My College Guide» Preparing for College

Saving Money on Your College Books and Supplies

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:54:05 +0000

You’ve probably spent a good deal of time worrying about everything from how to survive college to how to find a college roommate. It is easy to lose sight of money related issues. No one has to tell you that college is expensive, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find ways to make college a little less painful on the pocketbook. This topic is more important than many people might believe. Every cent you spend at college really adds up. Let’s face it; the price of college textbooks alone can be nothing less than extremely comical!

In this article, we will look at some of the ways you can keep your college book fees as low as possible. It should be stated that no matter how hard you try, there will be times that you will have no choice but to give in and buy your textbooks from your college bookstore. However, most of the time, you will be able to find an alternative path and save money in the process!

Consider downloading your books from an online digital bookstore. There are many companies that specialize in selling not just books online, but also online textbooks. Often you can save a great deal of money in this fashion. Additionally, e-readers have become increasingly inexpensive and lightweight, and that means you might not even have to use your laptop. Many people find that e-readers can also be a little easier on the eyes as well.

Used bookstores are your friend! Go off campus and look online for used books, as paying full price your textbooks increasingly makes less and less sense. Sure someone has to pay full price, but that doesn’t mean it has to be you (or at least not all the time).

Of course, finding your books either online or at a used book store will take a little planning, and that means not waiting until the last second. While you might have to put in more effort by working to find your textbooks in this fashion, the upside is that you can not only save hundreds of dollars, but literally thousands over the course of a four-year degree!

Other supplies can be found cheaper online and in other stores too. Simple, but very necessary supplies such as pens, markers, notebooks and a range of specialty supplies are marked up in a dramatic fashion in the college bookstores. Again, these small saving steps can really add up.

You likely spent a good deal of your time researching financial aid and grants, private loans for college and even college saving programs. But that doesn’t mean that the “financial side” of college is over and done with in the least. You owe it to yourself to reduce your amount of student debt if possible. Remember that there are people only slightly older than you are now suffering tremendously with student loan burdens that they can’t repay. Many of these students were very bright and even received what was deemed the “right” degree at the time. Stay sharp and think through all of your college related decisions, financial and otherwise.

Should You Use Test Preparation Books?

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:11:31 +0000

When it comes to preparing for college, you want to make sure that you’ve done all that you can. This means exploring many different avenues when it comes to SAT prep.

You’ve likely spent a good deal of time researching colleges, looking into how to find scholarships and pre college summer programs, and you’ve also likely given a good deal of thought to preparing for the SAT. At the top of the list of ways to prepare for this test are SAT preparation books. However, where SAT test preparation books are concerned, it important that you take a few factors into consideration.

The first factor that you should take into consideration is that there are a lot, a whole lot, of SAT test preparation books. As a result, many people are overwhelmed and just throw in the towel when it comes to SAT prep books. Others simply find the big names in test preparation and pick one of their books.

When it comes to using preparing for the SAT, you want the best tools possible. It should be no big surprise that some are better than others. One fact about SAT prep books that you don’t hear very often is that some of them, including one’s published by big names in the field, are poor or even awful. There are some books that really won’t help you including an SAT test preparation book that is really boring or doesn’t explain the answers so you can improve. Worst of all, some SAT prep books even have errors in them! Obviously, this is the last thing you want!

Finding a good SAT test preparation book is an exercise in first patience and second research. Look at what SAT test prep books are available online. You should read reviews from others who have used the book and then taken the test. Also keep a sharp eye out for books that are full of errors or that people just don’t like. If one person states that a book is horrible that might not mean much, but if dozens of people are saying that a book is awful, then that is something you should listen to and strongly take into consideration.

How you like to study is another factor where SAT test preparation books are concerned. Your style of studying and what you feel comfortable with needs to be factored into the equation. Simply grabbing the book that everyone likes may not work for you, as this book might not mesh with your learning style or it may fail to focus on your weak points sufficiently.

In the end, it makes sense to invest some time and find a book or books that work for you personally. Don’t be afraid to use many different books until you find ones that help you build your score on practice tests. (And you should be taking practice tests!) While it is true that everything is online, this is one time that a trip to your local library might be a good idea, as they may have a few SAT books that you can look at and compare. This step will save you time, effort and money.

Should You Stay on Campus or Rent an Apartment?

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:38:04 +0000

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.

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

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:24:28 +0000

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.

Are Only High Paying Majors Worth The Time?

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:32:21 +0000

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.

5 Ways to Go Green When Packing for College

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:46:39 +0000

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.

How Do You Handle College Advice When You Don’t Agree?

admin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:58:11 +0000

When it comes to your college career and your career goals, more than likely there are many people wanting to give you advice and lots of it. Quite often people will put pressure on you to follow their advice, whether its friends or family. If they can’t recognize that their advice is useless or even downright bad, what are you do to in such a situation? What do you do when college advice goes beyond financial aid and grants or how to find scholarships and instead dives deeper into your decision making process?

Dealing with a pushy relative who wants to give you college advice can be quite tricky. Few of us actually state, “Hi there, find a college for me,” but the fact is that family members will try to tell you what to do and even pick out your college for you. If you have someone trying to make this decision for you, here are a few tips for handling the situation.

Tip One-Show Why Your College Pick is Better

The first option is to prove that your college selection is better than what they have in mind. For example, you can demonstrate that your preferred school is higher ranked in a particular program than the one your relative is suggesting. Keep in mind that stating, “But my school is a better party school,” isn’t likely to work very well. Don’t try that one!

Tip Two-Apply to Many Different Colleges

Whatever you do, never apply to just one or two schools, as this can leave you without a school altogether. Further, by applying to several universities and colleges, you will give yourself some wiggle room as you will be able to state, “But I did get into…”

You Can Always Ignore the Advice

Ignoring a relative’s advice on college is a lot easier if he or she is not paying for attendance. If your parents are paying for your college and they are expecting you to attend a given school but you hate their idea, you are in a tough situation. However, there is still hope. After the first year, you can explain to them in more detail why the school isn’t right for you. At that time, you can transfer to another program.

Remember that People Want to Help

You have to be the one who lives your life, and that means you need to make your own decisions about where you will go to college and what you will major in at college. With that stated, however, try and remember that the people who are giving you advice about college only want the best for you.

In the end, take in the advice and listen carefully to the logic behind it, as this is very important. If the logic is sound and based on facts, then it is worthwhile. However if the college advice you receive is really just someone’s opinion then that is a different story. Ultimately, you want to be happy with your college experience. Finding that happiness might just mean ignoring the advice that you’ve been given.

Don’t Overlook These 4 College Issues

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:36:09 +0000

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.

Time Management at College

admin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:19:58 +0000

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.

How to Eat Healthy While at College

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:45:50 +0000

Hopefully, you have already given some thought to how to eat healthy at college. This issue is more important than it might seem for a wide variety of reasons. At the top of the list is that dreaded and quite real, “Freshman Fifteen.” If you were thinking that the Freshman Fifteen was some kind of myth, think again, because it is quite real. Often being away from home for the first time goes hand in hand with poor food choices. Let’s see how you can keep the Freshman Fifteen from becoming a problem for you.

Beware of Fast Food

The first step you should take is to make sure that you have adopted healthy food choices before you go to college. In this way, you will know what you should be eating. Not all food is equally good for you, and that means that there are many foods that you should avoid. Processed food and junk food should be off your food list, but this could present a problem.

Unfortunately, it is a very sad commentary on the higher education system in general that unhealthy food choices are literally everywhere. For example, these days, fast food restaurants, are not just near college and university campuses, but have been placed in central areas at many universities. This change most definitely has played a role in increasing waistlines and the global obesity epidemic.

Why is it such a “big deal” that there are fast food establishments on your college campus? For starters, it makes it very difficult for students to eat a healthy meal. After all, if you’re not accustomed to preparing your own meals, you might be extremely tempted to “grab something,” and odds are you will use nearby options. Fast food is also cheap as well, and you might not have a great deal of money at your disposal. Third, if you are pressed for time, you are much more likely to take advantage of whatever options are available.

What Can You Do to Eat Healthy Food at College?

You’ve put a lot of time into test prep tutoring and thinking about how to survive college, and the last thing you want to do is ruin your health when you arrive at college. So what should you do? Here are a few ways to eat healthy and avoid the Freshman Fifteen.

Five Eating Healthy Tips

Look for healthy options at your school, as they may exist. Taking the time to know what they are could pay off.
Don’t assume that food that “looks” healthy is indeed healthy no matter where it comes from. This means asking for nutritional information.
Prepare your own food. This way you know what you are eating!
Preferably before you go to college, know what healthy food options are out there, and learn to prepare some healthy meals of your own. You may think that you have “better things to do,” but eating good food will help you feel better, look better, sleep better and maybe even perform better while in college.
Use your food budget wisely. This means be a smart shopper and look for deals.