ClickNSmart Team

I am writing this article due to many demands from our dear blog readers and also friends of mine who are business majors both undergraduate and graduate students. I I’d like to share my educational background with you all. I am currently an MBA student with a 4.0 GPA concentrating in Finance and Marketing at California State University Long Beach. Is it difficult to get a 4.0 GPA in the top business school? I believe not, in fact any student can get a 4.0 GPA given he/ she follows the right strategy. In this article, I want to share the strategy on how to get a 4.0 GPA in top business schools.

1) Always attends lectures, listens attentively and also participates in the class discussion
If you’re like me, a student with an average IQ, then try not to miss any lecture. In class, you should listen to professors attentively and engage in class discussion

2) Don’t just read the textbook! Try to relate the textbook concepts to real business world events/ experiences
As business students, you need to constantly read Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Bloomberg (for Finance majors), and other business periodicals. This way, you can relate any concepts you learn from textbook or from class lectures to real business events that are going on real-time.

3) Work in groups to solve case study/ homework and to prepare for exams
Business students, unlike other majors, should work in groups to discuss any case studies or to study for exams. In the real business world, managers usually work in teams to solve company problems, so you better get used to work in groups. In addition, working in groups enables you to see other people’s point-of-view/ approach to problem solving that can help expand your knowledge.

So, the good thing is that there are only 3 things-to-do that can help you achieve that dream GPA (4.0). Having a 4.0 GPA in top business school opens up many career opportunities once you graduate. In addition, during your college year, you can potentially receive many scholarships. During my stay in the MBA program at California State University Long Beach, I have received numerous scholarships, which sum up to $10,000. Not only I am able to use this scholarship to pay for my college tuition, but I can also be a full time student without needing to work part-time to earn extra money. Good Luck and Be Confident that you can also achieve the same success.

Written by ClickNSmart Team

ClickNSmart Team

Got frustrated? Got confused for bad grades and low GPA? Do not abandon your dreams of becoming an engineer, scientist, medical doctor, MBA’s, accountant, computer programmer, etc.

I have a Bachelor degree in Mathematics and a Material Engineering Master degree from UCLA, and also an MBA degree from California State University, Long Beach. I want to share some of my tips for solving problems:
1) Read the problem carefully;
2) Think of any physical example of the problem that relates to your day-to-day experience;
3) Do the easy problems first and re-do examples from textbook and lecture notes;
4) After you do the problem, ask yourself a question: Does my answer make any sense at all? If not, what’s wrong with it? By answering these questions in your head, you will sometimes uncover new concept. This is the key to success in problem solving.
5) Do group study with your classmates and go to Professor’s Office hours to ask for help if necessary

What are the traits of an A student?
1. Persistence;
2. High level of curiosity;
3. Hard-working;
4. Never give up attitude;
5. Likes challenges;
6. Study diligently;
7. Hardly procrastinate;
8. Passionate with his/her classes.

Written by ClickNSmart Team

ClickNSmart Team

I want to share and recommend some courses you must absolutely have to take in college before graduation. Employers like to see job applicants with skills gained from the following courses:

1) Interpersonal Communication
Many colleges and universities offer this course under Speech & Communication department and other colleges include this course in the business administration curriculum. By taking interpersonal communication course, you can gain “soft communication skill” that many employers look for. Those of you who major in science and engineering major, you may think that this course is a waste of time, but this course will give you a competitive edge over other science and engineering graduates who have only “hard science engineering skill”, but cannot communicate effectively in a group setting. Other major also need interpersonal communication course as well. Being able to communicate effectively with your colleague, your manager and your boss is very important in the following cases: asking for a pay raise, work in a team, giving a presentation during company’s meeting, etc.

2) Basic/ Principle of Accounting
Almost all colleges and universities offer this basic accounting course. This course is important for your personal and career. For your personal life, this course will teach you how to budget your money and expenses so that you can control your financial future. For your career, this course will teach you how to evaluate your company’s financial health. If you can read financial statements of your company before you actually work for the company, then you will know whether it’s a “Healthy” company or not. What I mean is that you better know if your company will soon go bankrupt or will layoffs many people anytime soon because they don’t have enough money.
Of course, you want to work for “Healthy” company in order to build your career with the company. Those of you “would-be entrepreneur”, you absolutely need this course because the top reason of most failed start-ups is due to financial mismanagement (i.e. not enough money/cash to operate)

3) Introduction to Statistic
Almost all universities and colleges offer a course in statistic. This course not only will teach you quantitative skill you need for the job, but also it will be useful if you work in many areas such as: finance (financial forecasting), marketing (market research), engineering, operations management, computer science, and also “Gambling” as well. No doubt that in the finance area, forecasting methods are all derived from statistics; in the marketing area, you will use statistical knowledge to interpret market research data; if you’re a professional gambler, no doubt that you have to master statistics.

Taking all three courses above will give you a good combination of the following skills: Soft skill (Interpersonal Communication), Quantitative skill (Introductory Statistics), and Business skill (Basic Accounting). If you master all these 3 skills in addition to your major courses, then you will have a competitive advantage to get a job by the time you graduate from college.

Written by ClickNSmart Team
(more…)

ClickNSmart Team

“Can I get a 4.0 GPA and also a girlfriend at the same time?” This is a question that most of us as a student will ask. Most of the time, we meet a smart student in our class, but he or she does not have a girlfriend or a boyfriend since what he/ she does is mostly just studying; this kind of person may lack social intelligence as he or she does not socialize much with others. However, occasionally we meet a student with 4.0 GPA who is currently dating; now, this is very special and we want to know “What’s the secret to this student success?”

I had a chance to interview 5 of my friends, whom I consider geniuses from universities like UCLA, Harvard, Columbia and UC Berkeley, about the secret to their success in maintaining a 4.0 GPA and in maintaining a romantic dating relationship. Below is the summary of their secrets:

1) Time management is crucial - you need to schedule when to study and also when to spend time with your boyfriend or girlfriend, for example: maybe you study and finish all your homework during weekdays and spend the weekend with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

2) Focus, Don’t wander around when studying! - with all the hype of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, some students may get distracted and lose concentration when studying and  update their social network account simultaneously. You need to know when to seriously concentrate studying and when to take a break. It is perfectly okay to login to your social network account after you finish studying.

3) Study Efficiently - It sounds like a common sense, but many student missed this point. You should read all of the lecture and reading materials first, before you attempting to do your assignments. If you get stuck, seek help from your teacher, professors or classmates. This will save a lot of your time.

4) Communicate Often everyday - It is important to communicate to your boyfriend or girlfriend often everyday. Brief communication via text message, twitter, phone call, or other media can signal that you care about your partner. Notice that often does not meat excessive; excessive contact may distract your study and also bother your partner as well.

5) Have Faith and Trust your partner - this maybe difficult in the early stage of dating relationship; however, it is extremely important that you trust your partner. Jealousy can creates conflicts. Resolving conflicts can consume a lot of your time and thus affecting your performance at school as well. Point number 4 above “Communicate often” can help to build trust and faith in your dating relationship.

I have shared with you all of my friend’s tactics. Hopefully this article will motivate and answer some of your questions and doubts about getting good grades and maintaining a dating relationship simultaneously.

ClickNSmart Team

ClickNSmartTeam

How can an average student ever get a perfect 4.0 G.P.A? How can I earn good grades for all of my classes? Well the good news is that it is possible for an average student to earn good grades and thus also earn the perfect 4.0 G.P.A that every student is dreaming about. Today with hard economic times and lots of unemployed people, graduating from schools/ universities with an average G.P.A is not enough to get you an entry level job. When you’re graduating nowadays, you may be competing with 100,000 applicants (undergraduate, graduate students, and experienced unemployed professionals) nationwide for a single job opening. So the questions will be “How am I going to differentiate myself among the crowd to get hired?” I would say that work experience is no longer enough, since there are many of unemployed experienced job applicants are hunting for jobs. Graduating from a reputable universities may give you an edge, but a 4.0 G.P.A certainly distinguish your resume among the crowd especially if combined with some related work experience and related academic background.

To get a 4.0 G.P.A you don’t need to be a genius. In fact, all you need are hard-work and persistence. The difference between a genius/ smart students and an average student is that it may takes shorter amount of study time for a smart student to get an A, whereas it may take a longer study time for an average student to get an A. What matters is that you get an A and thus that 4.0 G.P.A at the end of the quarter or semester. Of course you need to make tradeoffs if you’re an average student wanting to get a 4.0 G.P.A; tradeoffs such as: studying hard over the weekend instead of partying, listen to class lectures attentively, be actively participate in class discussion, read textbook/ class materials ahead of the schedule, and so on. A 4.0 student has a clear objective (e.g. get an A) and always relentlessly work hard to earn his/her objective by the end of the term.

Don’t trust people that say you can’t get a 4.0 G.P.A! They’re just telling you a lie. Anyone can get a 4.0 G.P.A and there is no secret formula in getting that perfect grades. The key elements, as we all know, are HARD WORK and PERSISTENCE. Recently I conduct interviews with many top executives enrolled in the Executive MBA programs at my school. Almost all of these executives agree on one point, “A student with a 4.0 G.P.A shows courage, hard-work ethics and intelligence; these attributes are what we’re essentially looking for when hiring new employees.”

Written by ClickNSmart Team

So, you’re have a 4.0 G.P.A during all your university career. Now that you’re almost graduating, What’s next?

Above is the typical questions that we often ask to a 4.0 students; we’re so excited to know “What’s Next?” for these bright students. After graduation, students usually have only 2 options:

A) Get a Job

B) Go to Graduate school

If you choose option A, then people will say “Welcome to the Real World”. Getting a job is not just about being smart. but it is about a combination of the following: smart, networking, and persistence. If you decide to get a job afer graduation, then at least 1 year before your graduation date, start creating a job resume, network with people, contact as many people you know and let them know that you are looking for a job after graduation, and last but not least go to your school’s career center website and go to career fairs to look for any job openings. 4.0 students usually pick the company/ industry they would like to work, and research and find out as much as possible about the best possible companies in the industry, instead of just blindly sending out resume to any job opening. They understand that working for a “WRONG” company may means a “Career Suicide” for them. However, regardless whether or not you’re a 4.0 students, you should still follow this good practice.

If you choose option B, which is to go to graduate school directly after finishing your undergraduate education. Many 4.0 students fall into this category since usually professors offer them PhD or Master education directly after graduation. Some schools even pays for graduate education. If this sounds like you, then one think you need to carefully consider is whether or not the extra graduate education will help you to move your career forward. Grad school should not be a way for avoiding the “Real World” if you don’t know what else to do after graduation; this is the wrong motivation going to grad school. However, graduate school (e.g. MBA or J.D or M.D) is what you need to achieve your dream career, then you’re on the right track. 4.0 students prepares this at least 1 year in advance before graduation to do the followings:

-research the grad schools they would like to get into (and possibly visit the campus);

- take any graduate admission tests (GMAT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, etc);

- ask for recommendations letter; and

- write an application essay.

Again regardless whether or not you’re a 4.0 student, you can follow the practice above to increase your chance in getting admitted into graduate school of your dream.

To look for more information about:

1) getting a job and preparing for job interview, check the following:

http://mathforsuccess.clicknsmart.com/

2) getting into top grad school of your dreams and admission tips, check the following:

http://topuniversity.clicknsmart.com/

Good luck for your next journey.

Written by ClickNSmart Team

How many of you guys are having a G.P.A of 4.0?

How many of you ever get some sort of scholarship?

How many of you have both 4.0 G.P.A and also receive scholarship?

Excellent student are a group of motivated and passionate students; as a result, it is no wonder that many of these students score high on their exams, have a perfect 4.0 G.P.A and also get scholarship during their academic career. 

I would say that if you’re clever and have not yet received scholarship, you should try to search and apply for one; the reasons being, why not apply for free money to pay for your tuition and other expenses if what you need to do is just write a compelling personal statement that genuinely show about who you are, what you have accomplished, and what you will be doing that will make meaning in other people’s life. If you think you get all these qualifications, I think you should start to look for scholarship available both inside your school or from outside sources. The truth is that there are many scholarship for residents and non-residents out there that are available every year. Ironically sometimes, the scholarship donor do not give scholarship funds to anyone not because of lack of qualified students, but rather there are not many people are applying to these scholarship.

I would like to share my experience in having a both 4.0 G.P.A and receive a scholarship fund of 4,000 USD as a graduate student pursuing Master in Business Administration. Having not only good grades, but also actively involved in the volunteering activities in various non-profit organization helps in crafting a compelling essay for scholarship applications. Such volunteering activities includes, but not limited to, the followings:

- Become a Student Leader Representative in the International Student Inc (ISI Orange Country Branch), a non-profit organization with a mission to introduce American cultures to international students; . I have been involving in this organization for 5 years already, and now my current position in the ISI is Student Representative Leader, in which I am responsible for giving counsel and advice in planning activities for international students with leadership team. 

- Volunteering in tutoring College students and High School students in mathematics and physics every Sunday evening; 

- Mentoring young K-12 students that want to pursue higher education, such as: going to universities and pursuing graduate education or professional school.

-etc..

In my case, I wrote in my scholarship application that using this scholarship money, I will pay for my school tuition so that later after graduating, I can make meaning in other’s people lives. This is what a success in life meant for me; this is the kind of quality that most Excellent students are striving to achieve. The motto of Excellent student is “Hard work and follow your passion in pursuit of excellence and success.”

For more information about how passion can drive success, you can check the following articles:

http://mathforsuccess.clicknsmart.com/?p=145

My advice is: “Start looking for many scholarship opportunities out there and apply for one that is most suitable for yours. In addition, work hard at school and volunteer in your spare time to make meaning in other people lives. My guess is that if you do all these, then success is not far away from your reach.”

Written by ClickNSmart Team

Technorati Profile

Many people talk about whether or not it is important to get a 4.0 G.P.A in school. While getting a 4.0 G.P.A at school and being recognized as a valedictorian (highest honor) on the graduation ceremony, can be self-rewarding; however, in the school of real world, it is generally not required.

What do I mean by getting a 4.0 G.P.A at the school of real world?

School of real world is the environment in which we are all living after we leave school (after graduation). At this environment, we work to fulfill our daily needs. All of us went to school to become successful in the real world; a success in the real world setting is what I meant by getting a 4.0 G.P.A in the school of real world.

Several distinction between REAL WORLD vs School:

1) Grade Report Vs. Credit Report

In school (universities/college), we students are judged (by other students, professors and our parents) as smart or not by our grade report; however, in real world, we are judged (by our bankers that lends us money and other people we interact with during the course of our life) by our credit report. If we have good credit history then we can easily borrow money from the bank to buy cars, houses, etc. Success (4.0 G.P.A) in real world often directly related to a good credit history

2) There is no professors/ teachers and no classroom in the school of real world

People learn from past mistakes and learn from their colleagues/mentors (or even their parents) in order to be successful in the school of real world. Do not expect other people teach you on a regular basis like what our professors do usually in the classroom. The exams are usually events in your life that requires decision making process. The homework is personal development process to get better and gain more knowledge day-by-day.

3) Real World is very competitive

Universities will not terminate students unless students severely violate the universities regulations. Real world terminates people all the time (even with no apparent reason sometimes). For example, we see many people get terminated from their jobs due to the economic downturn, which has nothing to do at all with the persons ‘work’ performance.

4) 4.0 G.P.A at school Vs. 4.0 G.P.A in Real world

Many people know that 4.0 G.P.A at school means getting all A’s in all classes. However, 4.0 in real world means being successful (however people define success is). Some people may define success as making lots of money; some people define success as fulfilling their dreams/goals; others may define success differently.

There are many books out there that teaches you about how to become successful in the real world; however, below I have tips gathered from many advices from my mentor, parents and previous employers who are all getting a 4.0 in the real world:

1) Learn from your past mistakes and do not repeat in the same mistake in the future;

2) Read many newspapers to get updated about what’s going on in the world;

3) Get a work experience and gain some hands-on practical knowledge;

4) Find a mentor and ask for guidance and advices;

5) Network and build connection through joining organizations and other means of networking;

6) Commitment to a continuing education (your education should not stop after you graduate; many successful people continually keep up and polish their knowledge and skill sets to stay competitive in the marketplace);

7) Lastly, HAVE FUN in whatever you do (this makes you a productive person);

Good luck and let’s work hard together to get a 4.0 G.P.A in the school of real world.

Written by ClickNSmart Team

4.* refer to students who get many 4.0 GPA’s. I always wonder what’s on the mind of these amazing students, what moves them, and of course some study tips from them will be nice. So I want to make some interview with them. My first 4.* is my good friend, Julia Chin.

Julia Chin is an international student taking her 1st and 2nd year in Green River Community College with perfect 4.0 GPA. She then transfer to UCLA and is on her 4th year now majoring in Biology. By now (10/19/2008), she still consistently get A’s except for 1 class only. She’s also a recepient of a full scholarship from Saudi Arabia for her Senior Year. That’s at least $27000 !!

Me: Please tell us a little more about yourself Julia

J: As an international student, I grew up in Malaysia, studied in China, and I will be going to Saudi Arabia for my graduate studies. As bizarre as it seems, living in all these countries gave me the skills to mold quickly into different environments, especially to adapt quickly into the academic discipline in different countries.

Me: mold quickly huh, what do you found so different between the system here and China?

J: In China, you learn how to look at a subject from pure theoretical aspects, you are trained to solve numerical problems and to take tons of exams. Though the process is monotonous, at the end, you become a good test-taker. While in US, the expectations shifts to a more holistic evaluation. i.e. You need to explore outside curriculum to build your resume

Me: and from your scholarship and GPA, I think you’ve done it really well so far. What do you think is the key of your academic success?

J: “ok, I don’t really consider myself ’success’. [me] err… [/me] But if there’s anything to share, I guess it is to always know what your priorities are at a given period of time. Especially in the US, you can be bombarded by so many opportunities at once. With your priority in mind, you would always have to devote some chunk of time to fulfill your priority task first, no matter what.”

Me: It is easier said than done though, what is the hardest time for you to stick to your priorities?

J: “The hardest time would be that I am committed to too many tasks at one time. I took research + 19 units + hospital volunteer + tutoring job. I couldn’t handle all the commitments, I got sick (physically), and felt depressed because I didn’t do well for each and every one of my tasks. ”

Me: How did you handle it and how did it go?

J: “It is good that someone stepped out to tell me to drop one of my job. Sometimes talking to advisors, mentors or even professors can do a lot good. Though you would think that they are extra busy and you shouldn’t bother them to increase their work load, they are actually quite happy to hear from you and point you to a direction that you yourself are not able to figure out alone. After I dropped my teaching job, things start to get better. Of course as a consequence, I have to withdraw from a scholarship award that is associated with my teaching.”

Me:  [note] Sacrificing the least important thing is necessary [/note] ic ic. well, I’m glad you made that decision too Julia, you take too much. (2 jobs, 1 research, 4 class!). OK, let’s continue.. is there any study tips you’d like to share to other students especially those in Biology majors?

J: “the key is your professor, because there’s where you get your grades from…It would be best if you know what your professor is looking for in exams. I use the book to complement with my lecture slides. It would be best if you can do all the readings (which can be very time-consuming). If time is not permitted, I will at least find the figures on the powerpoint lectures, trace them back to the textbook, and read the figure captions. In this way, you get a fuller picture of the lecture materials.”

Me: So professor is KING and lecture + book in case of emergency. Thanks for the tip Julia. Now, what will you say to a new student?

J: “Starting in a new environment can be challenging, but never forget the excitement part of the explorations too. If you are a quiet person in the past, now that you are in a brand new school, why not take this chance for a change? Take advantage of all the opportunities and re-union activities at the school. From there you will find friends, supports, resources and know who to turn to in A-Z situations. I know people who only interact with 5-6 friends in their entire two-year at the US. That really defeat the purpose of you coming here”

Me: That is why you have many friends here right. Thanks for you time to share with us Julia.

J: “You’re welcome. OK back to study again”

Me: Oh yeah… me too… after I post this article :p

That is all everyone, a glimpse of Julia Chin, our first 4.*, a very hard working students with many achievements but yet she remained humble. When she’s free (rarely), she’s a really nice friend to hang out with too.

I hope you like the tips and I hope her stories inspire you. What did you guys think? Which part of the interview ‘touched’ you? Is there some questions that are unanswered? Ask me, I’ll ask Julia when I met her again later. There is no login required to leave a comment

~ Soma, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc

ClickNSmart Team

1. Be over prepared
Why? Because you never can actually gauge how much time you will need to study for a test. Don’t make the assumption that you can study everything 1 day before the test. For some test, you can’t (exception if and only if you’re a super genius). So what is the easiest solution? OVER prepare yourself for ANY test.

One argument against it will be that it is unnecessary.

What is wrong with over preparing?

Do you ‘waste’ your time because you put too much time to study for you midterm?

Do you say ‘damn, I should have studied 1 hour less and I can still get that perfect score’?

Do you think I start at the right moment and end at the right moment and finished learning everything right before that midterm?

Trust me, I thought about that before… but when I see that 95… 100 score after quiz. It doesn’t matter; I got the A on that quiz. All my (extra?) hard work pays off. That’s all that matters.

What happen when you over prepare is you might finish preparing early, which is a good thing. Then you can let all that knowledge rest deeper in your memory way before the test which will improve your performance in the test. Good things only come by preparing too much.

2. Make sure you go to the class before the test

This is something that is easy to do but sometimes we’re busy studying for our test, we feel that we should just skip that boring lecture anyways right? Don’t…, come to class! Many professors give hints, specific test preparation tips, review list, and even do the review themselves. If not, well you’ve prepared a little for your next test. It is normally worth your time; don’t miss the lecture or discussion before tests.

3. Eat just enough before test

This is something that is natural to me because I like to eat. Hehe :p

Many students study too much before the test that they skip eat. Eating before test, especially about 1 hour before the test, is a boost to your body. It will give you that extra focus (and piece to your stomach) during the test. Never eat too much though as your body will actually be using too much energy to burn that food and this will make you sleepy.

4. Try to show up at least 5 minutes before the test start.

This is nothing fancy, just common sense. Getting early to class before test will give you calmness and the feeling of preparedness before the test. Trying to get to class 5 minutes earlier will give you time buffer if something slows you down on your way to class (maybe a girl or guy you like or something). Just do it!

There, that’s top 4 things that I think is essential in preparing for a test. What do you guys think? Anyone disagree? Anything you guys want to add? Please comment, you don’t need to login to leave a comment. Help other students too if you got more tips.

Written by ClickNSmart Team