CampusSplash2013-05-18T09:41:58-04:00CampusSplashhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=campus-splashCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for CampusSplashGood old fashioned elbow grease.The Top 6 College Mascotstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9279712011-08-16T08:25:00-04:002011-10-16T05:12:01-04:00CampusSplashhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/campus-splash/CampusSplash ranked the top ten most popular mascots. We crunched all of the top mascot lists and aggregated them into one ultimate rankings. Below we have the Top 6. To read the rest of the top 10 head over to CampusSplash.
]]>Putting Private College Counselors Out of Businesstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9226732011-08-09T18:18:29-04:002011-10-09T05:12:01-04:00CampusSplashhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/campus-splash/advises 457 students a year.
On the other hand, rich students pay up to $25,000 for private college counselors, who can give them precious 1:1 attention.
Private college counseling creates massive inequalities in college accessibility. It restricts social mobility by giving rich students an unfair advantage in getting accepted into top tier schools.
Among the most famous of these consultants, Michele Hernandez, charges around $40,000 for her services. For the same price as one year of college tuition, what do clients actually get out of this? According toBusinessWeek, "She selects classes for students, reviews their homework, and prods them to make an impression on teachers. She checks on the students' grades, scores, rankings. She tells parents when to hire tutors and then makes sure the kids do the extra work. She vets their vacation schedules. She plans their summers."
All this for $40,000, while other students are competing with 456 other students for a few minutes of attention with their high school guidance counselor. What we're seeing is the gilded age of education, where the rich and powerful are able to perpetuate their influence by getting an advantage into elite schools.
That's why today we've launched the new CampusSplash. It's a question and answer platform which allows prospective students to ask questions about thousands of colleges, grad schools, majors and educational programs. These questions are then answered by current students, experts, admission officers and alumni.
What we need is a three-pronged solution. We need foundations to continue to support college accessibility, schools and communities to invest in college counseling, and technology to innovate. We're doing our part; now it's time to do yours!
Allen Gannett is the co-founder of CampusSplash, a questions and answer website dedicated to giving all students complete information about colleges and grad schools. ]]>What Goes Into Total College Costs (Infographic)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8248932011-02-17T22:01:22-05:002011-05-25T18:35:25-04:00CampusSplashhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/campus-splash/By CampusSplash.com blogger and UNC student Eric Pait.
There is an old saying that "nothing in life is free," and while there are many instances in which it is seemingly disproven, college is not one of them. While colleges offer plenty of things that are advertised as free, such as tickets to sporting events and speaker series, most students don't realize the ever-increasing amount of money they pay to get a college degree actually includes fees to cover these activities.
Colleges always post an estimated cost of attending their institution for the coming year, but what exactly do these figures, generally $15,000-20,000 annually for in-state students, entail?
Tuition:
The actual cost of taking college courses. Colleges will either charge a certain fee per credit hour, or have a flat rate for full-time students. Surprisingly enough, for in-state students at a public University, tuition is one of the smallest contributors to the estimated cost of attendance.
Required Fees
Often paired with tuition for a single figure in cost-breakdowns, these fees cover all of those "free" activities and services found around campus. From free tickets to football games and concerts to covering operating costs for the student union, the exact breakdown of these fees will vary greatly, but they often consist of at least a quarter of the cost of that section labeled "Tuition & Fees."
Room & Board
Arguably the most expensive cost associated with getting a college education. The cost of room and board accounts for the majority of the gap between the cost of tuition and the total estimated cost, but will vary based on where you choose to live and which meal-plan you select. At older schools, getting a room with air conditioning will often bring a premium, and a general rule of thumb is the more people you have in your room, the cheaper the total cost will be - so there will be yet another premium if you want that single dorm to yourself.
Everything Else
Many colleges and universities will pad their total cost estimates to account for various personal expenses that not every student requires. These costs include purchasing a laptop and travel expenses, so you could very easily end up paying several thousand dollars less than the estimated cost if you are attending a college close to home and already own your own computer.
Regardless of where exactly all of the money goes, the fact of the matter is that the economic recession led states to cut their education budgets, forcing state universities to increase all of these fees to recuperate lost funds and compensate for ever increasing operational costs. With this in mind, the real question is: "How do you make the most of the thousands you are paying for college?"
If it's free, don't pass it up
At this point, it's pretty obvious that nothing in college is actually free, so if it says free, that simply means you already paid for it. Not going is like throwing away from of that precious money you forked over for your degree, so why not? That Thursday night lecture, whose speaker your fees paid to fly in, is likely more interesting than your textbooks anyway.
Know deadlines
Colleges have a wonderful way of getting even more money out of you on top of your fees: deadlines. Whether it is changing your meal plan without penalty, or paying the tuition bill, avoiding late fees will keep you from spending hundreds of dollars extra.
Meal plan options are your friends
One of those deadlines I just mentioned is how long you have to change your meal plan without penalty. If your mom or dad insists on you getting the unlimited plan, but after the first week or two you find yourself only eating a meal or two in the dining hall a day, change your plan. There is no reason to be paying extra money for food you're not eating, unless of course you like being bale to sneak in for cookies anytime you want.
Read more on CampusSplash.com
]]>Staying Sane in College: 4 Tested Tips for Reducing Stresstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8215922011-02-11T19:22:36-05:002011-05-25T18:30:24-04:00CampusSplashhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/campus-splash/By CampusSplash.com blogger and John Main Center for Meditation and Interreligious Dialogue co-founder Ray Schillinger.
You've probably already read this piece of unsurprising news: College freshmen are more stressed than ever.
Despite the inevitable pressures of classes, exams, grades, internships, and post-grad plans, there are some easy and effective ways to alleviate that stress.
Here are a few suggestions from my own playbook:
Meditation -- ditch the stereotypes; it's not just for the Dalai Lama anymore. Neuroscience is finally expounding the physiological benefits of regular meditation, and nearly 10% of Americans admit to having practiced it in some form.
After I picked up the habit about halfway through college, I found that my concentration, patience, and general contentment had measurably improved in just a short time. The key to success is regular practice, so either stick to a personal schedule or seek out other meditators on your campus and set up a group. As for length, 10 minutes twice a day is a good place to start.
Pro tip: When starting out, focus on a single, stationary object such as a candle. It'll keep your mind from thinking of the million things you have to finish by next Friday and dramatically improve the quality of your meditation.
Volunteering -- Serve food at a local homeless shelter. Start a new fundraising project for a local charity. Tutor at an underprivileged elementary school. The list is virtually endless. Volunteering can be an immensely satisfying and welcome distraction from school. And I'll openly admit that it can serve as an excellent resume piece, as it speaks volumes about your character and ambition.
Pro tip: Contact a non-profit organization that provides a service related to your career interests and find out if they have volunteer opportunities. You'll be helping out a good cause and opening the door to excellent informal networking in your field. Double win!
Travel -- the destination does not have to be Aruba for it to qualify as a vacation. Thanks to the regional bus renaissance that is now well underway, it has never been easier or cheaper to take a much-needed break away from campus. Set aside a weekend when you aren't swamped with deadlines and call up a few high school friends who have settled in other cities. Plan to return the favor down the road.
Pro tip: if you're in for a real adventure, try out http://www.couchsurfing.org and visit a city you've never been to before. It's free and an awesome way to meet new people.
Exercise - it seems like a no-brainer, but it's worth hammering this one home. Need to blow off some steam after getting a C+ on that Psychology midterm? Hit the gym. Didn't get that internship (perhaps because you didn't follow James' resume tips)? Go for a run. Let those endorphins flow.
Pro tip: Find an exercise partner and agree on a mutual workout schedule. It'll make it that much harder to come up with excuses.
Remember, you can carry these beneficial habits well beyond your college years. So the next time you find yourself contemplating another weekend of drinking away your sorrows into oblivion, try one of these alternative stress-relief techniques. Your liver will be forever grateful.
Follow CampusSplash on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CampusSplash ]]>The 5 New Semester Resolutions Every College Student Needstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8180492011-02-04T12:36:07-05:002011-05-25T18:30:24-04:00CampusSplashhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/campus-splash/By CampusSplash.com blogger and National Society of Collegiate Scholars Founder Steve Loflin.
Do you make new year's resolutions? Do you look at January 01 as the opportunity to revisit, refresh and recommit to your priorities? Do you want to always be better? Try harder? Or maybe even start over?
Well, welcome to a new semester! College is a unique experience that gets started over and over and over again until you finally arrive at your graduation day. You have the chance to learn, grow and even make mistakes that will add value to your experience in so many ways that will actually make you a much better person at graduation.
Here are five resolutions that will add value to your college experience:
1 - Make good grades a priority.
Your grade point average is the equivalent of your academic credit score. A GPA is a very clear indicator about where your priorities are and it is very hard to start making a GPA tremendously better after a few disasters. You cannot go back and get better grades. You have to do it from the beginning.
2 - Reevaluate your friends.
You will meet people in college who will be your friends for life. You also have choices about people you spend your time with everyday. Take a good look and decide if you are surrounding yourself with people who are helping you become a better and inspiring you toward success....or people who are becoming excuses and obstacles to getting where you know you want to go.
3 - Join a new club or organization.
Join at least one new club every semester and reassess and eliminate the clubs that are not adding any value to your college experience. Too many students join clubs their first semester and stop exploring the variety of opportunities that make college such a great place to be. Get out of your comfort zone and join something that will expose you to fresh and new experiences. You will meet different people and potentially discover new things that could take your life into an entirely different direction.
4 - Be open-minded about your future.
Are you happy with your major? Do you know why you chose the major you are pursuing? Have you truly thought about what you enjoy and how you can make sure your career and future is aligned with creating your happiness. Who is someone you admire who does exactly what you think you'd like to do? Or is there a professor on campus who teaches something that you think would make you happy? Go meet them. You will be surprised at how many people love to talk about how they got to where they are - and will really appreciate the opportunity to help you.
5 - Say thank you more.
When was the last time you said thank you to a professor? Or your Resident Assistant? Or someone on campus who is working hard to make sure you have a great college experience? Are you are too quick to complain about things that may not be working perfectly that you overlook the things that go extremely well everyday? I guarantee you if you take a moment to say thank you - and notice the positive in everyday - you will make someone happy and you will be much happier too.
Make sure you are creating the college experience that you want by investing time and energy into making sure you are maximizing every opportunity and only spending time doing the things that contribute to your happiness and getting you to where you want to go.
