Today we will follow the steps and have fun the way different characters did from the movies you must have seen. Or must see, if you haven’t.

So, let’s go summer right away together!

1. Dream like ”The Dreamers”

These three young guys are a brilliant example of how to be young, extraordinary and make the most out of life. It takes not much to unwind (or amuse yourself) the way they did. Living in the 60s, they are obsessed with the movies of that epoch. They know almost all the existing movies by heart, so when the right occasion comes along they behave like the characters and ask each other to guess the film, the year it was released, along with the name of a producer to make the task more challenging.

Fond of movies? Then this kind of amusement is right for you.

You can use different handy stuff to transform into any character, but your initial purpose is to behave the way he or she does (without actually saying a word, only behavior is crucial). It can be very spontaneous, so that your friends can guess  that you are actually picturing somebody only after some time. You can do it everywhere (almost!), not only at home, but also in public places — on the beach or in transport. People around may have no idea, that you are playing a game. But better choose the movies you have watched together, or those who can be familiar to all the participants.

”The Dreamers” actually did one astonishing thing just like the characters of one old film and cracked their record — ran through the Louvre 16 seconds earlier than their inspirations. Challenging, yeah? Extremely tempting? No doubts! Are you in Paris, France? No? Then it’s for the better!

2. Do it like the Great Gatsby, do it even greater!

Can you imagine a better opportunity to have a jam with your friends, than in summer? Summer parties (preferably on the beach) with a lot of dancing to loud music, contests, new acquaintances… Something lacks? Of course – a mascaraed! Costumes and different images, what can make the party more interesting? Buy something new? There’s no need to. Clean out your closet and you are sure to find something to wear as your evening dress or costume and have a great time. Have even greater time than the characters in the Great Gatsby, because it’s not about your guise at all. People that you spend your time with are of greater importance. It may be even a pajamas party, either way it will be funny, interesting and extraordinary.

Confess, you did want to do something of Ameli’s stuff, while watching ‘Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain’. Definitely, you did! Don’t even try to deny it. What if you try to make the similar things in your real life and play a fairy godmother just like she did in this fictional story? A well-known consistent pattern says ‘as you sow, so shall you reap’. Good deeds will always find a way to come back to you in return from somebody else. So it’s not only a kind of amusement in your summer day, but creating good karma, in case you believe in it, of course.

To follow Ameli’s example you can print or write down different joyful notes, affirmations or predictions on the little papers and share them with people in a way you’d like. But keep within the limits of a game – do everything invisibly. You can slip it under the door like an envelope with the utter ‘Soon, you will have some miracles in your life. Your Angel’, or something. Just imagine how people will cheer up, reading this. 99% that you personally wanted to get similar unexpected message from somebody else. Or even 100%?

4. Find your inspiration for modern art with the ”Intouchables”

When was the last time you did something interesting, that you’ve never done before? Remember how Driss started painting in the ”Intouchables”, though he had never held a brush in his arms? It doesn’t matter that you weren’t born Salvador Dali, you have a right to try painting and do it in your own way — how you see it and feel it.

Invite your friends and do your masterpieces together. You can, for instance, paint each other’s portraits. Probably, there is somebody among your friends who has paints, paint brushes and paper for sure. If not, it won’t cost too much to buy all this stuff for several people. To reduce your expenditures you can exclude brushes and paint with the help of your fingers only, namely finger tips. It will be even funnier. Moreover, after your ‘chefd’oeuvres’ are ready you can sign them and gift each other as keepsakes. You will have all in one — enjoyable activity, amusement and presents.

5. Turn your childish page back with ‘The Notebook’

Though you can be still in your teens, it means that you could have forgotten how easy and happy-go-lucky it is to be a child by doing some funny things. Grab an idea from ‘The Notebook’, where Allie dives into the water with a rope swing. Have you done it earlier in your childhood? Even if you didn’t, there’s a great opportunity to try. Take your friends to the river or a lake. Find a tree on the slope of it, tie up a rope (possibly with a bough or any other similar and usable thing) and accelerate ahead. Woohoo! Good job! Do you feel happy? Go ahead, one more time!

Are you ready to turn your fun on at full speed this summer?

Go along with these ideas, or share with us your brilliant and cheap ways we can try this summer.

Let’s take a look at some ideas and tips we have to help you succeed in both studying and working. We are ready to show you how to cope with the obstacles on your way to combining these two vital activities. So keep going with us to triumph.

Step 1: Free time from studying

The critical issue is where to get time to work at least several days a week while studying if the latter almost takes up your whole timetable? One good way is to think of the value of each subject you study and find out what is the most insignificant one you may skip.

Of course, every lecturer believes his or her subject to be a must, but it is possible to free yourself from visiting some of them and devote this time to gaining valuable working experience.

If this is not a solution, then try at least to reduce your engagement with this or that subject to minimum and think of some additional ways to be ready with your home assignment, if any.

Step 2: Study everywhere

If there are many important subjects you have to learn and cannot avoid in order not to fail, take every free minute as a precious moment to read something. For instance, on your way to college or work carry the stuff for studying to be able to use it when possible, even at your work or while having your meal. Flash cards are the perfect study material to take with you.

Otherwise, there are many other ways to cope with it: ask your friend, class- or roommate to help you with your homework for a humble reward. Having nobody around, one may apply for professional help of different custom services. Of course, it needs some money expenses, but this is an alternative.

It is of great importance to start considering every single minute as an opportunity to do something useful for yourself and your self-improvement. It is recommended that you be a self-organized person when you start working.

Use a notebook to plan your time and the tasks you have to accomplish every day. There are also tons of apps and tools to choose from. Why? You cannot remember everything, so that is why you’d better write it down.

When you see all your tasks together on one paper it is much easier to calculate how much time you have for each of them. See the apps that will help you to use your time wisely and download any you like to your mobile device – free Remember the milk (IOS), Any.Do (IOS/Android), RescueTime (IOS/Android/Desktop version). Thus you will learn where all your time goes and how to rescue it.

Step 4: Motivate yourself

No one will argue that your motivation serves as your daily driving wheel. Think of the things that motivate you to get out of  bed every morning, give you energy and desire to do necessities – study and work.

Money? Yeah, it is probably a crucial reason why you decided to start working. But is the only one? Think of a goal you want to reach or a thing you want to buy. As they say, happy is not the one who has money, but the one who converts them into useful things.

Step 5: Stay refreshed

Do not give up your rest. Take reposes to renew your energy and strength for doing your activities in the best way possible.

Of course, it goes without saying that it is very important to have enough sleep, go out and spend some time with friends or do something that makes you relax. You are the one to know what works best for you.

So, are you ready to sacrifice something you got accustomed to for achieving something new? If so, then we are wishing you good luck in all your undertakings.

Luckily, people have studied for hundreds of years and there are many ways to getting good grades. Sometimes it is as simple as taking 4 easy steps forward. Here are 4 tips to passing a class with minimum effort so that you can have more free time for all the other stuff.

1. Know the rules of the game

Some say that getting grades is like a game students play, where grades are the score they earn. In order to succeed in this game, you must know the rules. Know what influences your GPA and what part of the assignments represents the biggest part of your grade for each class. Do not miss out on extra credit assignments! They are perfect easy steps to pushing your grade right up! Be smart. Know the rules, follow them and take advantage of all the bonus cards dealt to you.

This is true for everything you will even start in life. Your first time in a new class, on a new job, in a new company. Anywhere you go people will judge you based on the first impression. You can of course change it later, but that will take a lot more effort on your part. So do not miss the first class, look nice, be friendly and make sure you are seen and noticed by the professor in a good way!

3. Participate in class

Going to class really is that important. If you’re there anyway, you might as well use your time wisely and get as much as you can out of it, so you may not have to spend a lot of time on homework or much time when preparing for tests and exams. Participate in the discussions generated by the professor, ask questions and try to reply to the questions professors ask. Most of the times, the answers to the questions asked in class do not even need to be correct. The professor just wants to make sure you are paying attention and to understand at what level you are.

4. Get organized

You hear this everywhere. Time-management, organized study space, clear deadlines. It really is as important as people make it sound. If you spend 5-10 minutes a day just to plan what you need to do together with what you want to do, you will be able to do both! Plan the day in the morning or in the evening before going to bed. Get a planner, write out all the assignment deadlines and test dates. Do not be taken off guard with some huge assignment that is due in a couple of hours! This will only make you stressed; mad and furious at what this college life is doing to you. 

There you have it. Four easy steps to passing a class. If you try to narrow it down, it really is all about going to class and paying attention. Everyone can do it and so can you! Good luck!

If you are undecided about what to major in, you are not alone. While you don’t have to go into college knowing what you want to do in life right away, it is recommended to choose a major by the end of your freshman year. With so many possibilities at hand, you may feel scattered, and that’s fine. We are here to help and provide you with 10 simple steps to help you decide what you want to major in. You’ll need something to drop ideas into while you’ll be reading this, so grab a pen.

1.  Start with deciding what you are good at.

We like to do things we are good at. It improves our self-confidence and gives a boost to our self-esteem. Naturally, you want to dedicate the next 4 years of your life to something that will of course be challenging but still be something you know you can achieve and enjoy doing it. If you can’t decide what you are good at apart from watching TV and playing video games, don’t lose hope just yet. Keep calm and continue to step two.

2.  Remember which classes in high school you excelled in, not just enjoyed or liked.

It is one thing to like P.E. and Photography class, but it’s something completely different to get good grades in Math or Physics and tackle some demanding material. While getting a good workout can get you through life, it’s not necessarily what you want to make a living out of. Such tough subjects as Algebra, Biology, Chemistry and others can guide you in the right direction.

3.  Think of what else you did in school apart from regular classes.

Which extracurricular activities filled your free time? Was it French club? Drama club? Or maybe you were part of the school IT team? Think about what you are passionate about and what you are ready to put your free time into. They do say that your hobby is the best job you can have, so decide which hobby drives you!

4.  Focus on enjoying what you’ll be doing, rather than on how much money you’ll be making.

Sure, we all want to have a nice fat paycheck when we get a job. Believe it or not, but you will not want to be working in a job you hate even if it does pay well. This is something you’ll be working with 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. That’s A LOT of your time. If you hate chocolate, you won’t be able to work with it well, however hard you try. But then again… who hates chocolate anyway?

There are so many people that know you well, sometimes even better than you know yourself. Ask your parents, family, friends, teachers what they believe you are good at. Are you the go-to-person to get advice about fixing their laptops? Perhaps IT is for you. Apart from the people you already know, there are very useful groups of people you can get to know. They can give you priceless information. Who are they? College advisers have helped hundreds find their passion and set them on their future path. Your college alumni can tell you what it’s like studying for a particular major. Ask around, poke around and get the scoop you need to make a choice. Try finding people who work in the field and ask them about their job and how college prepared them for it. Perhaps they can even suggest a minor that will be an extra boost once you graduate.

6.  Try different courses and push yourself.

Don’t slack off with easy courses in your first year. This is your chance to try different fields. Get the courage to take those challenging courses and discover that they are not that bad. You have to keep moving and going further. Taking simple classes you know you’ll be able to pass with flying colors will get you nowhere. Push yourself, move forward and don’t be afraid to jump ahead.

7.  Give everything a fair chance.

Just because you didn’t like a subject in high school doesn’t mean college will be the same. This is a whole new playing field. Professors don’t teach the same, homework is done differently, and you study for totally different reasons. Not to mention that actually working in the field will most probably be still not the same as studying it in college. Try to find a new perspective even on the subject you may think you have no interest in at all.

8.  Reality check.

It’s nice to be in seventh heaven, but it doesn’t pay the bills. College is expensive, and most cannot afford to spend three years thinking what they want to study. Reality is tough, and you have to make decisions. You have to think about your skills and your abilities. If you know physics is not your thing, you tried and you still firmly believe in this, leave it and try something else. If you want to go into medicine, you don’t have even the whole first year to make a decision. Medical school is tough and long. You might as well start as soon as possible.

9. Don’t panic.

Your first year in college, and already you have to make decisions that your whole life will depend on? Relax and take a deep breath. People change careers up to 5 times during their life, and although their first job may be connected with their major, even that is not always true. Yes, it is important to decide what you want to major in, but if you end up hating it, you still can change and try something new. It’s all in your hands.

10. Keep your minor in mind.

Sometimes we get stuck with not being able to decide which of the two we want to do. We want to do both! I want fries and a hamburger! Um … wrong topic… Yes. If you can’t choose between the two, college comes with the possibility of taking a minor. You can’t live with the idea of forgetting Spanish or you’re in love with dancing? Take a minor. Sure, it will be a little more work, but if you’re really passionate about it and if you really want to do it, you can do it all. After all, we can do everything we set our minds to. Motivation is the most important thing. If you have it, you’re 90% there.

Throughout your academic life, you are required to write dozens of essays. This task shouldn’t be daunting; in fact, it can be quite easy and pleasurable if you are 100% sure of what you are doing. Yes, you have to develop good arguments as well as persuasively analyze and discuss ideas. But the main ‘secret’ is quite simple: it is called ‘structure’.

Let us begin with the basics. As a rule, essays are paragraphed. Although normally paragraphs don’t have headings of their own, they are usually sequenced in the standard order and represent the 3 classic parts:

- Introduction -

- Body -

- Conclusion -

Introduction

The introduction is needed to set the general background and let the reader know what the essay will be about. It is best to keep your introduction short – restrict it to one or two paragraphs at the most. Make sure that you include your thesis statement here – even though you are not always openly required to do so.

A thesis statement is your main message. In most cases it is possible to express it in one sentence – though it has to contain a very brief summary of every main idea you’ll further develop and support in the upcoming body paragraphs. It should be rather direct and specific and – if possible – express a position that others might oppose or challenge.

Ideally, your introduction should pull your readers in, make them want to read your essay until the end. So do your best to avoid conventional clichés and say something intriguing. Surprise your readers, make them fascinated or even outraged – but don’t let them stay indifferent. A suitable quote can help you a lot, too.

A well-formulated thesis statement is quite important; however, it’s enough to have a “working thesis” at the beginning and then come back and improve it when the rest of the essay is ready.

Body

This is the main course of the meal, so to speak. Having prepared your reader with the introduction, now you are going to discuss the main ideas in more detail, supporting your position with references to scholarly literature, if necessary.

The body is the biggest part of the essay, usually ranging from 60% to as much as 80% of the text. Remember that you should structure it into paragraphs, each one dealing with a separate aspect of the issue. It is advisable to include not more than 4 paragraphs – or 4 main ideas – into the body of your essay. The number of sentences in each paragraph can differ; however, it is advisable to have not less than 3 sentences in each. Make sure that paragraphs neatly flow into each other, forming an uninterrupted chain of logic.

To make your body paragraphs connect better, use the following trick: at the end of each of them include a segue to the next one – give a hint what to expect in the next paragraph. These segues are called transitions; they help the reader maintain attention till the end of your essay. Another technique is to include a brief summary of the previous paragraph in the first sentence of the next one. You don’t have to use both simultaneously – just choose one and follow it consistently throughout the essay.

Conclusion

Conclusion is the part you use to wrap up your discussion. You shouldn’t underestimate this part: even the best arguments laid out in the essay body won’t make a good impression on your professors if they don’t lead to a good conclusion. In a way, this part of the essay widens the lens and comes back to the title. Conclusion lets you do three things:

• Remind readers of the purpose of your essay;
• Provide your ‘answer’ to the essay title;
• Remind your readers of how exactly you reached that answer.

It is a common technique to repeat your thesis statement as the first sentence of your conclusion – this will make your reasoning sound more consistent and prompt the reader to agree with you. If you choose to mask the repetition, the thesis statement can be slightly rephrased here.

Consistency Checkup and Polishing

Let us emphasize once again: all the text of your essay should conform to its main idea – the one you expressed in the thesis statement. Having written the essay, read it carefully to check how ideas flow into each other. Ask yourself these three questions:

- Is there always a clear, logical connection between consecutive parts of the text?

- Are there any missing links?

- Is there anything you should throw out?

Finally, keep in mind that these guidelines are general. There is no single right way to structure your essay paper. For instance, we said you should try to limit yourself to three body paragraphs; however, the main thing is to express your idea fully and persuasively, so don’t be embarrassed if you need 7 or 9 paragraphs for a complicated topic. In a nutshell, do your best to make your paper a well-structured and interesting read!