The Living is Easy

For some the thought of summer conjures up images of sleeping in and hanging out with friends. If you can afford to do nothing in the summer, it’s not likely that you’ll be able to completely follow-through. And no, that’s not a dare. We’re just saying that all your newfound free time will need to be filled with something stimulating. Finishing the latest video game or watching every movie ever made are certainly accomplishments, but unless you’re a film major or studying game design, they’re not going to help you get the most out of your college experience. So what will?

Heading Overseas

Studying abroad has become a popular part of going to college. Many students take a semester or two to live in another country and study a subject of interest. However, if you are saving your semesters for courses in your major and don’t have time to take a jaunt to Europe, you may want to consider going abroad over the summer. Check with your school about summer programs that’ll take you to another country where you can immerse yourself in a new culture, learn a language and gain academic credit. The one drawback to studying abroad over summer is the expense. According to the Boston Globe article “Pricey Summer Programs Raise Fairness Questions,” summer experiences can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000—no small change. And that brings us to our next option for spending your summer…

Take this Job and Work it

Looking for some extra spending cash? Two straight months of no obligations seems like the perfect time to take on a part-time or full-time job. A USAA report found that 55% of students plan to work during the school year and over the summer while in college. The advantage to working is two-fold—first, you earn money that you can put towards your education and second, you can gain valuable experience in a field of interest. Of the 1,474 teens who participated in this year’s 2006 Junior Achievement Poll on Teens and Summer Jobs, nearly 40% identified saving for college as the primary motivation for working in the summer. But beyond socking it away for school, money earned during the summer can go to cover housing costs, traveling and for taking part in exciting programs, like studying abroad.

Volunteer Yourself

Consider that your work as a volunteer may be more beneficial than a job with a steady paycheck. Although earning money is definitely a valuable way to spend your summer, volunteer work not only boosts your resume, it also gets you involved in helping your community. Opportunities to volunteer are numerous, so you may want to choose something that best matches your course of study. Head to www.freedomcorps.gov to learn more about volunteer activities near you.

Work for Free

If you are seeking to pad your resume with some great experience in your chosen field, an internship may be just the ticket. Take your summer to intern with an organization that will prepare you for entering the job market after graduation. A survey from Vault found that 82% of students say completing an internship is “extremely important” for future career success.

Summer School

The notion of summer school may not be the most appealing, but it does offer its share of advantages. Summer classes are condensed into a limited number of weeks, so if there’s a class you’ve been dreading you could take it in the summer and shorten the pain. And, if it is a course that has little to do with your area of study, you could take it for pass or fail. If you are heading home for the summer and still want to enroll in a summer session check out your local colleges and find out if your school will allow you to transfer credit.

Summer of Fun

Other alternatives for spending your summer include arts or sports programs and traveling. Whatever your choice, be sure to prepare for the summer a few months before. Check out the deadlines for interning, enroll in summer school to save your spot, consider the kind of job you want to pursue and get your application in early, and book your tickets if you’re planning on traveling. Summer is an ideal time to gain experience and recharge your batteries for your next year of college.

So there it is…the “herb” that has been a part of many a college student’s life is now a part of college, itself. One wonders how much further this whole medical marijuana movement will go. Is it a burgeoning industry that could be a boon in our down economy, or is it a medical fad that will remain relegated to only a few states?

With so many fun memories it made it difficult for the staff to pick just one. But we have to do what we have to do. And the winner of the Grad Gift Giveaway was Dan Yerkes with his memory about finals. For those of you who didn’t read it, here it is:

“My favorite memory from college is during one of my more difficult finals, another student in the class stood up from his seat 20 seconds after the final started, said f#%$ it and walked out of the final with his hands raised in the air.”

I think everyone here could relate to Dan’s classmate and the frustration that can come with college. I had a similar experience in a calculus class, though I was the one who stood up and walked out. I remember writing a note on my final that said “I’m sorry for wasting your time. I just don’t understand this.” As I handed it to the professor, he read it and said “talk to me later.” I did, but eventually gave up on math altogether.

Now to the bonus story…If you didn’t know, the prize for the contest was the Verbatim Acclaim 500GB portable USB hard drive. When I contacted Dan to tell him the news he was particularly excited to be getting the drive and relayed this story: “I’m a current second year law student in Chicago going into environmental law.  As a law student, all of my notes, electronic handouts, and assignments are saved on my computer.  Needless to say, losing any of those towards the end of the semester could pose a hell of a problem.  Well, unfortunately I had to find out the hard way how big of a problem it would be when my laptop was stolen…I had nothing backed up.”

Wow. Looks like we chose the right winner. And this is a great reminder to all of you out there, back up regularly…and keep the back-up far away from the computer. I used to back up all the time, but when my laptop was stolen a few years ago, the crook also made away with the bag that had my back-up drive.

So thanks to Dan for sharing his memory and for everyone who participated. We truly appreciate it! Also, a special thank you to Verbatim, who provided our awesome prize!

Apparently, Widener University in Pennsylvania caught on to this idea well before “Undercover Boss” found its way to network television. Per The Washington Post, the college has a “President for a Day” tradition where the college’s president changes places with a student. The student handles the president’s daily tasks, while the president attends the student’s classes and deal with his or her everyday issues. This time around the president, James Harris, switched with a senior, Doug Shulz. The switch had the president delivering newspapers and attending Doug’s classes.

Through their experience both student and president learn about the other’s concerns by walking a day in their shoes. It’s a great way for people in high positions to understand the impact of their decisions, and it’s equally great for students to see just how much pressure and decision-making must be done at the top levels of the administration. I think more schools should take Widener’s idea and put to use on their campus. Anytime you can help students and staff relate better is time well spent.

From helping an elderly woman across the street to honoring her favorite number (13) in clever and inventive ways, the duo not only made their own videos they amassed hundreds from their readers…and Taylor was thoroughly impressed. Her final request was for the two to set up a karaoke night at a hotel and she made a surprise appearance. Hugging the two Seniors and inviting them to a future show. This is just another great example of the power of social media to get a message out…and if it’s sticky enough, it might even succeed in getting you a hug from your favorite country music star.

Check out the videos on the site, they’re hilarious. So who would you want to get a hug from? We’d love to hear some names!

Here’s how to enter:
We want to know what your favorite college or high school memory is and why. Share it in the comment box by midnight on April 30th and the StudentStuff staff will vote on their favorite. Of course, we ask that you keep it PG-13. Winners will be notified by email.

The Prize:
The winner will receive a 500GB USB portable hard drive from Acclaim in a piano black finish. You’ll experience Verbatim’s performance-driven Acclaim™ – the USB portable hard drive that is one of the smallest in the industry.

The Acclaim’s Features & Benefits

- One of the industries smallest hard drives
- Available in sleek piano-black, fire-engine red or electric blue finishes
- Windows and Mac compatible
- Backed by an unheard of 7-year limited warranty!
- Bonus Norton Online Backup (5GB) and eMusic offer of 35 MP3s
- Includes Nero BackItUp & Burn Essentials software*
- Storage capacities of 320, 500 and 640GB
- Software compatible with Windows operating systems only

The Rules:
Deadline to enter the contest is midnight on April 30, 2010. Winners will be notified by email (so make sure you provide a valid address). Winners have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Prizes will be mailed to a US address only. Only one winner will be chosen from the site. Good luck!

Are unpaid internships fair? What kinds of rules govern companies who employ college kids for free? Ms. Tobin goes into some detail about the practice (with some great research and statistics!), and it brought up my own experience with an unpaid internship that I nabbed when I was just out of high school.

My internship didn’t pay, though later they provided me with gas money and it soon evolved into a position. It was difficult for me to get by considering I was also going to school at the time. But I cannot stress how important that internship has been to my career. Fortunately, I was able to work at the company, but I can imagine those who do not have the financial stability to work for free for a time. I have been told that many places require you to obtain class credit for your internship, but I have also known plenty of people who have interned for free without getting credit.

I happen to be of the opinion that unpaid internships are the modern-day apprenticeships. They provide you with connections in the industry you want to be in and valuable real world experience. I think common sense regulations should be in place so kids are not exploited by employers, but I think we should certainly not eliminate a company’s right to take on workers who wish to work for free. For those who cannot afford to do this, perhaps companies can arrange for the internship to be combined with other work at the company that would be paid. Or maybe companies can create foundations that provide income to interns from low-income families who apply for assistance.

Definitely get over to Politics Daily and take a look at the article. It’s fascinating stuff and covers a topic that people are not discussing enough. And that’s your cue to discuss further below!

Ever wonder how much money colleges make from those cards with the school logos on them? Per this piece by Jay MacDonald, the new law will expose the details of these agreements so we’ll finally see the actual money that’s being exchanged.

The article has a quick list of just some of the income these schools make and it’s big money. Plus, the agreements don’t necessarily just include cash. They can also involve providing contact information for alumni, as well as promotional opportunities on campus for the card companies. Whether you agree with the practice or not, it will be good to finally let the sun shine in so we can see the kinds of funds being raked in by public universities…Which will do doubt lead to the question of: where does all of the money go?

I don’t have a strong opinion either way, but I do take issue with the notion that these institutions are selling your information without permission. I receive “NYU” credit card offers all of the time – they obviously sold my info without my approval. Plus, shouldn’t they at least check to see if the alum has a job before they hit him or her up for a credit card that will potentially put them in worse financial straits? Jeez.

If only the career centers at some of these schools were as persistent as the people making deals with credit card companies, the schools would likely make more from donations than from these big banks.

According to the study, boredom will not only put you in an early grave, it may also lead to drinking, smoking, and hard drugs. Researchers found those who were bored at work were 2.5 times more likely to die of a heart ailment than those who were engaged by their work. Of course, they point out that this applies to chronic boredom, so all of us part-timers can sigh a sense of relief. I suppose I can see how letting yourself go unchallenged for a long enough time could be harmful to your health – I’ve read numerous stories of people who live longer when they have something to live for.

But what’s the point of the study? I mean, are we going to set new policies to crackdown on boredom? Is there going to be a War on Boredom? How do you put a surgeon general’s warning on boredom? I’m open to ideas, people. Let me know.

The numbers are 57% women to 43% men. Now they say the trend has stabilized and isn’t getting any worse, though some other studies claim otherwise. They say the real concern is the drop in minority enrollment in college, as that is something that seems to be decreasing when it should be increasing given the diversity efforts of colleges across the country. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is apparently looking into rumors that schools are discriminating in the hopes of forcing a gender balance. Wait, doesn’t that sound like affirmative action for men? Hey, they are the minority now…why shouldn’t we be “discriminating” to ensure they get more opportunity? I’m confused.

So what do you think? Have the men noticed they are outnumbered? Have the women noticed they are the majority on campus? How does this effect your college experience?