists or, for those of you that like more specific planning, hourly planners work great. Being specific about when you’re going to do something and what it is you’re going to do (i.e. study lectures 11-13) really helps to organize your brain and your studying. Also, part of managing your time is not committing to too many things at once. You may still be trying to figure things out and the last thing you want is to be dealing with more than you can handle. 

3. Don’t fall behind because you’re studying

It’s so hard to dedicate your time to classes that aren’t the ones with exams coming up, but falling behind on those other classes won’t help you in the long term. University is a total balancing act and you need to be able to balance keeping yourself up to date with courses as well as reviewing for any upcoming exams, projects, papers, etc. A lot of people (including me sometimes) fall behind on every class because of midterms and then spend all their time up until finals playing catch up rather than thoroughly preparing for finals.

4. Don’t cram

We all know this isn’t the way to go, but we do it anyway. You can’t study for a class effectively in 2-3 days. Give yourself a week or two to go over the material more than once. I always try to schedule small chunks of studying - a few pages a day that can take up to an hour or two of my time - at least 2 weeks in advance so that I start preparing, but I also am not taking too much time away from keeping up with current classes (see #3). And no all-nighters! Sleep plays a role in consolidating material, so skipping sleep is not the way to go.

5. Picking classes

Don’t pick a class because you heard it was easy and don’t avoid a class because you heard it was hard. The same goes for professors. Opinions on courses are subjective (obviously) and everyone experiences courses differently; a class that was a breeze for someone else might not be for you. Don’t take course reviews too seriously. Rely more on how you feel about the overall course material because you’re more likely to try hard and succeed in a course you’re genuinely interested in, even if it’s more difficult than other courses.

6.  Be kind to yourself

You are a human and being a student is not your only purpose in life. Eat properly, stay hydrated, keep active, and sleep well are the popular pieces of advice. Make sure you’re listening to your body and paying attention to your mental health. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking time for you when you need it, whether it’s an hour, a day, or a few days. You don’t have to push yourself to extremes or burn yourself out to feel like you’ve done the best that you could. The breaks you give yourself will be the reason you make it through to the end. 

Reminder: It’s possible that your first year doesn’t go well and if it doesn’t, know that it isn’t the end and you can come back from it. First year can be really difficult for some people and it can be a breeze for others. Don’t get discouraged because it’s only the first year and you have many great ones to come later! 

Student Loan Forgiveness

An email I got this morning from the government regarding my student loans:

We recalculated your monthly payment for your Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan. We used the income documentation […] to determine your monthly payment of $334.66 [….] If you do not recertify or you no longer have a partial financial hardship (PFH), your payment amount will be $641.77.

The power of Income-Based Repayment plans for student loans: I am literally paying half what my monthly payment would be if I didn’t have “income based” forbearance.

The downside of course is that it would take me well over twice the length of time to pay off my loans (given the payment size plus interest), but I am enrolled in Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which means if I am employed with a not-for-profit for another four years, to make ten years total, the balance of my loans, roughly $30K, will be forgiven.

Furthermore, I believe (qualifier: this may no longer be true, I haven’t checked recently) if you are enrolled in IBR and paying based on income, after 25 years your loans will be forgiven regardless of where you work. If you are unemployed, IBR can reduce your loan payments to zero even once you’ve used up your grace period. If you are long-term unemployed, that means in 25 years you will no longer carry student loan debt. 

It’s 25 years of payments instead of 10, but it’s better than no help at all.

If you are in a low-earning job (I make just over $50K per year which in Chicago does not go far), IBR can help you keep your head above water and build savings by not charging you through the nose for your loan repayments. IBR is making it possible for me to afford to buy a home.

If you are employed with a charity, public school, private not-for-profit school, government agency, or other 501( c)(3) organization, you also qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which means after ten years of payments all of your qualifying loans will be forgiven.

A few years ago I wrote up how to apply for IBR and PSLF here. I just went through and updated all the links; it should be a good primer on the kinds of loans and jobs that the setup involves.

GOOD NEWS FOR #PublicSchools IN WISCONSIN - http://goo.gl/VqdsFt

The authors of the report contacted superintendents throughout #Wisconsin, to determine how the new flexibility provided by #GovScottWalker’s 2011 legislation has allowed them to alter their #Education programs for the BENEFIT OF STUDENTS, without the self-interested intrusion of organized labor #UNIONS.

“Superintendents of public schools no longer have to seek approval from public unions in order to make changes to the administration of their schools,” the report said. “They are free to adopt the best practices of teacher pay and classroom management.

“They can hire and fire teachers according to criteria other than the rigid policies from a union (#CollectiveBargaining agreement). The words ‘#Seniority’ and ‘teacher #Tenure’ can be terms of the past for many districts.”

There is now merit pay for teachers, in various forms across the state. In the old days of collective bargaining, teachers were stuck on rigid pay scales based strictly on the number of years they taught and the number of graduate credit hours they earned.

What's it like to pay $250/week to student loan?

While in theory this is awesome, in actuality it’s not all that easy.

We used to pay the monthly minimum of $420 because that’s what we could afford then. Life situation improved, so we increased the monthly payments to $500. Further life improvements and sacrifices later, it was up to $600.

Then I thought “Why not pay $150/week?”. We made the leap and have been paying weekly since summer of 2013. Two years running now.

Where are we now?

Still in debt! We started getting aggressive and jumped from $150/week to $250/week in September 2014. Some weeks we had more to pay, sometimes as much as $300/week.

As for parting with money, monthly or weekly doesn’t make much of a difference. Paying debt is paying debt. We’re bound to pay the student loan no matter what anyway. We stake no claim in the money owed to the lender though it’s packaged as paycheck–money that should’ve been ours.

But if I stop and ponder on this, it’s overwhelming. No matter the frequency, the amount overwhelms me. All of that hard-earned cash slips from our hands. I’m angry. I’m resentful. It’s not because I could use the money to buy something because I don’t think like that. It’s because a significant number of my youth years is spent on working to pay debt.

What can $250/week do for my family? A lot. It could be used to invest more in retirement, invest more in my kid’s 529 Plan, toward our goal to be landlords, on traveling, on improving our home…I could go on and on. However, the primary reason I’m angry and resentful is because it’s lengthening my work years and shortening my investing life.

I can’t stand catching up. Much as I like the challenge, everyone gets burnt out from constant challenges thrown their way. I’ve been at this for nearly 8 years. It’s time to retire this challenge. I’m exhausted–of working, of being angry and of being resentful.

Don’t get me wrong. I like being productive and I like my job a lot, but I’d want to be in a state of simply enjoying it and the benefits/paychecks that come with it.

I sound like like an ingrate sometimes. Imagine how many people struggle to even make ends meet, much less pay their debts? And what about the students who just graduated with 5- or 6-digit student loans? They’re just about to enter into the world of bondage, and yet we’re nearing the end. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger and brighter. I should be at least happy that we are able to make a minimum of $250/week. Not per month but per week!

So what’s it truly like to part with $250 each week?

It has become a way of life for us, like mortgage, grocery and utilities, but more than that it’s:

like having a bear for a pet that we need to feed a lot.

like owning and driving 2 gas guzzling cars everyday.

like living in the posh side of town paying twice our mortgage and property tax.

like eating out everyday for dinner.

like having 2 infants in daycare for 8 years.

None of the above applies to us. We only have 1 small dog who eats once a day some days. We have a 15-year old car that only costs us $80/mo on gas at most. We have a small house in a not-posh neighborhood. We don’t eat out for dinners weekly even. We only have 1 child who’s in grade school now.

Having and paying debt is living a frugal (or poor, if that’s more applicable) lifestyle for the price of a posh one. It hurts and it sucks.

Our debt is now in the $12k mark. What a long way from the $40-thousands. I’m setting aside investing for the rest of this year to focus entirely on this. I’m giving my final effort to decimate it, so that I can finally focus on investing to shorten my working years and to finally live a frugal lifestyle–not only because we’re forced to but because we want to.

University (2) Masterlist

part one

Creating Hope (ao3) - wrightaway

Summary: Dan finally managed to make a few friends at university, but they’re not exactly what you would call “good influences”. On a dare, Dan calls in a professional female cuddler, but a mix up causes a man named phil to show up. Oddly enough, their relationship seems natural, and soon grows to something more. With the help of Phil, Dan begins to see the truly amazing possibilities life provides.

Double-Booked - evacuated-heart

Summary: It’s finals week, and the university’s art and photgraphy studio just so happens to be double booked.

Endless Cities Multiplying Out, Oceansize - krys-etc

Summary: Phil is trying to figure out his gender, and Dan is his roommate.

Every Day - zuzonicorn

Summary: UniStudent!Phil doesn’t really care to watch YouTube sensation danisnotonfire’s videos or live shows, and his uni class always ask why. He always gives them the same answer: “it’s like he hears it every day.” His classmates are about to find out why he always gives the same, dull answer in a way they never would’ve guessed.

Fly Around In Circles - dannihowell

Summary: Dan moves into Uni and finds that his new roommate is Phil, his ex-boyfriend.

I Can’t Do This Anymore (ao3) - alixinsanity

Summary: When Dan returns from his university lecture in tears, Phil comforts him.

I’ll Be Your Sugar Daddy - skinnyjeanshowell

Summary: When Dan is desperate for money for university, he does the one thing he never thought he would do. He goes to a sugar daddy for help.

I Sing The Body Electric - nokomisfics

Summary: genderfluid!phil university flatmates au.

I Will Take You There (If You Let Me Take You) - cafephan

Summary: In which Dan is a fresher and Phil is his RA, and a misunderstanding leads to something unexpected.

Snakebite Heart With A Bubblegum Smile - dark-days-dark-nights-xx

Summary: Phil didn’t want to be there, he really didn’t, but his parents had insisted Uni would benefit and he was determined to hate it. That was until he met his roommate, a guy whose wardrobe consisted of pastel jumpers and flower crowns who made Phil admit who he really was. (Punk/pastel Uni! AU)

Take Every Ounce of Love (And Beg You For More) (ao3) - starsalign

Summary: Uni!AU / Coffeshop!AU in which Dan has finals and the only thing getting him through this week of hell is seasonally appropraite coffees and the cute barista with pretty eyes.

Take My Hand, We’re In Foreign Land - phansomniac

Summary: Dan studies english lit and creative writing at university, a writer wound up in the works of art words can create. Phil transfers to english lit, and after a one night stand they face the trials of living with each other for a year, coping with each other through ups and downs and, eventually, they find they’re closer than anticipated.

Vibrancy - howellesterfics

Summary: Dan is in his third year of studying art in uni. His future is set by societal standards, and he’s prepared for his life beyond graduation: his relationship with Louie will continue to flourish, they’ll tackle the whole white-picket fence thing, have a dog and a kid and a perfect life. He’ll make a living off of his respected artwork. Everything is falling into place - minus the fact that Dan has fallen hard for the photographer on campus, Phil Lester.

People with and without federal student loans please check this out!!

Ok so I want to tell you guys about this project I found out about called Givling! It’s basically a trivia game website that benefits people with student loans! 

The way it works is people make an account for free which secures their spot in the list of people involved in the site. Then people pay 50 cents a game to play. If you have federal student loans and you’re next on the list then you provide them with proof of your loans and they start raising money from all the people  playing to pay off your loans. Once your loans are paid off then they go to the next person in line. If you don’t have loans then you can sell your spot in line or give it away. So far it looks like this is legit and it’s really exciting! They haven’t been around long so they just recently paid off the loan of the first person on the list and are a third of the way through the second person on the list. The also do daily money giveaways of much smaller amounts as extra incentive for people to play the game and help raise loan paying funds!

Please check this out and play if you want and do your own research if you are worried about the legitimacy of this project! Below is the link to the website, the group’s facebook page, and a few articles I found about it. So far I haven’t found anything bad about it and everything points to it being legit so please support or promote if you can!

Givling site:

https://givling.com/givling/

Givling facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Givling?fref=ts

Articles about Givling:

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/online-game-thatll-help-pay-off-student-debt/

http://college.usatoday.com/tag/givling/

http://www.businessinsider.com/online-gamers-are-helping-people-pay-off-their-student-debt-2015-7

http://www.psfk.com/2015/03/givling-gamifying-paying-off-student-loans-paying-college-debt.html

BREAKING: Obama administration will tell schools transgender students can use bathrooms of their choice

The guidance is not legally binding, but it reinforces the administration's position that it will take legal action against violators.

Tomorrow, the Obama administration is expected to issue guidance regarding transgender students in schools. More specifically, the guidelines will tell schools they cannot discriminate against transgender students with regards to bathrooms, housing, sports teams, and many more contexts.

President Obama has been an advocate for trans students for a while, but this will likely be the most direct statement on behalf of trans students yet. 

“When a school provides sex-segregated activities and facilities, transgender students must be allowed to participate in such activities and access such facilities consistent with their gender identity,” says a copy of the letter obtained by BuzzFeed News.

The rules apply to restrooms, locker rooms, sports teams, fraternities, sororities, housing, and more.

According to the guidance, school officials cannot require that a transgender student provide identifying documents, such as a birth certificate, or undergo any form of medical validation to qualify. “There is no medical diagnosis or treatment requirement that students must meet as a prerequisite to being treated consistent with their gender identity,” says the letter to school administrators.

This. Is. Incredible.