Is social networking harming students’ grades? The quick answer might be yes, because it distracts students from studying. And in fact, a 2009 study at The Ohio State University found that students who admitted logging onto Facebook several times a day to check status updates, correspond with friends and relatives, or join common-interest groups, had a GPA as much as a grade lower than non-users. [...]
My class supplies list for my junior year of high school included something I had never needed before: a scientific calculator that cost a little under $100. Armed with my daunting calculator, I faced Pre-Calculus with wide, equation-glossed eyes. But I started to relax when I figured out the magic of the calculator: punch in buttons and be rewarded with the answer. With [...]
This past Christmas the only thing I asked for was a subscription to the Sunday New York Times. I’d fallen behind on keeping up with current events because my only news source was the Internet—and I avoid my computer when I’m not at my internship or doing schoolwork. After staring at a screen for most of the day, nothing feels nicer than setting my [...]
“I need a Personal Shopper! When can you start?” said the woman in the store that I was shopping in. It happens to me all the time. It doesn’t matter where I am, if I’m wearing a winter jacket and boots, carrying multiple shopping bags, or even if I’m in the ladies room, I am always mistaken for the store’s salesperson. Every time [...]
When I was a senior in high school, I was so stressed that no amount of yoga, tea, or silence could calm my nerves. My mind was littered with grades, organizations, and college and financial concerns—weighing one incomprehensible amount of debt against another, or remembering which school’s food tasted better on a campus tour. It is from this personal experience that I know [...]
Today, it’s not uncommon for music and movies to “leak” before their release date. I’ll admit, I’m not entirely sure how it happens, but somehow, someone gets a hold of a song or a movie and sends it to his or her friends all over the Internet. It’s not really big news when it happens anymore. Actually, it’s almost like we expect it [...]
Growing up with an engineer as a father meant I always had help with my math homework, all the way up until I left for college. Whether it was Algebra, Geometry, or Calculus, he knew the concepts and would help me work through tough problems. Math never came easily to me, but my dad managed to convince me that it’s an imperative skill [...]
After spending over 30 years in the publishing industry, I’ve collaborated in the development and production of thousands of published works. I’ve worked with authors, editors, designers, illustrators, proofreaders, production artists, translators, reviewers—hundreds of people who contributed to the accuracy and quality of each book or digital offering. We followed procedures to ensure content was accurate and errors were eliminated, relying on the [...]
Like any good publishing student and intern, I am a big fan of books. I enjoy reading something substantial, physically flipping pages, using bookmarks. Naturally, I was a little wary of eBooks and eReaders. But last semester, when I found myself attempting to stuff another book into my already full backpack, I decided I would give eBooks a try. And just as I [...]
As a writer and a Literature major, it’s always seemed like a given that I would need a master’s degree to compete in the job market. Although I’m incredibly happy I’ve spent my college career learning how to detect the irony in Shakespeare’s plays and cite all my sources in perfect MLA format, those skills aren’t exactly what employers expect to find on [...]