Some colleges get the dubious distinction of being named a top party school by The Princeton Review or even Playboy magazine. These rankings just further show how much drinking is part of college life, which is often a temptation that causes some students to plummet academically during freshman year–usually as their perceived social status is rising.

It’s common for college students, underage or not, to say they must drink to handle the stress of school, or to spend weekends blowing off steam related to the flurry of exams, papers, and projects combined with work and financial pressures. But some colleges are paying attention to the tough topic of alcohol and drug use by offering programs and even on-campus housing where students can counter addiction.

Residence halls for students who have been treated for drug and alcohol abuse are offered by schools including Augsburg College in Minneapolis, the University of Vermont, and Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA Today recently reported. At Rutgers, the substance-free campus housing allows students to live in a place free of nicotine, alcohol, and drugs, and with access to support from counselors to handle the demands of college.

These and other efforts at schools across the country show that if you have had problems with drug and alcohol abuse in high school, you don’t have to face a losing battle in college. If you’re in this situation, consider searching for a school that is making a point not just to teach academics, but also to provide life lessons to students.

The more services and help that schools offer related to drug and alcohol abuse can put you on a better path once you graduate. Students will be better prepared to handle the stress of the real world – without using alcohol or drugs to help them through it.

–Lori Johnston

With the last weeks of high school remaining, one big event worldwide – Earth Day — may have slipped your mind. But it’s happening Friday, and some colleges are giving students the opportunity to make a difference in the environment.

1. Your major? The earth!

More schools are joining institutions such as Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio, Western New England College in Massachusetts, and Columbia University and Ithaca College in New York in offering a sustainability major. Western New England’s program, for example, prepares students for careers in communications, international development, marketing and promotion, and public administration. Ohio’s Miami University in March approved a sustainability “co-major,” which allows students to pair it with other majors, ranging from accounting to zoology. It’s also a trend in community colleges – Durham Technical Community College in North Carolina will offer students a new renewable energy diploma starting this fall.

2. Join others in caring for the environment

Female students at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC are going to doing some spring cleaning of the campus’ organic garden to celebrate Earth Day. At Sewanee: University of the South in Tennessee, there have been Earth Day-related activities all month on topics of interest to students, including how those trendy Nalgene bottles could be threatening the environment. Earth Day concerts include rapper Whiz Khalifa at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL, as part of the “Campus Consciousness” tour. If students at Albright College in Reading, PA, are spotted recycling, walking instead of driving, or drinking out of a reusable water bottle this week, they’ll get a ticket to enter into a raffle for a prize. At Misericordia University, based in Dallas, PA, its Cougars for Change organization works throughout the year to help raise environment awareness and find ways to save energy and reduce waste.

3. Learn in an old building

You may be going to school on a campus where tons of new buildings are being created for classrooms, libraries, and dorm space. But the College of Health Sciences Building and a residence hall for graduate schools at Misericordia University are in renovated downtown buildings. An old indoor pool at Alabama’s Birmingham-Southern College has become a museum – the Southern Environmental Center.

If caring for the environment means something to you, check into what the school you’re choosing is planning for Earth Day and what campus organizations focus on reducing, recycling, and reusing year-round. That way, you will know how to be part of those efforts when you arrive next fall!

–Lori Johnston

Even if you’ve already taken the general campus tour at one of your college choices, consider using part of your spring break to check out what it’s like to actually be a student there.

Since most colleges have already had their spring break, your visit will likely be timed when school is in session, but double check the college or university calendar to make sure your trip doesn’t conflict with another holiday or special days off.

More and more schools are customizing spring visits, and this is a great option for you to consider, especially if you’re facing a May 1 deadline to reply to a school that has accepted you.

At Washington University in St. Louis, you can attend a student organization meeting, exercise with college students in the athletic complex, listen to a concert, or sit it on classes during a spring university visit.

Dickinson College’s day visit option is available each winter and spring (through April 26), allowing students to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at campus life by eating lunch with a student and attending a class at the Pennsylvania college. The cool thing is that your campus visit is designed just for you.

Minnesota’s Hamline University also offers options for a spring visit, such as staying overnight with a student, eating with them, and going to classes with them; students also get to sit down with professors and coaches.

Don Fraser Jr. of the National Association for College Admission Counseling tells Education Week that it’s important to set up meetings with people in certain departments you’re interested in to get the most out of your visit. Another great tip from Fraser is to look at aspects of student life, even negative aspects such as crime, by checking out the police blotter in the student newspaper that you pick up during a campus visit.

Zola Dincin Schneider, author of Campus Visits & College Interviews, offers some good info about visits on the CollegeBoard’s web site. Among the tips: Spring break of junior year is a good time for a visit for athletes who are too swamped during the fall to visit or students considering applying for early decision.

So cure your spring fever by using your spring break to visit the campus that may be your home next fall!

–Lori Johnston

The repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been an early Christmas present for those who advocate tolerance of gays and lesbians serving in the military. It’s a step in the right direction for many reasons, but it includes one that you might not have thought about: the end of DADT might signal the return of many ROTC programs to colleges and universities across the country.

The New York Times is reporting today that this new policy of tolerance might entice some schools that previously offered ROTC programs to reinstate them on campus. In the ’60s and ’70s, many top schools axed the program in protest of the Vietnam War, while in more recent years, many liberal-minded colleges and universities shied away from the military and its discriminatory policies. But now that DADT is yesterday’s news, the presidents of Harvard, Yale, and Columbia have already stated that the ROTC could very well be in their schools’ futures.

It has been reported widely throughout print and television media that while the U.S. military should not be permitted to drag their feet in repealing DADT, it will be given the opportunity to do so in a way that will be beneficial to all involved. Once the military has determined the proper course of action, it will then have 60 days to make it happen.

If you are thinking of serving your country as well as earning a college degree, this is very good news indeed, as there could very well be more choices for you in terms of ROTC programs over the next several years.

What are your thoughts on the future of ROTC programs in a post-DADT world? Sound off below.

–The CollegeBound Network

Your New Year’s resolution (or your parents’ resolution) might be to save money in 2011, but how is that possible if you’re heading to college?

While there’s still the burden of tuition, books, room and board, and other necessary school expenses, there are some financial perks to being a college student. Here’s a look at a few freebies and discounts you’ll be enjoying in college:

Movies and more

Flash your student ID and you’re likely to get discounts to movies and museums, making it more affordable see the latest Harry Potter or Twilight movie with friends. And most campuses offer movie nights and concerts that are free for students – and sometimes there’s free food too.

Sports and recreation

Admission to school sporting events can be at no cost for students, and schools also often offer discounts on amusement park tickets, ski passes, and rounds of golf. It’s enough free or discounted stuff to make you forget about studying … almost.

Banking

Banks in your hometown or college town often will offer free checking and other perks, getting rid of another monthly or yearly expense. Some require a monthly balance; others don’t. And if you’re wanting to do online banking, that’s often a free option, too.

Career help

Free job databases, job search consulting, resume help, and more are offered by school’s career services departments. A new college grad told me this weekend that she was surprised to learn she would continue to have free access to her university’s career services assistance.

Laundry

At least one school – Davidson College in North Carolina – has a perk where students can drop off their laundry to be washed and dried for free. Students can have their dress shirts and blouses pressed and returned on hangers, and sheets, pillowcases and mattress covers are washed too.

Legal representation

If you’re in trouble with the law, battling with your landlord, or need another type of legal assistance, your status as a full-time student allows you to seek help from school’s Student Legal Services office. If you can’t afford to pay for an attorney, it’s a much cheaper alternative. It’s offered by schools such as Indiana University-Bloomington and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Be sure to check out what other types of freebies and perks are offered at your school or the schools you’re applying to.

–Lori Johnston

Sometimes going green requires a concerted effort, like committing to purchase products solely from eco-minded businesses or recycling when your community doesn’t make receptacles readily available. Other times, though, making a difference is a no-brainer – especially when sustainable choices are as close as your college parking lot.

Car Sharing
Wouldn’t it be great to have a car when you need one but not have to deal with the hassles of ownership? Colleges across the country are jumping on the sustainable transportation bandwagon by partnering with companies offering car sharing services. Car sharing allows students to pay hourly or daily rates to get self-service access to cars in reserved spots on campus whenever they need them. Whether through Zipcar, U Car Share, Connect by Hertz, or Enterprise’s WeCar, students benefit from the convenience, flexibility, and freedom that car sharing provides. Each company varies in its particular payment structure; rates may include gas, insurance, roadside assistance, and maintenance. I can just imagine how beneficial car sharing must be in my hometown, NYC, where parking is at a premium and car insurance is sky-high.

Carpooling
Carpooling is not a new concept, but it can be tough to find people who are going your way. Zimride, a carpooling community, offers a convenient alternative to posting notices on bulletin boards across campus. Zimride’s Carpool for Universities is working with more than 40 colleges and universities to make ridesharing a success in their communities. You can even combine car sharing with carpooling – if you’re a Zipcar member, you can post your reservations on Zimride, too.

Benefits of green transportation (by the numbers):

• Each shared car takes 15 to 20 personally owned vehicles off the road, reduces parking congestion, and improves air quality.
• According to Zipcar, its service alone saves more than 32 million gallons of crude oil per year.
• Compared to car-owning students, car-sharing students can save more than $500 per month.
• Zimride schools have reduced their carbon emissions by about 500,000 lbs. per year.
• Students and faculty at Zimride schools have saved more than $200,000 per year in vehicle operating costs.

Green School Spotlight
Some schools are pulling out all the stops to go green. Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA, maintains a website featuring a variety of incentives to take advantage of green transportation options. As part of the school’s Go Green campaign, students, faculty, and staff who pledge to use sustainable transportation at least once a week for one month are eligible to win prizes from local businesses. Through the school’s zero-interest bicycle loan program, students can borrow $200 to $500 interest-free for a year to purchase a bicycle and related equipment for biking to and from school. And through Ca$h for Carpools, commuters who drive alone to work or school can earn $25 each by forming a new carpool; successful participants will also be entered into a drawing for a year’s worth of fuel.

If car sharing, carpooling, or other sustainable transportation alternatives were available on your campus, would you take advantage of them? Sound off below!

–Robyn Tellefsen

Summer reading lists are the norm for high school students, so if you are college bound, you might have been surprised to get a letter or email from your new school with a list of required reading.

In fact, there are actually hundreds of colleges and universities across the country that have some type of required reading for freshmen. Unlike in high school, where an exam or a paper might accompany the reading, colleges like to assign reading material so that students can jump into discussion with classmates and professors right away.

I’m an avid reader myself, so I’m an advocate of assigning summer reading for college. For those who don’t love the printed word, it could be a good time to turn over a new leaf, since there is a LOT of reading to do in college, regardless of your major. The good news is that many schools that assign reading usually keep in mind that it is the summer, after all, and have chosen books that are as readable as they are thought provoking.

Check out what some of your fellow freshmen are reading this summer:

Texas Christian University—Fort Worth, TX

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. This non-fiction best seller about fostering peace through the creation of schools in Pakistan is a must-read in general, but TCU students now have an added incentive—co-author Greg Mortensen will be giving a lecture on campus in January.

Gustavus Adolphus College—Saint Peter, MN

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jaime Ford. Now in its 11^th year of the Reading in Common Program, Gustavus Adolphus chose Ford’s historical novel about the power of forgiveness to fuel discussion among freshmen, faculty, and upperclassmen this fall.

Roanoke College—Salem, VA

When the Emperor Was Divine: a Novel by Julie Otsuka. Roanoke is celebrating the sixth anniversary of its reading program, for which a panel of students, faculty, and staff choose books that are not only engaging, but relevant to incoming freshmen.

Western New England College—Springfield, MA

Outcasts United by Warren St. John. This book tells the story of a youth soccer team–comprised of refugees from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East—playing in a town in Georgia. Faculty opted for St. John’s book because the theme of feeling out of sorts in a new place just might apply to college freshmen.

Susquehanna University—Selingsgrove, PA

This year, SU has chosen a group of readings that correspond to the theme “A Sustainable Future.” Titles on the list include Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, and The Future of Life by Edward O. Wilson.

Has your college assigned freshmen reading? Do tell…

–Barbara Bellesi

Your summer probably seems so busy, with spending last moments with friends going to other schools, family vacations, and working to come up with money for tuition, food, clothes, and having fun in college.

So it may seem like you don’t have time for your college’s freshman orientation, which may be happening as soon as this month.

Freshmen orientation is the time a college takes to set you up as a student (including getting the all-important ID card), introduce you to your adviser, show you more about campus, register for your first classes in college (you may have to take placement tests), and host activities for you to make friends. If your parents are going with you, they’ll have their own stuff to do, like workshops on financial aid.

At my freshmen orientation, I knew nobody. I was an out-of-state student coming South to college – the University of Georgia – with a Chicago accent that stood out. I could have been intimidated by not knowing anyone, but taking this first step made it easier when I officially started college. I got a small taste for dorm life and knew from freshman orientation on that I had made the right college choice.

Your school might have already sent you instructions on what to bring and expect at your freshman orientation, or they’ve set up a website with important info and questions about the often overnight, multiple-day events. But I love what NYU says about preparing for freshman orientation. It says students should bring with them, “A sense of openness and adventure.”

Going in with a good attitude and an eagerness to make friends can help you when classes officially begin. Believe me, you’re not alone if you feel anxious or nervous about freshmen orientation.

By meeting other students now, you can Facebook and text over the summer and come to school in the fall knowing people in campus. It’s possible that your freshman orientation roommate or someone you sit beside during a placement test could be one of your best friends in college.

Now that’s something you don’t want to miss.

–Lori Johnston