Ask Dave Anything!

Hey everyone! Meet Dave- the COO and Co founder of Flashnotes.

Dave and Mike had only met twice before they started Flashnotes in 2009. Dave had experience with start up businesses prior to meeting Mike. When they met in 2009, they hit it off and decided to launch Flashnotes based out of Akron, Ohio. Dave compared their relationship to an airplane. “Mike is the engine and I am the rudder. Mike has all these creative ideas and I steer us in a certain direction”.

Some major improvements have been made since they started. The most notable change has been a shift from a tiered structure to a more open marketplace. Dave says that this places an emphasis on actual learning. He says, “Other business models are incentivized or subscription based: we’re not. We wanted to focus on becoming a service and tool for students rather than a schematic”.

We want to be as helpful and as insightful as possible here at Flashnotes, which is why Dave has agreed to answer questions about our company. Use the comment boxes below to ask Dave any questions you have about Flashnotes!

7 Ways To Get Better Grades Now

Getting better grades is important for the rest of your college career. You might be temped to just give up and proclaim that no one will care what grade you got in COM101, but believe us, people care. The grades that you get now affect your college finance opportunities, your class selection options next semester, your relationship with professors, and even who your friends are. This is a serious topic that deserves some serious discussion. So, how do you start getting those good grades now? I’m glad you asked.

1. Doodling is okay

Staring mindlessly at a power point presentation can be boring, especially when it’s posted online for you to review later. It’s okay to doodle while you listen. Studies show that it releases pent up creative energy that can help you focus better. Teacher Gabby Caseres says, ”we’re so used to multitasking in other aspects of our life that it’s almost necessary to be doing two things at once”.  Playing hangman with the person next to you is NOT a good idea- it’s distracting to others and you’re not listening to the teacher because you’re focused on your friend.

2. Bring your book to class

“It doesn’t fit in my backpack”
“It’s heavy”
“I didn’t buy the book”
“We don’t even use the book”

These excuses won’t work with us. Have the material right in front of you. If you have any questions, the book should be your first resource and then the professor.

3. Turn off social media in class

This sounds like a no-brainer. But how are you going to remember what the professor was talking about if you were busy commenting on how Seth is now dating Adrienne again. Do yourself a favor and don’t go on Facebook or Twitter in the middle of lectures.

4. Say ‘hi’ to your professor

Seriously, make an impression on your professors because you never know when you’re going to need them to write you a letter of recommendation, change your grade, or vouch for your integrity. Your professors are your greatest resource when trying to learn materials in class.

5. Pull yourself together!

Organize your school stuff. Make sure there is ONE place in your room where you keep your school stuff and make sure to have a separate notebook for each class. Being methodical is key for organizing your thoughts and understanding complex concepts.

6. You are the company you keep

It’s hard to make a judgment on “right” or “wrong” people. But, try to make friends with the students who answer questions in class (bonus points if you are this person). Being involved with and supportive of friends goes a really long way towards improving your grades.

7. Use a calendar and schedule out your day

Highly successful people use this technique. Their lives are scheduled from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to bed. They wear a watch, have a planner, and use Google Calendars. They know where they’re going, what they’re doing, and how long they have before they move on to the next task. Segmenting your time is great because it keeps you highly focused and always productive.

 

Why wait to get better grades? Start using these studying techniques now and see a difference in your grades this semester!

Brand Ambassador Spotlight- Heather

Want to know what dedication looks like? Take a good look at Heather.

This is Heather’s second semester as a Flashnotes Brand Ambassador on the Florida State University campus, and we love working with her. Her positive attitude and constant contact have made her a joy to work with and we think that deserves some recognition!

Heather decided to work for Flashnotes to expand her business network and further her academic career before she graduates. She seamlessly combines her goals of becoming a sports broadcaster with her Flashnotes job. Heather says that Flashnotes has given her experience with talking to strangers as well as networking on a national level, which is great for someone aspiring to work in the public eye.

“I am so thankful for the experience and opened doors that Flashnotes has opened for me”, she says. Well, Heather, we hope we can open a few more! Thanks for being awesome!

Has Flashnotes opened up any doors for you? Let us know!

It’s Spring Break!!

Here at Flashnotes, we love any excuse to shut our laptops down and enjoy some quality R and R. It looks as though you guys like to do the same! Here are some alternative spring break adventures.

Go somewhere warm and tropical.

You can build houses for habitat for humanity in Latin American countries or rehab native plant species in Florida. Get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside knowing that you actually did something productive and selfless with your spare time. You can even meet new friends that share the common interest of being a productive citizen. We love what Northeastern University’s students are doing!

Find yourself a summer internship.

We cannot emphasize this enough: internships earn you jobs after college. Internships are the best way to prove to future employers that you have real world experience as opposed to book knowledge. Our favorite internship website is Internmatch. While finding a great summer internship shouldn’t take you all of spring break to do, it’s definitely worth it to spend some quality time networking and securing that internship.

Head for the mountains.

Winter can be cold, long, and boring. Sometime around March people just get fed up with the snow and decide that it should be summer already. Hold your horses, everyone! Did we all forget the joys of snow in the mountains? Being stuck in the snow in a city can give you cabin fever, but being in the snow in the great outdoors gives you a sense of

Yours truly hanging out at Lake Tahoe

adventure. Snow mobiling, snow shoeing, snowboarding, hiking, sledding- all of these are great outdoor activities that can help get your blood pumping. Have you ever hiked up a mountain and then snowboarded down it? Let me be the first to tell you that it’s an unreal feeling!

If you need to make a quick getaway, Jet Blue and Student Universe have great deals to get you out of your college town. We wish you all a happy spring break. We’ll be here for you when you get back!

What’s the Deal With Flashnotes?

What’s the deal with us anyways?

I’m glad you asked. I’m sure you’ve seen our website and our tag line of “Flashnotes is the #1 marketplace…” I’m not going to recite it: you’ve seen it before and I’ve written it a hundred times. What you haven’t heard is our side of the story on why we’re so controversial. Below are 2 common misconceptions about us.

“It’s like, cheating right?”
No. I cannot say this enough to everyone who asks. No, we do not help students cheat. What we do is provide the marketplace for students to connect with other students. We’re connecting the kid in the front of the class with the kid in the middle of the class.

Example time: Rachelle is sitting in the front of the class and has a comprehensive understanding of the material. Aiden is in the middle of the class and takes notes; the problem is that when he gets home from class he doesn’t understand his notes or how the professor explained a certain theory. This is where we come in: we introduce Aiden to Rachelle so that Aiden can see how Rachelle thought about, interacted with, and learned the material. We don’t just let Aiden copy Rachelle’s notes.

“My professor/teacher/TA says that I can’t use Flashnotes. It’s like, cheating right?”
We know professors worked hard to create materials and lesson plans for the classroom. Flashnotes isn’t trying to replace the classroom environment. We’re creating an interactive learning community outside the classroom, so that students can continue to learn even after the lecture is done. Students are paying big bucks to learn this material, so it’s only fair to level the playing field. We help struggling students and student who “just don’t get it” by providing them with another resource to learn the material other than absorbing a lecture. Everybody learns differently, and Flashnotes understands that.

Copyright infringement seems like the biggest issue to overcome when dealing with the distribution of class materials. Here’s what lawyers say:

“class notes taken by students during lectures are each student’s originally authored works and as such each individual student has the right to disseminate their own authored materials as they see fit ”

Students are completely within their right to share the notes that they are paying to take.

It is proven that students DO learn better from other students. All Flashnotes is doing is providing a reward for those students who understand the material, and preventing struggling students from falling behind.

We know that maintaining academic integrity is a huge issue for students who are seeking our help, so we’re here to tell you that we’re totally kosher! If you have any questions, feel free to ask them! We’re all about supporting the learning environment and there are no “stupid questions”. Chances are there are other people with your same question!

4 Ways to Get Free Coffee

Wake up? Coffee.
10 am? Black tea.
Lunch? RedBull.
2pm? Vanilla Latte.
What am I drinking right now? Coffee.

If you’re a busy person and need to be on your A-game all day long, it’s only a matter of time before you start buying coffee by the gallon. I like to rationalize it this way: Coffee helps me do my job. Doing my job helps me afford my coffee. So really, I’m investing in my future. There’s only one MINOR problem with this plan, I’m not made of money. So, how do I get your caffeine fix without scrounging for quarters? I’m glad you asked.

1.Starbucks Gold Card
I am unbelievably thankful for my Starbucks Gold Card. Every 12 transactions, I get a free drink/ food item. Know what that means? I buy twelve coffees at 1.65 and I get my 13th transaction FREE. Maybe today I want a quad venti iced caramel macchiato that would normally be $6. Oh but what’s this? I have a free reward! Let me just tell you, it is a great feeling getting something for free. Want to know the best part? There’s an app for your Starbucks Card. It’s like these people are inside my head.

2.Dunkin’ Donuts promo page
Dunkin’ Donuts also has an app. When you register online you get a FREE medium drink just for signing up. Awesome. Is today your birthday? BOOM. Another free drink. What I love most about Dunkin’ Donuts is that they update their promotion and contest page based on location. For example, “If you’re in the greater Boston area and we find you with a refreshing Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee in your hand, you could win tickets and other great home team prizes” Would you like free tickets with that coffee? Yes, please.

3.Peet’s coffee Facebook Page
This is a gold mine. Not only do you get to see pretty pictures of coffee, you get coupons! Everyone loves a good coupon. I wish Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts made coupons. Coupons= FREE stuff!

4.Local Coffee Shop Frequent Buyer Stamp Cards
Stamp Cards are completely underrated. Major coffee chains have created digital stamp cards, but don’t forget about the ones already in your wallet! Most local coffee shops will give you a great deal like, “Buy 5 and the 6th one is on us!” Let’s put this in perspective: that’s a free drink every 6th time that you visit your local spot instead of every 12th time at Starbucks. I’m sold.
Free stuff and coffee, my two favorite things. I’m going to leave you all with one final nugget of information: I also like to switch up which coffee shops I go to. You know you’re in trouble when the barista knows your name!

4 Tips For Studying

If it’s only February and you don’t want to look at your textbook ever again, you, my friend, need to read this blog. We promise we’ll make it short and sweet!

1. Take a break! Seriously. If you want to rip the pages out of your book (but can’t because it cost you $175 to buy in the first place), it’s time to walk away from the book. Set it down gently (or not) and get outdoors! Spend some time away from the books and grab coffee with a friend, go for a run or download some new study music!

2. Make a list. This is pretty much the same thing as “get organized”. When you make lists you can prioritize your life. Even better, when you finish a task, you can viciously cross out the things you have accomplished. It’s very therapeutic, believe me.

3. Find a study buddy. Seek out someone who knows this material like the back of their hand. If they can explain the material to you in words you actually understand, you probably won’t be as frustrated anymore.

4. If all else fails…. Put your head down and work. This option kind of sucks, but you can console yourself with the fact that plenty of people have gone through the same thing  and made it out alive. Some people have actually gone on to be successful in the real world. After you’re all done with studying make sure to reward yourself! Side note: making Siri call you “textbook slayer” is very rewarding.

Congratulations, now have the tools to deal with college! Even better, Flashnotes can help you get through this semester (and the next semester, and the one after that). Our video tutorials are just for you: you just want to learn the material already so you can stop cursing at your textbooks.

Up next: We learn all about the joys of COFFEE!

What We Stand For

Hey Everyone!

We’re Flashnotes and we’re a crazy mix of young, driven individuals and we’re out to help make a difference in the world!

If you’re thinking that we sound like superheroes, then you, my friend, are correct. We believe that everyone has an inner superhero deep down, and today we are going to show you how our inner superhero is going to help you. Flashnotes is here to save your day with our awesome skills of understanding, organization, and communication.

We believe in actually understanding the coursematerial in the classes you are paying for. Crazy, we know. We are here to connect the kid in the front of the class who easily understands the lectures with the kid in the back of the class who just can’t seem to understand exactly what the professor is saying.

We believe in a student driven marketplace to buy and sell notes. Why should adults who haven’t taken a specific course have any say in the content of notes or how valuable they are to a student? With our approach, each student can decide the best set of materials for their studies. Students choose the notes they want at a reasonable price? Once again, crazy, we know.

Finally, we believe in open communication. No, we’re not in a relationship with you. We just believe that the only way to get you what you want is to keep you in the loop. Crazy!

Flashnotes is here to save the day! Although we don’t have a shining beacon of light in the sky, we do have an amazing website (We’re working on the beacon of light thing, check back soon for updates).