The Inside Scoop on Staying Safe in College

I already know what you’re thinking. You think that there’s nothing to be afraid of on college campuses. And hopefully, that’s true. But like they always say, it’s better to be safe than sorry! Now I’m not suggesting that you walk around your college campus in broad daylight with your cell phone out & ready to call 911 at a moment’s notice. All I’m asking is for you to hear me out, and maybe even take a few of my suggestions. But I won’t push it.

I am now going to present you with a few situations, and a few brilliant solutions.

Situation 1) Let’s pretend that it’s 12:00 at night and you’re walking home from the library after a very long night of studying. Like I said, we’re pretending. It’s dark out, you’re alone, and your dorm room is more than a few minutes away.

Solution 1) The solution to this problem is that you shouldn’t be in this situation, obviously! But if you did make the mistake of walking to your dorm room by yourself, there are a few things you can do. First, you should definitely send your dorm roommate a text that you’re on your way back. Next, don’t take any short cuts! Stay on the most well lit path possible to your dorm room. Lastly, you should have your key out before you get to your dorm building. There are lots of ways to make sure your dorm key or ID card is easy for you to find and use. In this situation, it would be very helpful if you had a student ID case or Id wallet to keep your cards and keys easy to use and find.

Situation 2) Your college dorm room is on the first floor and there’s a rumor that there is a Peeping Tom on your college campus. Having a huge window next to your bed does not always make you feel secure. And either do those flimsy plastic shades that come with your dorm room!

Solution 2) The best part about this situation is that it’s not your fault. Privacy is hard to come by in college dorm rooms. You have to share your college dorm room with your roommate, but you don’t have to share it with the rest of the students on campus. There are a few ways to solve this problem. I suggest using a Peel N Stick dorm window cover. They are available in all different colors and styles and can be cut to fit the exact dimensions of your window. If you love the sunlight as much as you love privacy, that’s not a problem. Peel N Stick dorm window covers can be taken on and off easily without leaving behind any residue. That Peeping Tom will give up peeping in no time if you keep your dorm widow completely covered.

Situation 3) You have to walk out to your car to grab a text book because you forgot to bring it into your dorm room. Your car is a five minute walk away in a secluded parking lot. And oh yea, it’s 12:00 AM!

Solution 3) To be on the safe side, I’d have to tell you to just get the textbook in the morning. But if you really, really need the text book, then I do have a way to make you feel less scared, and more secure on your way to your car. Two words: Pepper Spray. Hopefully you never have to use it, but it’s always good to have just in case. There are lots of different cases and containers for pepper spray, but there aren’t any cooler than our Lipstick/Perfume pepper spray. So if you have to run to your car, you might as well be prepared for the worst in the best way possible with powerful pepper spray.

I hope that you never run into any of these situations in college, but if you do, now you know what to do, and how to do it. I’d love to conquer more college questions and situations, but this is a blog, not a book!

The Dietary Dilemmas of College Dining Halls

When you go away to college, a lot of things change. New friends, new schedule, new place to live, and new food choices for dinner. Don’t get me wrong, all of these changes are exciting, but after a few months, one of these major new changes can get majorly old. Can you guess which one it is? If you guessed new food for dinner, you’ve guessed correctly! Yes, college dining halls are convenient, but are they too consistent? The answer to this question is of course up to you, but today I’d like to show you a few tricks to avoid getting sick of your college dining hall’s treats.

 Although college cafeterias don’t lack in quantity, they can lack in variety. All you can eat sounds great during your first week of school, but give it time, and All you can eat transforms into All you can eat again & again & again…. You get the idea. Now I’m not trying to make you afraid eating in college cafeterias. All I want to do is point out the obvious Dietary Dilemmas of College Dining Halls and give you some easy and quick ways to add variety to your college diet.

Give these suggestions a try:

1)      If you love rice & pasta but are sick of eating the same rice or pasta dishes every night, try using a rice cooker in your dorm room. With your own rice cooker in your college dorm room you can make your own size portion meals without waiting in line for 10 minutes in the cafeteria! Just throw some rice or pasta into the cooker and lounge on your dorm room bed until its ready. That sounds better than waiting in line right? Our Rice &Pasta College Cooker is one simple solution to the college Dietary Dilemma.

2)      When you need a break from college cafeteria food but still want protein, you’re going to need a way to keep the meat cold. With a convenient refrigerator in your dorm room, you can store all kinds of meat and other types of food easily and safely. Whether you want to store steak, or maybe just some yogurt in your dorm room , a College Fridge with Freezer definitely won’t go unused.

3)      If I’ve thoroughly convinced you to add some variety to your college diet, then there’s one more thing you just need to have. Can you guess what it is? It’s plates and bowls obviously! If you want make your own food to eat in your college dorm room, you’re going to need something to eat off of. And for the record paper towels don’t count as plates! Our 13 Piece Dorm Eating Set however, does count as plates and bowls. If you want to solve the college Dietary Dilemma, then you obviously need food and appliances, but you just can’t eat without proper plates.

 They say that variety is the spice of life, and if college dining halls are missing one thing, it’s spice! When you go away to college you should make the most out of your meal plan without making yourself crazy. When I went away to college I thought my only dietary options were those offered in college cafeterias. Don’t make the same mistake as me and try following some of my suggestions. The grocery store is not just for off campus students. Take a trip once or twice a month and add some spice to your college diet. With the proper appliances and a desire for change, you can solve the Dietary Dilemmas of College Dining Halls before they start.

Fool Proof Finals Formula

When I began my freshman year of college, I kept hearing that infamous F word. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that short word college students use when they get extremely stressed out at the end of the semester. I just didn’t understand it. I’d ask myself, why is everyone saying it? I’d wonder, what’s the big deal? I wanted an answer, but I didn’t get one until years later. Now I’m here to help you understand the F word before it’s too late.

The F word I am referring to is obviously FINAL! I can only hope that’s the word you thought I was talking about. But anyway, like I wrote earlier, toward the end of the semester you’ll most likely hear the F word upwards of fifteen times a day. In college, the last week of each semester can include, but is not limited to, all nighters, 6 cups of coffee a day, falling asleep in the library, cereal for dinner, and possibly dreams about filling in multiple choice bubbles correctly. But don’t start dreading finals week! It may be tough, but there is no better feeling than answering that last question of an exam and being free (for a least a few months).

Not knowing what to expect during finals week is a major disadvantage to new students. But by following my Fool Proof Finals week Formula, you’ll have all the information you need to ace finals week.

Here it is: Formula 1

Planner + Syllabus + Library + Study Group =Fantastic Finals Week

Let me break it down for you:

It’s all in the planning. Finals week is usually stressful because most students haven’t planned past what they’re eating for dinner. You may think it’s nerdy, but who wants to wake up and realize they’ve slept through 2 exams?

Don’t throw it out! In the beginning of the semester, you probably wanted to throw away your course schedules. But believe it or not, syllabuses can be a life & grade saver when it comes to the F word. Syllabuses will not only help you plan for your exam, but they can also help you calculate exactly what you need to get on the final in order to receive a certain grade.  

Living in the lib. Even if you’re not a big fan of your school library, it’s always good to switch up where you study.

Two heads are better than one. Solo studying can be good when you’re trying to cram right before an exam, but study groups are always a better way to study.

Here is it…again: Formula 2

Coffee + Junk Food + All Nighters + Cramming = Fantastic Finals week

Now this formula may be worse for your health, but it’s only a week right? Ultimately, the Fool Proof Finals Week Formula is about finding what works best for you. So if you need to take a few things from Formula 1 and a few things from Formula 2, do what you have to do. Just remember my formulas when you start to hear the infamous F word at the end of the semester.

Alway

What to expect when you’re expecting college - Parents & Roommates

The responsibilities of transitioning between high school and college are often both unknown and stressful. You have many qualms to deal with, so many different responsibilities and balancing acts to contend with, that you could use a fresh opinion. Balancing the needs of roommates and parents to the needs of yourself are vitally important to succeeding at college. So I will pass on some ripe insight.

Roommates: Right after moving in, you may feel obligated to become best friends with your roommate and hang out 24/7. Not only does forcing yourself create an artificial relationship, but it may create many more problems down the road. You will be sharing this living space with them, so don’t feel obligated to do every activity together. The free time apart will let you both grow within your individual interests. Also, just because you share a space, it doesn’t by default let you use everything of your roommates. If you ask and he/she says it’s fine, that is one story. But if you repeatedly use something without asking, this will cause friction between you two. In this situation, it’s truly best if you avoid this problem by creating a good communication channel.

Parents: Many parents place a high standard upon their children at college (not that there is anything wrong with high standards as I will do the same). But if parents tell you that the social element of college is not important, I believe they’re wrong and here’s why. College socializing will prepare you for jumping into adulthood upon graduation. In addition, studies show that students who have a healthy level of student interaction were happier and felt their college experience was more worthwhile. How about personal contacts in your field of study? Attending area related social functions will give you firsthand contacts with important professionals.

Maybe your parents will tell you “1 screw up and you’re done”. In some cases they are right. Instances of plagiarism and illegal activities may very well mean an expulsion at your college and are stuff you shouldn’t meddle in. But there are some occasions you can learn from. Maybe you didn’t get an A in that class or maybe you failed a course. These are not usually college ending experiences. But I cannot stress that this is your college time, $ and effort your putting into this, so why not do the best you can?

Balancing the needs of college with what your parents and roommates expect is a challenge every freshmen will face. Now you are a bit more prepared for living with your roommate and communicating with your parents. Because of this, feel more prepared and keep getting ready for your next big chapter.

Dylan Swartz

New Careers For The New Age

Have you ever been asked “What do you want to be when you grow up”? Not until the end of High School have most students given it any real thought. Even though being an astronaut millionaire farmer or president of the U.S.A. Both are possible, but you may have grown out of these and are lost somewhere in between. Besides the normal healthcare, business and liberal arts degrees, many new programs and mediums are being offered for students.

One program that has become more popular in the last 10 years is a degree in International Business. In the 90’s this was rather unheard of. Business students either had a minor in I.B. or took some language classes during College. That was the extent of the training and instruction they received. But with the increasing globalization, degree programs specialized to the international market are becoming more commonplace.

As more companies become global, accounting standards become tricky. Having accountants from one country is a recipe for disaster as standards vary country to country. You can imagine the headache trying to consolidate statements from 80 different business offices! That is where a degree in Accounting/International Business can prove useful. Having employees “fluent” in two standards is the key to proper reporting. If you’re a student interested in accounting, you may find this new offering a world opening experience.

Degrees in analytical fields are constantly being reported as in need. I am talking about analysis, business intelligence, data mining and predictive analysis. These fields are very technical, numbers oriented and are quality paying jobs. You can expect the need for talented analysts to keep growing as the world looks toward more online activity. Ever heard of Facebook? That is just one example of a company that you could work for with a degree in data mining.

These new and expanding areas are fields that your parents may not even know of. But these are here to stay and will become more popular. Strap yourself into one of these degrees and enjoy the ride.

Until Next Time:

Dylan