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10 Things to Do Before Your First Year of College
Statistics show that just over half of college students earn a four-year degree within six years. Some students drop out for financial reasons and others are simply unprepared for college.
Even though you’re celebrating the fact that your high school years are over and you’re busy spending time with friends who you won’t see on a regular basis come September, here are 10 things that all incoming freshmen should do before their first year of college:
Homeless Students: College by Day, Shelters by Night
Deciding between a dorm room and an off-campus apartment is a tough decision for some undergraduates. After all, both have their strong points as well as their disadvantages. However, a growing group of young adults would gladly take either—homeless college students without a place to call their own.
College Graduation Speakers 2012
The shiny new degrees are the main attraction, but it is the commencement speech that can make or break a college graduation ceremony. With colleges and universities across the country vying for top-notch speakers to take the podium each spring, it’s easy to see why graduation speakers are such a big deal.
A good commencement speech can stay in graduates’ minds for decades while a bad one can have them staring at their watches. Here are ten of the most popular commencement speakers for 2012.
College Hazing Causes Physical, Psychological Damage
Although it’s illegal in most states and nearly always against the rules of colleges and universities, the practice of hazing continues.
Verbally harassing people, making them perform embarrassing and often dangerous rituals in front of others, and even physically abusing them as a way to prove their loyalty to a group has been going on for centuries.
Student Loan Interest Rates in Jeopardy
High student loan payments are a source of stress for recent grads who borrowed to attend college. If Congress fails to intervene, loan payments will go up for students taking out unsubsidized Stafford loans. Current interest rates are set to double on July 1, 2012—increasing from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.
College Professor Salaries: How Much Do They Earn?
Teacher salaries are controversial in some states because educators are expected to shape the minds of young people and help prepare them for the world. The rising cost of earning a degree is also consistently making headlines, but college professor salaries aren’t on most people’s minds. Even so, you might be curious by now—just how much do they earn?
Infographic: Good Luck Getting a Job with These 10 Degrees
A college degree is no longer a golden ticket to instant career success. Recent statistics show that nine percent of young adults with bachelor’s degrees are without jobs. Earnings potential has always depended heavily on a student’s choice of college major, but the type of degree someone has is also determining whether or not they are able to find a job at all. Unemployment figures vary drastically by industry, as you can see in this entertaining infographic from Best Degree Programs.
College Graduates Putting Life on Hold to Pay Back Loans
In our society, people have been expected to follow a certain path. Finish high school, go to college, get married, buy a house, start a family. These days, though, more and more young adults are postponing the wedding and the mortgage and the babies in favor of moving back home with Mom and Dad.
The lack of decent-paying job prospects for recent college graduates and the excessive student loan debt that most of them are saddled with has many young Americans putting their lives on hold to make their loan payments.
Top 10 Worst Job Interview Mistakes
Despite recent optimistic statistics claiming that employers are expected to hire more college graduates in 2012 than last year, the Associated Press reports that half of our country’s young adults with bachelor’s degrees are unemployed or underemployed.
If your resume leads to an in-person interview, consider yourself fortunate but remember that multiple job candidates are most likely being considered for the position. Far too often, job seekers make simple mistakes they could have avoided. Remember the following common interview mistakes as you begin your quest for the perfect job!
Don’t Let Fear of College Get You Down
Even though going to college can be incredibly exciting, it’s normal to feel nervous. Nearly all college students experienced some kind of anxiety in the beginning! It doesn’t matter if you’re a recent high school graduate who is moving across the country to go to college or you’re an adult in your forties who wants to pursue a new career— you shouldn’t let your fear of college get the best of you.
Pros and Cons of Going to Community College
NBC’s “Community” may be a current hit, but community colleges have been the butt of jokes for decades because of their open admissions policies and the large number of non-traditional college students in attendance. If you’re considering going to community college but also like the idea of attending a four-year college, here are some things to consider.
College Tours: How Much Should You Trust Your Tour Guide?
It’s a springtime ritual: college-bound high school students and their parents hit the road and take campus tours in hopes of narrowing down the list of prospective schools before ultimately making the big decision. Online virtual tours are fairly common, but knowing what a campus looks like in person is justifiably important to most people.
The Woes of the College Wait List
Being turned down for something you really want stinks. Just ask any high school senior who received a rejection letter from his dream college. Learning the bad news definitely hurts, but this year thousands and thousands of students have been placed on college wait lists—which can feel just as excruciating.
Top 10 Student Dream Colleges 2012
Spring is in the air and acceptance letters have been received, which means that it’s time for college-bound high school seniors to make one of the biggest choices of their lives—where to attend college. Affordability is one of the main things that students and parents take into consideration when making The Decision,but what if cost were no option? Do you have any dream colleges?
College Majors: Do They Really Matter?
In 2009 President Obama set the goal that the United States should have more college graduates than any other nation in the world by 2020. With that in mind, any type of college degree seems like a big achievement, but some are worth more than others.
Most of us accept the fact that certain careers come with higher salaries than others, but your choice of college major might play a bigger role in your future opportunities than you realize.
Best College Degrees 2012
Chinese philosopher Confucius said, “If you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life.” College students often take his ancient advice to heart and major in a subject they enjoy, even though it may not lead to a high-paying job.
Standing up for what you believe in—and studying something you love—is an admirable quality, but certain degrees tend to hold more value than others.
Job Market for Graduates Improving
Earning your degree this spring? You may have a better chance at landing a job than friends who graduated just a year or two ago. According to international news agency Reuters, hiring is “back in a big way” on many college campuses across the country, a sign that the U.S. job market may be on the road to recovery.
