1. Find out if the college has a requirement for first year students to live on campus. If not then you have plenty of options.

2. How much will it cost to live on campus vs. renting an off campus apartment? You can call a few places for each and compare them.

3. How close to school or far are you willing to live? Are you walking, riding a bike to class or driving your car? Regardless of your mode of transportation you don’t want to spend all of your time commuting.

4. Do you need a kitchen or a dinning plan? Some colleges even have limited dining plans that allow you to do some cooking for yourself and eat in the school offered food places when you don’t want to fire up the stove.

5. Before you move off campus, make sure to find out how safe the neighborhood is. You don’t want to get out of class during the winter months and have to walk through a bad neighborhood to get home.

Once you find a safe location that is right for you, then you can start decorating the place. Don’t forget a comfortable desk chair! It’s important to have a place you feel is your home for at least a year so you can settle in and get to work. Keep in mind your first year you may not have a lot of options but by the time your second year comes around you should be a pro about the best places to live.

If the whole discussion of where to live sounds too overwhelming you may want to look into going to school online. Then you can live anywhere, even where you live now. If you are interested in Greek life or like to hang out with your friends all the time then this may not be the best choice for you. Often online programs are perfect for people who work a lot or are a bit older and just need the degree to move ahead in their career.

Whether you decide to go to an online college or to a campus college, it’s important to have a place that is set up comfortably. This is important because you are going to need a lot of focused time to study and complete your school work. If you live in a place where you can’t find a quiet spot or don’t feel safe it’s unlikely you will be able to settle in and get into a good learning groove. Try answering the questions above and if you still need more guidance we recommend you contact your college and speak with the housing office or student services department. Good luck at finding your next college pad.

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I also found another travel site that is student friendly. Look for Discount Hotels easily at this site. It was started by a student from Grand Valley State University.

I haven’t made my travel plans just yet but I know we all need to get away and take a break so we can come back refreshed. With this economy everyone seems to be scaling down their spending and looking for deals. Personally, I am on a tight budget but would love to get away to the Caribbean for a long weekend. I am a sucker for warm weather. Enjoy your time off.

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Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is awarding $10,000 scholarships this fall as part of a program with Marathon Oil Corporation. The scholarships can provide up to two years of money for school or $20k per student. AS part of this award the student can get up to 3 summers of paid internships with Marathon! These opportunities are open to African American, Asian/Pacific-Islander and American Indian students as well as Hispanic students. The application deadline for this program is November 1. Specific eligibility criteria and the application itself can be viewed at http://www.hsf.net/Scholarships.aspx?id=464.

Business Student Scholarship
Account for Your Future Scholarship
Criteria: Students must apply via the Internet and be studying accounting. Must be a full-time enrolled student at an accredited college or university. A minimum of 24 completed semester hours or 45-quarter hours with a declared major in accounting. Must have an interest in the accounting/technology relationship, and have an understanding of the importance of technology to the future of the accounting industry.
Deadline: December 1
Amount of Scholarship: $1,000
Additional Information: www.pro2net.com
Contact: Wendy Stitt
(206) 441-8285 ext.216

Multicultural Scholarships
GEM Fellowship
Criteria: Minority, graduate students majoring in Engineering and Science
Deadline: December 1
Amount of Scholarship: Up to $100,000
Additional Information:www.gemfellowship.org
Contact: National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science
GEM
P.O. Box 537
Notre Dame IN 46556

Women Scholarships
Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories Summer Research Program
Criteria: Female undergraduates with science majors
Deadline: December 1
Amount of Scholarship: varies
Additional Information: www.bell-labs.com
Contact: Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories
Special Programs Manager - SRP
283 King George Rd.
Room B1-D29
Warren, NJ 07059

If you would like more information about these great college funding options please contact the appropriate people above. If you know of scholarships available feel free to let us know and we will provide this information to the Top Colleges Community.

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Our governor was implementing policies that created a surge of income for the government, but years later it would create a worse economic situation.  For example, trailer license plates changed from being a yearly renewal to a permanent plate.  The income from that decision was substantial, being that the new price was ten times the renewal price, but the next year there would be no income for those trailer renewals.

With this substantial economic crisis, you can rest assure that your tuition and everything associated with it will increase the next school year.

We live in a society where our education is treated as a budget cut area.  So for the public schools around the nation, they receive less funding and thus pass the buck onto the student.  I don’t mean that literally either, they will literally increase your tuition to balance their own budget.

What can you do? Get involved with your local politics.  If you’re already in school, get with your student senate and make a difference.

Stock Markets all across the world are plunging.  It is important now, more than ever, to manage your money as best as you can.  College students are notoriously low on money which means it is even more important to be a penny pincher.

Find ways to subsidize your education through grants and scholarships.

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Here are some of my favorites:

Barack Obama’s fake Facebook page: http://www.barackbook.com/

http://www.facebook.com/barackobama

http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0908/As_a_bit_of_a_reprieve_a_fake_Sarah_Palin_Facebook_page.html

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• Here is some motivation to vote… (0)

Pass this on to friends, do your part. Spread the word.

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• Politics, politics, politics… (0)

I was surprised to see Huckleberry Fin on this list. But then again, I was surprised to see any book on this list. The whole idea of banning books makes me think of fascism.

This article is definately worth a read as it discusses the books and the reasons for banning the books.

I remember when I was in high school, there was talk of not allowing us to read certain books while at school.  Which meant the library would not be carrying certain books because of their content.  I thought to myself, what if I brought the Anarchist Cookbook to school to read in the library?  I was told this would not be allowed and I would receive detention, or a possible suspension if I were to carry out such an act.

I suppose I agree with certain restrictions in certain environments, after all, I don’t think a Kantian approach would work in many atmospheres.  I certainly wouldn’t want my fifteen year old child previewing sexually explicit content in an educational atmosphere.

You’ll find that some of the books on this list were banned because of their direct connection to the culture of society during the time it was banned. Because of that, I suppose we could say that if you give a banned book enough time, it will eventually become unbanned as soon as society changes enough for it to be so. 

Top 10 Banned Books from Time.com

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So, I come to you with this piece of advice:

Read my blog and learn how to MAKE MONEY with your textbooks.

Yeah, I said it. How would you like to use your textbooks for a semester, and sell them for a profit?

Have you ever heard a story of someone who put something ridiculous on ebay and someone paid them a stupid amount of money for it? This happens with college textbooks all the time!

I will not waste anymore of your time, I will simply give you the resources to put money in your pocket.

Step 1:

Wait until after the first day to buy books, unless your professor specifically states you must have your books on the first day.  Why?  Well, on more than one occasion the teacher told me that we would not be using half of the books that are “needed” for the class.  If you’re really a go-getter, and you have to have all the books on day one, than stop reading this and gooooo-get me a cup of coffee. Sheesh. If you actually do feel that way, go watch The Office.  Everyone will think of you as the “Dwight” of your future work place.  I am just kidding, but not really.

Step 2:

CHECK ONLINE!  Your bookstore most likely price gouges beyond belief because they know lazy students will just simply buy from them out of simplicity.  And if you Google Map your campus, I bet you will find independent bookstores that just happen to carry the books your university requires, at a few pennies less than your university bookstore.  Are you catching on to the capitalism yet?  Enough said. Buy online!

Step 3:

Record what you paid for the book in pen on the inside cover of each book you purchased.  If you have time, bring your books to the university bookstore and see what their buyback prices are.  Now here is where common sense comes into play.  If the price they are willing to buyback the book is far less than what you paid (which is probably the case, especially if you bought them there) than you’re not going to make a profit selling it to them.  Honestly, I wouldn’t even waste time with your local bookstores.  List them all online and watch the cash roll in.

Summary:

Buy your books at the best possible price.  Record that price.  List your book for sale online after the semester is over.  Selling them back to the bookstore is a last resort.

Case Study:

My college roommate made out like a bandit doing this.  After 4 years of college, he made over $300 bucks. That may not sound like a lot, but compare that to the people that lose over 2-3k in books they never sell back.

Here are a couple resources to help you save money:

http://www.textbooks.com

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/frames/selltextbooks/index.asp

http://www.amazon.com

http://www.ecampus.com/buyback.asp

http://buyback.collegebooksdirect.com/default.jsp

Google Search for Book Buyback

http://www.bookswap.com/bookswap/index.cfm

http://www.screwthebookstores.com/

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My point is, the Internet is not the only option to find information on college programs that are available to you.  If you are sick of fruitless searches on the Internet, let me show you another option that will not take much of your time and costs as much as searching the Internet (aka FREE).

There are dozens of education call centers that have “Education Advisors” waiting to speak to students who are looking for information on colleges.

How does it work?

1. Call into a call center OR have someone from the call center call you (College Phone Advisor etc).
2. Talk to the “Education Advisor” about your interests and goals.
3. Request information from colleges that interest you.

It really is that simple.  But the question is, can these “Education Advisors” help me? And the answer is, yes they can.

This industry has been around for a long time (the education industry).  These call centers have a massive amount of resources at their disposal.  They are connected directly to the largest schools around the nation.  Not only that, but they are partnered with third party resource websites and can relay these resources to you over the phone.

An example of this could be an individual who likes to work on motorcycle engines.  In this situation, the education advisor would most likely give Motorcycle Mechanics Institution as a great education institute that may suite the indivdiuals needs.  By simply providing your zip code to the education advisor, they can locate all the schools relating to motorcycle engines that are available to you.

The best thing about this is, you will be speaking to someone who can answer questions that you may have about college programs.  Do you like interior design but you are not sure where to take courses? Or maybe you are interested in aviation, but all you know is where the nearest airport is?

Now you are probably wondering, if this is such a great option for finding a college, why don’t they charge for it?  As the joker said in The Dark Knight, “If you are good at something, never do it for free.”

Well, that is a good question, and there is a valid answer.  As a prospective student interested in furthering his or her education, it is a statistical fact that on the average an advanced degree increases your salary substantially.  It is also true that tuition is extremely expensive and financing for tuition is relatively easy to get.  What I am trying to say is, colleges “profit” from you attending their institution.

So if you are interested in going to college to work on Motorcycle Engines, and I refer you to Motorcycle Mechanics Institution, there is a finders fee for that!  And why shouldn’t there be?

So my point is, you, as a prospective student are a valuable asset not only to colleges, but to society.  Furthering oneself with an education is the sheerest way to improve your life and everything around you.

Get out there and be somebody.

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I’ve always seen human memory, as a function of conditioning and association – but when it comes to studying academic subjects both of these can be resolved simply by habits.  Firstly, conditioning – I told my cousins that day to setup a window of time such as an hour to study.  That’s it, one hour, well one hour to start anyway.  Within that hour you break it down into three sections. First a twenty-five minute burst of intense studying of the subject at hand, with absolutely zero distractions whatsoever.  This includes phones, television, noise etc.  After that twenty-five minute burst you take a ten minute rest.  Do nothing at all to do with studying – find something mindless and/or relaxing to do.  After those ten minutes are up then do another very intense twenty-five minute burst.  When I told them twenty-five minutes I meant and mean exactly that, not setting things up or looking for a tool that isn’t there etc.  All of that would need to be taken care of before you begin.  When that one hour session is over, relax for a while – rest your mind.

That’s the conditioning structure to get accustomed to on a regular basis – the other key is what associations one would make during those study bursts.  For lists it’s sometimes a mnemonic device, perhaps it’s writing notes a few times, perhaps its fitting concepts together visually on paper or in one’s mind.  The bottom-line is that there is a method for each person to learn, memorize and apply any topic – you just need to find which methods work best for each type of item you’ll need to learn.  This works for any top

1.      Setup your materials and remove distractions

2.      Choose a one hour time frame to divide into three sections

3.      For the first twenty-five minutes study intensely

4.      For ten minutes afterwards relax and do nothing study related

5.      For the second twenty-five minute burst once again study intensely

6.      Take a long breather of a half hour or more to relax and determine if you need or can handle another one hour session

The keys are intensity within the twenty-five minutes and the associations made during the study bursts.  If the method is used correctly then there is plenty of time to relax and do whatever else one likes – work hard play hard.  I guess I came off as lecturing them, but a couple of them said they’d give it a try and had nothing to lose.  I’m seeing them in a few days and will find out how it went.

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