Apparently college students had it right all along – naps improve all-day learning abilities.

This study suggests that if you’re trying to cram in facts you need to recall later, a same-day nap before your last-minute cram might be more helpful than powering through your day with nervous energy.

Naps Can Seriously Improve All-Day Learning Abilities

(Image via Flickr)

Today is reading day, a day when you’re supposed to “read.” What are students doing other than reading? Check out our list from last year.

In other news, congratulations to the 2010 Siebel Scholars from Illinois:

They join an elite group chosen on the basis of outstanding academic performance and demonstrated qualities of leadership. Each will receive a $35,000 award established by the Siebel Scholars Foundation to recognize the most talented students at the world’s leading graduate schools of business, computer science, and bioengineering.

As college students, many of us find it hard to cook healthy meals. There is not much available time available money to prepare food, so we resort to a quick snack, or something highly unhealthy.

If you are in this category, take a look at this recipe for “The Best Pot Roast Ever.”

I’m usually a from-scratch kind of cook, and the sort of “semi-homemade” ingredients for this pot roast make me cringe a bit. But although I’ve tried other recipes and other methods, this one beats them all hands-down. I got the recipe from an old friend after enjoying it at her house a couple of times and wondering why my pot roast was never as good as Kim’s pot roast

See the recipe on the Get Rich Slowly blog.

Photo by Merelymel13.

If you’re like many college students, paying for cable is just not worth it – no time to watch and TV just takes you away from your studies anyway. But sometimes you really need to catch that big sports game. In these cases, use ESPN 360.

ESPN 360 is a service by ESPN where you can view live sporting events on your computer. This is amazingly useful to any college student on a budget.

It works like this. To get access to ESPN 360, you need to be on an internet connection with your cable carrier (Cable internet through Charter Communications or Comcast, for example). When you go home, you can create an account and “Associate” it with your cable connection. After association, you are able to use ESPN 360 at any internet connection. You can now see the big sports events while you’re on campus. Go Illini!

It’s October now. You’re caught between watching the leaves fall and studying for exams. You’re in up to your knees in homework and you have no idea if tomorrow will be sunny or snowy. You’ve forgotten that we even have a football team and you’re ready for basketball season. The last thing that you want to think about right now is more school, specifically, next semester. Too bad, because it’s time to schedule those classes!

That’s right, folks, it’s registration season. Advisor meetings, DARS Audits, and time tickets are here. Luckily for you, The Quad is your one-stop shop for registration.

To learn the details about time tickets and online registration, read this.

Some of the details have changed recently. Illinexus for instance, no longer exists. Scheedule, however has upgraded features to include those that Illinexus was known for.  

Here’s a quick run-down of what you need to suceed:

1. Generate a DARS audit to see what credits you have and what you still need to take. Hint: Use the “What-If” function to determine if a class will meet a requirement that you need. Also check out your department’s standard flow-chart if available.

2. Use Scheedule to build your ideal schedule. You can build the schedule yourself, or let the software generate one for you. Just be sure to save it!

3. Check your time-ticket to see when you can register. Popular classes will fill up quickly, so be sure to have those CRN’s ready when your time-ticket opens. Use the Spring 2010 Course Catalog for accurate numbers. Check out the Office of Records to see how your time-ticket compares to other’s.

Good luck!

As college students we always need an energy boost. You don’t have to rely on unhealthy energy drinks!

Change your socks for refreshment.
Have a piece of chocolate.
Wake up at the same time everyday.
Avoid energy drinks.
Sniff some citrus.

See more ideas for more energy at Zenhabits: 55 Ways to Get More Energy. Also, check out the U of I Oasis on campus and in the Illini Union.

Photo by Łukasz Strachanowski.

Studying is a numbers game – you have a certain amount of time which you devote to studying, and you want to maximize your returns by learning as much useful information in that time as possible.

Over the past few years I’ve participated in many study groups. One thing I have learned is that the size of your study group really does matter.

If you have too many people, there is too much noise, and a higher chance that there will be an outlier person who is consistently holding the group back (“Wait can you please explain that again?!”). You may be tempted to think that the more people at the study session, the better chance that there will be an expert in a particular subject present. That may be true, but in my experience the friction of too many diverse knowledge levels is far greater than the possible speed-ups of having more people present.

Alternatively, If you have too few people there is a high chance that there will be topics that nobody in your group understands the material. For example, if you’re studying for that big Chemistry exam and noone knows how to balance chemical equations, it will take much more time for everyone to look it up in the book than for a single expert (that is, the “expert” of your group being the person with the most knowledge on the subject) to explain it quickly and concisely to everyone at the study session.

For more information there is an interesting article about Effects of Group Size on Problem Solving, and computer security expert Bruce Schneier has some interesting observations about group dynamics as well.

The size of your study group does matter. The optimal size may be different based on class, personalities, etc. – just be sure to think about it when you’re planning your exam study groups.

Photo by Valley Library

If you’re like one-fourth of the students on the Illinois campus, you have student season ticket vouchers in your possession. Now here’s the real scoop on how to get the best seats in the house.

The first thing you should know if that unless you are a Block-I member, all you have is a voucher for a football ticket. The voucher guarantees you a ticket, but it must be exchanged for a real ticket during the week of the game.

If you haven’t gotten your vouchers yet, they are available at the Assembly Hall.  We strongly encourage you to pick-up your tickets by Friday to avoid lines on game day.  The Athletic Ticket Office will be open this Thursday and Friday from 9 am – 5pm. 

Important Pick-Up Information:        

• Student football tickets can be picked-up at the Assembly Hall (enter at West Main Entrance).
• Student must show their UIUC ID to pick-up their tickets.
• Students will only be allowed to pick-up their own tickets.

Get your Tickets

The voucher says “redeemable Monday-Thursday at the Athletic Ticket Office,” but there is usually the Illini ticket trailer parked out on the northwest corner of the quad during each game week – you can trade in your tickets there between 9am-5pm during game week. Even better – you can give your voucher and iCard to a friend to have him or her pick up the whole group’s tickets together. This guarantees that you’ll be in the same section (see below). The ticket line can get very bogged down between class periods, and to make sure it moves swimmingly, be sure you have an iCard for each voucher you are exchanging. Also, on the bottom of the voucher there is a space to write in your UIN. Please do this before you get in line. Nobody wants to wait for your to fill in your UIN.

Additionally, if you don’t pick up your tickets Mon-Fri, you can get them on game day prior to kick-off at the white ticket booth on the east side of the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility, on the corner of Pennsylvania & Fourth.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

Did you know there are actually 2 sections of student tickets? Did you know that if you have tickets to one section, you can’t even get to the other!? Yes, it’s quite outrageous. The first (and best) section is in the traditional “student section” – the special grand stand at the north end zone of the football field. The Block-I tickets are in the middle of this area, and the student ticket holders are in the outside sections. The north end zone tickets are given away first and are usually available Monday & Tuesday (they typically run out of north end zone tickets mid Tuesday). After the north end zone tickets are gone, the east sideline tickets are exchanged.

The other section is in the normal sideline stands, in the lower deck, near the north-east corner. These are the tickets that go after the student section is totally full. If you get a ticket for this area you cannot go visit your friends in the end-zone student section. To combat this, make sure you pick up your tickets with your friends at the same time to ensure you get the same section.

Student ID Required

Once you’ve exchanged your voucher, you have a guaranteed seat in the stadium. The ticket reads “Student ID Required.” I have had football tickets for four years now, and I have never needed my I-Card. You just walk in and give them your ticket. Most of the time it is fellow students who are taking tickets anyway. Don’t take my word, however, because the regulations may have changed this year.

Follow The Quad in the upcoming days to learn more about the ins and outs of home football games.

The weather in central Illinois can be mischievous and unpredictable. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on my way from one class to the other when the clouds decide to open and pour down a mid-afternoon rain shower. The situation wouldn’t be too bad if I had maybe brought an umbrella with me, but of course I hadn’t. How many times has this happened to you?

I’m hear to give you some advice. Bring an umbrella. If you don’t have one, buy one now. Just a small one that will fit in your bag. There is nothing worse than having to buy an umbrella while it’s raining (they like to raise the prices during these peak moments). Don’t be that guy who ignores the fact that it’s raining and just continues on his merry way. We all know it’s raining. We can all see you walking in the rain. Stop it.

If you don’t like the rain at all, carry around a giant golf umbrella everywhere you go. You will look much more legitimet. You can even use it as a cane or spin it around like Willy Wonka.

Words to live by: Check the weather forecast each morning. If there is at least a 40% chance of rain, be sure you have an umbrella in your bag.

Good luck out there.

We’ve been hearing about the H1N1 virus (or Swine Flue) for quite some time, but now that 40,000 young adults are living and working together again, this flu is getting serious. As reported by the DI today, eight students have been diagnosed with H1N1, and one of those cases is in the Armory House. According to Dr. David Lawrance, a spokesman for McKinley Health Center, “One in three students will become infected with the H1N1 virus by winter break.”

Now don’t get too worried. This is just a prediction, and we should be able to handle this. As reported by The Quad in late April, it is important to be aware of the signs and preventative measures:

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu in humans and may include fever of greater than 100 degrees F, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache and body aches, and fatigue.

To prevent the spread of swine flu, avoid contact with ill persons; when you cough or sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your sleeve (if you don’t have a tissue), and throw the tissue in a trash can; after coughing or sneezing, wash your hands with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand gel; if you think you are ill with flu, avoid close contact with others as much as possible, and stay at home or in your hotel room. Seek medical care if you are severely ill (such as having trouble breathing).

For more information, visit the McKinley Health Center Web site: http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu

UPDATE: Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Flier

This is serious. If you are sick, get help; don’t spread it.