College Life

You may be starting college in the fall; you may have just finished up your first year; you may be preparing to toss your cap this weekend. Either way, college graduation is a major milestone in a person's life ... and it can really help, amidst the chaos, to spend a few moments reflecting on the seriousness and importance of the occasion.

If you're not sure where to start, check out a list of motivational quotations about graduation. You can use them to meditate on, to put in a speech, or even to put in your thank-you notes. Enjoy!

For many families -- mine included -- where you got into college was equally as important as how much financial aid you got from each school. And even though financial aid is such a critical, essential part of a student's ability to go to college, it can still seem overwhelming and confusing.

One thing to keep in mind as you, a newly admitted college student (congrats!), begin signing financial aid forms is that financial aid isn't as scary as it seems at first. With a little patience, reading, and/or research, you can feel in control of your financial aid package instead of feeling like it controls you. The first step: check out a list of 5 things to know about your financial aid package. They'll help you see just what can and can't be done with your aid as well as what you'll need to know now in order to have a financially successful (instead of scary) year next year.

Mothers' Day, unfortunately, often comes at an awkward time for students: they're low on cash at the end of the semester while also trying to juggle finals and other end-of-the-academic-year craziness (including, for some, graduation!). It's not like you don't want to get something for your mom ... it's just that you have so many, many other things on your to-do list.

While all of that might be true, of course, it still won't get you out of a major jam if you really do forget to recognize your mom on Mother's Day (May 13th). If you're short on cash and time, take a quick look at 7 great gift ideas for moms. The list is specifically catered to students who, shall we say, can't exactly rush out to Tiffany's and buy their moms diamond earrings -- as much as they might deserve them, of course!

One thing that I love about working in higher education is how cyclical everything is. Just as we prepare one class to graduate, we're getting ready to welcome a new class of first-year students.

Over the summer, I'll be posting an article targeted at incoming first-years each Monday. This feature, called "New Student Mondays," will aim to make the transition from high school senior to college frosh as easy as possible.

Without further ado, then, we're going to start big this week with The Ultimate Before-You-Arrive To-Do List. Targeted at first-year students, this list covers everything you'll need to do, pack, prepare for, and overall expect before your first day on campus. It's worth the read (if not a bookmark) sooner rather than later!

If you're celebrating Cinco de Mayo this weekend, you might need a few fresh ideas to spice up your festivities. Check out the great resources below from other Guides across the About.com network:

• 9 Quick & Easy Cinco de Mayo Recipes (from the Guide to Mexican Food)
• 11 Vegetarian & Vegan Cinco de Mayo Recipes (from the Guide to Vegetarian Food)
• Gluten-Free Cinco de Mayo Recipes (from the Guide to Gluten-Free Cooking)
• Top 10 Cocktails for Cinco de Mayo (from the Guide to Cocktails)
• 16 Easy Cinco de Mayo Recipes (from the Guide to Busy Cooks)

You may have never heard of Cinco de Mayo or it may be something you've celebrated for as long as you can remember.

Either way, Cinco de Mayo can be a fun celebration -- and a great opportunity to learn more about this cultural holiday if you're not yet familiar with it. Check out 5 ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in college or, better yet, learn more about the history of the holiday.

Enjoy!

Interested in knowing what new articles were posted here on the College Life site during the month of April? Check 'em out below!

• What to Do On Campus If You're Bored
• How to Set College Goals
• What to Do with Your Stuff at the End of the Year
• 8 Places On-Campus to Volunteer
• How to Study in College
• How to Find a College Roommate
• What to Expect on Graduation Day
• 10 Rules for Graduation Day

(Each Monday during the academic year, I feature a "Campus Highlight": a unique, interesting, and noteworthy student organization, program, or initiative that demonstrates the amazing things college students do each and every day across the country.)

For the last Campus Highlight of the 2011-2012 academic year, I'm aiming the spotlight on Students Educating and Empowering for Diversity (SEED) at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD).

This admirable organization "is a group of carefully selected and dedicated students who are trained by professional staff to raise campus awareness of racism, sexism and other types of bigotry or intolerance." They facilitate everything from workshops to action plans in both a proactive and reactive approach to diversity awareness on campus. Awesome! Keep up the great work, SEED!

It may seem soooo far away, but I promise it's there: summer break. And whether you're staying on campus, traveling abroad, or just heading home, there's just something about summer that rejuvenates even the most worn-out of college students.

If you need a quick pick-me-up, check out a list of 50 things to do over a college summer. If there's nothing on that list that motivates you to keep going just when things are getting tough, I'm not sure what will!

(Each Monday during the academic year, I feature a "Campus Highlight": a unique, interesting, and noteworthy student organization, program, or initiative that demonstrates the amazing things college students do each and every day across the country.)

Just researching this week's Campus Highlight was fun; the Outing Club at Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME) is appealing -- and noteworthy -- in all kinds of ways. They describe themselves as

a student-run organization with its own 5,300-square-foot campus headquarters that [allows] you to sign out -- for free -- any type of outdoor gear for a personal adventure, [has] a full-time professional staff to show you how to use the gear, that [offers] instructional classes and professional certification in whitewater paddling and Telemark skiing, and that [trains] you to an insane level of competency to lead group expeditions, handle outdoor medical emergencies, and even teach those skills to your peers.

They facilitate over 100 events/excursions a year and even offer leadership training to those interested. How fun does this organization sound ... and how could I not feature it for this week's Campus Highlight?!