Service Learning Boise State: Fill & Download for Free

Don't be afraid to speak with your professors or their assistants whenever you need to. After all, you are paying for their services.Study. Study. Study.Don't wait until the last minute to do your school work.Don't be shy to form study groups with others in your classes. Study groups are a great way to get to know other students and to learn new material.Take at least one fun class each semester…something that may even be out of your element. For example, if you are a math major, take an art, poetry, or anthropology class.If you are struggling in a class, ask for help. Either speak with your professor or your advisor or ask for a tutor. Sometimes we all need a little boost and even just one or two sessions with a tutor can be immensely helpful.School work can feel overwhelming at times, which is to be expected. Take time out when you need it. Go for a walk; see a movie; practice yoga (you can find free yoga and meditation classes online); or grab coffee with a friend.Ask questions! Never be afraid to speak up and ask questions in your classes.Attend extracurricular activities provided by BSU, such as the lecture series.Be proud of yourself for taking this step in furthering your education. A good education is something you will never regret!

I actually wrote something about this on a college football blog that I frequent:As we all know, there have recently been many scandals involving paying football players (Cam Newton, recruiting, OSU players selling gold pants, Tattoo-gate, etc). It's not just football players involved, either: we all know what happened with the Fab 5. Is paying sports players so bad though? We all know that universities make millions of dollars based on their football - and to a lesser extent basketball - programs. In addition, many players come from extremely poor backgrounds and must support their families and/or kids. Obviously, if we were to pay them, it would need to be legalized by the NCAA.First, I know that many of you do not believe in paying sports players. Why pay them when they're already receiving a free education worth 200K? I would like to present an unusual but strangely compelling analogy between football players and PhD students. As an engineering PhD student, I've noticed many similarities between the two. Obviously the analogy isn't perfect but I consider it to be an interesting one.Both PhD students and football players provide more value to the University than they receive in direct compensation. PhD students draw grants worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars from companies (if you're an engineering or science PhD student) and the federal government. A good PhD student provides a lot of exposure for the University in the research community and in the news: when you read about some professor's science breakthrough in the Science section of the NY Times, keep in mind that the PhD students working for the professor are the ones who did 99% of the work. In compensation, the PhD student receives free tuition (sounds familiar?), and a minor stipend for living expenses. Obviously, we all know that football players generate way more money in athletic revenue and generate tons of exposure for the university: see the Doug Flutie effect. Also, would anyone not in Idaho have heard of Boise State University if it weren't for football?Both PhD students and football players get a free education. All PhD students do not pay for their tuition, either receiving funding through teaching (TA), research (RA), or an internal or external fellowship.The #1 job of PhD students and football players is not to do well in class. The #1 job of the PhD student is to do lots of research. Taking classes is mostly to learn some background information, although one or two classes will suffice for their research area. Of course, they need to take more classes to graduate. After the first few classes, all other classes are just for the sake of your own interest, to "make you a better person." Your advisor will also pressure you to spend more time on research and less time on classwork (assuming that you're not in danger of failing out). Obviously most coaches would rather their star football players focus on football rather than studying (assuming that they're not in danger of failing out).As we can see, from a high level perspective, there are many similarities. The difference is that PhD students get a stipend, which varies based on the school and the location. Also schools may offer PhD students different amounts of money for their services based on how good they are. For example, an OSU PhD student choosing between OSU, MIT and Stanford will probably get a larger offer from OSU than one who just got into OSU. Stipends range between 15K to 30K a year, based on the department, school, and your attractiveness as a candidate.Aside from these points, PhD students and football recruits share another similarity: recruiting visits. Obviously they aren't as lavish as the football recruiting visits, but schools still make an effort to wine and dine you, paying for your airplane tickets, hotel rooms, and gourmet food.So if we wish to pay football students, how much money should they be offered? It shouldn't be too crazy: they're still basically amateurs, and frankly many smaller schools can't afford it. However, they should be paid enough to support themselves and possibly a family. Guess what? That sounds exactly like a PhD stipend! PhD stipends are already designed to support a student's living expenses and be able to just barely cover them if they already have a family. They are designed to be affordable for the school, competitive with other schools, and support the student based on the cost of living in the area.Based on these facts, I propose that football and basketball student athletes be paid as much as the minimum PhD student stipend at the university (maybe multiplied by some value between 0 and 1 since athletes already have many aspects covered such as food). The stipend is enough to support them and encourages universities to pay their PhD students more money if they would like to raise the stipend for their sports players, thus fostering better research. The NCAA has said many times that student-athletes are students first, so now it's time for them to prove it or shut up. Making the football stipend based on some academic stipend is a good way to do it since it will improve the quality of graduate education as well as giving student athletes enough money to support themselves and their families back at home.What if the school does not have a PhD program? An alternative strategy is to make the student athlete stipend based on the minimum professor salary. Here are some examples for what the student athlete salary can be:Athlete Salary = A * (Teaching Assistant stipend)Athlete Salary = B * (PhD stipend)Athlete Salary = C * (Assistant Professor salary)Where A and B are maybe between 0.5 and 1, and C is around 0.1 or so.TLDR: Here's the main question that I'm posing: how do we distinguish between Div 1 basketball and football players from PhD students, in light of the fact that they both produce more value than what they receive?

To expand on Myles Guest’s answer-West Coast (California, Washington State, Oregon)Size- 333,524 sq. miles (863,823 sq. kilometers)Population- 51,085,172Liberal, although rural areas are quite conservativeFar more leisurely pace of life compared to the NortheastWide swaths of Desert in Southern California, Eastern Washington, and Eastern OregonTends to be quite rainy in Coastal Washington, Oregon, and Northern CaliforniaVery diverse populationAll three states are hugeLots of weedHuge tech industryBeautiful beachesGreat outdoor opportunities and natural wondersVery urbanizedPeople tend to be quite friendly, albeit it seems pretty superficialWell educated populace, although public school system quality varies, the region is home to excellent universities such as UCLA, UC Berkley, UC Davis, USC, University of Oregon, University of Washington, and moreEntertainment industry is hugeVery entrepreneurial-minded populaceSpanish is widely spokenLots of fantastic Asian and Mexican cuisine. Large Korean, Japanese, Filipino, and Latino/Hispanic populationVery high cost of livingBelow average in terms of religiosityYouthful and growing populationMajor cities in the region include- Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland (OR), and SeattleLos Angeles is the largest city on the West Coast and the 2nd largest in the nation with about 4 million inhabitantsSilicon Valley is testament to the West Coast’s entrepreneurial mindset. Many world-famous companies such as Google, Apple, and Facebook are based out of the Silicon Valley. Seattle is also a tech juggernaut with Amazon Inc., Microsoft, and Boeing getting their starts in SeattleThe West Coast is home to wide swaths of desert throughout California, Oregon, and WashingtonNew England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont)Size- 62,688 sq. miles (162,361 sq. kilometers)Population- 14,810,001Solidly liberal, the Democratic Party is competitive and successful in rural New EnglandSouthern New England (Mass, Conn, RI) are fast paced states with some aggressive driversHigh population density (Southern New England has a population density comparable to Belgium)Although Southern New England is very densely populated and urbanized, Northern New England is still very rural with most people living in small towns or rural areasSmall size. All of the New England states are some of the smallest in the nation with the exception of Maine which is over 50% of New England’s land area. New England is officially the smallest region in the United States by a very long shotLots of weed ((Seriously, all six New England states beat California in terms of the proportion of people using weed with all six New England states among the top ten “stoner” states))Traditionally Roman Catholic, however rates of church attendance, prayer, and belief in God are the lowest in the US (majority are irreligious) here in New England, especially in Northern New England. Religious landscape is similar to CanadaHeavily forested and mountainous. New England states are among the most forested in the United StatesVery homogenous population with the exception of large cities in Southern New EnglandSome of the best seafood on the planet, and obviously a seafood-orientated cuisineCold and dreary WintersPopulace tends to be quiet and rather introverted. It may be difficult to make friends if moving hereWorld renowned for its AutumnsVery affluent region with the lowest poverty levels in the nation along with a high cost of living. Taxes are also some of the highest in the nation hereLarge Francophone minority in Northern New EnglandVery outdoorsy minded people. Hunting, skiing, boating, hiking, and 4x4ing are popular activitiesWell known for its maple syrupSome people say that New Englanders have funny accents and vocabulary. Not everybody has a “Boston” accent, but the New England accent is still quite prevalent, especially among natives and older peopleVery intellectual and well-educated populace with New England being one of the intellectual meccas of the planet with Boston and the Greater New England region being home to some of the best universities on the planet. To no surprise, New England is the best educated region in the United States with excellent public school systems and the highest proportion of adults attaining higher degrees. We all know the famous New England universities such as Harvard, Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Colby, UMass Amherst, Tufts etc..New Englanders are rabid sports fans. College sports aren’t very popular with the exception of hockey and basketball, but almost everyone in New England follows the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Celtics with upmost loyalty.Very little agriculture with New England being one of the prime industrial areas of the world in its heyday. Nowadays services and high-tech manufacturing are the prime cornerstones of our economyVery historical and old by American standardsAging population and a very low birthrate. Population decline on the forecast, especially in the Northern half where the median age is about 44 years, the oldest in the United StatesMajor cities in the region include- Boston, Worcester, Providence, Stamford, Hartford, Manchester, Portland (ME), and Burlington (VT)Boston, Massachusetts, New England’s largest city with about 685,000 inhabitants, a city that punches way above its weight in the fields of education, healthcare, technology, and cultural influenceMt. Washington in New Hampshire, New England’s highest peak at 6,288 ft. (1,917M)New England is quite well known for its maritime culture and numerous seaside cities such as Portsmouth, New HampshireMid-Atlantic (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, D.C.)Size- 123,790 sq. miles (320,615 sq. kilometers)Population- 49,395,836Fast paced and aggressive lifestyleDensely populatedVery diverse population. The Mid-Atlantic is/was often the gateway for immigrants entering into the United StatesHeavily urbanizedCold Winters, hot SummersRelatively affluent with high cost of living andGreat seafood and pizzaInhabitants tend to be brash and rather blunt. It may come off as rude to someArguably the most important region of the United States. It is home to our government and New York City is our prime financial and cultural centerRelatively mountainous away from the coastNot really entrepreneurial minded compared to the West Coast. Much more hierarchical work environment and cultureWell educated populace, public school systems are quite good and the region is also home to excellent universities such as Colombia, Princeton, John Hopkins, NYU, SUNY Buffalo/Stony Brook, UPenn, and moreMostly Roman Catholic, however below average in terms of religiosityMostly liberal although rural areas can be quite conservativeEntertainment industry is also quite large in the Mid-Atlantic with numerous actors and musicians having their start in New York CityUpstate New York is severely underrated for its natural beauty and outdoor excursionsSimilar to New England, the Mid-Atlantic is also quite historical by American standardsStagnant population growthMajor cities include- New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Newark, Buffalo, Albany, and WilmingtonNew York City, the largest city in the United States and one of the most important cultural and economic centers on the planetAlong with the Mid-Atlantic’s huge power regarding economics and culture, they are also home to our nation’s capital where one of the world’s most powerful nations makes its decisionsAlthough this region is known for its bustling cities, it has a well-kept secret, Upstate New York, one of the most underrated places in the United StatesThe South (Virginia, Carolinas, West Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma)Size- 835,387 sq. miles (2,163,642 sq. kilometers)Population- 112,336,036Mild Winters with little to no snowfall. Summers are very hot and humidHistorically very agricultural and still is to this dayFriendly and warm populace. Southerners are some of the most hospitable and welcoming people in the USThe South is pretty known for having a slow and leisurely pace of lifeDiverse population. The American South is home to large numbers of Blacks, Latinos/Hispanics, Asians, Florida and Texas have large Spanish speaking populations, and a large Francophone minority in Louisiana. Despite its dark history regarding race, it is arguable that the American South has the best racial integration in the United States in the presentThe South is very conservative politically. All of the South is pretty solidly Republican with the exceptions of Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina being GOP leaning swing statesThe South is considered to be very religious with the “Bible Belt” located in the South. Although Louisiana has a fair number of Roman Catholics due to its French origins, most of the South identifies with Evangelical Protestantism. The South leads the nation and the developed world in rates of religiosity, making the American South rather unique as a developed region with such high religiositySouthern cuisine is flat out delicious. Louisiana has a very unique Acadian/Creole infused cuisine and of course the South is quite well known for having some of the best BBQ and fried chicken on the planetThe South, similar to New England, is actually pretty outdoorsy with wide outdoor opportunities. The prospects for hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, and 4x4ing are quite ampleThe South isn’t very affluent with high levels of poverty, however the cost of living is among the lowest in the United States. 80K a year stretches you much farther here than 80k a year in MassachusettsCollege football almost rivals Christianity as a religion in the South with some of the best NCAA DI teams in the nation hailing from the SEC conferenceLike New England, the South is also known for its accents, but due to the increased diversity of the South, the Southern accent isn’t as prevalent as beforeThe South has pretty subpar public school systems, but I will say that the South is also home to some very reputable and excellent universities such as Tulane, Vanderbilt, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, and Georgia TechThe South will likely become more and more influential and prevalent in the United States. The population is growing rapidly, many companies are moving to Southern cities such as Dallas and Atlanta, and Florida recently overtook New York as the third most populous state in the nation. The South is rising again, but in a good wayThe South is also diverse geographically with deserts in Texas, the prairie of Oklahoma, the mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina, and the swamps of Louisiana and FloridaMajor cities include- Houston, Dallas, Austin, Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and BirminghamHouston, Texas. The largest city in the South with over 2 million inhabitants and is a major player in the fields of logistics, aeronautics, and energyClassic Southern meal of chicken, collard greens, mac n’ cheese, and a biscuitThe Bayous of Louisiana where the Acadians settled and created Cajun cultureThe Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri)Size- 734,874 sq. miles (1,903,315 sq. kilometers)Population- 68,179,351Agricultural, especially in the Dakotas, Kansas, and Nebraska while manufacturing is the traditional economic driver of the Great Lakes States (Illinois, Michigan etc..)All of the main American automakers with the exception of Tesla is based out of Detroit, Michigan. Ford, GM, and Chrysler all call Detroit home.Although Illinois and Minnesota are blue states, the rest of the region is kind of all over the place. Michigan and Wisconsin are swing states, Ohio and Iowa are GOP-leaning swing states, Nebraska, Indiana, and Missouri are red states, while the Dakotas and Kansas are among the “reddest of the red.” This is one of the most competitive regions in the nation politicallyThe region ranges from prairies out in the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas to the rolling farmland of Illinois to the sparsely populated forests and lakes of Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and MichiganMost of the region is kind of in an economic slump as the nation moves away from manufacturing, however North Dakota is among the fastest growing states in the nation with a booming oil industry and a healthy and growing economyThe region is also quite diverse with large amounts of Blacks, Asians, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Americans. Minnesota and North Dakota are also home to large Somali populationsThis region received large amounts of immigration from Germany and Scandinavia/Nordic nations. The cuisine is hearty and simple along with plenty of beer. Wisconsin in particular is known for its brewersThe region is pretty average in terms of religiosity with the Lutheran Church being more prevalent here than anywhere else, mainly due to the large amount of immigration from Germany and Scandinavia/Nordic nationsWinters are cold and snowy with very hot SummersMost of the region has a pretty neutral American accent (the one you hear in TV and movies) although many in Minnesota and North Dakota have accents that sound pretty CanadianPeople here tend to be quite “wholesome” for a lack of a better term and quite friendlyThe cost of living is quite low and your salary can stretch quite far hereThis region also has many outdoor pursuits with hunting, boating, and fishing being big hereThe school systems here are varying in quality and this region is home to some excellent universities such as the University of Chicago, Notre Dame University, University of Michigan, and MarquetteCollege football is also quite big here with well known teams from the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and more. This region is also huge in college basketball with Notre Dame, Indiana University, University of Kansas, etc.. having successful basketball teamsOverall, there is population decline, especially in Illinois and Michigan, while North and South Dakota are growing quite rapidlyMajor cities in this region include- Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Fargo, Des Moines, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Wichita, Indianapolis, and moreChicago, Illinois. The region’s largest city with 2.7 million inhabitants, and the third largest in the US. Chicago is an important economic and cultural center and is a world cityThe Ford F-150, manufactured in Michigan, has been the best selling vehicle in the United States and Canada for over 20 years and runningThe Great Lakes are one of the key features of the Midwest and the Great Lakes led to the Midwest becoming an industrial powerhouse. The Great Lakes contain 21% of the world’s freshwater volumeMountain West (Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico)Size- 863,942 sq. miles (2,237,600 sq. kilometers)Population- 24,158,117These states are very sparsely populated and huge in size. To give perspective, they are larger than many nations, and some are over 2.5x the size of the entire New England regionThe region is heavily urbanized and the economy revolves around services and resource extraction along with the federal government owning a vast amount of land in this regionThis region ranges from arid deserts to alpine mountains and forests. Many of the most beautiful natural wonders in the United States are located in this regionThis region is quite diverse with a large amounts of Hispanics/Latinos and Native Americans. Spanish is widely spoken in some Mountain West states such as Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and New MexicoThe region is pretty below average in terms of religiosity with the exception of Utah which is the only state where Mormons constitute a majority of the population. Mormons also exist in sizable numbers in Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and ArizonaPeople in this region tend to speak in a neutral American accent (the one you hear in tv and movies)Outdoor opportunities in this region are ample with hiking, skiing, and 4x4ing being hugeYes, cowboys still do exist, especially in Montana and Wyoming. Instead of horses, most drive large pick-up trucks and SUVs nowadaysSummers tend to be hot and dry while Winters are cold and snowy in more mountainous areasSince there is so little rainfall in this part of the nation, agriculture is only sustainable via irrigationMany of the roads out here are flat and straight for miles and you can go for many miles without seeing any roadside services. The American West really give you a perspective on how huge the United States isThe region is politically diverse as well. New Mexico is a blue state while Colorado and Nevada are blue leaning swing states. Arizona and Montana are GOP leaning states while Utah and Idaho are very red statesThis region is growing rapidly in population, especially in Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona. The population is quite young and youthful as wellMajor cities include- Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Tuscon, Boise, Billings, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, and CheyennePhoenix, Arizona, the largest city in the Mountain West region with over 1.5 million inhabitants in the middle of a desert wastelandSalt Lake City is home to the world headquarters of the LDS or Mormon Church. The Mountain West is the only region in the United States with a considerable amount of Mormons among its populationAnasazi cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. These Native American ruins have been around for hundreds of years. This area has been inhabited by humans since 7500 BCEAlaska and HawaiiSize- 674,199 sq. miles (1,746,167 sq. kilometers)Population- 2,167,333The only two US states which are separated from the continental United StatesHawaii isn’t even in North America. It’s located in Oceania and is the Northernmost island group in PolynesiaAlaska is the Northernmost state in the US with part of its territory above the Arctic CircleAlaska is the most sparsely populated and remote state in the USAlaska and Hawaii are very diverse states. Alaska is home to a sizable native population and Hawaii is a blend of everything from Native Hawaiians, Asians, Blacks, Whites, and more. Native languages are spoken by sizable minorities throughout these two statesBoth of these states are below average in terms of religiosityHawaii is a solidly blue state while Alaska is a solidly red stateLike New England and the West Coast, weed is quite prevalent in Alaska with a high proportion of recreational usersMuch of Alaska isn’t really hospitable for humans with wide stretches of Arctic tundra and most of the state having a cold climate for most of the year with brief stretches of warm Summer. Hawaii is a tropical paradise with warm temperatures year roundAs said earlier Alaska is covered in everything from mountains, forests, tundra, and much more. Hawaii is covered in active volcanoes, beautiful beaches, and tropical rainforestsThe cost of living is also quite high in both of these states due to logisticsMajor cities include- Honolulu, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and HiloHonolulu, the largest city with over 390,000 inhabitantsDenali, the highest peak in the US and North America at 20,310 ft. (6,190M). This peak makes Mt. Washington look like a small hillNative HawaiiansOf course we can’t also forget about the numerous American territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands etc.. These territories are also unique and different in their own ways, but that’s for another question.Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels