Your first year of college can be a tough one since you’re so used to staying at home and attending high school with friends.  You slowly find that your friends go elsewhere and you’re attending a whole new school.  Some people can get used to it and others can’t and while it’s easy to give up and go back to your comfort zone, there are a few tips you can consider before you throw in the red flag.

Join clubs – The best thing to do on campus is join up clubs or activity groups.  Every college has a ton of groups that you can join.  Most of them are free and you can do anything from discussing politics to learning more about your major.  Look around at bulletin boards or ask around, you’ll be surprised what’s available on your campus.

Don’t be shy- Whether you’re in class or you’ve decided you wanted to join a group, try and meet people that have your interests.   Nothing is better than finding a friend on campus that you get a long with, espcially if you find someone with the same major.  If you find someone you like, keep in touch.  You can then study, go shopping, and do everything else under the sun.

Don’t forget family- Just because you’re miles away from family, don’t forget about them.  Call them up once a week and discuss what’s going on.  Try and plan get togethers depending on how far away you live.  Text messaging, e-mailing, etc can be a great way to pass the time.

Be friendly with roommates- If you’re staying on campus, try and become really good friends with your roommates.  These are the people you’re going to be living with.  Hopefully at the beginning of the year, you were able to pick out people that would be compatiable with you.  Try and think of things you can do in and around your dorm in the downtime when you’re not studying or attending college.

DON’T give up – Sometimes you’ll find yourself thinking you want to quit.  Don’t do this!! Adjusting to things can take time.  Think of the things you have done over your lifetime that required change.  Did it take time to adjust?  I’m sure it did.  Give it time and you’ll adjust just fine.  You’ll probably adjust so much, you won’t want to leave when you graduate!

College really is a great place and as I mentioned above, some people love it right away but some people just can’t stand being away from family.  Try your best and try to duke it out for at least 6 months, if you’re not comfortable by then, you may want to consider staying near your home while you attend school.

When you think of the word “college”, you think of a place you go to learn to advance yourself in hopes of a greater career in the future.  Since most of us don’t want to work a minimum wage job the rest of our lives, most of us resort to a college thinking this is the only thing to do in order to get further in the.  I’m a true believer that you don’t need to go to college to be successful and I’ll tell you why with a few points.

Thousands of entreprenuers are millionaires today - Today, there are thousands of people who never graduated college or never even went!!  If you have the motivation to start a company that you’re passionate with, the sky is the limit.  Would you rather want to make as much as possible or be stuck with a particular amount per year?  Starting a business involves risk but if you can stick with a plan and take the challenge, you’ll most likely succeed.  Here some people you may have heard of that never finished college or attended –

• Michael Dell – Michael Dell, the creator of Dell Computers dropped out of college at 19.  Here wanted to start a computer company that could be bought by anyone because of the price.  With motivation and dedication, Dell makes millions today.
• Mary Kay Ash – If you’re familiar with makeup and women products, I’m sure you’ve heard of Mary Kay.  Mary Kay never received a college education.  Instead, she wanted to start a business that catered to women.  Look at where she stands today.
• Bill Gates – Mr. Gates is one of the most popular names in the business.  From 1995-2006, Bill Gates was the richest person in the world.  Did he finish college?  Nope!  Bill dropped out of college to start Microsoft.  Do you think he regrets dropping out?

Learn on your own- Are you going to college just for the sake of getting that piece of paper to feel better?  Well, instead of going, why don’t you see if places will hire you based on your talents?  If you’re going to college to become a dentist, then obviously you’ll need the degree and certifications.  But if you’re going to become a web designer, you can learn a lot of this on your own and in fact, most of the best designers are those that are self-employed and don’t have a degree.

Status Symbol – If you’re going to college because you “think” it’s the right thing to do, stop going.  If you’re forcing yourself to go, you’re just throwing money away.  Colleges are so strict with their programs that you’ll find you’re taking classes that won’t even count toward your degree.  Most students make the mistake of going to college not knowing what they want to major in.  If you’re falling into this situation, step back and try a bunch of new things.  I promise you you’ll find something that you’re passionate about.

Now, I’m not saying college degrees are pointless becasue they aren’t.  You can earn a lot more with a degree in a great field.  I’m trying to point out that you don’t need a degree to succeed in life.  If you want to start a business that doesn’t need a degree, why don’t you start now?  HOpefully by seeing names like Bill Gates and Michael Dell, it will influnce you to start up.  College isn’

If you’re reading this, the chances of you being unemployed are pretty great seeing you’re looking for ideas to get back on your feet and into the workforce.  The nice thing about a college student is that you don’t necessarily have to rely on a job but it’s always nice to have that side spending cash.  You really need to worry if you have a family to feed and you’re sitting on the couch with no job at all.  Jobs are everywhere, let’s face it.  Some people are go-getter’s and get jobs within days, while others sit back, complain, and wait for that opportunity that never comes.  In order to get back into a job, here are some simple ways to make cash again.

Create a budget – If you just got laid off your job, you’re going to want to get your finances together.  Make sure that you’re not spending more than what you can afford.  Also, I’m hoping you had that emergency fund just in case of this scenario.  If not, you’re going to have to find work fast.  This is why it’s always important to have at least 3 months of expenses saved up in the bank.  On your budget, write down all the bills you need to pay each month such as rent, car, insurance, etc.

Keep applying – No matter how down in the dumps you feel, always keep your head up and apply for as many jobs as possible.  Even if some jobs require too much such as an education, etc., try and apply for them, the worst thing that happens is that it gets thrown in the trash.  I’ve known a few people that have landed jobs that they thought they’d never get.  Remember, in college, no job is over your head, so if you have to apply for that cafe job, apply for it.

Try networking – Do you know of any friends or family that know of anyone that’s hiring?  This is how most people get their jobs.  Networking is a strong way of getting a job because the employer will trust an employee outside of a stranger looking to get in.  Ask your friends and relatives to see if they know of any job that you can apply for, you’ll never know what you can find!

Follow up – Whenever you apply for a job, store this job in a spreadsheet or write it down in a notebook.  Do everything you can to follow up with the employer after you apply.  Wait a few days before you do this so you can give them time to look it over.  You won’t want to pressure or rush them into looking at something that haven’t looked at yet.

Be motivated – NEVER give up – The most successful people in life never give up and keep working to get at that goal.  Don’t let unemployment turn you down, instead look at it as a positive situation.  Start up a business, travel around looking at job potential, etc.  Don’t ever give up and just stick with a low end job.  Do your best to find the best out there.  All the work will eventually pay off in the long run!

After you find that job, make sure you replenish your savings once again and build it back up for that next rainy day.  Take your job for granted and show your employer that you can work hard.  Who knows?  Maybe that job can lead to something after college, you never know.

Do you plan on going to college in the near future?  If so you’ve probably already applied to the college you want to attend.  When you apply for the college you want, colleges will send you all the information about the school.  This information covers everything from what they have to offer, certain programs and all the college expenses.  We all know it, college isn’t cheap.  That is why every college or university offers some type of financial aid to help you out.  Applying for financial aid is nothing to be embarrassed about, how many students do you know have all the money they will need for their future college years?  Exactly, not very many.  So how do you get started and how do you apply?  Read below and make things a lot easier for yourself.

How to apply for financial aid – Once you’ve applied for the college you want to attend, the college/university will send you all the information about the school you will want to go to.  The easiest way to apply for financial aid is through the University which you are attending.  All the Universities have a financial aid office to help students out like yourself.  You will want to go into the office and ask for what forms you will need for financial aid.  They will then help you out and get you on the right path.  After you get the forms you will then want to take them home to your parents and go over it with them.  Applying for financial aid is a very easy thing to do, but it is very involved, and you have to be patient with the forms.  There will be a ton of questions when you get the form, just bare with them and write down the right answers.  These questions give them a good ideas on how much help you will need with college.  The forms will be free of charge to fill out and submit.  Once you’ve completed the forms, contact the college (financial aid office) and ask what to do from there.

Applying for financial aid seems like a ton of work but once you get the forms you will be on your way.  Just contact your school, get as much help as you can from the university (ask as many questions as you want), and have patience.  Good luck!

Are you interested in different cultures and foreign languages?  Often students are required to take a certain amount of foreign language classes when in college to get their degree.  When taking a foreign language class most students find it a lot more interesting half way through the class then they ever thought it would be.  Studying another language and becoming fluent is a major advantage for college students.  When knowing more than your first language you are often looked at as a great candidate for certain businesses.  If you are seriously considering picking up another language you should definitely consider studying abroad also.  Find out the benefits of studying abroad:

You will be living in a whole different atmosphere – You often see pictures of the foreign country in your school books but bringing it to life is a whole different thing.  Once you are there you get to see how the country really runs from a personal experience.  All those beautiful places you see in your book are now coming to real life.

You will meet new people and make friends – You will find yourself making a ton of new friends when you are in the country you’re studying.  The people that you meet will be able to teach you a ton of new things that a book won’t be able to.  You will learn all the slang and real conversation talk of the foreign language.

You will learn more than every before – A book can only teach you so much.  When you’re in the country you’re studying, you are learning the daily life of the country.  You will learn the average day of the country’s citizens.  You will see beautiful places, see what it is like to live over there, and you will be able to pick up more of the foreign language than ever before.

You will have a great story to tell – When you get back from the country you will have so many stories to tell and so many memories made.  Going to another country will be one of the highlights in your life and something you’ll never forget.  You will be able to tell so many people about it and help the students in your class better understand things.

Studying abroad is the quickest way to learn a new language – Going to the actual country is totally different than studying a book all day.  Often people who only have book experience loose interest and don’t find it as a must learn after so long.  If they go to the country and learn all about it, the more they will want to learn and the more they will keep their interest.

There are so many benefits of studying abroad if you are interested in another one’s culture or language.  If you want the best experience, want to learn as quick as possible, and see what life is really like, consider taking a foreign language!