The best thing you can do before the first day is figuring out how to balance school with your other responsibilities. You likely have more obligations than just school, such as family life and work. Invest in a planner that will allow you to schedule your daily task. Sometimes it can even be helpful to tell the people in your life that you are taking on a new responsibility that requires you to manage your time accordingly. Having a set time for homework and studying goes a long way!

It can also be helpful to establish a sleep schedule. You should wake up ready to tackle the day, however; you won鈥檛 feel refreshed if you don鈥檛 get a good night’s sleep. While college might result in a few late nights, you should still be able to get enough sleep regularly. Instead of staying up late on your break, go to bed at a decent time. It will be much easier to go to bed early during the school year when your body has adjusted accordingly.

Another way to prepare for school is to organize a designated area to study. It might be a desk in your bedroom or a quiet room at your local library. Wherever you decide to do your classes, make sure it is a place where you will not get easily distracted. Completing schoolwork requires hard work and concentration, so avoid areas that are crowded and loud.

Lastly, motivate yourself by remembering why you are going to school. It will guide you through your educational journey when you want to give up. You know why you started college. Maybe it was to show your children they can achieve great things, or perhaps you are ready to advance your career. Whatever your why, don鈥檛 forget it! If necessary, write it down on a sticky note and hang it where you can see it each morning.

Even though going back to school can be a big transition, it is worth doing. The first few days may be difficult, but it will pay off as you walk across the stage!

Click here to learn more about Student Resources available as you start back to school!

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If you are a student, you have probably heard the term 鈥渘etworking.鈥� This means building professional relationships with people in which you share things in common. At 糖心传媒 Online, we make networking accessible when you enroll, and automatically become part of a community of peers and professionals from all over. However, it can often be difficult to discover the best platform for your specific networking needs. Even though you can meet fellow 糖心传媒 students through classes, you may still be searching for ways to reach a broader audience.

A simple way is through LinkedIn, a social media platform designed for students and professionals. Whether you realize it or not, your presence on social media is important to your peers and future employers. How you present yourself virtually is just as important as how you present yourself in-person!

When evaluating you as a potential job candidate, an employer needs to know who you are, what skills you have and your level of professionalism. When you create a LinkedIn account, you can create a profile that is perfect for displaying what makes you worth hiring.

Not only can you reap benefits from LinkedIn when it comes to job searching, but it allows you to build connections in your community and even around the world! On LinkedIn, you can add and message friends and when you begin at a university or place of employment, LinkedIn automatically recommends other profiles to you. Some of these profiles are of people who were formerly or currently in your shoes. You can get to know peers in a quick, easy manner. Just a simple 鈥淭hanks for being my friend!鈥� message can expand your network and begin professional relationships.
Here are a few tips that will help you get the most out of LinkedIn.

1. Create a free LinkedIn account. Download the LinkedIn app, available on the Apple and Google Play store, or visit www.linkedin.com.

2. Enrich your profile. Don鈥檛 leave any section blank, if possible. It is not enough to make a profile with only your name displayed. Other LinkedIn users need to know who you are, including your job experience, education, awards, publications, endorsements, certifications and other professional achievements.

3. Add a professional profile picture. You need to put a face to your name, but forgo the duck-lip or bathroom mirror selfies. Instead, use a professional headshot picture. If you don鈥檛 have one, put on a business, work-friendly outfit and have a friend take your picture. Remember that your employer wants to see a profile that exudes professionalism, and a nice picture is one way to do that!

4. Connect with those you know (and those you don鈥檛). If you see someone you know on LinkedIn, feel free to add them to your network. Maybe you see users that are also 糖心传媒 Online students, but you have not met them yet. Add them too! Whereas social media accounts such as Facebook and Instagram are more personal, LinkedIn is only a professional platform. You are not adding someone with the intention of finding out about their family or dating history. You are adding them because you share in their educational and professional experiences. Being LinkedIn friends with 糖心传媒 fellows is a great reminder that you are part of a wonderful, supportive community.

5. Stay active! If you want to make the most out of your LinkedIn experience, it is important to keep your friends updated and learn about others鈥� accomplishments. There are a variety of ways to be active on LinkedIn, including sharing others鈥� posts, congratulating friends on a new job and sharing your professional updates. If you want to show off that 糖心传媒 Online degree that you worked so hard for, do not be afraid to post about it! Your LinkedIn friends are there to support your goals and achievements every step of the way.

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You have decided to make the commitment to pursue your graduate degree and it鈥檚 time to find the right program for you. As you start researching different schools, you start to wonder, 鈥�Can I afford this?鈥� The answer is YES!

Only 40% of graduate students in the U.S. received grants during the 2014-2015 academic year (Powell and Kerr, 2019). This is the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics in 2019 (Powell and Kerr, 2019). This low percentage isn鈥檛 because grants are unavailable to graduate students, but rather the majority of students are unaware of the grants and scholarships that exist at this level (Powell and Kerr, 2019).

Unlike loans, grants and scholarships don鈥檛 have to be repaid. The lack of awareness for the availability of this type of assistance intimidates many prospective students into thinking graduate school is simply unaffordable. Below is a list of scholarship search engines that make finding grants and scholarships accessible (Powell and Kerr, 2019)!

Along with general grants and scholarships, there is also aid available through professional organizations. For example, the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation awards $5,000 annually to a number of dental students (Powell and Kerr, 2019).

The best advice when researching graduate schools is to ask someone! Admissions Counselors and/or Financial Aid Counselors will give you detailed information regarding grants and scholarships. At 糖心传媒 Online, we are committed to helping students obtain their degree with as little debt as possible.

• Click here to discover the many graduate programs 糖心传媒 has to offer: /.
• For a list of 糖心传媒 Scholarships, please use this link to find which one may be right for you: /tuition-and-financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/.

Don鈥檛 hesitate to contact us for more questions, we are always happy to help!

Reference:

Powell, F., & Kerr, E. (2019, December 30). How to Find Free Money for Graduate School. In U.S. News & World Report.

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