Xatal

I apologize for the lack of posts, I’ve been rather busy these past few days. One of my big projects was upgrading to Windows 7 Professional Edition.

Upgrading an operating system or switching computers is never a quick task, and moving over gigabytes of music, movies, and games, organizing partitions, and mass-installing programs always makes for a long day.

But I’m loving Windows 7! Here’s what I’ve noticed: 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’re taking a look at your dorm supplies checklist and your jaw is dropping at all the stuff you may need, you’ll inevitably wonder, where am I going to put all of this?

College dorms are not known for being spacious, so you’re going to need to resort to unique storage solutions to find a place for everything. Bear in mind that you shouldn’t be bringing too much to college — the idea is to live moderately simply for a few months, not to take your whole bedroom with you. Talk to your roommate(s) to see what you two can double up on to save space.

Here are some places to put everything:

#1: In and on your desk and dresser.

Fairly obvious, but still very true. If you take some time to organize everything and set all your dorm supplies down neatly, you’ll find you have a lot of room in your desk and dresser.

Use the drawers appropriately: If you have one large deep desk drawer, it makes more sense to fill it with notebooks than it does with smaller items. For items that you don’t really need that much, consider putting them elsewhere to free up space for more essential items.

#2: In your closet.

Hanging closet organizers like this can provide you with a wealth of shelf space, useful for storing shoes, folded sweatshirts, or jeans. One (maybe two) should be all you’ll need. Be careful how much you load these up, as the weight might become too much for the hanger or the bar.

Some closets will also have a few shelves. These make great storage for items that you use semi-frequently, such as laundry detergent or additional towels. The floor of your closet can also be put to good use. Small shoe racks or other storage containers can help you out here.

#3: Under your bed.

There are lots of under-bed storage containers like this that make great containers. Many have wheels that allow you to quickly slide the container under or out from your bed. The average dorm bed could probably have three of these storage containers under it, or you could simply put stuff under there loose.

I recommend putting items under your bed that you don’t use much — things like spare sheets and unused college textbooks. This way, you’re not constantly dragging the container in and out.

#4: Remote corners of your dorm.

If you have spare nooks and crannies that are unused and you still need some space, consider buying some storage containers to fill those up. Storage containers come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and you can easily find one that will match your room nicely.

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 »

I’m not going to give anything away, but if you’re looking for a great science fiction movie with aliens that’s a bit different than the typical movie, go see it. I went to see it with my girlfriend yesterday and we both absolutely loved it. District 9 was definitely the best movie I’ve seen in a long time. It was even better than other recent movies I’ve really liked, including Transformers and Star Trek.

It’s not a typical alien movie. It has some interesting plot twists and an interesting approach overall making it more accessible and interesting, no matter what types of movies you normally like.

Most of the complaints I’ve heard have been with slight plot holes that are pretty normal for all movies, I haven’t really heard any bad things overall about the movie. I don’t have any real complaints, it was the best $6 I’ve spent in a long time.

District 9 has lots of action, cool aliens, and great special effects. Peter Jackson delivers.

I think the reality of living away from home really sinks in when your parents leave for home on move in day.

I remember mine: we had just enjoyed a nice dinner at Chili’s, and it was just starting to get dark. I gave my mom a second hug, shook my dad’s hand, and they got in the car and drove off. I walked back up the stairs to my dorm, and as I looked at the buildings on either side, I realized it: I’m on my own. This was both a cool and unnerving thought.

Once your parents leave, you’re going to be on your own too. You might feel lonely, homesick, and nervous. How you choose to spend your first night is up to you, and you should do what you feel most comfortable doing, but here are some things I recommend: Keep reading »

Prints and Stuff is a pretty good resource for decorations!

Looking through the site a bit, it’s got some great tips and great links to some quality art. Trying to make your dorm look a bit unique can actually be tough (believe it or not, the famous “College” poster and a Pulp Fiction poster are not really unique), but if you look around you can definitely find cool posters and paintings you might like. Keep reading »

One of my favorite parts of college is that it’s a chance to break free of the M-F, 8AM – 3PM routine of high school. College classes are scheduled throughout the day on all weekdays, giving a lot of opportunities to mix things up.

If you’ve already picked your college courses that you want to enroll in, take some time to look over your schedule and decide if it works well for you. Here are some things to consider:

Decide how to balance your days.

Do you want all of your classes one after another, or do you want some break between each class?

If your classes are all consecutive, you’ll be finished earlier with all of your classes, giving you a lot of contiguous free time to do whatever you want — study, hang out, play video games, whatever. However, consecutive classes really wear you down, and if you have a bunch right after another, you’re going to be worn out by the end. Keep reading »