13 Education Dreams to Achieve During 2013

The best way to achieve your dream is by making a commitment to start today.  Determine that you will not let another year go by where you have not pushed the limits to achieve your dream.  Even if you get half way there during 2013 you will be closer than you have ever been.  The greatest thing that you should fear is procrastination.  It will be your greatest enemy on the days when you do not feel like working toward your dream.  There are many outstanding and creative ways to get started. I suggest that your start by keeping a weekly list of things to do.  It’s time to cast off the old and focus on new opportunities. The year 2013 is a chance to make a big difference in the way that you feel about yourself and others. So here are 13 things that you can do to achieve your dreams during 2013:


1.  Write your own mission statement for the year

2.  Identify a song that will be your theme for the year.

3. Start working on your dream today by putting a plan on paper

4  Get started an associate, bachelors, masters or a doctorate degree or attend a trade school

5. Get physically fit so that your can have a strong body and a clear mind

6. Start training on your job that you put off

7. Use a journal to record what you are accomplishing each week

8. Start writing that book that you have planed for several years

9. Break into a new career by upgrading your resume and submitting to different companies

10. Identify at least mentors and keep them informed of your progress

11. Start a community organization to have a positive impact on parents

12. Eat healthy meals that you did not eat last year

13.  Try something new that you have not done before.  You may uncover a skill that you did not know about.

Feel free to add to this list. The year 2013 is full of possibilities. It's time to think out of the box. Dr. Stephen Jones is an education expert, authors and keynote speaker at http://www.drstephenjones.blogspot.com or 

call 610-842-3843.

7 Ways to get the Most out of College

Attending college is one of the best ways to grow intellectually, emotionally, socially and personally. As you take classes and listen to lectures look for opportunities to do a self-assessment. You should uncover how much you do or don’t know about a topic. Then ask yourself how does this knowledge apply to your life? Active engagement with the learning process will be tremendously rewarding. Take time to talk to your advisor ansd visit the career center to talk about your career plans. It can help you to maintain the motivation do your best work in all of your classes. One of the best things that you can do is get to know your instructors and visit him/her. Don’t allow yourself to get nervous and talk yourself out of visiting your professor. Your professors are full of knowledge that you need. Research the articles and books that they have written. You should also show up when they ask you to listen to a guest speaker. It will enable you to have another type of conversation with your instructor. Many instructors never have a visitor during their office hours. You can be the first to visit and get personal help from your instructor. Make it your goal to take full advantage of all that college life has to offer. Here are seven important ways to get the best out of college: 1. Talk to a faculty member about doing undergraduate research 2. Join a club and take on a leadership role 3. Learn another language so that you can function in a global economy 4. Go on an international studies experience 5. Volunteer to represent your university on a service learning trip 6. Attend a student conference in your major 7. Serve a as a mentor/tutor for other high school students You should work to develop new skills while you are in college. It is extremely important to develop good speaking skills. It will take you a long way. It is also important to increase the quality of your writing and reading skills. College professors and corporate professionals are looking for students who have good communication skills. College will pay when you are able to get the job that you desire. In addition take time to learn how to network. Get to know professors and administrators who are not teaching your curriculum. You will have many more people who are available to help you throughout your college experience. Networking is a good way to form study groups and to get tutoring when you need it. One of the best aspects of college life is all of the students that you meet who are from diverse backgrounds. You can get the most out of college by taking it as an adventure and an early preparation for your future. Dr. Stephen Jones is an author, keynote speaker and educator. His books are the Seven Secrets of How to Study, the Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide and the Ultimate Scholarship Guide. You can reach at http://www.studyskills2u.com.

How to Find Money and Resources for Your School

One of the biggest challenges facing schools today is how to maintain an effective level of resources for teachers and students. This is the time to get creative and think of alternative ways to obtain resources. Often people and companies just need to know your needs and they will get involved. It’s important to have a mindset that the resources are available so that you will be an active participant in the effort to locate resources. If everyone in the school gets creative, you can identify resources all throughout the school year. Here are twelve things you can do to find money and resources. 1. Contact new companies that are coming into your town. They want to find a way to get connected to the community. 2. Get students who have graduated from your school and are working to purchase specific items. 3. Get time on a radio program to talk about your needs 4. Have a carnival involving the students and parents 5. Create a list and get sororities and fraternities to have a campaign to get supplies for your school 6. Organize a school wide car wash on a specific Saturday 7. Offer a certain item (i.e shirt, cup) at a school sports event and let the participants know that it is a fund raiser 8. Purchase the chronicle of Philanthropy. It list foundations and corporations who have given to school. 9. Don’t limit your search for funding to local corporations. Go after funds from large corporations 10. Write a proposal and a separate executive summary for funding that you can send out at any time. 11. Join a crowd funding network (i.e. IndIegogo.com) that allows people from all walks of life to contribute to your needs 12. Use the internet to conduct your search for “free school resources.” The important aspect of getting these resources is active participation. You may have an alumni or PTA that will help you with your efforts. Ask others in your school to help to create a list of contacts who are ready to help your school. You will be surprised at who is really interested in helping schools to succeed. Know is the time to get started. To contact Dr. Stephen Jones visit http://www.studyskills2u.com or call 610-842-3843

Military Veterans Need a College Success Plan

The Veteran’s Administration is providing additional funding to encourage more veteran’s to attend college. This is a great financial commitment but many veterans are intimidated by the thought of attending college. Most veterans fall into the adult learner category because most of them are over 24. Sitting in a class with much younger students can seem awkward. Some veterans have graduated from high school and they have right into the armed services. There was no time to think about college. One way that a veteran can prepare for college is by having a college success plan.

A college success plan is a set of activities that a veteran can use to improve their chances of graduating from college. Just the thought of submitting a college application can cause some veterans anxiety. It may not be fun to sit in classes where the students view you as an outsider. This is one reason why it is important to have a college success plan. Veterans need time to adjust to college life. They must work on their own perceptions that they are not ready to enroll in college. There is no need to be fearful about the amount of work that will be required for each veteran. Colleges have many resources such as advisors, tutors and counselors who can make the adjustment to college life a lot easier. You can call a local college to determine the different types of services that they offer.

One of the important things that a veteran can do is to work on study skills. This is one area where students of all ages have difficulty. Each veteran can benefit from learning how to study prior to starting first year classes. For example a good study habit is taking time to read all chapters before classes start. The chapters should be read several days before a class begins. It’s important to get your mind ready to absorb the information you are studying. By studying early you eliminate the stress of needing more time to read your textbook. When you are listening to a lecture the important facts from your textbook will be familiar. If there is something that you don’t understand don’t be afraid to talk to your instructor.

Planning to manage your time is a vital element of a veteran’s college success. Veterans who learn how to manage their time have much greater success. The management of your time will help you to set priorities for your week. Getting control of your time will enable you to do an accurate time management schedule. It is far better to plan your test preparation than to wait until the last second. If you have a plan to study several hours you can also put time in your schedule to enjoy yourself. You will experience less stress because you have a road map to meet all of your assignment deadlines.

Veterans should get ready for every test early. Students who have success on their tests know that starting test preparation early yields good results. Take time to clear up any missing information in your notes. Use 3 x 5 cards to memorize important facts. You can have a stack of cards for each class. Then set aside some time each day to memorize your 3 x 5 cards and important facts presented by the instructor. This is just one way to organize your study sessions. Recognize that you are in control of the amount of knowledge that you obtain each day.

Veterans need to spend time getting to know what the instructors require for each class. An important place to start is reading the syllabus. The syllabus is a guide to the important topics that your teacher is discussing. Compare notes with other students who are in your class. Creating time to form groups with other students is beneficial. Organizing a study group can be a very easy way to get to know people in your classes. During each session you can find out information that is missing from your notes.

It’s important for each veteran to take time to identify which classes are interesting during the first semester of attending college classes. You can position yourself for success during your first semester just by dedicating yourself to learning and eliminating distractions. The fact that you have decided to go to college is a great accomplishment. More veterans need to take advantage of this opportunity. This country needs more veterans who will use their minds to improve the global competitiveness of this country.

8 Rules for Selecting a College

During their senior year parents engage in the annual ritual and conversation about selecting a college. Today college cost is frequently at the top of the list of issues that parent’s must confront. Even today money should not be the only reason that you select a college. The ability of your student to live within the philosophy of a college can make a big difference in their success. Sure colleges can put up an advertisement and send you a mailing every week but there is nothing like visiting a campus and talking to the faculty and students who have made a commitment to a particular college. The truth is there are over 6,000 colleges that a student can select from and all vary in size and mission. Some colleges are owned by your state, some private and others are community colleges.

There are eight rules that will help you to select a college that fits your needs. There are some simple rules that you can follow to reduce your stress. These practices will help you to make a reasonable decision about the top colleges that you select. Here are the 8 rules:

1. When you go on a college tour always arrange a meeting with a faculty member and student.

2. Always talk to the financial aid office after you have received their financial aid package.

3. Attend a classroom lecture to get a sense of the class sizes.

4. Check out what students are saying about the college on the internet.

5. Ask if advising is mandatory or voluntary. Advisors can be a critical part of a student’s success.

6. Ask if their professors teach classes or mostly teaching assistants.

7. Ask how many students from your high school have attended the college. It could be a sign that your former classmates really liked the college.

8. Take several friends with you and go on a campus tour together. Sometimes it is good to get more than one perspective on the college you are visiting.


It is never too early to start your college search process. Colleges are putting out all kinds of information every day. You can go on some college websites and download videos and podcasts about the college. Some colleges also offer CD recordings regarding several aspects of their college. Some colleges even offer a virtual tour of their campus.




You should find ways to creatively engage in conversations with students and alumni from the college. You want to know how happy they are about their college experience. It’s even better when you can talk with students who are in a particular major. They can share their successes and also talk about their challenges within their major. The beauty of a campus is not the only thing to consider. Each student should have an enjoyable college experience. Take the time to compare the colleges you have selected and what they offer.

Another thing that you can do is pick up a few books that the faculty has written. These writings will reveal their opinions and thoughts. It is a great way to know if the faculty is keeping up with current trends. Get started to day and you will have an easier time making a college decision that you won’t regret.

10 College Freshman Success Tips

Every year millions of students go off to college with all kinds of hopes and dreams. During their high school graduation they are told the future is bright. As is common with any new experiences there are a lot of adjustments that students must make. There are a lot of encounters with roommates and adjustments for different ways of living. For example one student might be very accustomed to a clean room while the other likes to leave their clothes wherever they take them off. This is a common occurrence on a college campus. A good book for a college freshman is “Who Moved My Cheese” By Spencer Johnson. There will be plenty of changes during the freshman year. The first year of college is a significant time when students grow and change emotionally and intellectually. Here are a few college success tips for students to consider:

1. Arrive on campus early so that you can get to know where your classes are located.

2. Find an upper-class student who can serve as your mentor.

3. Form a study group for difficult courses right away.

4. Meet with all of the teachers during their office hours the first week of classes.

5. Focus on your fitness. Go to the gym three times a week.

6. Get to know your resident assistant. They can be very helpful.

7. Meet your faculty advisor and let him/her know your interest.

8. Meet the dean/director of your department. You never know when you will need their help.

9. Go to the library to get other books about your course topic.

10. Have fun and join an organization that allows you to network with students from other majors.

Attending college can be one of the most enjoyable experiences in life. I have met many students in college whose friendship has lasted for a lifetime. College should be a time of exploration where you get to find out many things about yourself. You can create a fresh vision for your future by participating in campus activities and taking on a leadership role in your college.

Allow your first year to be a time of seeking new information about your self and your career. If you are not exactly sure of what you want perform a career search. Sometimes just by talking to a company representative you can identify some area of interest. For example did you know that many math majors are hired by an insurance company? It’s important to have different types of career experiences throughout your college years. The freshman year is not too early to refine your career search. You can go to events to meet alumni and also attend the campus wide career fair.

Going to college is a great way to take the limits off of your possibilities. When you meet professors in their offices go prepared with questions. You must be willing to challenge yourself to learn new things from each of the courses that you attend. There may be questions that your professor is willing to answer when you are in their office. You can build a good reputation as a student who is serious about your major. Make this freshman year a success by exploring all of your options.
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