There comes a time in every college student’s academic career (usually at any point when said student lives off campus) when a decision of the utmost importance must be made: To go to the library, or not to go to the library?

You will agonizingly weigh pros against cons: “I’ll focus so much more out of my comfort zone”/”But what if that guy who sings along with his iPod sits next to me?”, “I’ll have access to all of the books I might need”/ “But WHERE am I going to park?”, “I’ll escape my roommate’s detailed story about last night’s hookup.”/ “But I might have to listen to the same story if I sit next to an obnoxious group of girls.”

You might make the decision, ultimately, to pack your belongings for the day or evening and reluctantly trudge to that haven of Starbucks, guilty Facebooking and stress ridden speed-reading. Or you might opt to keep your PJ clothed butt right where. it. is — sometimes the best decision. When you need to get studying done, but don’t have time or patience to commute to your campus library, just remember these helpful hints and you’ll be on your way to an A++ (oh yeah, they give those. To SPECIAL PEOPLE). Read More »

The University Experience sure has changed. It’s now normal to take longer than four years to complete your degree; students are known to switch majors repeatedly (and often at the last minute); and transfer admissions offices are swamped with applicants who realize that the college they chose senior year of high school just isn’t making the grade.

I know all about the stress of transferring and adjusting to a new school. When I began my undergraduate career, I wasn’t content with attending the state university that 83% of my classmates were enrolling in. Oh, no – I had to get away. So I enrolled in a small private school in London, England.

My freshman year was a blast– I was in a major city, surrounded by hot men with hotter accents, and I didn’t even need a fake ID. But eventually, reality sank in, and I opted to transfer back to the same state school that I’d once adamantly rejected in order to prevent graduating with student loans up the wazoo.

My first semester at the state university was miserable. I’d missed out on all of the freshman year bonding, got stuck with a lame random roommate, and when I did go out, it was because one of my high school friends was kind enough to let me tag along with her group. It was so bad that I took a semester off to figure out if I wanted to go through the transfer process again. I ended up going back to the state school, and – thankfully – things got better. In fact, college kicked some major ass.

So, having been on the Maybe-I-Should-Transfer fence and a member of the Transfer Students Association, I thought I’d share some pro’s and cons with anyone who isn’t quite sure that they are attending the right school. Read More »