It’s natural to be a little anxious about the change of pace from summer to school — but if you take advantage of the beginning-of-the-school-year energy and lighter workload to get a jump on the year, you’ll feel ultra-prepared. From your social life to academics to settling into your new dorm or apartment, here’s how to get your place in order, social life on track and brain in gear from the moment you set foot on campus:

1. Get Settled
Dorm rooms and campus apartments are designed to be utilitarian, so getting organized and personalizing your space are key to feeling like you have a home.

• First things first Unpacking can be overwhelming, to say the least, but Vassar College senior Katie Hoople has this advice: “I always make my bed first. It’s really nice to have an oasis of calm in the middle of all the chaos.” There really is something about tidy bedding that makes the whole room seem more polished.
• Pull it together When it comes to dorm rooms and apartments with limited space, there isn’t enough praise in the world for closet organizers, available at most discount stores. If you’re driving to campus, you can even pack your clothes right into the organizers and just hang them when you arrive.
• Spiff up your space Late summer and early fall are prime time for yard sales — and are right in the college student’s price range. Plus, distinctive accessories will give your space a unique “decorator” touch. “Last fall, I found this awesome bedside table at a yard sale,” says University of Colorado junior Samantha Rosenberg. “It was shaped like an elephant and only cost me 50 cents!”

2. Be Social
Whether you’re a freshman searching Internet groups for friendly faces or an upperclassman whose friends have been scattered all summer, make some plans to socialize.

• Get involved Most campuses have activity fairs early in the year to drum up interest in extracurricular groups. “Extracurriculars are one of the easiest ways to find people you have something in common with, so you’re almost guaranteed to make some new friends when you join a group — and you can’t have too many friends,” says Hoople. Don’t be afraid to over-commit yourself at the beginning then drop activities as you figure out your schedule and priorities.
• Get out No doubt, there’ll be some crazy campus parties at night — especially before classes start. But when it comes to catching up with good friends (or making connections with friends-to-be), it’s way nicer to be in a calm atmosphere where you actually can hold a conversation. Check out options close to campus — look for things like ice skating, apple picking or bowling.
• Stay in Another great way to reconnect with your college friends is to have a night in. Says Roanoke College senior Madison Elliott: “Try a game night! Board games are great because you can talk the whole time. I try to stay away from TV activity when I’m meeting or catching up with friends because we talk through the whole thing.”
• Cook something up Hoople suggests getting reacquainted over some home cookin’: “My friends love to cook together, whether it’s a three-course meal or just a batch of cookies. If you have access to a kitchen, making food can be a great way to bond.”

3. Get Smart
It’s time to buckle down and get back into the habit of classes and homework. Natalie Friedman, visiting assistant professor of English and associate director of the Learning, Teaching and Research Center at Vassar College, has some advice for getting back into the academic swing of things:

• Take it easy “Professors know students need to get their heads in gear,” says Friedman, “so the beginning of the semester is a bit slower and lighter than the middle or end. Take it slow and easy, but don’t let things pile up. If you feel overwhelmed, try to do little assignments first. But don’t put them off, or you’ll never get to them.”
• Mind thy syllabus “It’s both a schedule and contract with your professor,” says Friedman. “She tells you what and when she expects from you; you agree to complete the reading and writing assignments and to be a good citizen in class. Don’t lose your syllabus — put it somewhere safe.” If it’s electronic, Friedman recommends keeping a version of it on your desktop or on a management program such as Microsoft Office.
• Buy your books “Don’t leave this errand for later,” advises Friedman. “Don’t promise yourself you’ll browse Amazon or other places for cheaper versions of the texts when you have time. You’ll never have more time than you do at the beginning of the semester. Do that task now.” Check out this site’s new Student Resource Directory for online book sources.
• Ask for help “If you find you’re really struggling with the transition, check out your campus resources. Many campuses have support services such as a writing center, notetaking service and even peer tutoring. Sometimes, all you need is someone else to be accountable to — try the buddy system with a friend, and be honest with each other about deadlines and the work you’re getting done.”

1. GrouperEye: This “survival of the fittest” project was started by and for college students looking for contract gigs. Businesses post a case on GrouperEye’s website and leave it open to students to solve. The company picks the best solution, and the student who came up with the idea is paid.

Click Here To See The Rest…

via OnlineUniversities

Need some easy money for school? Well there could be nothing easier than destroying your flashcards for a scholarship. That’s right – you can get $500 from SimpleLeap Software if you destroy your flashcards.

It’s called the Flashcard Scholarship and you can get $500 for simply destroying your flashcards CREATIVELY and submitting the video of you doing so to the Flashcard Scholarship YouTube page.

Simply visit the Flashcard Scholarship website, complete the short application form, destroy your flashcards on video and submit it! Now you are well on your way to $500 – perfect to use for tuition, books, or anything school related.

SimpleLeap will choose one (1) winner to receive the scholarship based on the creativity, ratings, and views of your flashcard destruction video! You can enter as many different videos as you choose, and the video can be no longer than 3 minutes (even though they prefer videos under 1 minute). The scholarship deadline is August 1, 2010 so please remember to apply soon.  More details including the scholarship fine print is available on the Flashcard Scholarship website.

After living in a cramped dorm room, coming home to your own bedroom can be a relief. But what happens if you open your bedroom door…to find that your old space is nothing like you left it?

When Syracuse University rising senior Aleecia Kaloustian got home from college, she found her room had become an art studio: “I walked in, and it was covered with drop cloths with my mom’s easels set up all over … I didn’t know where to sleep or put my stuff!” Getting home from college and finding you no longer have a bedroom is a stressful way to start your break, but there are ways to cope:

1. Don’t go into freak-out mode.
Panicking will only make things worse, so relax and assess the situation. “Keep in mind, the initial reaction getting home from college is not going to be the way things feel all summer,” says Marjorie Savage, Parent Program Director at the University of Minnesota and author of You’re on Your Own (But I’m Here If You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years.

“When you first get home, you might be surprised at changes that contrast with how you remembered family life. This disappointment is complicated by the fact that you’ve just gone through finals, packing and leaving your college friends. Try to separate the leaving-school emotions from emotions about being back home.”

Once you’ve gotten over the initial shock, talk to your parents — calmly.
While Kaloustian was upset that her room was no longer hers, after she expressed her feelings to her mom, the situation was fixed: “She felt bad, so she moved everything quickly and doesn’t paint in my room anymore.”

2. Stake out another space.
Says Savage: “I typically tell parents, ‘Don’t change your student’s room until they get their first apartment.’ They still need permanent space in their lives, especially if they’re home for the entire summer. Having said that, I was one of those parents who sent her kids to college and then moved across the state — to a house too small to accommodate bedrooms for all — but I did help them find their own space. One took over a spare room; the other carved out a private space in the basement.”

Grace Brennan, rising junior at Syracuse, came home during freshman year to find her house in disarray as her parents were in the process of moving. Her sister had taken some things out of her room, and her mom had invaded her space: “Even though I still had my own room, it didn’t feel like my room anymore. All my pictures and decorative stuff were gone, and my sister took my full-sized bed so I had a twin. And my mom used my computer and desk all the time, so it wasn’t my own space.”

During spring break this year, the family moved to a new home, where Brennan has to share a room with her sister. “Feeling like there wasn’t a place I could go and be comfortable and not worry about being bothered by a younger sister or brother or mom was annoying,” she says. “But there is a loft area that is sort of part of my sister’s room. I just made that my own room.”

3. Get outta the house!
“Find things to do outside your room or outside the house,” advises Savage. “Don’t simply sit in front of your computer surfing the Net or playing video games.”

Brennan hangs out in her backyard during the summer: “I spend a lot of time on my deck or lawn relaxing and don’t need to be in my room. Going home feels more like a vacation now as opposed to going to school feeling like time away. Realizing that made it easier for me to accept that my room isn’t really mine anymore.”

4. Take it like an adult.
“Everyone in the family has made changes based on the student being gone,” explains Savage. “Students need to understand that just as they have changed since leaving for college, the rest of the family has changed as well. The student’s return, while generally a pleasant homecoming experience, actually juts into the parents’ and siblings’ comfort zones too.

“It’s a good bet that the younger sister who suddenly has a roommate is feeling cramped, and the parent who happily escaped into that art studio is probably feeling some loss of an important space. The returning student doesn’t have to feel guilty about those reactions, but it’s important to know it’s not ‘all about me.’ Your family did not intentionally set up the household in a new way to cause you discomfort. They’ve made adjustments based on changes that came naturally with your transition to college. Understanding that can be the basis for a calm discussion about how to meet the needs of all family members.”

The Design Your Dorm site allows students to view an exact 3-D replica of their dorm, to drag and drop real furniture and decor into place, and then purchase these items, which are shipped directly to their dorms. The site also allows roommates to coordinate through social media tools, including in-site Facebook chat, sharing the design and eliminating the risk of buying two of one thing in the limited space. Entering their second back-to-school season, Design Your Dorm is running with last year’s success and looking to expand. Co-founder and University of Arizona 2008 graduate, Taylor Robinson, says, “We had such a positive response from students and parents last year, but the biggest complaint was that we didn’t have everyone’s schools. We worked tirelessly all year growing our database, and are proud to have the exact measurements from over 180 Universities.”

Check out their blog too at http://www.designyourdormblog.com/

Rebecca M. Carroll

The Coaching Educator^TM

www.thecoachingeducator.com
406-600-0605

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Collegeosity

The people behind Collegeosity noticed that high school college counselors and college resources largely deal with academic issues, and not with the basic, day-to-day details of life away from home, leaving students to feel intimidated by being away for possibly the first time. They also noticed that students have to deal with a small budget and this can be difficult without any experience. Parents and teachers can do only so much, but the people who understand the college experience and can anticipate its difficulties the best are current students. 

College students can use the website to:

Read the full list here…

via OnlineClasses.org

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School’s out for summer…or not. A recent poll of our Facebook fans showed that many students choose to take at least one class during summer. It’s not the most relaxing thing to do over break, but the benefits you reap are a good reason to keep those pencils sharpened.

Most schools offer multiple summer sessions, too, so if you’re not already registered for a class, it’s not too late.  Check out our quick and dirty list of why summer school is a good thing, it just might send you class shopping:

1. If you’re able to take classes at a school other than your own, there’s a good chance your letter grade will be converted to a pass or fail grade once you transfer your credit.  Although this keeps you from boosting your GPA by attending an easier college, it also gives you the freedom to slack off a bit.  Just think of how much less stressful it is to focus on getting a C rather than going for an A!
2. If your school allows you to transfer credits, you can take a summer class at a school that costs less money. Community colleges in particular are known for their low price per class unit.  Classes are so cheap that often times buying the textbook costs more than the class- another good reason for you to rent textbooks.
3. Some classes are only offered in summer or are so popular during the regular school year that you can’t get in.  Taking a class like this, or one that’s notoriously difficult, during summer helps you manage your regular schedule better and keeps you sharp for when you start back in fall.  Summer courses are also known to have a higher professor-student ratio, so you’ll get more interaction with your teacher and classmates.

Last, but not least, is the fact that taking summer school will help you graduate faster, and who doesn’t want that? That’s when school will really be out for summer.