Succeed in school and serve.

Now that school is in session, it definitely feels like fall, even though we haven't reached the equinox yet. There's so much to do to get ready for school and do well once you're there. Here are a few ways to help you succeed in school and serve others at the same time:

* Learn words and more. Freerice.com is a great way to improve your vocabulary and give rice to those who need food. Now they've expanded and users can be quizzed on a wide variety of topics, including world capitals (my favorite), famous paintings, words in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and English (with pronunciation), multiplication tables, English grammar, and chemical symbols. There's something for everyone, including the people who will eat because of your efforts.

* Learn words. Aidtochildren.com works like Freerice.com with donations to World Vision instead of to the World Food Programme. Yet another way to improve your vocabulary.

* Change the margins. When you print out documents for your teacher, professor, or students, consider reducing the margins to .75 inches. This is just one of many ways to save paper, and money!

* Change the menu. It's hard to learn and perform well in school when you're hungry. So Stonyfield Farms has a great site on ways to improve school lunches - from recipes for you or your children to model legislation for healthier food in school vending machines.

* Publish. Graduate students and others know the importance of publishing their work. When your finished your thesis, dissertations, experiments, or paper, consider publishing your work in an open access journal. Your work will be available to anyone who can get online increasing readership, exposure, and citations.

* Pay back, give back. So you're finally out of school. Congratulations! Now it's time to pay back your student loans. Consider these ways to reduce your student loan debt while being of service to society. It's a win-win situation!

Have a great school year! Study hard, it's worth it.

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste." - United Negro College Fund motto