How to Be Well-Liked in Your Classes

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While in college, one of the most important things you will do is study. If you are smart, your biggest goal will not be to become the best liked person on campus. If the latter just comes naturally, of course, than more power to you. That being said, my title seems pointless. The goal of this post is not so much so that you will be popular among your classmates so much as it is to give you tips so that you do not make their college career more difficult.

1. Before you ask a question, decide whether it benefits anyone in the class other than you. If it is something that the teacher has gone over more than twice, or about a situation that applies only to you, wait until class is over to talk to the professor one-on-one or go see him or her during office hours. On that note, keep the "What if" scenarios to a minimum and keep them reasonable.


2. College is a great place for debate, and everyone has their own opinion. However, the middle of class is not the time or place to get aggressive. If you and another student or the professor disagree, handle it like the adults you are and discuss things calmly. If necessary, agree to disagree.


3. Before you go on any kind of tangent or attempt to steer the professor down another track, decide whether or not what you have to say is relevant, at least in part, to the class. For example, your feelings about the nation's exercise habits may be a very good thing to share during health class, but not in the middle of marketing class.

4. Respect your fellow students and the professor. There will be annoying classmates no matter what your major is but resist the urge to roll your eyes every time they open their mouths, or talk about them behind their backs. This goes for your professor as well. Don't interrupt anyone while they are talking, have patience, give everyone a chance, they might surprise you.

Readers, is there any advice that you would add to the list?

Gift Guide

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With Christmas right around the corner, and Hanaukah already begun, presents are on everyone's mind. Here are a few ideas of what to get for some of the people in your life.

Parents:
They might appreciate some of your school paraphenelia, such as a bumber sticker, license plate frame, or a sweatshirt. Buy at your bookstore if you can get a student deal (there might be extra discounts near the end of the semester) or, if your school is better known, shop around for the best deal.

Friends:
If they are also in school, then gift cards are an excellent choice. Get one for the restaurant students like to hang out at, or for iTunes or Amazon.com. Some places, including Kroger and Giant Eagle will offer money off of your next gas purchase if you spend enough on gift cards, so check out those places first.

Groups:
Are you president of a club and need to get gifts for all of the members? This is what I did one year: I went to a dollar store and bought the needed number of decorative jars, and then bought a bunch of bags of candy to fill it up. I think I spent about ten dollars on six gifts.

Sister:
Whether older or younger, you can't really go wrong with makeup or jewlery. Make it age appropriate and something you know she will like. You can get a wide range of products at a nearby drugstore.

Brother:
Chances are, your brother loves movies. Find him a DVD of some lesser known movie that is in his favorite genre. These will be well-priced and often available in the discount store of anywhere from Blockbuster to your local grocery store.

Related articles

• The 20 Gift Cards Consumers Want Most [STUDY] (mashable.com)
• Dealing with the best and worst gift cards (msnbc.msn.com)

Facebook Hits a Major Milestone

Facbook.com, the bane and crutch of nearly every college student (as well as high school students and adults) now has 500 million users. While this is clearly a big step for the company, as well as a success story for the rest of to marvel at (Facebook was started by a couple of students out of a dorm room at Harvard) I'm not sure I really see the big deal. After all, we've all known Facebook was a big deal since it gained a following at other schools in 2006. This is sort of like when McDonald's sold their one billionth hamburger.

I won't lie, I suspect that this, coupled with the "Facebook Stories" is a bit of a marketing ploy to get attention and raise the value of their ads. Afterall, Facebook has been dealing with some negative press lately. Users were pretty upset over the changes in the privacy settings and rumors have been going around the site (although likely unfounded) that Facebook is going to start charging. Also, some hate sites have been showing up, although none of them seen as a huge threat. I suspect this is leading to some people the site and others boycotting it. And, while this is not a huge issue, people are finding that Facebook is no longer what it once was; the layout is changing every couple of months, and applications are continuing to take over. Not to mention the companies' and their ads are filling up the feeds.

This leads me to another suggestion about why Facebook is celebrating such a landmark. While it is a marketing tool, it is more noble than what I have implied. Facebook wants to return to its roots, hence the "Facebook Stories" showing Facebook in a positive light. Maybe Facebook wants to show that it is a way to connect with friends rather than a way for companies to bug their markets easier.

What you think? Is this milestone something to celebrate or just ignore? Leave your answers in the comments section.

More about Facebook's milestone.
Clcik here for information about Facebook's founding.
A Facebook movie?

The Social Scene After College

Right now, making friends is pretty easy. You go to class, a club, or sit down with a stranger in the cafeteria. Maybe you even become best friends with your roommate. But what about after graduation? This seems especially daunting if you'll be moving to a new city. Jezebel has a good article with some tips here. And remember, even if some of these tips don't work, or you do face some horror stories (not real horror stories, just some embarrassment) like the article mentions, at least it'll make for some good conversation when you meet new people!