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If you have a son, daughter, boyfriend, girlfriend, or friend in college and are not sure what to get him/her, thinking of good ideas can be a bit tough.

In dorms, college kids don’t typically have much with them — dorms in themselves are a rather limited lifestyle. If the person you’re shopping for lives in an apartment, there are a few more options, but they tend to be a bit different.

Gifts for college students

• Posters! AllPosters has many different posters, though if you’re unsure, a gift certificate may be better.
• Quality snacks — cookies, crackers, candy, or anything that can be eaten in a dorm. Dining hall food often leaves a lot to be desired, so snacks are always welcome.
• Gift certificates. Find stores near the college that are easily accessible. Fast food, restaurants, and cheap retail stores are always a sure bet.
• Cooking supplies (for students in an apartment). My mom always gets George Foreman grills — easy to use but very essential to have.
• Quality furnishings — nice towels, simple carpets, lamps, chairs, and so forth. Obviously most of these are more necessary in an apartment.
• Bean bag chairs! Perfect for having people over to hang out.
• NetFlix subscription. You’d be surprised how handy this can be.

Seeing as today is Halloween, I was wondering about trick-or-treating.

Ever since I was a kid, trick-or-treating was the big highlight of Halloween. Each year, I would plan to hit even more houses than the year before. Once I was old enough to trick-or-treat with friends, we would try to find the areas with the most homes, where hopefully we could get the most candy. In reality, each year our plans ended up failing due to one reason or another: once we went to a neighborhood where nobody was giving out candy, another we spent looking for a friend’s girlfriend, and one year we were just simply too lazy. in the end, I never actually fulfilled my dream of “The Jackpot”.

Halloween is the ultimate holiday as a kid

As my friends and I grew older, we started hearing the inevitable line from adults handing out candy, “Aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating?” I first heard it in 6th grade, and I heard it more every year after that. The last time I went trick-or-treating was during my sophomore year of high school (when I was 16), and I was hearing it quite a bit that year.

During my junior and senior year, I didn’t have any interest in trick-or-treating because other opportunities came up — one year I went out with a girl, the other year I went to see a movie and spent some time with friends. However, if the group decision had been to go trick-or-treating, I would still have been willing to go out. Now, though, I finally feel too old to go out, perhaps a result of being away at college, or maybe because I finally realized I can buy candy any time I want. I would still love to hit The Jackpot, but beyond that I really don’t have much interest in walking around. I’d rather spend Halloween at a party, with friends, or even just watching scary movies and handing out candy to kids.

What do you think?

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Beyond that, I’d like to wish everybody a happy Halloween. Since it’s on a Friday this year, there are many more opportunities than normal. What interesting things are you up to this year?

Before leaving for college, I remember telling my mom, “I won’t get sick at school — I have a great immune system!” I honestly believed it too — I rarely ever get sick, and when I do, it’s usually nothing more serious than a cold.

But sure enough, within only two weeks of moving in I started to feel my first illness coming on. With so many people around, it becomes incredibly easy for diseases to spread. My disease, however, didn’t come from contact with anybody at school — I actually contracted it while at home, and it was hitting me for the first time. And, unfortunately, this was no common cold: this was mono.

Being sick at college can be pretty miserable

As I’m writing this, I’m finally getting over my illness, and it’s not a moment too soon. I’d like to share a few things that I’ve learned firsthand about being sick at college that might help you if you ever find yourself in a similar position as I was in (let’s hope not!).

Being sick when you’re away at college is completely different than being sick back home while you’re in high school. Back home, Mom could take care of you and you could more easily afford to miss several days of school in order to regain your health.

But when you’re sick at college, you’re on your own, and you have to manage on your own. When you first discover that you’re sick, this is definitely a bit daunting — it’s really tough being sick when you’re alone and away from home. But there are ways of managing! This post contains some pointers about how to manage both your health and your schoolwork while sick, as well as some other general tips to keep in mind while sick.

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It rained for the first time of the school year on Friday here in Santa Cruz. This was a rather… interesting event.

At UC Santa Cruz, the tradition is known as “First Rain”: on the first major rain of the year, kids run through campus naked (streaking).

It started raining fairly late at night (about 10 PM), and the general rule is that it has to be a GOOD rain — sprinkles don’t count — and it has to last a while.

My roommate and I ventured outside at around midnight to see just how much truth there was to the tradition. We walked up part of campus to see what the hubbub was, but there wasn’t too much. The rain was pouring down hard and it was very chilly, so we decided to head back in.

Just as we’re nearing our dorm, we hear cheers off in the distance, steadily growing louder. We decided to wait a bit, and then… Read the rest of this entry »

So after sitting through my first several sessions of college class, I’ve come to one major conclusion:

Being left-handed in college sucks.

Even more than it did in high school. Here, the actual   you have to work with — both in classrooms and in lecture halls — is much smaller, and is entirely on the right side of the desk. So, if you’re left-handed, you have to position your arm awkwardly across the desk to write, which isn’t fun at all. Your right arm, meanwhile, is cornered uselessly between your left arm and your body, so it doesn’t have much to do at all.

Supposedly there are left-handed desks and seats here, but I have yet to see any, nor am I too keen to hunt up and down a lecture hall to find any.

I’ve tried learning to write with my right hand in years past, but never really stuck with it. Perhaps college will be the motivation I need to finally get that down…

A few days ago, I was watching the classic movie Sandlot with my girlfriend. As we were watching it, we talked about how great it would be to have that kind of childhood — one full of all kinds of memories with friends and stories worth telling for years to come.

Playing sports as a kid was always great fun

The more we talked about it, though, the more we realized that we both had childhoods with plenty of memories and quality stories. In fact, the difference, we realized, was that we didn’t appreciate those things as much when we were younger. Being out with was just something that you did as a kid, it never seemed like a big deal, but as I get older, I realize how incredible that really was. Things that I took for granted then, like walking down the street to a friend’s house everyday, are not really as possible now as they used to be, especially since my friends and I are starting to go our separate ways as life pulls us apart.

Another big difference I noticed was that the kids in the movie had something in particular to be extremely passionate about: baseball. Personally, there was nothing in my childhood that I was that excited for. Sure, video games and sports were fun, but my friends and I were never really that into any one thing in particular.

Yesterday, I decided to take a walk around my old middle school (it’s right down the street). As I roamed the sidewalk paths again, I thought back to all of the good times I had there. Middle school was the last year where all of my best friends went to the same school — after that, we began to go to different places and see each other less and less. High school brought a lot of changes and really was what ended that era of my youth.

This is a bit of a ramble, but it’s been on my mind a lot lately. I know a lot of people who wish they could go back to relive their younger days, knowing what they know now. Has anyone else ever thought a lot about why that is? I’m interested in hearing what other people think.

It’s impossible to ignore, and you can’t escape the sad feeling that comes with it.

I’m talking about the unusual light weight of your wallet after you spend money to get gasoline. Due to the high costs of gas these days, it’s really unfortunate.

Getting gas does not have to bankrupt you. Source

Teenagers are hit the hardest by it because we have such a small income, whereas adults have more money and gas costs take up a smaller percentage of their expenses. Of course, tips for cutting back on gasoline costs apply to everybody.

The massive increase in gas over the last year is caused by an increase in the cost of oil. While there isn’t a whole lot we can do to alter the price of gas, there are some ways to help reduce the amount we spend on driving. The biggest way is to simply become more aware of how you drive and how you use the gas that you have. Here are some good suggestions that have really helped me out since gas prices have gone up: Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve given you some helpful hints for finding a job during the summer, but once the school year starts you may have to decide if you want to keep your job or not.

Many jobs and/or the hours you work are seasonal. Your job may only have needed someone to fill the 8AM-12PM shift, and now that you’re back in school, you’re not going to be much help.

But for many jobs, you can continue working even once school starts. The decision is whether or not you want to. Obviously, having a job will give you money, but with school starting, you’ll also have less free time. It’s an important balance. Read the rest of this entry »

Lately, more and more schools have begun considering a ‘pay-for-performance’ method, where kids are rewarded for high test scores. Basically, if a student scores well on a test, then both that student and the teacher will receive some sort of cash reward.

Should money be given to students for doing well on tests?

Students in AP classes will receive more of an award because they are taking a harder class. Apparently, this has already created a 60% increase in the enrollment in some AP classes.

The idea is that by providing a direct incentive like money, kids will be more motivated to take tests more seriously and to push themselves to take a harder class.

As with the school uniforms debate, this is a controversial issue as well. Many believe that the money could be better used elsewhere: to reduce classroom sizes, to provide better learning materials, and so forth.

Currently seven states take part in it: Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Texas, and Virginia, with plans to expand.

From a student’s point of view, I can definitely see this being nice. I took fairly advanced classes without having money to motivate me, but I might have taken one or two more if I would have received something for it. And, of course, being paid for ones I was already taking would have been cool too.

So what do you think? Is paying kids to do better worth it, or should that money be spent elsewhere? For more info on the idea, read this news article.

The other day, I was reading a blog post how Texas schools are considering forcing students who violate the dress code to put on a prison jumpsuit. While that doesn’t directly relate to school uniforms, it got me really thinking more and more about the ever-continuing debate about whether or not school uniforms are worth the trouble.

One thing I’ve noticed about the school uniform debate is that parents tend to be more in favor of it, and kids tend to be more opposed. Being young, I’m against it. I went to a private school where uniforms were required from kindergarten right through 6th grade, then I went to public school where free dress was the norm from then on.

I have to admit, when you’re at a school where uniforms are already a policy, being told what to wear doesn’t seem like a big deal at a time. But if a school were to switch from a free dress policy to a uniform policy… that wouldn’t go over so well.

The school uniform debate is undoubtedly a complex issue, but here are some commonly discussed pros and cons and what I make of them:

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If you’re leaving for college soon for the first time, chances are you’re keeping a close watch on that calendar and watching the days tick away. As it gets closer and closer, the reality that you’re going to be leaving home will start to sink in. Already you’re probably feeling the excitement increasing.

But admit it, you’re probably a bit nervous too. For the first time, you’ll be on your own. If you’re used to your parents constantly being there for you and hawking over you, this is going to be quite the new experience. It’s definitely best to start fending for yourself. Becoming more self-reliant now will save you a lot of hassle of having to learn it later on.

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No matter what you choose as a major, be aware that your life’s goals can change very fast, and it’s best to pick a college with enough choices to accommodate that.

Unfortunately, I have a recent story that goes with this.

For the longest time, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to be an economics major or an engineering major. When I applied to UC Santa Cruz, I noticed they didn’t have the engineering fields I was most interested in (structural, civil, and/or aerospace), so I just put down economics.

Ever since I chose to go there, I have been pretty happy with economics and haven’t really thought of switching. I knew my heart wasn’t dead-set on it, but for the time being it sounded good.

Fast-forward to yesterday. I’m watching some video on YouTube about roller coasters, and it occurs to me how cool it would be to design them. I’ve only been interested in engineering when it comes to stuff that I’m especially fond of (planes, bridges, buildings, etc), and since I have a love for roller coasters, I realized just how much of an awesome job that would be for me.

Seriously, how cool would it be to engineer one of these?!

So I hop on Google and search for “Roller coaster engineers”, where I find that there are generally three types of engineering degrees that are used in the process: mechanical, structural, and electrical. I already knew Santa Cruz didn’t offer structural, but I figured there was a good shot of it offering mechanical. I went to the UCSC majors page to look to see if it was there, and…

Son of a…

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For students, the first day back of school is very similar to New Years for adults: it’s seen as a time to make major personal changes. While for adults, the year is based around the calendar, for us students, it’s based far more around school. Therefore, for us it makes far more sense to apply things like self-improvement tips to the school year rather than the calendar year.

If you’re like me, then every year you decide the same thing: this year will be different. But, every year, things end up about the same.

So how do you make a lasting change? It’s not easy, and it will take a lot of will power, but it’s definitely possible.

For starters, have your ideas gathered about what you want to change. Is it something more internal, like maybe your study habits or your motivation, or is it something more external, like the way you dress or the way you act around other people? Maybe it’s both.

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As it comes closer and closer to the time to move in to your new college dorm, you’re going to eventually be faced with the prospect of buying all of the wonderful things you’ll need next year. While buying new things is always exciting, when you need a whole bunch of things for your new dorm, it’s pretty easy to forget at least one or two things.

Your school surely sent you a nice list of things you should bring, but a lot of times that list is very brief and will leave off many essential items. I’ve just finished my own shopping, and I put together a nice list of things I have bought, have considered buying, or have been recommended to buy.

Now, every college is different. What you need will vary from school to school. Some of these will be provided for you (like wastebaskets), and some may not apply to you depending on what your dorm is like (like a rug). Your school will surely have guidelines about what is acceptable and what is not, and these will definitely vary from school to school. If you are at all unsure, it’s always best to either ask the school or to ask someone who has lived in your college’s dorms before.

Also, only bring what you will actually use. If there’s something on this list that you won’t ever use, then don’t buy it! When it comes to toiletries and school supplies, everybody has his or her own tastes and preferences. Do what works for you. This list is only here to help remind you of what it might be nice to have.

All that said, here’s a list of things that you might want to have

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Whether or not you chose a roommate or were assigned one, you’re now stuck living with somebody for the next few months of your life. Obviously, you want that to be as good of an experience as possible for the both of you.

It’s best to get a start on building a strong bond well before you guys start living together. No matter what, it will be awkward at first, but you can do your best to eliminate at least some of it beforehand.

If you already know the person you’re going to be living with, a lot of this you won’t have to worry about, but for those of us who are starting fresh,  it’s best to have something to start with.

To begin, Read the rest of this entry »