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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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If you haven’t noticed before, you might notice now that there are a few badges on the sidebar at the bottom of the list of stuff.

They used to be at the very bottom, but after adding one or two more it ended up taking a second line and that just looked awful, so I decided to move them onto the sidebar. I may move them once again, I’m still not sure.

I haven’t taken any time to explain them so I figure it would be nice if I did. If you’re a blogger, one or more might appeal to you too. Keep reading »

Every year before school would start, I would inevitably make a hurried run to Target to pick up all of the school supplies that I needed for the upcoming year. Binders, dividers, sometimes a new backpack, you name it. Each year, I had the same goal in my mind: “This year, I’ll be organized.”

I’ve always been that kid with the messy backpack. You could open it up and see tons of papers crammed in here and there, not at all organized. My binders and folders would be empty and unused, wasting space and adding to the burden on my shoulders.

Again last year, I decided I wanted to be a bit more organized, but I also decided that I didn’t want to fail yet again. It was time to decide what was going wrong and how I could finally be happy with my schemes. I took some time to figure out why what I was doing wasn’t working for me.

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Everyone always hates having that one class that has a summer assignment. Most of the time, it’s some AP class that wants you to read something and/or write something.

If you haven’t started already, then congrats on putting it off until the last minute. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, I’m doing it right now: I’m supposed to read Grapes of Wrath for my college, yet I haven’t even opened it. Oops.

Last year, I had to read 1984 and The Catcher in the Rye and write an essay about the two over the summer for my AP English class. The essay was due the first day back, and so many students didn’t get around to finishing it that they dropped out of the class before the first day even came.

Dropping out turned out to be a mistake for many, though. The next class down, English C (which was an honor’s class), only had a few open spots left, and they were quickly filled up. Everyone who didn’t get in the class had to drop to English B, a normal-level class.

Those who were put into English C soon found out that they now had more work. While the AP class had a summer essay, for the rest of the year the AP class had very little actual work. The English C class was full of busy work and worksheets. Of course, the trade-off was that the AP class was harder and more thought-based, but for the kids who dropped out because of work, there was a lot of irony when they found out they now had even more to do than before.

As for the kids who were put into English B, that reflected poorly on them for college applications. Instead of being in an AP class, they were now just in standard English. Some of them came back to AP English just because of this, but there was a nice big hole in their grades because of not doing the summer work.

So if you’re debating switching out because of summer work, think about it. I know how hard it is to muster up the motivation to do any schoolwork during the summer, but it could very well turn out to be an easier choice, and it will definitely reflect well on you for your applications.

A few of my friends who are going to be seniors next year have asked me if it’s worth taking AP classes during the senior year.

Now, my old high school always had us pick classes the year before, so we already knew what classes we would be taking come fall of the next year. I would imagine most other schools do it the same way, so by now you probably at least know what subjects you’re going to be taking next year.

But most schools also allow you to switch.

A good rule of thumb is to always sign up for tougher classes at first, then change out to an easier class. Harder classes are always offered less and it’s harder to get into them once they are full. Easier elective classes are plentiful, and you can switch between them easily.

So, assuming you’ve already at least signed up for some AP classes, you’re wondering if it would be worth your trouble as a senior to stay in them. The answer to that depends on your goals and what you’ve already worked towards. As I’ve said, senior year is important too, and so you definitely want to make the right choice.

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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 that should be on your checklist.

Your school surely sent you a nice little checklist 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 dorm 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 items may 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 checklist 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 checklist 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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So I decided to use the weekend to make a significant change around here: the theme!

I loved the old theme, but to me it’s always extremely important to use things I’ve made myself. When it comes to something as important as a website’s appearance, I feel awful when I’m not using something I made myself.

I’m not an expert designer at all, but I like what I managed to put together enough to stick with it. It’s not perfect, but it’s something I’m glad I can at least call my own.

You’ll notice that a lot of the layout is basically the same. A lot of my inspiration came from the old theme, and I want to keep things at least a little bit similar to how they were.

Please see my Blog Information page where I give credit where it’s due for all of the various things I used in this theme that weren’t my creation. A huge thank you to everyone who created anything that used or inspired this theme!

Does anyone have any comments/thoughts/opinions on the design?