Posts Tagged ‘university life’
Facebook Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts for College-Bound Students
The boundaries of social networking can be a bit murky. While networks like Facebook are meant to help you connect with people, should you really be open to showcasing your after-the-bell-rings life with teachers and college admissions?
As of August 28 in Missouri, the answer “is no.” The Missouri Senate Bill 54 will make it illegal for teachers and students to “friend” or accept friend requests on the network.
But what about college admissions? More and more often admissions people are looking up your online footprint, and the most powerful and frequent gems they find are photos. You’d be surprised how a photo on Facebook or MySpace or Flickr or that new network the kid genius across the street is programming can find its way through the annals of the Internet, and somehow wind up re-purposed and posted to a blog called something you don’t want associated with your name.
We know Facebook is a big part of your life, and people will post pictures of you, and you’ll post pictures of you, so just try to stick to Cappex’s Facebook etiquette Do’s and Don’ts of Facebook for college-bound students:
Don’t:
Indicate any illegal activity
So your friend who goes by BBQ because, in his own words, he ‘”loves BBQ,” had a hook up with some fake ID peeps on the other side of town and got you one. To celebrate, you had an actual BBQ and BBQ bought the beers, and Jenny, who has no filter, took a million bazillion photos of your 17 year old self drinking and posted it immediately to Facebook with the caption “Look at how much fun we can have now!!!”
This is wrong on so many levels. First off, be safe and smart. Second, if those photos wind up under the critical eye of an admissions officer, good luck. There are easy ways to stay out of situations like these: A. Update your Facebook privacy settings B. Don’t take BBQ’s advice. Seriously, we don’t want to bore you with advice that your parents and teachers have probably told you a million times over, but make smart choices. Avoid stupid things and you won’t get stupid pictures online.
Expose too much skin
Perhaps P90x has been doing glorious things for your abs, but capturing your newly toned muscles and posting it to Facebook might not make the kind of impression you want. When you think of college admissions do the words “scantily clothed” come to mind? No. No they don’t. Think of it this way: Academia is about expanding the mind, not showing an inappropriate amount of flesh. Dress to impress. Or, at least keep your clothes on.
Parade your PDA
Love is a beautiful thing. From the inside. From the outside, it’s kinda annoying to watch. Keep your kisses off the Internet for the sake of humans as well as for your chances of getting into your dream school. It’s not simply that your public display of affection is annoying to watch, it’s also that a lot of PDA photos can show admissions people your lack of judgment on what you choose to display about yourself not just fleetingly in public, but permanently online.
Be overly negative
Nobody likes a sourpuss. Having pictures with negative comments about other people or ideas just shines more brightly on your intolerance. College life is about expanding your worldview, so too much negativity in your photos might dissuade admissions counselors from rooting for you.
Do’s:
Post accomplishments
Humbly displaying the pictures that your mom took of you accepting the award for Student of the Year is a great thing for an admissions person to stumble upon. It could really bring to life that little line in your application where you wrote “Student of the Year”.
Share your travels
Your backpacking trip through Europe demonstrates how you’re an explorer and student of the world. The fact that you’ve traveled illustrates to admissions officers that you are open to new experiences and ideas.
Display your passions
Just like travel photos, photos of your paintings, dancing, acting, athletics or musical ability adds to your application by showing you as a well-rounded, passionate student. Any activity takes time and practice–both of which are great qualities in a student.
Show your service
A picture of the before and after of that house you helped construct for a family in need or you canning for a good cause illustrates that you are willing to give your time to others in need.
So those are the Do’s and Don’ts of Facebook etiquette for college-bound students. But just keep in mind, you don’t need photos of yourself doing good things, winning awards, or walking across the Great Wall of China to get into college. This is just advice for those who are stuck on having pictures online that people, such as admissions counselors, could come across. If you want to be 100% sure that a college is making a choice about you based on your application and your application alone, clean up your online footprint.
What’s your experience with Facebook and applying to colleges? Share your feedback and thoughts by leaving a comment below.
10 Smallest Colleges in the U.S.
We have been hearing a ton of feedback on the big school/small school debate, like these comments from Cappexians Emily and Audrey:
The debate could go on forever about the pros and cons of a big school versus a small school, but in the end, it’s what floats your boat! If smaller classes, guaranteed attention from professors and faculty, and a close-knit community is something you’re looking for, how about starting off your college search with the 10 smallest colleges in the United States:
1. Shimer College
Enrollment – 81
Fun fact – Shimer college, now co-ed, was originally founded as an all female college. Its classes are exclusively small seminars–how could they be that big!– in which students discuss original source material rather than read textbooks
2. Sterling College
Enrollment – 99
Fun fact – Sterling College is one of seven colleges part of the Work College Consortium, which means it’s an institution of higher learning where student work is an integral and mandatory part of the educational process.
3. Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
Enrollment – 128
Fun fact - The Lyme Academy is known for its contemporary focus on the history and tradition of representational art, centered on the study of nature and the figure. So if you want a contemporary focus on the history and tradition of representation art, centered on the study of nature and the figure…this might just be the place for you…just…maybe…
4. Bryn Athyn College
Enrollment - 155
Fun Fact - Bryn Aythn’s College’s original campus and surrounding community was designed in 1893 by Charles Eliot of the firm Olmstead, Olmstead, and Eliot – the famous firm responsible for the design of New York City’s Central Park.
5. Art Academy of Cincinnati
Enrollment – 156
Fun fact – Students at the Art Academy of Cincinnati work closely with faculty members who themselves are professional contemporary artists (student to faculty ratio is 10:1).
6. Burlington College
Enrollment - 166
Fun fact – Burlington College is one of the few American universities to offer study abroad programs in Havana, Cuba. So if you have an undying desire to relive your favorite movie “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” this might be the easiest way to get the clearance to go to Cuba.
7. College of Visual Arts
Enrollment – 189
Fun fact – The College of Visual Arts is comprised of 5 school buildings including a 1915 mansion.
8. Montserrat College of Art
Enrollment – 270
Fun fact – Well-known alumni of Montserrat include prominent fashion designer Sigrid Olsen, sculptor Carlos Dorrien, and children’s book illustrator Giles Laroche.
9. Cogswell Polytechnical College
Enrollment – 287
Fun fact – Among Cogwell’s other programs are animation and video game development.
10. Judson College
Enrollment – 324
Fun fact – Judson is one of the oldest women’s colleges in the United States, but is now co-educational.
What’s your take? Do these schools sound too small or are they just the right size? Leave a comment!
Comments: 9 Comments »
Friday College Town Hall
In Friday College Town Hall, we post a question about college, and you leave an answer in the comment field.
Today’s question:
More than 75% of undergraduate students work while they are enrolled in school.
Should this percentage be more or less? Why?
Leave your answer in the comments below or tweet at @Cappex to chime in (we’ll post your answer below)!
@iamjosephgerman @cappex I think it adds to the experience. I’m excited to get a job while going to school; it just seems better: get best of both worlds.
Comments: 9 Comments »
How Much Are Your Favorite College Movies Actually Like College?
We’ve been getting a lot of questions on our Facebook page like this one:
You have a good idea about what it takes to apply to college–the research, the ACT or SAT, the campus visits, the interview, the essay, and so much more. You’ve already even discovered your perfect college match.
Now what you’re wondering is what college will actually be like when you get there. What’s it like actually living on campus, going to classes, and college parties? Is college life really like what it’s like in the movies?
We’ve taken a balanced sampling of different kinds of movies based in and around college life and rated them on how truthful they are when it comes to a real students’ college experiences.
Closeness to actual college life ratings will be ranked 1-10, 1 being not close at all, 10 being on the money.
The Social Network
The Social Network’s protagonist, or Mark Zuckerberg, went to Harvard–one of the most elite colleges in the nation let alone world. That already brings its likeness to real college life down since most college students in the world do not find themselves at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world surrounded by friends making $300,000 over summer break betting on oil futures.
The tagline for David Fincher’s chronicle of how Facebook was founded is, “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.” Lucky for you, you will make new friends in college, just not 500 million, and hopefully not a set of athletic twins who want to sue you.
Closeness to actual college life rating: 3
Legally Blonde
Elle Woods is the sorority princess of her Southern California university. The Greek life enthusiasm is not too far fetched–you will come across college campuses with a very Greek-oriented student body; however, you won’t necessarily come across a sorority house as beautiful and equipped as the one Elle lives in. Exercise machines, expensive furniture, ginormous singles.
It’s also kinda difficult to decide last minute to go to law school and get into Harvard Law–difficult, yes. But not impossible.
Closeness to actual college life rating: 4
Rudy
Have you ever dreamed of playing Notre Dame football so badly that you quit your job at the steel mill, took on a part-time job on the grounds-keeping staff, got tutored by a friend in exchange for helping him get a date, and eventually fully transferring to Notre Dame, overcoming all odds and playing on the football team?
Yes? Then this movie is probably exactly what your college experience is like.
No? Then, uh, Rudy is probably a far-fetched realization of college life.
Closeness to actual college life rating: 3
Animal House
Take the Legally Blonde sorority house, subtract all the niceties, add a lot of horrible smells, holes in walls, and way too many housing code infractions, and you’ll get the Delta Tau Chi house in Animal House.
Yes, you will find the occasional toga party on a college campus, but the likeliness that not only the president of your rival house has a vendetta against you but the dean of your college does too is slim to none…hopefully.
Closeness to actual college life rating: 4
Accepted
So maybe you didn’t get into your dream college. It happens. But when that happened did you decide to just, ya know, make your own college? Did your innocent scheme take a shady turn when hundreds of other rejected students enrolled in your college leading to a big legal brouhaha but ultimately gaining the elusive approval of your highly respected father?
I didn’t think so…
Closeness to actual college life rating: 2
What’s did you/do you expect college to be like? Share you thoughts! Leave a comment below.
Comments: 1 Comment »
5 Worst Mistakes of a College Freshman
Freshman year of college is big transition year. You’re basically taking off from where you spent most of your life and pioneering to a strange wilderness with new people and a new culture.
It’s also just a really great and exciting time, so we have some tips to help keep you from making the five worst mistakes a freshman can make in college:
1. Making all your decisions based on your group
When you first get to college, making friends is kind of like that pick-up football game in the beginning of Little Giants–as you meet people from orientation, your dorm, classes, the cafeteria, you continually add them to your posse until what started off as just you and your roommate morph into one unicellular amoeba. Soon, you’re not making decisions based on what you want to do or what’s best for you, but what the group decides upon. This type of decision making is the worst kind. You wind up compromising on what you really want. So yes, make friends. But, don’t let big group decision-making keep you from doing things, like, joining a club, or meeting up with friends outside your group, or even studying for class.
2. Managing your free time poorly
Acquiring free time is a power that goes to some college freshmen heads. They take the power for granted, use it unwisely; completely waste it watching reruns of Law & Order from noon till nightfall. Managing your free time is key to having a successful college career. Don’t let the free time power go to your head. The force free time is with you. Use it wisely.
3. Trying to save money by not buying textbooks
There once was girl of college age who took her studies seriously but found herself stressed out about money. Instead of deciding to skip out on things like custom-made Halloween costumes, fine dining or miscellaneous and unnecessary cute kitchen utensils, she decided that it was her books that needed to go.
“Why spend $100 on a physics book if I don’t even think physics is a great as that leather bomber jacket in the window,” she rationalized.
Perhaps she was right. After all, that leather jacket was pretty great. So, our heroine looked super stylish, the week before her huge, 70% of her total grade physics final, but, she was unfashionably late getting to the library and the last of the textbooks on the shelves were checked out.
A sad, sad story. Very preventable. If you’re short on cash, cut back elsewhere, not on your education.
4. Looking for help in the wrong places
As a college student, you’re bound to get confused or frustrated with schoolwork. That’s totally normal. The mistake that freshmen make with this issue is that they wind up looking for help in the wrong places. Like say, the Internet. Trust us, the Internet is great for things like college search and scholarship matching, but if you’re having trouble with homework or a concept from class, the best resource you have is your professor or teacher’s assistant or other classmates or the library or tutoring center or the student resource center or basically anything your school can offer! It might take a little extra effort to work around your professor’s office hours, but in the end, it will save you time.
5. Going back home too frequently
Is your mom’s meatloaf really that good? Not to offend your mom, but I’m sure you can find something comparable on your college campus. Visiting home can be relaxing and familiar, but the more you’re away from campus, the less relaxing and familiar campus will get for you. College life might be weird and uncomfortable at first, and Pete who lives across the hall from you might in fact really be pirate like you thought, but if you take too much time away from campus it will never become home. And you might miss Pete’s parrot say your name aloud.
Did we catch them all? What mistakes should college freshman be aware of? Leave a comment!
Comments: 6 Comments »
The Top 10 Most Pet Friendly Colleges
Thinking about bringing some furry friends with you to college?
Or were you thinking you had to leave the only true friend you’ve ever had with your parents?
Turns out, you can bring Sparky with you and still wake up in the morning with the morning paper delivered at your slippers–do college kids read newspapers?
Certain schools have dorms and programs with great pet amenities. Here are the top 10 pet friendly colleges from US News and World Report:
1. MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has 4, count ‘em, 4 cat-friendly residence halls.
2. Stephens College
Stephens College is like the college student’s pet mecca. Searcy Hall allows students to keep all kinds of pets there and even offers a pet day care.
3. Washington and Jefferson College
This is exactly what Washington and Jefferson would’ve wanted, a dorm that permits cats, dogs that weigh less than 40 pounds, small birds, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, turtles, and fish. That’s the American dream.
4. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame allows students to house non-carnivorous, freshwater fish in aquariums, as long as the tank does not exceed 30 gallons. Your roommate will be glad he’s not sharing a room with a fish that might eat him.
5. Sweet Briar College
Seabiscuit can come with you to Sweet Briar College, as long as you’re in their special equestrian program. But that’d kinda be like bringing your space shuttle to college if you’re not studying to be an astronaut. Doesn’t make sense! Right?
6. Stetson University
There’s an entire dorm at Stetson that allows animals including, hamsters, small dogs and cats. There is even a dog park for dogs to find friends. You’ll be socializing at college, your dog should, too!
7. Principia College
If you can fit it in an enclosed space-cage or tank-you can bring it along with you to Principia.
8. Lehigh University
Fish tanks are allowed at Lehigh. That’s that.
9. Eckerd College
Dogs are a huge part of Eckerd culture. At one of their commencement ceremonies, a girl walked across the stage with her dog. Or maybe, the dog got a degree, too.
10. Case Western Reserve University
Case Western University approves of small, caged animals, such as bunnies or hamsters. Students in Greek life can even apply for a house “mascot,” such as a cat or dog, to live in fraternity and sorority homes.
What are the pet rules like at your college? Is having a pet friendly dorm important to you? Comment and share!
Comments: 2 Comments »
How Much Sleep Should a College Student Get?
How many hours do college students need?
Raise your hand if you think 8 hours.
Raise your hand if you think 7 hours.
Raise your hand if you think 6 hours.
Using our advanced hand-raising-censor-technology, we calculated that most of you think we need between 6 and 8 hours.
The truth of it is, however, that it varies with the individual. And since you know yourself better than anybody else, it’s a fairly simple thing to gage. Can you function on less than 8 hours? No? Then you need 8 hours of sleep. Do you feel mighty fine and dandy after only 4 hours of sleep? Well, then you’re a superhuman.
As long as you can reach those deep phases of REM and NREM sleep, you’re good. According to CampusGrotto, researchers have shown evidence that brain waves during the latter part of the sleep period promote the capacity to store fact-based memories. This could mean we not only need sleep to remember what we’ve learned, but we need it to learn in the first place.
So, what about those other factors?
Naps
Who doesn’t love naps? And guess what? They’re actually pretty good for you to help recharge and improve overall alertness, mood and productivity. So if you’re tired and you have a lot more to finish studying for your final exam, take a 20 minute nap if you have time to recharge.
Oversleeping
For the lucky few who have this problem, oversleeping can actually make you more sleepy throughout the entire day. If you tend to fall asleep at 11pm and walk up at noon, an alarm clock might be your best friend.
Environment
A frat house isn’t the best place to get some quality, Zzzz’s. Even just white noise throughout the night can keep you from REM sleep. In cases like this, try ear buds!
Nighttime Computer Use
Surfing the web before going to bed is not the best idea. Research has shown that bright screens before bed make it more difficult to fall asleep. Plus, we all know we’re our own worst enemy when it comes to going online for what you plan is 5 minutes and staying on for 2 hours.
How much sleep to do you get? Comment and share!
Comments: No Comments »
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