Spring Break (and that 3-day hangover) is over and summer break is so close you can taste it. Mom’s home cooking, that is.

I know it’s hard to stay on track, especially when you’re only thinking about the months of freedom, days at the beach and (finally!) reading for pleasure, but snap out of it! You’ve worked too hard all year to eff it all up now.

If you want to spend the summer lounging by a pool (or in your front yard with the roomies) and not re-taking that Econ class, heed my advice:

1. STAY Organized: I don’t know about you all, but my room has certainly gotten messy. However, the minute I took the time to organize it the way I did when I got back from winter break, I immediately felt less stressed out. Having an organized work space makes you focus better, so take the time to reorganize if you’re room has gotten out of hand.

2. Calendar EVERYTHING: I have this big dry erase wall calendar that I write everything down on. Hopefully you have one of these, and if you didn’t get one at the beginning of this semester, I suggest you invest in one NOW. When you write things down it helps you remember them. It’s a very easy way to keep track of tests and quizzes that are on your syllabus. Also make sure to put birthdays on there, especially your roommates. Forgetting a roommate’s birthday could be fatal. (They do know where you live…) Read More »

[The following is the third of a five-part series I'm calling "The Top 5 Things You MUST Do In College." Everyone's already heard about buying flip-flops for the shower, stocking up on veggies to avoid the Freshman 15, and to steer clear of mojitos before midterms, but there are other tips for enjoying college that the experts might have neglected to tell you about.

This series is meant to provide advice for getting the most out of college, rather than just getting through it. So far we've already discussed having a professor as a BFF, checking out what's going on in your college town, joining new clubs, and now it's time to really settle down--with strangers!]

Okay, okay, some of you are already thinking that I’m a nutjob for telling you to move in with strangers. No, I don’t intend for you to scope Craigslist for an apartment with locals, but I think there’s something to be gained from living with other students who aren’t necessarily your closest pals.

For one thing, if you live with the people who are in your primary social group, it’s possible you might start to get on one another’s nerves. If you’re sharing living space with your best friends (who you also go out with, take classes with and eat in the caf with), you’re bound to find something about each other that annoys you. And it’s totally possible that your best bud can share your opinions on guys, style, and music but absolutely disagree with you about study habits, cleanliness, and noise levels– factors that make or break a good roommate relationship. Read More »

I, like you, went to high school. When I was in high school, I already knew that I wanted to be a musician and a writer when I grew up. Even though neither of those professions require a degree, I was made to believe that I had to go to college to be successful in life. And so I packed my nervous bags and made way to New York by way of Ohio. I apprehensively took my place among thousands of other students at my school and I felt out of place immediately.

You see, I was always a ‘good’ student. I graduated high school with nearly a 4.0. I aced tests and papers without wincing and was in every club. Kids like me were supposed to go to college. Period. But I never wanted to.

I went because my parents wanted me to.

I dragged myself through four and a half years of college. I transferred schools. I worked 2 jobs (yes, 60+ hours a week) on top of being a full time student. I was miserable. I was utterly, thoroughly, entirely, unexplainably miserable until I decided not to go back to college. I was only a semester or so shy of my degree and I woke up and decided I was done. I made a decision for myself and not for my parents. Finally, I took control of my life and my happiness and I have never looked back since. Read More »

As a creative writing major, I’m extremely lucky to have parents who didn’t scoff at getting the arty side of a liberal arts education. My parents are voracious readers who have a high level of respect for the arts, and as a result they can be happy for me, even when my class schedule looks distinctly impractical.

Love in the Novel

Nabokov

Intro to Buddhist Thought

These are the kind of classes my parents put up with throughout my college career, with nary an Econ class to be found among the lot.

Many students feel a lot of pressure, however, to take classes that will turn around into the best profit. They know their parents are dropping some major Benjamins to keep them in a good school, and they want to return the favor by, at the very least, not making their parents go gray worrying that their children will be living in a box on the street. So they take Econ and finance classes. They try to become good little doctors and lawyers and I-bankers.

But most of the people I know taking that path aren’t particularly happy doing it. Read More »