Technology makes everything easier if you just know how to utilize it.
So you’ve missed lots of lectures? The internet has the help you need and you won’t even have to put on pants. Khanacademy (https://www.khanacademy.org/) is a great site that leaps to mind. It covers math, salve science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even reaches into the humanities with videos on finance and history. YouTube is the same, it has brilliant video tutorials for all your panicked student needs, like this gem – Shotgun Histology, a YouTube channel dedicated to imparting knowledge about histology really quickly. It got me through my first medical exams. However, you can find different channels that can suit your needs.
Lots of college work revolves around having a good memory. There are websites for that. They aren’t great for explaining stuff but they are designed for learning off numerous definitions. A good one to look at is http://www.memrise.com. It functions like a game and in its app form it is amazing to have on your phone or tablet. However, some of the text on the app is slightly hard to read. http://ankisrs.net Is a similar site where you can build your own flash cards or look at what others have shared publicly. They have put in the effort, so you don’t have to.
Group projects are a bitch! Facebook groups are great to help get things done but there are a few other things than can ease the traumatic process. http://www.doodle.com is a way that you can get those dreaded group meetings to actually happen. It helps you figure out a slot that the most people are free at. When writing things together try www.hackpad.com or Google docs as a way of reducing the copies of work down to one simple one as they allow everyone to edit simultaneously. It might be what you need to get the most out of that hour before you have to have that group essay in.
Presentations, or even worse, group presentations, are just horrifying. www.Prezi.com is going to save you. It has got graphics that will keep your class a little more awake – death by PowerPoint is preventable. It will also take some of the pressure off. However, it can screw you over if confidentiality is an issue. Also, keep in mind that your presentation is dependant on the internet being available in that room. Pdf can save your life. It will work on pretty much all computers so you won’t be sweating it. PowerPoint is also a solid, reliable thing to do, however, other programs can be a bit more exciting.
When you are in college you are on your laptop all the time. Keeping it fast can be a problem. Disk cleanup and Disk defragmenter are programs that will give you a hand. Uninstalling programs that you don’t uses is a very good idea and can be the difference between you loving your laptop and screaming your head off at it.
With some skilful searching you can get all those textbooks / material you need for free as a Pdf online. It is much easier to read Pdfs on a tablet than a laptop – download Calibre and you can change those free Pdf’s to readable things for your ereader.
For girls sometimes your period can be quite unpredictable but if you use a period tracker consistently it will become accurate. Quite handy, there are a few free apps for phones like pink pad. Or email reminders http://www.mynextperiod.com/.
Quitting smoking
With all this talk of a smoke-free UCD this might be a good time to think about what the best ways to give up are.
Nicotine is what makes cigarettes addictive. This is not news, however, we have to talk about it when giving up. When you smoke you get a hit of nicotine within about ten seconds. This gives you the pleasure feeling that is linked with smoking. A smoker’s body comes to expect these regular doses of nicotine and if it doesn’t get it things hit the fan, including: Intense cravings, anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, as well as bad dreams, restlessness or frustration, headaches, increased appetite and problems concentrating. Nicotine replacement tries to smooth this horror over. It provides lower doses of nicotine more slowly, in a controlled way. The idea is that it will make it easier to stop smoking. The use of any nicotine replacement therapy almost doubles your chance of quitting.
So what are the options?
It is generally recommended that you use it for 12 weeks because if you use it for more than 3 months then you could easily get addicted to the replacement therapy itself. Here are the options in order of increasing effectiveness; nicotine gum, nicotine patch; nicotine inhaler; oral tablets/lozenges; nicotine nasal spray. There is evidence that combining a nicotine patch with a rapid delivery form of nicotine (any other replacement form) is more effective than a single type.
What happens when you quit?
After 20 minutes: Your blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.
After 8 hours: Oxygen levels in your blood return to normal.
After 24 hours: Your lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris. So after a night out you’ll feel that smoking cough.
After 48 hours: There is no nicotine left in your body. This is when cravings kick in. Your ability to taste and smell is greatly improved.
After 72 hours: Breathing becomes easier. Your energy levels increase.
After 2-12 weeks: Circulation improves throughout the body, making everything a whole lot easier.
After 3-9 months: Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems get better as your lung function is increased by up to 10%.
Now here are some problems with the various aids for giving us smoking.
Nasal spray gives a hot, spicy feeling at the back of the nose or throat, so you’ll get a runny nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing and watering eyes. It’s like a shot of tequila; the second one is always easier. The gum can cause ulcers and after chewing the recommended 10 to 15 pieces of it your jaw muscle ache and you can feel nauseous. The Lozenges can give you heartburn, nausea/indigestion and hiccups. The Inhaler can cause throat and mouth irritation, cough and stomach upset.
The patches may cause redness or swelling at the patch site for up to 24 hours.
However, let’s consider the problems associated with smoking.
You know them already, it causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung diseases. It makes you smell like smoke, taste like an ashtray and damages your skin. You’ll get increased amounts of infections and impotence is also on the cards because of it. Bet the side effects of giving up seem a bit better now, eh?
Electronic cigarettes are being used more and more. The device heats the liquid nicotine and changes it to a vapour. Inhale as if it was a cigarette. There’s no smell, because nothing is burning. It’s a fast delivery system similar to the inhaler and the nasal spray but it isn’t as harsh. Since it’s a newer product there hasn’t been as much research on it but it looks promising. However, they are more expensive than other quitting tools but no aide is too expensive because you’ll save in the long run. It’s an investment in yourself.
