September 30, 2014

An Average American Studying in Australia: Experiences and Lessons You Can Apply to Your Own Travels--Guest Post by Danny Conway

September 30, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

I always love it when I get the opportunity to feature writing from people whose student experiences are very different from mine. Danny Conway is a student from Columbus, OH who is currently studying chemistry at the University of Melbourne. Although he characterizes himself as an "average" American, I would argue that the decision to pursue a full undergraduate education abroad is anything but "average." I hope you enjoy!

June 25, 2014

The Confused Graduate: Guest Post on the Complications of Life After College

June 25, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

Some people enter college knowing exactly what path they will take, beginning freshman year and ending in a job. For many others, it's not such a direct route.

First, make sure you know that NOT knowing is completely acceptable. You just have to design a path for yourself that will allow you to explore your options. College is a huge investment in terms of time and money, so when you go, it’s better to be sure you have a solid idea of what you might want to do. Set goals for yourself, and if you don’t meet them, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just try again, and stay focused on finding what you can do for the long haul, and don’t sweat the small things.

June 20, 2014

Campus Sports Culture When You Don't Like Sports

June 20, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

What is it like to attend a big sports college when you don't like sports? Or when you actively dislike all things sports-related? Sports culture was something I was worried about before I started college. I have never been a fan of team sports, and am 100% disinterested in being a spectator for any and all sporting events...

February 07, 2014

Small Town, Small School, Big Opportunities--Guest Post by Rebecca Rothkopf

February 07, 2014/ Katie Dwyer

One of the most beautiful things about going to school in a rural area is the strong connections that form between students, faculty, and staff members. Stellar academic work and students actively involved in extracurriculars really do get noticed. The purpose of college is to challenge yourself and grow. The faculty and staff get that, and can serve as a solid support system if you are willing to reach out.

December 27, 2013

Resolutions

December 27, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

I don’t believe in resolutions for a new year. But I do believe in setting goals, particularly goals that are on a specific timeline and that have achievable stages to completion. And, since January marks the start of a new semester for most students, it’s a good time to make some new goals for the upcoming period of time.

November 29, 2013

Thanksgiving far from home

November 29, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

When I came home for Thanksgiving my freshman year of college, it was the first time I really experienced going back home after being away. I had previously gone on family vacations, or a couple of week-long adventures of other kinds and then come home. But moving to college is moving away, and the experience of returning was a very strange one for me.

November 22, 2013

Writing things down

November 22, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

You will want to remember your college years. Good, bad, complicated, inspiring, whatever. You will someday want to remember who you were hanging out with sophomore year and how it happened that the whole gang ended up at a hot springs in the middle of the night that one time. The good and the bad, both.

November 15, 2013

Life in a Dorm Room

November 15, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

For me, life in a dorm room was a mixture of the crowded bliss of summer camp and the tension-filled hostility of a sibling relationship (but with none of the love to balance things out). I made the best friends of my college years because of proximity in the dorms. It sometimes used to take over half an hour to get down the hall to brush my teeth because of all the people I stopped to talk with on the way. I loved it.

But I did not get along with my roommate.

November 04, 2013

The Theory of Relentless Positivity

November 04, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

Focus on solutions, not problems. Approach people with the expectation that they will be interested and anxious to participate. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt. In conflict situations, assume that everyone is acting from an honest place of hurt and arrives with a genuine desire to fix the situation. Whenever asked how things are going, always tell the truth in the most positive light.

October 27, 2013

Building your schedule

October 27, 2013/ Katie Dwyer

College is usually the first time you have the chance to build your own schedule. Even if you had some nominal control over which classes you took and which extracurricular activities you signed up for in high school, the basic layout of your time was planned for you. There was school time and home time, with structure imposed on you to a certain degree wherever you were.

Learn to plan your schedule (and your life) in a way that works for you.