Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Running for Office
I found this excellent article on the Website Campus Progress about young people running for office. The youngest candidate I've ever heard of was an 18-year-old (still in high school) who ran for mayor and won. Take a look: http://campusprogress.org/articles/when_young_people_run_for_office/.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Making Money
Everyone knows the traditional ways of making money in college, such as loans, a job, or scholarships. Today, I'd like to know my readers' most creative or unusual ways (as long as they're legal) of making money. Post them in the comments and I'll post some of them in a post soon.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Online Colleges
Online colleges have a lot of benefits, particularly for non-traditional students and students who want to get their degree in a shorter amount of time. In fact, I have heard the argument made that online colleges will soon take over campuses and we will all attend class through the internet within twenty years.
Image via WikipediaFrankly, I believe that there are enough benefits to campuses that they will remain popular despite the growth of online colleges. First, despite the Internet's "old age" there are still a lot of flaws that remain to be fixed. It has a bad habit of shutting down at inopportune times. This could prevent students from attending class, or turning in their papers on time. And college libraries allow student access to a lot of resources not available online.
Also, some students learn best by attending class. It allows a structure that encourages them to be more productive and they learn best when they can see the professor lecture.
Finally, for many higher classes after undergrad classes, campus classes are a must. Take psychology or counseling: these require practical experience and would likely work best if they could talk to their professor one on one about it. And imagine if doctors went to medical school online. Its not possible. And if they took all of their undergrad classes online they might take longer to adjust.
What do you think? Do you take online classes? Do you have a preference? What are the pros and cons you have noticed?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Things I Wish I Knew When Choosing College
In the spirit of college application deadlines, I thought I'd share some wisdom I learned about researching colleges through four years of college.
1. If you plan on studying abroad, where you go matters. Some schools require it, and others strongly support it. Some may encourage it but do little to help you acheive it. If you go to the last kind, you will find it very difficult to raise the necesary funds or even graduating on time.
2. There is such a thing as "free college." An article on Fastweb has a list of schools where you can get the tuition waived. Of course, you still have to pay other fees, but it gets rid of one big cost. While all of the options are fairly competitive, I wished I had tried for one of these.
3. Travel can be a huge expense. Although I live and go to school within the same state, traveling can be difficult and expensive. Going to a closer school could have saved my family a lot of time and money.
4. Look for scholarships early. I did the majority of my scholarship search while I was in school, and as a result did not get as much of a chance to apply for scholarships with large prizes.
5. Start visiting schools early. I know that two years seems like a long time, but most of senior year will be spent applying. I did not want to go to any school that I hadn't visited, so I did not apply to several schools merely because I didn't have the time to visit.
6. You will have to take the SAT/ACT more than once. I only took the ACT once, and was not completely satisfied with my score, but I had not chance to take it again.
I hope this helps everyone who is planning to go to college. Do any of my readers have any tips to add?
1. If you plan on studying abroad, where you go matters. Some schools require it, and others strongly support it. Some may encourage it but do little to help you acheive it. If you go to the last kind, you will find it very difficult to raise the necesary funds or even graduating on time.
2. There is such a thing as "free college." An article on Fastweb has a list of schools where you can get the tuition waived. Of course, you still have to pay other fees, but it gets rid of one big cost. While all of the options are fairly competitive, I wished I had tried for one of these.
3. Travel can be a huge expense. Although I live and go to school within the same state, traveling can be difficult and expensive. Going to a closer school could have saved my family a lot of time and money.
4. Look for scholarships early. I did the majority of my scholarship search while I was in school, and as a result did not get as much of a chance to apply for scholarships with large prizes.
5. Start visiting schools early. I know that two years seems like a long time, but most of senior year will be spent applying. I did not want to go to any school that I hadn't visited, so I did not apply to several schools merely because I didn't have the time to visit.
6. You will have to take the SAT/ACT more than once. I only took the ACT once, and was not completely satisfied with my score, but I had not chance to take it again.
I hope this helps everyone who is planning to go to college. Do any of my readers have any tips to add?
Monday, February 7, 2011
Religious Colleges and Univeristies
Students choose to attend religious colleges or universities for a variety of reasons. Some want to pursue a career relating to religion such as clergy. Others prefer a more conservative environment. Some want a private school and the one they choose such so happens to have a religious affiliation.
Here in the United States, most religious colleges and universities are Christian. Jewish colleges include The American Jewish University, United Talmudical Seminary, and Yeshiva University. I found this article about a Muslim University opening back in 2010.
Here in the United States, most religious colleges and universities are Christian. Jewish colleges include The American Jewish University, United Talmudical Seminary, and Yeshiva University. I found this article about a Muslim University opening back in 2010.
So readers, I am asking for your help on this one since I go to a public school. Why did you choose to go to a religious school? Do you have the same religious background as the school? Did you look specifically for a religious school? What religion or domination is the school? How would you say it differs from a public school or non-affiliated private school? Who would you recomend your school for? And, finally, do you feel you made the right choice? Feel free to also answer these questions if you are planning on attending a religious university.
For those students who do not attend a religious university, would you ever consider it?
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Best and the Worst Parts about Graduating
A few weeks ago I wrote about my feelings about graduating (here). In some ways, I think the feeling has gotten worse. I (only half-joking) tell my friends that I'm not leaving, and instead plan to hide out in someone's dorm room. Since this isn't the most practical solution, I've decided to find as much positive about graduating as I can. Also, in an attempt to actually deal with my feelings, I will share why I don't want to graduate.
The Good:
Having my own apartment: I will be able to decorate it with much more freedom than I have now, and my stuff will always be there. No more having to run out and buy something I already have or wait for my mom to ship it.
More freedom in food: I love not having to worry about budgeting for groceries, but at the same time, I don't have a lot of options on campus. Grocery shopping will mean that I can eat basically whatever I want and get to experiment more with cooking.
Privacy: I've had really good luck when it comes to roommates, and for that I am grateful. However, it can't be denied that having a roommate, even if they are a dream, has its drawbacks, and a lack of privacy and a certain freedom is one. With my own room, I can have friends and my boyfriend over or watch T.V. without worrying if my roommate is bothered by it.
Having a job: I signed up to get updates from one company I am working for and the other day I heard about a position. One that I knew I would feel confidant holding and I qualified for. It gave me new hope, despite the state of the economy. I honestly can't wait until I have a full-time job and start making money.
The Bad:
Close proximity to my friends. This year, I lived on the same floor as most of m sorority sisters. If I ever felt like hanging out, all I had to do was go to the lounge, right next door to me. In the past most of my friends have lived in the same building, or even the same suite as me. I never lacked for company. This also meant it was pretty easy to get free rides. Now, they'll all be living in different parts of the state, maybe even country, and I won't be able to see them that often.
Responsibility: being in college meant I always had a safety net. I knew I wouldn't get kicked out of the dorm if I couldn't pay rent, or starve if I had no way to get to the grocery store. I also didn't have to worry about health insurance because I was covered under my mom's policy.
For anyone who will be graduating soon, what are you looking forward to about graduating? What are you dreading?
The Good:
Having my own apartment: I will be able to decorate it with much more freedom than I have now, and my stuff will always be there. No more having to run out and buy something I already have or wait for my mom to ship it.
More freedom in food: I love not having to worry about budgeting for groceries, but at the same time, I don't have a lot of options on campus. Grocery shopping will mean that I can eat basically whatever I want and get to experiment more with cooking.
Privacy: I've had really good luck when it comes to roommates, and for that I am grateful. However, it can't be denied that having a roommate, even if they are a dream, has its drawbacks, and a lack of privacy and a certain freedom is one. With my own room, I can have friends and my boyfriend over or watch T.V. without worrying if my roommate is bothered by it.
Having a job: I signed up to get updates from one company I am working for and the other day I heard about a position. One that I knew I would feel confidant holding and I qualified for. It gave me new hope, despite the state of the economy. I honestly can't wait until I have a full-time job and start making money.
The Bad:
Close proximity to my friends. This year, I lived on the same floor as most of m sorority sisters. If I ever felt like hanging out, all I had to do was go to the lounge, right next door to me. In the past most of my friends have lived in the same building, or even the same suite as me. I never lacked for company. This also meant it was pretty easy to get free rides. Now, they'll all be living in different parts of the state, maybe even country, and I won't be able to see them that often.
Responsibility: being in college meant I always had a safety net. I knew I wouldn't get kicked out of the dorm if I couldn't pay rent, or starve if I had no way to get to the grocery store. I also didn't have to worry about health insurance because I was covered under my mom's policy.
For anyone who will be graduating soon, what are you looking forward to about graduating? What are you dreading?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
How to Be Well-Liked in Your Classes
Image via Wikipedia1. Before you ask a question, decide whether it benefits anyone in the class other than you. If it is something that the teacher has gone over more than twice, or about a situation that applies only to you, wait until class is over to talk to the professor one-on-one or go see him or her during office hours. On that note, keep the "What if" scenarios to a minimum and keep them reasonable.
2. College is a great place for debate, and everyone has their own opinion. However, the middle of class is not the time or place to get aggressive. If you and another student or the professor disagree, handle it like the adults you are and discuss things calmly. If necessary, agree to disagree.
3. Before you go on any kind of tangent or attempt to steer the professor down another track, decide whether or not what you have to say is relevant, at least in part, to the class. For example, your feelings about the nation's exercise habits may be a very good thing to share during health class, but not in the middle of marketing class.
4. Respect your fellow students and the professor. There will be annoying classmates no matter what your major is but resist the urge to roll your eyes every time they open their mouths, or talk about them behind their backs. This goes for your professor as well. Don't interrupt anyone while they are talking, have patience, give everyone a chance, they might surprise you.
Readers, is there any advice that you would add to the list?
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