March 09, 2015

Calming Parental Fears: How to Approach the College Selection Process

March 09, 2015/ Katie Dwyer

Choosing a college is a momentous decision: one that will have an enormous impact on where you’ll be and what you’ll do for the next four years of your life. It feels like it should be entirely personal, like the only one really impacted by your decision is you.

Of course, if your parents are helping you pay for school, they (quite accurately) feel like they have a considerable stake in the decision as well.

Here are some strategies for managing the college search profess in a way that will make everything far smoother, less conflict-prone, and more comfortable for everyone involved.

July 31, 2014

The Benefits of a Community College Education: Guest Post by Mark Rothenmeyer

July 31, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

The low cost of tuition allows you, the student, to fulfill courses required for graduation while also taking classes to broaden your perspective, pursue your interests, and determine your future major. Many students arrive at expensive, four year institutions with the “undecided” block checked and spend a great deal of money trying to find their passion when they could have spent dramatically less had their search began at a community college.

June 27, 2014

Things I Had to Learn in College: Grocery Shopping

June 27, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

One of the weird things about leaving home to go to college is that there’s an awful lot you have to learn and acclimatize to all at once. Not only do you have to adapt to a new style of teaching and learning, but you also are thrown into being in charge of maintaining your own life. I grew up doing chores, but my folks did a lot of looking after me. So I arrived at college knowing how to vacuum and wash dishes, but not how to do a myriad of other “grown up” things. I had to learn on the fly… and with varying degrees of success.

March 26, 2014

A Student Travel Mentality

March 26, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

An important first step to any travel experience is to find out what you like while traveling. Not everyone likes the same things when they travel. Some people travel for beaches. Others for parties. Others (although it’s hard for me to believe) actually travel for shopping. Some, who I admire but can’t quite work up the chutzpah to emulate, travel for extreme outdoor adventures and wild feats of cliff diving/mountaineering/rafting/caving, etc.

February 21, 2014

How On-Campus Jobs Transformed My Student Experience

February 21, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

I would encourage all college students to think broadly about their job options at college. Consider what interesting things you might witness on the catering team for your university events company. Think boldly about how your skills might apply in various departments on campus—research, IT, writing, organizing, networking, etc. Be careful, of course, to maintain your focus on your academic goals. But get out there and find out just how broad your opportunities are.

February 17, 2014

The Benefits of being a "Broke College Student"

February 17, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

It is both cliché and generally accurate to assume that most college students don’t have much money lying around. This can be a serious limitation during your college years (and, with student debt, possibly a debilitating factor later), but it can also be a hidden opportunity.

If you learn to live on less for your daily expenses, then while you’re in college and for the rest of your life you’ll be able to prioritize the things that are actually important to you.. You choose your own priorities.

January 08, 2014

Textbooks: When to Buy

January 08, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

I spent an average of less than $50 per semester on my books for college.

The cost of textbooks is one of the major complaints for college students. And rightly so: some schools quote costs in excess of $300 per semester, depending on the classes and major. Textbooks can be a huge burden, so here’s my secret: don’t buy them. In many cases, proper planning and informed decision-making can make all the difference.