Posts filed under 'Advice'
As a kid, you learned to look both ways before you cross the street, and it’s a guideline that shouldn’t be ignored once you’re in college. But year after year, students on campuses across the country are injured or even killed in accidents while walking on campus. Sometimes it is the drivers’ fault, but there are cases when students get in the way of danger by jaywalking, being distracted while texting and walking, or losing their focus when running into a friend on a busy street.
Being safe on campus is not just something that students attending college in a city need to consider. On suburban and even rural campuses, there are so many things that could put you in danger – buses, bikes, cars, scooters, and even other students rushing to get to class on foot.
You may have searched safety on campus when you were applying to colleges, but government data about crimes doesn’t include the incidents that happen when students are hit by vehicles. Last year, a student at UConn was killed by a campus bus. At a lot of schools, current students can easily pick out spots where jaywalking is common, which could lead to injuries. The tragedies are so common that some schools, such as Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY have had guards monitoring crosswalks to prevent jaywalking.
Police at Valdosta State University in Georgia this month are giving $112 tickets to students and other caught jaywalking in an effort to make the roads safer, according to WCTV.
The University of Minnesota in April ticketed more than 120 people (the fees were $100) for jaywalking on campus. One student told a TV station: “For me, it’s changed the way I walk. I used to just go when there weren’t any cars. Now, I look both ways and make sure there are no cops around.”
We’re proud, just as you are, that you are attending college, and we want you to have a safe and wonderful experience on campus. So while you’re rushing to reach class on time, or are ready to get back to your dorm room or apartment, don’t let a lack of focus on the streets keep you from being safe while on campus.
–Lori Johnston
September 19th, 2011
Just when you think you got high school figured out, it’s time to start thinking about college. Many high school students are wasting no time at all and are starting their college search during their sophomore year.
A recent study by Eduventures finds that 42 percent of high school students start looking at colleges as early as the second year of high school. The Boston company quizzed about 11,000 high school juniors and seniors in the U.S. to get their results.
Starting early is not a bad idea. In fact, getting a jump start on discovering which colleges and majors are of interest to you and how much it could cost to attend can help relieve some of the college search stress during your last year of high school. So go ahead: start thinking about whether a community college, public university, or private college is best for you. And don’t forget: starting early gives you more time to visit schools.
But starting early doesn’t mean students are narrowing the choices down more. The survey found:
• Almost 20 percent of students are now applying to 10 or more colleges and universities. (That’s a LOT of application fees!)
• The mean number of applications for high school seniors increased from 6.3 to 7.3 since 2008.
At the start of your search, you may be lured by a college’s glossy brochure showing a picturesque campus and giving an enticing overview of the reasons that you would want to attend. But as students get closer to high school graduation, the survey found them relying more on websites to get information about schools. The survey also says something you might have already suspected: Social media outlets are becoming more common among juniors and seniors. In fact, a whopping 44 percent are using YouTube channels and 41 percent are using Facebook pages.
Did you start looking at colleges as a sophomore? How much have you relied on Facebook, YouTube and other social media in your college search?
–Lori Johnston
September 15th, 2011
Today, U.S. News & World Report released the 2012 edition of its always-anticipated, much-criticized college and university rankings. (I forgot to write it on my calendar, otherwise I would have baked a cake to celebrate.) But before you break out into your school’s fight song in honor of its being on the “it” list, or lament the fact that one of your choices didn’t make the cut at all, consider a few things:
Yawn. The Ivies always make the list. Do we really need a magazine to tell us that Harvard and Princeton are great schools? No. And I’m fairly certain that the admissions office at Yale isn’t exactly breathing a collective sigh of relief to know that the Bulldogs once again made the cut and that students will be applying this year, all because they are on the list as one of the best national universities. Tell us something we don’t know, for crying out loud…
The rankings are really just a bunch of lists that add up to….? It would be truly an accomplishment if there were one school that came out on the very top of a long, long list of colleges and universities across the country. It would then definitely earn the right to streak naked across its own campus screaming, “I’m the king of the world!” or something. But that’s not how USN&WR works, unfortunately. They divide colleges and universities into lists according to whether they are public or private, national or regional, big or small. Does this make for more manageable reading? Definitely, But depending on to which types of schools you’ll be applying, you won’t even pay attention to some of the lists. And there’s never enough room for all of the “good” schools that are on the list, which means…well, just keep reading.
Do NOT panic if your choice isn’t on the list. Again, there’s a formula at work here, and schools can slip up and down the list–as well as on and off–from year to year. Keep in mind that a good school will give you the proper education you need to succeed in life, but the other definition of “good school”–and a mighty important one at that–is that it is a good match for you.
So what exactly is the formula for these rankings? Don’t get me wrong: I love that both my undergraduate and graduate alma maters–Wagner College and Emerson College–made the list for top regional universities, but I don’t exactly know how they did it. And I don’t get much clarity from the explanation in the FAQs section of how USN&WR compiles their data. Hmm. Just what are the “16 areas related to academic excellence” anyway?
What do you think? Did you even know the rankings came out today, or did you stay up all night waiting for them to arrive like Santa Claus? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section below.
–Barbara Bellesi
September 13th, 2011
We’ve got some chilly, rainy weather here in New York City this week, which makes it even harder for kids to go back to school this week. Not to mention their parents, many of whom are returning to work feeling dejected that carefree summer days are over.
Whether you call it a case of the Mondays (even on a Tuesday!), the back-to-school blahs, or the post-vacation blues, as Melissa Beck at The Wall Street Journal does, it all adds up to the same thing: Going back to a regular, often stressful routine can be a real downer.
For college students, September has enough ups and downs to rival some theme park roller coasters. And as exciting as campus life seems back when they first receive their acceptance letters, many students just can’t get into the swing of things come the fall. Homesickness might be partly to blame, as is seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which, according to Beck’s article, affects about six percent of Americans.
When do the post-vacation blues cross the line into something more serious? Take a look at Beck’s list of symptoms:
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Unexplained weight loss or gain
- Lack of personal hygiene
- Disinterest in pleasurable activities
- Marked loss of energy
- Difficulty concentrating
- Persistent feelings of worthlessness
- Depressed mood most days for at least two weeks
Do any of these apply to you? If so, it couldn’t hurt to talk to someone. Counseling services are available on campus; all you have to do is call or stop in to make an appointment. There are many students on campuses all across the country who talk to a counselor on a regular basis to help them deal with everything from chronic homesickness to stress to relationship woes. Many times, just voicing your concerns or your troubles is enough to make you feel better, so don’t be afraid to seek out help when you need it.
–Barbara Bellesi
September 6th, 2011
Are you attending or thinking or attending a “big” college? You’re definitely not alone Check out today’s post, in which Alivia Ashenfarb, now a Boston University sophomore, reflects on those first weeks at school.
When I first heard the phrase “Find the right school for you,” I was inundated with relief. Finding a college could be as easy as finding the right pair of jeans? The “right” school just needed to look and feel good? Finding a college sounded downright easy. As my college search wore on, however, I heard that phrase more and more, and it started to sound less and less like a piece of advice than an ultimatum. How can you find the right school when you don’t know the definition of “right” or even the definition of “you”?
I learned that guidance counselors, parents, friends, and books are essential resources in finding the answer to this question. After completing my college search and choosing to attend Boston University, I learned that some of these answers can’t come from the above sources. They come from time, experience, and a serious exploration of that ambiguous “you.” Having utilized these sources and learning firsthand what it is like to go to a big, urban school with students from around the world, I picked up a few tips that may give your search more clarity:
Size. “How big is too big?” “Can I handle a big school?” “Do I want the closeness of a small school?” These are questions I asked myself in high school. After attending a year at BU, which has about 20,000 undergrads and 14,000 grad students, I have learned that “big” is not necessarily bad. I had no problem finding closeness at BU. Roommates and floormates make meeting friends easy and instant. Classroom friends can be easy to find, too, since giant lectures are not the only classes offered. Schools also have smaller classes (mostly in language, writing, and math) that they require students to take, as well as small discussion classes to accompany giant lectures. For example, I took a political science class with over 100 students. My discussion section for this class, however, had 12 people. There, I got to meet my friends and study partners.
Location. BU is located in Boston, Massachusetts, a city of about 620,000 people. Venturing into the city was always an adventure my freshman year; it gave me a mesh of cultures and histories that I don’t think a small suburban campus could’ve offered. I never got lost in the city or on campus, and I don’t know of anyone who did. Giant maps are conveniently located all over campus with blue boxes, phones to use in case of emergency at every corner. Campus visits will tell you right away about your school’s setting and campus layout, and I recommend taking those trips in your search. As for suburban campuses looking nicer, that depends on your taste! Urban campuses like mine promote nature with trees, gardens, and grassy study spots that can make you forget you’re in a city– if that’s what you’re looking to do.
Campus life. Lucky for me, BU is located in one of the largest college metropolises in the world. Meeting students from other colleges is easy when you’re in a college town, never mind a major U.S. city. There are parties on and off campus that can be as wild as the ones in movies. At the same time, there are quiet campus events like talent expos and educational events featuring prominent professors and local leaders that many students attend. I got to hear from Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and BU professor, in a lecture about forgiveness that I’ll never forget. Equally unforgettable are the Boston Marathon and other off-campus events that no college guide can tell you about.
Looking back on my college search, I realize that finding a college is lot like finding a pair of jeans. It shouldn’t be stressful, especially if you remember to take your time, start early with your search, reach out to students that go to your prospective schools, visit, decide how much you want to experiment in a new setting with new people, and know that there are things guidance counsellors and college guidebooks don’t know, things only you can find out by testing the waters.
Alivia Ashenfarb is a sophomore at Boston University.
August 25th, 2011
Does your college have a “reputation”? The Ivies certainly do. But even schools with great reputations deserve the chance for you to get to know them and earn your own opinion of them. Check out today’s post, in which Erica Sollazzo, now a Princeton sophomore, looks back on her first days on campus.
This past spring at Princeton, during a preview weekend for high school seniors, I caught sight of an excited disturbance on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall, the university’s main building. Curious, I drifted over toward the grass, picking my way through a crowd of prospective students and their parents. Only when I reached the front of the group did I realize what everyone was watching: On the lawn, dressed in pastel-colored polo shirts and knee-high argyle socks, was a group of Princeton students playing a rousing game of croquet.
Whenever a player managed to hit the ball through a wicket, the others would clap, but the kind of reserved, dignified clapping heard at golf tournaments when a player sinks a putt. To top it all off, the players were talking about their “troublesome yachts” and “summer homes” in loud, exaggerated British accents. I laughed, cognizant of the fact that my classmates were poking fun at a stereotype associated with Princeton—that the entire student body is made up of wealthy, prep-school kids from the upper crusts of society. Having spent nearly a full year at Princeton, I knew that this generalization wasn’t true, that Princeton’s students come from all walks of life. But as I left the lawn, I heard a boy whisper to his father in disbelief, “They really do wear argyle!”
When I first started at Princeton, I wasn’t very worried about how “pretentious” the student body would be. I knew that, like almost any college, Princeton would have a diverse mix of students who would be interesting, intelligent, and down-to-earth. The stereotypes that concerned me more were academic, not social, ones. For one thing, I remember fretting over whether I could handle the workload for what were sure to be difficult classes. I also feared that the pressure of attending an Ivy League school would create a maliciously competitive atmosphere, one in which my classmates would refuse to share notes or help me study. I recalled an information session at Harvard that I attended as a high school senior; the admissions officer had adamantly denied rumors about students intentionally hiding each other’s textbooks. If the representative had taken such trouble to repudiate these claims, I thought, there must be some grain of truth in them.
Luckily, my freshman year contained absolutely none of these academic horror stories. I collaborated with a group of eager students to study for my Calculus final, and I received constructive criticism from my peers on the papers I wrote for Writing Seminar. Not only did these students come from all over the world (I even made a friend who hails from Sri Lanka), but they seemed genuinely excited to study at Princeton, genuinely grateful for the many unique opportunities the university offers. I know I appreciated the chance to hear Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor speak (professor emerita and alumna of Princeton, respectively). And I quickly learned that each student has an interesting, hidden talent or passion that wouldn’t be noticeable at first glance—after all, what made them stand out to an admissions committee also makes them stand out as people.
The one drawback—if it can be called a drawback—to studying in the midst of so many talented and driven students is that I often worry about what career path I’ll end up taking. Being surrounded by budding doctors, lawyers, and stockbrokers is stressful sometimes, especially since I’m not yet sure about a major. But I’m glad I have the opportunity to explore Princeton—and yes, even don a polo shirt or two–until I figure it out.
Erica Sollazzo is a sophomore at Princeton.
August 24th, 2011
When you’re in college, you have the ability to buy food, clothes, iTunes purchases, and other things that may have required your parents’ permission in high school.Sure, there are major purchases like books, but the feeling of freedom that comes with being able to swipe a debit or credit card to buy something, big or small, on impulse is one that some students can’t resist. But when the bills arrive, it can be very stressful, especially if you don’t have enough money in your bank account to pay them.
So while you’re having fun meeting your new roommate and hallmates in the dorms, get real with yourself about spending. Jason Alderman, personal finance expert and the senior director of Global Financial Education Programs for Visa, offers a few tips to help you manage your finances in college:
1. Create and stick to a budget
2. Pay bills on time
3. Keep credit card balances low
4. Monitor your credit score
If you are looking to open a new checking account, don’t just choose the first place you see (or the one giving away a free koozie). Find a bank or credit union that offers these cost-saving benefits:
• No monthly usage fee
• No minimum balance
• ATMs near you (that can keep you from out-of-network ATM fees)
• Sign up for text or email alerts to let you know when your balance falls below a certain level, when payments are due, or when checks and deposits clear
School – and paying for school – can be stressful enough. So don’t add to it by making money mistakes your first semester. You may feel pressure from friends who have a larger budget than you to go shopping with them, blow your budget on road trips, buy pizza every night, or splurge on weekly pedicures. But at the same time, there are plenty of other students who can survive on a super-small budget where ramen noodles and an ongoing search for freebies are the norm.
You also can go onto Mint.com or other sites that allow you to track your spending.
Will freshman year be your first time managing your finances? Are you worried about overspending or keeping track of your spending? If you think you’re a pro at this, what are some tips you can offer to other students? One of the biggest lessons you can learn, starting your freshman year, is how to carefully manage your money. And that’s something that will stay with you for life!
–Lori Johnston
August 19th, 2011
Dorms or residence halls are the most common living situation for students heading off to school. Both give you the opportunity to live among other students your age or with your same major. There’s no doubt the relationships you form in a dorm could last throughout your college career.
But not all schools guarantee housing for freshman, especially if on-campus housing is limited. And it seems like every fall you hear of schools who have overbooked their dorms, causing some students to live in the dorm’s student lounges or with resident advisors. Or some are sent to hotels. Students at New York University were sent to a hotel last year, and some may be doing the same year. Students at Daemen College in Amherst, NY can stay at a Homewood Suites near the school while waiting for a spot on campus or in a renovated housing development where students from a variety of schools live.
At Virginia Tech, some students were enticed by “buyouts” to cancel their housing contracts; the offer was guaranteed suite housing and early preferences for housing next year, plus $300 in dining dollars.
Consider these other college housing options:
1. Find a family setting.
Some families offer rooms in their homes for student during the academic year. It’s a good option for students who want to have a family environment and enjoy the home-away-from-home feel that a family setting provides. Sometimes these situations are connected with a nanny job opportunity, in which you could live rent free in exchange for watching the homeowner’s children. Some placement agencies can help connect students with families seeking child care; in other instances, it may be connected to relationship you have with a mentor or someone from a church. You will want to discuss upfront your required financial contribution and your responsibilities as a student in the home. Plus, will they set the dreaded curfew, or will you be able to come and go as you please?
2. Rent out a basement.
Rentals in a college town don’t just include apartments, but some professors and other homeowners offer a portion of their basement, or their entire basement, for students to live in. The setup typically allows students to have their own entrance in the house, so it’s not as close quarters as living with a family. You’ll want to find out about rent costs as well as what utilities are covered in the deal. Plus, you’ll want to make sure that the basement dwelling offers some type of security, as that part of a house can be a prime target for break-ins.
3. Lodge at the sorority or fraternity house.
This is not typically the option for freshman members, but is something that sophomores and upperclassmen do as part of their involvement in a sorority or fraternity. The fraternity or sorority will have requirements for living in a chapter house, which are located on and off campus at public and private schools. It’s a plus for students whose social life will revolve around activities at the house.
4. Live in a unique dorm community.
At some schools, students from the same major, such as engineering, all live together in a home offered on or near campus through particular programs, often with student advisers. Some religious organizations also have residences for students of the same faith to bunk together.
5. House sit, or swap houses.
If you find someone who won’t be living in their home for a year, offer to house sit (for free or at a reduced rate). This could be the case if a professor is going abroad to teach. You will need to be responsible about living in someone else’s home, especially if you have friends over. Or, you could swap your current place for a condo or home in your college town. Sites like Craigslist often advertise home exchanges.
6. Think outside the box.
When it comes to finding affordable housing, some students go with even more unique choices, such as living in trailers and RVs! Now that’s one way to break the ice during Freshmen Orientation!
What’s the most unique college housing situation you’ve heard about or experienced? Let us know in the comment section below.
–Lori Johnston
August 17th, 2011
One of the most burning questions college-bound students have before the start of freshman year is: Who’s gonna bring the TV? Whichever roommate has the biggest screen usually wins, and that means a lot of prime real estate will be reserved for it in a tiny dorm room.
Although you may still be planning on bringing a TV to school with you this fall, chances are you’ll be catching the latest episodes of your favorite show on your laptop or iPad, too. Because young adults like you are watching shows and movies online, it’s one of the reasons why the number of U.S. households with TV sets has dropped for the first time in 20 years, according to data by TV ratings company Nielsen. It declined just 98.9 percent to 96.7 percent, but considering how much our society loves TV, it’s a pretty big drop.
A common sight on college campuses today is students sitting around on campus or in their dorms with a laptop. Sure, they might be checking their email, but chances are they’re catching up with the latest antics of the “Jersey Shore” cast or laughing at a scene from a recently released comedy.
Rebecca Morrow, interim director of residential life at Albright College in Reading, Penn., writes in an e-mail: “In some cases yes, students opt not to have a TV in the room. I would say that for the most part students are still bringing a television (usually a flat screen) to campus. Generally, females bring smaller televisions and guys bring larger TVs for video games.”
Chad Quinones, who is on the residence life staff at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., says that students arrange their rooms around their flat screen HD TVs, which are brought in mostly to play video games.
Are you planning on bringing a TV to college? If so, will you watch TV or movies on it, or is it mostly for playing video games with friends?
–Lori Johnston
August 8th, 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
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