Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category

Maximizing Your Holiday Merriment

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

The holidays are here. You can tell from the music in the malls, the television commercials, and the general merriment and mayhem on the streets. This occasion has dangled in front of you all semester like a carrot, and now upon its awaited arrival, you question why it looked so appealing. It was, after all, a carrot. Not exactly the most coveted of edibles.

But for what the carrot brings in disappointment, and for what the holidays may bring in further stress to your life, they make up for it in nutrition. That is, if one knows how to properly prepare (for) them.

Just like when you’re getting ready for next semester and opt for the inexpensive and intellectual option of avoiding the chaos of the bookstore, and instead purchase your books online through LocAZu.com, you will find it easy and affordable to use reputable online retailers to obtain those pesky gifts.

Avoid the overcrowded malls, temperamental service staff, high prices, and shop from the comfort of your very own home. But order soon as the day approaches quickly.

Then comes that treat: the carrot. Although not as sweetly delicious as you may have anticipated. Where the carrot deters scurvy with vitamin C, the holidays deter isolation with togetherness. And you don’t want to be lonely or have scurvy. The time you spend with family, friends, or strangers at the soup kitchen (depending on your economic status), offers both good and bad things. It can be stressful—yes, it can be bothersome—most definitely, but it will provide the community spirit that will recharge you for another year.

So take the stress out of holiday shopping and get everything you need online delivered right to your door. And when this inevitably pleases you, go to LocAZu.com and buy/sell all your books in the same fashion, post your previous semesters notes and earn redeemable points, and rate your classes and professors. Then grab a handful of nutritious carrots and begin lining up, because the soup kitchen line for that holiday dinner is already around the corner.

UWO Textbooks: How To Save Time & Money

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Are you a UWO student? Use LocAzu.com to help you ace university and find used textbooks, lecture notes, plus much, much more! Here is how!

Need UWO textbooks?

The University of Western Ontario wants students to shell out thousands for their UWO textbooks each year. When you’re done with your courses, the UWO bookstore offers you very low used textbook buyback rates (50% of what you originally paid) after you waited in line for hours to sell your textbooks.

Want to save time and money during textbook season and beyond? Read on!UWO Textbooks

No line-ups!
Buy, sell, and trade your UWO textbooks online. Avoid long line-ups at the UWO bookstore by doing business with your peers directly. Ask another student for tips on the course you want to take, or sell your notes to someone who needs them instead of throwing them out. A few clicks could mean a new study buddy, or even an unexpected best friend.

Save Money—lots of it!

The UWO bookstore has a 25% mark-up, money you could have received and invested into your education, next month’s rent, or that trip to Europe. Sell your UWO textbooks directly to other students online to redeem what is rightfully yours.

Textbook Buyback For Way More!

The UWO bookstore buyback is 50% of what you paid—on a really good day. Why wait in line when you can trade directly with other students and avoid the middle man? Put your used textbooks on LocAZu.com. The buyer pays less because YOU decide on a fair price, and YOU receive more for your UWO textbooks because YOU are in control. Everyone wins!

Let LocAZu Do The Work For You and Save, Save, Save—for FREE!

Make an account with LocAZu.com to start capitalizing on your UWO textbooks today.

Search thousands of detailed online used textbook classifieds at UWO or nearby schools. All UWO textbooks are automatically posted with full details after typing in your ISBN, so you don’t have to keep reposting to be noticed or flip through repeated ads to find your textbooks. Easy is the key.

You’ll also study smarter with the lecture notes and exam study guides in related information, so you study smarter—not harder! Completed a course? Share your study notes on LocAZu to get rewards and help other students along the way.

Create Wishlists to tell everyone which UWO books you need. You’ll receive an automated alert whenever someone posts a book on your Wishlist for sale.UWO Textbooks

Sell Your Used Textbooks!

As soon as you’re done with your UWO textbooks, post them back on LocAZu for sale!

Type in the ISBN to automatically load your used textbook details, set a price, and your UWO textbooks get marketed throughout the University of Western Ontario (and nearby schools) faster than you can lace up your shoes to walk to the UWO bookstore.

And that’s it!

No more posting your UWO textbooks on Facebook or Kijiji and waiting around for weeks. Make your free account on LocAZu to start saving money today!

By: Millie Ho

Millie Ho is a third-year student at the University of Western Ontario, completing her first year of an Honors Business Administration degree at Richard Ivey.

5 Last minute exam preparation tips

Friday, November 26th, 2010

You wake up one day and realize your first exam is in just a couple of days. Don’t panic; the locazU expert students have 5 last minute exam preparation tips to get you in shape for the finals.exam preparation_LocazU

1.  Last minute cramming: Let’s face it. No matter what they say, cramming for most of us is an inevitable fact of live. But of course sleep is important, so even if you take a night shift for cramming, try to sleep a few hours. Otherwise you would probably fall asleep over your exam sheet  which can be counter productive.

2. Food: Essential for exam preparation is food that helps you to go through the night and keeps your energy level high. Our favorites: coffee, chocolate, dextrose and  bananas.

3. Prioritize: Concentrate on the most important topics and study with old exam questions if possible. This way  you get a feel for the type of questions /topics that are likely to be asked and the language and type of acceptable response. Plus, sometimes the same questions keep getting recycled. Ask your friends and fellow students for their past exams or search for it on student portals like locazU.com. And post yours on locazU for other students once you’re finished with your exams.studying2_locazu

4. Study Groups: Many brains are better than one!  And make sure that there is at least one person in the group who really gets the concepts and someone who gets the group structured.

5. Cheat Sheets: And last but not least, write a cheat sheet! Be careful I didn’t say use it, I just said write one, or more.  Condensing the material and re-writing is a great understanding and memory exercise. By the time you’re finished pulling together your cheat sheet, you’ll remember most of the concepts. And if you need to cram last minute, you have your core concepts and buzzwords handy!

Think positive and don’t be nervous. It’s just an exam after all and all the more reason to reward yourself afterwards with a fine beverage .

About the Author _____________________________________________________

Pia A: I’m a BCom Marketing & Communications graduate. I blog, market, & tweet fluently in German, English, & French. Like my posts or have an opportunity for me? Please contact blogsATlocazu.com (replace AT with @ if you are human:) ATTN Pia A.

Top 10 back to school web tools and apps

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Not really. But fortunately for students, there are a lot of useful free or almost free tools to get you through the year. Here are some of our favorites.

1. Evernote – This is a free app that allows you to capture notes, pictures, white board images, lecture recording and access them later from any computer. The cool feature about it is that it recognizes words from a picture, then you can find your recordings a lot easier using these tags.

Evenote

2. PI83 Graphing Calculator – If you’re stuck and in need of a graphing calculator for school, this iPhone app for 99 cents is a good deal. The PI83 Graphing Calculator is basically a limited version of the Texas Instruments TI83 graphing calculator.PI83 Graphing Calculator

3. Google Docs –  Google Docs is one of the best online word processing and spreadsheets applications available, and it offers great collaboration features that allow you to work together on group assignments. Multiple students from different locations can simultaneously work on the same document and the entire team can see the changes live. And it’s free!Google Docs

4. Free Language Tutors –  This is a free app by 24/7 Tutor which offers several free tutoring apps, including Spanish, French, Italian and German. They include audio of words, a puzzle game, flash cards, and quizzes. For translating text, Google Translate is great.free-language-tutors

5. locazU –  locazU, yes that’s us, is a simple site where Canadian students can post/find used textbooks and tutorials/textbook solutions. It also has a comparison search engine to let you know if you can find a better deal on your books from online booksellers.locazU

6. iStudiez Pro – Keep your schedule and class locations at a glance, keep track of lecture and lab locations, and track tasks and deadlines, and homework assignments. The app sells for $2.99.istudiez-pro

7. AlgebraPrepSeries –  Need to get your algebra knowledge in shape? These apps — a series of five, for $2.99 each — include practice, videos, and tests for algebra factoring, graphing, systems, equations, and real numbers.algebraprep-series

8. Myhomework –  This is a simple assignment notebook to help track assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. And it’s free.MyHomework

9. CiteMe –  When you get your term papers in order, make sure you cite your sources and in proper format.citeme

10. Addicting Games – OK this this is not a study tool, but we snuck it in anyway because it blissfully wasted hundreds of hours in between classes, and might as well do the same for you!AddictingGames

 

Find used textbooks, networking tips, and more online

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Find used textbooks, networking tips, and more online

Find used textbooks online this school year. Browse locazU.com for used university textbooks, learn how to buy and sell used textbooks at cut rates, and check out our blog for more tips and advice on student issues.

It’s easy to build student networks when you trade textbooks with your classmates online. But what most university students don’t know is how easy it can be to build a network of professional contacts. Don’t worry, once you have the know-how from locazU.com, there’s nothing to it

The best networking tips for university students

Most university students are networking all the time without realizing they’re doing it.

tips_networking_university

Stay connected, let us help

Think about it. How many professors and academics have steered your path in the classroom, or connected you to a resource previously unknown to you? That’s networking.

To get you started, take a look at these six key networking tips for university students:

  1. Volunteer. Get involved in your community through non-profit organizations. Choose an area that you have a particular interest in, or where you think you have the right skills to help. Volunteer experience is a great way to build relationships with mentors and collect references for down the road.
  2.  Look for Internship opportunities. Gaining hands-on experience in your career field goes a long way. Contact your student career service center for information on Co-op placements, where you can find work for credit, and sometimes pay.
  3. Search for part-time jobs in the career field of your choice. You may spend your time manning the phones, running packages, or sending faxes, but what you’re really doing is building contacts with professionals in your field.
  4. Find a mentor. A mentor can offer you insights and advice for your chosen career path and connect you with a variety of their professional contacts. My first significant locazUpublishing credit came from the connections that my mentor shared with me. My published article earned me a scholarship and street cred.
  5. Join student organizations on campus. Many of these professional student organization host guest speakers and conferences within your chosen field.
  6. Look off campus for more networking ideas. Your family connections and associations with unions or guilds may open up opportunities for the future.

Wow. That’s a lot of advice. But that’s what locazU.com is all about: connecting university students to resources for a successful career on campus.

By Ann Schwab