Why is reading so important? It's simple: books offer lessons about life and about sentence construction at the same time!

Lots of folks offer lists and summaries of classic books that students should read and study as they prepare for college. But reading for joy and sheer interest is another matter, and it is certainly just as important. You can learn a lot from any book that is well-written.

One site that I recommend is Teenreads.com, because there you will find the longest and most inspiring list of quality books written for young adults. You'll find a mix of titles, from true classics to the hottest new reads from every genre. Enjoy!

The best way to ensure a good grade on a paper is to grade it yourself before the teacher looks at it. There are a few ways you could go about it.

First, you could find a study partner who will agree to do a paper exchange with you a few days before the due date. The two of you should agree to exchange and review papers with brutal honesty. Each of you should read, review, and grade your partner's paper, using the assignment as your guideline.

If you don't have a study partner, you can still pre-grade your paper using an assignment checklist. Once you've completed a final draft of your paper, use the checklist to grade yourself on each element of your work.

• Book Report Checklist
• Research Paper Checklist

I have a favorite grade point average calculator that I use when advising students. You can use this tool to figure out exactly what you need to do (grade-wise) to improve your GPA.

This GPA calculator has options such as:

• How many credit hours will it take to raise your GPA to a specific grade.
• What you will need to average on your current courses to reach a specific goal.

Explore this tool to find out where you stand and what you need to do to stay on target with your grades.

If you have your heart set on an iPod Touch this holiday season, but you're not sure whether your parents are so warm to the idea, you may be in luck. You could sell the gadget as a research tool.

There are a few features on the iPod Touch that make it a useful device for students on the go.

First, the iPod Touch has built-in wireless access to the web, so you can do Internet research from anywhere, as long as you can pick up Wi-Fi. You can access encyclopedias, government web sites, Google Scholar--any site that you can access with your home computer.

Secondly, the device enables you to send and receive email. You can view email attachments, including papers written in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint projects. You can also see pdf's and Microsoft Excel files.

You can also keep up with group projects by accessing Google Docs.

Finally, it may be possible to record lectures with your device, as long as you have the right model and accessory. I can't vouch for the sound quality, but you know how quickly these things improve!

I many ways, the iPod Touch can be used as a tiny but serious research tool. Can you think of other ways?