Books are the most trustworthy and amazing partners in the world. We all should learn from our mistakes, but great are the people who learn from others mistakes. Books help us extract messages and lessons that we could learn without making any mistakes.

They say you become what you read and if you wish to build a successful company where you get to call all the shots, you might want to start following some specific books.

Here are some of our top recommendations for this season:

1. “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand

Some of the well-known entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban, a self-made billionaire and Charlie O’Donnell, partner of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures recommend this book to every entrepreneur.

It sums up entrepreneurial passion better than any other book. The real question is not who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.

2. “The Effective Executive” by Peter Drucker

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon made his senior managers in the company read this book for the all-day book club. It is among the three books that he recommended his managers to read.

In this book, Druker helped to visualize ideas about today’s management in the workplace. For example, it was pointed out that the employers and managers should work together towards common goals.

The Effective Management is the best book that explores decision making habits and time management that helps business executives to be productive and helps the organization to move forward.

3. “The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clayton Christensen

Another book that Jeff Bezzos had his senior managers read was The Innovator’s Dilemma. It is one of the most influential books of all time related to business.  It is also of the top pick of many VCs and founders all over the world.

In this book, Christensen discloses why large companies act like a dinosaurs. He also proposed solutions in this book. Thus, entrepreneurs must give it a read as one of those how to books to beat large companies as competitors in their own markets and industries.

The book does not revolve around one single idea. However, it does focus largely on a misused phrase “disruptive technology”.

4. “Business Adventures” by John Brooks

This book is a collection of stories based in New York by John Brooks. It is Bill Gates all-time favorite business book since 1991.

Bill Gates says that the book is all about strengths and weaknesses in the challenging business world. However, all the circumstances are still relevant regardless of the time and age.

5. “Benjamin Franklin” by Walter Isaacson

Benjamin Franklin is an all-time favorite book of the Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk. He shares that Franklin, the main character in the book started from nothing and became an entrepreneur. He was just a runaway kid and turned his life around.

We all go through that time when it comes down to surviving comprehensive writing exams. Once the studies for comprehensive exams are over, it gets worse. A lot of us fear writing so it seems like a terrifying idea. Here are a few tips that will help you in surviving comprehensive writing exam.

So there are things you must do before the exam and some during the exam. We have break down of the things you should do before and after the exam.

 Before the Exam

• Organize the notes

Organize the notes in a manner that explain everything to you. It should make sense and should be organized in the correct order. You can use color tags to relate the concepts, authors and themes together. Always make sure that the notes are on your finger tips to find the information quickly. The color tags will help you remember where the notes were written or stored. Let’s say you wrote a couple of concepts in the red color section. Think of all the key points that you remember jotting down in the red section. The label will help you find the information.

• Keep everything you need with you

When you sit for the exam, make sure you have everything. Keep all the writing tools, notes, water and snacks with you. These are some standard things that will be required to write the comprehensive exam. However, if you are writing from the comfort of your own home, create a comfortable spot in your room. Minimize the distractions as much as possible to keep your focus on writing only. If you work with music then update the playlist with your favorite songs. Keep tea, coffee or water at arm’s length to keep you alive.

During the exam

• Write down the Basic Terms, Dates, Concepts and Authors

This step is really important when you are writing without any notes. Before you look at the question, write all the relevant information to keep it at the top of your mind.

• Read the Exam Carefully

This particular step is crucial if you have to choose the question. Underline the terms as you read the paper and make sure you understand all the things asked in the question. The key question usually lies in the end so read the whole thing.

As you read the question, think of a rough idea to answer each question. Take mental notes about the sources you will use, what theories and concepts would answer the question. It will help you fill gaps. You will be able to tell if you are missing something or all the concepts are allocated accordingly and how long can you spend in giving a response.

• Draft your Answers

Before you actually start writing, take some time to plan how you will answer the question. Sketch out an answer with arguments and thesis statements.

• Meta-Cognitive and Sign Posting

Now it’s time to draft your answers and the 5 paragraph structure will help you out. Start with an introduction paragraph and then write the rest of your answer. Use a lot of sign posting and try to be meta-cognitive in your answer. Take each paragraph to tell what every section will do and why. If your thoughts change slightly, go back and change it.

Use the first sentence as a mini introduction for each paragraph and tie it with the thesis statement and highlight what you are going to do in each paragraph. This entire plan acts as a road map to help you focus on a topic if you are running out of time.

Summer vacations are practically over for most of the college students. So what now? How will you recharge yourself during the summer? Well, summer is the best time to start re-energizing for the year ahead in college. It’s the perfect time to reflect on what you learned the in the past academic year. Here are a few things you can consider to recharge your body, spirit and mind in summer.

Move more

A college student like you has to spend a lot of time in front of the computer screen, looking through spreadsheets and completing all the assignments. All that will not go away even when it’s really hot outside. The best way to deal with the stress and work that comes along with assignments is to move your body. Sitting all day is not good for the body. It needs you to move in order to improve the health and make your mind alert. Have a small dance party every now and then. Walk to the nearest bus stop or schedule small breaks after 40 to 60 minutes. Go outside for a run and enjoy the warm weather. Early studies and movement will increase your brain power.

Read a book for Pleasure

Clear your mind with a book that is outside your field of study. It will help you gain a fresh perspective to start the new semester at college. You will be able to tackle work in a different way. Also, knowing what is going on around the world, outside college is also good. It will make you well aware and a decent professional. Take a break and go to the nearest bookstore and enjoy a good book.

Do something new in your life

New experiences make us happy. It is even more satisfying than buying new things. The memory of a new experience remains with us for a long time. So, shake up your routine a little bit and take a break from college papers. Appreciate the beauty of new adventures to get out of the rut. Take a drive to someplace you have never been before or eat lunch at some place new. It’s even better if you are spontaneous, take a day trip and you will be amazed about what you will experience.

Be Grateful for the things around you

Recharge yourself during the summer by reflecting on the things you are grateful for. It generally reminds us what’s important in life. Take it a step further and tell the people around you how grateful you are to have them in your life.  Even the business journals like Harvard Review also suggest college students to do this.

Don’t lose hope on the amount of information out there on your topic. Literature research may seem like a lot of information that will make you drown in quicksand. Getting through this chunk of information is indeed a huge task but if you plan it, you can get rid of that problem, one bit at a time.

To help you get through all that information in small sizes, we have compiled an easy plan for you to follow.

Step 1: What do you want to find out?

Do you have a research question ready or are you looking for information to make your research question strong? Before you start reading all the relevant information, make up your mind about what you are researching for. If you are at the stage of exploring a topic or a subject, then state the purpose of your research as “understanding the basic ideas of topic ABC”. If you are looking for opposing theories on the effect of event A on event B, then write it down clearly.

Having a clear perspective and goal will help you find the right information at this step of the research. You will begin to notice that reading for different goals for your research will help you focus on various aspects of publication.

Step 2: How much time do you have on your hands?

You can spend the whole day or just 20 minutes on the entire paper. If you really want to manage your time in the best possible way, then give you work a structure. Plan the work by giving yourself deadlines.

Once you are aware how much time do you have on your hands, start planning. If you have a month for the entire research, take 1.5 weeks to go through the essentials, 1 week to explore the sidelines of your research and 1 week to write a literature review.

Step 3: Study the essentials

Identify the key publications of your study. A good way to start is to find an authentic and a detailed review paper or a report. Start the topic by chewing on the references on that paper or report.

To understand the basics of the new subject, you need to spend some time on it. Understand the basic equations and principles of that study. All this will require sitting down, noting down important points and slowly working your way through all the relevant material. The process will be similar to a student going through a difficult chapter of a textbook. You may find yourself spending too much time on the some papers. However, they will build the foundation of your research along with further readings.

Step 4: Speed through the Sidelines

Separate all the papers that you find interesting, give additional insights but are not relevant to the field of study. Note that these papers are not of lesser importance, you can’t skip the side information. You have to understand all the concepts spend less time in order to understand all the elements.

The key is to go through everything in a quick manner. It will be like speed-reading through everything. Train the eyes to look at a group of words rather than looking at a single word at a time.

Step 5: Archive what you read

Reading is important but finding that paper and looking for more information is a vital aspect in controlling the large chunk of information over the time.

You can keep a digital archive or archive hard copies. Arrange your document in such a way that you are able to find those papers even after three years.

Step 6: Keep an eye on the outcome

Don’t rely on information and results available when you first researching on a topic. What appeared to be the truth yesterday may not remain the same with today’s results. Develop a strategy to keep your research updated in order to maintain the best outcome. Subscribe to the publication updates of the relevant journals and set up RSS feed on relevant keywords.

What is a Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement suggests the main idea of the assignment. It helps to control the arguments and ideas within the paper. A thesis statement is not just a topic. However, it often reflects an opinion and judgment that a writer makes about an experience or topic.

A strong statement includes the following:

• It gives direction to your paper and creates limitations regarding what you need to write. The thesis statement is a way of telling the readers about what will be
  discussed in the paper. All the paragraphs in the thesis are written in such a way that they support and argue with the thesis.
• A strong thesis statement is not based on facts. However, you need proof in order to make it strong. The statement should be supported with evidence that interests the reader and encourage them to continue reading the paper.
• It is often useful to mention the supporting points in your thesis. You can add a paragraph supporting the two ideas. It will help to keep all the ideas in control.

Defining your Thesis Statement

Every paper must have a central idea or a message. The argument that you make in the paper should reflect the major idea. A focused sentence that captures the position of the main idea is a thesis statement.

Length of a Thesis Statement

A well formulated thesis statement tells the main idea in one to two sentences. It reflects the topic of your paper and makes a strong comment in relation to that particular topic. The statement must tell the reader what the research paper is all about. It also helps to keep the argument focused.

Ask Question while Formulating aThesis Statement

Position of the Thesis Statement

Ideally a thesis statement must be provided in the beginning of the essay. It is given in the introduction section. However, in long essays a thesis statement in mentioned in the second paragraph. It helps to give a sense of direction to your thesis.

• Don’t write a thesis statement late in the paper or in the middle of a certain paragraph
• Don’t use vague words. Try to be as specific as possible
• Avoid weird sentence structures such as “The point of this is…

Don’t make the Thesis Statement too specific

The quality of the thesis will be continuously revised as you revise the argument. It will help to put some sense into your thesis statement and you will know the direction of your argument. Thus, the thesis statement must be clear and to the point.

Don’t make the statement too General

Your thesis should be covered within the specified number of pages. Shape your topic to get to the point. Don’t just fill the pages with information. Being specific to your topic is better than writing general information. Add valuable and relatable information only that relates to your topic.

A Clear Thesis Statement

The thesis statement must be concise and it does not get any immunity because of your writing. It will help you and the readers understand exactly what they need to understand.

The Thesis Should Make a Comment about the Issue

The thesis statement is not only used to announce the topic. It is also used to reveal the position of your statement in the issue being discussed. It should also tell what position you will take to evaluate the subject.

Do not expect that you will be able to derive the final thesis statement before the completion of your paper. It will change as you develop more ideas and revise your thesis.

It is always a good idea to start with a tentative thesis and revise it over time.

Do you have an Original Thesis Statement?

Do not ever use formula statements or any generic arguments. This will make your checker or any other reader bored out of their minds. Keep revising it until the thesis begins to
reflect your real ideas.

Do not include your own words in the statement and don’t overuse quotes. Creating an original and insightful thesis will create a lasting impression. Don’t copy anything from previous work. This will make you lose your credibility.

A well-written thesis statement reflects original and creative ideas. It is a signal that the writer is committed to his work.