How is an tank of gas similar to knowing how to swim?

My good friend just told me that he doesn't know how to swim. I told him:

You should learn how to swim when you don't need to know...

...than to not know when you need to know.

It's like always letting your car's tank go down empty before you go refill it.

It's better to take the time to refill your tank when it's half empty...

...than to have to refill it when you don't have the time.

This mentality should be applied to everything (procrastinate wisely).

Much love and good luck,

M

GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, DAT, GRE, etc.

If you're reading this post, it means you're considering going to graduate school! Congratulations!

A lot of people wonder when to start studying for this test, and there is no right answer.

Some people start too early, some people (most) start too late [and yell at themselves for procrastinating too much].

I asked a few of my friends who started to study for all these tests and got into good schools, and they told me that they started to study the summer before starting school. There are plenty of preparation courses, self-help books, etc. available to you. My friend has even joked that his girlfriend's name is Kaplan (who is a nice, big book).

However, I would beg to differ, seeing that MCAT is quite a thorough test. I would highly encourage that you buy a preparatory book before even starting school. For example:

MCAT basically holds you accountable for anything and everything you learned in your first two years studying science (biology, chemistry, physics). Though there are things that you do not learn in some of these courses, it is better to see what you're learning in class at the time and refer to your book to learn things that may not have been mentioned in class at the same time. Thus, you don't need to actually learn anything and simply refreshing yourself when you begin to date Kaplan.

Best of luck!

When you're sick, take care of yourself!!

One of the most unappreciated things that college students do is spread their viruses/bacterial infections because they don't want to go to the doctor and go to class. They spread all their nice germs everywhere.

I'm not saying that you have to swab every place you sit down with disinfectant wipes (in fact, this encourages the growth of bacteria that will become resistant to the disinfectant). However, I am saying that you should, when ill, take care of yourself:

• drink plenty of fluids
• e-mail your professors (in the smaller classes [in larger classes, most professors don't really care]) that you will not be able to attend
• ask someone to pass that day's notes for you
• Purdue has a student health center (PUSH), and it's free to go in [plus you get a pass saying you were ill] and consult a doctor
• eat something hearty (ice cream makes a sore throat happy; so does jell-o)

Some notes:

• I have heard nasty rumors about PUSH (though I have never been told that I might have cancer when it turned out to be appendicitis), so tread with caution. Get a second opinion if you are not sure. [There was one time that I had food poisoning, and the doctor told me I may have meningitis, despite the fact that I had already gotten the vaccination AND knew what had made me sick.]
• Be honest with your doctor (be prepared to give the date of your last period and answer questions about your sexual habits)
• Remember that Gummy Vites (which are awesome) count as medication.

LAST REMINDER

Please don't try to infect your classmates with whatever you have.

Stay home and get that quick recovery!

How to Use Google Translate (and not be stupid)

OK, Tinky. I confess that I used Google Translate ALL the time for French class. Spanish and Latin were just so much easier for me, but French made me think more than anything else. Verb conjugators are fabulous tools as well.

Let's say you're in French II, III, or even IV. Let me remind you that Google Translate is not able to translate 100% of your phrase/sentence/whatever. Things to keep in mind:

• Before feeding the translator, have a rough idea of what the outcome should look like structure-wise (especially French).
• Make sure that the verb tenses you use are WITHIN YOUR GRASP. This means that using the pluperfect subjunctive in French while you're in Level II is NOT ACCEPTABLE.
• Use words that you with which you are familiar over words that look ridiculous. I find that there are less synonyms in other languages, but perhaps the reason is that I'm such a newb to them.
• Looking at the result, double check to see if this is something that would actually come out of your own brain. If not, use your judgment and try to be wise.

The translation service should not be used for times when you have no idea how to translate. This would indicate that you're in the wrong level of language (common sense). However, it is a shortcut and a way to save time when you're not sure how to structure a sentence.

Once you're done with your paper, try running it through Google Translate for English and see if the English matches your intentions. If sometime seems weird, check that part again.

Maximize your sleeping!

There are important lessons on being realistic and time management. Getting enough sleep is another lesson. Most of the college students I know get 4-6 hours. I think that people around this age are supposed to get 8-10 hours of sleep.

If you know that you prefer staying up late at night (as most college students are night owls), then schedule your courses so that you don't have morning classes. If you aspire to do extraordinarily well, throw away your night life during the week and force yourself to become a morning person. Morning people usually need lots and lots of (ok fine. I exaggerate. enough) sleep. You wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the homework you didn't do the night before.

Go to sleep when you are tired. To avoid all nighters, try not to procrastinate too much. :)

Lack of sleep leads to terrible things like : grumpiness, people telling you that you're PMSing, quick to anger, and dark circles under your eyes. If I wanted to sound like your mom, it also de-optimizes your immune system.

Anyways, sleeping is a fabulous thing. Do it justice so that you can wake up feeling great.

Following Fashion Trends

I don't know if I was famous for wearing sweat pants and cheap [free] t-shirts with some boots or flip flops. I should have been because it is what I wore every day. All that and a nice purse and a pair of aviators. Ridiculous? Very much so.

Nevertheless, let me be very clear that when it comes to college campuses, people kill fashion trends.

Skinny jeans, Ugg boots, Longchamp purses, etc. were literally victims of fashion atrocities. Skinny jeans are meant for skinny people. Leave them alone if you are over a BMI of 26 (23)! LEAVE THEM ALONE! Though college boys appreciate bare midrrifs with girls who have a BMI of 18-19, the higher BMI midriffs are unappreciated.

OK, I'm sorry. Anyways, fashion trends usually come about 2-4 seasons late in college campuses, except those in New York (which may come 1-2 seasons late, depending on the applicability of fashion/season). Juicy Couture, especially on the West Coast, is always acceptable (though I cannot possibly fathom as to WHY).

• If you are fashion conscious, please know that your oversized poofy brooches or belts around your blazers will go unappreciated until you get sick of seeing them next year, when they will be all the rage. If you feel free to spend that much money, make all the clueless girls "jealous" (what I mean to say actually is they will have no idea why you are doing it thus and possibly ridicule you). You may feel that you have the last laugh though. Perhaps this feeling satisifies you.
  
• If you want to go Greek, please, by all means, support your sorority sisters and follow the fashion trends that they do. Wear those sweatshirts and rah rah rah. Matching bags, polka dot totebags or those Vera Bradley atrocities all fit here.
• Needless to say, if you are not keen on spending lots of money to stay ahead of your college peers' trends, then admire the fashion from afar. Have your own style of fashion.
• If you don't care about what you're wearing, be awesome and wear Cookie Monster t-shirts and sweatpants like I did. College is the only time that you can wear these every day (unless you have the best job ever somehow or don't need to work after college). When you actually dress up, you get more compliments this way. ^.^

Remember, denim may be the ridiculously popular among farmers/cowboys, but try to add a little bit more color or a defining aspect about your style, whichever you choose.

I don't hate on girls who dress up and wear high heels to school every day, but I did question their common sense. Then again, they're the ones who get the boyfriends, and I end up lonely.

MEH!

As my friend Blake always says when he sees girls sitting down, "It's time for your shirt to meet your pants."

Preparing for Snow [Days]

It is a bit pre-mature to think about snow days when next month is April, but since I've been missing snow for more than a year, I believe I am allowed to discuss things while whistling Frosty the Snowman (provided that I could actually whistle).

Snow days are fabulous, treasured opportunities.

Purdue has this wonderful and yet terribly dangerous (I'll get to that) place called Slayter Hill. You will sometimes, no wait, make that most of the time find people have taken trays from the dining halls so that they can enjoy their snow days. Slayter Hill is awesome, but a lot of people have been hurt. You cannot blame the hill itself; you must blame stupidity most of the time. I think that the last one I heard of was some people trying to make a couch slide down the hill. Use Common Sense and stick to sleds, etc. that are quite cheap at the Wal-Mart just north of the golf courses.

More generally, if you're going down the hill, try to avoid collisions; if you're going up the hill, try to make sure no one is headed directly at you. Again, Common Sense.

Oh yes, sorry. I digressed a bit. So Indiana (and many other places) have a few months of snow-slash-ice-slash-hail. What should you have on hand in case that you're snowed into your apartment?

• Flashlight
• A gallon or two of drinkable water
• Dry food (my place had a never-ending supply of cereal)
• A book you've been meaning to read [superfluous, but this is my blog so I can say whatever I want]

A cell phone is always good to have on hand, but usually snow days just means that you have to bundle in 4 or more layers and make snowmen or snow angels.

However, more important that having these things always on hand in the apartment is what you have inside your CAR. I mainly took this list from the DIY network but here it goes:

• Cell phone
• List of important phone numbers
• Bag of sand, salt or kitty litter
• Snow shovel
• Snow brush/Ice -scraper
• Portable battery charger
• Booster cables
• Flares or hazard-reflectors
• Flashlight
• Emergency lights
• Fuel line de-icer
• Windshield-wiper fluid
• Extra antifreeze
• Blanket
• Extra clothing including windproof pants and warm footwear
• First aid kit
• Snack bars and emergency food and water
• Matches and emergency candle
• Road maps or atlas
  

However, Indiana weather wasn't so severe that it requires you to have tire chains - at least, not in my experience around Indianapolis and [West] Lafayette(s).

But most of the time during a snow day, I would snuggle inside my warm and cozy bed or make a nice bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup [chinoosou] and watch TV. That is, unless my friends dragged me out.

Freshman Food (and Avoiding Gaining Weight)

Freshman year is usually filled with (groan) weight gains and dining hall food.

If you are weight conscious, this buffet style is usually a killer unless you go in knowing that you can control your portion size.

I think I scared people when I would carry 3-4 bowls of noodle soup, but hey! I'm Vietnamese and those bowls were tiny! I became good friends with the people at Ford Dining Hall that worked in the 3-4-5 [Asian] Market. I even keep in touch with one who moved to Japan, and I always, ALWAYS (even as an upperclassman) scouted for Chicken Udon days. Shameful, but TRUE.

Go eat with at least one friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wholeheartedly believe that people are inclined to eat more when they are by themselves. When you have someone to talk to, you take more time to eat, but you allow your stomach more time to "let you know" that it feels full. Everyone (ok most people) has heard of the 20 minute gap between eating and feeling full [true? I'm not sure.], so try to go with your roommate or a friend.

If you're eating alone (which is perfectly fine! No shame!!), do the bad thing and bring a book - or at least, distract yourself. You don't have to count how many times you chew, but when you're getting food, go for about 3/4 amount that you actually want to get.

I didn't gain the freshman fifteen!

Modus Operandi: Studying Effectively

Of course, everyone has his own mode of studying. To be honest, I never felt like I had to study half as much in high school as I did in college. High school didn't prepare me for that much, though I did manage my time especially well.

Here are some techniques that I've seen or helped me:

• Flashcards (e.g. vocabulary/phrases for biology, languages, business-related)
• Lots and lots of practice problems (e.g. physics, mechanics, accounting)
• Memorization (including mneumonic devices)
• Creating powerpoints to allow you to teach someone younger everything for which you're accountable on the exam (being able to teach someone else ensures that you will know the material)
• Lots of praying :) and lucky charms (people at Purdue rub Lincoln's nose in the Purdue Memorial Union)
• Having study groups that review past materials (e.g. old exams, past homeworks, and past quizzes) or just a group that talks through all the topics and makes sure than everyone understands

I have a lot of common sense things about things not to do, namely:

• Don't cheat (duh).
• Don't give up the night before your final because you've procrastinated studying and go for a run. Don't be an idiot. I know someone who did this and was astounded at how dumb some people are. Instead, clear your head by taking 10 deep breaths, covering your face with your hands and breathing deeply for a few seconds, or go for a cup of coffee.
  Some people go for a smoke, but I know you won't.

Just practice good judgment. If you're not sure what to do, call me. If you don't have my number, then call someone who loves you and ask them what you should do.

Windsor

Windsor is nice. There is a huge variety of room types. Big ones, small ones...singles, doubles and triples. The room shapes are all different. Also there are suites where you can have a single and a double or a double and a double sharing a bathroom. In each hall there is a triple which has a common room and a bathroom.

It can be loud or quiet depending on your RA and who ends up living in your hall. All the buildings are attached by tunnels so you never have to step outside. The whole complex includes an exercise room and a computer lab. Each building also has a recreation room and study rooms.

The renovated buildings (Duhme and Wood now include elevators and air conditioning, but living in an unairconditioned dorm is really not that bad. Summer is short, and fans are sufficient cooling systems.

Before choosing a room in Windsor (if the person gets a choice), one can go to the main office in Wood and all the floor plans are available.

I'll work on the blog post later :]

Do Research

Regardless if you're studying engineering, biology, environmental science, classics, or accounting, I would highly recommend trying to find a research position under a professor at your school.

I was a genetics major, so of course there was plenty of labs to apply to. I even participated in the iGEM competition (alas, I digress).

I learned so much!

Things off the top of my head:

• general workings of a lab
• proper and improper lab techniques
• working with other researchers
• dealing with the inevitable 'red tape'
• learned and applied advanced concepts
• time management
• learning how to search databases that professionals/professors use to apply to your research
• got used to reading primary literature (this term is used to describe literature that is published in scientific journals directly written by the researchers) --> which led to me starting my Science-related blog

It really was a rewarding experience and quite an eye-opener. I felt myself being driven to do the research because it had so much meaning behind it. If you want to take a look, you're welcome to look at the lab website.

The options include getting paid or doing it for credit, and I did the latter.

I also learned a lot about myself. I thought I was capable of anything and everything if I applied myself to it, but I found out that I could never be a doctor after working in a mouse lab. Frankly, I am weak sauce. :(

Listening to music or TV while studying

A lot of parents just don't get this, so I'm going to try to explain.

Back in their generation, they got to study in peace and quiet. Distractions were unwanted. In today's universities, your neighbors are snoring, having sex, or talking loudly (gossiping or arguing). You don't want to hear these things! (No one does!)

So what do you do? You turn on the TV or you put in those headphones to drown out the distractions. Listening to music actually helped me focus more because it blocked out everything else, and I only had to block one thing out instead of 10 things.

Post-It Notes

Don't get me wrong, I have no qualms about doodling (and therefore) wasting paper.

However, I realized in a French class and a Latin class, that I could simply use a big post-it note instead of a full sheet of paper for any translation that I didn't have to turn into the teacher/TA (that's "teaching assistant," for you newbies).

Also, I used post-it notes to hand out delegated tasks to my teammates whenever I was in charge of a project. The note serves as a constant reminder (and always make sure you have a copy of what the note actually says before you give it away) to the person to get something done. 

If you want to justify this to your TA who suddenly says that you have to turn in your work, say that you're being environmentally conscious. If he/she cannot read it, tell him/her that you'll type it up and give it to them (since the work is already done) by the end of the day.

At the end of the day, just be awesome. Be magical. Create the trend (or at least, be the first one). 

I strongly recommend taking didactic classes

My friend is taking Golf right now, and I know someone who took Bowling every single semester at Purdue. Maybe I should say your drawing/painting classes will count as well.

I regret not taking at least once Dance class, and I was too young when I graduated to take the Wine Tasting Class (which I heard was more difficult, and most people receive B's).

My didactic classes, sadly, were to the tune of language classes, but since languages are my passion, then I won't complain [too much].

Plus, it's a great way to spend your free time getting your heart moving while receiving credit and possibly, relieving stress! Yay!

Think about it. Enjoy life.

Take a minimum of forty minutes for yourself everyday

The first thirty minutes should be to exercise and the last ten minutes to shower!

It's probably better not to do this right before you sleep because you won't be able to fall asleep so easily. Do this maybe before you start your homework (get the blood pumping).

I always stretched while doing homework. Staying flexible (or increasing flexibility) means that your muscles won't creak as much as you age. Scary words, but 'tis true. 

Making Your Friends Happy

There was great satisfaction in doing things for my friends. Throwing a get together or baking cookies (or in my case, lemon bars) for someone goes a LONG, LONG way.

If you want to really wow a group of friends, bake a birthday cake or bake a pie. Be adventurous. If it doesn't turn out well, try to figure out what went wrong and try to correct it.

Unfortunately, this doesn't work with chemistry experiments. If you're working with flammable compounds, and the experiment doesn't turn out well...RUN!

You can go to www.marthastewart.com and find great recipes. Try keeping a scrap book of things that you have cooked (a picture, recipe, and comments).

Learn CPR

I learned CPR in high school at Brebeuf, but I wish I had taken a refresher course while at Purdue.

Learn CPR for 6.7 billion reasons.

Get certified!

Keep a "soft copy" of all documents in your e-mail

Purdue's webmail is less than desirable (so, apparently, is IU's), so I set up for an automatic forwarding to my G-mail account (which is more aesthetically pleasing, allows me to send from my Purdue e-mail address, and has 2 GB of storage).

You may type up a paper and print it out in your room, but I was always frugal about this and printed things out from the computer lab before going to class to turn it in.  At Purdue there are print quotas anyways.

But sometimes the printer broke down, and I didn't have time to go anywhere else, so I just e-mailed my professor the paper instead. 

I used to just upload the papers into My Drafts and delete them once the paper was turned in, but I found that it was better just to send them to myself (the subject being the class and title of the paper) so that revisions later would be easily accessible, and I didn't have to go home to retrieve the file.

Microsoft Skyline also offers 25 GB online storage space, so you can use this if you want to upload files.

Each course had its own file in my computer, and at the end of the semester, I would zip each one up and throw it into my external hard drive.  Then every year, I would have a fresh palette to begin organizing my files again. 

I also organized things by date. Yes, I know that Windows allows you to do this wich a click of a button, but I didn't like the way it looked. I named all my documents according to the year, month, then day:

2009.02.11 College 101

You don't have the follow my system exactly, but I just want to tell you what worked for me. Organization is Key.

Keep track of Facebook friends

Facebook is your opportunity, as you know, to keep in contact with all the people that you meet while in college. It has been a sort of salvation for me after I moved across the globe to Singapore, and then I realize something important:

I don't remember how I met half of these people!!

OK, I admit that I was a bit of a social butterfly during college and somehow managed to have over 1400 friends on Facebook, so this much is to be expected. It's too much of a hassle to do right now and input how I know the person, but maybe one day I shall.

So, take care of that option that tells you how you know the person. It will help you again later! People from your elementary school and junior high school will also look for you (or you look for them).

Find a place to eat that makes you happy. Or at least, warm and snuggly inside.

For me, it was a place called Red Seven on 2nd and Main across the bridge in West Lafayette. For places around campus, it was Egyptian Hookah, Blue Nile, Joo Joo and Gaza.

Go with a buddy.  Don't go to this place too frequently, but go here when you need some good food.

You can always go home and stock up with food made by our awesome parents, like I did. :)

Find a way to relieve stress

When you have friends, you have stress. When you're in school, you have stress. Stress, stress, and more stress. Dealing with it took me a while to figure out, so I'm just passing on my experience.

Playing piano was my way of relieving stress, but working out or playing sports could work for other people.  Everyone has a digital camera these days (don't worry, I can give you mine), so go out for about an hour or two (maybe with a friend) and take some pictures. 

This method of relieving stress should be available to you at least 3-4 times a week (my piano just sat there, vigilant. haha!).  

Perhaps reading a book or taking a nice long bath (as you are SO inclined to do anyways) is your modus operandi. 

Socializing in constructive ways, such as cooking together, also made me happy (therefore, de-stress). However, 

an omelette every morning is NOT GOOD for your health!!