Your Student Guide to College Life

December 17th, 2008

Meeting New People on Campus

It can be a slightly unnerving experience getting to school for the first time and not knowing anyone. While a few other students from your high school may be attending the same college, you’re still going to need to step outside of your comfort zone and start meeting new people. Even though it can be difficult at first, making friends is an acquired skill and something that you’ll feel more comfortable with over time. It’s a skill that you should invest some time in; you don’t want to be the weird kid in back of the class with no friends, do you?

Even though it takes some effort, you don’t have to go far to start meeting new people. Getting to know your neighbors in the dorm building that you live in is a great way to start making new friends. Many people make friends that they have for the rest of their lives right in their dorms. Most dorm floors will have social events, but you don’t have to wait for these. Just stop by some of your neighbors’ rooms and introduce yourself. Leave your door open to encourage others to stop by. You can even plan a floor party-put a sign up in the hallway inviting anyone on your floor to come over and bring a couple sodas or a bag of chips. Not only will you meet a bunch of people, but you’ll also help generate a sense of community on your floor, which will make your year a lot better.

Another place to meet people is in class. If you’re sitting next to someone that you don’t know, introduce yourself and strike up a conversation. You may find that you have a lot of things in common. If nothing else, you can try to scope out cute guys or the really smart girls that will make good study partners. A lot of professors use “ice breaking” activities during the first week of classes; instead of acting cool and avoiding these (sometimes very cheesy) activities, take advantage of the chance to talk to people that you may not have otherwise. If your professor doesn’t give you an opportunity like this, you’ll just have to make your own.

Because of the rise of social networking websites, you now have another option for meeting new people. While this shouldn’t be your primary method, you can use one of these sites to help you in your quest to make friends. Facebook is extremely popular with college students and is used by many people to organize parties and outings. You can meet a large number of people through your friends this way. It’s also very useful for finding people that have similar interests; you’ll be able to find people who listen to the same music, like the same movies, and spend their Friday nights doing the same things.

There are as many ways to meet people as there are people . . . you’ll come up with methods of your own soon enough. Just be confident and be yourself and you’ll have tons of friends in no time!

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com

December 16th, 2008

Ways to Save Money in College

If you’re already in college, you already know, and if you’re a high school student, you’re sure to find out, that college students will try just about anything to save money. The time that you spend in college will probably be one of the more financially difficult times of your life; because of this, you’ll be looking for ways to save money, too. Try not to get roped into your friends’ harebrained strategies—just take some of the following advice.

One of the most expensive purchases that you’ll have to make on a regular basis is your books for the semester. It’s not uncommon to spend several hundred dollars on your books; certain degrees often require up to $500 in books. Buying books can be a great opportunity to save some cash. By buying used books, you can often cut your costs in half. Most university bookstores buy books back at the end of the semester and re-sell them; sell your books back, then buy used books, and you’ll end up saving a lot over your four years. Amazon.com and Craigslist are also good places to find used books. Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook can be used to set up book exchanges where you can give someone one of your old books in exchange for one of theirs.

Changing your food buying habits can be one of the best ways to save money in college. If you have roommates, buy groceries in bulk and split the bill—getting a membership at Costco or another discount bulk store can pay off very quickly if you split it between several people. Make your own food as often as possible—frozen pizza doesn’t count. If you spend a couple hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon preparing a large amount of food, you can put it in containers, freeze them, and microwave them for meals during the week. Things like stews, chilies, hot dishes, and stir-fries are great for this. If you buy ingredients and make food in bulk instead of going out to eat or buying pre-prepared foods, you’ll save a significant amount of money.

The cost of living can be very high on and near college campuses. Many universities require that students live on campus for their first year of classes, but after that, you can do whatever you’d like. When this becomes an option, it’s often worth looking into an apartment or a house. Houses tend to be cheaper, because you can split rent between more people; some houses are large enough for five to six people to live in. Even if you have to drive to campus to get to your classes, you may find that this is one of the more effective ways to save money on room and board. Remember to factor in things like utilities, gas money, and time spent in travel between your house and campus; these can have a major impact on whether or not it will be worth it to rent. If none of your friends dig the idea of moving into a house, you can use social networking sites (and local newspapers) to find other students looking for roommates.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com

December 15th, 2008

Writing Your College Admission Essay

The college admission essay is one of the most important pieces of writing that you will create as a high school student. Although your GPA and your standardized test scores are very important, it is your essay that really helps to set you apart from the other applicants. The essay gives you the opportunity to explain to the admissions committee exactly why they should accept your application and admit you to their school. Because admission essays are often very open-ended, it is difficult to give concrete advice for every composition. However, there are certain general principles that hold true for the vast majority of them.

When you’re writing your college admission essay, think about what you would like to read if you were on an admissions committee. If you’re reading hundreds of essays, wouldn’t you like to read something that’s interesting, even entertaining? These are the applications that will stand out. If a committee member remembers your application after reading hundreds of others, you’ll have a much greater chance of getting accepted. Keep your writing interesting with uncommon vocabulary, short stories, and strong statements. Just don’t go overboard.

Above all, admissions committees want to find out what you will bring to their university. They’d like to see which unique qualities you’ll bring to the student body and how you can create a positive college experience for both yourself and others. They don’t want to read about your academic achievements; they can see these on your transcripts and your standardized test scores. When writing your college admission essay, don’t embellish things or make up details. After reading thousands of admission essays, committee members will be able to see this right away. Write both personally and truthfully about what makes you unique as an individual. Tell the committee about your goals and why you chose their school over all of the others that you could have applied to, and they will return the favor by judging your essay and your application fairly.

One of the greatest mistakes that can be made by a student applying to college is not sufficiently proofreading and editing their essay. If your essay contains grammatical or spelling errors, you can count on the committee rejecting it fairly quickly, as it reflects very badly on your preparation and effort. Make sure to look over your essay several times before you submit it and have at least two other people look at it as well. Ask them if your essay flows well or if it is disjointed. If you’re very serious about the colleges that you’re applying to, you may want to use a service such as Essay Edge to ensure that your work is well-written, easily readable, and engaging. Resist the temptation to use a service that will write your essay for you; this is another tactic that committee members will see through, especially if an interview is part of your application process.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com

December 12th, 2008

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.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com

December 11th, 2008

Buying Christmas Gifts on a Student’s Budget

Christmas can mean many different things to a college student; a break from class, seeing the family again, eating for free, sleeping in a real bed . . . the list goes on. One of the things that go along with Christmas is gift-giving. But how can you go about buying Christmas gifts on a student’s budget? It can be tough. You’re not going to buy iPhones for all of your friends, and your family certainly won’t be receiving a Blu-Ray player. The amount of advertising for expensive gifts around the holidays can be exasperating. Don’t give up hope, though; there are many gifts that are affordable to the average college student.

The first, and often least expensive, option is to make your own gifts. If you’re skilled in crafting, you can knit a large number of hats, scarves, or mittens in a reasonable amount of time, and all you’ll have to pay for is several colors of yarn. Personalized Christmas tree ornaments are another option; you can buy a big box of blank ornaments for less than $20. With colorful paint, some glitter, and a little bit of tinsel or holly, your blank ornament can be a one-of-a-kind gift for anyone on your list. You can find a list of creative gift ideas at eHow, including several that don’t require nearly as much skill as it takes to knit or paint.

Although it’s slightly cliché, giving framed pictures can be a great way to save money on Christmas gifts. Find a good picture of yourself (or your group of friends) and have it printed; you can print a lot of pictures for less than five bucks. Finding picture frames that are inexpensive can be slightly difficult, but IKEA is a good place to start looking. Plain wood and acrylic frames are usually pretty cheap. Picture holders, an alternative to frames, can be found for a couple dollars each; these make great desk decorations. You can also paint blank frames for a more personalized touch.

While the day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the biggest Christmas shopping day, you can adjust your schedule a bit and buy your gifts shortly after Christmas. A lot of stores try to clear out as much merchandise as they can immediately after Christmas, so you can find some great deals. Especially during an economic recession, this strategy can be good for your entire family or group of friends; by agreeing to exchange gifts closer to New Year’s than Christmas, everyone will save money. It also gives you an excuse to throw another party.

Buying Christmas gifts on a student’s budget doesn’t have to be difficult. You may just have to be a little more creative than usual. And if you’re really in dire financial straits and cant afford any of these options, you can trust that your family will sympathize and understand. Just spending time with them, as cheesy as it sounds, is one of the best gifts that you can give.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com