UC Irvine came out in the top 100 public colleges listed in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Top 100 that is based on the cost and value of the education. 

UCI came in at 21 while another nearby school UCLA ranked #10.

The rankings are based on the four-year colleges “that exemplify excellent academics while keeping their in-state and out-of-state costs to a minimum.”

Other CA schools included were UCSD (11), UCBerkeyley (18), UCSB (29), Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (41), UCDavis (48) and UCRiverside (99).

“Despite rising tuition costs, there are still many first-rate institutions providing outstanding academics at an affordable price,” says Fred Frailey, editor of Kiplinger’s.  “Schools like these prove graduates can enter the workforce with a great education - and without a huge cloud of debt looming.”

At UCI, the total in-state cost was $19,667.  Total out-of-state cost was $39,287.  The average debt after graduation was $13,587.

1. Don’t just hope to find time for going to the gym. Take the time to plan it. The college lifestyle can be hectic and plans/entire courses of the day can be changed with a decision. When you have plans in advance you can build your day around your fitness lifestyle.

2. If lines at machines at the college gym are annoying you then you might want to try going earlier in the morning or later at night. College gyms tend to have very light traffic till just before lunch, it will get more busy throughout the day usually peaking by 5-8 and die off the closer you get to closing time. With this in mind, you can have the whole gym to yourself if you go at one of the less busy time periods.

3. Don’t forget about all the old school body-weight exercises you know of. You know exactly what I’m talking about: The Push-up, the sit-up, the pull-up (if you have a chin up bar to use). These are compound body-weight exercises that are the basis for many fitness routines and it’s because they are some of the most effective exercises we know about. Push-ups and sit-ups can be done anywhere, any time. Why not do a quick set of each during commercials?

4. Hoof it a bit. Walking is a great form of exercise. Try to plan your day to allow for a few strolls. Even though they require little physical effort they cause serious health benefits. Take every chance you can to get out of the cramped dorm room and take a look around on a walk. Why take the shuttle to save 10 minutes when you could have just added in 10 minutes of light exercise…

5. Moderate your alcohol consumption. Alcohol is not going to help any of your goals – unless your goal is to pass out. Alcohol causes a decrease in testosterone and will negatively impact your ability to grow muscle. Alcohol is also full of empty calories and simple carbs, plus – a lot of people eat seriously unhealthy food once they have had too much alcohol (this is where most of the fat for the beer belly comes form).

6. Get enough sleep. At least 6 for most people, 8 is recommended. Lack of sleep can cause many things, the worst of which is psychosis (that’s right, a psycho), including decreased cognitive ability. It will also completely screw over any kind of lifting / fitness plan. Your body needs time to rest and repair, if you never give it time it can’t ever rest & repair.

7. Avoid the buffet. It is scientifically proven now that when you go to a buffet you definitely eat more. We all knew it, no one doubted it, yet for some reason people still go to buffets which tend to have the worse food on campus. Bleh, boo this buffet!

8. Put some Pilates into your fitness plan! Pilates are those core based body-weight exercises that seems kinda somewhat similar to yoga but its not. Yeah those, they are amazing for abs and can be done anywhere. I suggest the floor because it has no give and works good as support. However, you can even do them in bed. Things like “the hundred”, leg raises, the saw, v sit-ups, are all Pilates moves and there are many more – check’em out.

9. Stay busy. Join an organization or professional development club and participate often. Not only will this help out your resume and your skills in the given area, but also it means you are busy more and less time to sit around. Stay moving, stay burning calories.

10. Join a team or club, or at least start a recurring physical activity (like Sunday basketball games, Saturday morning football games, whatever). Add something to your life that is going to continually cause you to do activities that benefit your goal. Deciding to run a 5k or hell, even a marathon – is a gigantic example of starting a recurring activity that will actually guide you to your goal.

Keep these tips in mind this upcoming semester.

1. Make a schedule, and try to stick to it. This is probably the most important tip. Having a schedule provides you with structure, and is a good way to prevent falling into the trap of running out of time in the end. It also ensures that you always have a task at hand, instead of sitting around bored, wondering what you should do. I usually go as far as creating a schedule down to the hour, but depending upon how much time you have to study, this wouldn’t always be necessary.

2. Get up every day at a similar hour. This obviously goes along with #1, but it’s always a good idea. In addition to getting up around the same time every day, it’s also a good idea to “try” and go to sleep at a reasonable hour every night.

3. Don’t forget to schedule in “fun time” or time off from studying to relax. This is incredibly important, and will prevent the dreaded “burn-out.” If you’re lucky enough to have a dog (or other pet), take them for a walk, or play a game of fetch. Playing with my dogs is one of my most favorite de-stressors. If you’re somewhat obsessed with cleaning (like I am), take off 20-30 minutes to wash your dishes or do some laundry. Do you enjoy being outside? If so, take a walk around the block or to a nearby park. You may have noticed that all of these activities involve physical activity. There’s an obvious reason for that. Unless you are studying while on the elliptical trainer (which I actually don’t recommend), you are probably sitting on your butt for hours at a time. We’re med students. We know that moving around and getting your blood flowing is advantageous to both your mind and body. Don’t forget what you know.

4. Do questions. This is a great way to learn. Use an online question bank, or one of the thousands of prep books. And don’t just look at the correct answers. Actually figure out why you got the question wrong (and even right), and learn from your mistakes.

5. Don’t study what you already know. This is pretty obvious, but people sometimes do it anyway. Stop wasting your time!

6. Caffeine is your friend. Never forget your friends.

7. Change it up! If you find yourself getting incredibly bored, and wondering if chewing your leg off might actually be a more enjoyable experience, change something! Either change the subject you’re studying, how you’re studying it, or where you’re studying. If you’re lucky enough to live by a beach, go there and crack open your books! It will save your sanity, and also your innocent leg.

8. Take the day or night off before your exam. Don’t forget to do this! I don’t care if you’re behind, or you think you can stuff more information into your head if you keep studying. Don’t do it! And especially don’t stay up all night before the exam. This might be the worst idea ever. Let all those pharmacology drugs simmer in your brain for a while. Give the information time to cement. Have a nice dinner or go see a movie (preferably a completely mindless comedy) and reward yourself for all your hard work.

Are any of you out there overwhelmed by it all?  Raising a family while you are going to school and maybe even have an outside job on top of all that?  If this is you, these next tips may help.

Bob Bradley, CEO at Computeach, says that the new year is a great time to review e-learning strategies. He’s come up with his top ten tips for stress free learning. Here’s his handout which trainers can give to anyone signing up for e-learning in 2008.1. Wake up half an hour earlier
Thirty minutes isn’t a great deal of time but can make all the difference if you are able to re-read a chapter of a textbook with a fresh pair of eyes or write a to do list for the day ahead.

2. Have a set homework hour each evening
This may sound like one of those ‘great in theory’ ideas but putting aside time to spend on study each evening is a great way to stay on top of work and set a good example to your kids! Make sure you organise a space where you can study without distractions and let everyone know when you’re going to study so that you don’t get disturbed.

3. Create a housework rotation
Making sure that everyone in the household has a share in the chores is essential as it will ease the pressure on you. Splitting cooking and washing up duties with partners and children, and making sure it’s not all left to you, means you will have more time to study and less time to worry about the housework not getting done.

4. Take regular breaks
It’s a fact that taking regular breaks when studying, or revising for an exam, helps you retain information better and be more creative. Even if it’s just standing up, stretching and taking your eyes off the computer screen for a couple of minutes – it really can help.

5. Ask for help
There’s nothing worse than feeling that you’re in over your head and that no one understands how you feel. Nipping issues in the bud before they get a chance to spiral out of control and not burying your head in the sand is crucial. Identifying the problem, asking tutors for help and talking to other students, either in online forums or on the telephone will make a huge difference – after all a problem shared is a problem halved.

6). Organise your time
Working, running a house and studying demands a lot of plate spinning! A good way to organise your time, and prevent any plates dropping, is to make a to do list first thing in the morning and tick things off as you go along. This way you will be aware of what needs doing and won’t forget about important deadlines.

7. Set yourself targets
Make sure you set small, realistic targets so you have a clear view of what needs doing and don’t overstretch yourself. Breaking studying down into bite-sized chunks by setting yourself lots of small goals can really help you see how much progress you’re making.

8. Eat plenty of brain food
You are what you eat, so make sure you stock up on lots of wholesome foods that will give you the energy you need to juggle work, study and family life. Pasta is a great option, as not only does it provide tons of slow release energy, it’s also really quick and easy to make – leaving you more time to put your feet up!

9. Find a study buddy
Whether you’re studying online, attending evening classes or university you will come across others in the same position as yourself. Being able to compare notes and talk about your difficulties with someone that really understands may give you the extra push you need to carry on. Pairing up with another student will also provide you with additional support, encouragement and the occasional sanity check!

10. Treat yourself
Keep in mind your reasons for returning to education and make sure each exam or assignment passed is rewarded with time to yourself and special treats. Having your hair done at a nice salon, taking the evening off to sit and watch soap operas or going out with friends can act as great incentives and milestones.

We just finished our examinations a few days ago, and it was terrible preparing for it.

There were a few good examination preparation tips which we did for ourselves and it proved that it worked really well!

1. Make sure you have all required and necessary material with you.
   You are usually not allowed to borrow items such as pens, pencils, rulers or special equipment while in an examination.
2. Relax yourself and have a good night’s rest before the Examination.
   Turn in early for the night, wake up the next morning refreshed and have a good hearty breakfast.
3. Make a brief scan of the entire paper.
4. Decide which questions you wish to answer.
5. Plan your time wisely.
6. Draft a plan for the questions you wish to answer.
7. Quickly Jot down ideas as they come to you.
   Jot down information you have memorized quickly in regards to specific questions in case you experience a mental block or you decide to attempt the question later
8. Answer all questions.
   If you are short of time, answer in note form. Answers you give will be marked
9. Never leave the examination venue early
   If you still have some time left after you have completed the paper, go over your work, add information (e.g in the margin). Better be safe then sorry.
10. Do not spend too much time on multiple choice questions.
11. Cover the given answers and work the question out on your own.
    If you are still unable to come up with an answer, come back to it later or make an intelligent guess.
12. Never leave out an entire question.
13. Make time for every question. Every question is allocated only a certain number of marks. Do not waste too much time trying to perfect your answer on one specific question. Remember; make time for other questions too. If you leave out another question just to perfect an answer for one question, you will lose out a lot. If you wrote at least something on the question you left out, you may still be awarded at least some points.

Written by:  Jing Sheng at:  http://www.studentblogproject.com:80/exam-tips/exam-preparation-tips/