Archive for the ‘College Life’ Category

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The Importance of Great Organizing

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

As you look to make the transition from high-school to college, you are probably feeling as though there is a never ending and maybe even growing “checklist” of things you need to worry about or check off your list.  Don’t worry if you feel this way, as it is very normal and quite common.

When it comes to getting into one of your top college picks, you might not think much about your level of organization, but it is actually of paramount importance in the process.  The more organized you are, the greater your chances of getting into one of your top college picks.  The odds are higher for ultimate success in college as well.

If you haven’t been “much for organizing” in the past, now is definitely the time to change that.  Studying for the SAT, meeting deadlines, writing essays, taking practice tests, evaluating your different college options, investigating financial aid for college tuition and direct federal student loans takes a lot of time, and that means a lot of organization is essential.

One of the single largest steps towards great organization is being willing to prioritize what is important and what is not important.  Tackle this step first, and getting organized will become a great deal easier.

Sacrificing things that you enjoy doing in order to do something that you don’t like or find unpleasant is easier said than done.  One trick is to start small with small sacrifices of things that you enjoy.  Instead use that “recovered time” for something that relates to getting into the school of your dreams, or at least one of the schools that you like the idea of attending!

You could tackle this issue on a week by week basis.  Here is an example of how you could structure your college prep organizing.  You don’t have to use this exact model, but instead you can adapt this strategy for whatever works for you!

Week One-Spend more time studying for SAT

Week Two-Research colleges

Week Three-Get College applications

Week Four-Research financial aid related issues

Week Five-Make list of relevant deadlines

Week Six-Think about ways you can become more efficient and effective in how you use your time and make a list!

Each week look for ways that you can set time aside so that you can apply that time towards getting into college.  As a result, you will become far more organized and also far calmer!  Being organized has a benefit that few consider; being organized means less panic and that means better decision-making.

Many students “end up” at universities and colleges that were nowhere near their top picks for no other reason that a failure to get organized in advance.  They had all the tools, the necessary grades, good letters of recommendation and maybe even good SAT scores, but they lacked proper preparation.

Think of getting into college like you would think about starting a business.  You wouldn’t just try to open a business without preparing in some fashion, would you?  You instinctively understand and know that a business, at least one with any chance of success, needs work and planning.  If you invest your time in this fashion, you will be surprised by what you can accomplish.

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Posted in Choosing a College, Choosing a Major, College Admissions, College Life, College Search, Paying for College | No Comments »

Should You Stay on Campus or Rent an Apartment?

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

You’ve probably given at least a little time to thinking about how to survive college, and if you haven’t, you should start doing so.  One of the major decisions that you will need to make regarding college is whether or not you will stay in on campus or rent an apartment nearby.  A lot goes into this decision.  In this article, we will look at some of the pros and cons of each path.

Staying on campus means that you get the full college dorm life experience with all of its ups and downs and pros and cons.   There are many good aspects regarding opting for dorm life, as you will be able to meet a lot of new friends, pseudo-friends, future enemies and acquaintances more readily than you would living in an apartment off campus.  No doubt, adjusting to living in a new city or state can be a little bit easier if you are constantly surrounded by people that you might have something in common with, or at least in theory.

Yet, college dorm life can have a lot of downsides.  One major downside is that it can be difficult to focus on your studies.  Now if you are going to college to mostly appease your parents, and have opted for what you feel will be a pretty “easy” major, then college dorm life could very well be the way to go.  This is even truer if you are mostly concerned with having a good time and partying.  However, if you are considering a difficult major or want plenty of time to study, then you will want to reconsider living in a dorm.

Students who want to be able to study in peace may not find that living in a dorm is the best place to do this.  No matter how studious you may, be there is no way to ensure that your dorm mates or floor mates will share your perspective on the value of peace and quite.  The fact that people will surround you who have different majors and different course loads, means that they will have different study habits too.  No matter what your perspective, this is a good point to keep in mind as it could influence your success level in college.

Renting an apartment gives your more control over your environment, and you may also enjoy more creature comforts.  On the downside, you won’t enjoy the instant access to the campus and instant access to classmates.

Opting for an apartment doesn’t necessarily mean the end of your social life.  In fact, depending on your personality, having an apartment of your own may actually help your social life.  After all, college students love trashing other people’s places during parties!

If you do choose an apartment, you may have to find a college roommate and that can be a tricky proposition (but so is potentially getting “stuck” with a dorm roommate that you hate!)  The bottom line is that there are pros and cons to both of these options.  Ultimately, you need to think long and hard about what kind of person you are, how easily you make friends and what you want out of the college experience.

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Two Books With Great Titles About Transitioning From High School to College

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

If you’ve ever been tempted to ask tell someone “Find a college for me, so I don’t have to think about it!” you are not alone.  Millions of high-school student apply to college every year, and the process can be bewildering.  Whether its worrying about finding the best SAT practice test online, how to find scholarships or just how to survive college, transitioning from high-school to college can at times be daunting.  Yet, with a little bit of research, you can take some of the sting out of this process.  Let’s take a look at a couple of books that can help make the process of going from high-school to college a bit easier.

Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College by Andrew Ferguson

Crazy U was a very clever title.  This title immediately makes you think that this book is going to be all about the crazy fun that people have while at college.  Well, that isn’t exactly what this book is all about.  On the contrary, Crazy U is all about a dad working to get his kid into college.  Here is why this is a good book and a worthwhile investment; author Andrew Ferguson does a good job of reminding parents how intense, stressful and, to be blunt, ridiculous the entire transition from high school to college actually is in the modern academic system.  Having a book that takes you by the hand and helps you through this highly irritating and frustrating process is worth the asking price and the time invested in reading it.

Don’t Stalk the Admissions Officer: How to Survive the College Admissions Process Without Losing Your Mind by Risa Lewak

Don’t Stalk the Admissions Officer: How to Survive the College Admissions Process Without Losing Your Mind by Risa Lewak is a good book and it also has a very amusing title.  However, this offering it doesn’t measure up in terms of information or value to Crazy U by Andrew Ferguson.  Both are good books, but Crazy U is better.  Now with that stated, that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t benefit from reading both.

Don’t Stalk the Admissions Officer does a very good job of attempting to dissect the college admissions process.  It should also be stated that this book is more geared towards than Crazy U as well.  Lewak understands the process of getting into college as she was involved in the process “from the other side.”  As a result, she has a wealth of insight and tips in the process.

Overall, there are an abundance of insightful tips and you will definitely feel as though you have a better handle on what to do and expect where applying for college is concerned.  Parents and students looking to understand the process better will like that this book is easy to read, clearly laid out and gives many straightforward answer instead of stating repeatedly, “it depend,” which is so common in books in this genre.

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Are Only High Paying Majors Worth The Time?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

You’ve probably heard a good deal about the wildly increasing price tag of a university or college degree.  This is not to state that there are still not great deals in education to be found, but there is no doubt that these deals are far harder to find and require much more research than in days past.

All of this has left people wondering not just how to survive college or college dorm life, but whether or not they should attend college in the first place.  Additionally, many students are also wondering if they should only attend college if they are going to major in a career with a “big pay day.”  Increasingly, people are beginning to question whether or not college makes sense for everyone.

While there is no denying that the job market is far tougher than in the past, some other facts are also undeniable.  College graduates still earn far more than those with just a high school degree.  Those who go on and get professional degrees earn even more than those who earn college degrees.  Or stated another way, college still does pay.

Yet, the world is full of people with graduate degrees working minimum wage jobs.  This is a fact of life and a reflection of the current economic situation which is, unfortunately, likely to continue for some years to come.  So what is a student considering college to do?

No matter what kind of college degree you get, you will be more employable than those without a college degree.  This is just a fact. While you might be thinking twice about a degree without a big payoff, you’re still better off with a degree of some kind.

Not all high-paying degrees are right for everyone.  After all, a job that makes you truly miserable is one that you will not do forever.  Many people don’t actually stay with the careers that they are trained to do.  The reason for this is that once they enter the workforce and enter their chosen career, they hate it.  The money looks great on paper, but they discover after they begin the job that it’s not for them.  This is definitely a factor for every student to consider and here is why.  College degrees can be expensive, and professional degrees can be doubly so.  The last thing you want is to be stuck with a massive college bill without a career path to pay for it.

So on one hand you are better off with a college degree, but you also have to consider how much your degree will allow you to earn when you graduate and how much your college debt will be.  All of this underscores how important it is to have good advice and a knowledgeable mentor or two.  Also investigating all of your options is essential.

You can find the right college for your needs and one that will help you plot out your future career.  Just remember to plan well in advance, and weigh all of the choices before making a decision.

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Posted in Career Colleges, Choosing a Major, College Classes, College Search, Preparing for College | No Comments »

The Practical Benefits of Studying Abroad

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Between financial aid for college tuition and learning how to find scholarships, you might feel as though you have your plate pretty full.  There are definitely many different factors that go into making the switch from high school to college, but it is also a good idea to be looking ahead as well.  One way to look ahead to is think about issues such as studying abroad.  In this article, we will explore why to study abroad and the variety of practical benefits that come with making this decision.

Studying abroad comes with a very wide range of real world, practical benefits.  If people understood the potential values of studying abroad, they wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it.  Of course, there is no doubt studying abroad will not serve you in the end if you just use your time studying in another country as little more than an excuse to party in a different place.  However, if you take studying abroad seriously, you will benefit.

Increasingly in today’s global marketplace employers are looking for well-rounded individuals that understand more than the confines of their local area or insulated small town.  The old ways of doing business are gone, and they are not coming back.  The sooner that you realize this fact the better off your job prospects will be.

Finding ways of distinguishing yourself in a competitive marketplace is often difficult especially in a tough job market.  One of the best ways for young college graduates to distinguish themselves is to have interesting points on their resumes.  Being skilled at video games might cut it when unemployment is at a record low, but in a fierce job market resumes need to be a little meatier.  If you can point to your time studying in a foreign country it can help you stand out from the crowd.

A major benefit to studying abroad is that it gives you options to easily distinguish yourself further.  You can point to the language and cultural skills that you acquired as well as social connections that you developed.  Further, studying abroad gives you an opportunity to volunteer or intern with foreign companies.  This helps show prospective employers that you are ambitious, driven, thinking ahead and can adapt to new situations.  Doesn’t that sound like an employee that you would want to hire?

You may even have the opportunity to perfect your knowledge of a foreign language.  Some study abroad programs offer immersion classes that can assist you to learn a new language much more quickly.  Needless to say, your ability to speak a language fluently can really help you when it comes time to look for a job.

If you can find a way to study abroad during the time you are in college you should consider it.  Just make sure that you think through what you will do with your time once in your new country.  Invest that time wisely.  If you do something like volunteer and/or intern, even if it is only for a couple of hours a week, you may see ample rewards.  Above all, ignore those that seek to tell you that studying abroad isn’t for you.  You should make that determination on your own.

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Community Colleges – A Great Option to Consider

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

One of the single most important parts of the transition from high school to college is being prepared.  Clearly, you should work hard to find financial aid for college tuition and direction federal student loans; however, if you are unable to afford college or your grades didn’t allow you to get into any local colleges or universities, don’t panic.  It is important to remember that you still have options for receiving an education.

Millions of people have successfully used the community college system.  You can attend community college to receive further education and even transfer to a four-year college or university later on.

Here are two good books on the topic of community colleges.

Community College by Susan H. Stafford

Okay, you didn’t get into the college of your dreams or you just can’t afford to go.  That doesn’t mean that you should just give up on your dream of getting a college degree.  College graduates earn far more over the course of their lifetime than those with just high-school diplomas.  This book is valuable in that it gets students and parents thinking about community college, which stands out as an important often overlooked resource.

Going to a community college can save you a staggering amount of money, and this book has most of what you need to know to begin the community college process.  There are many misconceptions regarding community college, and Community College by Susan H. Stafford is rather effective at clearing some of them up.  Another reason this book is a winner is that it doesn’t just state, “go to a community college” but instead gives you concrete reasons to do so.  This is done by showing how community colleges can tie into creating new career and earning opportunities.

If you think that your college dreams are over, then pick this book up.  It will remind you that you can, in fact, return to college at any age with very little money.

The Community College Guide: The Essential Reference from Application to Graduation by Joshua Halberstam and Debra Gonsher

The Community College Guide: The Essential Reference from Application to Graduation by Joshua Halberstam and Debra Gonsher takes a slightly different approach to community college than other books.  Halberstam and Gonsher’s approach goes beyond making the solid case for community college and gets directly into the “nuts and bolts,” such as transcripts and financial aid concerns.

Anyone considering community college will find this helpful; however, you will definitely skip over some sections.  At times the handholding might seem excessive, but ultimately there is no denying that this book is worth the effort, just be prepared to do some serious skipping and skimming.  Any book that makes a case for the value and worth of the community college system is one that is worth reading and supporting.

Both of these books can help outline the community college experience and what it has to offer.  Remember that you should be able to find a community college in your area.  In addition, you will also find many dedicated people at your local community college that are eager to help guide you, so seek them out and ask for help!

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5 Ways to Go Green When Packing for College

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Getting ready to go off to college is one of the most exciting rites of passage in a young person’s life. College is the beginning of your independence, when choices and actions become sole responsibility of you. To start off your college career and life of independence on a green note, consider these tips for going green when packing for college.

Chemical-Free Cleaning Supplies
Of course you will want to keep your dorm room or apartment clean. Cleaning supplies can be very expensive, and they contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment and harmful to your health. Allergies, asthma and other respiratory conditions can be made worse by the chemicals in cleaning solutions. To avoid polluting water sources and keep your surroundings sparkling clean at the same time, consider homemade cleaning supplies, which are much cheaper than and just as effective as the expensive, ready-made kind. Instead of a variety of cleaning supplies, pack a gallon of vinegar and a box of baking soda and a couple of empty spray bottles and use these recipes for making your own cleaning solutions.

All-Purpose Cleaner
Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda with 1/2 gallon of water in a spray bottle and store. Don’t worry that the vinegar will make your dwelling smell: once it dries, it’s odor-free. This cleaner is perfect for bathroom and kitchen fixtures, countertops, dining tables and virtually any other surface on which you would use a pre-made chemical cleanser.

Carpet Stain Remover
Mix equal parts vinegar and water and spray it on the spot. Allow it to sit for 5 or 10 minutes, and then scrub with a sponge or brush using warm, soapy water.

Wall Cleaner
Apply baking soda straight to a mark on the wall using a sponge. Scrub and rinse.

Deodorizer
To keep the air in your room smelling fresh and clean, mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with 4 tablespoons of baking soda and place in a small decorative dish on a table to absorb odors.

Dishwasher Soap
Dishwasher soaps contain phosphates, which encourage algae growth in fresh water sources and choke out the wildlife. An effective replacement for dishwasher powder is to mix equal parts of borax and baking soda. Use it as you would use any commercial product.

Warm Bedding & Clothes
To keep your heating bill in check over the winter and save energy, be sure to pack some warm lounging clothes to wear while you’re hanging out at home. A comfortable hat will keep body heat from escaping through your head, and a pair of wool socks under warm slippers will keep your feet toasty. Consider a set of high-quality thermal underwear to put on under your sweats for extra warmth, and then keep the thermostat at 68 degrees. A down comforter will keep you extra warm at night, allowing you to turn the thermostat down to 62 while you sleep. These strategies can save you 40 percent in heating costs, and a lot of natural gas to boot.

Rugs & Window Treatments
Rather than purchasing rugs and window treatments derived from oil-based materials, consider sisal, wool or cotton for your rugs, cotton for your curtains and wood for your blinds. Rugs will help keep your space warm in the winter. Open your curtains or blinds during the day to allow the sun to heat your space, then close them at night to keep the warmth in.

Take Your Bike!
Even if you have a car, be sure to take your bike to college. Campuses are generally bike-friendly, and urban college neighborhoods are usually packed with stores, shops and services that you can often more easily bike to than drive to. You’ll not only save on gas, but you’ll also combat the classic Freshman 15, a common weight gain that is widely seen during the first year of college.

Power Saver Electrical Cords
Many electronics, such as your coffee pot, computer peripherals and game consoles, continue to use electricity after you turn them off. Take a power saver cord with you and plug in your computer peripherals, such as your printer, modem, scanner and monitor into one power strip and turn it off when you’re not using your computer. Not only will you save energy, you’ll also extend the lives of your accessories.

Author Bio:  George Dennis is president of King Shade and Window, a home improvement company that carries a range of custom roller shades.

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Don’t Overlook These 4 College Issues

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

You probably realize that a multitude of factors go into having a successful college experience.  College and college life is complex, and you will want to prepare for that complexity to the best of your ability.  This article will take a look at some of the overlooked factors relating to college.  Thinking about these factors well in advance can make a positive difference in the quality of your overall experience.

Issue #1 Surviving Dorm Life

You might feel that your worries just go on and on.  After all, you have to find the right college, pick the right major, figure out what to take to college, find a college by major, etc.  Surviving dorm life is a mixed up soup of all of these concerns and many more.

Many of the variables regarding college life are, to an extent, out of your control.  For example, picking your roommate and deciding what your floor mates will be like is usually out of your hands.  This situation is one that is largely out of your control, as you are being given new friends (and potentially enemies) who are not even your choice.

Yet, learning to deal with all kinds of people, many of which you may never have dealt with before, is a major life experience.  One good way to survive dorm life with your mind and spirit intact is to embrace this as a learning experience, and make yourself scarce when everything becomes too stressful.

Issue #2 Pet Friendly Colleges

Another overlooked factor is that of pet-friendly colleges.  If you are very attached to your pet, then you want to know that you can bring your little ball of furry happiness along for the ride.  This overlooked factor involves a little research and asking the right questions.  Just don’t wait until the last moment to find out policies at pet friendly colleges.

Issue #3 Should You Study Abroad?

Why study abroad?  This question is often asked too late in a college student’s careers.  The end result is that studying abroad turns out to simply not be on the table.  Financial and academic issues can sometimes interfere.   However, studying abroad can potentially be rather beneficial, as it affords considerable life experience and is a great way to improve your resume.  Is it worth considering?  You bet, just try and find an option for studying abroad that works for you.

Issue #4 What to Take to College?

Imagine showing up for college only to realize that you’ve left some very critical items off your list and out of your suitcase.  Feeling unprepared on this level never feels good.  However, the odds are that you will be able to replace what you forgot, with one notable exception.  If you have items of sentimental value or personal items that are not easily replaced, for example, a dental retainer, you might have a problem.  So think ahead about what items are essential and difficult to replace, and you will avoid some serious panic.

All of the points that we have discussed in this article have a common thread.  Pre-planning and organization stand as keys to making the transition from living at home during high school to living at college an easy and relatively painless one.

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Learn How to Survive College, It Can Be Done!

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Are you worried about surviving college?  You shouldn’t lose sleep feeling that you are somehow unusual for feeling this way.  Most people are worried about making the transition to college, especially if they are going away to school.  No matter what your relationship is with your family or what you think your relationship may be, the fact is that you know what to expect from your home life.  College, on the other hand, marks the transition into the unknown.

You can learn how to survive college, and the first step in the process is to realize that your college life experience will be different from high school.  This is true whether you go away to school or continue to live at home.

Your first survival tip is to realize that you are on your own. This means that no one will force you to study.  Many colleges and universities, particularly state schools, have high flunk out rates.  Now you can’t exactly learn how to survive college if you flunk out, can you?

Getting good grades is, of course, all about studying, but it is also about realizing that as a freshman in college you have to show that you have the discipline to get your work done on your own.  In short, one of the single biggest hurdles for learning how to survive college is to realize that you have to study and that it is up to you to make sure that it happens.

Surviving College Dorm Life

College dorm life can be complicated as well.  You should be open and ready to make new friends.  Yet, you have to realize that there is nothing magical about your college dorm life.  Regardless of what you’ve seen in the media, college dorm life is just like the real world.  There are good people, bad people, indifferent people and everything in between.  This means that the same logic and caution that you’ve used in the real world to date still applies in college.

You shouldn’t show up to college and think, “Wow, I am in college now I can trust everyone.”  That is a recipe for disaster.  You might get lucky, but you will be tempting fate.  A big part of learning how to survive college is keeping your brain turned on and making good decisions.  It is possible to still have a great time!

Financial Aid for College Tuition

Worrying about grades may seem like a full-time job, but you may also have no choice but to worry about other things.  One of the factors that you shouldn’t lose sight of is financial aid for college tuition.  If you can’t pay for college, then you certainly won’t be “surviving” college, as you won’t be there.  This means that you will have to keep an eye on tuition related issues.  College tuition is going up, and it is going up very rapidly.  A good part of surviving college is finding a way to keep your student loans under control so that you are not repaying these loans when you are 75 years old.

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Time Management at College

Saturday, January 7th, 2012

Yes, there is an easy way to make college much more difficult and lower your grades.  Poor time management is a killer, and you want to avoid it if possible.  All the time you invested in test prep tutoring, studying for the SAT, and researching financial aid for college will seem pointless if you flunk out.

Many schools like having a high flunk out rate.  You won’t hear this fact mentioned very often, but for a variety of reasons its true.  Otherwise they would enact measures to lower the rate.  In fact, a high freshman flunk out rate is often worn by a school as a badge of honor that indicates the “toughness” of their given institution.  Yet, the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of factors that go into a high flunk out rate, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that the institution is that tough.  The point is that you do need to be aware of this factor and adjust accordingly.

Using your time correctly when in college is extremely important.  If you are partying constantly and still passing your classes, then you’ve learned something valuable.  If this is the case, either you’ve picked a major that is far too easy for you or perhaps you should pick up a second major.  Perhaps you even need to think about transferring to a different college or university altogether if the classes are that easy!

Try and remember that someone is paying for your college education.  If that someone is you, well, you want to get the most out of your money, don’t you?  Keep in mind that you may be paying off your college loans for an extremely long time.

How do you make the most out of your time in college?  Believe it or not, you already have many of skills that you need to manage your time properly.  In high school you probably had to balance your time between school, homework, extracurricular activities, home responsibilities and fun.  So you already have some idea of what you should be doing in terms of time management.  Don’t forget those lessons.

Time management in college is different, however.  In part, this is due to the fact that you have less oversight than you did in high school or in other words, “you are on your own.”  Further, if you go away to school, that means that you won’t have your parents watching over your shoulder to make sure that you get your work done.

All of this freedom may feel great, and you might get pulled into all the potential fun of college dorm life.  Just remember that you do need to correctly balance your time.  Consider creating a schedule and sticking to it.  This is one way to make sure that you don’t become a flunk out statistic for someone to brag about at a cocktail party!

By organizing your time carefully and thinking through what you need to do each day you will give yourself an edge.  Managing you time is easier than it sounds, and it takes less time than you might suspect.  However, it bears repeating that most of the hard work of college is setting aside the time to do the work in the first place.

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