Everyone in school struggles with a subject, whether it’s in math or in science, we all have a weakness and instead of just accepting it, there are things we can do to improve our skills.  Since all studies differ, today, we are going to focus on how we can improve our mathematics skills.

Start with a tutor - If you have the money or your school have volunteer tutors, try and get a tutor to help you with your math class.  There’s nothing better than having one on one attention from someone that knows what they are doing.  Most schools that you’ll attend will have volunteers for any subject.  Most students will volunteer because they will need credits for their degree.

Buy workbooks and flashcards - If a tutor doesn’t sound like something you’ll want to have, maybe you should look into getting some workbooks that focus on your particular math subject.  There are plenty of books out there that can make math fun.  A book such as basic math for dummies is a great example of how you can learn math on your own.

Visit websites - A great free way to learn math on your own is by simply visiting websites that focus on giving you math lessons for free.  Here are some examples of sites that can help you out –

• Math.com
• Purplemath.com
• Hotmath.com

These are just a few of the free math tutoring websites on the web.  If none of these websites look appealing to you, simply do a Google search and you’ll find what you need.

Software - There are plenty of games out there for the computer that can make really fun.  Whether you’re struggling with basic math or you’re struggling with Calculus, there are plenty of games out there that can make learning fun.

When it comes to improving your math skills, there are so many steps you can take in order to improve your knowledge.  If you want to have fun learning, there are options and if you want to take a serious approach, there are options.  Improving your skills for anything takes time and if you put your heart into it, learning isn’t that hard.

Everyone has a different plan for when they graduate high school.  Is seems students are either looking for a college that is a great compatibility with their future career or they just want to flat out party.  Students are often excited for the parties due to the fact that 1.) No parents around.  2.) Getting alcohol is never really an issue and 3.)  They are in a safe area where they can stay the night.  Whether you would like to avoid a party college and focus on your degree or you would like to add to the parties, the Princeton Review has come up with the top 5 colleges that party the most. 

1. The University of Florida.  Students say there is a lot to do and a great amount of clubs to check out in Gainesville.  If you are really into college sports you would love the University of Florida.  There is a great amount of team spirit spread throughout the games.
2. The University of Mississippi.  Although this area is small there is always something to do according to students.  This area is known for the drinking, partying and great times!
3. Penn State.  This area is known for the football and partying.  Everyone is very active and supports the football team at their games.  As for weekends, students are kicking back and having some drinks after their long week of studying.  This area has 20 bars students can choose from.
4. West Virginia University.  This college is great for both partiers and non partiers.  Although West Virginia University is known for their partying they also have a alcohol free program.  This supplies you with movies, food and games!  That sounds like a great time!  If you are going to this college to get the best education possible, this would be great for you and your friends!  Although if you like to party hardy there are 15 bars within the area.
5. Ohio University.  This is also another college known for the parties.  They are known for throwing the largest block parties in the U.S.!  If you like sports check out some of the bars in the area.  They are known to be packed on sports nights this is great for a fun time and to meet new people!

College is a great time in a person’s life.  It is up to you to make the best of it!  Although college can be a blast, you do have to remember why you are there.  Studying is very important and so is your future so make sure the choices you make are wise.  Study, work hard and enjoy life.

Playing video games can be fun and educational at the same time and while some people have a Nintendo DS for pure pleasure, others have it for both educational purposes and for a hobby that easily passes the time.  Believe it or not, there are a lot of video games on the market that are designed for college students and I’m going to show you my top 4.

Brain Age 1 / Brain Age 2 - If you’re a fan of brain exercise games, the Brain Age series is defintely the way to go.  This game consists of games such as mathematics, memorization, speech exercises, and a lot more.  They turn every game into a fun event, so that when you’re done playing it, it doesn’t turn into a bore fest.  The thing I like about this game is that it will keep track of daily activity and log it on your calendar.  You’lll be able to keep track via graphs and also you’ll get to know how “old” your brain really is.

My Spanish Coach / French Coach - If you’re going to be taking a foreign language class at school and you’re either going to take Spanish or French, the Nintendo DS has some great games built just for you to learn that the language.  The game works in a very simple way.  You’ll take interactive lessons based on your knowledge and from there, you’ll learn specific phrases, words, verbs, etc all based on entertaining games.  This game is great to freshen up on your foreign language skills or to learn a whole new language just for fun!

My Word Coach - My word coach is similar to the foreign language games but instead, you’re going to try and improve your English vocabulary skills.  Just like the foreign languages, this is a great game if you’re looking to add more vocabulary or learn new words.  On this game, you’ll play games that help you learn the definition of specific words and also you’ll learn how to spell and learn how to use them in particular sentences.  This is a great game for English majors!

My SAT Coach - This is a game that I was able to learn about first hand and it’s an amazing game that will help you get ready for your SAT test.  I know this post is designed for college students but the only reason I put this game into the mix is because if a potential college student reads this blog, he/she can learn that there are games out there that can help you prepare for college.

If you don’t have a Nintendo DS and you love learning, whether it’s for college or pleasure, I highly recommend you go out and grab one.  The nice thing about these systems is that they are fairly cheap and can be taken anywhere you go!  This is a huge plus if you go on a road trip or you’re stuck waiting for something.  Nintendo continues to bust out great educational games, be sure to keep checking out their catalog to see what’s coming out in the near future.

Going to college can get tough when you start to rack up some bills, student loans, and everything else.  What students don’t consider when going to college is a student credit card.  The nice thing about a student credit card is not only can you wait a month to pay your bill, you can also get rewards just for paying off your credit card.  Today, we’re going to look at the card that I think is the best student credit card on the market.

The best student credit card on the market is the Citi(r) mtvU Platinum Select(r) Visa(r) Card.  Here’s why I believe it’s the best card -

• It’s the only card on the market that gives you ThankYou points for getting good grades.
• You get points just for paying your bill off on time.  This is great for students using the card for the first time, it will teach you a lot of discipline!
• You get ThankYou points just for making everyday purchases.  These points, in return can be exchanged for gift cards, electronics, and everything else under the sun.
• You get personal invitations for concert event tickets.  The thing I love about this card is that they will e-mail you options to get concert tickets for free.  All you need to do is reply in time to get them.  This is huge plus and keep in mind that these aren’t bad bands, they are usually big bands at the time like Fallout Boy, etc.

Credit cards generally get bad press throughout the college campus because you’re getting advice from people that don’t know how to use them.  There are a few rules that every college student should follow and that is pay your bill off on time in full and don’t spend over your head.  If you can follow these two very simple rules, you can take advantage of credit card rewards.

If this credit card sounds like something you would be interested in, sign up on the secured application page or visit FINDcollegecards for more student credit card applications.

As a college student or future college student, you may find the laundry is one of the worst things you have to do.  Maybe it’s because you’re used to mom doing it or the fact that you have to wait around for a few hours just to see your socks tumble around in a dryer.  Doing laundry can be fun if you make it that way and I’ll show you a few tips you can take in order to make the clothes cleaning process a little easier.

Make a schedule - The first thing you want to do when you go to college is to learn when you want to do laundry.  Let’s face it, you’re going to have dirty clothes, so there’s no way around this.  The best time to go are during the weekdays or early in the morning.  The worst time to go are at night usually around 4-9ish.  Try to avoid these times or you’ll find yourself waiting for a washer and dryer and you don’t want to do this.

Do a price check- Just because your college has a laundry mat, make sure you check out the mats in the area, half the time you’ll find that these laundry mats are cheaper and slower than the college campus.  All you need to do is check the prices once before you go to college and compare them.  You don’t even need to to the mat, you can simply call up and ask.

Bring quarters- As you may know by now, the laundry mat needs quarters to run their machines.  Make sure that you take quarters with you all the time.  All mats usually have change machines but sometimes you may find them being out of order.  Just to be safe, make sure you bring a few quarters with you each time to save you the time and trouble.

Never leave your clothes- Most mats have locks on the dryers and washing machines, but this is when it’s in a cycle.  Once it stops, anyone can access this and if it’s busy, the attendant can’t get track of the clothes.  If you don’t think theft exists at a laundry mat, it does!!  It’s important that you stay at the mat at all times.

Bring your entertainment - Since you’ll most likely be waiting at the mat, you don’t want to sit there with nothing to do.  Make sure you bring some entertainment while you wait.   Most students like to bring homework, textbooks to read, or if you don’t have anything you need to study for, you can simply bring a magazine, portable DVD player, etc.

Get a duffel bag- If you’re attending college for the first time, you’ll need a duffel bag to carry all of your laundry in.  Make sure you bring a bag that is designed for dirty laundry.  These bags are designed to keep the clothes fresh when they are clean.  The bags are similar to a pair gym mesh shorts.

Know how to do laundry - Since you’re probably used to having mom doing the laundry, there are a few things you need to remember when you’re doing laundry so that you don’t ruin your clothes or cause them to shrink.  Here are a few tips you should take into consideration –

• Don’t overload the dryer:  Make sure you don’t overload the dryer.  This will take the dryer longer to dry all of the clothes.  The more minutes you need to add onto the dryer, the more you’re going to spend.
• Separate your colors:  Always make sure you separate your colors.  Keep whites with whites, the darks with darks, and the lights with lights.  If you can follow this golden rule, you shouldn’t have any problems with your laundry.
• The temperatures:  Temperatures are important when you’re doing laundry.  Make sure you wash all whites in HOT water and anything in color should be washed in WARM water.  Make sure you also check the tag because you may need to get that article of clothing some extra attention.

Now, that you know how to do laundry, here’s a quick checklist on what you should bring to the laundrymat –

• Laundry Detergent
• Fabric Softener
• Dryer Sheets
• Duffel Bag
• Bleach 

Doing laundry isn’t a complicated process.  Make sure you take your time to learn how everything works.  It won’t take you long at all and as long as you follow the tips above, you shouldn’t have a problem at all!