Making the best of college
Making the best of college: majors, study abroad, internships, jobs, roommates, study tips, thesis writing, and more. For high school graduates and university students.
I’m back!
As some of you may have noticed, it’s been a long (long, long) while since I last sent an email newsletter around. Or posted to the blog. But I’m back now! I want to reconnect, recommit, and share some insights gained from the time I was away.
Read MoreComparative Literature is one of those small, interdisciplinary majors that doesn't get a lot of love from mainstream ideas about college majors. But it was an incredible student experience, and one that invited me to delve deeply into narratives and human experiences, teaching me to think around corners and engage with a broad range of theories and ideas.
So here's why I chose the major, and what comp lit gave me as a student...
Read MoreOur generation of college students and young graduates has more geographic freedom and career flexibility than anyone has ever had before. This is incredibly lucky, but can lead to a serious sense of anxiety over whether we’re making the right decisions and heading toward satisfying, successful futures.
Three months ago I was on board a cargo freighter, en route from England back to the United States. Yesterday I finished unpacking in my new home...
Read MoreSociology is all about understanding human interactions and social institutions, and examining why they work the way they do (and how to change them). It's one of the major branches of social sciences, and is a popular option with students (like me) who want to understand inequality and (hopefully) work for positive change.
I chose sociology through a combination of investigation and gut feelings. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my choice. Here's why.
Read MoreWhen I started this blog, many of my friends worried that I would quickly run out of things to talk about. After all, they reasoned, how much can there possibly be to say about being a student?
I knew at the time that I was diving into rich and exciting territory. That I was embarking on a journey that, for me, was full of opportunity and promise.
Over 100 blog posts later, I have just as much to say about college advice as I did on the day I began.
Read MoreGo to college, get good grades, get a good job. That’s the advice told to university students everywhere. The part that comes along as a given, but is often taken for granted is: make long-lasting friendships with people who you would want to know and talk with for the rest of your life.
I got an education in electrical engineering and applied mathematics. I have had internships at multiple companies, and I have studied abroad. All of these components and more are why I know that I had a good college experience.
However, I don't think really I knew what my experience at North Carolina A&T State University truly meant to me until the summer of 2013...
Read MoreChoosing a college is an incredibly exciting and (often) stressful process. For high-flying high school students, private schools and liberal arts colleges often seem like the logical choice. However, an Honors College at a large public university can offer incredible opportunities and benefits for academics, social life, and broader opportunities.
I was a student at the University of Oregon's Honors College. Here's why that was a great fit for me (and why an Honors College could be a great fit for you, too).
Read MoreIf we’re lucky, all of us reach a moment when an opportunity is offered. Maybe that chance is something you planned and built toward for years—the outcome of calculation, investment, and initiative. It might also be that an astonishingly perfect opportunity arises basically out of the blue—that you are offered some position or experience that you never quite dared to dream you’d have.
When this happens, I hope you'll say 'yes.'
I did.
Read MoreI will be out of radio contact for the next ten days. But I promise I have a good reason...
Read MoreMost of us have felt that sinking discomfort from time to time: I’m not in the right place. This isn’t the right fit. What am I doing here?
For many college students, this is a cyclical question that comes and goes with the expected flow of the academic years and progress toward fulfilling a major. This can be particularly significant during sophomore year, when you’ve finished the “honeymoon” phase of your four years and you understand enough about your college life to really start to question it. Like the infamous “Freshman 15,” the “Sophomore Slump” is well known for a reason: it is a common occurrence and can have a major impact. For most, it is a phase to get through. For some, it leads to transferring to another school or to dropping out of college entirely.
I want to share a couple of my own stories about feeling like I had to move on, and what I decided to do about it.
Read MoreI'm chuffed to bits to announce that I am a finalist in the Education category of the Irish Blog Awards, 2014! Although my primary audience for this blog is in the United States, I am currently living in Ireland (which qualifies me for the Blog Awards), and I hope that many of my topics--from study tips to volunteer/internship advice--are applicable to students anywhere.
I'm thrilled to be a finalist! I'll let you know if I win on October 4th.
Read MoreCo-writing, if done right, means that both parties play to their strengths and ultimately do less work. It's also something that is a common exercise in the non-academic "real world." Most group projects in school do not resemble a work setting in the slightest—you will rarely be called upon to join a group of four colleagues in presenting on something you know very little about. However, you will often have to turn in a final product, written or otherwise, resulting from collaboration and compromise. In fact, many jobs rely almost completely on this model.
Read MoreIf at all possible, you should try to get a jumpstart on learning about the history and culture of the place you’re about to call your temporary home. Think about it as a kind of cultural acquaintance-making. You will by no means be able to learn everything about a country before you go. But some exploration ahead of time will mean you are better prepared and will have more context to understand the experiences in your new home.
Read MoreThis is a blog post about liberal arts, the United States system of higher education, and my brief experience studying in Northern Ireland. Specifically, about the difference witnessed between my “breadth” of educational experience in liberal arts and the “depth” of background evidenced by my peers in the law program.
Read MoreI learned many lessons playing for a club team in college. The first and most important of these was the great amount of energy and commitment it takes to sublimate personal desires into a shared community goal. I wanted to be the best. But instead of learning that I could achieve this if I just worked hard enough, I learned my limitations.
Read MoreAdvice for college and university students. Roommates, majors, study abroad, travel, essay writing, study tips, admissions, professors, internships, and mentoring. Make college an amazing experience.
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