Odds are, in college, you’re going to find yourself bickering with a roommate. Two people can only be around each other for so long before they begin to argue. The best thing to do is to understand that these arguments are going to happen before they actually happen. Here’s how to be prepared.
A fight can cause a lot of drama between two people that have to live in the same room. Arguments may spark from the tiniest things. My roommates used to argue over the dishwasher. One of them didn’t like how the other one placed their dishes to be cleaned. She would take the dirty dishes out and rearrange them to her content instead of yelling. This is a great plan, because if you’re the one being picky, you must also be the one to compromise.
I once got into a debate with my roommate over noise. She thought I was too loud and I thought she was too sensitive. This debate lasted all year long. She would go to bed at 10 o clock on a Saturday and then expect me to be quiet when I returned home. She would also sleep away most of her afternoon and expect me to be dead silent in the middle of the day. This fight could have ended sooner if we had communicated and formed compromises.
What happens if you have a fight with a roommate that isn’t over something as simple as your living habits? I mean a REAL fight. The best thing to do in this situation is to give each other space for a while to cool off. After you cool off, try talking it out. Place yourself in their shoes and try and see their point of view. Sometimes role playing can help you understand the other person better. If they don’t want to resolve anything, then it is out of your control. Best advice then is to find a new roomie.
In conclusion, you’re most likely going to find yourself in conflict with a roommate at some point in the year. The answer to the problem is usually just communication and compromise. Try and stay calm and speak rationally, try to understand each other. Hopefully, your conflict can be resolved and you can live peacefully once again.
-Speedy G.
I’m reading Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology
What comes to mind when I mention the word statistics? Maybe you think of a rough class you took last semester. You might glance over to your bookshelf to your copy of the Statistics for Dummies book. Maybe you think of boring charts and graphs.
Chances are, you aren’t the ten percent of people who like statistics, as mentioned by Some People Don’t’ Like Statistics Blog. But if you are, this blog post is for you. Here are some interesting college statistics:
“The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2010” survey polled about 200,000 first-year students at four-year colleges. This study revealed that the emotional health of freshman has hit its lowest point in 25 years.
Okay, so yes, I decided to start off on a bad note, but statistics like any good playlist has its ups and downs. On a happier note, also from the “National Norms” report, about a third of students polled “believe there is a ‘very good chance’ they will participate in volunteer or community service work.” Back in 1990, that was only 16.9 percent! I told you things were looking up.
A 2010 survey from The Chronicle of Higher Education explains that in 2009, more students prioritize “being very well off financially” over “raising a family” by about three percentage points. This was the opposite reaction in 2004 by about two percentage points. Other top objectives include helping other who are in difficulty, becoming an authority in my field, and improving my understanding of other countries/cultures. Least important objectives polled are creating artistic work, becoming accomplished in one of the performing arts, and writing original works.
The Chronicle of High Education’s almanac reveals some other awesome statistics about colleges and college students. Did you know 9.4 percent of all college students attend community college in California?
How about only 0.4 percent of undergraduates in America attend an Ivy League school?
Also, 332,489 more students earned business degrees rather than mathematics degrees in 2009.
The U.S. Department of Education’s The Condition of Education 2011 confirms that out of 1,601,000 bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2008-09, 348,000 were in the business field, followed by169,000 social sciences and history students, 120,000 health sciences students, and 102,000 education students.
So there are a lot of non-Ivy League business majors out and about. The more important question, where are all the guys? According to a presentation done by Becky Brodigan of Middlebury College at a College Board Forum back in 2005, male birthrates have been outnumbering females 105 to 100, but males account for only 47 percent. Way to get that education ladies!
Men listen up! ClassesAndCareers.com released a cool YouTube video about the guy to girl radio at colleges. Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA wins that prize at 99.58 percent. The coed colleges tied with the lowest male to female ratio are Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA at 62.5 percent.
If you’re thinking of transferring due to those stats, fine comfort in the fact that 1,250,000 others transfer too.
If you’re looking for some fun without transferring, why not hit up spring break along with the 1,125,000 (average) other college students attending spring break. Just try not to be a part of the 88,750 on average who get arrested at Spring Break each year. College students attend an average number of 62 college parties per year. We also average 2 parking tickets per student per year. We each skip an average of 26 classes each year too.
What about our stuff? The most common car for a college student in the Toyota Yaris, while the most driven scooter is the GS Motor Works CY50-B. I don’t know about you, but with that scooter costing $769, I’m fine walking…
Don’t forget to hold onto your stuff too! The most common item stolen from college students is the iPod. Unfortunately, I play into that statistic (don’t worry, I didn’t do the stealing. I got it stolen.)
-TravelBug
I’m reading Essentials of Geology
Have a backpack full of used textbooks you don’t need anymore? Sell your used college textbooks to eCampus.com! It is much easier than selling your textbook at the campus bookstore, selling them to a friend, selling them on Craigslist, or selling them to that weird kid down the hall.
Just visit eCampus.com, enter the ISBNs of the books you want to sell, print your FREE shipping label, and send them to us! We offer checks, direct deposit, or get 20% more for your books if you choose in-store credit.
Have a great summer everyone and remember that you can make some easy money selling your college textbooks to eCampus.com!
-Lovejoy
The school year is coming to a close and for most of us that means returning home to our families. How do you live with your family again after a year on your own? Although excited to see them, who wants to go back to rules or maybe even curfews? Living well over the summer with your family is very important because its only 3 months out of the year. Here’s the how to.
When returning to your family, go with a clear mind. Don’t spend your time thinking about all the things you will be missing out on in your college town. Don’t think about all the old rules and chores you may be returning to. Instead, think about the positives. Odds are, your family misses you very much and can’t wait to see you. Think about home cooked meals, good times with the family, and reuniting with high school friends.
One of the hard parts about going home is dividing your time evenly between loved ones. Obviously your family misses you very much and wants to consume large amounts of your free time. High school friends will be calling and excited to hang out. A lot of times, it’s hard to not blow off the family when you’re excited about seeing your friends again. Be careful about equalizing your time as much as possible because you don’t want anyone that you rarely see to feel left out. Maybe try grilling out with the family then meeting up with some friends later. Compromise is the key.
In college we get used to doing what we want when we want. We are adults for that matter. We go out when we want, come home when we want, eat what we want, say what we want, and spend money when we want. If we want to, we can let dishes sit in the sink for a week, not vacuum our room and we can blast our stereos at their maximum capacity. It’s hard to get used to the old when we’ve finally broken out on our own. Parents often expect to know where you’re going, who you’re with, and what you’re doing at all times. A lot of parents don’t see the fact that you’ve gone to college as a free pass to let you do whatever you want. How do we get used to old rules?
My advice would be to talk to your parents and attempt some sort of happy medium which can make you both happy. Maybe suggest having no curfew if you stay in communication and let them know where you are. All it takes is two seconds to send a text message and inform your parents now a day. Obviously, sloppiness has to go. You’re most likely going to be expected to do some of your old odd jobs around the house and to be somewhat tidy. Keep clean without the complaints, I mean, you have 3 months of free room and board, it’s the least you can do. Common curtsies will be of most importance. For 3 months, be kind and pay attention to the little things that might bother your family.
You’ve gone the entire school year without your younger sibling’s annoying ways. Although we love them, we all know how little brothers/sisters can be. It’s hard to go back home and live with a little sibling again. Just remember you are more mature now and under control. If they start their antagonizing ways, just ignore them. Odds are, they’ve missed you a lot and your relationship will be different when you return home. As you’ve aged and grown, so have they. Just try and be patient and most importantly, a good role model.
Put these tips to use and live well this summer with your loved ones. Families are irreplaceable, and attitudes are spoilers. Go with a warm smile and a kind heart, and really soak in those 3 months at home.
-Speedy G.
I’m reading America’s History
Graduation is a bittersweet time of year. We know it’s coming all year long. In fact, if you think about it, we know it’s coming for at least 4 years leading up to it. Regardless, it’s still a shock when May rolls around and we have to say goodbye to the seniors—the ones we have looked up to and watched rule the school. Some students are sad—they already miss their friends and they haven’t even walked across the stage yet! Some students aren’t sad, but nervous. If seniors are graduating, that means they’re next; can they really be growing up that fast?
Whether or not the ceremony is filled with joy, or sadness, or just pure anxiety, graduation means different things to different students. It can affect us all- regardless of our year.
Graduation for seniors is about the next step. They are moving on and saying goodbye to their classes, their dorm rooms or school-houses, and hello to a job (hopefully), bills and real life. They are leaving their friends and meal plans and going into the real world to fend for themselves. Will they make it? Are they happy or scared? Are they wondering if they should have invested in the 5-7 year college plan instead of 4? It’s scary and different but can also be a breath of fresh air. Your senior friends can pat themselves on the back. They are walking away with an arsenal of knowledge, a college degree, and hopefully not too many student loans. Either way, they made it and should be incredibly proud. They can throw their cap up high!
For juniors, graduation is odd. It means your friends are leaving, you’re getting older, and somehow, someway, you’re next. In the blink of an eye you went from being a new kid on campus and barely making your way from class to class and now you’re just two short semesters away from the stage walk your friends are facing. There has to be a mistake? How would you have missed something as huge as three years of college? Could the old saying be true, and time really does fly when you’re having fun? Or, have you just been so busy working and studying that the last 6 semesters have slipped you by? Breathe. You will make it just fine. This is the last summer before your big year. Enjoy it, relax. When you return in the fall, it’s your time to shine and prepare to ride the rollercoaster of your senior year! It’s filled with emotions, ups and downs, and plenty of “real world” anxiety.
Sophomores are excited by graduation. They think to themselves, and announce of their facebook pages, “Whoo, I’m half way done with my college career”. Little do they know the next two years of their lives are about to pass by even faster than the previous two. Sophomore year was exciting. You finish the year, go home for summer and come back an upperclassman. It’s a strange but exciting feeling.
Freshmen might feel just about as weird as the seniors do when graduation rolls around. Didn’t they just graduate? How can it be May already, there is absolutely no way a whole year has past? Freshmen spend the year soaking up all that college has to offer. They study hard, meet new friends, and experience a whole new chapter of life. When May hits after their first year there really is no other option other than to just reflect and think back on everything you just spent the last 8 months doing. How did you do? Did you like it? Did you make it? How were your grades? Will you ever make it to where those old kids are in their college robes?
No matter what year you’re in, or how far you’ve made it in your college career, there is no denying how fast time flies. You made it through another year and summer is here once again. It’s quite an accomplishment and shouldn’t be taken lightly—even if you aren’t the one in the robes (yet—you’ll get there!).
Now is the time to breathe. Relax. Enjoy your summer, keep working hard—no matter what year you’re in, and stay positive. The 4 years of college are supposed to be fun, challenging, rewarding and exhausting all at the same time. It will fly, so you may not be the one the stage this year, but your time will come. Be prepared!
-Ring Queen
I’m reading Beginning and Intermediate Algebra
