Insego -Education and Lifestyle Blog

How to Survive High School

One of the best pieces of advice I can give you regarding high school is this: high school is just a game. You’ve got to play to win. Stay with me for a second and I hope you can understand. In high school, the most stressed factor is your academics.

However, your grades don’t always tend to reflect your knowledge. There is always that really smart guy who just doesn’t care and gets Bs, or even ends up going for the GED and having a high school diploma in just 3 months while a hardworking student will get As. At the end, who’s smarter? To see if this could be your best option, check your knowledge through these free practice tests for the GED.

The guy that got Bs without trying is probably a heck of a lot smarter than the one that got As. So what’s the key to getting those As? I’ve outlined here what I think are the 5 most important parts of getting the A.

The Ridiculous Price of College Textbooks

Of all of the times that I have struggled financially up to this point in my life, my first years in college have to lead the list. All of this is well and good because I know that getting a good college education is going to assist me in finding a job that will help me throughout my entire life.

What really stinks about this, however, is the fact that some of the things that go into a college education are just too expensive. This can make it difficult for the average person, such as me to get by.

One of the first things that I am going to mention is the fact that college textbooks are ridiculous, as far as the prices are concerned. I know that it costs a lot of money for companies to put these books together and there are production costs that need to be considered as well.

I have always wondered, however, why these textbooks are so much money whenever other books of similar quality were much lower. I was actually surprised to find out why it is that books have increased in cost so much.

Sustainable Jobs: Places to Put Your Green Degree to Use

The first sustainability degree was offered by Arizona State’s School of Sustainability just over a decade ago. Today, many major universities have created their own programs. These sustainability degrees can fall under nearly every academic discipline, from history to engineering and are offered as majors, minors, or even masters degrees.

However, this broad scope can sometimes make it difficult to narrow down your options in the business world. Here are four areas of business where your green degree sets you apart.

Design

From interior decorating to high fashion, the green movement has made its mark. The movement has revolutionized the materials and processing in industrial fields and enhanced the recycling actions in others.

Whether your interest lies with solar-powered, self-sustaining houses, or fashionable and comfortable clothing created from recyclables, the design world is a great place for you to use your education in other fields, such as engineering and urban planning, hand in hand.

Seven Ways to Lose Weight, Without Meat

There are plenty of diets out there and they all work differently for different people. A vegetarian diet is an option that works for many people. However, if you eliminate meat from your diet, you are going to be missing out on some key nutrients.

Learning a few ways to get these nutrients without meat and how to live a healthier lifestyle can be a great way to lose weight and get the most out of your diet.

Nuts

Nuts are a food that is often questioned when trying to lose weight. When eating an appropriate amount of nuts, one can get the good kind of fats and more importantly they are an excellent source of protein which could be lacking if you are no longer eating meat. There are benefits of eating both raw and toasted nuts.

Raw nuts provide enzymes that your body needs, while toasted nuts make the protein more available to your body. There also studies that show that eating a proper serving of nuts every week can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Is RateMyProfessors.com useful when picking college classes?

When it comes time to pick your college classes, RateMyProfessors has become a famous name on college campuses as students frantically look up professors, reading reviews and checking ratings. RateMyProfessors.com has become a quick way to find out what to expect from a professor you have never heard of before.

But is the information accurate? Is RateMyProfessors.com a reliable way to evaluate a professor beforehand?
From my experiences? Yes, but you need to know what to look for.

What to look at on a professor’s profile:

High School Scholarships

If you think that scholarships are only meant for college and research students, then you are mistaken. There are specific scholarship programs for senior as well as junior high school students. Scholarships for high school students allow students to start their educational journey without any burden of costly school expenses.

Various private firms, individuals, corporate houses, charitable organizations, non-profit organizations and academic institutions provide scholarships to the desired students. Apart from the citizenship criteria, these scholarships have their own set of conditions for eligible candidates.

Some are need-based grants whereas there are other grants that are merit-based. There are several other grants for high school students where suitable candidates are selected through competitions like essay contests or painting competitions.

Regents Must Refine Standards for Vocational Students & New Immigrants

The educational establishment, the private sector, many politicians and almost all the editorial pages have confused high standards (good) with high-stakes testing (often bad), which will have terrible consequences for many of our high school seniors, especially for recent immigrants and those pursuing vocational careers.

The New York Board of Regents was urged to revisit the ‘one-size-fits-all’ high-stakes-testing-in-five-subjects rule for English Language Learners and students in vocational programs, and I am fully supportive of two key and related bills:
English Language Learners (ELL)
One bill, sponsored by one of the Assemblymen and already approved by the Education Committee, would waive the requirement of passing the English language arts Regents examination for ELLs in order for them to be awarded their high school diploma. This legislation would create a structure for ELLs who fulfill all other requirements for a local high school diploma and who, in addition, pass a Regents competency exam in their native language plus an English proficiency exam, to get their diplomas and move on.

Is creativity better than Intelligence?

The majority of educational organizations and businesses still continue to value intelligence above creativity, but this begins to change. You can find increasingly more attention for innovation and creativity.

Just lately, I was reading an interview with Gatorade inventor Dr. James Robert Cade’s daughter, Phoebe Cade Miles, and she states that creativity is a more substantial forecaster of success in a persons life than intelligence. Phoebe strongly believes in the power of creativity.

She explained that indeed intelligence is easier to measure, easier to control, and easier to recognize, but that it is definitely worth to check out creative people and to educate yourself to think in a creative way because thinking creatively will result in success.

Cade Miles is now busy working on the new project, The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention. This museum, is scheduled to open in 2015 and it explores the history of the famous Gatorade athletic drink, and highlights the vital role creativity played in the invention.

How To Be More Creative

Paul Ellis Swimming the Yucatan Channel

Paul Harold Ellis, a 61-year old Texas Grandfather, swam for 35 miles across the Caribbean waters to raise awareness for the Coral Reef Destruction problem.

The problems that the world’s coral reefs are facing are not new. Already in 2004, on August 5, Paul Harold Ellis, a 61-year old Texas grandfather, businessman, environmentalist, ex-Marine aviator, sports enthusiast, and community activist, started out on an incredible journey.

He swam from Cozumel, a Mexican Island, for 35 miles across the Yucatan Channel to Mexico’s mainland in Cancun. He never stopped and did it all by himself! To see more about Swimming in Yucatan, check out this video:

Tips for Eco-Friendly Travel

For many families, summer travel like we all did a few months ago, is a tradition. Whether visiting family or friends, going to a class reunion, or spending a week in the outdoors, your travel plans don’t have to interrupt your interest in living in a way that is environmentally-friendly and ecologically responsible.

Consider these eco-friendly travel items and practices as a way to streamline your travel and go green at the same time:

Buy eco-friendly suitcases. New eco-friendly suitcases are made from a variety of recycled products such as ABS plastics, plastic pop bottles, and repurposed garment fabrics. Offering all of the conveniences such as swivel wheels and multiple zipped pockets, you’ll have plenty of room for all of the items that you need to take with you.
Skip the towels. Many hotels now give you the option to reuse your towels instead of getting new ones each day. Why is that important? Hotels around the world literally use millions of gallons of water each day to wash bed linens and towels. Using your towels for more than one day – much as you would at home – saves water and detergent costs.
Try public transportation. Instead of renting a car or driving everywhere on your vacation, consider using public transportation. Cost-effective and easy to navigate, city transportation allows you and your family to get where you need to go without gas costs or wear and tear on your car.

As you can see, there are many ways to make sure that your summer travel is just as green on the road as it is at home. Try these tips and have an eco-friendly trip!