Movies and television shows portray the college life as one big party. Granted, there are many opportunities to have fun in college, but there are ways to ensure you live a healthy lifestyle even if the people around you are constantly hung over. There can be a temptation for many college students to fall into "party mode" when they get to school. While they may look like they are constantly having a blast, chances are good that their grades are dramatically suffering as a result. If you can achieve a balance between having a good time and being healthy, you can ensure that you will get the most out of your college experience.
One way you can set yourself up for a healthy lifestyle is to set up your class schedule in a way that does not promote laziness. Try to schedule some early classes at least a couple days a week. This will get you up and out of bed at a decent hour. On days that you do not have an early class, wake up and go to the gym. If you can develop a routine where you are working out in the morning, you are more likely to avoid late nights of cramming or partying – neither is good for you. Make sure you also eat breakfast. Eating something in the morning will help your metabolism and will give you energy for the rest of the day.
As mentioned above, exercise is crucial to achieving a healthier you. If you get in a rut of staying up late and partying too much, your exercise habits are bound to go down the tubes. You may have been accustomed to playing sports when you were in high school. Unless you are on a team at your college, you will have to become self-disciplined when it comes to working out. Most colleges have decent workout facilities. Find a friend with whom you can rely to go to the gym on a regular basis. Having someone push you is another way to make sure that you are staying on top of your workouts.
Make sure you are getting enough sleep. Most college students stay up to the wee hours of the morning for a variety of reasons. This is not a recipe for good health. College-aged students should be getting at least eight hours of sleep a night. Getting enough sleep results in having enough energy to get you through grueling days of classes and studying. Being well-rested also helps you stay focused in class much better than guzzling cups of coffee. It may sound easier said than done, but developing a proper sleep pattern will help you be a more successful student.
Whether you are staying up all night studying at the library, or getting in late at night because you were at a party, the life of a college student rarely includes normal sleeping patterns. Continuing bad sleeping habits can lead to sleep disorders, which can cause students to become sleep deprived quickly and interfere with their ability to function in class. You probably have heard that it’s important to get six to eight hours of sleep each night, but if you can never quite manage to, you are not alone.
In a Fall 2009 study by the American College Health Association 20.4 percent of college students reported that sleep difficulties had been "traumatic or very difficult to handle" and 43.4 percent reported that they "felt tired, dragged out, or sleepy during the day" on 3 to 5 days of the past week. But lack of sleep can do more than make you feel sleepy, it can increase weight gain, cause problems with your cardiovascular system, and even affect your immune system’s ability to fight off infections. Students experiencing more than just a little difficulty falling asleep could be suffering from insomnia just like 3.4 percent of the students in the study who reported that they had been diagnosed or treated by a professional for the disorder within the past 12 months. Insomnia is characterized by difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep on most nights for a month or longer may be experiencing insomnia, which can be brought on by stress, illness, anxiety, or depression.
You may be under the impression that you have to sacrifice sleep in order to study, but pulling an all-nighter may not help your grades. In the study, 20 percent of students reported that sleep difficulties within the last 12 months had interfered with their academic performance and caused them to receive a lower grade on an exam or project, receive a lower grade in a course, caused them to receive an incomplete or drop the course completely, or experienced a significant disruption in a thesis, dissertation, research, or practicum work. If you think that sleep difficulties are interfering with your ability to be successful, it might be time to get some professional help. Visit your school’s wellness center and see if you can discuss your problem with a health care professional who can diagnose and treat you. If the pressures of school are keeping you up at night, see if you can talk to a counselor who you can talk to about your stress and give you advice on how to handle it.
Between classes and homework, the last thing you want to do in your free time is study. In college, it can be hard to find a good life balance that includes both academic and social endeavors. You may be finding that after getting home from school that you don’t have the time or patience to spend the remaining hours of the day reviewing exam material. If this sounds like you, maybe it’s time to incorporate studying into your daily life.
Daily activities like getting to your next class or driving in your car are good opportunities to get a little extra studying in. If you ride the bus to get to and from classes utilize your sit time and go over the lecture notes you took that day. Don’t like to carry around a bunch of papers with you? See if your phone, PDA, or iPod will allow you to view emails, Word, or PDF documents. Storing your notes in a digital format not only reduces the weight in your backpack, but ensures that you are never without them. Also think about how much time you spend driving each day going to school or running errands. Instead of listening to whatever pop song is on the radio, you can be putting useful information inside your head. Start recording class lectures and turn them into MP3 files that you can listen to in your car, while walking to class, or during a workout. Listening to lectures not only frees up your hands for other activities, but can help you to recall information better when you are taking an exam.
During this day and age, it is likely you spend a lot of time on the Internet. Whether you are on the computer surfing your favorite news site or catching up on your favorite blog, you may find yourself feeling guilty because you haven’t reviewed the vocabulary for your next history exam. Before you take that guilt trip, think about how you might be able to do both. In between blog posts, consider visiting your textbook’s companion Web site, which will typically provide access to interactive study tools where you can review vocabulary, concepts, and questions, from each chapter. After you check your e-mail, you can click on interactive flash cards to help you learn and memorize vocabulary or take an interactive quiz to test your knowledge on each chapter.
Librarians need to be on the constant cutting edge in terms of technology, researching, web tools and even architecture and design. But libraries are also a great place to educate the public and your students about the environment, from eco-friendly lifestyle choices to organizations that promote green causes. Here are 100 ways to make your library a little greener.
Maintenance and Green Building
Keep your library clean and eco-friendly with these tips.
Turn down the heat one or two degrees: Care2 writes that "each 1-degree drop for an eight-hour period reduces your fuel bill percent," saving you money and cutting down on electricity usage.
Use fans: If you can, install ceiling fans to cool down the library without overusing the A/C.
Take advantage of windows: Strategically placed windows will provide natural light and may help with heating or cooling costs.
Use eco-friendly light bulbs: Switch to eco-friendly light bulbs that save money and electricity.
Use Energy Star products: Products with the Energy Star have been approved by the U.S. government as energy-saving products.
Switch to safe cleaning products: Use cleaning products that are safe for your library materials, your patrons, and the environment.
Use recycled paper: Put recycled paper in the printers, and use recycled notebooks, poster board, napkins, and more.
Keep up with the U.S. Green Building Council: Join a local chapter, find building guidelines, look for builders, and more.
Recycle ink cartridges: Recycle your library’s ink cartridges instead of just throwing them in the trash.
Re-insulate your library: Re-insulate your roof, windows and any other openings to cut down on excess electricity costs.
Fix leaks: Stop wasting water by fixing any leaks in bathrooms, kitchens and in the basement.
DIY your own green remodeling project: Even if you don’t have the budget for a whole new building, follow these guidelines for small but significant steps you can take to remodel your library so that it’s greener.
Hardware
Learn how to choose the right computers and resources by reading this list.
Purchase eco-friendly computers: When you need new computers, search for eco-friendly versions.
Use laptops: Laptops use less electricity than desktop versions.
Know how to clean your computers: Eco-friendly, safe computer cleaning tips include using biodegradable dust cloths and old t-shirts.
Recycle computers: Safely recycle computers instead of harming the environment when you throw them away.
Buy recycled items: Buy recycled ink cartridges and other supplies.
Consider the Kindle 2: It’s expensive and may upset some reading purists, but the Kindle 2 is an eco-friendly reading tool. Purchase one for the library to spread awareness to readers.
Turn off computers: Save energy and money by turning off computers at night.
Special Events and Projects
Host special events like contests, and go after environmental grants to raise awareness and become a greener library.
Apply for grants: Certain grants awarded by environmental agencies or the government will help your library with funding for green projects and renovations.
Start a paper drive: Ask the public and your students to bring in old newspapers and other papers to recycle: they may even be turned into books one day!
Hold recycling contests: Hold recycling contests between grades, individuals, or against other libraries.
Apply for green awards: Find out if your state or community offers an award for libraries who go green.
Put up a display about reducing your carbon footprint: Put together a presentation or display to discuss each person’s carbon footprint.
Sponsor a field trip: Whether you’re a public library or an academic or school library, sponsor a field trip to an environmental agency or project in your area. Car pool if you can.
Invite special guest speakers: Educate your patrons by inviting professionals who work for environmental causes to give a presentation.
Make your own paper: Show kids and patrons what it takes to make your own recycled paper.
Start an arts and crafts event: Show patrons the cool items you can make out of recycled items, including recycled books.
Sponsor an essay contest: Sponsor a kids’ essay contest, and ask them to write on any environmental issue they care about.
Write a petition: If your library needs help raising money or supporting an environmental cause, ask your patrons to sign a petition.
Support local artists: Sponsor an artist’s fair at your library every so often as a fundraiser and a way to show off artists’ eco-friendly designs.
Awareness
Spread awareness about your green policies through these projects.
Sell Fair Trade coffee in your snack area: Fair Trade coffee is used in many academic libraries and is made in humane, eco-friendly conditions.
Go all out for Earth Month: It’s not just about Earth Day anymore. Use the whole month of April to showcase your library’s green progress.
Sell eco-friendly snacks and drinks: Sell drinks and snacks that are bottled and packaged in eco-friendly materials.
Use an eco-friendly car as your bookmobile: If your budget allows for a bookmobile, lobby for an eco-friendly vehicle to drop off books.
Abide by the 100-mile rule: Provide food that is from within 100 miles of your community to ensure that you’re supporting local farmers and cutting down on pollutants from shipping food.
Start a blog: Spread awareness about your library’s green activities by blogging about it regularly.
Honor your "greenest" library patrons and professionals: Instead of Employee of the Month, fuss over the employees and patrons who are the most supportive of your green policies each month.
Support the EPA National Library Network: The Environmental Protection Agency is building up its resources on environmental protection, the basic sciences, engineering, and more.
Celebrate reading: Reading is a relatively eco-friendly activity, especially when books are made out of recycled materials and are checked out by more than one person.
Highlight environmentally-conscious writers: Authors who write extensively about nature, land and the environment–like Steinbeck or Wordsworth–deserve recognition, as do more contemporary writers.
Customize your home page: Customize your library’s home page to underscore all that you’re doing to go green.
Using the Web
Take advantage of all the web tools and sites you can use to cut down on paper.
SecondLife: Hold meetings and organize training workshops online through the virtual world SecondLife instead of requiring employees to drive to retreats.
Move accounts online: Cut down on paper notices and make it easier for patrons to keep up with their accounts by making them accessible online
Create an online catalog: Cut down on paper by moving your catalog onto your website.
Send e-mail updates: Instead of mailing out paper newsletters, create e-mail campaigns to announce special events and keep in touch.
WorldCat: Connect with other libraries around the world to share information electronically.
Move archives online: Put newspaper and magazine archives online to help preserve the originals.
Monkey on Your Back: Send memos and reminders via this online service, rather than wasting paper and sticky notes.
Backpack: Use Backpack to share information, announcements, task lists and files with those who work in your library. It’s all online, cutting down on paper and clutter.
Facebook: Create a Facebook page for your library to keep in touch with patrons, list events and announcements, post pictures, and more.
Basecamp: Basecamp is another online tool that lets you organize your team.
Outdoors
Don’t forget to turn your outdoor environment into a greener, more sustainable spot.
Start an organic garden: Grow a garden to spread awareness on sustainability and provide a healthy eating option for participating library patrons and workers.
Plant flowers: Show pride in your environment by planting in-season, local flowers and shrubs.
Use safe pesticides: Safe and/or natural pesticides will help keep your plants healthy without damaging your health or the environment.
Compost: If you’re allowed, get rid of waste by composting.
Minimize formal landscaping: Cut down on excessive landscaping that rips up the natural environment.
Plant trees: If you do need to eliminate trees from your building project, plant a new one in a better spot.
Host events outdoors: Get people outside and aware of their environment by hosting special events, like reading days, outside.
Be aware of dumping and runoff laws: Make sure your library isn’t leaking any pollutants into a nearby water source, and that you dump trash in zoned areas.
Pick up trash: Keep empty trash cans around your premises so that it’s easy for patrons to properly dispose of garbage.
Networks
Make sure your library is tuned in to the latest environmental news and trends by networking with these organizations and through these platforms. You’ll find materials for educating and engaging your patrons, too.
Care2: Care2 is a social network that organizes people who want to make a difference by living green.
TreeHugger: Learn about the latest trends in green design, food, fashion, building, travel and technology.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife: Learn about environmental contaminants, pollutants that hurt animals and natural ecosystems, and how you can help.
United Nations Environment Programme: This network discusses natural disasters and global conflicts, ecosystem management, pollutants, resource efficiency, climate change, and more.
EnergyStar: Learn about environmentally safe electronics, lighting solutions, heating and cooling resources, and more.
National Audubon Society: Discover how your library can support this wildlife protection agency through special projects, field trips and sponsorships.
Natural Resources Defense Council: This organization tackles everything from global warming and green living to environmental policies and more.
The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy has lots of information about protecting the environment. Your library can pick from lots of different causes to support, like the Atlantic forest, the fresh water initiative, global warming, and more.
National Geographic Society: The National Geographic Society is an educational organization that has plenty of tools and materials for learning about the environment and discovering how to care for it.
Earth 911: Get your patrons involved on this site, which explains how to recycle different materials and where to find recycling centers in your area.
Must-Read Resources
Librarians conscious about green projects will need to keep up with these blogs and resources.
The Green Library Blog: Read this blog to learn about green library news and to get tips on how you can improve your library.
Encourage employees to car pool: Help your employees set up a car pool or van pool so that they can cut down on pollutants.
Support local businesses: Try to buy supplies and other items for businesses in your area.
Turn out the lights: Turn out lights when they’re not being used, especially in conference rooms, special collections rooms, and study rooms.
Recycle paper into notebooks: Use these recycled notebooks for memos and scratch paper.
Purchase recycled books: If you can, start purchasing books made out of recycled materials for your library.
Hook up several computers to the same printer: This popular method saves electricity, paper (since you don’t have to continuously stock several different printers), and money.
Use eFax: This online version of a fax service cuts down on wasted paper.
Reward green drivers: Reserve the closest parking spots for those who car pool and drive eco-friendly cars.
Use hand sanitizer: Put out hand sanitizer to cut down on over-washing your hands in the bathroom.
Set up a bike rack: Set up a large bike rack in front of your library to encourage patrons to ride their bikes instead of drive to the library.
Write on both sides of the paper: Use up every inch of scratch paper before throwing it away.
Subscribe to newsletters, magazines and special catalogs online: Many catalogs and newsletters offer an online or eco-friendly option that saves wasted paper and eliminates junk mail.
Set up recycling bins outside: Besides encouraging patrons to recycle indoors, turn your parking lot into a community recycling center, with bins for newspapers, aluminum, glass, and more.
Buy pillows and furniture made of eco-friendly items: Support local furnishers and companies that use eco-friendly, humane methods for manufacturing eco-friendly items.
For many high school graduates the thought of taking a break from school and getting a job right out of high school can seem attractive. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in October 2009, 70.1 percent of 2009 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, and those who were not were more likely than enrolled graduates to be in the labor force. When high school students are choosing what to do after graduation, they might wonder just how important earning a bachelor’s degree is. The answer is, much more than they might think.
Earning your bachelor’s degree is important because it will help you to earn more money. When it comes to how much money one can make in a lifetime, the average college graduate will earn 61 percent moreover a 40-year working life than the average high school graduate, reported College Board in their 2009 study "Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society." This is proof that completing the four or so more years of education after high school is well worth the effort. Many young adults consider bypassing college because they have to pay for it themselves and may have to go into debt in order to enroll. But even if you have to borrow the full cost of your education, you will still be better off with that diploma in your hand. According to the study, students who have to borrow the majority of the money to pay for college will still likely be financially better off, fairly soon after graduation, than they would be even if they began working full-time right out of high school.
Earning your bachelor’s degree is important because it will help you live a better lifestyle. When it comes to one’s quality of life, those who have a bachelor’s degree tend to fare better than those without one. First, college graduates tend to value healthier lifestyles. According to the study at every age and income level, higher levels of education are correlated with better health. For example, low-income bachelor’s degree recipients were more likely than high school graduates at any income level to report that they were in either excellent or very good health. Earning a bachelor’s degree not only improves the life of college graduates but the lives of their children. The study found that the children of college-educated adults are more likely to have higher cognitive skills, as well as be more involved in athletic, religious, and cultural extracurricular activities than other children.
It’s a common workplace saying to "work smarter, not harder." Well, sometimes the same is true for studying for college classes. Instead of creating stack after stack of index card flashcards, or pulling round after round of all-nighters, realize that there might be better and more effective ways to study.
First, acknowledge that few students actually enjoy studying. They might enjoy learning in general, but trying to cram hundreds of facts in your head gets dull very quickly. That’s why you need to make it fun. Form a study group, have everyone pitch in some snacks and make studying a group effort. Having friends present will make studying more enjoyable—just make sure that your study group is focused on the material rather than just goofing off.
Another good habit to get into for effective studying is routinely visiting your professor before tests during his or her office hours and asking for his or her study recommendations. Most professors will respect that you are taking the initiative and will give you some helpful hints beyond what you will get in class. Don’t expect to get a play-by-play of the test questions from your professor, but you can definitely expect to get at least an idea of what material to focus your efforts on.
Studying a little bit every day is also a good habit to get into. Every day after class, quickly look over your notes and highlight anything that your professor seemed to especially emphasize. Also, don’t put off your assigned reading until the last minute. If you absorb a little information each day, it won’t be such a mental burden when test week rolls around.
When studying for hours at a time for a big test or final, be sure to take a 10- to 15-minute break every hour to give your mind a rest. If you don’t, you’ll soon find that your mind will start wandering or that all the words on your notes will begin to look like gibberish. And what good is nonstop studying if you’re not absorbing the material?
Finally, realize that not all college exams are short answer or multiple choice. Prepare yourself for essay-style questions by truly understanding the material, not just memorizing facts. When studying, make sure you are not only learning the answers to questions, but also learning the material to the point where you could explain the concepts to someone else if you needed to.
The teaching profession is one of the most noble callings an individual can answer. Everyone has had a mixed bag of teachers over the years. Some are excellent motivators. Others are masters of their material. Still, others are poor communicators who don’t have a clue about what they are talking about. Becoming a professional teacher takes a lot of hard work. Not only do you need to be thoroughly knowledgeable about your particular subject, you also need to work on mastering your teaching technique. It has been said that you can be the top genius in your field, but if you can’t reach your students you will never be an effective teacher.
If you decide as an undergraduate student that you want to become a teacher, then you should speak with your academic advisor and map out a plan. Typically, you will need to devote at least a year to taking educator preparation courses. These are in addition to the subject you wish to teach. For instance, if you want to teach English, you need to complete the requirements for your English degree and also complete the educator preparation classes, which includes your student teaching. The student teaching practicum usually lasts at least one full semester. During this time, you will not be taking other classes. You will report to your field placement everyday and you will act as the teacher of record.
If you decide after you have finished your undergraduate degree that you want to become a teacher, you have a little more difficult path to go down. If you want to teach the subject area in which you earned your degree, your best bet is to enroll in a school’s post baccalaureate teacher licensure program. Colleges will often work in tandem with your state to develop a program that allows you to complete all the requirements to earn a license to teach. If you want to teach in an area different than your degree, you will most likely have to go back to school and take enough courses in that area to satisfy the state’s requirements before you can begin your student teaching.
Your student teaching experience will hopefully act as a springboard for your success as a professional teacher. You will work with an established teacher that has volunteered to serve as your mentor. You will take over his or her classes for the length of at least one college semester. Your task will be to develop effective lesson plans and to create a classroom environment suited for learning. It can be an exciting experience, and, by its completion, you will know whether you really want to be a teacher.
U.S. Presidents have to manage a mind-boggling range of issues, from international affairs to domestic cultural issues to the environment to national security to economics. And just as no presidents deal with the same exact issues in the same circumstances, no presidents have prepared for the job in the same way. Some presidents enjoyed long careers in politics and studied political science, U.S. history and international relations, but others had careers in journalism, education and even geology before entering into politics. Read on to discover the 10 most surprising majors in presidential history.
William Henry Harrison: William Henry Harrison is unfortunately most famous today for dying in office after contracting a bad cold virus. The ninth President of the United States, and the last president born before the American Independence was also a medical school dropout, and only boasted 32 days in office.
Ronald Reagan: Ronald Reagan’s legacy includes the end of the Cold War and the toppling of the Soviet Union, as well as the U.S. Republican Revolution, which re-strengthened the Republican party for decades. Before getting into politics however, the 40th President of the United States was an Illinois-born actor who enjoyed a successful film career in Hollywood in the 1930s - 1940s, even serving as 3rd Vice President of the Screen Actors Guild after serving in the military. His dual major at Eureka College in sociology and economics no doubt helped him for each of his future careers.
Jimmy Carter: Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, is still regarded for his peace-keeping projects and sensibility. The Georgia-born Carter was actually the first president born in a hospital, in 1924. He attended Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Tech, studying mathematics but never graduating from either. Ultimately, Carter enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated 59th out of 820 students.
Warren G. Harding: Warren G. Harding, the 29th U.S. President, does not have a very positive political legacy and favored friends from his Ohio circle when picking Cabinet members. But before entering politics, Harding was a prominent newspaper publisher in Marion, OH. He attended Ohio Central College in Iberia, where he studied printing and journalism.
Lyndon B. Johnson: LBJ is one of U.S. history’s most controversial presidents, due to his failure in Vietnam. But LBJ also played a significant role in progressing the civil rights movement and NASA. Johnson–who, as Vice President, succeeded President John F. Kennedy when he was assassinated–had humble beginnings and was born in a farmhouse in south central Texas. Johnson studied education at the Southwest Texas State Teachers’ College and favored teaching Mexican immigrant children in Cotulla and Pearsall, TX, before taking a position as a public speaking teacher in Houston. As President, Johnson continued to support education and even signed the Higher Education Act of 1965, which created scholarships and increased the amount of federal money given to colleges and universities.
Herbert Hoover: Though when he was sworn in to office as the 31st President Hoover had no previous experience as an elected official, Hoover was a Renaissance man for the times. He was an author, a mining engineer and had served as the United States Secretary of Commerce under Presidents Harding and Coolidge. He was also in the first class at Stanford University in 1891, where he studied geology. As for his legacy, Hoover was harshly criticized during and after his Presidency for his treatment of the 1929 stock market crash and heavy taxation laws.
George H.W. Bush: George H.W. Bush was the 41st U.S. President and had served as Vice President under Ronald Reagan and as Director of Central Intelligence under Gerald R. Ford. He was part of the Republic Revolution inspired by Reagan but was unable to get reelected against Democrat Bill Clinton after his first term. After World War II, during which Bush served as a naval aviator, he attended Yale University, where he studied economics, perhaps a surprise since Bush’s economic legacy was used against him by the Clinton camp during the 1992 presidential campaign.
George W. Bush: George W. Bush, 43rd President of the U.S. and son of President George H.W. Bush, enjoyed serving for two terms but has an uncertain legacy as the Commander in Chief who started the second Iraq War, detained prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and pursued the phantom Weapons of Mass Destruction. Bush, considered to be the cowboy president, is also the only president to have an MBA, which he earned in the 1970s from Harvard Business School.
Harry S Truman: Harry S. Truman was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Vice President and succeeded him after he died during his third term, in 1945. When Truman became President, he was almost immediately in charge of making the decision to drop the atomic bomb in Japan. Though Truman studied law for a couple of years and had solid experience in politics–serving as county judge, U.S. senator and Vice President before becoming President–he never earned a degree from college.
Woodrow Wilson: President Wilson, most famous for helping resolve the post-WWI treaties and helping start The League of Nations (which the U.S. never joined) also has a Nobel Peace Prize and was the President who first declared national Mother’s Day. Earlier in life, however, Wilson was an esteemed faculty member at Bryn Mawr College and Wesleyan University, as well as the first Constitutional Law lecturer at New York Law School, which is better known today as New York University School of Law. The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University is also named for him. Wilson was himself a dedicated student. He graduated from Princeton in 1879, attended one year of law school at the University of Virginia, and ultimately earned a Ph.D. in history and political science from Johns Hopkins University in 1883. He is the only U.S. President to have earned a doctorate degree.
If you are in college, chances are you already have, or will eventually have, a roommate. Roommates can be one of the most fun things about the college experience, or they can just suck the fun right out of everything. Choosing to put another name on your lease is a big commitment, so you should make sure that choice is the right one. If you want to save yourself a lot of trouble, you can’t just live with anyone who will help pay the rent; you have to be choosy about your roommates.
When it comes to choosing a roommate, you have to be choosy about living standards. Think about it - your roommate isn’t just going to be living in the room across the hall, but in the entire house. Common living areas, such as the kitchen, living room, laundry room, and sometimes even the bathroom, are meant to be shared equally between all people in the house. Consider what your personal preferences are, and what you will and will not be able to tolerate. If you can’t stand having dirty dishes in the sink, then you might want to run that past someone before they decide to move in with you. When it comes to cleaning standards, it is important that everyone in the house agrees on similar ones. When choosing a roommate, make sure it is someone who will agree to establish rules about cleaning up after themselves and taking turnings doing household chores.
When it comes to choosing a roommate, you have to be choosy about their level of responsibility. When you agree to live with another person, that means you are both equally responsible for paying the rent, utilities, and for any damages either of you may cause to the house. When it comes to rent, it must be paid in full at the beginning of the month no matter where the money comes from. This means that you need to have a roommate who is going to be responsible and have the money to pay it because if they don’t, you could also get in trouble. Utility bills also must be paid on time and if they are not you could experience a blackout in your own home. Unless you enjoy studying by candle light, you will want to choose a roommate who understands the importance of not missing due dates.
Even with low-cost online programs, the bill for many degree programs is simply more than most students can handle out of pocket. Many students turn to scholarships and grants, but loans are also a great option for making up the difference you need to make school affordable for you. Contrary to what you may believe, finding a student loan for online studies is usually not difficult.
It’s essential that you’re informed of what you’re getting into with a student loan. This is a debt that may be with you for some time, and you do not want to end up with a loan that was once exactly what you needed, but eventually becomes a real burden.
Before you do anything, think carefully about exactly how much you need to cover for your college costs. Consider textbooks, tuition, and contributions from scholarships or grants. Borrow only what you need in order to avoid nonessential debt later.
Once you know what’s needed, consider what type of loan is best for you. The most popular are federal loans, offered as Stafford and Perkins loans. They are generally government subsidized, will not accrue interest while you study, and offer more flexibility in interest and payment. Private loans are also available, but because they are more expensive and less flexible, they are only recommended if absolutely necessary to close a gap between scholarships, grants, personal funds, and federal student loans.
Apply for federal loans using the FAFSA to find out what you are eligible for. Once you are approved, compare offers and shop around. You should talk to your school’s financial aid office to find out what they recommend, and look into non-profit lending agencies. Make use of loan calculators and find out which loan offer will work the best for you. Find out if your interest rate is variable, when you’ll have to make payments, penalties, and what happens if you decide to continue your education.
As an informed student loan consumer, you can avoid getting taken for a ride. Carefully look at all of the details involved with your student loan, and be sure you know exactly what you’re getting into. If you don’t think you’ll be able to handle your student loan, look into other options, like scholarships, grants, and even work study programs that can make up the difference.
