The skills employed to study politicians and their platforms are similar to the skills used in the classroom. 

In case you haven't heard, there's a big election coming up in November. For many Cramsterites in the U.S., this is the first presidential election in which we've been eligible to vote. It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?

Most people generally agree that voting is one of the most important (if not the most important) duties of a citizen. The 18-24-year-old age group is often criticized for poor showings at the polls but let us not forget this same age group has been responsible for swinging elections. See: Clinton '92.

While we might not have the voting experience or old-age wisdom of generations born before us, we still have an arsenal of tools we can use to size up the candidates. Foremost among these tools is our studying habits. Confused? Let me explain.

When you consider the skills needed to be an effective studier and a responsible, informed voter, you might find more overlap than you'd expect. To begin, here are a few habits that can help students out during Campaign 2008:

1. Do your homework early. When October rolls around and the race is nearing its end, you don't want to be spending this time scrambling to learn about each candidate's platform. This is the time you want to be asking yourself who you feel can lead the country, and you can't do that if you don't know what they stand for.

2. Ask pertinent questions. In class, if your classmate or teacher is going down a path you don't quite agree with, or a path you think is patently false, it's your job to steer the ship back around! If you know your stuff about the election, you can call out friends (or foes) when they make misinformed statements.

3. Seek Proofs. For any engineer/statistician/journalist/scientist out there, you know that facts presented to you can't be accepted at face value – research or further examination is required. Everyone knows the mudslinging is coming. Candidates will be tearing each other apart in TV commercials better shot during Wrestlemania. Be able to sort through the junk.

4. Pretend it's a test. So you support Hillary? Possibly McCain? Obama? All right, that's great, may I ask why? Everyone can vote, but not everyone has the answers. Supporting a candidate and then being frustrated when they make a decision that doesn't align with your beliefs is akin to receiving a C- when you thought you had a sure A.

That's enough from me. What do you think? What is the most important thing to keep in mind when sorting through candidates? Make your voice heard!