College Safety

One of the most important issues that I noticed was being stressed my first year at college was safety. Expecially as a girl. We were given rape whistles along with our keys and later that day a campus security guard gave us a lecture about where was safe and what wasn't.

I know people who are very nervous about this issue. Many girls I know carry mace or won't walk campus after dark. There is always a concern about which areas are too dark at night. This is despite the fact that we are a small campus in a relatively safe area. Anyone who is not recognizable stands out pretty easily. It makes me wonder what goes on on other campus.

In addition to physical safety, there is also emotional safety to worry about. Many students face threats or harrasment, which can come from people you know and see frequently, or barely know. With the Internet, it seems that no one is safe.

Safety Tips:

1. Caller I.D. is important. If you get a suspicious call, you can report the number.
2. Let people know where you'll be. Tell your roommate when to expect you home, or call another friend.
3. Keep your cell phone with you.
4. Don't overreact. Some people try to take advantage using fear to sell something. Use the same logic you normally would in making a purchase.

The Ultimate Summer Adventure

Hi there! I’m B. and I write over at iCantbelieveable; but I’m thrilled and honored that Tricia is letting me hold her readers hostage as I occupy her space today! Thank you for reading! Here’s my tale of an amazing summer vacation:

It was 1995, the year that brought along some of the most amazing things. MTV was still showing music videos, some of the most incredible songs ever came out in 1995 and the year brought out some of the most memorable films. To summarize, 1995 was possibly the best year ever.

It’s no surprise, then, that I also had one of the best summer vacations that year. I was 11 years old and summer officially started in mid-June. My two sisters and I were already in full-swing summer mode within the first two weeks of being released from school. Per the rules of summer - we slept in late, got up in time to watch cartoons and game shows on television and then proceeded to play our SNES and Sega Genesis until a little after lunch which is also known to children as the perfect time to take a shower, get dressed and go outside. These are the rules, so we followed them.

Outside, we naturally gravitate towards where our bus stop usually is during the school year and meet up with all of our friends that live in the neighborhood. We brainstorm ideas on what we should all do. Having already watched TV, played video games and eaten food…the options were slim. Somehow a genius among us recommends we go walking around the neighborhood (in child language, we called it “going on an adventure”).

We decided an exploration seemed most suitable and my sisters and I rehashed a tale of a snake that was found in our backyard the summer before. My parents assumed the snake came from a ditch that ran on one side of our backyard and throughout the yards of all of the houses in our block. Naturally, we needed to explore the area, go through the break in the fence behind my house and follow the ditch to wherever more snakes were living. An adventure is not for the faint of heart, mind you – so the faint of heart all departed to their separate homes claiming “boredom” and just a handful of us brave souls set off for an exciting excursion into the deep, murky depths of the ditch alongside my house.

Outside of the potential snakes, this was a dangerous journey to start with, since the house directly behind mine belonged to an old couple and the man was particularly crotchety. He had a garden in his backyard and if we stepped foot on it, we would surely be eaten by his elusive wife (whom we never saw and imagined she was a dragon that feasted on little children).  We all hurried through the fence, ran fast past the old man’s garden (keeping an eye out for any smoke) and made it past his house and the next few houses quickly. We stayed along the side of the ditch for what seemed like hours until minutes later, we came across a creek. The storm water emptied into the creek a few blocks down. As we followed the creek, we could tell the water was getting a little deeper and more rocks were appearing along the creek, so we climbed up onto a grassy hill that ran along the right side of the water. At the top of the hill, a few feet above the creek water, we came up to what would change our summer forever.

 A fallen tree trunk served as a bridge between our hilltop and the opposite side of the creek, which was another grassy hill that backed up to someone’s large, wooden fence. Without discussion, we knew we had to cross the log bridge and get to the other side. The fate of our adventure depended on it! So, being the bravest of them all, I decided to go first. The log was huge and sturdy; but one glance down at the rushing creek water could cause even the surest foot a little uncertainty. I tried to take my time across, straddling the log between my legs and inching my way across as my sisters and friends cheered me on. When I was nearly to the other side, I stood up…tried to balance myself and took one step forward…all I needed was about three more steps and I’d be the first explorer to cross the creek and declare the other side my own. My Christopher Columbus moment was interrupted by the most menacing dog bark I’ve ever heard my whole life. Apparently, Cujo was living on the other side of the creek and we couldn’t see him (nor he us) due to the huge fence. But we definitely heard him! I was so startled I almost fell over into the creek; but luckily I regained my balance and jumped across to where Cujo was attempting to turn barking into an Olympic sport. I was relieved to find no break in THAT fence and assured the group that Cujo was all bark and no bite so they could venture over. Once everyone reached the other side, we continued to explore (trying to steer clear of Cujo’s fence). While the first part of the creek ran along a street, we discovered that the hilltop and log bridge were kind of tucked away beneath trees and not by too many houses. Basically, it was the perfect secret hideout for a bunch of kids during the summer and we were so happy we were the kids that discovered it! 

During our trip back home, the few of us decided to make a pact for the summer. The Creek was ours. All the other kids that failed to come with us on the adventure would surely want to know about the secluded oasis we found. But we didn’t want everyone to know about it. We pinky promised that we would keep this a secret and if we decided as a group that we’d like to add someone into our secret club, they would have to walk the creek.

For the remainder of the summer, we slowly began to add more kids into our fold. We enjoyed watching newcomers, as a form of initiation into our club, navigate the log bridge and nearly fall into the creek when Cujo “greeted” them (he never failed us). Only one boy fell into the water the whole summer; but we let him in the club anyway since it was so entertaining.

We spent the remainder of the summer dodging dragon ladies, hunting for snakes and walking the creek. We played freeze tag, listened to all the amazing music that came out that year on my walkman and talked about what we wanted to do when we grew older. The trips to the creek stopped when school began and the next summer wasn’t the same with everyone a little older and going off to different camps and family trips – but that summer back in 1995 was one of the most incredible and memorable summers of my life. It might not have been a long road trip, a camp experience or an exotic vacation – but it was one fun-filled summer!

Image Credit: Pic 1

Studying Abroad

Just about a year ago, I left for my first Study Abroad trip. It was also the first time I was traveling to a different continent. Most of the trip was spent in London, England, although for parts of the trip we went to Scotland, Wales, and I went to Dublin, Ireland while the rest of the group was in Paris, France.  I wanted to share some wisdom that I picked up along the way.

1. Unpack your daily luggage every day. I took my backpack with me everywhere, including our weekend excursions. On the first day I packed some sunscreen and forgot about it. When I went through security, I got stopped and had no idea why. Turns out the sunscreen was more than six ounces. The security guard had to unpack my entire backpack to find it and then throw it out. Luckily it was almost empty so I didn't loose anything, but it could have been a huge waste.

2. Pack lightly during the days. If you are with a group, you can plan ahead so not everyone has to bring everything. Since a lot of the places you'll go have security and bag checks, taking a purse instead of a backpack can save you a lot of time. Some places might not even let you bring in bags bigger than a certain size so you could end up having to rent a locker.

3. Don't take anything personally. All places have a different sense of decorum and what's acceptable. One day I lost my purse and when the security guard returned it, she lectured me about  keeping track of myself. A few times I had to remind myself that these were people with stressful jobs, who dealt with tourists every day and that I just needed to relax and not take anything that was said personally.

4. Take your student I.D. Many places, including restaurants, had discounts if you were a student, it didn't matter where. But it was only good if you had your I.D. Bring it, just in case.

4. Go with a group. Being in a foreign country can be tough, but it's even harder when you're by yourself. It also makes planning easier. My group's chaperon had organized this trip for many years, so he knew a lot of people. He could also get group prices on tickets. So even if it seems expensive, you're saving quite a bit of money. It also takes a load off your shoulders. When I was in Dublin by myself, I was stressed, and didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to. I also made a mistake in ordering my plane ticket.

Studying Abroad, even for the relatively short period I was there, was and experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I've always enjoyed European history, and this trip helped me connect to the stories that I've read, in a way that I couldn't before. It also teaches about cultural differences. You find yourself explaining things you never thought you would.

Websites you will Love in College (part 2)

Websites that are Useful for Wasting time:

Everyone knows that procrastination is as much a part of college as late nights and Top Ramen for breakfast. So here are some sites for when homework can wait:

• Facebook.com (Farmville, anyone?)




• IMDb.com (Internet Movie Database)




• Wikipedia.org’s random article button



• Stumble



• Postsecret (This one is updated every Sunday)


• College Humor

Earth Day Resolution

I'm a big fan of helping the environment, and I always say I'm going to do more, but then I wind up giving up. Well, I found out about a new concept: making an Earth Day Resolution. For awhile now I've been considering the idea of harvesting rain water, as well as composting. With composting, the most I do is through the waste in my backyard. No more. I'm going to make a solid commitment to both of these goals.

Websites you will love while preparing for colleges

1. Fastweb

2. Cappex

3. College Prowler

4. Your future school's website.

Banned Books Logic

Image by mySAPL via Flickr

I didn't become aware until today that this is Banned Book Week. Rather than review a banned book, I've decided to write a little bit about reading banned book.

There are some books that I've only read because they are on the Banned Book list. Out of those, there are many that I'm glad I did. On the other hand, there are a lot of books I've read that I suspect are only popular reads because they have been banned so frequently. Some of Judy Blume's books are good examples of this, such as Deenie. I didn't find it all that believable and I can't help but think that it was written in order to be controversial.

Another example is Sex Education by Jenny Davis. The premise is alright, and starts off reasonably. But some of the characters are over the top and their motives do not always make sense. The ending is not only disappointing but rather extreme as well.

The topic of Banned Books brings up a second moral issue. Is reading a book just because it's banned all that different than not reading a book because it's banned? Also, is there ever an acceptable reason for keeping a book away from readers?

Finally, I would like to know if your school does anything in honor of Banned Book Week.

The Websites You Will Love in College

The useful:

• About.com
• Wikipedia.org (just don’t cite this on a paper or refer to it in class. The teacher will lose all respect for you.)
• Ehow.com
• Facebook.com (I know it seems weird to have this on a list of research sites, but it will be extrememly useful for contacting your classmates or figuring out what to get a friend for their birthday.
• Google News (news.google.com)
• Amazon.com

On Twitter

I just got a Twitter account for this blog. My user name is CollegiateDown, so please see if you can find me. Also let me know if you have a twitter for your blog and would like to be followed. I will gladly comply.

Personal Ethics and the Job Hunt

In applying for jobs, I cannot help but notice a lot of the jobs that are hiring are companies that I don't feel right working for. I know that in this job market I can't always be picky, but its more than just a matter of not wanting to do the work.

As an environmentalist, I do not support a lot of energy companies' practices. I would feel like benefiting from working for, say, a coal company, would make me hypocritical. Or I've seen job ads for various alcohol or tobacco companies, but seeing as I'm pretty against their product, especially tobacco, I haven't even considered applying for any of those jobs.

I guess it all comes down to where I want to draw a line. Sure I may not like brand name drug companies and the way they sell drugs, but am I willing to work for a generics company? For a long time I've tried to support small businesses, but so far that hasn't extended to only applying at local companies that support the local economy.

Fun uses for credit cards

This is just a random story I found awhile back. As soon as you turn 18 it seems like you get bombarded with credit card options and this is just a fun way to make use of them. Just make  sure that before you throw out any credit cards, make sure they are destroyed completely.

http://allweirdnews.com/crazy-uses-for-credit-cards/

When to Start a Job Hunt

Image via Wikipedia

Job hunting sites are filled with disheartening tales of well-educated folks who had to look for a job for over a year. This makes it seem like seniors should look for jobs alongside of finishing their final year. While this may be necessary in some cases, there are a few flaws in logic with the plan.

For one, not everyone has time for the job hunt before graduation. It is said that job hunting should be a full-time job, and with a part-time job, classes, sleep and eating, it isn't possible to cram anything else into the schedule. While senior year has the reputation of being the easiest year because that's what students try to make it, that isn't always the truth. Capstone can kill us, and its when we're forced to take those classes we've put off for four years. In fact, job hunting distracted me from my school work more than anything.

Job hunting before you can accept an offer is not really practical. If there are immediate openings, they will be filled by the person who can accept the job now, not a year from now. Meanwhile, the company isn't going to hold on to your application for much longer than six months. You will just end up reapplying.

At the beginning of senior year your resume isn't as good as it could be a year from now. I took most organization leadership positions during my senior year, and added another year of work experience.

Finally, in my opinion, if you have to look for a job for a whole year, you're doing something wrong and you need to change your methods. It's the same reason why I don't think job hunting should be a full-time job. If you are spending that much time, I think that's a sign that you need to take a break and change something. Build experience through a part-time job or volunteering. Join some networking organizations. Maybe take a few classes. Or just target the companies you apply to better.

Related articles

• tips for job hunting on-line (manchesterlibrary.wordpress.com)
• 14 million working hours spent job-hunting every week in UK and Ireland (jobcontax.wordpress.com)
• Job Hunting Isn't Cheap (diggingoutandup.wordpress.com)

Community Colleges

Did any of my readers out there decide to go to a community college? What were your reasons for doing so? How has your experience compared to your friends who attended four-year institutions? Do you feel that it prepared you well enough, especially if you transferred? What are the benefits that you have noticed? Down-sides? Do you notice any stigma associated with community colleges?

According to this article, not only is community college enrollment on the rise, so is the tuition.

Finally, do you feel you made the right choice?

Related articles

• Community College: A Viable Option (education.com)
• Community College: Transfer Agreement and Timeline for Transfer (education.com)
• What's Next After Community College?: Four-Year Colleges Will Want You! (education.com)
• As Deep Cuts Threaten Programs, Community Colleges Look to Future Budget Battles (slog.thestranger.com)

Dorm Room

Throughout my four years at college, I have lived in the dorms on campus. While there are some downsides, it has been a positive experience.

A dorm room can be a very important part of your life on campus. It serves as a haven from everything else that happens on campus. It can also be a relflection of your personality since you get to decorate it almost any way you want it. I've only just starting taking advantage of this, with two posters on my wall.

In decorating your room, posters and masking tape are your best friend. See this article for the most cliche posters ever: http://collegecandy.com/2010/06/23/the-10-most-cliche-college-posters-of-all-time/. Of course, they've left a few out. The best way to make sure you aren't getting a cliche is to skip the beginning of the year poster sale and look elsewhere.

If you have a billboard, make the most of it. Get a calendar, and tack your favorite knick knacks to it. On your door, a white board is going to be a must for notes from friends. Also, although themes are fun, avoid going all out. For example, don't deck out the room in your school or organization's colors. Also consider your roommate when decorating. Do not take up all of the space, and respect their wishes when choosing decor.

Related articles

• Personalizing Your Dorm Room (bestcollegesonline.net)

Guns on Campus?

Bringing guns on campus has been in the news lately. States such as Arizona and Texas have been considering revising their gun laws to allow looser regulations controlling guns on campus. Something like the Virginia Tech Shooting makes people worried, and no one wants to be caught unprotected.

If my campus ever allowed guns on campus for anyone other than police officers I would transfer immediately. In all honesty, guns scare the heck out of me. Most people I know were raised in households with at least one gun, and plenty of my friends like to go hunting. I, however, come from a pretty anti-gun, anti-violence family. This probably has done a lot to shape my feelings about guns.

Police officers have been professionally trained to use guns in dangerous situations. Stopping a violent murder is nothing like going hunting, but people have this idea that just because they know how to use a gun, they will be able to calmly draw a gun and shoot a person. In reality, they might end up hurting an innocent bystander and end up in court.

I've seen situations that seem harmless escalate quickly, and if one party has a weapon, things can get ugly fast. In my hometown, two people had a snow fight that ended with one person stabbing the other. We've all witnessed fights, and those could have ended badly if one person lost control. I will never believe that guns are an acceptable solution.

As always, I want to know what everyone else's opinion is on this topic.

Related articles

• Students Speak: We Don't Want Guns On Campus In Texas (news.change.org)
• Response to shooting: Looser gun laws? (salon.com)
• States Consider Allowing Guns on Campus (foxbusiness.com)
• New UI student group backs carrying guns on campus (thegazette.com)

Nickelodeon as We Knew is Coming Back

Rumor has it that in order to boost ratings, Nickelodean is bringing back some of its hit shows from the 90s. Not only will they be airing classic episodes, the producers have agreed to make new episodes as well. The fight to bring back the favorite episodes of our generation has been a pretty strong movement. The group on Facebook is right up there with requesting Betty White on SNL.

The only problem I see with this plan is accessibility. The shows will be part of a two-hour late night block on Teen Nick. I understand Nickelodean's target audience is college students who will likely be up that late, but it surprises me that the station does not want to try to get younger audiences interested as well. After all, these are kid shows. In addition to that, Teen Nick is a premium cable station and many college students will not have access to it. I think it would make more sense to air it on Nick's main channel, maybe as part of Nick @ Nite, and in the afternoon.

For the record, I don't really know much about the shows that they are planning to air. My family did not have cable until 2004.

Related articles

• Nostalgia Marches On: '90s Kid Classics Return to TeenNick (tunedin.blogs.time.com)

Lately there seems to be a lot of bad press surrounding sororities and fraternities. It also seems as though no one talks about Greeks unless its to criticize them. To counteract this, I've found articles talking about the good that specific organizations have done for their schools and communities.

• ISU's Day of Service
• From the High Chair, to High School, to Higher ED
• Sorority chapter comes up with $1,000 for Orland K-9
• Fraternity Raises Money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure
• Sorority gives luggage for kids

One of the most important tenets of many Greek organizations is service to community. Unfortunately, part of our society is that we like to look for the negative. Please take a time to learn more about the positive side of Greeks if you are starting to get discouraged.

Laptops

In the last decade or so, many revolutionizing inventions have affected college students more than anyone else who uses them. Nearly all of these innovations are technological, and include Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, cellphones, and most importantly of all, laptops being more common than desktop computers.

I don't think I can stress enough how much I love my laptop. It provides me with entertainment, research, and a way to kill time, and best of all, I can take it with me anywhere. Despite all of this, it can sometimes be more of a bane than anyone else.

Students everywhere take their computers to class, planning on using it to take notes. And admittedly, it has an additional benefit, such as your teacher suggesting a site and going on it immediately. However, those things are never the only things students use their laptops for while in class. Most are probably going on Facebook or Stumbling while pretending to listen. This is why some teachers do not allow students to bring a laptop, unless they have a disability that requires it.

And honestly, we know that the classroom isn't the only place where a computer provides a distraction. Any student whose had to write a paper has experienced typing along, and then opening the browser to check a fact. While you've got the window open, you might as well check your e-mail. And your Facebook. Then, in the news feed you notice that your favorite blog has been opened. The cycle may not end for two hours, at which point you are tired and want to go to bed, but have a paper due in eight hours that is only half finished.

On top of the damage it does to our academic habits, Computers run the risk of causing us to use our free time less productively. Many times, I have told myself that I will put on some Pandora radio while I get ahead in my studying, but then I become focused on choosing the music, and then keep going on Facebook, that I don't get far enough to constitute actual studying. Also, when I have the Internet handy, I do not usually do as much reading just for the heck of it as I do when I am not distracted by the Internet.

A solution I've heard for at least one of these problems, is to unplug your computer while working on homework. That way, as the computer slowly loses battery power, it will give you a time frame in which to get your work done, and keep you from procrastinating. I tried it, and it worked, at least to a degree. I was not able to force myself to complete the work until the warning telling me to plug in popped up.

Getting the News

Sometimes, it seems as though college is a little world of its own, almost like a commune, where we are isolated from the rest of the world. Knowing the daily events is based on luck, not any effort on our own part.

So how do you keep from embarrassing yourself in conversations about current topics? What are your favorite news sources? Or, do you sincerly enjoy reading the news and forming opinions on it?

Top 10 Tips to Succeeding in an Online Course

If you want to be successful in an online course then make sure that you note these tips.

Are you taking your first ever class online? Or have you taken classes before but only done moderately well in them? It isn’t always easy to succeed in online classes. However, with some top tips in mind, it’s possible to be successful in any online course.

Here are ten top tips to follow if you want to be at the top of your online class:

1. 1.    Attend class at a set time each week. Although the online class format often allows you to study any time you want to, it’s best to stick to a schedule. Set time aside on your calendar each day or week for studying and doing homework. This will help you avoid the problem of falling too far behind in your online class.
2. 2.     Keep a calendar showing all of your deadlines. One of the problems that online students often have is that they miss deadlines and even tests. They simply forget to log on to their classes and check when things are due. What a dumb reason to fail an online class! Make sure that you keep a calendar of deadlines on your computer and check it regularly.
3. 3.     Find a place where you can work consistently. Although it’s nice that you can do your online class work from anywhere, you’ll find that there are places where you don’t work well. Some people get distracted if they try to work at home where their family is. Others work fine at home but get distracted in coffee shops. Find the place that works best for you and stick with it.
4. 4.     Ask questions. Many online students feel like it’s their responsibility to figure out the material on their own. This is a mistake. Make sure that you regularly ask questions of your teachers and peers so that you fully understand the material that you are studying.
5. 5.     Lessen your course load if necessary. After a few weeks, you’ll easily be able to tell if you’re taking too many online classes or if you’re going to make it through the semester. If you need to drop classes, do it early in the semester when it doesn’t cost you a lot of money or result in incomplete grades.
6. 6.     Form a study group. You may find that you do better when you do have some sort of opportunity to meet in person with other people. You can connect with other students in your local area to study together in person. If you’re in a remote area away from other students, try to form an online video conferencing study group.
7. 7.     Set aside study time before finals. Make sure that you clear your calendar of your other obligations during this important time of the semester. Take a few days off of work and don’t plan any trips or other appointments during this time.
8. 8.     Be prepared for your computer to fail. To succeed in an online course, you need to have steady, quality access to the Internet. Don’t assume that this will be the case all semester. Plan for problems. Keep backup disks of all of your course materials. Make sure that you have a plan for where you can study and complete tasks at the last minute in case your own computer fails. Public libraries and friends’ computers are top options to have as a backup.
9. 9.     Don’t give up. If you feel like you’re not doing well in the class, it’s easy to give up. You can just stop signing on to your class online. However, you’re only hurting yourself when you do that. Instead, call your counselor and talk over the situation to find a better solution.
10. 10.  Take your education seriously. All of these other tips add up to one common sense tip that many students don’t follow when they attend school online. That tip is to take your education seriously. This is a real education. It costs real money. It takes real time. And it results in a real degree. By keeping that in mind, you’ll do what you need to do to succeed in your online classes.

What do you think is the toughest part about succeeding in an online course?

Chase Jenkins is a freelance writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. MyCollegesandCareers.com helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them understand which online college education and online school they can choose from to reach their goals.