Need Help Finding a Job After Graduation?
Finding a job after graduation can be intimidating, overwhelming, and downright difficult. If you need a little help, make sure to check out the following resources:
New Student Mondays: The Ultimate To-Do List
Welcome to the 2013 New Student Mondays! Over the summer, I'll post a helpful tip for students preparing to start college in the fall. And since this week's posting is the first in the series, I thought I'd start off with, well, where to start if you're going to be an official college student in a few months.
One of the more popular articles on the site, especially this time of year, is the "What to Do Before Leaving for College" list. It covers everything: what you need to do, prepare, and pack before starting college. If you're feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to begin with your preparations, this is a great article to bookmark and refer to throughout the summer.
NEW! Articles in May
Interested in knowing what's fresh out of the oven here on the College Life site? Check out the following articles, all which went live this month:
Graduating? Make Sure to Stop by the Career Center
If you're graduating, it can feel like you have one million things to do and only a few days to get it all done. Near the top of your list, however, should be one important thing: stopping by your campus career center.
Even if you aren't sure you how they can help, the career center staff has an amazing array of resources that you can tap into during -- and after -- you graduate. Just popping in for a few minutes to meet a staff member and get his or her contact info. will do you wonders. There are a ton of ways to use the career center, so forming a connection to the staff there can be a small investment of your time that pays off exponentially at a later date.
Summer Plans for the College Life Blog
No, the About.com College Life blog isn't going on a tropical vacation this summer, but I am going to mix things up a little between now and when classes resume in the fall.
During the academic year, I write the Campus Highlight feature on Mondays and the Thrifty Thursdays feature on -- you guessed it -- Thursdays. During the summer, however, I'll be featuring other content. Beginning next week, Mondays will be "New Student Mondays," just like last summer. New Student Mondays will aim to help prepare incoming students for college. Other postings during the summer will also feature helpful tips and tricks, like making the most of your summer internship, for both new and returning students. There should be something for everyone!
(And if not, definitely hit me up!)
Thrifty Thursday: Set a Summer Budget
Sure, you know you have to set a budget for the academic year. But what about the summer?
Even if you're at your parents' house and aren't worried about things like rent or meal plans, you still need to be smart with your money. Spend a few minutes at the start of summer setting a budget for summer expenses: Things like entertainment, gas, travel, and the like should all be included. Keep in mind, too, that you'll likely need to end the summer with a certain amount of savings in your bank account that you'll use for books and other school-related expenses when classes resume in the fall. The last thing you want to do is realize you've spent all your hard-earned summer cash on frivolous things when you really could have used it better during the academic year.
(Here on the About.com College Life blog, every Thursday is "Thrifty Thursday." I'll post a tip each week about how to save money while you're in school. It might be something big; it might be something small. But given how important each nickel is, each little tip adds up, right?)
Campus Highlight: Graduating Seniors
As frequent readers of this blog know, I use the Campus Highlight feature every Monday to recognize the best of the best. So today, I'm choosing to recognize all of you hard-working, dedicated, stay-up-all-night-if-you-have-to seniors who got the job done. Many, many congratulations to those of you who will be tossing your caps and receiving your diplomas over the next few weeks. I'm betting the journey wasn't easy and you took a few bruises along the way, and yet you wouldn't change it for the world. Congratulations on a job well done, class of 2013!
(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.)
Thrifty Thursday: Find a Travel Buddy
I'm a day late on posting this week's "Thrifty Thursday" because I'm jamming to get ready for an out-of-town trip. (I'm going to see a college friend of mine be ordained as a priest!) Which, of course, makes me think of another great way for students to save money: find a travel buddy.
If you're going home this summer, chances are high that at least one person on your campus is heading in the same direction that you are. Ask around, send emails to friends, see if anyone knows anyone who knows anyone who's headed to your neck of the woods. If you find a travel buddy, you can share gas, share a car, have someone to sit next to (and be safe with) on the bus or train ... there are all kinds of ways to save cash while making your trip go a little faster with some companionship. And who knows, something-many years from now, you just might be traveling to go see that friend of yours celebrate a great accomplishment in his life.
(Here on the About.com College Life blog, every Thursday is "Thrifty Thursday." I'll post a tip each week about how to save money while you're in school. It might be something big; it might be something small. But given how important each nickel is, each little tip adds up, right?)
NEW! Articles for April
Wondering what the latest and greatest is here on College Life? Check out what articles went live in April:
Campus Highlight: SMART at Swarthmore College
This week, I'm highlighting the student members of the Sexual Misconduct Advisors & Resource Team (SMART) at Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA) because of the work they do and the resources they provide for the Swarthmore community. The team "is a group of faculty, staff, and students who are trained to respond to students who have concerns about sexual assault, sexual harassment, partner violence and intimidation."
It's great to see SMART's work in programs like the Swarthmore Clothesline Project, which took place in March. Fighting and educating against sexual violence is an important mission -- especially on a college campus -- and I commend SMART's hard work and dedication in doing so.
(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.)