Getting In Archive
Demystifying what it takes to get into higher education offering information on majors, schools, financial aid, admissions and more, served up by columnists that have been there, done that, and survived it all
A Word Of Praise For A Study Abroad Program:
Hey! I have a quick comment about study abroad. I'm actually going abroad in 3 days through the University of Southern Mississippi. The program is so amazing... and I haven't even left yet. I definitely recommend it. The people in charge of the program make everything so easy! You don't have to be a student at Southern Miss to participate either. I go to... well, I'm transferring, but I don't go to Southern Miss. 
Painting Your Dorm Room
I have a question: My roommate wants to paint our dorm room! I'm not sure where she got the idea that that's ok, since she's already gone to orientation and when I went, they said that you can't do ANYTHING that leaves marks on the walls. Nothing was said about painting but I'm pretty sure that it's a major no-no. Is this true? For most colleges, at least?
Going To College Out Of Town? Don't Forget!
When you go out of town for college you've got a few more things to worry about for setting up your new "life" so to speak, especially if you're not living on campus. I know this and I'm going through it all again right now in preparing to move to West Virginia. So here is a list of things you should be taking care of now so you're not having a panic attack when you get there:
Do you have a place to live?
Don't wait to find an apartment or a room in your new city or town. College towns and big cities can be difficult to find places to live, especially when a new school year draws near. Resources such as Craigslist and Apartments.com can be especially useful. Another great way to try and find places is through people you may already know where you're going or through property management companies. Though before you contact people about places, make sure you know what you're looking for in an apartment and what you think you should pay for rent.
Do you know who you're paying your bills to?
When you live off campus you need to figure out who you pay for what. In some situations your landlord will cover some of the bills. You need to know which ones are covered by your rent and which ones you need to take care of separately. Make sure you know who to pay, when to pay, and find out from your landlord or someone else in your building how much you can expect to pay for these things. Being able to make a budget can really keep you out of trouble as you move through the months and years involved in your program.
How are you going to keep in touch with people?
Do you have a cell phone with nationwide long-distance? Or, depending on where you are, a long distance plan? If neither of those are options, do you have internet at home with a webcam? Regardless of how you feel about home now, when you leave you're going to miss it to some degree once you leave. You'll miss some of your friends, or your family, or your old room, so you want to secure a way to regularly get in touch with people back home.
When you're not in school, then what?
You're always going to have some downtime, even crazy med students have some downtime. Keep an eye on stuff happening around town or see if there are clubs or groups around that interest you. Another great way to meet people is through volunteering. Especially if you're prone to homesickness and when you do get homesick, it's great to have a place to go where you can just be with other people so you'll want to take care of that.
How are you going to get there?
Get your transportation issues taken care of now! Know how you can travel between home and school. Just because they have an airport or a train station, for example, doesn't mean they have flights or trains that go to where you'll want or need to. If you're driving, learn now the fastest ways to get between Point A and Point B. This information will especially come in handy if something happens at home and you need to get home in a hurry.
If you get sick, what are you going to do?
Make sure your health insurance will take care of you wherever you're going. If you don't have a chronic condition, make sure you can at least go to the emergency department at the local hospital without fear of declaring bankruptcy. You don't want to be in a position where you're hemorrhaging money after you get sick or injured a long way from home. Be prepared.
Are you going to work?
Do you have a job lined up? Will you be looking for a job? It's good to take care of this stuff before you get there--or at least get a start! If you are going to be working there and the bank you have at home does not operate in the town you're moving to, it's a really good idea to open a bank account where you're living at.
Are you ready?
Take a deep breath. There are a million other things you could also be asking about or worried about in moving, these are just some of the biggies--but even if you take care of these ones you'll be ahead of most in the planning stages. Other super big things to think about if you're moving out of town for college? Let us know! Just use the submit form!
Do you have a place to live?
Don't wait to find an apartment or a room in your new city or town. College towns and big cities can be difficult to find places to live, especially when a new school year draws near. Resources such as Craigslist and Apartments.com can be especially useful. Another great way to try and find places is through people you may already know where you're going or through property management companies. Though before you contact people about places, make sure you know what you're looking for in an apartment and what you think you should pay for rent.
Do you know who you're paying your bills to?
When you live off campus you need to figure out who you pay for what. In some situations your landlord will cover some of the bills. You need to know which ones are covered by your rent and which ones you need to take care of separately. Make sure you know who to pay, when to pay, and find out from your landlord or someone else in your building how much you can expect to pay for these things. Being able to make a budget can really keep you out of trouble as you move through the months and years involved in your program.
How are you going to keep in touch with people?
Do you have a cell phone with nationwide long-distance? Or, depending on where you are, a long distance plan? If neither of those are options, do you have internet at home with a webcam? Regardless of how you feel about home now, when you leave you're going to miss it to some degree once you leave. You'll miss some of your friends, or your family, or your old room, so you want to secure a way to regularly get in touch with people back home.
When you're not in school, then what?
You're always going to have some downtime, even crazy med students have some downtime. Keep an eye on stuff happening around town or see if there are clubs or groups around that interest you. Another great way to meet people is through volunteering. Especially if you're prone to homesickness and when you do get homesick, it's great to have a place to go where you can just be with other people so you'll want to take care of that.
How are you going to get there?
Get your transportation issues taken care of now! Know how you can travel between home and school. Just because they have an airport or a train station, for example, doesn't mean they have flights or trains that go to where you'll want or need to. If you're driving, learn now the fastest ways to get between Point A and Point B. This information will especially come in handy if something happens at home and you need to get home in a hurry.
If you get sick, what are you going to do?
Make sure your health insurance will take care of you wherever you're going. If you don't have a chronic condition, make sure you can at least go to the emergency department at the local hospital without fear of declaring bankruptcy. You don't want to be in a position where you're hemorrhaging money after you get sick or injured a long way from home. Be prepared.
Are you going to work?
Do you have a job lined up? Will you be looking for a job? It's good to take care of this stuff before you get there--or at least get a start! If you are going to be working there and the bank you have at home does not operate in the town you're moving to, it's a really good idea to open a bank account where you're living at.
Are you ready?
Take a deep breath. There are a million other things you could also be asking about or worried about in moving, these are just some of the biggies--but even if you take care of these ones you'll be ahead of most in the planning stages. Other super big things to think about if you're moving out of town for college? Let us know! Just use the submit form!
Janet's comment: The vast majority of colleges will NOT permit you to paint your dorm room or other form of college housing. Your roommate needs to take a look at the regulations for your dorm and talk to the residence director--both of which will probably affirm what you clearly know. Colleges prefer to not let students paint because it gets very messy, the paint job isn't always very good, painting can get noisy, it doesn't smell all that good, and the next student/s to live there really might not like the color. Alternatively, the neutral colors that colleges tend to paint their dorms, while not awesome, are pretty easy to hang up posters and pictures on to customize for each student from year to year.