college
Maximize your university experience with these tips for all things collegiate–how to achieve a perfect GPA, select the right major, finance your college education and more.
My Life After High School
You know, I’m not ready to be an adult. I wish there was a way to time travel back to when I was a kid. By junior and senior year everyone always told me that I should get prepared for college and to be ready for adulthood, but I put it off because I thought I had time. Now it’s here and I’m just making it. Adjusting to life after high school is definitely different for everyone, but I’m going to tell you about mine. Right now I’m in college about 170 miles away from my house and I’m struggling between missing my family, friends and dog and trying to keep up with my college classes, homework and having some relaxation time.
Rosemary GuzmanPublished 6 years ago in EducationDoes College Accreditation Matter?
When it's time for young students to prepare for the next step in their education by applying to colleges, they typically don't seek out the school's accreditation. This is because it's simply something they don't think to check, though, it is definitely one of the things to consider before starting college. Luckily for these students, this oversight usually doesn't come back to haunt them, as pretty much all public colleges and universities in the United States (your "state schools," etc.) are, as a rule, recognized by the appropriate accrediting bodies, but more on that process in a moment.
Joseph D. N. KendrickPublished 6 years ago in EducationThe War on Textbooks
Since beginning college I have been faced with the harsh reality of money. The reality being I don’t have any and everything in this world has a price I must pay. A price we all must pay. Tuition has risen so much over the years that so many students either drop out or go into debt. Moreover, the price for textbooks have also been risen. Some books go for over $100 each and when you have six classes that is $600 you are forced to pay just for books. Most people who are attending college can’t afford that. There needs to be an alternative so students don’t go even further into debt over textbooks that half the time aren’t even used throughout the semester. An article in the Times by Kaitlin Mulhere discusses the alternative of eliminating printed textbooks at Maryland University College to save money for their 64,000 undergraduate students. Using online methods instead of printed textbooks is not only much more convent for a busy, traveling student but it can be one less thing they must worry about paying for. Mulhere states, “whether individual students are paying a literal 1,041 percent more today than they were in 1977 is not the question, said Mark Perry, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan who has tracked rising textbook prices for years. College textbook prices are increasing way more than parents' ability to pay for them. At the extreme end, one specialized chemistry textbook on his campus costs $400 at the campus bookstore.” This quote from Mulhere lays out for us the exact difference from the prices in the 70’s to the prices for textbooks now.
Bridget BarnesPublished 6 years ago in EducationPart II: Should a University Have to Pay the University to Market the University?
Overview In the first part of this article, we examined the changing dynamics between universities and their athletic departments. We looked at how more and more, an institution’s identity is increasingly intertwined with its sports activity. We examined the pressure on colleges across the country to compete in the athletic space—both on the field and financially.
David WyldPublished 6 years ago in EducationHow to Make the Most Out of College
Change isn't easy. Moving over 1,000 miles away from your family and friends and everything you've always known isn't easy. I'm the kind of person that generally doesn't enjoy change (but I mean, who does?) and, in most cases, doesn't handle it very well. Going off to college both scared me and excited me greatly, mostly because I've known I wanted to be at this particular school for the past two years, but it's so far away from my little hometown that it felt like the scariest thing in the world.
cecil elliotPublished 6 years ago in EducationUniversity: Do You Really Need It?
There’s an unbelievable amount of pressure placed on young people today to become ‘successful’. More so than ever before because everyone is watching…..on instagram! We’re taught that in order to become ‘something’ we must follow a set path that looks a little like this:
Stuck in a Major I Hate
I am a General Engineering major in my last year of college and I hate it. I regret choosing it. If I was given the chance to start all over and choose another major, I would take the chance in a heartbeat.
Pauline LiPublished 6 years ago in EducationSurviving University
As someone currently in her final year of University and trying to juggle a long distance relationship, family halfway across the country, a social life, and writing the most important piece of literature of her life so far whilst completing other assignments, I can say without a shadow of a doubt... it's the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
Laura ParkPublished 6 years ago in EducationPost Grad: What the Real World Looks like After Graduating
College graduation is an exciting time. For the past 12+ years we have been working towards receiving a higher education, a degree that can make our families proud, but also allow us to achieve a dream job. As we graduate from college, we embark on a new chapter, a new journey where we begin to understand the reality of being an adult and having to now learn to take on responsibilities such as paying your own rent, etc. I grew up with friends who had to work at an early age to support themselves, to friends who were dependent on financial aid and student loans, and to friend whose parents helped along the way. I was fortunate to have my parents help me when it came to financial support, but I also had the help of financial aid and student loans. As I began to live in an apartment that is where I realized how much it takes to live on your own and why it's important to save money when it comes to paying bills.
Carina TejadaPublished 6 years ago in EducationBeing Diagnosed in College
During my first semester of college, I was in a wheelchair most of the fall. During the spring semester after that fall, I was put in the hospital and almost lost my life to a blood clot. Last fall, I found out that my kidneys were lower functioning than a normal 20 year old. It's been over a year since I nearly died, and I haven't had a break from bad health since. Now, I finally know what's been wrong with me all along. Over this last summer, I was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE for short. I was tired all the time, I couldn't even drag myself to my afternoon classes sometimes, and I totally blew off my morning classes. I needed sleep. I couldn't function without it. I couldn't even walk straight or keep myself upright without 10 or more hours of sleep. College, as most people know, is not known for the healthy sleeping habits of students. UTI's were a monthly occurrence, and infections were almost unbearable for me and my body. I was constantly tired, my seizure disorder started to flare up and I ended up getting a service dog to help me function in my daily life and to alert me of seizures, so I could be safe on campus.
Alyssa CherryPublished 6 years ago in EducationDegree in Debt
"If you work really hard in school, you'll be able to get yourself into a good University and then that will be you set up for life..." or some variation of this classic spiel is what most teenagers hear all over the world. Tertiary education always seems to be held to such a high standard all over the world. In movies it is always depicted as a privilege of the rich kids while the working class typically go in to a blue collar job. This depiction may be slightly more accurate in places such as the United States due to college being so expensive and the government not doing much to help people to gain a college level education. In my home country, however, undergraduate degree tuition is covered by the government, so it is a lot more accessible to everyone regardless of their backgrounds. What I like about this is that it allows people to gain a place at their top choice Uni through hard work and their own intelligence rather than how many zeroes are on the pay cheque handed over by their parents. It allows anyone to have that window of opportunity opened for them. Or so we all thought. As a final year undergraduate student, I can tell you that a degree holds not a lot of opportunity any more.
Megan CrawfordPublished 6 years ago in EducationThe Dilemma of the Generation of Poor College Students
Completing a four-year (at least) Bachelor's degree seems like the new minimum for nearly any career nowadays. In prior generations, the necessary education barely exceeding that of a high school diploma, with some succeeding greatly by dropping out to gain experience and work to support their families. Now, it is hard for anyone with a high school diploma or equivalent to find any job that is worth their time and they are treated like they are lesser for no good reason. Ask yourself this, would you rather find a good job that you enjoy that pays you $50,000/year and have zero debt or would you rather make $75,000/year and be $250,000 in debt? That’s up to you but consider the long term effects and stress of taking out large loans because they do not always guarantee success. Personally I do not like debt, if you are constantly trying to crawl out of hole you always feel pressure. I would 100% prefer to be happy and stress free making less money each year with no debt than being someone that is unhappy, stressed out and making way more but has debt. There’s a lot more to life than money and bragging rights.
Charles QuinnPublished 6 years ago in Education