College "Needs"

Hello all once again! I apologize for the lack of posts. The spring semester had ended and I was home for the summer, working for what seemed like forever at the job I maintain throughout college breaks. I hope that your summer was not only relaxing, but a fabulous few months under the sun.

It’s always somewhat painful for a student to witness their summer come to an end, especially when one finds them self like me: A senior in college. It’s mind-blowing how fast the past three years here at Westminster College have passed by. I still remember my first move-in and first day on this campus as if it were yesterday, which brings about this post…

Being a cashier at Wal-Mart during the busy back-to-school season, I deal with a lot of first-time college students and parents that come through my checkout line buying hundreds of dollars in dorm room goodies. Being a senior in college and understanding the needs of a student, I find that some of the items they buy are not only excessive, but a complete waste of money. Seriously, what is a college student going to do with a full-sized, T-leg ironing board?! Nothing… It’s a pain enough to have to wash our clothes in the midst of a busy schedule, let alone iron them...

Today, I hope to save first-time students and parents a few dollars and some frustration by providing a list of dorm room “needs.”

Dorm Room “Needs”

- Refrigerator: This is perhaps the most expensive yet useful item on the “needs” list. However, if you shop around and get your shopping done early, you will most likely find a decent selection of small refrigerators that will fit your needs and your budget. Small refrigerators with a separate freezer compartment are always a plus. Also, be sure to check that your refrigerator meets the energy standards set by your college (if any standards exist).

- Microwave: How else will you heat up the leftover food in your refrigerator? Once again, shop around and be sure that your microwave is within the energy standards set by your college. Some colleges may provide a community microwave within your dorm, however, it is indeed used by the community and may be left with food splatters from time to time. I personally think that’s gross, therefore I prefer to keep my own…

- Clothing: This one is a “no-brainer.” A student is obviously going to need enough clothes to get themselves through the year. But how much to bring? One definitely doesn’t want to bring their entire wardrobe. Before school starts, check a school calendar for scheduled breaks. I’ve learned that it’s best to pack what you’ll need before you go home again. For instance, when moving in at the beginning of a year, I’ll pack my summer and fall clothing. The next time I go home (which is normally in the early fall) I’ll bring home my summer clothing and exchange it for my heavier winter clothing. Packing as light as possible makes move-in (and move-out) a great deal easier.

- Bed and Bath: Bath towels, hand towels, bath rags/poufs, pillows, sheet sets, comforter… Nothing too special or expensive here! Keep in mind that things sometimes get ruined from laundry or friend mishaps so don’t bother paying big money to get your towels or pillowcases embroidered with your initials…

- Kitchen Stuff: Spoons, forks, knives, bowls, plates, glasses, measuring cups, kitchen towels and dish rags… Once again, nothing too complicated here. Choosing plastic is best when it comes to things like drinking glasses and measuring cups, however, try to avoid it when purchasing things that may potentially go into a microwave (like bowls and plates.) Also, be sure not to pack up an entire set of dinnerware, flatware, or pots and pans. It’s simply not necessary.

- Shower Shoes: Being clean is another important aspect of college life, and there’s no better way to get clean than showering on a regular basis. However, even places which we think are clean can be riddled with all kinds of germs. According to an article by Everyday Health.com (http://www.everydayhealth.com/foot-health/athlete) public bathrooms and showers are perhaps the most common places to pick up fungal infections like athlete’s foot due to the warm, moist conditions. To prevent any problems, it is best to invest in a pair of flip-flops to wear while showering. It may seem silly, but why take a risk?

- Plastic Bins with Lids: Perhaps the most convenient way of carrying and storing your “needs” throughout the school year!

I believe that I’ve covered the basic necessities of college life. (I keep looking around my dorm room to be sure that I haven’t forgotten anything that I use on a regular basis.) Perhaps in my next few posts I’ll go into more details about smaller items I find useful…

Until then!
♥

Test-Taking Tips

Hello once again! It’s finals week at the college as the semester comes to a close. My week mainly consists of finishing up a few final projects, studying my brains out, and packing up the ‘ole dorm room. It seems fitting that I continue my testing theme from a previous post and dedicate a blog post to testing tips…

Surfing the internet, looking for test-taking information, I found an entire website dedicated to test-taking, note-taking, and study tips and tricks called TestTakingTips.com (http://www.testtakingtips.com/) … Creative title, right? I figured that I’d sum up some of the best information I found there!

Before the Test:

· DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!! – Homework is like practice for the “big game.” It familiarizes you with whatever information may be presented on the day of the test.
· Take notes- Take lots of notes! I’ve found that reading over my notes is the best way to recap all that I’ve learned in a shorter amount of time. If a teacher/professor speaks a little too quickly for you to write something down, there’s no shame in asking them to repeat their last statement! · Ask your instructor what areas will most likely be on the test – If you know what is most likely going to be on a given test, you’ll know how to focus your studying!
· Eat a good meal – Food will give you energy and promote your focus!
· Get enough sleep- According to TeensHealth.org (http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/how_much_sleep.html), sleep has a huge impact on mood and focus.

At the Test:

· Be prepared!- Bring pencils, erasers, a calculator or whatever else you may need to complete the test to the best of your ability.
· Read the instructions! – Make sure that you know exactly what to do and how to display your answer for each question.
· Ask for clarification- If you don’t understand a question or an instruction, ask your instructor for a different explanation. There’s no such thing as a stupid question...
· Relax! – Stressing yourself out only leads to stupid mistakes. Take a few deep breaths to calm your nerves, stay focused, and stay positive.
· Pace yourself – Don’t spend time on a question you may not know the answer to. Instead, skip ahead to what you do know and come back to try and figure out the problem with whatever time you have left. Also, don’t go too fast that you make silly mistakes!
· Look over your test – If you have time before turning it in, look over your answers. Make sure that everything is filled-in properly and that your name is somewhere on your test. Who wants to receive no credit for their work? Nobody…

After the Test:

· Double-Check - Look over your graded test and make sure that there are no grading errors. Teachers can make mistakes too! If there are any mistakes, kindly point them out and ask your instructor to adjust your grade accordingly.
· Ask for extra-credit – Did you get a bad grade? See if there are opportunities to raise that grade. Some teachers may provide a re-test or a way to earn a bit of extra credit.
· Keep your test – It may come in handy as study material down the road. You will know your mistakes and know where to make improvements.


Hopefully these tips will prove to be useful during your next test. I may have to implement some of these techniques into taking my own finals! Wish me luck!

♥

Be a test-taking pro! Please visit TestTakingTips.com (http://www.testtakingtips.com/) for many more test-taking tips and tricks!

Capstone Update!

Hello all!

Sorry for the lack of posts. This month has been RIDICULOUS for me! It’s been full of long readings, tests, quizzes, and other forms of homework and activities that seem to suck up all of my time. I’ve finally found a moment in my day to squeeze in a much-needed blog entry…

I feel as though I should give you all an update on my Capstone project seeing that a bunch of new developments have taken place.

Perhaps the biggest thing that happened is I figured out what I’m going to do for my project!

YAY! :)

I had spent the first few weeks of my Capstone class completely “spazzing-out” because I had no idea where to even begin with a project such as this. I thought about it long and hard, and I came up with a brilliant beyond BRILLIANT idea!

At Westminster College, we have a first year program called Fresh Start. It allows the first year students to get acclimated to their new surroundings and learn about some of the services provided by the college. Fresh Start normally includes an entire day dedicated to long, drawn-out informational sessions. Having to go through it myself, I can tell you that that day is probably the most boring day out of the entire week. You find yourself painfully looking at the clock, listening to speech after speech, wondering when it will be all over and how many more meetings of the same nature will you have to subject yourself to.

I therefore have decided to make a series of 4 or 5 shorter videos to eliminate the need for so many long meetings. These videos will still tell of the different services that the college provides, only shorter. I plan for each video to be a minimum length of 2 minutes and 30 seconds, not lasting more than 5 minutes. Hopefully the entire mini-series will time out to be 10 to 15 minutes.

After I came up with my idea, I had to pitch it to all of the professors/faculty in the Broadcast Communications department. My presentation went swimmingly. The entire department responded enthusiastically to my plan, feeding me even more ideas for my project. They felt as if this project could go farther than Fresh Start alone. They could see these videos posted on the college website and even being used to educate the transfer students that come in the spring. Needless to say, they all gave me the “go-ahead” to continue with my idea.

Just a few days ago, I met with my clients. Because I’m producing these videos for the college, I need a group of advisors who will offer creative ideas and consult with me along the entire process so that I may offer them the best possible product. These advisors consist of the two deans of student affairs and the dean of admissions. All three of my clients seemed very excited and eager for me to begin the creation of these videos. They all offered creative ideas and topics for me to base my videos on… Receiving all of the information was very overwhelming!

Although all of my advisors represent the same college, they all seem to want to “sell” the college in a different way. Student affairs seems to focus more on student services and organizations that help students along their path to college success. Admissions, on the other hand, seems to focus more on the recruiting aspects of the college. Right now, I think that the hardest part of the entire project is finding a happy medium that satisfies both admissions AND student affairs...

I’ve been pondering all of my possible topics over and over in my mind and I haven’t quite figured out what to do yet…

*Sigh*

♥

Get Standardized!

We’ve all been through it: Sitting in a classroom for hours upon hours, reading and answering questions from thick booklets… filling in numerous blank circles with our trusty #2 pencil in hand and scientific calculator by our side… staring at the clock wondering if there’s enough time to finish and when it will all be over… Standardized testing.

Love it or hate it, standardized tests like the SAT are a big deal when it comes to getting into the college you want. However, they aren’t as scary as Hollywood and the small screen make them out to be. Trust me, I should know. I had taken both the SAT and the ACT twice before my acceptance into college.

So what exactly is the SAT????

According to CollegeBoard.com, the SAT (or Scholastic Aptitude Test for those that don’t like acronyms) is a standardized test that focuses on the subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics. Each section of the test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, making the total score a maximum of 2400. The types of questions that make up this test vary in styles from multiple choice to “fill-in-the-blank.”

Each subject section can then be divided into smaller test sections. These sections are as follows:

Reading: Two 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section. These reading sections contain questions having to do with reading comprehension and sentence completion.

Writing: One 35 minute multiple choice section and one 25 minute student essay section.

Mathematics: Two 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section. These math sections contain both multiple choice and student response questions.

Obviously the SAT is quite a lengthy test, but fortunately it is designed so that students get some time to get up, stretch their legs, and perhaps get a snack to refuel.

The SAT can be taken as many times as a student chooses. It gives the student a chance to improve their scores. (Who doesn’t love a second, third, or fourth chance???) However, keep in mind that each test has a pricetag!

That’s really all I have this week. Perhaps I’ll go into SAT prep for my next entry…
Until then…

♥

Register yourself for the SAT! Go to: www.collegeboard.com

Making the Grade

High school. It is considered by some to be “the best years of your life.” Regardless of whether or not you’d agree with this statement, one’s time in high school is chock full of fond memories and the fun times and people that helped to make them. It’s always great to have fun, however, let us remember that high school is indeed school and should be taken somewhat seriously. It’s true: College’s look at the courses you take and the grades you earn. Your high school performance could potentially stand in between you and getting into the college you want to attend the most.
Take it from me, being what one would consider a “good student” isn’t all that hard! I’d like to now share with you some tips that helped me out a whole lot during my time in high school:

1) Set a Reasonable Bedtime: I’ll admit it, waking up at 6:00 a.m. to catch a school bus at 7:00 isn’t exactly something anyone enjoys. I for one am NOT a morning person. However, one can try to beat the morning slump by getting a decent amount of sleep. I probably wouldn’t have survived waking up if it wasn’t for my 9:00 p.m. bedtime (it sounds way early and childish, but no joke!) According to an article by TeensHealth.org (http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/how_much_sleep.html), teenagers need a minimum of 8 ½ hours of sleep each night. Sleep has a big influence on mood, focus, and can also affect grades!

2) Eat Breakfast: Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day! It keeps you fueled and focused.

3) Attend ALL Classes: DUH! One can’t make the grades if they aren’t there to learn! Also, it’s probably a good thing that one gets into the habit of good attendance: Each college course has a price tag and I doubt that students or their parents would want to throw money away for un-attended classes.

4) Ask for Homework Help: Having trouble with that physics homework? Don’t fully understand the concepts of trigonometry? Try to get extra help from a teacher or an after-school tutoring program. I guarantee it will pay off when report card time rolls around! Remember: There is no such thing as a stupid question!

5) Think Before Acting: Detentions and school suspensions aren’t exactly something to be proud of. Before acting out or pulling that infamous “senior prank” before graduation, always consider potential consequences.


Thanks for reading! Until next time!

♥

Dropping Into College Drop-In

Welcome to College Drop-In! I’m Erin Wall, a junior Broadcast Communications major at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania: Yeah… I never heard of it either until I found myself here, surrounded by Amish buggies...
It seems like just yesterday I was wrapping up my time at high school and moving on to bigger and better things waiting for me in the middle of Amish Country. Being in the middle of my third year at college, you can be sure that I have a fair share of stories to tell and valuable information to pass on. That being said, I’d like to pass that information on to you through this: my Senior Capstone blog.
At Westminster, your Senior Capstone is a big, stressful project that determines whether or not one has wasted three years of their life in their selected major. Though the Capstone Project varies with major, it basically determines whether or not a student is able to graduate and is prepared for their profession outside of the college bubble.
Of you’re reading this, perhaps you’re a nervous high school student preparing for your transition college. Or maybe you are a parent overwhelmed by the fact that “your little baby” isn’t so little anymore and getting ready to pack up and leave the proverbial “nest” for the first time. No matter which side you’re on, the transition to college is a stressful time filled with applications, tests, and rough decisions.
Through this blog, I hope to help both parties with this transition by discussing my issues and experiences in the big move to college. Where I lack experience, I will provide information from professional sources that may better answer your questions and concerns. Don’t worry: We’ll hopefully get through this whole thing unscathed…

♥