When asked “what are the benefits of going to college”, most students will immediately reply with something to the effect of “I’ll get a better job.” While it is true that the average college graduate does make a considerably larger amount of money throughout their life than the non-graduate does, this is only one of the reasons that students attend post-secondary institutions. If you’re still not completely decided on whether or not you’ll attend a university, read on and think about some of the following benefits.

As was previously mentioned, you are much more likely to land a higher-paying job with more upward mobility than if you don’t go to college. This is only half of this particular benefit, however. A college education opens up a much wider field of jobs; so not only will you be likely to make more money, but you’ll also be able to choose which professional area you’d like to enter. Certain degrees will allow you to enter almost any field that you’d like; a few of these degrees are business management, marketing, and communications. People with the skills gained in these programs are in demand in almost every company around the world.

Most people think of the professional benefits of going to college first; however, the social benefits can be just as—if not more—important. From the first day that you’re on campus, you’ll start meeting people whose values, beliefs, and backgrounds differ greatly from yours. You can learn as much from the people that you go to class with as you can from your professors (maybe not about differential equations or biochemistry, but valuable things nonetheless). Making friends and joining new social circles will teach you a great deal about yourself and the world around you.

Another of the benefits of going to college is the very diverse programs and organizations that you can become involved in. College students are highly treasured by many organizations because of their great potential, and as such, you’ll be given the chance to work with many different groups of people and have some of the best experiences of your life. Things like studying abroad, international service trips, mission work, volunteering, and getting involved in student government are fantastic ways to meet new people, learn about yourself, and gain valuable skills that you will use for the rest of your life.

What it all comes down to is one benefit that encompasses all of the above: attending college will enrich and improve your life. It’s become a professional necessity to have a college degree, yes, but beyond this, there are social and experiential benefits that no student should pass up. There are very few college graduates that regret going to college; however, there are many people who regret not going to college. If you haven’t decided on your educational future, think very carefully about your decision, and know that even though it does involve four more years of studies, attending college will be very worth it, and you won’t regret it!

There are many ways to get on a professor’s good side—paying attention in class, studying your materials, doing well on tests, meeting with them outside of class—and just as many ways to get on their bad side. Which is more beneficial? The answer seems obvious. Which is more fun? This is completely up to you. If you decide to go the latter route, here are a few things you can do to get in trouble during class.

1) Texting.

Every professor that you ever have will hate when students send text messages during class. If you really want to irritate your professor, text constantly throughout class and don’t try to be very stealthy about it. Make only minimal effort to cover up the fact that you’re not paying attention; this makes it even more obvious. You’ll probably find that texting can be so engrossing that you won’t even know if you get called on to answer a question: bonus!

2) Cell phone games.

If you’re not quite ready to step up to the serious methods listed below, cell phone games are a good place to start. Because of the constant button pressing, track ball scrolling, and screen tapping, you’ll be sure to get noticed quickly. If you’re looking to be as annoying as possible, send text messages to your friends when you get a high score.

3) Internet browsing.

You can take advantage of the fact that many students bring their laptops to class to take notes by bringing your own and using it to browse the internet during class. Hitting up Facebook or Addicting Games will keep you busy for a while. This is especially effective if your eyes never leave the screen; it is doubly so if the professor uses a lot of diagrams or projections. If you use an instant messenger program, like AOL Messenger or Google Talk, you can ensure that you’re typing throughout the whole class, even when the professor has stopped talking.

4) Watching DVDs.

Bring a laptop to class, as in the above suggestion, but instead of browsing the internet, pop in a movie or a TV show on DVD. You can read the subtitles or impress your classmates by putting your headphones on (you’re more likely to get away with this if you have a hood up . . . but you also run the risk of making it much more obvious). You can also use sites like Hulu to get episodes of your favorite shows. If nothing else, you can always find music videos and other entertaining shorts on YouTube.

5) Sleeping.

The Holy Grail of not paying attention during class. There’s not much to say about this one. It’s tough—if not impossible—to hide, but can be more effective than any other method for getting caught and irritating your professor.

If your professors become too adept at spotting the above methods, and you’re looking for new ideas on how to get in trouble during class, just look around at your classmates—juniors and seniors are experienced and can provide guidance through example!

Choosing which college to attend can be a difficult process. There are many things to consider, like academic reputation, tuition costs, distance from home, or religious denomination. Trying to compare different schools can be overwhelming, as there are any number of factors that you can compare. One of the best ways to judge a school is by conducting a campus visit and actually going to check out the school itself.

By visiting the campus, you can get a much better feel for the school than by reading about it in brochures or talking to admissions counselors. You can see what the day-to-day routine on campus looks like and make a better judgment about whether or not the school is a good fit for you. The first thing to try to get a feel for is the overall attitude on campus. Some schools seem stuck-up, some are more laid back; some are very artsy, while others seem focused on sports. By walking around the campus, watching students, and catching bits of conversations, you can try to construct a picture of what the campus attitude is like.

Another important thing to look at while you’re conducting campus visits is the facilities that you may be using in your degree program. While you’re probably not fully decided on your major yet, you may have an idea—look at the classrooms and labs that you might be using and see if they contain up-to-date, functioning equipment. Pictures of lab equipment and classrooms can be slightly deceiving, so going to check them out yourself will give you a better idea of where you’ll be spending your time. If you’re an athlete, or just enjoy a pick-up game of basketball or racquetball, take a look at the athletic facilities as well.

Many campuses offer you the chance to sit in on a class so that you can observe the interactions between students and professors. This is an invaluable opportunity to take a look at what a typical class period will be like. Students have different preferences on how they like to be taught, and while one professor certainly can’t speak for an entire faculty, it’s good to check out a class or two as examples of how you might be learning in the near future.

One of the best resources that you can take advantage of is the students on the campus that you’re visiting. Most students will be more than happy to answer a few questions about their experiences at the school, and can provide you with very good information that can only be obtained through experience. This is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get a great deal of information about life at a school; don’t pass up the opportunity! Most campuses also offer tours led by student guides; these tour guides are also great resources and will answer any question that you have about the school.

You may not have the time or the money to visit every school that peaks your interests.  You can use StuVu.com to research schools so that you can narrow down your choices to a few that you can afford to visit.

The most important thing to remember about campus visits is to simply keep your eyes and ears open. You can learn a lot about a campus just through what you see and hear while you’re there!

Throughout your college career, it’s very likely that you’ll have several days where classes are cancelled. If you’re in the Northwest, Midwest, or Northeast, this will probably be caused by snow or ice. If you’re in other parts of the country, it could be because of rains or other environmental events. Some schools will cancel classes for other reasons as well. But regardless of the reason, you now have a full day without any class! What are you going go to do?

One of the most common things that you will find students doing on snow days is sleeping in. You don’t have to be in class at eight in the morning—go back to bed! Catch up on some sleep, and you’ll feel a lot better in the coming days. These are good days to take naps as well—you won’t have to worry about not getting up for your afternoon class, so you can take an hour or two out of your day and get some rest.

If your classes were cancelled because of snow, you probably shouldn’t be driving anywhere (at least until later in the afternoon). Fortunately, there are several activities that you can do on-campus or near your off-campus housing. Going sledding is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially if you got dumped on with a foot or two of snow. If you have a skating rink nearby, you can lace up some skates and get out there as well (as long as the snow has been cleared off). Snowball fights will make you feel like you’re in elementary school again and are great for getting exercise (and getting back at some of your friends for the money they took from you playing cards). Once you’ve spent some time outside and taken a hot shower, head for the local coffee shop. It will probably be pretty busy, but a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate rarely tastes better than when the entire world is covered in snow.

Snow days are also good occasions for spending the entire day inside under a blanket, where it’s warm and dry. Spending an afternoon playing board games is a fun way to recoup some energy and hang out with your friends. Sitting on the couch and reading a book (not a textbook—an actual outside-of-class book) is a good way to relax as well.

As much as you don’t want to, you should probably take advantage of snow days to get a little bit of studying done. It’s easy to get behind on your reading or studies, and having a full day off of class can be just what you need to get caught up again. If you’re very motivated, you could even use the day to get a little ahead in some of your classes so that you have some slack when finals come around.

Whatever you decide to do on snow days, whether it’s sleeping, sledding, or studying, make sure that you have fun! Snow days don’t come around all that often, so take advantage of them while you can.

Playing board games is something that many college students do—it’s a great way to pass a few hours while you’re avoiding homework. Having weekly or bi-weekly game nights is a great way to spend time with your friends and get to know other people. Playing games is also inexpensive—once you’ve purchased a game, you won’t need to spend any more money on it, and it can be used as many times as you’d like. With all of the board game options around, however, it can be difficult choosing which ones to play. Try out some of the following to get you started.

Scrabble

Scrabble is one of the best college board games because it’s very easy to play, can be played by up to four players, and is a lot of fun. Games can quickly get ridiculous if your friends start trying to sneak in made-up words without you noticing, and you’ll be surprised at how many words you’ll plan on the board that you would never say in public! You can learn more about Scrabble by visiting the official website.

SceneIt? Squabble

Most people have played some version of SceneIt? and are familiar with its format, which includes both a board and a game DVD. The Squabble version pits guys against girls and aims to see who has a better knowledge of movies, TV shows, and pop culture. Having guys answer girls’ questions and vice versa can be a source of never-ending entertainment. You may be surprised how many chick flicks one of your guy friends has seen, or how much your girlfriend knows about sports. Check out the SceneIt? Squabble site for more information, then get a bunch of friends, form guys’ and girls’ teams, and prove once and for all who’s smarter!

Scattergories

Another word game, Scattergories requires you to come up with words related to specific topics that start with a specified letter. You’ll have to be creative, though, because if you come up with the same words as someone else, neither of you get points for it! This game can be extremely entertaining late at night (or when slightly intoxicated), as the words get more and more comical. Visit Scattergories for additional information.

Wise and Otherwise

This game is less well-known than the above games, but nonetheless is one of the very best college board games out there. Similar to Balderdash, one player will read the beginning of an ancient saying, such as “The ocean cannot be emptied . . .”, and the other players will write how they think the saying should end. All of the answers are collected and read aloud with the correct saying—players then guess which is the correct answer. It’s easy to get the hang of it after a couple rounds, and it’s extremely fun! Head out to your local game store to check it out. (note: the correct answer to the above example is “with seven spoons.” Seriously. People actually said that).

There are hundreds of other board games that are great fun, and this guide hasn’t even mentioned card games. You should have no problem finding games to play with your friends—trying a new game every month can be a way for you to figure out for yourself which are the best college board games!