Summer Reads

Posted on May 5, 2009 by Mishri Someshwar

One of my goals every summer is to do a lot of reading. Even though I graduated college some time ago, I still treat summer as the fun-reads time. Here are some of the books I want to read this summer (I own most of them, and haven’t gotten around to finishing  or even starting some):

1. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow: I’m a Hamilton fan. I got this book three years ago, read about 50 pages on a plane trip to India and was royally depressed with Hamilton’s early life. I will try again this summer though!

2. The Man Who Owns The News by Michael Wolff: I read excerpts of the book in Vanity Fair, and own the book. Now if only I could get around to reading it. What’s not to love about a biography of Rupert Murdoch, replete with family drama (Wendi Deng and the kids) and ruthlessness? I’m not a fan of Murdoch’s US media holdings, but his work in Asia and Europe is wonderful. I grew up in India, and Murdoch brought satellite tv to India– thus the  affection for the wily old fox.

3.The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai: This book won the Man-Booker, which is a huge deal in the Commonwealth. I don’t remember the details of the book, but I did read an excerpt and enjoyed the style.

Are any of these books on your list? Are there others you recommend?

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Get Good at Design to Grow Yourself and Your Business

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Phil Herbert

Seth Godin writes an interesting article about doing your own graphic design. He argues that there is no excuse these days to have ugly slides in a presentation, or poorly laid out business cards. With the explosion of technology and resources in the last ten years, anyone can become pretty good at graphic design. Sure you’ll have to hire out your big projects, but think how much easier it will be if you can do your own design on basic projects?

Here’s a page with a few resources to get you started.

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15

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Mishri Someshwar

15 years ago today, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, held its first induction ceremony welcoming new members at The George Washington University.

The idea behind NSCS is incredibly simple, yet unique. It is the first interdisciplinary honors organization to recognize high-achieving college students who made a successful transition from high school to college–all our members join during their freshman or sophomore years.

When Steve Loflin had the idea 15 years ago, while Director of Student Activities at The George Washington University, no one else had thought to tap into this demographic of high-achievers.

But in doing so, Steve  reached a group of extraordinary people– people on the cusp of recognizing their potential and knowing how big an impact they could have on the world.

So here we are– 15 years later. We’ve gone from one chapter at GW to 237 chapters in all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. We now have more than 1,500 student officer across the country, dozens of corporate partners and affiliates and a staff of more than 20 individuals, dedicated to making a difference in members’ lives.

As for me, I joined NSCS a few months after its 13th anniversary. I didn’t  realize at the time how much I’d learn and how much I’d get to do. And every day, even in the middle of the grind of work, I’m inspired– by the stories of hardworking officers,  committed faculty advisors, and outstanding members.

To celebrate 15 years, we created this sub-site (more like a sub-section) highlighting members and moments in NSCS history. Take a look.

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10 Ways to End the Semester Strong

Posted on April 29, 2009 by Colleen Grosch

So, it’s that time of year. The sun is shining, summer is in the air, and the thought of studying makes you cringe. We’ve all been there. Those last few days of classes and the thought of finals are a struggle to get through. Here’s my top 10 list of how I got through the end of my days in college (and grad school…). Hopefully, in some way, they’ll help you too.

1. Don’t Give Up: I don’t want to sound all hokey, but don’t give up. You’re almost there and all your hard work will pay off when you see those A’s at the end of May. It’s so easy to give in right now and say, oh if I get an 82.75% I’ll get a B and I’m okay with that. Keep working for those A’s – it’s what you’ve been working on all semester. Don’t let the temptation of the sun blind you from your goals.

2. Sleep: Don’t forget to get some rest. It’s a tradition to pull those all-nighters but pulling an all-nighter may be more detrimental than helpful. Words may blur together and you aren’t as alert as you would be with a full night sleep. Make sure to get 6-8 hours before that big exam – it’ll help you get through it.

3. Eat healthy – coffee, energy bars, and sugar won’t help you get through the last few days. They’ll keep you awake to some degree but you’ll crash at the end. Who wants to get sick before summer vacation? Make sure to eat well while studying – pack an apple or an orange to the library. You’ll get the same sweet taste but also some vitamins to keep you going.

4. Study: This sounds like a no-brainer but some people just don’t study anymore. They’ll take the grades they have or bank on what they remember from those classes in January. Go over your notes, skim the chapters, make sure you’re studying.

5. Have fun: I know you’re thinking, what?! Fun?! Now?! Yes, have fun. Go out to eat with some friends, see a movie, relax. These little things will take your mind off the stress and will refresh your mind and body.

6. Stay focused: Sure your friends may be hanging out on the quad, laying out by the pool, playing Frisbee on the horseshoe (shout out to South Carolina…) but don’t get distracted. This may sound opposite of #5 but it isn’t. A healthy mix of fun and focus will help you in the end. Keep your eye on the price – 5:00 pm on Friday – your last final is over!

7. Find motivation: remember how you started the semester. What were your goals? Think about what motivates you to do well and focus on that. It’ll get you through those grueling hours memorizing Western Civ. dates.

8. Set a schedule: when will you study? when are your exams? Make sure you remember when your papers are due. Writing out your schedule for the finals weeks of school will help you see what should take precedence and what subject can be put off until other projects are completed.

9. Take a break: this goes back to having fun. Make sure to walk away from the books for a while. Take a nap, go outside for some fresh air – this helps clear your mind and gives you a fresh outlook once you pick the books up again.

10. Look to the future: what are you working towards? Are you wanting to go to Med School, Law School, Grad school? End strong and a scholarship could be within arms reach. Or maybe a good summer’s tan is enough into the future to keep you moving through those papers and finals.

Good luck, study hard, and summer is almost here!

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Never too late to plan for a super successful summer

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Mishri Someshwar

Summer’s coming up, but do you have plans? If not, here are some suggestions for things you can do that are enjoyable and helpful for the future:

1. Spend 10 weeks this summer in China: FYI– this is about a program NSCS (my employer)  runs– the China Professional Training and Language Academy.

It’s a 10-week program this summer that includes 100 hours of Mandarin language training, a TEFL certification, a month-long internship teaching English and two weeks of travel that includes 11 Chinese cities.

It’s a very cool program and I’m super jealous of all the lucky people who’re doing it.If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at someshwarATnscs.org (replace the AT with an @ sign). Application deadline is April 30.

2. Intern: It’s never too late to find an internship in your home town or near college. Look at your college’s career center Web site, check out Craiglist.org, or ask locally when you’re back home. Volunteering at a local nonprofit ALSO counts, so make sure to do it and keep track of what you learned while you were there.

3. Work fulltime for the extra cash: Don’t despair if you’re doing a summer job to make cash and aren’t getting that internship experience you wanted (but couldn’t afford).

What matters is what you learn and get out of it, not the prestigious name of the company. Analyze your experience throughout the course of your summer job and write a little note about it after you’re done. This could be useful at an internship or job interview– you can talk about concrete work skills you learned through this experience.

4. Do a combo of #2 and #3: This is what I did for one summer. As an international student, I couldn’t seek paid employment off campus or get a paid internship.  So I did a combo– I got an unpaid internship at a local nonprofit I liked, and I combined it with being a tour guide on campus.

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Everything’s amazing, nobody’s happy

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Phil Herbert

I just saw this video for the second time. For some reason it resonated a lot more with me today, than before. Basically it’s a clip from the Conan O’Brien show talking about people who are angry at all of the great things we have available to us.

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Spring Reads- Why not try a Pulitzer Prize winner?

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Bailey Kasten

If you’re lucky enough to have free time to read this spring (no finals, no applications), consider picking up one of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize Winners for Letters, Drama, and Music-just announced April 20.

Well, and if you are stuck in finals or applying to grad school, there’s always the summer…

http://www.pulitzer.org/

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Celebrate Earth Day Every Day

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Janine Deegan

Do you have a recycling bin? Chances are you do.

Recycling is something that has become part of our daily lives. People my age grew up at a time when there was a big push in this country to start recycling. Since then, recycling has become part of the fabric of our society, something we take pride in. We each make (or should make) an effort to recycle and encourage our fellow citizens to do the same.

But do we do enough? Do we think to recycle  more than our bottles and soda cans?

The answer is no, most of us don’t– yet. But all it takes is a little extra effort to really make a difference for our planet. For example, did you know you could recycle your electronics? Electronics like telephones, radios, TVs, computers and cell phones can and should all be recycled in addition to your bottles, cans and newspapers. These products have the potential to cause the most environmental damage, because of their hazardous ingredients.

What about your car? Do you know what to do with old motor oil? Do you know if you can recycle transmission fluid?

These “other” recyclable items can be found in your home and garden and cause a lot of trouble to the environment. Visit www.earth911.com to find out how to take care of these harmful agents.

In addition to recycling, there are other simple ways to conserve and protect the environment from inside your  home. To reduce harmful pollutants in the environment, simply switch to  bio-degradable, environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Here are my top picks for non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaning products:

Method Products (my personal favorite)
Clorox Green Works
Seventh Generation
Simple Green

Today is Earth Day. This year, I’m going to make an effort to recycle more of the “other” recyclables and do a better job of encouraging my friends and family to use products from the list above. I encourage you to do the same. Start today, live it every day.

To find out where and how you can recycle your “other “recyclables and to read more about recycling, visit earth911.com And remember, we have the power to decide how much or how little we do. Make a little extra effort and make a bigger impact on the world.

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Scholarship Funding Sources for International Students

Posted on April 21, 2009 by Mishri Someshwar

When I was 17 years old, I decided to apply to college in the United States. This is a pretty big deal if you’re a 17-year-old in India, because you know there’s virtually no chance that you’ll get significant scholarship funding at the undergrad level, from a US school.

I was lucky that I got accepted to a good school that offered me a full scholarship, but my story is pretty rare for an international student.

If  you’re a student overseas looking to do your bachelor’s in the US, don’t give up hope about funding. Here are some suggestions for financial aid.

1. Apply only to private universities/ public schools that offer financial aid to foreign students:
Generally, public universities don’t offer international undergrads scholarships (they may if you major in certain programs). Your best bet is to apply to private universities that offer international student scholarships.

2. Set up profiles at fastweb.com and internationalscholarships.com and monitor the resulting scholarship applications.

3. Look at local civic, social or religious organizations or government agencies in your home country that can contribute funding: Kiwanis, Lions’ Club, Rotary Clubs can be helpful, as can state or federal government agencies.

4. Once you’re in the United States, keep your grades up– it opens up scholarship opportunities: Honor societies invite high-achieving members on various campuses to join– members typically have access to scholarships. When you’re invited, make sure to research the organization and verify that scholarship opportunities are available. Then make sure to apply.I work for The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and we award about $250,000 in scholarships to students each year, regardless of their citizenship or nationality. If you’re an NSCS  member make sure to take advantage of our scholarships.

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Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Phil Herbert

JK Rowling, author of the über-successful Harry Potter books, gave a commencement address at Harvard, and spoke about what it means to be successful, and what it means to “fail.”

You can read the whole speech here (there is also an interesting discussion about creativity, but that’s beyond the scope of this post).

Here is the crux of it:

So I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.

Now, I am not going to stand here and tell you that failure is fun. That period of my life was a dark one, and I had no idea that there was going to be what the press has since represented as a kind of fairy tale resolution. I had no idea then how far the tunnel extended, and for a long time, any light at the end of it was a hope rather than a reality.

So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.

So go, take risks. Fail. Then you’ll come back stronger than ever.

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