When leaving high school, the majority of us have plans for college.  At the beginning we’re usually a little nervous, not sure what to expect, and pretty much clueless on how to get things started.  One thing that leaves college students worried about college is signing up for classes.  We’re not sure on how to do this because we’re used to doing is very easily in high school.  So, if you’re a college student freshman that is looking to sign up for your college courses for the first time, consider these different ways listed below.

Online – Online has become a very convenient and easy way to do many things.  Usually once you get your college catalog for classes, you can look through it, find the ones you want, and then type in the course name when you’re logged in.  This is a great way to start your college registration.

Phone – Another way that is common is to get the name of your course, and all the information, and either type it in with your phone when you’re asked, or you actually speak with someone, and they sign you up themselves.  Either way is great, only takes a few minutes, and gets things rolling for you.

In person – If you’re brand new to the college, it may be a good idea to go in person, meet with someone, and sign up for classes that way.  This will give you a good idea where everything is located, what the campus looks like, and maybe after, you can go on a hunt to find all your classes ahead of time.

College registration isn’t hard at all, and is actually fairly easy.  If you’re looking to sign up for classes for the first time, or just later in your college path, you can always consider one of these three different ways.  They are all easy to do, only take a few minutes, and will get you on the right path.

If you didn’t know already, volunteering can be a lot of fun, a great way to make some new friends, is great for the community, and looks excellent on your college student resume.  If you’re a college student that has been thinking about volunteering in the near future, you have several different opportunities to make that happen!  The main reason college students don’t volunteer is because they don’t know how they can help out.  So, to solve this problem check out what you can do listed below!

Nursing homes – Nursing homes are a great way to volunteer your time.  Some of the elderly are lonely, would love to have another friend, and would enjoy your company.  Spending time with them, playing games with them, and keeping them company is more than someone in a nursing home could ask for.

Humane society – If you’re an animal lover, this is something you’d really enjoy!  Spending time with animals, taking care of them, playing with them, walking with them etc, is something you could do if you started to volunteer your time at the humane society.  Animals are loving, need some friends, and would love your attention.

Tutoring – We all struggle with that one subject, and we’re all really good at that one certain subject, so dedicate your time, and really help someone out by tutoring them.  Give them the help they need, and feel good about giving a helping hand.

Habitat for Humanity – Do you love to build, design or just want to give a helping hand?  If so, check out habitat for humanity!  This is a fun way to help with building homes for those that are in need of shelter.

As you can see, these are just a few different ways you can make a difference in someones life, and your life.  Give a helping hand, feel good about what you’re doing, make friends along the way, and create hobbies by considering one of these ideas for your future!

Are you planning on attending college in the fall and you’re currently applying for colleges to get into?  Did you know that each college varies greatly when it comes to acceptance rates.  A college, for example like Yale only accepts about 11% of it’s applicants while a college like Calvin College accepts up to 99% of it’s applicants.

Every college has it’s own guideline when it comes to accepting a student.  Things they take into consideration are your grades, your extracurricular activities and of course, the college can only fit so many people.  The more popular the particular school is, the more applicants they are going to get, making it harder for you to get in.

How do you increase your odds of getting in?

If you want to increase your odds of getting into a particular school, you’re going to have to do a few things a little differently.  You’re going to have to make your application and essay very unique.  If you have to interview with the college, make sure that you stand out above the rest.  You’ll want to avoid cliche answers.  Last but not least, you’ll want to apply early to show them you’re serious.  The longer you wait, the more people the college is letting through while you haven’t put in your application.

To give you a better idea on what of kind of acceptance rates colleges have, here are some ballpark figures from popular colleges:

• Yale University:  around 11%
• Princeton University:  around 13%
• Standford University:  around 13%
• Dartmouth College:  around 19%
• Duke University:  around 22%
• Georgetown University:  around 22%
• Pepperdine University:  around 28%
• University of Notre Dame:  around 31%
• Northwestern University:  around 33%
• Colgate University:  around 34%
• Bucknell University:  around 37%
• LaFayette College:  around 39%
• University of Miami:  around 42%
• University of Tennessee:  around 44%
• Wake Forest University:  around 47%
• San Diego State University:  around 50%
• University of Florida:  around 53%
• Villanova University:  around 58%
• Rutgers University:  around 61%
• Northern Illinois University:  around 64%
• Florida State University:  around 65%
• Texas Tech University:  around 67%
• St John’s University:  around 69%
• Clemson University:  around 69%
• University of South Carolina:  around 70%
• Drexel University:  around 71%
• Texas A&M University:  around 72%
• University of Minnesota:  around 74%
• Ohio State University:  around 75%
• Ball State University:  around 77%
• Purdue University:  around 80%
• Indiana University:  around 83%
• Auburn University:  around 84%
• Western Michigan University:  around 85%
• University of Cincinnati:  around 88%
• Bowling Green State University:  around 90%

These statistics and more were with help from USA Today.  These acceptance rates will change year to year but not drastically.

Check out these major schools and see how they compare.  You’re going to find that many have a low rate while others have a higher rate.  When doing your research on colleges, hopefully this will give you a better idea on how you stand at getting in.

It seems like we always go through our phases of friends in high school.  Then, we finally get a group of great people, and become very close friends with them.  Although, you guys may be wonderful friends, the college years come around, and you realize that you rarely get to see those friends anymore.  Everyone is now busy, going to school, working their jobs, and some moved away.  If you find yourself in this situation, and you’re looking for ways to make new friends this year in college, there are several great ways.  Continue reading below to find out what they are.

Start this college year out great by making friends with one of these ways!

Clubs – Joining college clubs is a great way to make new friends.  Whether you want to join the Spanish club, the history club, art, etc, these are all great ways to make friends.  You can make friends by finding other people that enjoy what you love.

Sports – Are you a huge sports fan?  If so, it is very easy to make friends with people on your sports team!  Whether you play volleyball, football, golf, etc you have many opportunities to make great friends.

Classes – We also find that are best friends in college are the ones that are going into the same field of study as we are.  That means, if you want to become a nurse, and you’re taking all nursing classes, you will see the majority of the same people taking the same classes as you are.  This is great because not only can you make several friends this way, but now you even have study buddies.

Roomates - We are often worried who we’re going to be paired up with, but for the most part, it is a success.  We see that many of these people become a great friend over the years, and they are someone to really enjoy college with.

Volunteer -  Volunteering is not only great because you’re doing something wonderful for the community, but you’re also opening up many opportunities to make some great friends.

We all get nervous doing our first year at college, and that is normal.  The best advice I can give you is to consider one of these activities, and to still keep in touch with your great friends back home.  Once you’re there for a few weeks, you’ll fit right in!

If you’re a college student right now looking for a credit card, you’ve probably landed on this page because you’re looking for a student credit card with a low APR.  Well, instead of showing you cards that have a low APR, I’m going to explain to you why the APR shouldn’t matter when you’re a student.

If you’re not familiar with the APR on the card, this is the interest that you’re going to be charged on unpaid balances.  Let’s say your balance is $100 and you only pay $50.  You’re going to pay interest on that $50.  Many students have the mis-conception that they have to pay interest regardless of how they use their card but this isn’t true at all.

Always pay in full all the time

When it comes to paying your credit card bill, I don’t care if your interest rate is 100% or 2%, you’re not going to pay a dime in interest rates to the bank as long as you pay in full.  Now, does an APR matter?  I say it only matters if you’re getting 0% but most likely you’re not going to find this unless it’s a teaser rate.

0% cards can be found but then again, you have to read the fine print because you’ll find out that you’re going to get that rate on either a balance transfer or whatever else for the first 6 – 12 months.  This is why it’s always important that you read the fine print to play it safe.  Now, I’m not saying you need an attorney but a simple glance at the terms and conditions should give you a better idea on what the card is all about.

In the end, if you’re looking for a low interest rate student credit card, I would recommend you check out cards that benefit you with rewards, etc., instead of the interest rate itself because that shouldn’t matter.  With a handful of cards on the market, do your homework and find out which card works best for you.