College and University Blog
Resources, help, and insight for your college experience
Homeschooling: Meeting College Academic Demands
Society may tell us that home-educated individuals are awkwardly disadvantaged both socially and academically when it comes to making the choice of post-secondary education. Some college institutions carry more rigid requirements that a homeschooled student must meet before acceptance into that school.
In contrast, there are schools that uphold the usefulness of home education and welcome these nontraditional students with open arms. In either case, meeting the academic demands of college as a homeschooler is not necessarily a walk in the park.
Corporate Promoting on Campus: The Student Marketeer
With over 17 million students enrolled in universities to date and more than $200 billion in college-age consumer spending, it is not surprising to know that many large corporations are finding their target niche among college students who have yet to claim homage in a particular brand. (Schweitzer, Boston Globe)
More students are gaining access to added resources, student loans and better paying jobs. More money coupled with notoriously poor money managing habits have companies setting up shop.
TIPS: Create An Early Morning Routine
I would venture to guess that the majority of college age students are not the very least enthusiastic about early mornings. In fact, who really is? As difficult as it may seem, creating an early morning routine is an excellent habit. It is a lifestyle change, and will, without a doubt, increase your productivity and energy level throughout the day, not mention, give you more time, which is a rare commodity at college. Here’s what you need to do:
How to Avoid Scholarship Scams
Lurking around every turn, there seems to be a crook waiting to jump on an opportunity to snuff a quarry out of a few hard-earned bucks. It shouldn’t surprise you then, since the nineties, their evil eyes have shifted upon schemes to line their pockets with large amounts of cash by luring eager students into fake scholarships.
International Student's Guide to American Colleges: Part Two
The challenges an international student will face when making the decision to attend an American college can be overwhelming for many reasons. Simply choosing the right college can, in itself, be difficult, not to mention, the grueling application process. However, once all of those things are in place and the student’s bags are packed with ticket in hand, there are still many potential obstacles down the road for them.
Not only are they leaving their family and friends thousands of miles away with very limited opportunity to be able to visit, but they are leaving their culture, their language, their comforts. Although, this can sound exciting, the reality of the transition is elephantine to these students.
International Student's Guide to American Colleges: Part One
Out of all the universities and institutions around the world, U.S. colleges maintain their place as an object of highest pursuit by international students. According to an annual report called Open Doors, published by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the number of international students attending college on U.S. soil has increased 7% in the 2007/2008 school year bringing the record breaking number of student to 623,805.
7 Guidelines for Making Friendships at College
Making new friendships can be excruciatingly awkward in the beginning. Regardless of whether or how socially adequate and outgoing a person is OR how introverted and uneasy they are, all have been stung with the uncomfortable experience of knowing no one.
How do you go from point A “knowing no one” to point B “having friends?” It’s not always simple and easy, but here are 7 basic guidelines that may help set a groundwork mentality and motivation for finding suitable friendships on campus.
Identity Theft on College Campuses and How to Prevent It
Identity theft on college campuses is on the rise. With the increasing use of technology, students are at greater risk.
To date, the student demographic represents a large percentage of identity theft victims, and most often, students are very unaware that their identity is a prime target.
Adult Education and Its Advantages
When was it decided that higher education be handed down traditionally to people graduating from high school? Primary and secondary education is most obviously reserved for the youngster, but why is higher education most commonly reserved for the young adult? Was it decided that adults beyond the age of 25 no longer had a malleable cognitive ability to retain the amount of instruction offered at a university level? NO WAY! Was it that when a person reaches the age of responsibility, they are indentured into the swift current of the workforce in whatever entry-level position they are given in order to provide for themselves or for their family, and if they miss the window of opportunity for college, they are forever out of luck? Some might think it so.
Since “tradition” has taken its seat among the higher of education, setting a definitive model of a college student, any college enrollee over the typical age of 24 is now officially labeled “non-traditional,” and the myt…
Ikea for College: The Answer to the Dreary Dorm Room
It is not easy to make the transition from a cozy, spacious bedroom to a confined and tiny dorm room. Space, privacy, and the comforts of home become a precious commodity, not easily attained. It is also not a simple task to gauge how to pack appropriately—what to bring, what will be excessive, what is necessary, what is it that you just cannot live without, and how will you STORE it all when you get there!?
After a recent trip to Ikea, I determined that there is not one store that has college dorm ideas and products nailed down like this company. A triumvirate of low cost, convenience, and style is what sets it apart, not to mention the 99¢ Swedish pancake breakfasts.
How To Thrift: Shopping on a College Student Budget
Forget malls and the crisp smell of newness. Never mind high prices and the possibility that someone else may be wearing the same shirt. Accumulating a fashionable wardrobe doesn’t have to be on big dollars at the finest stores. Unless you are rolling in cash, which most college students aren’t, spending a ton of money on clothing is probably not the wisest choice. So what are your alternatives if you want to maintain an eye-catching, trend-setting reputation? I have one answer: Thrift!
H1N1 Virus on College Campuses: It's "Bigger and Badder" Than Ever Before
The saying “out with old and in with the new” doesn’t necessarily ring true for college students when it comes to the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. Last Spring, colleges across the country were inundated with health concerns about this highly contagious virus, concerns that caused rather inflated prevention efforts and mild public panic in proportion to the actual severity of the infection. However, this fall, health officials are gearing up for an even bigger, more serious swine flu flare-up, though it is still too early to predict.
So far, hundreds of cases have been reported across colleges and universities, and recently, several news sources linked two campus deaths to the virus, a freshman at Troy University and a student at the University of Nebraska. Yet, anywhere from 50 to over 200 cases per campus reporting H1N1 only represent a very small percentage of the thousands and tens of thousands of students that make up any campus body enrolled this year.
Food for Thought: Nutritional Health on Campus
Many people have commonly suspected that it is almost impossible to have good nutritional health at college. All you can eat fast food dining facilities, late night food binges, caffeine cravings, its no wonder why some skeptics claim the theories of the Freshman 15 and the Sophomore 20.
However, gaining weight is not the only thing that can come as a result of poor eating choices. Studies have shown that diet and nutritional health can greatly impact your energy levels, focus and concentration and overall cognitive abilities. According to the National Food Service Management Institute at the University of Mississippi, there are 3 major factors linked to cognitive development: nutrition, genes, and environment.
Intramural Sports: A Gateway to Building Your College Social Life
Entering into college as a freshman is both an exciting and distressing time in a student’s life. There are so many different new dynamics that can lead to uncertainty, i.e., life transitioning, academics, finances, etc. However, the dynamic of striving for a healthy social life can be number one on the anxiety-evoking list of stressors, and it doesn’t just involve getting to know your roommate.
For some students who are naturally social, this mountain can appear more like a foothill, but for those who dread the thought, initiating friendships or finding a social circle can seem like Mt. Everest. What they need to realize is that universities offer programs specifically for this purpose, to get students networked.
There are several ways in which a student can get plugged in through a campus-sponsered program, but in getting the perspective from the college grad, I found that intramural sports is a very recommended way to start the social ball rolling, and there a…
College Long-Distance Relationships: Are You Ready to Make the Commitment?
As menial as the subject might sound to the relationally unattached, leaving behind a significant other in order to move on to college life is a real and sensitive issue. It boils down to choosing commitment and dedication. The question to ask yourself is: Are you able to emotionally and physically be faithful to a boyfriend or girlfriend for an undefined amount of time while away from each other?