View the video online at [www.imfirst.org/stories/] This website collects student videos – generally three minutes or less – where first-generation students from various colleges offer their personal stories and advice for other first-generation students. One can choose to view the newest videos, the most popular videos, or all the videos. Additionally, there is a collection of short written stories. These videos and stories offer a good way to trigger class discussions about the specific experiences of first-generation students or the general anxieties of all students.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_harford_how_messy_problems_can_inspire_creativity] Challenges and problems can derail your creative process ... or they can make you more creative than ever. In the surprising story behind the best-selling solo piano album of all time, Tim Harford may just convince you of the advantages of having to work with a little mess.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_robbins_asks_why_we_do_what_we_do] Tony Robbins discusses the "invisible forces" that motivate everyone's actions — and high-fives Al Gore in the front row.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/bel_pesce_5_ways_to_kill_your_dreams] All of us want to invent that game-changing product, launch that successful company, write that best-selling book. And yet so few of us actually do it. TED Fellow and Brazilian entrepreneur Bel Pesce breaks down five easy-to-believe myths that ensure your dream projects will never come to fruition.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_levitin_how_to_stay_calm_when_you_know_you_ll_be_stressed] You're not at your best when you're stressed. In fact, your brain has evolved over millennia to release cortisol in stressful situations, inhibiting rational, logical thinking but potentially helping you survive, say, being attacked by a lion. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin thinks there's a way to avoid making critical mistakes in stressful situations, when your thinking becomes clouded — the pre-mortem. "We all are going to fail now and then," he says. "The idea is to think ahead to what those failures might be."

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit] Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of “grit” as a predictor of success.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_a_kinder_gentler_philosophy_of_success] Alain de Botton examines our ideas of success and failure — and questions the assumptions underlying these two judgments. Is success always earned? Is failure? He makes an eloquent, witty case to move beyond snobbery to find true pleasure in our work.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve] Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain's capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? A great introduction to this influential field.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing] Sheena Iyengar studies how we make choices — and how we feel about the choices we make. At TEDGlobal, she talks about both trivial choices (Coke v. Pepsi) and profound ones, and shares her groundbreaking research that has uncovered some surprising attitudes about our decisions.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_choosing_what_to_choose] We all want customized experiences and products — but when faced with 700 options, consumers freeze up. With fascinating new research, Sheena Iyengar demonstrates how businesses (and others) can improve the experience of choosing.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/julian_baggini_is_there_a_real_you] What makes you, you? Is it how you think of yourself, how others think of you, or something else entirely? Philosopher Julian Baggini draws from philosophy and neuroscience to give a surprising answer.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_so_we_leaned_in_now_what] Sheryl Sandberg admits she was terrified to step onto the TED stage in 2010 — because she was going to talk, for the first time, about the lonely experience of being a woman in the top tiers of business. Millions of views (and a best-selling book) later, the Facebook COO talks with the woman who pushed her to give that first talk, Pat Mitchell. Sandberg opens up about the reaction to her ideas and explores the ways that women still struggle with success.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_never_ever_give_up] In the pitch-black night, stung by jellyfish, choking on salt water, singing to herself, hallucinating … Diana Nyad just kept on swimming. And that's how she finally achieved her lifetime goal as an athlete: an extreme 100-mile swim from Cuba to Florida — at age 64. Hear her story.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_goldstein_the_battle_between_your_present_and_future_self] Every day, we make decisions that have good or bad consequences for our future selves. (Can I skip flossing just this one time?) Daniel Goldstein makes tools that help us imagine ourselves over time so that we make smart choices for Future Us.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation] Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories — and maybe, a way forward.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/michelle_obama] Speaking at a London girls' school, Michelle Obama makes a passionate, personal case for each student to take education seriously. It is this new, brilliant generation, she says, that will close the gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts] In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. But, as Susan Cain argues in this passionate talk, introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and should be encouraged and celebrated.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_got_a_wicked_problem_first_tell_me_how_you_make_toast] Making toast doesn’t sound very complicated — until someone asks you to draw the process, step by step. Tom Wujec loves asking people and teams to draw how they make toast, because the process reveals unexpected truths about how we can solve our biggest, most complicated problems at work. Learn how to run this exercise yourself, and hear Wujec’s surprising insights from watching thousands of people draw toast.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/john_green_the_nerd_s_guide_to_learning_everything_online] Some of us learn best in the classroom and some of us ... well, we don't. But we still love to learn — we just need to find the way that works for us. In this charming, personal talk, author John Green shares the community of learning that he found in online video.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better] In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening — to other people and the world around you.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen] Have you ever felt like you're talking, but nobody is listening? Here's Julian Treasure to help. In this useful talk, the sound expert demonstrates the how-tos of powerful speaking — from some handy vocal exercises to tips on how to speak with empathy. A talk that might help the world sound more beautiful.

View the video online at [http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_and_ola_rosling_how_not_to_be_ignorant_about_the_world] How much do you know about the world? Hans Rosling, with his famous charts of global population, health and income data (and an extra-extra-long pointer), demonstrates that you have a high statistical chance of being quite wrong about what you think you know. Play along with his audience quiz — then, from Hans’ son Ola, learn 4 ways to quickly get less ignorant.