Wednesday, December 19, 2012

50 Tips for College Students


50 Tips for College Students

Learn how to have a happy and successful college career.
1) The Freshman Fifteen does exist. So does the Freshman Twenty. Watch how many starches and processed foods you are eating.

2) Pizza - the ubiquitous college snack. See #1.

3) If it's either take out a loan or quit school, take out a loan.

4) If you can live harmoniously with someone in a 20×20 ft. space, you can do anything.

5) Flip-flops: Wear them in the dorm shower. Always.

6) Always attend the *real* class, and use the Internet one for review.

7) If you are not a morning person, don't schedule classes for 7am. You will not go.

8) Get involved on campus. All work and no *productive* socializing is boring.

9) Too much socializing = bad grades. Everything in moderation.

10) If you are feeling overwhelmed, are having problems sleeping, or have gone through a breakup,
visit your college's counseling center. If you are feeling suicidal at any point, call your college's crisis
center number or call 911 immediately.

11) There are a lot of free activities on campus. Take advantage of them.

12) Many colleges have free tutoring centers on campus. Take advantage of them.

13) Sit near the front of class.

14) Attend the whole class. Even if you feel like you will just die if you sit there any longer. Even if you
feel your brain start to ooze out the side of your ear. Because we (professors) sometimes give really important info at the end of class.

15) Recopy your notes after class. Or if you've typed them (which is recommended), do a quick read-through after class.

16) Remember that although you are 18, your college may have the right to contact your parents if you are caught drinking underage.

17) Don't do anything stupid (read: illegal). It will go down on your permanent record. Seriously. At every college you apply to after this one.

18) Register for classes as early as possible. Early bird catches the worm and all that.

19) See how your first semester goes before you consider getting a job. See how heavy your course load is first.

20) Find a bank that also has branches in your hometown. Get your account connected to your parents' account so they can transfer money to you.

21) Use direct deposit and automatic withdrawal for paychecks/loanchecks/ check checks. Less chance of you losing it.

22) Use virus protection and firewalls on your laptop.

23) The student bookstore (online and in real life) can have great student discounts on hardware/software.

24) Reconsider bringing a car to campus your first semester. It can be a pain to park.

25) Pack the clothes you need for college, and then take half of that amount.

26) The more underwear you have, the less you have to do laundry.

27) If you are doing laundry on campus or at a laundromat, stay with your clothes. Otherwise they may walk off while you are gone.

28) I can't emphasize this enough: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR PROFESSORS AND GO TO THEIR OFFICE HOURS. This is so important, I'll tell it to you again: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR PROFESSORS AND GO TO THEIR OFFICE HOURS. We're nice people. Seriously. And we really like it when someone is interested in our classes.

29) Use the college's career resource center - not just when you are going to graduate, but when you are figuring out what you want to do with your life. It's a free service. Use the free services.

30) For the love of God, please, please do not leave candles burning in your dorm room or apartment. Or those incense burning thingies. Bad things happen when those are left on.

31) If you have a tendency to be messy, your roommate may be compulsively neat. The general rule is that the messier you are, the more neat your roommate will be. Try to pull it together. Especially regarding food. Always throw out leftover food. That's just gross, messy or not. Learning how to adapt to someone else's living style is a wonderful learning experience. Really. And if you complained about having to share a room with your siblings while you were growing up, when you get to college you learn that you are actually ahead of the curve. :)

32) Stay on campus on weekends. If you go home every weekend because you are homesick or have a girlfriend/boyfriend back home, you will be missing out on a lot of the college experience.

33) Get your flu shots. Yearly.

34) Use condoms. Every time.

35) Long-distance relationships are a challenge to keep up when you are away at school.

36) If you get that "ick" feeling that you shouldn't be doing something or shouldn't be somewhere, stop doing it and get out of there.

37) You may feel like your parents are hovering too much. Look at it this way: they've been taking care of you since you were a baby. That doesn't just stop. Cut them some slack. The more independent and wisedecisions you make on your own, the more they will have confidence in your abilities as an adult.

38) Just because you and your roommate were friends back home doesn't mean you will be compatible roommates. You find out new things about people when you are sharing a small space. But you can work it out. Even if you and your roommate are total strangers and are completely different - you may become great friends.

39) If your roommate is doing something that bothers you, ask yourself the following three questions: 1) Am I being reasonable in being bothered by this? 2) What's the best way to talk to my roommate about this? 3) What are some solutions to this issue? If all else fails and the issue is very important to you and you've talked to your roommate to no avail, talk to your Resident Assistant.

40) Practice safety. Don't walk home alone in the dark. Walk with someone. Many campuses have services where you can call and someone will walk back to your dorm with you.

41) Just because you *can* do something doesn't mean you should.

42) Use flashcards to quiz yourself when studying. And get someone else to quiz you with them. If you always quiz yourself with your own flashcards, you may skip over some that you don't know the answer to.

43) You may not know what you want to do for a major. It's okay. There are people much older than you that still aren't sure what they want to do with their lives. That's okay. See your academic adviser for help. Pay attention to which classes you really look forward to - that can be a clue as to what you might want to major in.

44) If you have a dining card/pass - do not treat all your friends to lunch and dinner. That is real money. Real money that you will be asking your parents for when it runs out.

45) Study groups can be helpful - but keep it to between 3 and 5 members (including you). More than that, and it turns into a social event.

46) If you have ADHD or a learning disability, apply for accommodations as soon as possible - even right after you find out you've been accepted to school.

47) Sleep. Get it. Get enough. You may be laughing at this, being a college student and all...but you need to get enough sleep.

48) Wash your hands. Often. Living in the dorms is a communal living experience. Germs love communal living.

49) Keep in touch with your friends from back home, but be open to meeting people of all different cultures and interests.

50) Enjoy your college experience - it's one most rewarding experiences of your life, academically and socially.

Dr. Sarkis is the author of Making the Grade with ADD: A Student's Guide to Succeeding in College with Attention Deficit Disorder.

Original Post: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201008/50-tips-college-students
Feel free to add your college tips!
www.stephaniesarkis.com

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

How to Make Money Over Winter Break


If you’re anything like me, you wait all semester to catch a break. But after a few days at home, you somehow find yourself bored out of your mind. You have no projects to think about, no tests to study for, and more time on your hands than you thought you could handle. So what better time to fill your days with a job and make some extra cash? Here are 15 ways to get going on filling up your bank account before spring semester rolls around:

shoveling snow pathway cold weather winter wintertime 1. Shovel some snow- If there’s lots of snow where you live, you might as well make the most of it and offer your shoveling services to your neighbors and family members. Tom Vecchione, executive director of career services at Elon University, calls this money-maker an “oldie but goodie.” He also says he would definitely pay someone to do it for him!
2. Be a distributor- Vecchione says, “Many employers in larger to mid-size areas employ high school and college students to hand out flyers or other marketing items to the public.”  Look around at local coffee shops or ice cream shops to see what flyers are already posted, and then give them a call to see if they’d like any more help.
finger painting hand painting kindergarten children activity fun3. Babysit- Parents are super busy with holiday parties and office parties over break. Offer to watch your cousins, neighbors, siblings or nieces and nephews. You’ll have fun and make good money in the process.  If your neighborhood or high school has an email list-serv, send something out letting everyone know you’re available to help.
4. Watch someone’s pets- Lots of people take short vacations and trips over the holidays. And most people would rather leave their pets at home than kennel them, so offer to feed and walk your neighbor’s dog or feed their fish. You’ll be a great help!  This is another item you can shoot over a neighborhood email list-serv. 
closet messy unorganized piles of clothing5. Clean out your closet- Go through all of your clothes and sell what you don’t want at a local consignment store. Just try not to buy anything there while you’re selling your stuff if the goal is to be cash flow positive!
6. Sell some stuff on the Internet- Use eBay to sell items that you no longer have any use for. It’s an easy way to make money. 
7. Hold onto that summer job- Keep in touch with your boss from this summer. Chances are, he might want to hire you back for a few weeks because he won’t have to train you! Reach out to your boss as soon as you get home and ask him right away if the company will need any help over the holidays.
8. Get into retail- Vecchione says, “Retail, or anything related to helping a company adequately is a great way to spend your break [because] the holidays increase their demand for services.” You can help! When you’re out doing Christmas shopping, spend some time going in and out of stores asking if they’re hiring for the holidays.  
yard garage sale sell old items fundraiser9. Host a garage sale- Ross Wade, Assistant Director of Career Services at Elon University, suggests having a holiday garage sale. Sell all of your old CD’s, DVD’s, handbags, clothes, whatever! Get your siblings or neighbors to organize it with you so you have more to sell and you can all benefit from it! Put up a flyer at your local Community Center or put flyers in mailboxes around your neighborhood to publicize. Post something about it on your Facebook too—you can even make a Facebook photo album that is a sort of gallery of the items you’ll be selling. 
10. Play the ‘nice’ card- Wade suggests playing the nice card. “Be extra nice to your family so they give you some extra money in your holiday card.” Worth a try, right? 
ten dollar bill in the leaves soil
11. Clean the house… in search of money- Do a quick sweep all over your house, taking extra time to look under the couch and behind the cushions. Then take the loose change you’ve gathered up and put it in the Coinstar at your local grocery store. You can convert the change into gift cards, too.  Hey—you said you had a lot of free time, right? 
bookbyte.com textbooks old re-used
12. Sell your old textbooks- Lots of people sell their books back to the bookstore, but you can get a lot more money by selling them to friends or other students who are taking the same classes. Visit websites like bookbyte.com 
upload a design artistic tribal ethnic print
13. Use your artistic ability- Wade says, “If you’re artsy, design and create some holiday cards or art to sell on etsy.com and upload a design for a greeting card. You can sell your personal designs online! 
recycle go green environmentalism
14. Recycle- Did you know that you can get money for recycling? Some grocery stores give customers change in exchange for used plastic bottles. Getting paid to go green? Doesn’t get any better than that! 
15. Wrap it up- Put flyers out in the mailboxes in your neighborhood offering your wrapping services. Say that you’ll take some stress off of their plate by offering to do their present wrapping!

Monday, December 17, 2012

How to Get a Summer Internship


It's now Winter break. Time to relax and not use your brain for a month? No way! It's time to start thinking about what you want to do over Summer break. I don't care who you are, get a summer internship. Here are some tips:
  1. 1.Make a list. Figure out what you want to do – what interests you, what do you want to learn how to do, or what do you think you want to be in 10 years? Write down a few places or lines of work that come to mind. While you’re at it, scribble down a few basic things to narrow your search – what town or area, paid or unpaid, full-time or part-time, for school credit or not.
  2. 2. Research. Look into big companies in your area; most big corporations have internship programs. Stumped? Talk to your school counselor or parents’ friends who have jobs you think are interesting.
  3. 3. Get creative. Don’t want to work in a stuffy office while your buds are hitting the beach? No problem. Look into museums, art galleries, publishing houses, nature centers, eco-research centers, whatever.
  4. 4. Hit the pavement. Online research for big companies and orgs is a great starting point, but walk around your city or town to see if any other places spark your interest. Be bold, if something looks interesting, walk in, ask for an application, or leave your info (including a resume) with them. Don’t forget to smile!
  5. 5. Don’t give up. So your dream workplace doesn’t have an internship program? The search isn’t over yet! Look up who you can contact in Human Resources or who the managing director of a certain department might be, and contact him! Let him know that you’re interested in interning and ask if the company has a program or a way for you to help and learn a few things.
  6. 6. Make sure you can do it! Once you have a few places, ask yourself: Got a ride? OK’d it with your parents? Is it realistic for you to get to the internship during the summer? Make sure you can get a ride (or map out your bus/train route), and if you can walk or bike, even better! You don’t want to commit to something and have to pull out at the last minute, so cover your bases.
  7. 7. Get that resume in shape. What’s a resume and how do you make one? Check out Do Something’s How to create a resume and 11 tips for a great resume!
  8. 8. Make contacts. If your internship has a formal application program, write out your application and apply, AND do a little digging to find out who might be getting that app. Give HR a call and ask who handles hiring. Send her a written note or an email explaining why you’d like the job and what makes you good at it. A little extra goes a long way.
  9. 9. Spread your net. It’s tempting to put all your efforts into that dream job, but there are ton of people vying for internships, so make sure you look into at least five options and make contact with them so you have plenty of choices!
  10. 10. Snagged an interview? It’s important to dress appropriately and remember a few simple things. Check out Do Something’s 11 ways to ace an interview and 11 Common Interview Questions!
  11. 11. Follow-up. If you talked to someone at a company or had an interview, make sure to thank them and remind them you’re out there and would still love to intern with them.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Make the Most of your Winter Break!


It can be tricky to figure out what to do between semesters. So much time and so little motivation! It may be tempting to do absolutely nothing, but that isn’t always the wisest choice. So what makes the perfect recipe for the best winter break possible?

Be Productive!
Apply for Summer Internships
Even though the days are short and (if you live somewhere cold) it’s puffy winter jacket weather, now is the time to apply for summer internships. If you’re hoping to get some insight into your future field, use this time to make some connections:
beeline business professional teacher connection
  • Visit – If you’re hoping to take a peek into your future, try scheduling an office visit. Pick a few companies that you might be interested in working for in the future and ask them if you could drop in one day during the week. Make sure you ask a ton of questions, dress the part, meet as many people as possible, and follow-up with everyone!  You can find more info on “winternships” here.
  • Shadow – Try shadowing someone who does what you want to do for a day. An arrangement can usually be set up on your own, through your school’s career services center, or even through a family member or friend. Use the opportunity to figure out what a typical day is like and to see if – at the end of the day – you still want to do this type of work. Read this to find out how to rock your winternship.
business teacher professional interview resume
  • Get some info – Set up an informational interview on your own or through the career services center at your school with someone in your hometown. Think of it as a stress-free opportunity to find out more about a potential career in your field. Ask questions, take notes, and don’t forget to send a thank you note afterwards!
  • Be prepared – Spend a day or two working on your résumé and writing some general letters of introduction that can be handed out to potential employers. Have a few handy if you plan on going on office visits. Check out this article for advice on creating your first resume.
Make Some Money
Not the counterfeit kind. Try getting a part time job if you still have a few weeks left. Hit up the neighbors for some babysitting gigs, shovel snow (if there is any where you live), or offer some tutoring sessions. Or offer your skills to local businesses and family friends. And lots of stores hire people over the holidays—check out job search sites like careerbuilder.com or monster.com  for listings!  And here are 15 more ways to make money over winter break.
Get Organized
Do a little bit of winter cleaning – out with the old and in with the new.
“Instead of spring cleaning, clean out your closet to make room for your holiday gifts,” Kayla, a junior at Yale suggested. “And give those clothes to the Salvation Army. Good Karma may result in awesome gifts.”
You can do the same with your old books – sell as many as you can and toss or donate the rest. Make sure you go through everything first so that you don’t throw away anything important.
Original Post: http://www.hercampus.com/life/make-it-count-how-make-most-your-winter-break