Sadhana Bhadoriya

The Zoom classroom presents a unique paradox. You are physically present, your face in a grid alongside your peers, yet the digital barrier can create a chasm of silence that feels harder to cross than a 500-person lecture hall. That “raise hand” button can feel like it weighs a thousand pounds. The pause after the […]

The ritual is timeless: the rustle of notebook paper, the scratch of a pen, the slow fill of a page with ideas, equations, and diagrams. For centuries, this was the only way to capture knowledge in a lecture hall. But the modern student juggles a different reality—digital syllabi, online research papers, and collaborative projects. The

The promise of asynchronous online learning is freedom. Freedom from a rigid schedule, from a physical classroom, from the daily commute. You can learn at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m. It’s education designed to fit your life. Yet, this very freedom is often its greatest pitfall. Without the structure of a weekly lecture or the

The instruction is simple: “You have 60 minutes.” But in that hour, you are expected to perform a high-wire act of analysis, organization, and composition under immense pressure. A timed essay test is less a measure of everything you know and more a measure of how well you can perform under a specific, demanding set

You’ve read the assignment. You’ve highlighted the key passages. You’ve memorized the formulas and the dates. You feel prepared. Then, the exam question lands: “Critically evaluate the author’s argument,” or “Develop an alternative solution to this problem.” Suddenly, your well-organized notes feel useless. This is the moment that separates students who simply consume information from

The request seems simple enough: “Can you write me a letter of recommendation?” Yet, this single question can trigger a wave of anxiety for students and represent a significant investment of time for professors. A generic, lukewarm letter that says “Jane was a student in my class and received an A” can be worse than

The question first whispers, then begins to echo in the back of your mind during lectures, study sessions, and conversations with professors: “What’s next?” For many high-achieving undergraduates, the answer is graduate school. And if you’re a junior, the clock is no longer ticking—it’s pounding. The common mistake is to view the application process as

The college experience is a beautiful, chaotic symphony of competing priorities. Two of the most powerful and demanding movements in that symphony are a rigorous academic schedule and a romantic relationship. On one side, you have the relentless pressure of deadlines, exams, and the dream of a future career. On the other, you have the

The image of the “typical” college student often involves dorm life, late-night study sessions in the library, and spontaneous coffee runs with friends. But for a massive and often overlooked population—the commuting student—the reality is starkly different. Your campus experience is punctuated by the roar of an engine, the schedule of a train, and the

The journey through academia can feel like navigating a vast, uncharted ocean. There are hidden reefs of publishing, complex currents of departmental politics, and the constant, looming fog of “what comes next?” A compass in this environment is invaluable. An academic mentor is that compass. They are not just a source of advice; they are