Archive for July, 2011
From June 24th to June 26th, while an estimated 75,000 people danced and sang along to the musicians of the Dave Matthews Band Caravan in Atlantic City, NJ, I did about 75,000 squats picking up garbage. Plastic cups, aluminum cans, paper plates, and more. I felt a little like Templeton from Charlotte’s Web (except I didn’t dare eat any of the remains) and a lot like Servo, the maid-robot in the Sims computer game, picking up every piece of trash within my reach.
I was among seven people volunteering with Clean Vibes, the North Carolina-based company that recycles and disposes of trash for outdoor festivals like Bonaroo, the four-day-long music festival in Tennessee, and the three-day-long Dave Matthews Band Caravan. The idea was to help improve Atlantic City’s Bader Field and the environment, but really, my friends and I were willing to do anything for a free concert (the reward of volunteering with Clean Vibes).
I learned a few lessons during my trip—and none of them had to do with garbage. A lot of the “follow your heart” advice friends, parents, and teachers give to students like myself came to life for me while volunteering on the 143 acres of Bader Field during those three hot summer days. With a garbage bag around my waist and latex gloves on my hands, I walked around the garbage-ridden land, observing the people that surrounded me. The concert-goers. The security guards. The food vendors. The volunteers. And, of course, the band members. I wasn’t so philosophical at the time, considering I was covered in dirt and sweat and tired from lunging all day, but I noticed how many different types of people made their way to the Dave Matthews concert that weekend and began to finally understand two concepts I’ve been hearing from people for years: 1) You should only do what you’re passionate about and 2) It is OK to not know what your passion is just yet.
1. You should only do what you’re passionate about. Having finished my first year of college without coming any closer to deciding a major (something I have to do by the end of next year), this idea means a lot to me. And if you’re a college-bound student, it probably means a lot to you, too. While big-time newspapers and businesses around the world continue to roll out lists of “The Most-Wanted Degrees for 2011” and “The Top-Paying Jobs of the Future,” it is important to keep in mind that the facts and statistics these articles contain cannot pressure, prevent, or prescribe your dreams. Though I usually devour these articles the second they come out, looking for signs that I will not be poor and unemployed when I get out of school, from now on, I will be slower to ingest these stories and instead contemplate how I can fit myself into this predicted success—whether I see my potential major or job on the list or not.
After seeing how dedicated Clean Vibes is about taking care of the earth, how moved by their music the Carolina Chocolate Drops are, and how committed the security and health officials are to keeping people safe, I know that passion is what makes the difference between picking a can up or leaving it there, putting feeling into a song or faking it, and providing quality care to other–or simply not caring enough.
2) It is OK to not know what your passion is just yet. While sayings like “Do what you love” and “Don’t settle for anything less” are helpful in steering many people in the right direction, they do almost nothing for the people who are unsure of their passions. While I smiled and squatted wholeheartedly for the entire length of my five-hour shift at the Dave Matthews Caravan, many of my co-volunteers hid, or tried to hide, their contempt towards working the night shift (from 6 to 11 P.M.) when The Flaming Lips and the Dave Matthews Band were set to perform. These people had come for the music—that was what they loved and that was what helped dictate their summer plans. I, on the other hand, knew none of the 41 bands save for Dave Matthews, and agreed to this volunteer gig with the hopes of finding new music, meeting new people, and contributing to a cause–and deciding what I thought about all of the above at a later date.
Did I love music the way these concert-goers, volunteers, and bands did? Did I love Clean Vibes’s mission to “actively encourage and promote… proper waste disposal” as much as the Clean Vibes employees? Did I see myself as fitting into any of the job classifications I noticed on site? I’m not entirely sure, but I saw myself as a volunteer. And for now, that is all I know.
While I did not enjoy the music as much as my friends, or share the same experiences many of the Clean Vibes employees and volunteers had, hopping from state to state and even country to country, following bands and trash-dumping people, I did enjoy spending my weekend in a way I had never done before. I got to reunite with my college friends and camp out at Mays Landing, the family-friendly camp ground just along the Egg Harbor River, complete with pool and shower house. I got to build a fire and help my fellow campers start their own since they were having some difficulty. And I got to sit around the fire and in my car, covered in dirt, and later, much cleaner, at my desk, reflecting on my summer experience and planning for the future.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” That is what Howard Thurman, famous author, educator, and civil rights leader said. It is the quote I was introduced to during my Freshman Orientation at Boston University last year and it is a quote that right now means more to me than “follow your heart.” Whether or not you know your passion, I think it is a quote that anyone who is trying to glean the treasures from the trash during their college search, their college experience, and then the post-college years can understand.
–Alivia Ashenfarb will be starting her sophomore year at Boston University this fall.
July 26th, 2011
Not long ago, a friend of mine posted a picture to his Facebook account of a beautiful sunset at the beach. The sky was a pastel-colored work of art hovering over the Pacific Ocean. And in the foreground: a kid on his iPhone, paying this wonder of nature absolutely no attention whatsoever. Caption: Smartphones have ruined the world.
Perhaps they have. Remember when people weren’t glued to their phones 24/7 the way they are now? Remember a day when you had to ask people real questions to get information instead of just popping open a mobile browser window? Remember when all you needed was a RAZR to be happy?
Yeah, me neither. That was way too long ago at this point. Smartphones are the way business gets done these days, and the way social lives flourish. Is that a bad thing? Maybe. There are certainly downsides that come with every change. But there are also must be a lot of good things — or else people wouldn’t bother paying so much money for these things!
Think back to the image of a kid missing out on a gorgeous sunset to focus on his phone. What is he doing? Perhaps he is texting his buddies about how bored he is. Or maybe he is doing something worthwhile (like studying for the PSAT, SAT, or ACT with one of our $10 flashcard apps for the iOS).
I’m not saying it would feel much better to miss out on a beach sunset for studying than for texting your friends. Likely, it wouldn’t. But consider this: What opportunities are presented to you when you are suddenly able to carry your test prep materials with you everywhere you go? Is there anything new that you can do now that studying doesn’t mean “sitting at home, alone?”
Is it possible that the kid’s iPhone didn’t cause him to miss the sunset, but actually allowed him to witness it at all? Yes! Think about it… if he were studying “the old-fashioned way,” he would be at home, in his room, staring at textbooks and notebooks full of hand-written notes. Try lugging those to the beach and not regretting it, I dare you.
Instead, the world has become his classroom, just as the world has become the office for so many busy businesspeople. Is there a downside to being connected all the time; to feeling the pressure to be productive no matter where we are or what time it is? Of course. But that is the reality of our time.
If we don’t embrace the opportunities, then we get only the downsides from technology. So do yourself a favor: find some new things that owning a smartphone or a net-book (our flashcards are also available online) will allow you to do. Do your homework in a field, under a tree. Work on a group project over the phone while you take a hike. Stay up on class notes by downloading presentations and reviewing them on a road trip.
And yes, make a special excursion to the beach one day. You know, so you can study for the SAT.
John J. Walters is the director of marketing for TestSoup, a premier provider of online and mobile test prep solutions.
July 20th, 2011
With computers replacing pens and notebooks and Smartboards instead of chalkboards, students can’t miss the ways in which technology has changed the classroom. Aside from this tech revolution, however, a more subtle uprising is brewing, and school supplies like notebooks and backpacks are taking the brunt of it.
If you’ve been living in a non-digital parallel universe, we’ve got you covered. Here, we take a look at perennial favorites that still appear on student desks and backs, but in designs that are changing the face of school essentials:
1) What happened to a simple ring or buzz to wake you in the morning? Instead, these new alarm clocks run from us in order to get us up and at ‘em—literally! You’ve got to chase this little gadget in order to shut it off.
2) Would you like fries with that? These pens double as silverware, allowing students to take notes and eat without balancing multiple utensils. Watch out for food stains on that term paper!
3) So what are students using to take notes nowadays? Environmentally friendly but slightly wacky notebooks, of course! Made out of—blech—elephant waste, these notebooks earn points for green thinking, but after using marble or spiral notebooks for over a decade, the idea has a strange scent about it!
4) The talking pen is another wacky invention that had us talking, too! Pens like these utter phrases like “Wow, we greatly appreciate your efforts and dedication.” Hopefully, that phrase will be a good omen for an A!
5) In case your USB doesn’t excite enough, you can get a USB pet from ThinkGeek. After charging these strange little inventions from your computer, you can race them around your desk with a remote. Since pets have never been allowed in school, this idea screams foreign!
6) These stamps get the seal of wackiness! Imitating the “Like” and “Dislike” options on Facebook, these stamps are pretty hip, though stamping your work with “Like” won’t cover the open-ended question your teacher assigns. They keep us asking, “Where’s the ‘Comment’ stamp?”
7) The quirky design of this desk caddy makes it onto the list of wacky school supplies. If that’s the image you want sitting on your desk, then so be it, but it is certainly not the plain cup or mug others will use to hold their pens!
8) Why not store your extra pencils in… a sneaker? Stylish but strange, these Converse pencil cases have wacky written all over them. They even come in multiple colors like the sneakers themselves!
9) Fish tanks can be scenic—as long as you’re not the fish. In this case, you’ll be staring at scissors, pens, and pencils instead of goldfish to this fish tank, which also doubles as a desk lamp and clock, to fit swimmingly onto your back-to-school list.
10) And what can you store all of these wacky supplies in? A refrigerated backpack of course! Hopefully keeping everything except your back cold, this backpack might be useful if you like a cold drink, but walking around with a cooler all day? Sounds like a prop for another Animal House movie!
–Alivia Ashenfarb, our guest blogger who is also starting her second year at Boston University this fall
July 18th, 2011
Can you remember when you read your first Harry Potter book? What about when you saw the first movie with Daniel Radcliffe, who was such a cute little kid when he took on role of the famous wizard? It might seem like Harry Potter has been with you almost your entire life – through elementary school, middle school, and high school. The first book came out in 1997 and the first film in 2001.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione, as they were in 2011.
Now that the last movie – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – is out at theaters, it’s the end of an era for Harry Potter. It’s a bittersweet moment for a lot of Harry Potter fans, and that may include you, too!
This final Harry Potter chapter in film is getting a ton of attention with publications like Entertainment Weekly looking back at great Potter moments and how the film’s stars have all grown up. Radcliffe is on Broadway, for example, and we’ve written often about Emma Watson’s (or Hermione’s) college pursuits.
When the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out last year, we had fun imagining how Potter and his friends would stand out in the college admissions process. And while the series’ finale (spoiler alert!) doesn’t have Harry, Hermione, Ron, or other Hogwarts students heading off a special wizard university, the end of Harry Potter could add to your feeling that it’s the end of an era for you, too, as you finish high school.
Rupert Grint’s (aka Ron Weasley) recent comment to Larry King on CNN shows that he and other cast members feel the same way. He says: “It was kind of like the last day of school, and I remember packing up my dressing room and putting all these kind of odd birthday cards and toys that I’d kind of collected over the years … It was quite a big kind of shock, really, kind of, leaving it behind.”
The trio a decade later, at the final "Harry Potter" movie premiere. (PR Photos)
As you say goodbye to Harry Potter, savor the impact the book series and films might have had on your childhood.
Maybe those hefty books encouraged you to read more. Maybe you formed friendships with other Potter fans, who also stood in line – wearing broken glasses, wizard-like cloaks, and a fake lightning-bolt-shaped scar on your heads – for the midnight showings of the movies. Maybe it helped you and your parents find something to enjoy together throughout your school years.
And as you head off to college, you’ll savor those memories, but now it’s time for the next era of your life, just as the stars are moving onto a new chapter in their careers. And if you get nostalgic during fall semester, don’t worry – Rowling’s Pottermore site is set to launch in October!
–Lori Johnston
July 15th, 2011
We’ll freely admit that it doesn’t take much in the social media world to get us excited. So when something really cool happens on Twitter–like the #collegebound chat we cohosted yesterday with YourCampus360–we geek out like a Mr. Spock fan at a Star Trek convention. (Note to our collective self: The Twitter “Fail Whale” could make an awesome Halloween costume.)
Yesterday’s chat topic was “Making the Most Out of Summer College Visits,” and our fellow Tweeps definitely made the most of the hour. (Read the transcript here!) Special thanks go to our friends over at YourCampus360. Follow them at @YourCampus360! (In a non-stalkerish way, of course.)
We’re on the lookout for future co-hosts for our chats. You pick the topic and the questions, and Barbara, your ridiculously fun and exciting host, will help guide the pace of the chat and ward off any paparazzi. Interested? Tweet us at @CollegeBoundNet and we’ll have our people talk to your people.
–The CollegeBound Network
July 12th, 2011
During the summertime gap between high school and college, you don’t need to completely stop learning. Avoid having brain freeze in the fall by finding ways to educate yourself this summer as you work, vacation with family, and hang out at home. Need some ideas? Here are five ways college students recommend to keep learning during the summer:
1. Brush up on skills at work
Even if you’re in a restaurant job or washing cars or mowing yards, use the time at work to improve your skills, from math to learning about different management styles by watching your bosses. Babysitting is a great way to better your communication skills, too!
2. Read a book
If your fall syllabus (typically available online) for American literature, history, or another course already lists the required reading, get a jump start on one of those books. Or download on your Kindle or check out from the library a biography of someone successful in a career field of interest to you, and get the inside scoop about that profession. Want to read something lighter? Then go for the latest beach read–reading IS reading, after all. Reading books or magazines will improve your comprehension skills, so it won’t feel so weird once fall comes to pick up a book again.
3. Travel abroad
If you’re heading to another country with your parents or friends, or maybe were lucky enough to get a graduation present to Europe or another beautiful location, embrace learning about the world, too. Bringing back your knowledge of sights, history, languages, and different cultures can help you as you enter college. A global perspective is beneficial in classes ranging from political science to business.
4. Help others
During the college application process, you saw how schools sought students who were involved in the community. Now that you’ve been accepted, don’t make volunteering part of the past. Continue to volunteer or get involved in a new organization. Understanding the challenges facing people in our society today is knowledge that you can bring into possible class discussions this fall–and at the very least, you’ll impress your professor.
5. Learn online
Signing up for an online course will help you knock out one of the required first-year classes and give you a head start in your college education. You’ll learn not only the course material, but you’ll also learn what it takes to motivate yourself. And that could be the greatest lesson you learn this summer – how to get motivated, without your parents, to study and complete college assignments when so many things serve as distractions.
How are you learning and still enjoying the summer?
–Lori Johnston
July 11th, 2011
Media slideshows are like the beach reads of the blogosphere–they’re entertaining, but they’re not exactly profound. I was reminded of this when I recently viewed CNN’s slideshow on the 10 least affordable colleges in the country.
I started the slide show with a smirk, expecting to see a series of Ivy League schools and the rest of the usual (and pricey) suspects in higher ed. But other than NYU, I was surprised by the other nine schools that made the list. Santa Clara University? The New School? Saint Joseph’s University? The schools are all excellent, but I never thought of them as sticker shock-inducing before.
Then I read the fine print. The information was retrieved through a new research tool from the Department of Education and it referred to a school’s “net price,” which is the average bill for tuition, room and board, and book fees–without taking financial aid into consideration. OK, that makes sense. But then I saw that CNN only included schools that had an enrollment of 5,000 students or more.
Ah, there’s the rub.
Many people–including yours truly–have gone to “small” schools with enrollments under 5,000. And boy, have we paid the price. Sure, our professors know us by name, but there aren’t as many of us students to help pay their salaries. So even though we don’t have nearly as many resources as the kids at the “big schools” do, we still have to pay quite a bit. And yes, there are some “small” schools with tuition rates that rival the ones included in this slideshow.
My point is this: Don’t make a do-or-die decision based on partial facts. CNN’s post clearly states that only part of the research was used, and as a result, dozens–if not hundreds–of excellent schools across the country were left out of the mix. Granted, you might be very happy that your school of choice is left off the least affordable list, but you see what I’m getting at.
The lesson to be learned is this: There are plenty of colleges and universities out there that don’t make the “right” lists–whether for better or for worse–and that shouldn’t stop you from visiting or attending those schools. College is a personal choice, and that is why no algorithm or Magic 8 Ball should ever have any power over you when making that decision.
–Barbara Bellesi
July 6th, 2011
If you’re spending your summer scooping ice cream, keeping a close watch on kids at a pool, or lathering on the bug spray for another nightly campfire as a camp counselor, consider yourself in A-list company, as all these jobs have been filled by celebrities before they got their big breaks. After all, before they were pulling in the big bucks, stars and musicians had to find ways to make money during the summer, too. So whose footsteps are you following in this summer, before heading back to high school or college?
John Krasinski: “The Office” cutie went off to camp when he was a teenager, serving as a counselor at Camp Chickami in Massachusetts. He told Access Hollywood: “I had a summer job that I loved. I was like 16 and I was somehow given the responsibility of the 13-year-olds. So we were just a couple years apart from probably hanging out and I had to be like ‘no don’t do that.’ And then I’d go do it. It was this weird, bizarre thing where I probably could have been beaten up by half of them and it was a really fun. It was a fun summer.”
Tina Fey: No joke – the Emmy award-winning actress and Sarah Palin look-a-like worked at a swim club’s snack bar as a teen.
Gwen Stefani: Stefani served up Dilly Bars, soft-serve cones (my favorite is chocolate-covered!) and more while working for Dairy Queen. When her brother Eric formed No Doubt with other Dairy Queen workers, she joined as another vocalist, People reported. We’re thinking her success calls for a special summertime Blizzard in the fashionable singer’s honor!
Mick Jagger: The Rolling Stones front man also got into the frozen treat business. He sold ice cream from a cart. We guess it was memorable – a couple of years ago, he reportedly offered to buy a vintage ice cream van, but the owner turned him down.
Sean Connery: Before he was 007, the debonair actor was in a life-saving role as a lifeguard, his bio says.
So if you’re getting ready to head to work today, think of these future celebrities heading to camp or dishing out ice cream. Are you one of them? Dish up what you’re doing this summer in our comments section below.
–Lori Johnston
July 5th, 2011
