About.com College Life

Not Sure What to Do for the Fourth? Take a Road Trip!

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:19:14 +0000

Not sure how to celebrate the Fourth of July now that you're no longer on campus? Or, if you are on campus, not sure what you can do to celebrate?

Taking a road trip in college is a classic experience. Your trip can be one day or three (or longer, if you don't have to be back for work or class) and organized around any activity or theme you wish. Check out 5 college road trip ideas if you're still struggling with what to do ... or just hop in the car and see where you end up!

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Breakdown of the Average Student's Budget

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:05:31 +0000

I was referred to this article via a twitter posting; Westwood College created a great visual breakdown (via pie chart) of the average student's budget. Not sure where you stand? Just nosy about how other students spend their money? The graphic is very well done, and the information included in it is really quite helpful. You can take a look for yourself and see what you think!

If you're about to start college or struggle with your own student budget, you may also want to check out these helpful articles:

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Have Student Loans? Check out the USDE's Income Based Repayment Plan

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:55:56 +0000

If you're worried about graduating with a lot of student loans (and really, who isn't these days?!), the Department of Education has just announced a new repayment plan that might be of interest: the Income Based Repayment Plan. According to the USDE website, the plan "is a new repayment plan for the major types of federal loans made to students. Under IBR, your required monthly payment is capped at an amount that is intended to be affordable based on your income and family size."

Whether you've just graduated or you're signing loan papers to take your first college courses in the fall, you may want to check out the IBR Plan page for more information. Additionally, the Income-Based Repayment Calculator can help you figure out the specifics of your situation.

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What You Need to Know About the Changing FAFSA

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:47:07 +0000

Ah, the FAFSA ... that horrible little creature that promises to do so much if you can just get through it. If you have any financial aid at all (or even if you applied for some but didn't get it), you've undoubtedly filled out the FAFSA. And you undoubtedly know that, no matter how many times you've done it or how skilled you are about your financial situation, it's killer to get through.

None of this, thankfully, has been lost on the Obama administration. And while they have been speaking about proposed changes to the FAFSA for quite some time, I've been waiting to find a good article that can explain the proposed changes in a way that is, well, less confusing than the FAFSA itself. InsideHigherEd.com ran a fantastic article on June 25 that explains the problems, describes the proposed changes, and discusses what those proposed changes might mean for institutions and students. If you only read one article this week, read this one!

100 Best FREE iPhone Apps for College Students

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:05:08 +0000

I may be a little biased promoting this list since I have an iPhone myself, but bestuniversities.com has posted a pretty comprehensive list of the "100 Best Free iPhone Apps for College Students."

Their recommendations are sorted by topics (such as Study Help, Organization, Health & Fitness and Partying & Social) to help break down everything into manageable sections. If you have other recommendations, feel free to list them in the comments section below!

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Love Dogs? Love College? Pursue Both Passions at Humane Society University

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:05:10 +0000

Although you may not have heard of it before, Humane Society University is a "private, non-profit institution offering a variety of online, hybrid, and classroom undergraduate degree, graduate certificate and professional development programs in human-animal studies. The University is based in the District of Columbia. Humane Society University offers five terms of intensive 8-week courses per year, for 3 credit hours per course."

I know many students often view their academics and their love for animals as separate entities, or they end up trying to bridge the two in more traditional ways. (Majoring in biology, for example, so that they can then go on to veterinarian school.) HSU's program, however, sounds like the best of both worlds for folks who are passionate about working with animals as a professional career. It's at least worth a glance at their website, right?

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Ever Consider Being a Spy?

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:27:33 +0000

On June 20, The Washington Post reported that the Obama administration is considering starting a program, based in American colleges and universities, that would train the next generation of intelligence agents (translation: spies). Similar to an ROTC-type program in structure and purpose, the spy program would be part of the 2010 intelligence authorization bill.

The most exciting-sounding part? As the Post reports, "The students' participation in the program would probably be kept secret to prevent them from being identified by foreign intelligence services, according to an official familiar with the proposal." While enrolling in this program may sound sexy, it's also a great way to be of service to your country and, if your interests match up with the program's goals, a great way to pursue your passion after graduation. Check back on this blog for more information as it becomes available!

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Student Loan Case Will Be Heard by U.S. Supreme Court

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:05:08 +0000

The Supreme Court announced that it will hear a case involving repayment of student loans. Here's the skinny: a borrower filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. He claimed he couldn't pay back his student loans but didn't produce evidence that doing so would cause undue financial hardship. (Not everything is "erased" if you file for bankruptcy...) As The Chronicle of Higher Education notes, the case is about whether or not "students can avoid repaying their federally backed student loans without showing that making the payments would cause them financial distress or 'undue hardship.'" The rulings so far have gone back and forth and conflicted with rulings in other circuits.

Check back here for information when a ruling comes down. In the meantime, if you're worried about your student loans, you may want to check out these 4 ways to reduce your monthly payments by About.com Guide to Money in Your 20s.

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You Never Know Who Your Roommate Might Become...

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:02:55 +0000

Whether you're a senior living with your roommate for the fourth year in a row or an incoming first-year student who has yet to meet his or her roommate, you'll probably get a kick out of a mental floss blog posting about 12 famous roommate pairings. I think most folks know about Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones (at Harvard, no less!), but Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve? At Juliard? Who knew?!

Some other roommate resources you might find interesting:

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No Class on Fridays? Welcome to Thirsty Thursdays

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:22:43 +0000

A fall 2008 survey of 895 undergraduates at Loyola College in Maryland showed that students without classes on Friday "reported drinking an average of 3.38 drinks the day before, roughly four times more than those with a Friday class before 10 a.m." The study also showed that drinking more on Thursday night didn't only apply to heavy drinkers.

While the June 12 Inside Higher Ed article that discusses this trend mentions what institutions can do to curb "Thirsty Thursdays," it's also important to think about if you're a student. If you don't schedule classes for Friday, will you feel pressure to go out with friends Thursday night? Will that interfere with your workload or job schedule? Or does relaxing on Thursday night (drinks or not) and/or having Friday off increase your productivity? Just a few things to think about as you plan your fall course schedule, if you haven't registered already...

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