We are out for the summer too so that means no more new posts but be sure to check back in the fall 2013 for new content! 

Have a happy and productive summer vacation. 

Packing for College 101

By Lauren Precker 

Whoo hoo! The tests are done, the applications are submitted, and you have received your acceptance letter to the college of your choice.  Now all you think you need to do is throw a few things in a suitcase and move on to the next chapter of your life right? Wrong, you need to bring more than just your tooth brush and clothes.  All those little things that you take for granted for just being there at home (a stocked linen closet, laundry detergent, lamps, dishes, power cords, T.V., etc.) you are going to have to bring with you.  

The back to college/school shopping is major shopping season for chain retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, and Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Many retailers even create entire lines of products made just for dorm living which can provide one stop shopping, and don’t forget to check out the retailer’s website for and mail circulars for packing check lists as well as any additional coupons.  College is expensive enough, so save where you can! Whatever you decided to buy, make sure that it is well made. You want most of your items to stay with you for the next four years. 

Your dorm room is not only where you sleep but also where you study, hang out with your friends, and even eat,  and unless you weren’t lucky enough to snag a single room or spacious suite, you are going to have a roommate thrown into that mix as well.  With two (or sometimes more) people in a small area, space will be limited so you will need to get creative when it comes to storage.  Bed risers are great for creating more space under your bed for suitcases and larger Tupperware bins.  These can hold out of season clothing, or for fashionistas and fashionistos your extensive shoe collection. 

You are going to be spending a lot of time here, make it comfortable and let your personality shine.  Your dorm room will be a blank canvas. Be sure to bring posters and photos of friends and family to decorate the walls.  Oh! Don’t forget your traditional school supplies like printer toner/paper, pens, notebooks, and pens. These can sometimes be marked up in the campus bookstore. 

Then finally, the questions that all college freshmen ask, what is a Twin XL sheet and do I really need them? Yes, you do need them and there is actually difference from a standard twin sheet, so leave your old Superman/Barbie sheets your mom has tucked in the back of the linen closet at home. 

How to shine when you’re not that shiny

 

By Crystal Frederick

It can be very easy to get lost in a crowd.  This phenomenon is only exacerbated in the realm of college.   The fact is, as an incoming freshman you will be amongst hundreds or even thousands of new students.   You went from being the big fish in a little pond to a pond with lots of big fishes. After all you were a rock star in high school, the editor of the school newspaper, head cheerleader and track phenom.  Now you are probably going to be in a class of people that were all editors of their high school newspaper, cheerleaders and track stars; it is the reason why you are all in college!  But don’t freak out; you are still awesome and have a lot to offer. You just need to recalibrate your thinking a bit.  

Here are a few things to keep in mind and do to get your shine back:

Own your brand – You are the only ‘you’ on campus.  No one else grew up in Cincinnati, spent a summer in Egypt, plays the saxophone and knows the difference between a covalent bond and an ionic bond.  There are tons of kids out there with your 3.8 GPA but no one with your collective experiences and interests.  This is what sets you apart from the pack.

Find your niche – This is sort of a carryover from the previous point.  There will be countless students interested in being student body president but fewer will be interested in being president of the horticulture club.  Look at your interests and see where you can find a place to stand out that aligns with the things you care about.  This goes for class selection as well; go with things you have an interest in. This will allow you to be more engaged and you will ultimately do better in them.

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    Have some fun/Meet people – We make this point a lot around here.  If you really want to shine, a fundamental part of that equation is being happy.  No one wants to be around a Debbie Downer, and some of the people you meet will be lifelong friends or future business partners. Go to a football game or a party and meet new people, you never know what opportunities can arise from your new friends/acquaintances. 

    Finally, remember, it’s not just you.  Everyone feels this way at some point, like they are being outdone by everyone else.  It is totally normal but that does not mean you should give into it.  You have come this far so you must have done some pretty amazing stuff already.  The bottom line is ‘do you’.  If you manage that there’s no way you won’t be a stand out.

5 More Things to Do Before Heading to College

By Lauren Precker 

If you recall our previous post about 5 things you should know/do now before heading to college these are a few more tips we deem essential for success in college. Making the transition from high school to college might seem like a no-brainer, but many college freshmen struggle with their new found freedom away from the constant oversight of parents and teachers.  While this freedom does have its perks, it also comes with a list of new responsibilities you need to prepare for.

      Join clubs and groups that will help you reach your goals – Remember all of those extracurricular activities, sports and clubs you joined in high school to get in to college you will need to do that again to get a good job.  However, when joining a club in college it should not only interest you but be something that might help you in your future career.  If you love photography and want to one day do that as professions consider joining the yearbook or newspaper staff, or if you want to be a sports agent maybe consider helping out with one of the athletic teams or working in the athletic dept.  Activities in college should be fun but they should also help you reach your goals.  

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      Get to know your professors – Unlike your high school teachers, your professors will not be constantly reminding you about unfinished work and due dates for assignments. If you have questions about specific assignments or if you need some additional help with a topic covered in class, schedule a visit with your professor during their office hours. It will pay off in the end.

      Make friends with your classmates – Making friends with your roommate and people in your hall is great but when you have a question about what pages you need to read for tomorrows class or help fill in the gaps in your notes from the class you missed last week they probably aren’t going to be much help. 

      Find a place to study – In high school that might have been your bedroom, but keep in mind you are sharing your room with someone who might have different study techniques. For example your new roommate might not have a problem studying with the T.V. on and music blaring from their iPad.  Be sure to find a place that works for you and a place where you can actually get work done.

·     Don’t forget to have fun, and EAT! – like we mentioned before it all comes down to time management. College is also about making lasting friendships and exposing yourself to new experiences. With all that going on it can be easy to forget to eat, and especially harder to eat healthy.  Map out where your classes are in relationship to dining options, and always have some healthy snacks and water on hand just in case you can’t make it there before your next class.

1st Person: Mo' Money, Mo Problems

Photo Credit: money.msn.com

By Erika McDaniel

I have had the pleasure of teaching a Fiscal Responsibility and Personal Wealth workshop for a number of organizations.  In addition to sharing tips and tricks to help with saving, budgeting and financial planning, I also share a number of stories about my own personal misadventures in money management.  The lessons that stick with us are often some of the hardest to learn.  That was most certainly the case my freshman year of college.  

The year was 2001 and I was a wide-eyed freshman at the most prestigious university in all the land, Howard University (and no, I’m not biased at all!).  As my parents were about to head back home to Ohio they pulled me aside and handed me a check and gave me some very specific instructions.  I was to take the check to the First Union Bank (those don’t exist for anyone who wants to age me a tad more) just off campus and set-up a checking account.  That money was to last me for the entire semester.  In theory, it really shouldn’t have been a problem.  A semester is about 15 weeks or so, right? The money should easily be able to stretch that far for a kid who had no car on campus (so no gas), a meal plan (so minimal dining expenditures), no cell phone plan (this was prior to my parents kicking me off their plan), no rent (on campus housing) and no real responsibilities.  Heck, I didn’t even have to pay for my books! 

The money should have gotten me through the entire semester. But it didn’t. 

You may or may not know that Howard University is consistently named as one of the most fashionable college campuses in the US.   And D.C. is full of fun (and sometimes expensive) places to eat, drink, socialize and shop.  And every HU student needs to be dressed down in cute gear from the bookstore – especially for the first football game.  There’s the Howard-Hampton game and do NOT get me started on Homecoming!  Soon – I found myself more concerned with keeping up with the Jones’ and less concerned with keeping up with my bank account. Before I knew it, I had blown through that money!  And I still had most (like way more than half) of the semester left to get through. 

With my tail between my legs I had to call my parents and explain that I had blown every bit of money on clothes, shoes, restaurants, and I don’t even remember what else.  I then had to ask them to send me more money.   To my delight they both said “yes!”  And then my parents dropped a nugget of reality on me – I would be responsible to pay back the money with interest.  Not unlike a bank or credit card company, my parents were willing to give me a loan but they wanted their money back . . . and then some!  My own parents!  Charging me interest!  The horror!  Every two-weeks, when I got paid from my summer internship, I would send home a check to my mom and dad.  It took the entire summer to give them their money back plus interest. 
  

12 years later and that is a valuable lesson I will never forget.  It was painful at the time, but taught me to think once, twice, sometimes three times, before using a credit card or taking out a loan.  Credit cards and loans are going to be a part of our lives - whether it is a student loan, mortgage, car loan or emergency credit card.  The best way we can make sure we make smart and responsible fiscal decisions is to learn about them early, understand how they work and use them responsibly.  Hopefully, you’ll learn from my experience (and get a good laugh) and consider how you’ll manage your own finances when you’re responsible for them in college and beyond.

Don’t be a Fool Right before You Start School

 Photo Credit: Bekkabess.blogspot.com

By Darby Baham

The last couple months of high school can make you feel like you don't have a care in the world. By now, you've probably received most, if not all of your acceptance letters to colleges. Classes are beginning to wind down and prom seems like the most important thing you will ever have to deal with. What dress will you wear? Will you match your suit with your date's dress? Will you have a date? <--- All those thoughts are running through your mind.

But the last couple months of high school are also critical to making sure you don't mess up your chance to attend that prestigious college of your choice.
Here are some tips to avoid playing the fool right before you go on to your next adventure:

Be Cautious of the Senior Prank
My high school was all about a senior prank, but we usually kept it fairly lighthearted and never did anything that would permanently damage the school. Well, one guy in the senior class took it to another level, and he became the only one out of 250 students not to walk across the stage in May to accept his diploma.   You don’t want to be that one dude that doesn’t get to graduate and even worse get your school offer rescinded because of something foolish you did the last month of high school.

 

Don't party so hard that you forget the things your parents/guardians taught you.
Everyone wants to party around this time, and that's cool. But parties and underage drinking can lead to several different circumstances that you will wish you had avoided, including but not limited to drunk driving and becoming pregnant.  The plan is to make it to college, and going a bit to wild the last months of school might prevent that from happening. 

Don't forget that you're still in school.
This sounds easy, but senioritis can be very tempting. The last thing you want to do is flunk out of any of your classes at the last minute when you're on track to graduate on time. So have fun, but also remember that you're schooling is not quite over.  Remember you have the whole summer to have fun.  

 
These are just a few tips to avoid being the fool everyone pities at the end of the year. But if you follow these and stay focused, you'll be well on your way to college in no time.