imonedaful

Ohhh, how untrue this is. I have an MBA from a decent state school. We have graduates that go on to do great things. One of my professors was an MBA graduate from our school and became the CEO of a fairly large corporation. Getting a degree from Harvard or Yale does not guarantee you anything. From what I know, schools with hard admissions standards are hard to get into, but easy to get out of. Furthermore, jobs do not really look at your grades so do not stress about it that much.

As far as everything being more difficult, you are just going to have to work harder. YOU were the one who decided to get a masters degree, so do not be upset with your friends or family that they do not understand it. It is your choice, and your burden. However, I believe there is absolutely no reason to be unhappy about graduate school. It is far better than sitting in a cubicle being bored out of your mind. Make what you do fun. I used to take a box of crayons and redraw graphs and diagrams of stuff I had to know and make them colorful. I am sure I looked ridiculous being a graduate student in the libraby with crayons, but I had a good time. haha

I need say something interesting about transaction cost economics, when it isn't interesting.


Haha. My favorite justification for procrastination is "it is sunny outside, I should be outside, not inside reading!" The best procrastination avoidance is to procrastinate... in small increments. A little here... a little there, never harmed anyone right?

Great post. I whole heartedly agree. I was a substitute teacher in a large school district for a year that where in a wide array of socioeconomic settings. Just in that short time it was easy to see how drastically different the learning environments are at different schools. In some of these schools the kids had to worry if they came to school with a new backpack or pair of shoes that they would get stolen or jumped in the hallway. A lot of the schools lacked funding and did not have the basic supplies for students to learn. Many of the high school students worked full time jobs during the school year because they had to help support their families. None of these children chose to be in that environment, it was the circumstances they were given. I am sure some do make bad choices (as everybody does) but often they are not given the tools to make the best choices. On the other end of the spectrum are the priveleged kids. Some of them really seize their opportunities and work hard and are thankful for what they are given but there are a large portion that just feel entitled. I must add, when I was subbing, the nicer the school the messier the kids were. They would just throw stuff on the ground and expect somebody else to pick it up. It was terrible. But, with those priveleges they have a lot more room to make bad choices. Unfortunately, a child from a low income family does not have that same room for error.

Great post. I whole heartedly agree. I was a substitute teacher in a large school district for a year that where in a wide array of socioeconomic settings. Just in that short time it was easy to see how drastically different the learning environments are at different schools. In some of these schools the kids had to worry if they came to school with a new backpack or pair of shoes that they would get stolen or jumped in the hallway. A lot of the schools lacked funding and did not have the basic supplies for students to learn. Many of the high school students worked full time jobs during the school year because they had to help support their families. None of these children chose to be in that environment, it was the circumstances they were given. I am sure some do make bad choices (as everybody does) but often they are not given the tools to make the best choices. On the other end of the spectrum are the priveleged kids. Some of them really seize their opportunities and work hard and are thankful for what they are given but there are a large portion that just feel entitled. I must add, when I was subbing, the nicer the school the messier the kids were. They would just throw stuff on the ground and expect somebody else to pick it up. It was terrible. But, with those priveleges they have a lot more room to make bad choices. Unfortunately, a child from a low income family does not have that same room for error.

Great post. I whole heartedly agree. I was a substitute teacher in a large school district for a year that where in a wide array of socioeconomic settings. Just in that short time it was easy to see how drastically different the learning environments are at different schools. In some of these schools the kids had to worry if they came to school with a new backpack or pair of shoes that they would get stolen or jumped in the hallway. A lot of the schools lacked funding and did not have the basic supplies for students to learn. Many of the high school students worked full time jobs during the school year because they had to help support their families. None of these children chose to be in that environment, it was the circumstances they were given. I am sure some do make bad choices (as everybody does) but often they are not given the tools to make the best choices. On the other end of the spectrum are the priveleged kids. Some of them really seize their opportunities and work hard and are thankful for what they are given but there are a large portion that just feel entitled. I must add, when I was subbing, the nicer the school the messier the kids were. They would just throw stuff on the ground and expect somebody else to pick it up. It was terrible. But, with those priveleges they have a lot more room to make bad choices. Unfortunately, a child from a low income family does not have that same room for error.

This comment really hit a sour note for me. I understand you're trying to explain the socioeconomic dimensions of the achievement gap, but the 'reason' you give for it is just flat-out wrong.

I taught in the inner city for two years too, and then spent several years in a diverse, yet suburban district... I had kids from both sides of the tracks and got to compare them "side by side."

It is easy to talk about "choices" when you've grown up having a wide array of choices available to you. Coming from a "privileged" background, you can choose to care or not; you can choose to work hard or skate by. However, these choices are NOT available to kids in poor, inner-city neighborhoods; their available choices are limited by their environment and situation, and often times, those "choices" are about survival.

In the inner city, many of my students lacked the most basic resources to be truly successful. It was not about "poor" choices... it was about having parents who were working 2-3 jobs just to put food on the table, so the kids had to stay home and babysit, or were not allowed home until after the parent(s) came home. I had kids who lived in motels. It was about not having books or a computer around the house. I met with parents who said the kid didn't have time to complete homework because they needed his or her help with the family business. Many of my students had spent at least a year with a string of subs because their school could not hire and/or retain teachers...heck, my first year of teaching, one English teacher left for Winter Break and never came back. My kids didn't have an English teacher the rest of that year. There were a number of unfilled positions at the school where I taught. Even the interns didn't last.

I won't even get into the issue of the kids whose parents didn't speak English and had discouraged them from speaking it until they started elementary school, setting them back several years.

I taught about 15 miles from the beach, and in most of my classes, at least 50% of the kids had never seen the ocean in person.

I saw more "bad choices" in the suburban district, and they were usually made by the more well-off kids. Kids who didn't want to do homework and whose parents made excuses; kids who got involved in 20 extracurriculars that left no time for studying; kids who thought they could wait till the end of the semester, turn in "late work" or ask for "extra credit," and ran into a brick wall (i.e., me), then threatened and screamed when they didn't get their way. Kids who lied to their counselors and sat in their offices to get 'excused' from a quiz or test because they didn't bother studying. In short, kids who had a huge sense of entitlement and didn't understand the word "no."

My 'underprivileged' students were the ones who came after class to get extra help, asked questions, and made good choices just by showing up every day... even if they had been up all night because their little sibling (or son/daughter) had been up sick all night, or were working 30+ hours a week to help support their families. They didn't do the prettiest, most perfect work, but it was their own work; they didn't cheat, and then threaten to sue me and the district because I 'dared' accuse them of cheating.

I did not grow up in the inner city and can't even begin to pretend to understand what it's like to grow up in such an environment. But I tried spending time in the community, and I talked to them about it... and one lesson I DID come away with is that I had to abandon my naive idealism, borne from a combination of the desire to "change the world" and a feeling that I "knew better," and start LISTENING to my students, before I could teach them effectively.

I learned early on that I don't know everything! I also learned early that I tend to have verbal diarrhoea...for example, during my MA defence, [my topic was on physical activity accessibility] and my external said "do you think you're making the assumption that if it's in their neighbourhood they'll use it? Do you not need to test that relationship" ...without summarizing what I said, I ended up making reference to living next to a liquor store and still not being an alcoholic.I got laughs, but thinking back, probably not my best choice of words...hehe

I think it's human nature to make mistakes and/or say something stupid. You have to not let it drag you down or define you. Also, it's great when you finally realize that it's okay not to know an answer, and just say it. There was a question in my defence where I had to answer "That's a great question and something I should know, but I do not. All I can say is that you've brought attention to an area in which I need to give further focus to. I will email you next week and give my answer to that question". They were pleased! I didn't try to BS my way around something that it was obvious that I didn't know!

You're only in your first year of grad school- give yourself a break! You're allowed to be wrong or say something silly! You, me, the students in your class and everyone on here have already, or will at some point, done it!

Don't be so hard on yourself! You've got to be pretty smart to have gotten into grad school!

It is going to be tough to get a correct answer on this unless somebody has done a research paper analyzing the socioeconomic status of graduate students families. Actually, I am pretty sure papers have been written about it.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/x5707h7p23p20513/
That link will direct you to a whole book about it. It was written in 1985, and even at that time, there was no direct correlation of background and the choice of going to graduate school. The summary tells you that income of one's family does effect where they may choose to go to school at the undergraduate level, but becomes nonsignificant as students progress through college because it is purely dependent upon their unique experience once in college. This makes sense, since the longer you are in college the more you break away from your family background. You start becoming established in your own right.

One of the great things about being a graduate student is that you get the opportunity to meet students from diverse sets of background. And, I agree that you cannot judge people on their spending habits. Most graduate students are spending their own money, not their parents. As for the person who imports Olive Oil from Italy, it might actually be cheaper. Sometimes buying something directly from where it is made can be cheaper than paying the mark up once it makes it here. I am not sure, but I know have bought some consumer goods directly from China where they are manufactured and they were cheaper than buying the same items here.

It is going to be tough to get a correct answer on this unless somebody has done a research paper analyzing the socioeconomic status of graduate students families. Actually, I am pretty sure papers have been written about it.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/x5707h7p23p20513/
That link will direct you to a whole book about it. It was written in 1985, and even at that time, there was no direct correlation of background and the choice of going to graduate school. The summary tells you that income of one's family does effect where they may choose to go to school at the undergraduate level, but becomes nonsignificant as students progress through college because it is purely dependent upon their unique experience once in college. This makes sense, since the longer you are in college the more you break away from your family background. You start becoming established in your own right.

One of the great things about being a graduate student is that you get the opportunity to meet students from diverse sets of background. And, I agree that you cannot judge people on their spending habits. Most graduate students are spending their own money, not their parents. As for the person who imports Olive Oil from Italy, it might actually be cheaper. Sometimes buying something directly from where it is made can be cheaper than paying the mark up once it makes it here. I am not sure, but I know have bought some consumer goods directly from China where they are manufactured and they were cheaper than buying the same items here.

I have taken 2 classes so far, and apparently I am the only new PhD student from the United States.... and I am in the United States. When I go to class, I feel like I am at an international airport, haha. It should be interesting. For one of my classes our professor e-mailed us the syllabus two days before the class started with some readings we were expected to do and I started printing it out and realized that it is 33 pages long. Who has a 33 page syllabus? I will meet my advisor tomorrow whom which I was told is a brand new professor. I am guessing I am his first PhD student? All new and fascinating experiences. I have also realized I did not come prepared as far as school supplies. I printed out an article and could not find a stapler to staple it with. Haha I will have to pick up a few things.

Agree with the poster above. Three years is a wash. You should look at men as being in your age bracket, not younger/ older. A few years one way or the other does not drastically change a person maturity level. Make your decision based off on personality factors. Older does not necessarily mean wiser. It actually makes more sense from an athropologic standpoint for women to marry younger men since we typically live longer them. haha

I am glad I am not the only person who does this... for nearly everything. I just made a cost analysis spreadsheet on what the most efficient way to move! Haha.

Last year in July/ August, I was dreaming about graduate school, studying to retake the terrible GMAT, working at a gym, and signing on to become a substitute teacher.

Hmm, let me weigh in (haha) on this issue. I have currently been working for the past few years as a personal trainer, was a college, and all that jazz. I will give you some advice based on what I see most people do wrong in their fitness routine

1). Someone already mentioned this earlier but cardio AND strength training are important. Cardio is for what it sounds like... cardiovascular health which includes your heart and internal organs. You want to keep these things healthy so to avoid things such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and the like. Strength training is for your exterior: mainly muscle to fat ratio. This is your overall fitness level and what is responsible for weight control. Strength training does not mean you will get bulky (women assume this all the time) there are many different types of resistance training you can do to achieve your specific goals.

2). You do not have to spend a long time in the gym. It is actually better if you don't. The training sessions I instruct currently are 30 minutes. It is 30 minutes of continuous exercise with very little rest time. It is better to do something of high intensity for 30 minutes than to spend 2 hours with a lot of breaks inbetween. Keeping your heart rate up will help you get the most out of what you are doing.

3). DO NOT DO THE SAME THING EVERY WEEK. Someone already mentioned this, but it is pertinent. There are people who come into the gym and do the same thing so often I could do their whole routine for them. If you do the same thing, it no longer is a workout. Your body adjusts to things and they get easier and will not have much of an effect on you. Change it up, do different things.

4). Machines are not that useful. Most gyms have a bunch of equipment where you sit down and move one body part. You are not going to get much from just doing these sorts of exercises. You are letting a machine do too much of the work for you. Doing the same motion with free weights will give you a better workout and is more practical. Free weights increase coordination, balance, and body control. Those are all things we can use on a daily basis.

5). Core strength is number one. Core involves not just your abs but also your back, sides, and hip flexors. Your body revolves around your core. Do not neglect it. This is extremely important for us graduate students who spend a lot of time reading and sitting at a desk. Increasing your core strength gives you better posture and prevents a lot of back problems. Get your ab and back exercises going on a daily basis. Abs do not need as much time to recover as other muscles so you can do them 5 days a week.

6). Stretch AFTER you workout, not before. You are going to do weight training do some cardio to warm up your muscles before hand. You don't need to do much static stretching (standing still stuff) before you exercise. It won't do much for you. It is most important to stretch once you are finished working out. When you are exercising, your muscles warm up and expand (you can feel the thermal energy in your body that is what makes us hot and sweaty ) and when you return to a resting state you cool down and your muscles contract. Right after a work out, your muscles are warm and are most elastic, stretching them before the cool down stage will help them remain more elastic when they go into the tightening stage. This prevents muscle injuries and soreness.

7). Exercise doesn't take your energy, it creates it! Keeping active will give you more energy for the rest of the day and increases endorphins released through your body. You are going to need all the energy you can get with studying and school work.

8). Most importantly, do something you enjoy and have fun! Do not think of exercising as some awful chore you have to do. Find something you like to do, work out with someone whose company you enjoy, and mix things up.

Best of luck to everyone, and let me know if you have any questions.

This whole scenario embarasses me terribly (not sure why) but it makes me not want to discuss it with anybody I actually know. So here I am asking for advice from random people on the internet.

Here is the background, I have been admitted to a PHD program beginning this fall (yay!) which requires me to move. I have been out of school for the past two years just working and living like a "regular" person. I am currently working two part time jobs and had planned on working both until the beginning of August when I move and start graduate school again. One of my jobs, I am an administrative assistant at a college (fairly irrelevant) and the other I work as a personal trainer at a gym. I have been working at the gym for the past two years and for the most part I have enjoyed it.

I had already told a number of my regular clients that I was planning on leaving to attend graduate school. I had not told anybody in "management" about my plans yet. I did not feel obligated to give more than a two week notice, as it is not difficult to hire another trainer, albeit they will not be as awesome as me . Also, our company is virtually a revolving door when it comes to "management" positions. I could make you a page long list of the number of managers I had seen come and go over the past two years of employment. We recently got a new guy in our location last week.

This week I started feeling sick on Sunday but kept going to work through Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning I felt much worse and decided to go to a walk-in clinic. I let all of my clients I had scheduled that morning know that I could not make the session because of being sick and I received confirmation that they understood and there was no problem. I got checked out, I had strep throat, highly contagious, was not recommended to return to work until Friday. I made sure to get into contact with everybody I had scheduled for those two days, whether through text or strained phone call (I had lost my voice entirely) to say I couldn't make it and reschedule for a better time. It is very rare I have to reschedule sessions on my behalf because I hardly ever get sick or have anything major happen, it wasn't a big deal.

I was at home Thursday night recovering when I get a call from this new manager guy. He asks me why I haven't been showing up for my sessions. I tell him "I rescheduled all my sessions today I am at home with strep, I am not supposed to be at work." He told me that "no, you did not reschedule." I mentioned I had talked to everybody and worked out the schedule. We went back and forth and he said I was not allowed to reschedule clients without telling him first. In all of the years I had been working there, nobody ever said I had to do that and I never had done that. I was told I had to tell him that I was sick first before contacting my clients. That does not make logical sense to me, since I was meeting my clients when he was not even working. What was he going to do?

In conclusion, the misunderstanding ended in him handing me termination papers that listed the reason of "absenteeism." I never actually missed anything. I feel like the real reason is that we had conflicting personalities and every time we get a new manager they fire somebody to show their power. You may ask me, why does it matter if you were going to quit your job in four weeks anyway?

Well, here is why:

1). What happened was unjust. It was a misunderstanding. He did not even ask the people who I was scheduled with whether I contacted them or not, he said he would do that later, after he fired me. I was accused of something I didn't do. It makes me upset.

2). I feel bad for my clients. I had told them I would train them up until I left. Now, I look like a big fat liar. They got the short end of the stick with this one, abruptly having to change their whole program with no warning.

3). I could use the extra money. I only had two part time jobs. I will not starve or end up in a cardboard box without it but it was going to help cover some things I needed to do. I.E. replaces the blown out shocks on my car, moving expenses, etc.

So what should I do? I know it is not worth throwing a fit over since I am moving in a month but it just feels wrong. Furthermore, what can I do to earn extra income in that time frame? I am trying in mind to think of what I can do for a few weeks that will help with these expenses? Work at a summer camp or something? I don't know. I am kind of put in a bind here.

This whole scenario embarasses me terribly (not sure why) but it makes me not want to discuss it with anybody I actually know. So here I am asking for advice from random people on the internet.

Here is the background, I have been admitted to a PHD program beginning this fall (yay!) which requires me to move. I have been out of school for the past two years just working and living like a "regular" person. I am currently working two part time jobs and had planned on working both until the beginning of August when I move and start graduate school again. One of my jobs, I am an administrative assistant at a college (fairly irrelevant) and the other I work as a personal trainer at a gym. I have been working at the gym for the past two years and for the most part I have enjoyed it.

I had already told a number of my regular clients that I was planning on leaving to attend graduate school. I had not told anybody in "management" about my plans yet. I did not feel obligated to give more than a two week notice, as it is not difficult to hire another trainer, albeit they will not be as awesome as me . Also, our company is virtually a revolving door when it comes to "management" positions. I could make you a page long list of the number of managers I had seen come and go over the past two years of employment. We recently got a new guy in our location last week.

This week I started feeling sick on Sunday but kept going to work through Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning I felt much worse and decided to go to a walk-in clinic. I let all of my clients I had scheduled that morning know that I could not make the session because of being sick and I received confirmation that they understood and there was no problem. I got checked out, I had strep throat, highly contagious, was not recommended to return to work until Friday. I made sure to get into contact with everybody I had scheduled for those two days, whether through text or strained phone call (I had lost my voice entirely) to say I couldn't make it and reschedule for a better time. It is very rare I have to reschedule sessions on my behalf because I hardly ever get sick or have anything major happen, it wasn't a big deal.

I was at home Thursday night recovering when I get a call from this new manager guy. He asks me why I haven't been showing up for my sessions. I tell him "I rescheduled all my sessions today I am at home with strep, I am not supposed to be at work." He told me that "no, you did not reschedule." I mentioned I had talked to everybody and worked out the schedule. We went back and forth and he said I was not allowed to reschedule clients without telling him first. In all of the years I had been working there, nobody ever said I had to do that and I never had done that. I was told I had to tell him that I was sick first before contacting my clients. That does not make logical sense to me, since I was meeting my clients when he was not even working. What was he going to do?

In conclusion, the misunderstanding ended in him handing me termination papers that listed the reason of "absenteeism." I never actually missed anything. I feel like the real reason is that we had conflicting personalities and every time we get a new manager they fire somebody to show their power. You may ask me, why does it matter if you were going to quit your job in four weeks anyway?

Well, here is why:

1). What happened was unjust. It was a misunderstanding. He did not even ask the people who I was scheduled with whether I contacted them or not, he said he would do that later, after he fired me. I was accused of something I didn't do. It makes me upset.

2). I feel bad for my clients. I had told them I would train them up until I left. Now, I look like a big fat liar. They got the short end of the stick with this one, abruptly having to change their whole program with no warning.

3). I could use the extra money. I only had two part time jobs. I will not starve or end up in a cardboard box without it but it was going to help cover some things I needed to do. I.E. replaces the blown out shocks on my car, moving expenses, etc.

So what should I do? I know it is not worth throwing a fit over since I am moving in a month but it just feels wrong. Furthermore, what can I do to earn extra income in that time frame? I am trying in mind to think of what I can do for a few weeks that will help with these expenses? Work at a summer camp or something? I don't know. I am kind of put in a bind here.

Agree with the poster above. Three years is a wash. You should look at men as being in your age bracket, not younger/ older. A few years one way or the other does not drastically change a person maturity level. Make your decision based off on personality factors. Older does not necessarily mean wiser. It actually makes more sense from an athropologic standpoint for women to marry younger men since we typically live longer them. haha

That sounds like a good idea to me

Hmm, let me weigh in (haha) on this issue. I have currently been working for the past few years as a personal trainer, was a college, and all that jazz. I will give you some advice based on what I see most people do wrong in their fitness routine

1). Someone already mentioned this earlier but cardio AND strength training are important. Cardio is for what it sounds like... cardiovascular health which includes your heart and internal organs. You want to keep these things healthy so to avoid things such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and the like. Strength training is for your exterior: mainly muscle to fat ratio. This is your overall fitness level and what is responsible for weight control. Strength training does not mean you will get bulky (women assume this all the time) there are many different types of resistance training you can do to achieve your specific goals.

2). You do not have to spend a long time in the gym. It is actually better if you don't. The training sessions I instruct currently are 30 minutes. It is 30 minutes of continuous exercise with very little rest time. It is better to do something of high intensity for 30 minutes than to spend 2 hours with a lot of breaks inbetween. Keeping your heart rate up will help you get the most out of what you are doing.

3). DO NOT DO THE SAME THING EVERY WEEK. Someone already mentioned this, but it is pertinent. There are people who come into the gym and do the same thing so often I could do their whole routine for them. If you do the same thing, it no longer is a workout. Your body adjusts to things and they get easier and will not have much of an effect on you. Change it up, do different things.

4). Machines are not that useful. Most gyms have a bunch of equipment where you sit down and move one body part. You are not going to get much from just doing these sorts of exercises. You are letting a machine do too much of the work for you. Doing the same motion with free weights will give you a better workout and is more practical. Free weights increase coordination, balance, and body control. Those are all things we can use on a daily basis.

5). Core strength is number one. Core involves not just your abs but also your back, sides, and hip flexors. Your body revolves around your core. Do not neglect it. This is extremely important for us graduate students who spend a lot of time reading and sitting at a desk. Increasing your core strength gives you better posture and prevents a lot of back problems. Get your ab and back exercises going on a daily basis. Abs do not need as much time to recover as other muscles so you can do them 5 days a week.

6). Stretch AFTER you workout, not before. You are going to do weight training do some cardio to warm up your muscles before hand. You don't need to do much static stretching (standing still stuff) before you exercise. It won't do much for you. It is most important to stretch once you are finished working out. When you are exercising, your muscles warm up and expand (you can feel the thermal energy in your body that is what makes us hot and sweaty ) and when you return to a resting state you cool down and your muscles contract. Right after a work out, your muscles are warm and are most elastic, stretching them before the cool down stage will help them remain more elastic when they go into the tightening stage. This prevents muscle injuries and soreness.

7). Exercise doesn't take your energy, it creates it! Keeping active will give you more energy for the rest of the day and increases endorphins released through your body. You are going to need all the energy you can get with studying and school work.

8). Most importantly, do something you enjoy and have fun! Do not think of exercising as some awful chore you have to do. Find something you like to do, work out with someone whose company you enjoy, and mix things up.

Best of luck to everyone, and let me know if you have any questions.

Hmm, let me weigh in (haha) on this issue. I have currently been working for the past few years as a personal trainer, was a college, and all that jazz. I will give you some advice based on what I see most people do wrong in their fitness routine

1). Someone already mentioned this earlier but cardio AND strength training are important. Cardio is for what it sounds like... cardiovascular health which includes your heart and internal organs. You want to keep these things healthy so to avoid things such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and the like. Strength training is for your exterior: mainly muscle to fat ratio. This is your overall fitness level and what is responsible for weight control. Strength training does not mean you will get bulky (women assume this all the time) there are many different types of resistance training you can do to achieve your specific goals.

2). You do not have to spend a long time in the gym. It is actually better if you don't. The training sessions I instruct currently are 30 minutes. It is 30 minutes of continuous exercise with very little rest time. It is better to do something of high intensity for 30 minutes than to spend 2 hours with a lot of breaks inbetween. Keeping your heart rate up will help you get the most out of what you are doing.

3). DO NOT DO THE SAME THING EVERY WEEK. Someone already mentioned this, but it is pertinent. There are people who come into the gym and do the same thing so often I could do their whole routine for them. If you do the same thing, it no longer is a workout. Your body adjusts to things and they get easier and will not have much of an effect on you. Change it up, do different things.

4). Machines are not that useful. Most gyms have a bunch of equipment where you sit down and move one body part. You are not going to get much from just doing these sorts of exercises. You are letting a machine do too much of the work for you. Doing the same motion with free weights will give you a better workout and is more practical. Free weights increase coordination, balance, and body control. Those are all things we can use on a daily basis.

5). Core strength is number one. Core involves not just your abs but also your back, sides, and hip flexors. Your body revolves around your core. Do not neglect it. This is extremely important for us graduate students who spend a lot of time reading and sitting at a desk. Increasing your core strength gives you better posture and prevents a lot of back problems. Get your ab and back exercises going on a daily basis. Abs do not need as much time to recover as other muscles so you can do them 5 days a week.

6). Stretch AFTER you workout, not before. You are going to do weight training do some cardio to warm up your muscles before hand. You don't need to do much static stretching (standing still stuff) before you exercise. It won't do much for you. It is most important to stretch once you are finished working out. When you are exercising, your muscles warm up and expand (you can feel the thermal energy in your body that is what makes us hot and sweaty ) and when you return to a resting state you cool down and your muscles contract. Right after a work out, your muscles are warm and are most elastic, stretching them before the cool down stage will help them remain more elastic when they go into the tightening stage. This prevents muscle injuries and soreness.

7). Exercise doesn't take your energy, it creates it! Keeping active will give you more energy for the rest of the day and increases endorphins released through your body. You are going to need all the energy you can get with studying and school work.

8). Most importantly, do something you enjoy and have fun! Do not think of exercising as some awful chore you have to do. Find something you like to do, work out with someone whose company you enjoy, and mix things up.

Best of luck to everyone, and let me know if you have any questions.

The only people that can work out this way are people who actually know what they are doing. haha. I would not recommend this to a novice. That is a workout more along the lines of an athlete, bodybuilder, or someone with an extensive knowledge of fitness. This is how we lifted a few days a week as a collegiate athlete. The other days were reserved for more high intensity stuff. As long as you lift the proper strength training cycles it sounds great. Athletes lift in a cycle that has them peak for the end of their season so they start off the beginning of the year lifting higher reps (sets of 12-15) and after so many weeks decreases the number of reps and increases the weight until the end of the season you are lifting heavy for only 4-5 reps in a set. That builds strength the best over periods of time. If you are not competing in something you can kind of cater it to how you want to. But those people that come in and do 4x8 of bench press every couple of days really aren't going anywhere.

Hmm, let me weigh in (haha) on this issue. I have currently been working for the past few years as a personal trainer, was a college, and all that jazz. I will give you some advice based on what I see most people do wrong in their fitness routine

1). Someone already mentioned this earlier but cardio AND strength training are important. Cardio is for what it sounds like... cardiovascular health which includes your heart and internal organs. You want to keep these things healthy so to avoid things such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and the like. Strength training is for your exterior: mainly muscle to fat ratio. This is your overall fitness level and what is responsible for weight control. Strength training does not mean you will get bulky (women assume this all the time) there are many different types of resistance training you can do to achieve your specific goals.

2). You do not have to spend a long time in the gym. It is actually better if you don't. The training sessions I instruct currently are 30 minutes. It is 30 minutes of continuous exercise with very little rest time. It is better to do something of high intensity for 30 minutes than to spend 2 hours with a lot of breaks inbetween. Keeping your heart rate up will help you get the most out of what you are doing.

3). DO NOT DO THE SAME THING EVERY WEEK. Someone already mentioned this, but it is pertinent. There are people who come into the gym and do the same thing so often I could do their whole routine for them. If you do the same thing, it no longer is a workout. Your body adjusts to things and they get easier and will not have much of an effect on you. Change it up, do different things.

4). Machines are not that useful. Most gyms have a bunch of equipment where you sit down and move one body part. You are not going to get much from just doing these sorts of exercises. You are letting a machine do too much of the work for you. Doing the same motion with free weights will give you a better workout and is more practical. Free weights increase coordination, balance, and body control. Those are all things we can use on a daily basis.

5). Core strength is number one. Core involves not just your abs but also your back, sides, and hip flexors. Your body revolves around your core. Do not neglect it. This is extremely important for us graduate students who spend a lot of time reading and sitting at a desk. Increasing your core strength gives you better posture and prevents a lot of back problems. Get your ab and back exercises going on a daily basis. Abs do not need as much time to recover as other muscles so you can do them 5 days a week.

6). Stretch AFTER you workout, not before. You are going to do weight training do some cardio to warm up your muscles before hand. You don't need to do much static stretching (standing still stuff) before you exercise. It won't do much for you. It is most important to stretch once you are finished working out. When you are exercising, your muscles warm up and expand (you can feel the thermal energy in your body that is what makes us hot and sweaty ) and when you return to a resting state you cool down and your muscles contract. Right after a work out, your muscles are warm and are most elastic, stretching them before the cool down stage will help them remain more elastic when they go into the tightening stage. This prevents muscle injuries and soreness.

7). Exercise doesn't take your energy, it creates it! Keeping active will give you more energy for the rest of the day and increases endorphins released through your body. You are going to need all the energy you can get with studying and school work.

8). Most importantly, do something you enjoy and have fun! Do not think of exercising as some awful chore you have to do. Find something you like to do, work out with someone whose company you enjoy, and mix things up.

Best of luck to everyone, and let me know if you have any questions.

Hmm, let me weigh in (haha) on this issue. I have currently been working for the past few years as a personal trainer, was a college, and all that jazz. I will give you some advice based on what I see most people do wrong in their fitness routine

1). Someone already mentioned this earlier but cardio AND strength training are important. Cardio is for what it sounds like... cardiovascular health which includes your heart and internal organs. You want to keep these things healthy so to avoid things such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and the like. Strength training is for your exterior: mainly muscle to fat ratio. This is your overall fitness level and what is responsible for weight control. Strength training does not mean you will get bulky (women assume this all the time) there are many different types of resistance training you can do to achieve your specific goals.

2). You do not have to spend a long time in the gym. It is actually better if you don't. The training sessions I instruct currently are 30 minutes. It is 30 minutes of continuous exercise with very little rest time. It is better to do something of high intensity for 30 minutes than to spend 2 hours with a lot of breaks inbetween. Keeping your heart rate up will help you get the most out of what you are doing.

3). DO NOT DO THE SAME THING EVERY WEEK. Someone already mentioned this, but it is pertinent. There are people who come into the gym and do the same thing so often I could do their whole routine for them. If you do the same thing, it no longer is a workout. Your body adjusts to things and they get easier and will not have much of an effect on you. Change it up, do different things.

4). Machines are not that useful. Most gyms have a bunch of equipment where you sit down and move one body part. You are not going to get much from just doing these sorts of exercises. You are letting a machine do too much of the work for you. Doing the same motion with free weights will give you a better workout and is more practical. Free weights increase coordination, balance, and body control. Those are all things we can use on a daily basis.

5). Core strength is number one. Core involves not just your abs but also your back, sides, and hip flexors. Your body revolves around your core. Do not neglect it. This is extremely important for us graduate students who spend a lot of time reading and sitting at a desk. Increasing your core strength gives you better posture and prevents a lot of back problems. Get your ab and back exercises going on a daily basis. Abs do not need as much time to recover as other muscles so you can do them 5 days a week.

6). Stretch AFTER you workout, not before. You are going to do weight training do some cardio to warm up your muscles before hand. You don't need to do much static stretching (standing still stuff) before you exercise. It won't do much for you. It is most important to stretch once you are finished working out. When you are exercising, your muscles warm up and expand (you can feel the thermal energy in your body that is what makes us hot and sweaty ) and when you return to a resting state you cool down and your muscles contract. Right after a work out, your muscles are warm and are most elastic, stretching them before the cool down stage will help them remain more elastic when they go into the tightening stage. This prevents muscle injuries and soreness.

7). Exercise doesn't take your energy, it creates it! Keeping active will give you more energy for the rest of the day and increases endorphins released through your body. You are going to need all the energy you can get with studying and school work.

8). Most importantly, do something you enjoy and have fun! Do not think of exercising as some awful chore you have to do. Find something you like to do, work out with someone whose company you enjoy, and mix things up.

Best of luck to everyone, and let me know if you have any questions.

Hmm, let me weigh in (haha) on this issue. I have currently been working for the past few years as a personal trainer, was a college, and all that jazz. I will give you some advice based on what I see most people do wrong in their fitness routine

1). Someone already mentioned this earlier but cardio AND strength training are important. Cardio is for what it sounds like... cardiovascular health which includes your heart and internal organs. You want to keep these things healthy so to avoid things such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and the like. Strength training is for your exterior: mainly muscle to fat ratio. This is your overall fitness level and what is responsible for weight control. Strength training does not mean you will get bulky (women assume this all the time) there are many different types of resistance training you can do to achieve your specific goals.

2). You do not have to spend a long time in the gym. It is actually better if you don't. The training sessions I instruct currently are 30 minutes. It is 30 minutes of continuous exercise with very little rest time. It is better to do something of high intensity for 30 minutes than to spend 2 hours with a lot of breaks inbetween. Keeping your heart rate up will help you get the most out of what you are doing.

3). DO NOT DO THE SAME THING EVERY WEEK. Someone already mentioned this, but it is pertinent. There are people who come into the gym and do the same thing so often I could do their whole routine for them. If you do the same thing, it no longer is a workout. Your body adjusts to things and they get easier and will not have much of an effect on you. Change it up, do different things.

4). Machines are not that useful. Most gyms have a bunch of equipment where you sit down and move one body part. You are not going to get much from just doing these sorts of exercises. You are letting a machine do too much of the work for you. Doing the same motion with free weights will give you a better workout and is more practical. Free weights increase coordination, balance, and body control. Those are all things we can use on a daily basis.

5). Core strength is number one. Core involves not just your abs but also your back, sides, and hip flexors. Your body revolves around your core. Do not neglect it. This is extremely important for us graduate students who spend a lot of time reading and sitting at a desk. Increasing your core strength gives you better posture and prevents a lot of back problems. Get your ab and back exercises going on a daily basis. Abs do not need as much time to recover as other muscles so you can do them 5 days a week.

6). Stretch AFTER you workout, not before. You are going to do weight training do some cardio to warm up your muscles before hand. You don't need to do much static stretching (standing still stuff) before you exercise. It won't do much for you. It is most important to stretch once you are finished working out. When you are exercising, your muscles warm up and expand (you can feel the thermal energy in your body that is what makes us hot and sweaty ) and when you return to a resting state you cool down and your muscles contract. Right after a work out, your muscles are warm and are most elastic, stretching them before the cool down stage will help them remain more elastic when they go into the tightening stage. This prevents muscle injuries and soreness.

7). Exercise doesn't take your energy, it creates it! Keeping active will give you more energy for the rest of the day and increases endorphins released through your body. You are going to need all the energy you can get with studying and school work.

8). Most importantly, do something you enjoy and have fun! Do not think of exercising as some awful chore you have to do. Find something you like to do, work out with someone whose company you enjoy, and mix things up.

Best of luck to everyone, and let me know if you have any questions.

Hmm, let me weigh in (haha) on this issue. I have currently been working for the past few years as a personal trainer, was a college, and all that jazz. I will give you some advice based on what I see most people do wrong in their fitness routine

1). Someone already mentioned this earlier but cardio AND strength training are important. Cardio is for what it sounds like... cardiovascular health which includes your heart and internal organs. You want to keep these things healthy so to avoid things such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and the like. Strength training is for your exterior: mainly muscle to fat ratio. This is your overall fitness level and what is responsible for weight control. Strength training does not mean you will get bulky (women assume this all the time) there are many different types of resistance training you can do to achieve your specific goals.

2). You do not have to spend a long time in the gym. It is actually better if you don't. The training sessions I instruct currently are 30 minutes. It is 30 minutes of continuous exercise with very little rest time. It is better to do something of high intensity for 30 minutes than to spend 2 hours with a lot of breaks inbetween. Keeping your heart rate up will help you get the most out of what you are doing.

3). DO NOT DO THE SAME THING EVERY WEEK. Someone already mentioned this, but it is pertinent. There are people who come into the gym and do the same thing so often I could do their whole routine for them. If you do the same thing, it no longer is a workout. Your body adjusts to things and they get easier and will not have much of an effect on you. Change it up, do different things.

4). Machines are not that useful. Most gyms have a bunch of equipment where you sit down and move one body part. You are not going to get much from just doing these sorts of exercises. You are letting a machine do too much of the work for you. Doing the same motion with free weights will give you a better workout and is more practical. Free weights increase coordination, balance, and body control. Those are all things we can use on a daily basis.

5). Core strength is number one. Core involves not just your abs but also your back, sides, and hip flexors. Your body revolves around your core. Do not neglect it. This is extremely important for us graduate students who spend a lot of time reading and sitting at a desk. Increasing your core strength gives you better posture and prevents a lot of back problems. Get your ab and back exercises going on a daily basis. Abs do not need as much time to recover as other muscles so you can do them 5 days a week.

6). Stretch AFTER you workout, not before. You are going to do weight training do some cardio to warm up your muscles before hand. You don't need to do much static stretching (standing still stuff) before you exercise. It won't do much for you. It is most important to stretch once you are finished working out. When you are exercising, your muscles warm up and expand (you can feel the thermal energy in your body that is what makes us hot and sweaty ) and when you return to a resting state you cool down and your muscles contract. Right after a work out, your muscles are warm and are most elastic, stretching them before the cool down stage will help them remain more elastic when they go into the tightening stage. This prevents muscle injuries and soreness.

7). Exercise doesn't take your energy, it creates it! Keeping active will give you more energy for the rest of the day and increases endorphins released through your body. You are going to need all the energy you can get with studying and school work.

8). Most importantly, do something you enjoy and have fun! Do not think of exercising as some awful chore you have to do. Find something you like to do, work out with someone whose company you enjoy, and mix things up.

Best of luck to everyone, and let me know if you have any questions.

I definitely will not starve! I have a good chunk of money saved up. But as time passes the more I realize that you guys are right, I should take a little extra time. There are some adventures in Florida I would like to conquer before moving on to the state.