Archive for February, 2011
The Oscars last night were a bit dull–except for the finale of Staten Island’s own P.S. 22 Chorus, of course. Therefore, we decided to take matters into our own hands with our Hall of Shame. Here are the results:
Best Female Trainwreck – Lindsay Lohan
Best Male Trainwreck – Charlie Sheen
Special Award for
Best Collective Trainwreck -
The Cast of “Jersey Shore”
But really, was there ever any doubt to the “winners”?
It’s a back-to-real-life Monday for the rest of us, which means it’s also time for another #CollegeBound installment. Join us today at 4 pm ET for an Oscar-themed chat–what celebs’ hits and misses at the Academy Awards can teach you as a college-bound student. See you there–no formal attire required.
–The CollegeBound Network
February 28th, 2011
(Cue narrator’s voice)
In a world…where people are limited to just 140 characters…only three will emerge victoriously:
@CollegeBoundNet
@CollegeSurfing
@SpaBeauty
OK, so maybe that’s a bit dramatic. But we are VERY excited for our live-tweeting extravaganza during the Oscars on Sunday night. As you already know, we’ve got our own Hall of Shame nominees and will be announcing the “winners” at some point during the show on ABC.
But wait, there’s more!
We know how much people love to tweet during awards shows, so we’re hoping you interact with us at one point during the Oscars telecast. Tweet any or all of us during the ceremony–@CollegeBoundNet, @CollegeSurfing, or @SpaBeauty–and we’ll enter you into our contest to win an Amazon gift card.
If there’s anything we love more than dishing out college advice, it’s dishing it up with a side of snark. So we hope you’ll join us for the evening on Twitter on Sunday night starting at 8pm ET. Come a bit early and you’ll catch what @SpaBeauty has to say about the looks on the red carpet. Cheers, dahling!
–The CollegeBound Network
February 25th, 2011
One of the cool things you’ll see as a college student is the chance to hear from famous alumni who return to campus to share their wisdom, whether at special lectures for events like Black History Month, or big ceremonies like graduation.
Of course, many actors, athletes, and singers have chosen their careers over college. The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, for example, didn’t go to college, but the Super Bowl halftime show performer has created a scholarship fund that gave four students full college scholarships in the hopes that the recipients will be the country’s future leaders and innovators.
In honor of Black History Month, here’s a look at some of the top Black celebrities who did choose college at some point in their lives. This is what talent and perseverance combined with a college degree looks like…
President Barack Obama: The first black U.S. president graduated from Columbia College, then followed up by earning his law degree from Harvard Law School.
Michelle Obama: The First Lady graduated from Princeton University and also has a Harvard Law degree. Michelle recounts meeting Barack Obama when he was a summer intern at a Chicago law firm where she worked in 1989, according to her White House bio. “I went to Harvard and he went to Harvard, and the firm thought, ‘Oh, we’ll hook these two people up,’” Michelle said.
Oprah Winfrey: This TV personality and namesake to the OWN network graduated from the historically black college, Nashville’s Tennessee State University.
Spike Lee: The filmmaker is among the politicians, civil rights leaders, writers, and actors who graduated from the all-male Morehouse College, one of four historically black colleges in Atlanta.
Denzel Washington: The Oscar-winning actor called “action” on his career by receiving his degree from Fordham University in New York.
Taye Diggs: The “Private Practice” actor and Broadway star graduated from the visual and performing arts college at Syracuse University.
Toni Morrison: This literary dynamo, who has both a Nobel and a Pulitzer Prize to her credit, graduated from Howard University, a noted HBCU that also attracted the likes of dancer/choreographer Debbie Allen and her actress sister, Phylicia Rashad.
General Colin Powell: The distinguished military veteran and former Secretary of State got his undergraduate degree at the City University of New York and later his MBA at George Washington University. His illustrious career is proof positive to those toying with the private college vs. public college debate–it’s not where you go to school, but what you do there that matters.
–Lori Johnston
February 25th, 2011
Good movies make it easy to pick nominees for the Oscars and Golden Globes. Bad celebrities make it way too easy to pick nominees for our annual Hall of Shame. And since awards season is in full swing, we decided to include the short list of those bad boys and girls who have a way of taking the shine off of all that red-carpet glamour.
Yes, we are in the business of sending people off to college to earn a degree. It’s because we believe that education has the power to transform individuals into great human beings. And while some people would need to have five Ph.D.s before they finally get their act together, we believe in one small step at a time. So have fun reading our roundup of celebrities and pseudo-celebrities acting badly — and the one college class they could take to make them do a 180-turn in life:
The Men
The nominees for Best Male Trainwreck are:
Charlie Sheen: Go on a bender. Hook up with a stripper or porn star — or both. Wreck a hotel room. Rinse and repeat. The consistent bad behavior of this A-lister should bore us, yet we’re still enthralled. First rehab failed, and now he was recently hospitalized for a hernia (probably from picking up that suitcase full of cocaine). How is it that this guy can drive himself into the ground one night and show up for work the next day, unfazed?
We suggest that Charlie enroll in the anthropology program at UCLA. There, he’ll learn about the origin of human life and how it is not only limited to adult film stars, exotic dancers, and drug dealers. He doesn’t even have to take on the entire human race at once, but thinking outside of his sordid little circle would be an excellent start.
Brett Favre: Even if you’re not a football fan, you know who Brett Favre is. But rather than know him for his illustrious history with the Green Bay Packers, most people now consider him the idiot who sent pictures of “little Brett” to New York Jets sideline reporter Jennifer Sterger. Unlike being involved in a steroid scandal, his touchdown pass record will remain untarnished, but smirks will inevitably follow the mention of his name for the rest of his life.
Had Brett simply taken “Can Texting and Facebook Limit Your Success?” during the off season at the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania, he would have learned a bit about Internet etiquette and refrained sharing TMI, which only results in our LOLs.
Jesse James: We get it, Jesse James. You’re bad to the bone. You own a bike shop. You’re running out of skin for your tattoos. But did you have to go and cheat on America’s sweetheart, Sandra Bullock? It just adds fuel to the bad boy cliché. What next? Get engaged to a tattoo artist?! Oh wait…
As the saying goes, “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” Unless, of course, Jesse takes a class in the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. Maybe what he learns moving forward will help him be a better husband and father.
Steven Slater. Funny, the flight attendants on Jet Blue seem to really enjoy their work. But perhaps we’ve never had the pleasure of being on a flight with one Steven Slater. Shame on you, Steven. Don’t you know that you should never release the emergency slide unless it is a true emergency? Though his antics resemble more of a deleted scene from Airplane! rather than a true-life crackup, the head honchos at Jet Blue weren’t laughing. (Though we still are.)
Had Steven just taken a deep breath and one of the classes in the hospitality degree program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, perhaps he’d still be gainfully employed. After all, everyone has a bad day at work from time to time, but there are other ways to solve workplace problems that won’t land you on the evening news and across every news site on the Web.
The Women
The nominees for Best Female Trainwreck are:
Miley Cyrus: When you go to work for the House of Mouse, it seems that there will come a day when you want to emerge from the perfect little bubbles Disney likes to put around its young stars. Miley burst hers in epic fashion by getting caught on video (taken by a “friend”) getting high on a salvia-packed bong. The country learned about salvia and its wild effects, but it’s not exactly the educational experience we prefer.
Miley has already indicated that she’s not interested in stepping out of the limelight to attend college, but we think she’ll have time to squeeze in some substance abuse counselor certification course in between projects, like those offered through the California Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC). Miley’s “been-there, done-that” philosophy with drugs would enable her to be the perfect role model for coaching tomorrow’s child stars on how not to ruin their reputations via YouTube or TMZ.
Lady Gaga: We’re normally pretty keen on her crazy couture, but her eggy ensemble at the 2011 Grammys and the “Meat Dress” that she wore to last year’s MTV Music Awards is where we draw the line. We just can’t keep our “poker face” when we see her on the red carpet anymore. No doubt there is a message she is trying to convey, but when you’re dressed like a bloody cow carcass or ingredients for a giant omelet, it’s kind of hard for your audience to concentrate.
If Lady Gaga ever decides to finish out her degree program at NYU, we think she should take a few classes in costume design. By studying the work of designers over the centuries, hopefully she’ll learn that while clothing can definitely make a statement, it doesn’t have to beat you over the head with its message.
Lindsay Lohan: Where do we begin? Maybe at the end of last year, when the struggling star entered rehab at Betty Ford. Funny, BF used to be such a quiet, anonymous place for celebrities to go dry out. Not any more. These days, Lindsay Lohan would probably need to find a deserted island in order to stay out of trouble. Since no one is too keen on working with her these days — Lindsay was officially dropped from the movie “Inferno” — she’s got some time to kill between courtroom and jail stints.
Lindsay should look into a college or university — preferably one outside of L.A.– that offers a program in international travel and tourism, perhaps with a minor in geography. That way, she’ll be able to find that deserted island and go far, far away — preferably taking her mom and dad along with her.
Paris Hilton: Sure, Paris. It wasn’t your purse in which the cops found the cocaine — you borrowed it from a friend. Get real. Your last name is Hilton. You don’t borrow anything from anyone!
Perhaps Paris should enroll in an online business degree program. She wants us all to think she’s too cool for school, so through an online program, she can log on and chat with classmates and her professors from the comfort of her own penthouse. Perhaps a good shot of business knowledge will bring her to her senses so she can finally make good on the legacy of her family’s brand. (Although she does manage to appear ridiculously good looking in her mugshots.)
Best Collective Trainwreck
We’re keeping it to just one nominee in this category because no one else is more deserving than these lovely ladies and gallant gentlemen:
The Cast of MTV’s “Jersey Shore”: The sad thing is that some of these fake-baked party animals have gone to college already. But we think they could all benefit from getting some formal schooling in marketing. After all, the orange glow will eventually fade from this absurdly popular reality TV show, and the gang will need something to transform their 15 minutes of fame into… 15 days of fame. That’s it. We can’t take much more.
Enjoy the real awards show on ABC on Sunday night along with us–we’ll be live tweeting from @CollegeBoundNet, @CollegeSurfing, and @SpaBeauty. Be sure to interact by tweeting or retweeting us during the telecast and be entered to win an Amazon.com gift card. Don’t forget to check back with us on Monday morning to see how our own nominees fared.
–The CollegeBound Network
February 23rd, 2011
In some families, generations after generation attend the same school, creating a family history at one institution. Some U.S. colleges and universities date back to the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s – centuries of students and graduates who add to its history and prestige.
But new schools are continuing to open in the U.S., and they’re probably among the ones you’re considering attending. When these schools graduate their first classes, they get publicity. First Lady Michelle Obama spoke in 2009 at the commencement at University of California Merced – the latest California public university and the first research university to be built in the 21st century – to the school’s first 450 graduates.
When new colleges and universities open their doors or new facilities, such as their first dorms, it draws attention. When Ave Maria University opened in Southwest Florida in 2007, it was the first Roman Catholic university to open in the U.S. in 40 years. There’s been a trend with new medical schools – nearly two dozen, including The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, PA, that have recently opened or are planning to open, according to the New York Times.
So does age matter when making your college choice?
“There are probably a lot more differences across all different kinds of colleges than there are across old versus new colleges,” says Debra Humphreys, spokeswoman for the Association of American Colleges and Universities. “In some ways, the newness of a college probably matters less than the kind of college [that it is]. There’s so much variety in American higher education for a prospective student, the variety is a real advantage.”
She suggests a few aspects to consider when making this choice:
The mission: Why was the school established? Is it a for-profit school offering distance learning? It is in response to a state’s population growth and the need for more colleges or a growing field, like health care?
The curriculum: Don’t assume that a newer college is offering a more narrow curriculum or a vocational focus. But you do want to look closely at the mission of the institution and how it is fulfilling its mission through the curriculum. For example, UC Merced, which has a research and interactive focus, enables students to conduct research with top-notch faculty, even during their freshman year.
The faculty: Older institutions have an advantage in terms of building up their faculty over the years. But a new school doesn’t have a long history of traditions that are standing in the way of educational reform. “A lot of campuses are resistant to make changes, and they therefore sort of fall back on what they’re always known, and that’s not always the best thing in the 21st century,” she says. A new institution gets to start from scratch and pull from faculty all over the country.
The activities and facilities: Go to a college during its very first year and you’re probably won’t have on-campus living – or at least not a ton of choices for dorms. For example, Georgia Gwinnett College – which opened in 2006 as the state’s first public four-year college in more than a century – opened its first dorm in 2010. The sports program is just getting started, and student groups are just forming. That does give you an opportunity to be involved more, as the student population grows (at the Georgia school, it jumped from 100 students in 2006 to more than 3,000 now). The UC Merced’s website, for example, says its students can “help build up clubs and organizations that will define life on the 10th University of California campus for generations to come.”
Have you noticed a difference between visiting schools that have been around for hundreds of years verses newer colleges and universities? Is this a factor in your decision?
–Lori Johnston
February 21st, 2011
Here’s the big “Really?” of the week—Charlie Sheen is dishing out advice to Lindsay Lohan. No kidding. Charlie “I Love Cocaine and Porn” Sheen, who is currently on “hiatus” from his show “Two and a Half Men,” was on a radio show and offered this nugget of advice to Lindsay Lohan: “Work on your impulse control. Just try to think things through a little bit before you do them.”
Awesome.
Now, let’s suppose the advice he is giving to Lindsay is really his way of giving advice to himself….well, then take the advice already, Charlie! If anyone needs to work on “impulse control,” it’s you.
As a kid, you probably learned not to take candy from strangers. As a college-bound student, you should now learn not to take advice from Charlie Sheen. Happy Friday, everyone!
–The CollegeBound Network
February 18th, 2011
You already know that James Franco is gearing up to host the Oscars next week, but did you also know that he is slated to teach a class based on the life and work of…himself?
In conjunction with Columbia College Hollywood, Franco and Tyler Danna, an editor with whom he frequently works, will be teaching a film editing master class, using behind-the-scenes footage of Franco’s own career. Twelve of the school’s best editors will be brought together for the class, which will culminate in the creation of a 30-minute documentary of Franco’s film career. Choosing the best of the best is no doubt a good move, as Franco’s career has ranged from a recurring role on “General Hospital” to an Oscar-nominated turn in 127 Hours. Apparently, the footage Franco and Danna have compiled is extensive, so there might be the possibility of a future class to continue with the editing work.
I’m sure there are countless jokes about Franco teaching a class about himself, but joking aside, it is pretty cool that he has enough clout in Hollywood to warrant the curriculum for a class.
OK film buffs–we know you’re out there. What do you think of Franco’s class? Would you attend if given the chance?
–Barbara Bellesi
February 16th, 2011
Part of your college decision is based on emotion. Yes, you consider the cost and programs a school has to offer, but it’s often that feeling you have when you’re on campus that confirms it’s the right place for you.
The week of Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, so we asked students and graduates how they fell in love with their school.
“When my foot hit the ground at Young Harris College, I knew there was no need to look anywhere else. The beautiful mountains, small campus, great academics, and the wonderful Admissions Director, “Uncle Bud,” who showed me around, all combined to love at first sight for Young Harris and me!” –Anna Grant Jones
“I knew I wanted to come to Georgia since I visited the campus three years ago. I distinctly remember it was the weekend of Valentine’s Day, and I was walking around in capri pants and a light sweater. At home in Pennsylvania, it was still in the 30s. I was instantly dazzled by the sights and sounds of Athens, a picturesque college community. Everyone was so nice and helpful as my mother and I tried to find our way around—on bus and on foot—an intimidating large campus. I can honestly say it is true that Southerners are immensely nicer than Northerners. All of this combined, and I knew I would love going to school in Georgia.” –Katelyn Schiavone
“I came to the University of Kentucky in fall of 2007 and I’m now in my last semester. I immediately fell in love with the place. The dorms were so much fun. I never thought living in such close corridors with hundreds of other people could be considered fun! I became so close with the girls on my hall and the boys in my dorms. Most everyone got along really well, and so few of us had known each other before we got there. The campus is really pretty. Even though I rarely go to the library, it is truly a gorgeous building. I now feel like the campus is a home.” –Jenna Newsome
“When I first visited, it was in the heart of spring and everything looked lush and full of Iife. Everyone seemed happy, too.” –Sophie Cox
“Gosh, I fell in love with UGA after seeing a packed Sanford Stadium with my dad. He was so proud that I decided to become a ‘bulldawg’ that he couldn’t contain himself as we looked out on that sea of red and black.”–Tracie Powell
Have you already fallen in love with a school? Feel free to gush about it below.
–Lori Johnston
February 14th, 2011
If you’re a college-bound student, chances are you’re a little nervous these days as you wait for news of admissions and financial aid decisions. A healthy way of dealing with that stress is taking it to Twitter and unleashing your feelings across the social media universe. That’s what hashtags are for–they link you to other people who are in the same boat as you.
Or, in the case of those people using the #collegebound hashtag, you’ll all be in the same stressed-out-of-your-mind, can’t-take-it-anymore, is-June-here-yet boat. With some, ahem, colorful language thrown in for good measure.
We use the #collegebound hashtag for our weekly Twitter chats, but are thrilled to see that others are using it for their tweets, too. Some know that others are following along, some don’t–which is a shame, because some of their thoughts just make our day.
And now, in what we hope will be a recurring post, we present you:
COLLEGE-BOUND KIDS TWEET
THE DARNDEST THINGS
Fine, we’ll just leave a message!
Hope there are some male models at her college…
Not sure what you’re saying, but we’re happy you’re happy!
College isn’t just about good grades–it’s also about good hair.
Exaggerate much?
No lack of self-esteem here.
Now there’s a misguided overachiever!
Um, maybe you should study a LOT more.
Hate to tell you this, but there’s stress at college, too.
But we’ll miss you!
That’s right! Up and at ‘em!
The next Spike Lee?
Awwww. Maybe Momma can send you a care package.
Same thing goes for Pajama Jeans...
YOU GO, GIRL!
Tweet on, college-bounders. Until next time…
–The CollegeBound Network
February 11th, 2011
Of the 10 Best Picture nominees for the Oscars, we love that two of them have ties to college. There’s The Social Network, which shows how Facebook got its start at Harvard, and then Toy Story 3, which has a storyline centered on Andy heading off to school and leaving Buzz, Woody, and the others behind.
The Social Network, which has eight Academy Award nominations, is a fictionalized account of the beginnings 
of Facebook, but it offers a very real insight to college life, from the very first scene. Mark Zuckerberg’s girlfriend breaks up with him in a bar, which leads to him taking a long walk through campus back to his dorm, where he continues to drink into the night. That leads to his blogging about his ex and creating a site where people can rank photos of Harvard females – all eventually resulting in Facebook, which college students–and the rest of us–now can’t live without.
The movie also reflects how the desire to be socially accepted isn’t something that ends in high school, but continues in college. But the thing you’ll notice is that in college, there often is a greater variety of groups to join, which allows you to embrace your individuality and still feel accepted.
All the characters in the movie – from Zuckerberg (played by Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg) to the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer Jr. did a great job portraying them both) to Zuckerberg’s best friend Eduardo Saverin – represent some of the types of people you’ll meet in the college, or that you might be yourself. There’s the aloof, socially awkward folks who you just know will somehow become millionaires, the suave guy who always seems to have money, and the athletes who exude confidence.
Then in a completely different way, Toy Story 3 tugs on the heartstrings, from the cardboard box with the word “college” on it to Andy’s final decision about Woody in the end. It shows us that growing up means letting go, and college is a big time for making that step.
Both movies are well done and reflect that going to college – a decision you’re making now – is a decision that can be part of a compelling story, whether it’s fiction or real life.
—Lori Johnston
February 9th, 2011
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