Congratulations to the class of 2013!    

In this post, I wanted to provide you all with 10 things you will need for your dorm.  

1) An alarm clock.  Mom/Dad won’t be there to wake you up.

2) A desk lamp, so you can work late into the night  and not have the ceiling light on in case your roommate wants to sleep.  

3) Flip-flops.  Great to wear in a communal shower. 

4) A storage trunk.  This comes in handy if you want to lock anything up,

5) Thin storage containers that can be stored under a bed.  

6) A fridge and a microwave really can come in handy.

7) Air freshener is always good to have.  Glade plugins! 

8) Some type of chair for friends to sit on when they visit your room.

9)  Trashcan and trash bags.  

10) Photographs and posters to make your room more comfy. 

Most college students that live in dorms don’t have cars on campus.  Several colleges don’t even allow freshmen to have cars on campus.  And the campuses that do allow parking, it’s normally very expensive for a parking permit.   So, if mom or dad won’t be picking you up, you may have to rely on public transportation.  Thus, when you are choosing a college, consider how you will get home.  Is there a bus, train or plane that will take you home?  Also, is getting to the public transportation easily accessible and priced reasonably?  Trust me, when you are trying to come home for Thanksgiving, Christmas or spring break, you will want to get home quickly and at a cheap rate. 

Seniors, as you begin to apply to colleges, definitely have at least two safety schools on your list.    A safety schools should be a college/university that you are pretty sure you would get accepted to.   Look at the school’s average GPA and SAT scores.   If your GPA and SAT scores are much higher than the  college’s current students’, you probably have a good chance of getting admitted. Also, make sure the college has a major that will meet your future endeavors, so the college will believe that they can offer you a suitable education.  

Most of my readers are from the USA, so I am going to assume that most of you all only consider attending universities within the 50 states.  However, there are many great international universities.   For example, the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and the University of Toronto in Ontario are well respected universities.  And there are many more out there. 

In addition, some international schools may have special scholarships for international students.   Lastly, you’ll receive the opportunity to learn about a new culture.  Do some research and find out if going abroad is for you.   

Don’t limit yourself.  Check out international universities.  

Tuition-free college? That sounds like an oxymoron. But, there are some colleges out there. In 2009, the Wall Street Journal published an article on 8 colleges that offer free tuition. I am posting the link. It’s worth the read.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124214844075811349.html

Over the weekend on Twitter, a student asked Tulane Professor Melissa Harris-Perry , “As a professor, do you have any study tips for the college student prepping to start in a week?”

Harris-Perry’s advice: 

Learn to read *smart* not read *all* in your courses w/ 100+ pages a week. Focus on main ideas, big conclusions.

Try to put together a study group or team in math, econ, science & other classes w/ problem sets if it’s allowed.

Try to keep up w/ syllabus. Don’t save it all for the reading week. It’s ok to slack once in a while but stay steady.

If you struggle with writing, ask Profs if you can write a draft before the assignment is due. Get feedback.

Remember college education is a process. Ask questions.Seek help. Be open to critique.Make progress don’t force perfection.

And more than anything else. Be honest. Adhere to the honor code. An honest C is much more valuable than a dishonest A.

*Great nuggets of wisdom from a smart lady.

If you want to know what a college is like, talk to students who are currently enrolled at that school.  Many schools have students who are employed as admission assistants.  These students serve as liaisons between the university and prospective students.   Take some time to contact the admissions office of a college you are interested in and let them know that you want to speak with a current student.  

You can ask this student what it like is to be a student at this particular college. Ask questions about the academics, social life, financial aid, housing, and any other topics that are pertinent to your college choice.  A current student’s perspective is valuable.    

Camp Cyber hosted by the Howard University Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence (IC CAE)

The goals of this program are to:

• Increase awareness of the U.S. Intelligence Community

• Provide exposure and training in topics related to cybersecurity and engineering

• Encourage talented underrepresented students to pursue collegiate studies in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics

Students will have the opportunity to gain knowledge about the US Intelligence Community, in addition to increasing their critical academic skills and exploring careers in engineering, cyber security and national defense.

*Rising juniors and seniors can check this link out for more information. Applications must be completed by June 29th. http://www.howard.edu/iccae/campcyber.html 

p.s. I am sure there are other summer enrichment programs out there for high school students. So, do a quick Google search and find them for this summer or next. 

In most public high schools, a few times a year, you will see military recruitment officers in the schools.  Or you may even get a brochure in the mail or a telephone call.  These recruitment officers want to enlist you in the military.   Serving the military is a path that some high schools students take  to help them finance their college careers.   Below, I’m posting a link that goes into some of the financial help the military officers.

http://www.collegeanswer.com/paying-for-college/other-ways-to-pay/military-service.aspx

It’s so important to do your very best academically between your freshmen and junior year of high school.   As you progress through high school make sure that your grades are getting better.   This will show that you are serious about school and committed to your education.   If your grades are getting worse from freshmen to junior year then a college admission counselors may feel like you are lazy, and that won’t look favorably on your application.   I know the material may get harder in the upper grades, but do your very best in all of your classes.

I say that years 1-3 are important because most students will be sending off their high school transcripts to colleges in the fall of their senior year.   As a result, admission committees may only get to see one semester of your senior year transcript.  So, it’s important to perform your best through years 1-3 due to the fact that admission counselors will have your complete transcripts between these years.