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More and more, the idea of a “gap year” is becoming more common. Instead of going straight into college after graduating high school, some seniors are taking a year off from schooling to participate in other activities.

What are some ways to spend a gap year?

Many students use a gap year to take a break from schooling and experience the real world. For many, this means finding a job and working a standard week. The idea here is that it gives you a taste of what your life could be like if you don’t attend college. If you dislike what you’re doing, you’ll probably be more motivated in college (and you’ll have saved up some good money to help cover the cost). If you’re happy with your job, perhaps college isn’t for you.

Other students spend gap years participating in unique activities. Some travel abroad, volunteering their time to various causes. Others will try to take their lives down a few different paths to see what feels best, such as starting a small business or participating in an internship. Keep reading »

Last week, I talked about deciding how many colleges to apply to and mentioned that you should have one or two “safety schools” on your list.

A safety school is a college where you’re convinced you’ll be accepted to. If for some horrible reason all of your other schools turn you down, you can count on your safety school to accept you, so at least you’ll have some place to go. Depending on how good your high school resume is, how selective the schools you picked are, and how many colleges you’ve applied to, you’ll almost definitely get into a school that’s better than your safety school. But it’s good to have a fallback option.

Unfortunately, a lot of students don’t put much thought into choosing a safety school and just pick the nearest college that they are all but guaranteed in to. This is actually a bad idea, because if you do end up going there, there’s a good chance you won’t like it. Keep reading »

As it comes closer to that wonderful time of college applications, you’ll have to start deciding where you’ll be applying to. Even if you already have some ideas where to apply to, it’s usually good to decide in concrete first where you’ll be applying.

The average student will apply to somewhere between five and ten schools. This gives you a good selection once you know where you’re admitted, and you can pick your best fit of those. You should never put all of your eggs in one basket when it comes to college applications. The best way to decide where to apply is to divide your colleges into three main categories: Top choices, safety schools, and reach schools. Keep reading »

A few of my friends are nervous about starting school this upcoming year, and they asked me if I had any tips. After taking some time to think through my freshman year carefully, I came up with these 50 suggestions to help you make the most of college, both socially and academically:

1. Keep an open mind to different lifestyles and viewpoints. People in college come from all different walks of life, don’t rule them out just because their hobbies and views are different than yours. Make friends of all different types.
2. Live the way you want to. If you want to have Nerf gun fights in your dorm hallway, then do it! You live away from home now, and it’s up to you to dictate how you want to live. Go to bed when you want to. Get up at a time that works best. This extends to everything — including your academics.
3. Take a few chances. College is the time to branch out and discover yourself. Take a few risks, do things that you normally wouldn’t, and watch as you have the time of your life.
4. Adopt a ‘Yes Man‘ attitude. Start accepting opportunities as they come to you instead of making excuses not to do something. You’ll be amazed at how much more interesting your life will become. Keep reading »

If you’ve never been to college, it’s tough to imagine what a typical week’s schedule will be like. Even if you plan out your classes, it’s hard to say how you will actually spend your time, such as when you’ll be getting up, eating, and so forth.

Although everyone chooses a different schedule based on what works for them and yours will inevitably be unique too, a sample one is always good to have.

Below is my schedule from the first quarter of my freshman year, where I took three classes: Astronomy, Bioethics, and a writing class (“Core”). Here’s what a typical week looked like for me: Keep reading »

A common mistake when dorm shopping that people make is buying the wrong type of sheets. Many will go out buying new bedsheets, and mistakenly buy Twin sizes.

While I’m sure there are some exceptions, the vast majorities of college dorm mattresses use Twin XL sized sheets. A lot of people never even hear about this size of sheet until it comes time to for dorm shopping.

Twin XL beds are as wide as normal twin beds, but they’re an extra five inches longer, presumably to accommodate taller students. Keep reading »

When you start preparing to do your dorm shopping, a bunch of ideas will spring to your mind at different times. Even if you already have a checklist of dorm supplies, it’s still very easy to forget to buy one or two things.

When I was beginning to do my dorm shopping, I found the most useful way to keep track of things I needed was by keeping a list. Whenever something would occur to me that I needed, I would immediately write it down. Keep reading »

Once you’ve completed your dorm checklist, the next thing to do is to actually go out and buy what you’ll need. Dorm shopping can be pretty hectic, especially when move-in day is approaching. It’s best to do your dorm shopping early on.

Many retail stores will have sales around mid-July and August, and they’ll also stock up more on dorm-related items (such as those pesky extra-long twin sheets) around that time. Keep a close eye on catalogs to know when the best time to shop is. You don’t necessarily have to do it all in one day (though that may be more convenient). If you’re school is on the quarter system, you’ll be tempted to put off your shopping until late August or early September, but many sales will already be over by then. Do your shopping early on. Keep reading »