Your Student Guide to College Life

Stay Healthy During Finals

While getting sick is never any fun, it can be a lot worse if it comes at a bad time. Some of the worst times include spring break, the day before a big test or presentation, and, worst of all, during finals week. Being sick during your finals can be very detrimental to your grades, as it’s difficult to study and concentrate on your tests. If you want to make sure that you stay healthy during finals, keep the following tips in mind.

Although you can pick up an infection at any time, you’re much more likely to if you’re stressed. The weeks leading up to finals are some of the most stressful of the year, increasing your chances of contracting an illness. During these weeks, then, it’s very important to keep your stress in check. Make sure to get outside every day for a little while, to take breaks from studying at regular intervals, to spend time with your friends, and above all, not to cram. Staying up really late studying for a test coming up the next day not only stresses you out, but also makes you tired, doubly increasing your chances of illness.

Make sure to get enough sleep. Just as too much stress weakens your immune system, so does a lack of sleep. Try to get eight hours every night; if you can’t get eight, then get as many as you can, and catch up on the weekends. If you’re really tired, you won’t be able to properly function, severely limiting your both your ability to stay healthy during finals and the effectiveness of your studying.

Pay attention to your diet. Diet is always important, but when you’re doing everything that you can to keep from getting sick, you should pay special attention to it. Make sure that you’re getting enough B and C vitamins; have at least three servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Taking multivitamins or supplements such as Airborne or cod liver oil may be effective in preventing the contraction of a cold.

Many students are unable to stay healthy during finals; because of this, you may be exposed to many people who are fighting an infection or have already developed a cold. It’s important to minimize the risk that these people pose to you by limiting your exposure. Try to avoid being very close to others, especially if you know that they are or have recently been ill. Being in close quarters with a large number of other people should be avoided. Places like libraries and coffee shops, unless you can maintain enough space between you and the others studying there, can be dangerous.

If you think that you may have caught something, check your symptoms on sites like WebMD. If you have symptoms indicating a common cold, take DayQuil or Tylenol Cold and get as much rest as possible. If your symptoms indicate something more serious, see a medical professional immediately. Most campuses have nurses or nurse practitioners onsite to help students with issues such as this.

5:52 PM on Fri Dec 12th, 2008
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College Stress Management

There are no two ways about it—college will be one of the most stressful times of your life. You’ll have to face the clash of social and academic schedules, you’ll have tests that seem impossible, professors that don’t seem to like you, roommates you don’t see eye-to-eye with, and any number of possible other situations that cause stress. However, it is possible to manage these stressors and learn to deal with the stress that they cause.

When it comes to managing stress, time management is paramount. One of the decisions that you’ll have to make every day is how to prioritize different things in your life. These can include your social life, athletics, a job, academics, and anything that might take up even a small amount of your time. Learning to balance all of these things is a skill that takes years to develop; however, if you focus on discovering the best way to organize your day, you’ll be a step ahead of the game. Keeping a schedule, either on paper, on a PDA or cell phone, or on your computer will aid your time management efforts. Use it to plan all of your activities—but don’t be afraid to change them when needed. Don’t let your schedule cause more stress than the things that you put in it.

Finding a relaxing activity that you enjoy is one of the more valuable things you can do in the battle against stress. There are as many different stress-relieving activities as there are people. Some popular ones include reading, journaling, watching movies, exercising or just holding a non-school-related conversation. Find something that you like to do that takes your mind off of the problems that you have. You’ll find that you feel a lot better if you can schedule this activity into at least most days.

Finally, don’t be afraid to use on-campus resources. People like your RA, a counselor or a chaplain can provide very helpful information as well as listening ear, which can be just as important as the above strategies. Going to talk about stress or problems that you’re having is nothing to be ashamed of—in fact, once you seek help from these people once, you’re very likely to go again. It’s an effective way of getting advice from someone who has a greater amount of experience than you do.

While stress is something that you’ll be feeling a lot of throughout your college career, you don’t have to let it control your life. Be pro-active and take steps to manage your stress; the earlier you start, the easier it will become.

3:56 PM on Tue Dec 2nd, 2008
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Student Reviews of Colleges and Universities at StuVu.com

The ultimate source for student reviews of colleges and universities is now live at StuVu.com!  The recent release of our website has been exciting, especially with the timing for high school students.  November is the month where most colleges have their deadlines for applications, and it’s also the month where college bound high schoolers are thinking about which college they want to go to.

That’s where StuVu.com comes in.  StuVu.com is a place for high school students to research schools that they want to attend, and get an idea of what being a student at that particular campus is like through the eyes of a student.  All of the videos, photos and reviews on the site are created by students at those universities, which ensures that everyone gets an authentic view of a “day in the life” of a university student at that particular college.  College bound high school students, and even undergraduates looking for grad schools can base their decision on student reviews of colleges and universities rather than statistics and guide books written by people who haven’t been in college in years.

StuVu.com is also a place for current college and university students to share reviews, photos and videos of all kinds of facilities, restaurants, services and events around campus with their fellow students.  As a newer student on campus, you may not be familiar with certain campus services, or hot spots in town that other students may know about. StuVu.com can bridge that gap of knowledge and make sure that everyone on campus knows where to go and what things they should avoid.

The bottom line is that most high school students currently base their college decision on top 100 lists, statistics and pamphlets created by the schools themselves.  StuVu.com provides a community that allows college students to be the voice that directs college bound students to the right colleges based on what’s important to them, because in the end, there’s a lot more to college than just statistics.

5:23 PM on Thu Nov 20th, 2008
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Alternative Sources of Energy besides Taurine Drinks

With the health craze on the rise it’s always good to read up on the latest healthy ways to perk you up in the morning.

Wheat Grass

People have been taking shots of this for years even before it was trendy and the mental boost is supposed to be exceptional. You can pick up some ready made at any health food store or find a recipe on the internet and make your own.

Apple Juice

This has all the natural sugars and yummy taste to keep you awake and alert without the physical and mental crash you get after putting foreign chemicals into your body. Just don’t drink too much in one day because that causes headaches.

Gum

Chewing keeps your brain focused and your eyes open, no one wants to choke on gum and interrupt the class. So keep your jaw moving and your alertness on the board in front of you. This won’t help if you’re one of those students who brings a laptop to class and plays on Facebook the whole time.

Crystal Light

This is tasty energy boost and you get the amount of vitamins and hydration needed for the day. Just watch some flavors, with the fake sugar some of them can be tricky and taste really bad. Stick to a flavor you like rather than exploring and wasting your money on drinks you don’t like to drink.

3:57 PM on Fri Oct 24th, 2008
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Most Popular College Party Themes

You’ve got to be creative on a college campus when it’s all been done before. Getting your party on isn’t something to scoff at when reputations and the sake of the whole campus’s good time is on the line. So you don’t make mistakes and do the same thing, here are the biggest campus party themes.

Pimps and Hoes

A scandalous affair with lingerie, chocolate covered strawberries and fun, fun, fun!

Golf Pros and Tennis Hoes

Guys dress up like golf pros, and girls put on skimpy skirts to play the tennis hoes.  Always a good time, just be careful with your clubs and rackets.

Black and White

A party where everyone wears black and white, made popular by The Hills, Gossip Girl, and other popular shows.

Beach Party

The classic luau theme with all the essentials, lay’s, Corona, and bikini’s. What’s great about this theme, is it can quickly become a naked party with the right amount of ‘foreign’ substances.

Playboy Party

Everyone knows this one, bunny ears, skimpy outfits, and paisley robes. Make Hugh proud.

Highlighter Party

Everyone wears a white t-shirt (or white everything), and people write and draw random stuff all over you all while under black light.

3:35 PM on Thu Sep 25th, 2008
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