What I Wish I Would Have Known Before College

There is no step by step guide to survive school while pursuing a higher education degree. Many people describe college as some of the best years of their lives. However, higher education is a dramatic lifestyle change that can be hard to adapt to for many students. As a recent graduate reflecting on my college years, there are a few things I wish I had realized before I entered college. Here are a few things I wish I would’ve known, including stress, studying and money management.

In high school I was a three sport athlete, a member of the National Honor Society, the secretary for the student council and part of many other committees. I balanced these activities very well and loved every minute of it. However, the set schedule I was used to changed when I came to college. You are in charge of managing your schedule. No one is there to guide you along. This can be a major change of pace for many people. So my tip to you is to set a schedule. Sit down and plan out your week. Designate times to do assignments, tests and to study. Stick to your routine. Your grades will thank you.

If you had poor study habits in high school, it’s time to make a change. Students are often shocked by how much effort they must put into their classes. Even though students are often told how much time and effort they will have to put into their classes, they are typically stunned when they are actually expected to do it. If you’re really struggling, reach out to your advisor for helpful tips on how to manage your course work. They may also have resources available to you to make studying easier or more enjoyable! Don’t take on more than you can handle. Some students can handle four courses at a time while others may only be able to focus on one. Wherever you fall on this spectrum, that’s okay! Progress isn’t linear. Lastly, ask friends and loved ones what worked for them or look up studying tips online. If one method fails, don’t give up! Everyone is different, you just need to find your niche.

In all honesty, college was the most stressful time of my life. When my routine was no longer existent, I found that I had to discover new ways to manage stress and anxiety. It wasn’t until my junior year that I was able to find ways to manage that stress that worked for me. I found that what worked for me didn’t necessarily work for my friends. I had always been an extremely active person, so I naturally gravitated towards fitness to take my mind off of whatever I was stressed about. Going to the gym at the end of the day helped me relax and refocus. Other stress relievers can be painting, reading a book or even just watching a movie or tv for a little while. Find a healthy coping mechanism and make sure to incorporate it into your new routine.

Last but not least, money. Money can be a huge concern while earning your degree, and managing it can be difficult. My advice would be to set a budget or allowance for yourself. You can make it weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly. Factor in the cost of your loans, along with other expenses such as books and materials. When I made my budget, I also included money for food, extracurriculars along with how much money I would put into savings. I really stress putting money aside for savings. When my senior year rolled around, I was able to pay off my whole first semester with what money I had put aside which saved me the stress of paying more interest on my loan. Every bit counts, save what you can, when you can.

For many students, college is a whole new world and what comes along with it can be stressful and overwhelming. Finding what works for you during this time is extremely important. Sometimes, though, a little guidance can be helpful — take it from people who learned the hard way.

Nursing and the Schools of Psychology

Studying the mind and its corresponding behaviors are the concerns of psychology.  Psychology establishes general assumptions through research; methods that have its own affinity with the study of nursing. Psychology may only be an increment to the nursing profession; but even before its insertion into the nursing course, nurses have already been using psychological techniques in treating their patients. This has been manifested through the schools of thought that psychology employs to its patients. Let us examine a few of these schools of thought that has already found its expression in the nursing field.

The Biological School
The biological matters that compose the human brain have an effect on the human behavior. If a nurse is aware of this, then they will be able to properly manage the patient. The nurse will also be able to keep in mind certain physiological reactions that can be expected from the patient.

 The Behavioral School
As has been said, psychology concerns itself with human behavior. Nurses should be able to determine behavioral patterns from the patient they is handling. If a nurse has the capacity go over the patient’s demeanor, then they has taken the first step towards treating the patient well.

The Cognitive School
Mental processes that manifest through human activity should be part of a nurse’s agenda of concern. As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.” If a nurse has a knack for determining peculiar behaviors within his/her patient, then both the nurse and the patient benefit from the professional’s good awareness.

The Social School
Like Psychology, the inclusion of Sociology to the nursing curriculum enables nurses to see attitudes in their patients based on their sociological status. This helps nurses create a complete assessment of their patients’ conditions.

The Psychoanalytic School
Ever since Freud introduced the study of psychoanalysis, it has become a part of every department in every office, including the nursing department. The analysis that goes about it is crucial in giving enough evaluation over a patient.

Psychology and Distance Learning

Psychology is a special form of discipline or study. It basically concerns itself with the mind and its corresponding behavior. It seeks to understand an individual or a group through specific principles with the use of research and some generally accepted theories. An expert in psychology is called a psychologist. Psychologists explore a wide variety of subjects and theories in the course of his duty. Perceptions, emotions, intelligence, motivations, personality, brain functioning and even interpersonal talk are some of the things a psychologist has to deal with in his client.

Most colleges and universities offer Psychology as an integral part of their curriculum. In fact, some courses that don’t primarily concern itself with psychology include it as one of their minor subjects. It is essentially a part of every student’s education. The course also has to keep up with the times. Online schools are a dime a dozen nowadays that you could literally choose from a long list of them with just a press of a key, and, as anticipated, Psychology degrees are also offered.

You might no longer see the need to literally go to a conventional school for you to have that Psychology career. A lot of distance learning institutions are offering this course with modern concepts and technology, along with its affordable entry at times, from enrollment to your monthly tuition. It has become more accessible over the years. You could literally have it everywhere, even at the privacy of your own home. A student of psychology can now study the empirical and deductive methods of psychology as fast as the speed of his internet connection.

The availability of Psychology as a degree online is a breakthrough. It can now easily connect with other sciences that has its recent rise in the internet as well such social sciences, humanities and medicine.

Psychology: An Important Subject In Nursing Courses

Psychology is the study of human brain processes and behavior. As a college subject, psychology is very interesting. Students learn lessons and principles that help them with the psychological characteristics of a human being. Psychology is an important subject in nursing courses. Many principles in psychology are useful in a nursing career. In fact, psychology is integrated in nursing major subjects like Psychiatric nursing. This particular major nursing subject develops the knowledge and skills needed by nurses in clinical psychology setting.

Nurses Need To Know About The Human Brain
The brain is a very important human organ. It’s responsible for many human function that keeps a person alive. The field of medicine covers all human organs. This includes the brain. The human brain is a complex organ to study. Psychology helps explains to nurses how the brain functions. The characteristics and processes of the brain are learned in psychology subjects.

Understanding Brain Processes Help Nurses Be Efficient In Their Profession
Nurses deal with people. Providing medical service to patients with different kinds of personality can be very challenging. Psychology allows nurses to understand the different kinds of personality people have. This grants nurses skills and capability to provide efficient medical servicing to various types of patients. Understanding a person’s behavior and personality is important especially to a career that involves interaction with other people.

Clinical Psychologist Need Nurses
The field of medicine has a branch dedicated to psychological and mental illnesses. Many psychiatric facilities employ medical professionals like nurses. Nurses play an important role in providing medical treatments to patients with psychological and mental disorders. Mental hospitals need nurses to help them manage patients with abnormal mental conditions. Psychiatrists rely on nurses to provide the basic medical needs of psychiatric patients. Basic medical needs like vital signs monitoring and medicine administration.

Three Important Nursing Subjects Students Should Know

Nursing subjects play important roles in molding students to become highly skilled nursing professionals in the future. These subjects are the foundation of important nursing principles required in the medical workforce. There are more than a dozen of nursing subjects in a nursing course. Each subject focuses on a specific set of principles in the field of nursing.  The principles and information acquired in nursing subjects are useful in the everyday work of a professional nurse.

Here Are Three Important Nursing Subjects that a nursing student should earn in school.

Fundamentals of Nursing
This subject introduces a student nurse to the basic principles in nursing. The fundamentals of nursing is the first major subject that freshmen students need to take up. The topics in this subject include : The Profession of nursing (8 lessons), Asepsis & Infection Control (4 lessons) ,Understanding the Body’s Defenses in Nursing ( 3 lessons), Understanding Rest And Sleep for Nurses ( 4 lessons), Understanding Pain & Pain Management for Nurses ( 5 lessons)  and Understanding Nutrition for Nurses (2 lessons).

Fundamental Nursing Skills
This particular major subject develops the nursing skills expected from a nursing professional. Fundamental Nursing Skills I is usually offered to 1st year students during 2nd semester. While Fundamental nursing skills II and III are offered during the 1st semester of the second year. Lessons learned in these subjects include breathing, Mobilization, Personal cleansing and dressing, Maintaining a safe environment and many other lessons focusing on nursing procedures and techniques.

Nursing Management
Nursing Management is offered for 3rd year students during the 1st semester.  And Nursing Management I and II are both offered during the first semester of the last year. The lessons tackled in these subjects develop a nurse’s ability for decision-making and leadership within the nursing employed organization. Nurses’ management skills like organizing, planning, staffing, controlling and directing are harnessed thru these subjects.

Three Ways to Minimize the Time in Earning a College Degree

College education can be time consuming. Normally, the maximum time consumed for a bachelor’s degree is four to five years. This can be a lot of time for a person who is in a hurry for a career. A student most of the time choose the traditional path towards earning a degree by attending the four year regular classes in colleges and universities. Yet, there are means to lessen the time consumed by a student. He or she can adapt methods that will reduce the time spent in earning a degree course.

Here are three of the top ways to lessen the time spent in earning a college degree course.

Taking advance placement courses
Many colleges and universities often grant advance placement courses to high school students who earned high scores in exams. Advance placement courses grants a student with college credit that is transferable to many universities. This earned advance credits allows a student to defer from enrolling in the required equivalent college subject. This helps a student to cut down on time from spending one particular subject.

Enroll in advance in other subjects
Another ways to lessen the time you consume in college is thru taking some subject in advance. A student can take college subjects that don’t have a prerequisite. These are usually minor subjects but are still required for the entire course.  A student can enroll to these subjects ahead than suggested if he has still available allowed units available.

Take short term courses
College short term courses usually take lesser time than a normal full term course. A student has the option to choose a short term course in college. It usually take two to three years for a student to finish a short term college course. This reduces the time consumed in college as much as 50 percent.

Three Effective Strategies To Improve Your Grade In College Subjects

The manner of education in college is quite different from high school. A lot of college professors give lessons to student in a different approach. Often time they just provide a list of reference where students can read lessons about the subject. College professors, most of the time impose personal research and study to students than an in depth teaching class. This is one of the major reasons why a student flunk to some college subjects like Anatomy & Physiology.

Some students would find it hard to adjust from a high school “spoon-feed” method of learning, to a highly independent college instruction strategy. Passing or getting a good grade in a college subject can be very difficult to an unadjusted student. It’s best that a college student adapt to a more independent teaching method. Here are other three effective strategies to help a student achieve a high grade in difficult college subjects:

Create a Habit to Study Your Lessons in Advance
Preparing for the next day’s lessons would be the wisest thing to do. Read and study the lessons in advance. Studying in advance will provide you more time to deeply learn the lesson. This will also allow you to coup up with the professor’s lesson for the next day.

Participate in Study Groups
Another effective way for learning lesson in difficult subjects like Psychology is thru conducting group studies. Students help each other in studying the lessons in the subject. They can share thoughts and ideas about a specific topic in the lesson to other students.

Tutorial Classes
You can also hire a highly knowledgeable individual that can help learn and study your lessons well. Hiring tutors can reinforce your learning about the lessons in Anatomy & Physiology or Psychology subjects. They can also provide you with an in-depth teaching method that you need in order to fully understand the lessons in difficult college subjects.

Great Reasons To Take Distance Education

Education is an important qualifications needed to practice a specific career. Although earning your formal education requires personal efforts, some education programs permit students to be not physically around during classes. This kind of educational programs are often referred to as Distance education or e-learning. This kind of education is not new yet the popularity if this type of program reach its peak in the recent years because of the development of modern technologies particularly the internet.

The number of institutions offering distance learning education today has risen. More and more students earn their formal education thru schools that offer distance education. There are a lot of reason why some individuals choose this kind of educational program. Here are the top reasons why many students consider mode of education.

Flexibility of time

People who don’t have the luxury of time are more likely to take distance education programs. Enrolling in this kind of education allows a student to learn and study lessons within their time availability. They won’t have to adjust to pre-chosen and fixed class schedules. Most people that are currently employed take this educational opportunity to improve their qualification on a particular job position. Busy working people have the chance to earn advance subjects in Psychology and mathematics right in the comfort of their home.

Allows a person to study in their own comfort zone

Students with very low self-esteem and are afraid to be in a school community will be given a chance to get a formal education and get a career.  People also have a higher chance to excel in academics if they are within their comfort zones. Students can focus on learning and studying their lesson when they are in their most preferred environment.   Distance education grants people an opportunity to get a formal education from their location without spending time and resources for traveling.

Reasons To Study Psychology

There have been a lot of criticisms that Psychology has received over the years, as a college major and as a career path. Reasons ranging from “it’s not useful” to “It’s just easy and fun” as a college major. People also criticize Psychology as having a low pay and few jobs.

But there are many positive reasons to study Psychology, even if you do not plan to become a Psychology major or work in a Psychology-related profession. Reasons that go beyond career possibilities because it is all around you and touches on every aspect of your life.

One of the reasons to study Psychology is that it can help you better understand yourself and the people around you. You might find yourself gaining a deeper understanding of the many influences that have impacted your own life because you will learn more about how development occurs, how personality forms, and how society and culture impact behavior. Moreover, you might be able to understand the influences and motivations when someone behaves in certain way.

Psychology’s emphasis is on research methods and statistics. This will give you a good grasp of these methods that will contribute greatly on the success of your career, regardless whether you pursue a career in Psychology or somewhere else.

You will also develop your critical thinking skills by studying Psychology. A great deal of topics such as the scientific method, decision-making, and problem-solving are what you study in Psychology. These topics help hone your ability to think deeply and critically about different issues, which is considered to be essential to being an educated person.

There are still a lot of reasons to study Psychology. At best, it can help you better understand who you are, how you will be, and your interaction with your family, friends, and strangers. Aside from that, graduates with Psychology degrees end up in a wide array of occupations.

Psychology and Memory

Psychology derives from Greek roots meaning study of the psyche, or soul. It is defined as the study of the mind and behavior. Psychology, as defined by the American Psychological Association, is an academic discipline and an applied science which seeks to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific areas.

With Psychology as the study of the mind, it leads us to memory. One function of the mind is to store and remember information. Memory is the sum total of what we remember, and gives us the capability to learn and adapt from previous experiences as well as build relationships.

However, our memory is not perfect or immune to errors. Sometimes we forget things from important to mundane that, one way or another, play such a pervasive and pivotal role in our daily lives. For example, forgetting a friend’s birthday or misplacing an important document.

Daniel L. Schacter, psychologist and memory expert, presented a framework designed to outline the seven major “sins” of memory in his book, “The Seven Sins of Memory.” These seven “sins” are transience, absent-mindedness, blocking, mis-attribution, suggestibility, bias and persistence.

Schacter describes the first three sins as those of omission (the memory is lost). Our memory fades over time, is easily distracted that is why we become absent-minded, and is blocked because we struggle to remember things when we know that we know it in the first place.

The last four sins Schacter describes as the sins of commission (at least some of the memory is there, but it is either wrong or unwanted. Our memory mistakes its source, is influenced by outside factors which triggers false memories, is influence by our current beliefs, and remembers things that we would rather forget.

Although our memory is not perfect, it allows us to adapt and interact in a world full of overwhelming information.