By Lauren W., our College blogger

The ever-rising cost of college and the lack of something to do during the summer leaves many college students scrambling for jobs and internships during the summer.

Upon returning home from college, more than a couple of my friends are going through the frantic search to make money and fill their time. I talked to them to see how their searches are going and if they had any tips for our WHN readers.

1. Put Yourself Out There!

Demand for hired summer help has declined with the worsening economy, so being job picky is not an option for many. Take a day to go around your neighborhood and go nuts filling out applications and introducing yourself to managers and current staff. Look for jobs that will be easily accessible, flexible with hours, and offer a reasonable hourly wage.

If you really want to be on top of it, start looking for your summer moneymaker before school even gets out. This way you have an edge up on your fellow college students who have only look as far into the future as their weekend plans.

2. Volunteer.

Summer does not always mean money has to be made. Many students enjoy lending their time through volunteer organizations. Volunteering can be a great way to gain experience dealing with different people than are found in a retail job.

WHN offers great ideas and tips for volunteering in a hospital and disaster settings, which can be found here. This summer, help others to gain a fulfilling and unique summer experience.

3. Be an intern.

Many companies hire college-aged students for summer intern work. Lots of people get internships through networking and connections of people they know, but there are also many options online. For example, state government positions offer lots of opportunities for college students to gain experience in their future career path, and get paid as well! If prepared ahead of time, colleges will even give class credit for certain internships.

Bonus: when looking into graduate school, internships look amazing on résumés!

4. Do Something Fun!

Summer jobs do not always have to be working at restaurants or retail stores. Hundreds of college students find themselves being active and spending time outside through camp counseling, working at park and recreation centers, or even being a nanny for a family.

Pay many not be as much as a typical college summer job, but the chance to work outside, be active, and interact with many different people is one that should seriously be considered while looking for the perfect summer job.

Thanks Lauren for these great job search tips! Have a summer job tip of your own? Post in the Comments section below.

Congratulations!! Thousands of high school seniors, college seniors and grad students across the country are gearing up for graduation.

Graduation is a clear sign of transitions and changes ahead. Know a soon-to-be graduate? Here are a few articles and hints that might help them through the next stages of life:

High School Seniors

• Choosing a College: The Final Decision
• Roommates 101
• Surviving the First Month at College

College Graduates

• On Your Own: Home Owner’s/Renter’s Insurance 101
• Moving Out: Tips on Clearing Out Your Apartment or Dorm
• Your First Apartment: Know Your Renter’s Rights

Have a great tip for grads? Post it in the Comments below!

Spring is certainly moving season. This weekend, I saw many people - college students, families, neighbors - schlepping couches, mattresses and hundreds of boxes from car to house and house to car.

Moving is a great time to catalog (and get rid of) your belongings, forcing you to think - “is this couch really worth the effort?”

With spring cleaning and moving in mind, here are some top tips you can put into action this weekend:

1. While you’re cleaning and sorting before the move, do a home inventory.

• You’ll need a complete list and pictures of your possessions for insurance claims after a disaster.
• Start with your most expensive items and write down their serial numbers, make, model and price at time of purchase.
• Pick just one room to start with. It can be overwhelming do it all at once.
• Remember to keep all of this info somewhere other than your apartment (e.g. work, store it online, safe deposit box, at Mom’s house)!!

3. Now that you’ve sorted your “to keep” and “give away” items, find homes or have a garage sale for your plants, books, clothing and other items to give away.

4. Complete a change of address form at the post office or online. The last thing you need is a case of identity theft.

• You’ll probably also need to contact and set up new accounts with utilities and other public works departments.

5. Check out the location of safety features before you move furniture in.

• Place furniture in a strategic manner so you can access windows and exits in a hurry.
• Locate emergency exits and safety features like smoke detectors, sprinklers and fire extinguishers.
• Make an escape plan as soon as you move in because disasters and fires are unpredictable!

No parents means no rules, right?!? Lauren W., our College blogger, recently learned that college life isn’t as free and liberating as it’s cracked up to be. Here’s her story:

Incoming freshmen come to college with images of freedom from their home lives. No parents and no rules are a dream come true. No parents is a reality, however no rules…not at all.

One Friday night I found myself being wrongly accused of committing dorm violations: over occupancy, breaking of quiet hours, guest violations, consumption of alcohol, and being in the presence of alcohol were all under three friend’s names and mine. However, on this night we were wrongly accused of all of these.

Two friends and myself were at a different college for the night and returned to our dorm around 1:30 A.M. Upon returning, our goal of the night was to eat Ramen and go to sleep. We knew one of our friends had a plethora of Ramen in their room and it was free for our taking. Instead, we unknowingly walked into a situation with almost every possible room violation we could be accused of: there was alcohol everywhere and our friend’s roommate hosted two illegally checked-in guests. The Resident Assistants (RAs) spotted us walking into the room and preceded to follow us, and write us up despite the fact they saw us enter seconds before them. We were so furious with these RAs because we knew were completely innocent.

A few days later, we all received e-mails telling us we had a date with the judicial court and they would decide what our punishment would be. All involved, the roommate, his friends, the four innocent bystanders, and the girl who aided in sneaking in the guests, were called in. We sat and explained our story for two hours in front of a board of other students. Thankfully, us four innocent bystanders were let off the hook. Despite getting away without any form of punishment, it was a hassle to deal with the whole thing and easily could have been avoided.

Headed to college? Here’s what you can do to avoid such situations:

Read the Handbook!: Yes, the handbook is boring and full of unnecessary rules, but in a case like this it helps to know what you can and cannot be held responsible for. Going into the hearing we had an idea of how serious our punishments could be because the violations and consequences were laid out right in front of us. We knew how important it was to state our case.

Know What is Happening: Know the room you are walking into. We had no idea of anything going on in this room, and that was our downfall. It was our fault that we walked into a room full of illegal activity. Had we actually talked to our friend before waltzing in, we would have known not to go in.

Keep your ID and friends close: One of the girls in our hearing received a fine because she gave our ID out for another student to use. Although she was not actually present in the room, she was held responsible for the outside guests she supposedly checked in. It’s appealing to trust all the really great people you meet, but it is important to watch out for yourself first.

Thanks Lauren for such a great story! Have tips or topic ideas for Lauren? Post them in the Comments section below!

Lauren W., our College blogger, experienced a dorm “fire” at her university. Here’s what she learned:

About a month ago, 414 students were rudely awoken at two-thirty in the morning from their slumber to a chaotic scene. The students were pulled out of bed by loud alarms and ceiling sprinklers going berserk and had to trudge across the street to the other dorm. What caused this scene?

Three male students threw cigarettes in the bathroom’s trash bin without putting them out and the sprinklers immediately went off as soon as they sensed the smoke. They not only went off on the boy’s floor, but the other three floors of the dorm. It did not help when pipes burst and more water exploded into the hallways.

With all of this water coming into the hallways, it was unavoidable that innocent students would receive lots of water damage to their things in their dorms. One of my friends woke up to three inches of standing water, a destroyed laptop, and soaking wet clothing. Not only did he have to evacuate his room for four nights but he also had to bring his clothing to a dry cleaner and figure out the laptop dilemma.

My friend was not the only one who was put in this situation because of a group of boys who were not thinking about consequences. Thankfully, the university volunteered to reimburse all of the students who had property damage. However, it is still important to be aware that fires and other incidents can happen and how to protect your things if something were to happen.

So what can you do? Here are some steps you can take:

Plan Ahead: One of the top ways to guarantee your college belongings are safe is to talk to your insurance companies. Mine covers any damages to electronics and computers without any question for a low price every month. Most large electronic or computer companies will also offer insurance packages as well.

Keep Things Safe: When leaving the room, make sure to look around at what damage could possibly happen while you’re gone. Electronics being plugged in when they receive water damage can be harmful to the object as well as possibly letting of dangerous sparks to the rest of the room. If necessary, put you’re computer tucked away into a drawer. This way it will avoid damage and the possibility of it being stolen.

Organize: Keep as many things off the floor as possible. The floor is the first place where water damage would hit, so the less on the floor the better. Also, keep important items of clothing you wouldn’t want anything to happen in waterproof bins or dress bags.

College life brings along a lot more troubles than just school work - even other students cause a mini-disaster at any moment! When approaching college life, make sure your important belongings are safe from these unexpected twists and turns.

Thanks Lauren!! Have a tip or question for Lauren? Post it below! 

By Lauren W., our College blogger

The application is turned in, standardized tests have been taken, transcripts and essays have been in, and the application has been returned. All that is left to do on the road to college is pick which one is right for you.

High school seniors apply to as little as one college all the way up to 10 or more, put choosing the right school to attend is always a complicated process. There are many things to consider when choosing a college, but it is important to remember that college should not be a stressful decision.

Not one college is perfect in everyway, and it is important to keep that in mind while making your decision:

Think Location: When applying to colleges you may think a school hours away from home sounds like a great idea, but distance is a huge factor of choosing a college. Really consider if going or away or staying near by is right for you. Homesickness is bound to happen at some point during the first year, and it is important to pick a distance where you feel comfortable handling it.

Think Tuition: There is no denying college is expensive. Sometimes the final decision comes down to where is the most affordable. Just because one college’s tuition is more expensive does not mean another school does not offer just as good of an education. Consider what scholarships were given or available. However, if you are really passionate about a school do not let money stop you. Many schools offer financial aid, scholarships, and work study options.

Think Size: You have already applied and been accepted, so clearly thoughts of size have already been considered. It is important to look into what each school’s policy on class size is. Some schools are so large that every class is a 150 person lecture with a T.A. as a teacher, and some schools have 12 students in the class. Think about if you like the anonymity or the personal connection between you and a teacher.

More helpful resources:

• Choosing a College: Narrowing the Choices
• Visiting a College
• Students: Questions to Ask Yourself

By Lauren W., our College blogger

Two weeks before Thanksgiving my roommate told me she was going home for a few days…I have yet to hear from her. I was left with a room full of questions like where did she go? When is she getting her stuff? She still has a key…will she be barging in at any moment?

I was left wondering these questions for the rest of the semester and the whole of our winter break. I never heard anything from my university’s residence life about where I was standing with a roommate. Although my roommate was hard to live with, it was almost harder to live without any knowledge about what I would be returning to after break. I was fully expecting to return to my room empty with only crumbs on the ground.

If the residence life had taken a bigger role, I would not have been left feeling so uncomfortable about my living situation. Random roommates are always a gamble and if something happens to you it is important to talk to the resident assistants and the resident directors.

I returned from my month long break to not be able to get in my room. After calling resident life pretty persistently during my month break, they finally took notice. I returned in January to find my roommate had emptied her things but she never turned her key in. Resident life saw this as a big red glad and thankfully made sure my lock was changed.

The only hassle for me was not being able to get into my room right away, but knowing that my stuff would not be stolen and the crazy roommate could not burst in was worth it. If I could have done anything different I think communication between myself, my roommate, and resident life is key. If something like this happens to you please make sure to take action right away so you are not left in the dark like I was.

Other roommate living resources with tips from past college students:

• Roommates: The College Experience Everyone Has
• My Mom “Facebooked” You
• Top 10 Tips for Living With Roommates

Thanks Lauren! Have a question or tip on college living? Post it in the Comments section below!!

Bloggers Marc and Angel have a list of the top ten phone numbers you should have in your cell phone just in case. You just never know when you might need them!

• 10 Handy Numbers to Save in Your Mobile Phone [Marc and Angel via Lifehacker]

Also, this brings to mind another blog post from a while back:

• Four Professionals Everyone Should Keep on Speed Dial

Still in need of additional contact lists to have just in case? Print out these handy emergency contact lists to keep a hard copy of your contact numbers - store them near your landlines at home or at work.

By Lauren W., our College blogger

It is the time of year when the common cold and the flu run rampant. Students flock back to school after the holiday festivities. Students catch up on every crazy little even that happened over break, but they also catch up on each other’s germs. Campus is infested with the sounds of coughing, sniffling, and sometimes even vomiting.

Without the comfort of home and parents to take care of students, there is only one place to turn, which is the on-campus health facility. On-campus health facilities are known by students to have a tendency of being uncomfortable and unhelpful, but there are ways to make the experience beneficial.

Be Honest

On campus health facilities have a reputation for being unhelpful and asking all sorts of obnoxious questions, so beat them in their own game and tell them exactly how you are feeling before they can start asking questions that can sometimes get too personal.

However, if personal questions do make it into the visit, answer them. Do not be worried about being judged, the employees are prepared to hear anything that may be confessed to them.

Be Careful

I was recently told a horror story of a male student going to the on campus health facility after feeling flu like symptoms. The health center claimed he was fine, and only had a cold. Two days later this boy was rushed to the ER and diagnosed with mono.

If you get an answer that does not satisfy you, it is completely okay to check in with an actual doctor. It is better to be safe than sorry!

Take Care of Yourself

With on campus health care facilities having such a negative reputation, avoiding them as much as possibly by taking care of your self. Get enough sleep, try to eat healthy, and exercise whenever possible.

If people are sick on your floor or in your class, no matter how great of friends you are with them, stay away! Getting sick will not only mean an possibly unpleasant trip to the health center, but it will also lead to missing class.

Thanks to Lauren for these great tips! Living in a dorm? Share your stories below!!

By Lauren W., our College blogger 

The academic world of college is a world that can seem scary to both the high school student and the college student. Actually having to study is a whole new concept to many college freshmen. Students are not spoon-fed information the way they were in high school.

Reading the text before class is a huge necessity because it helps to retain information. Sometimes the teacher will except you read the text and not even talk about the material in class, but there it will be on the test! It is important to keep up with the notes and readings so you will not have to cram when the test comes.

Many college students take advantage of the concept of choosing when class is necessary to attend. However, this freedom is a nasty habit to get used to. If an A is part of your college goal, skipping class is not a wise decision.

Many professors will not help make up work or accept anything that needed to be turned in on the day you missed. However, if there is an absolute emergency or you know before hand that you will be gone, professors will usually tend to be much more lenient.

If you can follow these tips then you will be on you way to an A!:

Study Groups: Make a friend or two in each of your classes. When tests come or group projects are assigned you have someone who can go through the assignment with you, and give you a new perspective on what you are learning.

Don’t Be Distracted: Do not bring a lap top to class if you will only be distracted instead of listening to the lecture, not only does this distract you it also distracts the other students who can see what is on your screen.

Find Your Study Place: Dorms are not always the most study friendly places. Find somewhere on campus where you can sit for a long time while throwing yourself into a fascinating world of academics.