Xatal

During my freshman year at college, I realized that one of the strangest experiences you have is when you go back home for the first time.

When I came back the first time last year, I was amazed at how bizarre it felt. In the month and a half that I had been away from home, I had changed and grown in a lot of different ways, yet I had barely noticed at all. I assumed that my home must somehow be ‘different’, that surely it and the people who live there must have changed too.

But nothing changed — there weren’t any major changes to the town, my bedroom still looked the exact same, and I still had to fight with my neighbor for my parking spot. Because I had been gone for so long, things felt unfamiliar, yet I knew this is how things had been. The weirdness, I think, came from being placed back into the exact same routine and role that I had been in for most of my life, yet having it feel weird and abnormal because I had adjusted to my college life. Keep reading »

With Halloween just a couple of days a way, it’s a good time to start getting an idea what you’d like to do for Halloween.

Luckily, this year Halloween falls on a Saturday. Not only do you get the whole day off to do whatever you want, you can also sleep in the next day! If you’re in college now, this is as good as it gets, and it will only happen this year. So you can do a bunch of different thing all in the same day. Here are a few suggestions (some of which may be more fun when safely combined with alcohol): Keep reading »

Long distance relationships are tough, no matter the circumstances. Even the strongest of couples can be brought to an end by spending a short time apart. College long distance relationships are even more difficult, and if you already decided to stay together, you’ll need to watch out for some warning signs that will inevitably cause friction in a long-distance relationship.

1. Jealousy

The biggest one. If you’re jealous of every girl that your boyfriend talks to (or vice versa), then there will always be a lot of background tension in the relationship. In college, you meet a lot of new people of both genders. If you expect your partner to completely shut out the opposite sex, that’s ridiculous and you’ll greatly hinder his or her social life. Being jealous puts you in a bad mood and definitely pushes your partner away.

However, there are definitely times when you need to worry. When you hear about the same person a little too often or you feel like your partner is crossing some line, you should definitely bring it up. Don’t be hostile — be mature and calm, otherwise you may make a bad situation even worse. Keep reading »

With tons of midterm dates, finals, varying class schedules, homework due dates, and various other events going on, it’s easy to forget a few important dates and miss out on something important.

Last year I learned how important it was for me to keep an active calendar going, one where I could plot out events that I could otherwise forget. Keep reading »

If you’re a shy person who needs your own space and time to wind down, dorm life will definitely take its toll on you. With all of the people coming and going, anyone who’s introverted will inevitably feel the need for some alone time to relax and wind down.

Depending on how many roommates you have and how they act, this can be easy or it can be tough. Some roommates can live together, each doing their own thing, and be perfectly happy. Others feel a constant need to interact with each other or with other people, keeping you from the down time that you need.

The best place to go when you really need some time is the library. Keep reading »

Being a new student anywhere is tough, and college is no exception. College is a great place to meet people and find friends, and you’ll find that you enjoy college a lot more if you have some solid friends right there by your side. Making those friends, though, can be the tough part. Some people are lucky and able to make friends easily, yet for others it takes a bit of work.

Although you can make friends any time, it’s easiest in the first couple weeks of school, before many groups of friends become solid.

The key to making friends is to open up. College students are generally a lot more open to making new friends than high school students, and there’s no need to be afraid of everybody. All you need to do is put yourself out there. Here are a few ways to do just that: Keep reading »

Going to any interview can be downright intimidating, and going to your first job interview is no exception. Without any prior work experience to point to, you have to somehow try to convince the employer that you’re a good choice.

Luckily, most interviews for jobs in high school and early college jobs aren’t too grueling. Most employers will ask some simple questions to get to know you and then make a decision. The way you present yourself in an interview will usually make more of an impact than whatever you have on your short resume.

Employers want workers who see the job as more than just a paycheck — they want workers who actually care about what they do. If you can give the impression in your job interview that you do care, then you’ll have a much better shot at getting hired. Here are four ways I’ve found pretty helpful: Keep reading »

As I go through my day, a million things occur to me to do later on — maybe I want to remember to watch a certain TV show, maybe I need to get some schoolwork done, or maybe I have an appointment I need to remember. The biggest problem is that I always forget what I was going to do.

Most of the time, these reminders aren’t that important, but it does really suck when it’s something significant.

Finally, I realized the best way for me to get my life together: sending text messages to myself. I’m on the computer often, and because I check my e-mail often, my reminders don’t go forgotten. When something occurs to me to remind myself of, I quickly open my phone and send a text message of the reminder, such as, “test on Friday”. Then, when I’m home and at the computer, it pops up as an unread e-mail. Keep reading »