Gift Guide

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With Christmas right around the corner, and Hanaukah already begun, presents are on everyone's mind. Here are a few ideas of what to get for some of the people in your life.

Parents:
They might appreciate some of your school paraphenelia, such as a bumber sticker, license plate frame, or a sweatshirt. Buy at your bookstore if you can get a student deal (there might be extra discounts near the end of the semester) or, if your school is better known, shop around for the best deal.

Friends:
If they are also in school, then gift cards are an excellent choice. Get one for the restaurant students like to hang out at, or for iTunes or Amazon.com. Some places, including Kroger and Giant Eagle will offer money off of your next gas purchase if you spend enough on gift cards, so check out those places first.

Groups:
Are you president of a club and need to get gifts for all of the members? This is what I did one year: I went to a dollar store and bought the needed number of decorative jars, and then bought a bunch of bags of candy to fill it up. I think I spent about ten dollars on six gifts.

Sister:
Whether older or younger, you can't really go wrong with makeup or jewlery. Make it age appropriate and something you know she will like. You can get a wide range of products at a nearby drugstore.

Brother:
Chances are, your brother loves movies. Find him a DVD of some lesser known movie that is in his favorite genre. These will be well-priced and often available in the discount store of anywhere from Blockbuster to your local grocery store.

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Parents' Role in Students' Lives

College is when most students are away from their parents for the longest time ever. And because parents and their children are often very close, or at least in some way reliant on each other, parents are entering a new stage of life along with their children. Because of this, colleges are adapting to serve parents and deal with their concerns as well. This may be done by including parents in presentations about financial aid or alcohol.

Some parents have trouble letting go. Were your parents this way? The best thing to do is to not let them linger. Once you are done packing, thank them and say good bye. If necessary, tell them you have a required orientation even to go to, one where parents are not allowed.

During the year, when your parents start asking too many questions, suggest that they sign up for the school newsletter or join the Parents' Club. Limit phone calls to no more than twice a week, unless calling for a specific reason (Like sorting out loan information, not they have local gossip.)

College is a time for independence, and no matter how difficult it is for your parents to let go, it needs to happen.

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Homesickness

At the start of college, many freshmen start to miss home, their families, friends, and the places they associate with their home, such as a favorite hangout spot. CNN.com published an article on their website about homesickness.

There are various ways to deal with homesickness. Here are a few:

1. Bring a few items from your old bedroom to make it feel like home faster. A few pictures of your friends and family are a good idea.
2. Adapt your old routines to fit with your new surroundings, such as going to church each week, or going to get a donut form a local bakery each Saturday morning.
3. Make friends and acquaintances to spend time with. Home is where you are surrounded by those you care about. Sounds cliche, but its true.
4. Find activities that you enjoy so you are not always thinking about home.
5. Call your family and friends from back home, but not too much. It may backfire and make you miss them even more.
6. Do not ignore your feelings. If you need to talk, talk. Do not deny yourself the right to feel your emotions. Overcrowding your schedule will not get rid of homesickness, but it could make it worse.
7. Recognize what is good about your new location, and get to know the area.
8. This is a good chance to go outside your comfort zone and try things you never thought about doing or never had the opportunity to do in high school. You may discover your passion, and no one can say stuff like, "I can't believe you're doing that!"
9. Be careful about comparing your new location to your old one. The new may come up short just because you are not used to it, even if you haven't given it a chance. Also avoid saying negative stuff to people you've just met. Some of them may be from the area or very attached to it and won't appreciate hearing things like, "I wish this place had a Trader Joe's, my old town did. My old town is so amazing!" It will come off as, "I hate this place, and everyone who likes it is an idiot."

College is a new experience and one of the benefits is that you are in a new place meeting new people. It can take some getting used to, so just give your school a chance.

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Poverty and College

Many colleges claim to be blind to the economic background of applicants. This is true with scholarships as well. In other words, it doesn't matter if an applicant is rich or poor, they have the same chances as anyone else. In theory. The truth is, having money gives students all kinds of advantages. They did not have to work in school, so they could focus on their grades and extracurriculars. These are the things colleges look at. Also, if a student has to pay for college, he or she may have to put it off. This affects what scholarships they can apply for.

Even something as simple as having parents who went to college can make a big difference. Because your parents have a degree, they expect you to as well, and want to help you succeed at going to college. Parents who did not attend college still want their son or daughter to succeed, but they may not know how or do not think that college is a necessity.

Do you see a fair solution to this? Has your family's economic situation made a diffence in where you were accepted? Please reply in the comments.

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