The Transition The transition from a school student to a college fresher is immaculate. You instantly start behaving differently, you dress a little quirkier, you have a whole new set of friends, and in fact, a whole new life, right? All the things your parents and others said you could do later, once you get into college can be ticked off that bucket list now. So much to do in such little time. While the college life in itself is a whole new experience and every day an adventure, no one really tells us how to make the best of it. Looking back at my “fresher” days, I remember how excited I was about literally everything in life. From college fests, events, assignments, internships, Canteen Food, everything. I wanted to experience it all to the fullest. Unfortunately, even before I knew it, I was engulfed by the huge heap of assignments and deadlines while trying to catch up on my favorite TV show, keeping up with my friends and trying to stay sane. Relatable? Keep reading to know how you can make the best of this experience. The “Academic-Life” Balance While they say “You will enjoy your college life” they also conveniently leave the “you’ll-drown-in hectic-timelines-the-numerous-assignments-presentations-exams-etc” part of it all. From hanging out with your friends almost every day, you go to rarely meeting them after college as you have to complete those pending assignments. While all of this is happening, one fine day you suddenly realize how much you actually are missing out on. In between all of this you neglect your health, sleep pattern is messed up, and you hardly ever have some “me” time. Which to be honest, is important. Among the plethora of things I wish I’d known as a fresher or even as a college student, if I had to pick one, I’d pick the importance of having a routine. While this sounds mundane and something you can “deal with” when it happens and/or something you think is not that important, trust me, it is imperative. It took me almost a year after leaving college to realize and understand the importance of having a routine and how that could have reduced the anxiety I had throughout those years. Sure, you might argue saying the term routine in itself sounds “robotic,” however, on the contrary, it helps you step back and take a fresh breath of air more often, which is a win, to begin with. A routine also helps you manage your time and chores accordingly, thereby making it a good academic-life balance. It basically helps you have “a life.” Why it is important Why is following a routine important you may ask. Routine basically helps you manage time and tasks better. When you manage your time, you get more chores done, you focus on the activity better, your anxiety is manageable, and you get to focus on yourself for a change thereby making you feel healthier and happier. Healthy You Happy You Following a routine has its own health benefits. The better you plan and stick to your routine, you focus on eating better, you catch up on your sleep, you set your priorities and tend to procrastinate lesser. Proper rest has a direct impact on the quality of work you do. The clearer your mind is and the better you are rested will affect how well you think, how much you get done and how you function through the day. How to find your routine Not everyone can follow the same routine, having said that, you can, however, take inspiration from sample routine patterns online and customize it according to your need and lifestyle. As and when you complete tasks the sense of accomplishment will further boost your confidence and drive you to do better. The better you plan your day, the better you manage things and thereby accomplish more than what you would if you did not follow a routine. This also helps in avoiding any unforeseen circumstance that could impact your productivity. Keeping in mind the current situation where nothing is certain, a routine undoubtedly helps keep you sane. Looking at how the year 2020 commenced and how all our plans went to a toss, most of us realized we did not accomplish much while we had the time on our hands. I understand a number of people had a tough time in 2020, however, I look at it differently. We have the time and the resources to get things done, learn new skills, try something you always wanted to, pick up a new hobby etc. All of this is possible only if there is a routine in place, or else everything goes haywire. Just remember to follow a simple routine, you do not want to overburden yourself and put too much on your plate. Customize your routine to compliment your lifestyle A decent pattern that helps you cover all the necessary areas of work/study is good enough. Allow me to share a sample of what I am talking about. Mandatory tasks- Narrow down your mandatory tasks – your sleeping hours, meals, breaks, chores, academics, work, hobbies, etc. Sub-categories – Set sub-categories for the said tasks and allocate time for the same. Set small goals – Example, will finish chapter 2-5 today and 6-8 tomorrow. Consistency is your best friend – Set a specific time and duration for each task and follow the same time pattern Be prepared – if you have everything prepared and ready to start, you will not procrastinate. Track your progress – how much was expected to complete, what is done, what is pending, etc. Reward yourself – will watch one episode of friends once chapter 2-5 is complete. Conclusion I know this sounds overwhelming, however, once you set a routine and follow the pattern in no time you will notice the positive change in the way you work and get things done. You will have to create a couple of routine patterns before you are

With the necessary evolution of human life, the advancement of technology has evolved into the only way to move forward and continually survive. One such pattern of technological evolution is the much spoken about 3D printing. If you really zero in the origination of 3D printing, you will realise that the concept of 3D printing comes from the singular notion of need. There is an increasing need to create products, models, prototypes; since it has become more important currently. Likewise, it was only a matter of time that these numerous benefits to using 3D printing, has led to the inherent belief that 3D printing will become a way of life and education too. Here are some ways through which 3D printing can transform our lives in the next 10 years: 1. The Burgeoning field of Biotechnology Like all kinds of technology, the advent of 3D printing is a massive paradigmatic shift and a revolutionary change. As you can see, in the field of biotechnology and biochemistry, the value of 3D printing is increasing day by day. In fact, did you know that scientists predict that it will be the only way forward for this field? Read on to understand this further! As we are well aware, Biotechnology is an integral group of studies that supports the data from biology and harnesses it to drive solutions. In this field, the importance of technology is at an all-time high. Therefore, the usage of 3D printing here can be understood in the sense that it allows the creation of tissues and cells by using a 3D printing method. By depositing each layer, biotechnology can create medical parts with the ability to create tissues of similar properties as the natural human body. These structures have applications in multiple fields, such as tissue engineering, medical engineering and so on. Due to the importance placed on this 3D printing in the biotechnology field, the way to master is also a meticulous process. Very few universities offer a thoroughly planned curriculum with enough exposure to practice. Garden City University ‘s B.Sc. in Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Genetics is a unique course which is packed with an advanced framework that helps students get a first-hand understanding of the industry. Through this course, even though the students can’t understand how 3D printing works and the scenarios that revolve around 3D printing, but it gives a thorough insight into the associated disciplines such as molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics and so on. What we need to understand is that there is no singular focus when it comes to this field. It is absolutely necessary to know in detail about all the important associate disciplines, or else contributing to the field will be a slow process. Garden City University offers a well-researched curriculum to support this. What in fact makes this a further step is that the university also offers a Masters in Biotechnology, as well as a Doctorate in Biotechnology. Here they go beyond and offer an advanced curriculum including but not restricted to their B.Sc. course. They have also included studies of Immunology & Immuno-technology, Plant Biotechnology & Agricultural Biotechnology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics & Research Methodology, Genetic Engineering, Proteomics & Genomics, Animal Biotechnology and so on. Sources: Goldbio, Bio.org, Hindawi 2. Of Forensics and more! Being a forensic professional is the ability, or perhaps art, of seeing the fine lines. There is always a need to include technology in this sector because there is only so much that humans can derive. For example, if humans perish due to some big disaster that will change them into an irreversible skeleton, it will be definitely difficult to examine the object and derive findings. You know what 3D printing can do – it is to utilize it entirely reconstruct as well as replicate the object. Facial reconstruction is necessary for this field, and this is something that 3D printing can help with by using unidentified skeletal remains. A course around this topic needs to be carefully packed with up-to-date data, as well as the necessary exposure to master the studies. Unfortunately for us, not many universities in India offer this, for the research behind the topic has to be extensive. Garden City university offers a detailed and particularly researched degree on this topic. In fact, like most of their other courses, they also offer M.Sc. in Forensics, which helps students turn into all-round forensic experts. Source: Research Gate, 3D Print, Forensic Sciences PDF 3. Molecular way ahead! If you travel back in time and drive nostalgic wave to back in school, you would remember that we were informed about the importance of molecules. Seemed simple back, then right? Molecules are a “group of atoms bonded together’, a very easy way to explain a highly complicated field of studies. Without certain molecules, cells and organisms cannot survive. This is essentially to say that removing the life of molecules will yield massive destruction to human and animal life, perhaps even go beyond to say atmospheric destruction. Therefore, the level of importance of molecular studies has always been massive. With the increasing advancement of 3D printing, it was realized that this is yet another aspect that can be included in molecular studies. Hence, upon incorporating it, the outcomes were tremendous. Garden City offers the right course for those interested in the field of molecular and human genetic sciences, with the necessary advanced modules in research, technical assistance and of course, highly knowledgeable professors. It is one of the best courses offered in the country, with special importance provided to 3D printing. Upon completing B.Sc. in Molecular and Human Genetics, students are in fact encouraged to study further. The university also offers a Master’s program in the same field (M.Sc. in Molecular and Human Genetics). Such courses help students to excel in the field, and academic excellence such as accomplishing degrees from a university as reputed as Garden City University will push students to strive further and create a difference in this field. Sources: Sculpteo, Science

It is common knowledge that when it comes to having a healthy lifestyle, India as a country has rarely managed to keep a positive track record. Obesity, sleeplessness, depression are some of the major life taking problems that all Indians deal with daily as a result of unhealthy lifestyle routines. In a list of healthiest countries compiled by the United Nations and World Health Organization, India ranked in the lowly 103rd position, scoring just an overall of 22 percentage. Leading psychologists and human behavioral experts point out that our country’s young adult population faces the maximum brunt of this due to poor lifestyle choices they adhere to during their college years. But worry not, only simple tweaks and adjustments are needed to be made in a student’s life to become a much happier and healthier person in the long run. Watch what you eat Life as a school student was simple. Eat what is on your plate, eat without complaining and do not waste food. These are some extremely familiar phrases we have heard all our life. But it is unseemingly difficult to stick to these practices once college happens to you. All of a sudden, we start deciding our meals. But this is rarely seen as a responsibility by all young adults. Unmonitored and unplanned eating habits during our college days have catastrophic effects on our body and before long it becomes impossible to make changes to it. A recent survey published in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) on 450 college students in Mumbai found that students with faulty eating habits were the ones who showed strong symptoms of depression and suicidal behaviour.  Words like anorexia and Bulimia have become synonymous with student life. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 10-20 per cent of women and 4 to 10 per cent of men in the 18–21-year category was most susceptible to these disorders. Also, 35 per cent of students who started dieting without a physician’s guidance progressed to develop severe eating disorders.  This might sound scary but there are simple solutions to fix this. Keep this phrase in mind before eating anything the next time, ‘You are what you eat’. Be conscious of calorie count, fat, protein, fibre and carbohydrates content of everything you eat. Instead of having three heavy meals a day, try eating five to six smaller and lighter meals. Most importantly eat on time. Before every meal, look at your plate. Ask yourself if what you are going to eat will improve your health or not.  Move those Muscles Exercise is the only activity that makes our body produce all the four happy hormones- Serotonin, Oxytocin, Dopamine and Endorphin- in healthy quantities. The dearth of sufficient exercise has devastating effects on the body and mind. While most are aware of the effect it has on the mind, many ignore the effects of this on the mind. Depression and anxiety are India’s most potent dangers to students’ lives today. The Youth Survey 2017 conducted by Hindustan Times in 16 state capitals including Bengaluru, revealed shocking results. Out of the 5,700 respondents aged between 22-25 years, 70 per cent did not exercise regularly and 63 per cent did not monitor their diet. College life is hectic. Yes, it is a phase that will make or break your career. But this applies to your body as well. Hence, it is extremely crucial to make space and time to exercise. Exercise can be just about anything. It is definitely not confined to lifting weights in the gym. Do you like the park next to your college canteen? Take a long walk. Does your college have a swimming pool? Take a dive. The choice is yours. But make it a habit, a routine. Sleep, Sleep and More Sleep Most adults refer to their childhoods with joy and happiness. Ever wonder why? That’s because most kids get a good eight hours of sleep every day. While it is challenging to inculcate in our adult lives, we must try harder and prioritize our sleep cycle. The benefits of the above mentioned two activities cannot be achieved and will be rendered useless if we do not get restful sleep. A recent international survey by Fitbit across 18 countries ranked India to be the second most sleep-deprived country in the world who got only 77 mins of deep sleep every day. In Sleep Journal 2019, it was said that students with insufficient sleep had a 20 per cent increased risk of mental health disorders including loneliness, desire to hurt oneself and anxiety. So, after a long day, keep your gadgets away before going to bed and tuck in. Develop a routine (No, it’s not boring) To keep yourself engaged and busy in a healthy manner, maintaining a routine is important. Repetition, in general, is boring, but in this case, it’s definitely not.  A routine needn’t be just exercising or attending classes, it could consist of watering the plants in the common room every day, or learning to cook a simple dish or even feeding the street dogs in your campus some biscuits. A routine keeps the body sharp and the anticipation to finish these tasks keeps the mind sharp. Take it easy, Take a break Like any other machine, our body and mind need a regular change of oil too. For that, it is important for students to figure out their way of unwinding. Creating goals is good. Achieving them is even better. But quality matters. Be it attending a career-changing interview or completing an assignment, they need to be done well with precision. And this can be fulfilled only by taking a sufficient number of breaks when one feels like it. There is a difference between over stressing on work & working hard know the difference and take care of your health at any cost, also find your refresh button. And use it often.

Hey there fresher! All of us look forward to the day we graduate from high school and are all set to go to college. The entire lifestyle is hyped up by everyone around us. There is newfound freedom in college, you know what I mean? You are no longer just a little school student, but the perfect blend between a student and an adult. This is my favourite kind of combination if you ask me. You enjoy the freedom of a student while gaining life experiences as an adult. You learn so much as a college student without even realising it, both academically and professionally. Learning something new? Journal it in The one thing I wish I knew as a college student would be to have realised and consciously made a note of the things I was learning along the way. By making notes of what one is learning you also understand what you like, prefer and enjoy doing, which comes in handy when you are job hunting. This way you set your priorities right and do not get stuck in a job you do not enjoy contributing to. As a school student, I remember I was terrified of speaking in front of a large audience, however, surprisingly; I started doing much better in front of a crowd in college. I realised this back then because it surprised me. Someone who was mortified of the crowd was now a little comfortable, I made note of this and consciously worked on it. Little did I know, this would eventually help me at my workplace where I am constantly expected to conduct meetings with the higher management, different teams, employees etc. Looking back at how far along I have come, had I put in a little more effort into pushing my boundaries and working on my public speaking skills, I would have enjoyed the college life a tad more. Follow young entrepreneurs online There are a plethora of videos on the internet that can help you with literally anything. Be it, public speaking, learning a new skill, a new language, you name it, it is available online. The easiest platform where you can enjoy learning is Instagram, surprising, isn’t it? There are so many coaches available on Instagram that create thought-provoking short videos. These are convenient because they are not overpowered with a lot of knowledge, but enough to put the message across. I have mentioned a few of my favourite content creators along with this blog/ These creators help with building a personality, characteristics, teach you hacks to secure a better future and a lot more in less than 30 seconds. Deepak Pareek – Deepak creates content for the millennials, are you hooked already? He’s been a speaker on Ted-X thrice so far. His content revolves around things you and I should know and how we can utilise the simple life-changing behaviour patterns to help secure our future and grow as an individual. One of his recent videos was on two mistakes we must avoid in our early 20’s – Millennials Mistake. You can check his other videos out if this is something that interests you. Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are The common notion I notice in college students is, the ones with similar personalities hang out more often. While this is great and make for some really good friends, it is not necessary they are the ones you need to stick with throughout. Another important lesson I learnt was making friends from different backgrounds, those who have a different goal in life than yours, those who like different things, who enjoy other activities than what you usually engage with are the ones who help you widen your perspective in life. They are the ones who help you grow as an individual. Surround yourself with ones who have high expectations from life and the ones who work hard to make their dreams their reality; they are who motivate you just by hanging around with you. Look out for yourself for a change A secure future is not just in terms of your career or the skills you pick up; it is also about a healthy living, both in terms of physical health and your mental health. You can also follow coaches online who talk about how we can adapt a healthy eating lifestyle at an early stage to carry that good health longer. With the current fast-paced world, you also need to learn how to balance a job and your life, giving each equal importance. Your mental health is more important than you realise, therefore invest your time in understanding your emotions, your trigger points and work towards learning how you can best help yourself. A couple of ways you can focus and better your mental health are by avoiding drugs, smoking and consuming alcohol. Additionally, you can also start a new activity and blend it into your daily routine. Exercise to your body is also a good and effective way to keep your mental health balanced. You can certainly pick up a sport such as Football or Basketball; get involved in some friendly neighbour matches on a weekly basis. You can read more about the simple ways to keep a check on your mental health by reading this article – Mental Health Make your mind your best friend Speaking of mental health, the other key factor that helps maintain a healthy mind is a healthy body. What you eat plays an important role in how you feel and function throughout the day. If you have not already, pick up on some good eating habits for 15 days and see for yourself. You instantly start feeling better, healthier; the results are directly seen through your skin. The one thing I struggled the most with, in college was, PIMPLES! Had I taken my diet seriously back then I would not have these pimple scars staring back at me every day. Along with a healthy

Here are Some Tips & Strategies that would Help you Become a Better Learner Online. Hotel management is the fastest growing industry in the field of hospitality and tourism. It involves dealing with people throughout the day, greeting and managing them and working for their comfort. Hotel management is primarily concerned with food and living space, the building and lodging of the guests, above all comfort and satisfaction of the customers. But have you ever researched the scope of hotel management studies and why one should study the same? We have collected all the basic and necessary details for you here. Read on to know more. Here are some simple, quick and easy to adapt tips that will help you become a better online learner. Find a colleague or a friend to study together Unless you commit to something, it isn’t actually possible. Ensure that you have a friend who is in the same course and start the course together. You can also form a group of friends who would be studying the same course together. When you are stuck at an instance, these friends would pull you up together, be it for any instance. Start small and set deadline It is way simpler, convenient and easier than classroom learning. You need to always start with a single course or a single class and set a feasible deadline. And then work towards it sincerely. This will help you reach your targets, one at a time. You can certainly go in your own pace, but don’t make it so long that the year passes by. Establish a schedule Establishing a schedule helps you in many ways. Don’t put everything for the weekend. Make plans for every day’s tasks. The most productive hours of the day should go for studies. Your classwork, watching videos, practicing, all of it should be done over the weekdays itself. One day over the weekend you can block for practicing or revision. Routine helps you structure your life and commitments in a more disciplined way. Cut-off yourself from all distractions Ensure that you have a study vibe around. Having pets or family or even your phone around would be a spoiler alert for you. Therefore, disconnect from all of these distractions and sit with a single focus in mind. If you have any tabs open for any of the social media pages, either log-out or disconnect the internet for all those specific windows. Have a timer handy You can adopt any of the technique for productivity. My favorite and the most used one is the Pomodoro Technique. This is actually a tried and tested one. So, you can always vouch in for the same anytime you need it. Set specific deadlines using the timer and work towards the same. Increase the speed if you are watching a video You don’t always need to go on the same normal speed when you are watching a video while learning online. You can increase the speed depending upon your understanding and how fast you pick it up. If you have any doubts you can always rewind and learn them again if you need to understand them more clearly. This is a time-saver hack that you’d definitely love. And perhaps this also increases the speed of learning a lot. Buy the books or have the resources handy Be it a guide or a text-book, make sure that you have it handy as a hard copy. It certainly gives you a positive vibe. You become more serious about the studies. It is like a second explanation once you are done watching your video. Avoid Procrastination We all have been there and done that and procrastination is something seasonal for all of us. When it comes, it stays for a long time until you pick it up and throw your procrastination in the trash. Else it remains in you making you delay and postpone the classes for an infinite time. Keeping all this in mind consider joining our courses online at the GCU website. After a couple of classes, you should definitely get a hang of it and you can be more successful than anyone before. So, good luck and happy learning!

Have you ever have had a night stay over at your friend’s place and planned for studies? We know it mostly ends up in binge watching Netflix or gossiping. But then science has time and again proved that group studies can do wonders if utilized effectively. Else, it is merely a waste of time. Teaching and learning in education are important and the methods to fulfill the objectives are changing. Active learning has become an integral part of the modern age curriculum. As we require, job embedded practice for schools and to make changes on teaching strategies and learner’s achievement impactful, the concept of group study provides a forum for different perspectives and ideas. What is a Group Study? According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, learning can be defined as the activity or process of gaining knowledge or skill by studying, practicing, being taught, or experiencing something, the activity of someone who learns, and knowledge or skills that gained from learning. Studying with a group is a great way to lighten up study pattern and a way to grabbing knowledge. Group Study involves a small group of people who regularly meet to discuss and share the resources, knowledge or notes prepared by them which makes learning enjoyable. Need for group study: To have an exposure to different ways of thinking and learning, to develop and discuss ideas and implementation of those conveniently To Provide support and motivation for learning To Increase self-confidence group study plays a vital role To promotes diversity and Helps to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Group study enhances students test performance, stimulates interest and helps in learning team work. Advantages of group study over Self study Different students have different studying approaches and techniques which depend on their preferences, character, nature, and availability of resources. Meeting regularly with your group reduces procrastination as there is healthy competition while they prepare for important exams and assignments. Groups have more information than a single individual and greater well of resources to tap and more information. Groups stimulate creativity and innovative techniques. People remember group discussions better especially in the debate form and have the tendency to learn more and retain it longer than when the same material is presented in other formats. It provides emotional and physical support. It encourages members to build a strong communication skill which also helps in refining and understanding of the material. Group work allows people to gain a more accurate picture of how others see them. The feedback that they receive may help them better evaluate their interpersonal behavior. Tips to make group study an effective one: Be punctual (I.e.) arrive on the time and be regular. Make sure that members of the group are able to communicate frankly and liberally. Identify the goals of the group members and plan accordingly. Pick a good study space and make a pleasant environment. Decide those things that can help to yield satisfaction. Mentally be prepared to work and revise, review notes, complete assigned readings regularly and be willing to share ideas, improve methods, provide and seek suggestions, Don’t hesitate to ask questions and clarify the questions time by time. Always be an active participant by being an active listener. Share strategies and ideas that could be helpful for the team mates. Exchange contents, information, ideas, and tasks and be helpful to everyone. Don’t postpone or split up the work. Prepare individually. Understand that Different people have different abilities and personalities in the group, which can inhibit success. Agree on what is acceptable or appropriate in terms of interactions and participation and keep the point of view whenever needed. Stay focused and make sure that sessions are not be allowed to turn into an embarrassing forum for gossip or complaints. Make feel comfortable, safe, and value other team members. Be polite and patient and try to avoid arguments as much as possible. Avoid aggressive, critical responses that might inhibit participation or degeneration of the group. Don’t interrupt between the conversations, listen carefully. Don’t monopolize the sessions. Recognize and resolve conflicts within the group quickly and handle with diplomacy. Be cooperative, not competitive—make use of each opportunity and utilize it wisely. Friends know our interests, abilities, weakness, and strengths. Try to collect your weaknesses and try to convert to your strength. Periodically assess the works. Make necessary changes need to be made. Motivate and encourage fellow members. Always Welcome new ideas and help to maintain interest unity. Wrap up and summaries the necessary ideas and suggestions. Make use of technology effectively and available to all. Think different perspectives on the subject and understand it better. Defend your ideas, perspectives, and views and find solutions that suit others whenever necessary. Organize the complete study course.

How to Overcome Stage Fear While Speaking Publicly Did you know this? Gloss phobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking. It is the fact that almost everyone has this fear at least in the initial stage or for the first time speaking in public. According to one estimate, about 75% of people who fear public speaking may have a real fear of being embarrassed or rejected. Here’s my on-stage story I have had this stage fear since the days of my primary schoolings. One of my favorite teachers requested me to take part in an oratorical competition. It was during this time when I had to get on stage and present the elocution. I was nervous as hell and did not know how to deal with it. I could refuse my teacher’s request and had no idea how I was going to present it the very next day. I came back home from school and was dumbstruck! I was an introvert and hence couldn’t communicate this to my parents or friends. I started preparing notes for the same and stood in front of the mirror looking blank on my own face. After a while, I looked at the piece of crumpled paper with some scribbled notes, started to read them. I was initially stammering and wasn’t clear on any of the words from the first sentence. I felt so terrible and tears started rolling down my eyes. My father was watching me doing all of these stunts from the window from quite some time. He knew I was into some issue and wasn’t conveying it to him. He came to my room and asked me what is it that I’m trying to achieve? I told him about the bigger challenge that I’d be encountering the next day! He gave me a few tips that helped me perform like a pro. Here are the tips Practice, Practice and more practice Get on the stage with a smile! Take a deep breath, calm yourself down and relax! Imagine your favorite person in your mind. Then present like you are talking to them. Forget that people are sitting in front of you. Talk. ..don’t present or read ever! Be Positive and self-motivated. Be yourself and don’t worry about the negativity. It is ok to miss a few points here and there. SPEAK LOUDLY, SPEAK VISUALLY! He mentioned the above points and then walked off the door. I practiced the entire night and was nervous but excited too. The next day arrived. I was all geared up for it. I knew I wasn’t well prepared but then I had gained some confidence from my father’s words. My name was called and my palms started sweating. I got off the chair and started walking towards the stage. I climbed up the stairs and was trying to recollect the points I was to present in a few seconds. Finally, when I stood in front of the podium, held the mic in my hand, saw the huge audience I was almost about to faint. But then I remembered my father’s tips. I imagined a virtual figure in my mind and started to talk with a welcome greeting. My friends weren’t very much confident about my performance on the stage , But about that they were wrong. I went on talking and finished my speech. The audience gave a big round of applause and my friends gave a thunderous one. Calming yourself down, getting the right boost before/during the preparation. Surrounding yourselves with positivity and with people, who care for you, surely helps a lot. Next time when you get on stage, drink a sip of water, smile at a friend and take over the dais. You’d be surprised with the results then!

What is a Resume? Resumes are not the ones that have a detailed listing of relevant job experience and education to obtain an interview when seeking employment. Gone are the days when resumes used to be pages long and it used to have a cover letter attached to it. Resumes have taken a new turn and it is more of graphs and charts for making it compelling for the reviewers. It just needs to have a crisp detailing about the skills and talents more importantly than the certificates and degrees. People now gauge you by what you do and how you do rather than the certified degrees and excellent results. Let’s get into the Guidelines of Creating an Effective Resume. Select a Template Before you get into preparing a resume, first find the template that you want to stick on to. You should be clear in your head, what to select and how to present. Here are the sample formats you can browse through to see which one suits the best for you. https://resumelab.com/cv-templates Start from the Basics In general, you should have your work experience including your social and community involvement and side-projects. Organize them from the most recent ones. And if you are a fresher, you will have to highlight the skill and interests that you are an expert in. Showcasing your experience adds value. At the same time, your skills matter a lot for the interviewers. Add them in bullets and pointers. Use different fonts to highlight the skills. Add relevant details of Accomplishments Add your education, degrees and certificates if any. Ensure that they are relevant to the job you are applying for. For instance, imagine you are applying for the job of a business analyst and you are good at cooking. Even if you have the best culinary skills, it does not connect with the job you are applying for. Hence, it is very important to filter the details and add them to your resume. You can certainly add various accomplishments that are relevant to the job. Add Your Personal Information Add your basic information right from the full name, email address, and also the phone number. You can also mention about relocation or work from home/ remote option if you are looking out for that. It is important for you and the interviewer to be very clear with this. You might also add your social media account details like that of LinkedIn, and the website URL if there is any. Add Resume Summary Once you have all the basic details laid out in the correct sequence, add resume summary at the beginning of the resume. This should be crisp and to the point. Here are some samples for resume summaries that you can refer to. https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-resume-summary-examples-thatll-make-writing-your-own-easier Add Infographics to Your Resume Giving your resume a creative touch is very important. Your resume should not be only texts and at the same time, it should not be colorful like a poster. Your resume should have a perfect blend of creativity and conventional format mixed together and presented in an appealing way. Here are some samples of creative resume with infographics. https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-sites-to-create-an-awesome-infographic-resume-even-if-youre-the-least-creative-person-ever Your resume should be a living document that should reflect you as a person. Keep updating your resume and align them according to the job role you are applying for. You can edit/add/delete details to keep your resume relevant. Whether you get selected or not, make sure that you put in all your effort to make up for your success. And with this vibe and effective resume, we are sure that you’d definitely land to your dream job. Good luck!

Listen to the Best Podcasts for College Students : Are you in your bed thinking what to do and have nothing to do? Are you not able to fall asleep and are trying hard? Are you feeling low, down, and need some boost and motivation? A Podcast is the best thing for you! Whether you are in bed or the washroom, whether you are cooking or lying or even cleaning or driving, the podcast will be of great help and a source of learning. And if you are a college student and are very bored in the lockdown, if you are trying to learn something that you are passionate about, a podcast is the one for you! Learning has changed over the years and it has transformed itself digitally. Podcasts are very trending and famous these days because you can learn and get entertained on the go. You don’t need to fix yourself to a place but can learn easily through your cell phone only by listening. Whether you are working or jogging or sleeping or even gymming, you can still listen to the podcast and learn a lot through it. All that you need to do is tune in to a channel in the podcast list and start listening. You can repeat and listen to it all over again if you have missed something. The best thing is that you can also learn at your convenience and pace. There are podcasts for everything that you wish to learn and get entertained. If you haven’t started using it still, get yourself started with it. You must get used to it now and start reaping its benefits. You will get to know a lot about the trending news and updates. Here is a list of podcasts that you should listen to and cannot miss at any chance! General: Stuff You Should Know Have you ever wondered about the simplest things in our daily lives and thought about how they work? Ever wondered how the credit cards or the debit cards we use work? Though we don’t need the information to use it, it still makes up for an interesting conversation if you are talking with someone. This podcast is for the one who does not know what to listen to but is keen on listening to one. Start with this and you would never get bored of all the interesting facts and information shared on this podcast. History: A History of The World in 100 Objects Have you ever wondered about the simplest things in our daily lives and thought about how they work? Ever wondered how the credit cards or the debit cards we use work? Though we don’t need the information to use it, it still makes up for an interesting conversation if you are talking with someone. This podcast is for the one who does not know what to listen to but is keen on listening to one. Start with this and you would never get bored of all the interesting facts and information shared on this podcast. Entrepreneurial thought leaders Have you ever wondered about the simplest things in our daily lives and thought about how they work? Ever wondered how the credit cards or the debit cards we use work? Though we don’t need the information to use it, it still makes up for an interesting conversation if you are talking with someone. This podcast is for the one who does not know what to listen to but is keen on listening to one. Start with this and you would never get bored of all the interesting facts and information shared on this podcast. Marketing: Marketing Over Coffee If you are looking for simple marketing tips and strategies while whipping in a cup of coffee on a relaxing weekend, this one is for you. The host shares the tips and strategies that are very traditional yet reliable, feasible, and practical. Social Pros Podcast  As the title suggests, it all deals with marketing, public relations, and branding. You will hear a lot of best practices, tips, and strategies related to content marketing, branding, and the likes. Grads and students, who wish to pursue a degree in the social media genre, should get a catch of this podcast. Success Made Simple  This podcast talks about how you can develop a winning mindset and leverage your business. There are lots of interviews with marketers, professionals, and business stalwarts sharing their journey in this podcast. It will give you loads of inspiration and ideas on how to go about for your next business venture. Business: The Indian Startup Show This podcast is all about the newly establishing businesses/startups in the country. It is hosted by Neil Patel along with few of his friends. You can listen to various entrepreneurs and business personalities talking about their ideas, journey, struggles, and achievements. Science: Half Science, Half Fiction This podcast talks about half science and half fiction. Every week the host picks up one fictional story from the future and then brings one expert to talk about it. Have you ever imagined if all the drugs were made legal what would happen? What if there was no internet at all? Tune in to this podcast and get answers to all of these fictional yet real questions! Brains On! Science Podcast for Kids & Adults This science podcast is for everyone. It has amazing science info, a questionnaire about simple yet weird things. Tune in to what the host discusses in this podcast to turn your brain on. All science students should tune in to this podcast to know the basics of science and gather information. Fashion Designing: Successful Fashion Designing This podcast is for the fashion designers and the aspirants who wish to make a mark in the industry with their creativity for designing clothes. Whether you want to start with the basics or wish to get the premium courses, you can avail a lot of benefits. Tune in to this podcast

Would you like have a large repertoire of skills, get to choose which skills you want to get paid for and how much you get paid, who you want to work with, which projects you want to work on and when?  Well, then you must be “employable”. In other words, you need to have the knowledge, the skills, and personal attributes to not only get the job, but get hold the job, to thrive in it and make your career your life’s work. Now, this isn’t something you can only achieve after quite a bit of work experience, it is possible to get there even before you graduate. Follow this step-by-step (and fun) guide to get there. 1. Study Yourself Having a good understanding of you – your strengths, values and passion is the starting point. This is not a one-time task, doing a self-assessment periodically (ideally every semester), will give you more clarity and help you leverage your skills. According to Drucker, “It takes far less energy to move from first-rate performance to excellence than it does to move from incompetence to mediocrity.” This step is crucial to your success because it serves as your compass. 2. Immerse yourself in a suitable environment Identify a suitable environment to provide you with the exposure to develop your skills and personality. You could enroll in one of the best colleges in Bangalore such as Garden City University that offers great curricular and extracurricular activities. Apart from this, you have got to take the initiative and be in the driver’s seat (of your career). You can start as a volunteer or an intern, you could move on to working part time or on weekends or even do freelance work. This enables you to apply your learning in the (real-life) work context. 3. Update yourself Know about the advancements in your field, current and future trends. Keeping track of these will give you an indication of how you can put your skills to use in creative ways and the new skills you can learn. Identify the absolute best in your field and learn from them, subscribe to their channels, follow them on social media etc. In short, become the go-to person for any updates in your field among the other students in your department. 4. Develop Yourself Being committed to improving your mind and body daily is the way to the top. Read, listen and exercise every single day. An often-overlooked aspect is striking a healthy balance between work and play. Travel as much as possible, play sports, expand your circle to seniors, faculty member and cultivate contacts in your preferred industry. You could also get guidance from a mentor. 5. Teach yourself Look for the opportunity to learn from everyone and everything around you. Try to look at things from a different perspective until you find one or more things to appreciate. The ability to learn quickly is one of the most valuable skills. Devote some time every day (for at least a month) to learn and practice a new skill. For example, making presentations, digital marketing, using accounting software etc. 6. Market yourself It is imperative to showcase your talents and skills and build your personal brand not only to present and position yourself but also to be visible in the job market. This has become easier than the olden days, thanks to social media as it opens up a world of opportunity because everyone is online – employers, recruiters and everyone who would benefit from what you have to offer. So, from Day 1 build your portfolio – a record of your work and your achievements. 7. Reward Yourself Getting to world-class takes deliberate focus and you can get there only by focusing on one step at a time. Take a big jar and some colorful strips of paper, every time you read an article, listen to a podcast, attend a webinar etc write it on a strip of paper and place it in the jar. Appreciating yourself for the effort and having micro-celebrations along the way, makes the journey enjoyable and keeps you invested in the process. You don’t need to wait for your mark sheet or your campus placement to know if you have put in the necessary effort. In these fun ways, you will have developed the skills that provide you the choice to select a job that’s a good fit for you, enabling you to create the career you love. Develop them further and you are on your way to being the best in your industry. You are the most important project you will ever work on. Get started!