The Study Space Podcast: Recent Episodes
The UniPlan Team
Learn how to manage your time better, reduce stress, and stop procrastination right in its tracks. The Study Space Podcast is dedicated to your success as a student. We'll show you how to be more productive, get higher grades, and prepare for college and adult life.
In previous episodes, we often advised you to meditate, get more sleep, or plan your schedules ahead of time. While these strategies are effective over the long term, many students would like to know some ways to get an immediate boost of productivity. Today we’re going to give you 5 ways to be more productive right away. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/30.
In the age of the Coronavirus, most universities have transitioned to hybrid or fully online classes. This has caused a great disruption for students by forcing them to learn how to study in this new academic environment. Luckily, we’ve prepared some tips for you in this episode of the Study Space Podcast! Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/28.
Let’s be real here--no one likes Mondays, especially after a nice, stress-free weekend; however, Mondays can play a significant role in the week’s success. If Mondays are spent correctly, you’ll enter the week prepared and focused. Join us in this episode of the Study Space Podcast as we discuss tips on how to enjoy Mondays instead of dreading them! Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/29.
Having an experienced someone who is willing to guide you through the nuances of a field and support you as you achieve your goals is extremely important, but where and how can you find this special mentor? Join us in this episode of the Study Space Podcast as we walk through the methods that were instrumental in helping us find a mentor and others that are less than amazing. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/26.
Whether they’ve experienced it in college, an internship, or a job, a large majority of the population have encountered impostor syndrome, a psychological phenomenon of perpetual self-doubt. Although we have had this experience to varying degrees, we might not know much about it, so join us today as we recount our experiences with impostor syndrome, explore who has impostor syndrome, and share tips on overcoming these annoying feelings. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/27.
Many moments in life are made timeless by the people around us, and that cannot be more true during college. However, many students often find themselves unable to create and foster meaningful relationships with others. In this episode, we discuss the methods and techniques that helped us make and, more importantly, keep our friends. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/25.
For many students, internships are an integral part of the college experience, and, for many employers, internships are an integral part of an application. Although some are fortunate enough to get important experience as well as a paycheck, many find themselves as an unpaid intern and wondering if unpaid internships are worth their time and effort. In this episode of the Study Space Podcast, we examine the pros and cons of an unpaid internship, discuss our opinions on the matter, and recount our own experiences as interns. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/24.
It is much easier to form habits than to abandon them, and, once formed, these behaviors often dictate choices and day-to-day activities. Building a series of beneficial habits is a great way to maintain a consistent routine; however, with a few bad ones mixed in, failure is always looming overhead. We here at the Study Space Podcast have formed plenty of bad habits and made plenty of terrible decisions during our short year at university. In this episode, we discuss the consequences of our actions as well as how we rectified our mistakes, so you can avoid forming these idiosyncrasies in the first place. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/23.
The pre-medical journey is quite unforgiving: students strive to get the perfect GPA as well as balance extracurricular activities. In this episode, Joseph Oldam discusses his journey as a neuroscience premedical student; join us as we talk about extracurriculars, study habits, and the nuances of being a nontraditional major. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/22.
For most, college is a strenuous yet exciting time: students often find themselves working through adversities and toward self-discovery. This adage cannot ring more truly for international students who must navigate through life in a foreign country while juggling the hardships that come with a college education. In this episode of the Study Space Podcast, we take a trip down memory lane with Sai Sathyanantha as he recounts both difficult and pleasant moments during his time at San Jose State University as an international student. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/21.
In this episode, we are joined by William Chau who will be attending UC San Francisco for Pharmacy school. We’ll discuss William’s journey through his undergraduate career and the steps he took to get where he is today. We’ll discuss William’s experience with changing his plans as he went through university and some advice he has for students who are having trouble finding the motivation to overcome the challenges of university. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/20.
In this episode, we are joined by Minh Duong, a high school student who recently had to take his AP exams virtually due to the closing of school in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Studying for AP exams is hard enough normally. With the pandemic, students were not only forced to quickly transition to remote, distance learning, but to take their exams under entirely different circumstances. We’ll discuss Minh’s experience with the virtual AP exams, the technical issues therein, and other implications of the AP exams. We’ll also talk about some of the opinions students had with these virtual AP exams and how the College Board has responded to their complaints. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/19.
In this episode we are joined by Michael Pham, a community college student, who will help us describe the differences between going to a community (or junior) college and going to a 4-year university. As the school year comes to an end, many students find themselves needing to decide between going straight to a 4-year university or a 2-year college. This is a very important decision to make that can have very impactful consequences. We’ll discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages to going to a 2-year college as opposed to a 4-year university right out of high school. We’ll also talk about some unique qualities of 2-year colleges that put them ahead of universities for some students. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/18.
In this episode, we talk about academic dishonesty in the age of remote learning. The coronavirus pandemic has forced universities across the country to close their doors and transition to fully remote, distanced learning. This new mode of learning has brought up concerns within academia regarding academic dishonesty and other related infractions upon academic integrity. We'll discuss a recent virtual townhall held for the Georgia Tech community at large regarding academic integrity and the implications of several strategies that some universities across the United States use to maintain that integrity. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/17.
In this episode, we talk about several professional development activities to do during the coronavirus shutdown over the summer. As days, weeks, and months go by with COVID-19 running rampant across the globe, the likelihood of a summer reprieve from the pandemic seem slim. For many students, their internships, jobs, and other projects are being cancelled. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to develop your professional skills over the summer. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/16.
In this episode, we talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted universities and learning. The coronavirus has forced the entire world to come to a full stop. Universities and their communities are facing tremendous challenges adapting to this global crisis to ensure that learning will proceed. We discuss some of the implications to remote learning and also give some of our tips and advice on how to ensure academic success in remote learning. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/15.
In this episode, we continue our discussion on the medical path and what that entails. Our guest for this episode is Natalie Tran, a chemistry major at the University of California, Irvine who intends to apply to medical school in the future. We talk about some tips and advice for students on a similar path to Natalie’s and her experiences. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/14.
In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we discuss our opinions on legacy admissions and their implications for college students applying to certain universities. We talk about what legacy admissions are, which schools have historically had preference for legacy students, and the arguments for and against having preferences for legacy students. Legacy preference in the college admissions process is nothing new. For the overwhelming majority of students looking to apply to famous schools in the United States, legacy preference is something that is not at the forefront of their minds. The focus is primarily on their academic performance and what extracurricular activities they have to demonstrate in their applications. However, for some schools, the additional variable of legacy status is one that can tip the scales between admission and rejection. This episode discusses this very variable. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/13.
In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we talk to Andre Vu, a pre-medical student attending Johns Hopkins University to get his insights on the pre-med track, medical school, and how to overcome the challenges inherent with those goals. We discuss the competitiveness and pressure of being a pre-med, and how to deal with them. We talk about activities, research, and life as a pre-med student.
Becoming a doctor is an admirable, but daunting goal. The competition is on and pressure is high. The rewards can be great, but the steps to get there are numerous and difficult. In this episode, we aim to uncover what life is like for one pre-med student at Johns Hopkins University, and what advice he has for students like him. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/12.
In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we talk about how to get into “the flow” and what that means for your productivity. We discuss the benefits of getting into the flow, our experiences with what our work has been like while in the flow, and how we have personally coaxed ourselves into the flow state. We also dive into some resources and quick tips you can apply to help yourselves get into the flow.
Students struggle with concentration and focus all the time, especially when there are so many distractions around us today. However, we have all had that out-of-body experience where we have been so hyper-focused that we lose all track of time while we work with seemingly endless concentration and motivation. We think this is something you can learn to control. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/11.
In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we discuss our experiences with mental health concerns, the resources that are available to students, and some tips on how to help yourself mitigate the stresses of college such that you avoid developing mental health issues. There is no doubt that college is a stressful experience. Obviously, if it were easy, everyone would have advanced degrees and never complain about deadlines and school. Unfortunately, when college stress grows too great, students can develop numerous mental health problems that affect academic performance. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/10.
Final exams are a culminating step for many college classes. They contribute to a great deal of stress that students have to face every term. Unfortunately, final exams don’t seem to be going away any time soon, and a good grade on the final can mean a great deal to your GPA. In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we discuss how to study for final exams. We talk about our experiences with final exams and what strategies we employ during our study sessions to ensure our success while staving off as much stress as possible. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/9.
To think that you need to focus on getting good grades and being immersed in the college experience is completely normal. These are all important parts of being a successful student. However, going off to college is but one fleeting stage in life that prepares you for the life ahead of you. The goal for many students is to become professionals in their chosen fields. While your academic performance is important in accomplishing such a goal, getting an internship is arguably a great deal more important. In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we discuss how to get into an internship-seeking mindset and how to begin your search for internships. We talk about the different ways in which we’ve looked for internships and which approaches we found worked better for us. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/8.
For new students unaccustomed to college life, feeling as though you need to start your first semester or term off strong is natural. Many students define “dominating” their first semester as getting a 4.0 GPA, landing an internship, or participating in research opportunities with their professors. While these are all noble aspirations, success is not solely comprised of academics. In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we discuss how to dominate your first semester of college by looking back at our first semesters and talking about the things we did right, but also things we did wrong or could have done better. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/7.
Perhaps the easiest thing about being a college student is feeling tired all the time. You can feel as though you have no energy for numerous reasons. When juggling homework, studying, career, and life, feeling overtired comes as no surprise to anyone. So how do people do it? How do other students seem to get through college just fine when you feel so exhausted from everything? In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we try to answer these questions and show you how to stay energized as a college student. We talk about the perpetual cycle of fatigue and how falling behind has the dangerous tendency of causing you to fall even more behind. We also propose some quick solutions that have worked for us to stay energized. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/6.
Many students are likely aware that different people learn new concepts differently. Often times the conversation resolves to three main categories of learners: auditory, kinesthetic, and visual. This framework can certainly be helpful for many students to identify their preferred method of learning, but we think there’s a more helpful way to reinforce your learning. In this episode of The Study Space Podcast, we discuss a higher-level concept for learning new topics and skills: personal learning ecosystems. We define what exactly is a personal learning ecosystem, how to build one, and how having one can benefit a college student. We discuss our own personal learning ecosystems and how we nurture it to reinforce our learning and development. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/5.
With the advent of technology came the demise of many traditional jobs and careers. Many students that are considering a college degree or are currently in the process of earning their degrees, are concerned that such aspirations can be useless if their jobs are automated away by high tech. Others believe that college degrees are the key to a secure career, and thus, a secure future. In this fourth episode of The Study Space, we evaluate the validity of such beliefs and give our opinions on them. We talk about the value of skills and how to think about what the future might bring. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/4.
In this episode of The Study Space, we discuss how we approach this idea of “balance” in our lives and what that really means. We cover the activities in which we participated and how they affected our time, attention, and energy. We also talk about our reasons for making certain decisions and evaluating our priorities. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/3.
In this second episode of The Study Space Podcast, we dive into the question that is on so many students' minds: how important is your college major to your future? We discuss our own college majors, their effects on our lives, and how we hope to use them in the future. We also talk about our personal strategies on how to make big life decisions like choosing your major or what skills to acquire. Learn how to think through these dilemmas in this episode! Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/2.
In this first episode of The Study Space Podcast, we share insights about the benefits of starting the next college semester or quarter early, and our personal methods and hacks for doing so. We also talk about commitments that you can take on during the summer to boost your skills, education, and career. If the next term is going to be your very first one, you'll put your mind at ease about how to prepare. If it's not your first rodeo, you'll learn how to start the term off on the right foot. Show Notes Available at https://uniplan.dev/podcast/1.