The pace of compressions during CPR is 100-120 compressions per minute (cpm). The song most traditionally associated with CPR is the 1977 song "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, which has a tempo of 103ish beats per minute (bpm). That tempo (coupled with the obvious relevance of the title towards saving someone's life) makes it easy to remember and teach!

It's certainly very good to use, but it might not be the BEST song for a few reasons:

1. The goal is a cpm of 100-120, so teaching a song with a tempo of almost exactly 100 means if someone's a little slow it could dip below 100; using a song that's 120 could have the same problem (if they're a little fast). Therefore we should be aiming for a song around 110 bpm!
2. Young people these days might not be familiar with "Stayin' Alive," which means it's becoming less and less helpful for teaching the tempo of CPR. Therefore we should pick a song with the same relevance (something to do with saving a life) but that people today will remember.
3. What if people (looking at you, Michael Scott) accidentally mistake the 1978 song "I Will Survive" for "Stayin' Alive"? Therefore we should make sure we're not in a sitcom.

Below we've got our list of proposed "new" songs to do CPR to, and you will not believe the best choice to replace "Stayin' Alive" in terms of tempo, topic (relevant to CPR), and popularity!

CPR guidelines recommend 30 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths as one cycle. The reason for this specific number is based on a lot of factors, including physiological considerations and research conducted on CPR guidelines throughout the last 75 years.

The recommendation for 30 compressions in each cycle has evolved over time based on research and feedback from medical professionals (which is still ongoing). For example, the American Heart Association first recommended 15 compressions followed by 2 breaths in 1966, and later in the 1970s changed it to 5 compressions followed by 1 breath for 2 rescuers. The current recommendation of 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths was adopted in 2005 and has remained the standard since then, although the rate of compressions has changed to its current 100-120 cpm (compressions per minute).

Compressions squeeze the heart and pump oxygenated blood throughout the body's organs and (crucially) the brain. Proper compression depth and rate is important to adequately squeeze the heart so that blood actually pumps around the body. But why group them into sets of 30?

​Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come a long way in the last decade and it has changed the way we live and work. From automation to personal assistants, AI has made our lives easier and more efficient. However, like any other technology, AI can also be used for negative purposes. One such example is using AI to cheat.

Cheating is unethical and it undermines the integrity of the system. Using AI to cheat is not only unethical but also illegal in many cases. It is a form of academic dishonesty that undermines the value of education and is harmful to the individual and the society as a whole.

When students use AI to cheat on exams, they are not only cheating themselves but also the educational system. They are not learning the material, they are not developing critical thinking skills, and they are not preparing themselves for the future. They are simply taking shortcuts that will not help them in the long run.

Loads of first aid kits you find in stores are ridiculous, most of them include assorted sizes of bandages, like those little tiny spot Band-Aids that are no help in an emergency and are the only ones left over when you inevitably use up all the useful sizes.

The first question you need to answer is, "What is the purpose of this first aid kit?" At the very least, you should be prepared for serious emergencies like severe bleeding, heart attacks, and broken bones.

If you only have 5 things in your first aid kit, ideally the supplies you include should be helpful for multiple types of emergencies, unlike those ridiculously specific Band-Aids.

Side note: the best kind of Band-Aids (if you were going to include a 6th item) are the Flexible Fabric kind! Remember, don't worry about getting lots of different sizes.

Applications for colleges and jobs require letters of recommendation, often from teachers, coaches, or mentors. Writing LoRs (not Lord of the Rings) can be daunting. Writing a killer LoR is even more daunting.

What should LoRs do, contain, look like, etc.? Let's think logically...

LoRs are used by the recipients (schools, employers) to judge the character of applicants and get a more complete picture of their life. Starting from here and thinking logically, there are a few things we can learn about LoRs:

• It's not a good idea to just list activities - resumes and applications already ask for relevant work history, activities, and more stuff that can be listed.
• Tell them what they can't learn from a list - anecdotes are a good use of words. We'll talk about this more later!
• Your title doesn't really matter - how well you know the applicant is what really matters. A short, non-personal LoR from a U.S. Senator should not mean more to a recipient than a thorough, glowing LoR from someone who knows the applicant well. If a U.S. Senator's generic letter DOES mean more to a recipient, the applicant should run for the hills...
• Don't talk about things you don't know - If you knew the applicant played hockey but know nothing about their experience, that shouldn't be what you write about. Focus on how you knew the applicant!

Now we kind of know big-picture what letters should be, let's look at structure and content. ​

We're excited to announce a partnership with the educational YouTube channel The Oxford Observer!

Look out for a series of videos coming up on The Constitution (and why it is the way it is) and how to write essays (for college, school, or anything else!).

Check out The Oxford Observer on YouTube or their website!

College application season is in full swing. It might seem like the hard part is getting INTO college, but the harder part is what happens when you get there!

Don't take our word for it, check out what advice these college students had to give to perspective college students and for all students who want to go to college.

Spoiler alert: Their lessons also apply in high school and to the "real world"!

“In my first semester at college, I learned a lot about adjusting to college and my new environment. With having hybrid classes the whole semester, it was certainly challenging at some points but overall I figured it out. There were some specific things that I did that really helped me succeed.

The first thing was making separate email folders for each class I was taking. I got a lot of emails from professors, and to have all of them organized by class really helped me locate an old email and stay on top of deadlines.

The next thing was I hand wrote all of my notes in class. This was a preference thing for me, but I truly believe that I retain more from a lecture if I hand write notes. It was also challenging for me to type notes while on a zoom lecture.

The last thing I did was very hard for me: relax. College can be very stressful, and if it isn’t I don’t think you will get better as a person. Sometimes the only thing you can do is just take a deep breath, relax, and simplify things. I am not saying that doing these three things will guarantee you a 4.0 GPA, I am just sharing my advice and stating what helped me succeed in my first semester.”
- CJ, Freshman at Fairfield University


“One of the greatest realizations in my transition from high school to collegiate life, is that one has the tremendous opportunity to enter into a new environment and become the most comfortable version of themselves. This “clean slate,” if you will, enables young people to step outside of the numerous stigmas and intangible rules of teenage sociology and develop into the individuals that they were always meant to be. It is because of this observed truth that I strongly suggest, to all students moving on to any college or university, to take advantage of the extremely rare opportunity that higher education offers. I will never forget the moment when one of my dearest family members told me, “college is one of the last times in life that you can actually determine for yourself where you would like to continue on in your future.” He emphasized that once in the real world, chances to continue on in life, in a chosen location, do not often present themselves. In preparing for the real world myself, this is some of the best advice that I had ever received as a teenager and I wish to pass it on.”
- Liam, Junior at Seton Hall University


“Time management is the best piece of advice I could give. If you take time aside to allocate to school I can promise you that you will have time to spend  with friends. Try to establish routines for when you do homework. Throw your phone across the room, go to the library etc. No one is going to hold your hand anymore and you need to be your own voice. You need to advocate for yourself.”
- Ryan, Freshman at Fairfield University


“The only advice I could give is that especially for online students you have a lot more free time than you think! When you are in your classes put the phone away and actually focus because they are very distracting and you have all the time in the world to do whatever you want after your classes.”
- Max, Freshman at Rutgers University

Let's face it, teaching in 2020 is HARD.

How difficult? Here's a great metaphor found circulating on Facebook recently that helps explain:

American students are stressed. According to a study by NYU, "Nearly half (49%) of all students reported feeling a great deal of stress on a daily basis and 31 percent reported feeling somewhat stressed."

There are a lot of causes of chronic stress, from social media and cell phone usage/addiction, to pressure to attend college and a lack of time management/organizational skills. A lot of students spend their time constantly trying to ration their effort in an attempt to get the best grade possible. Instead focus on the goal of school: actually learning something.

The best way to 1) avoid being surprised by what's on a test, 2) prevent cramming to prepare for a test, and 3) ensure you actually learn something is to review a little bit every day. Spend at least 5-10 minutes for each class every afternoon or evening going over what you learned that day. What could you possibly do after you only just learned the material in class?

• Look for confusing parts in your notes or ways you can make them better (highlight, underline, define terms, add references to ppt or textbook)
• Draw diagrams or sketches to illustrate material
• Check out parts of the textbook that correspond to the day's class to reinforce what you learned
• Look up some videos to help supplement what you learned so you can hear it another way
• Teach someone else what you learned (it's the best way to study and test your comprehension)
• Find practice problems online or in that very expensive textbook you're using as a paperweight

If you review a little every day, studying for a test is a piece of cake. Since you've already been exposed to the material at least twice (or three times if you read the book prior to class), studying goes faster and is less stressful. If you walk into class and realize you have a test that day, at least you're somewhat prepared!