Credit troubles?

Free pizza, T-shirt, ice cream, etc. Sounds great right? That it what lures many people, specifically college aged student into signing up for credit cards. The people signing you up will tell you that all you have to do is cut up the card once you receive it, but it is not that simple. They are only concerned about signing you up, they get a commission for ever person signed up. The truth of the mater is, signing up for a credit card just for a free T-shirt or some food is a very bad practice.

There are a couple of problems with signing up for these credit cards. The first one being that once you receive the card, you might not cut it up or cancel it. You may figure that you will use it and pay it off later, a notion that gets college students into trouble, quickly. The problem is that many people are not informed of the consequences of using credit. Many people are shocked to find out they have to pay nearly 25% interest on their balance. This can quickly accumulate and you balance could get out of control.

Another problem you can encounter is that you do get the card and instantly cut it up. Now this may seem harmless, but it is far from that. This can be detrimental for your credit score. When you sign up for a credit card you are given a line of credit. When you sign up for multiple cards this can look very risky to other creditors.

I recommend that you stay away from these "free" offers. If you do happen to fall into credit card debt, there are many options for you to pursue. Many campuses offer some type of debt counseling. These are a great resource if you are not familiar how credit works. It is possible they will refer you to some type of credit consolidation. Credit consolidation is when a certain company offers you to have one lower monthly payment as opposed to many debt payments. This form of debt consolidation can help you on your journey to get out of debt. Debt consolidation can help recover your credit score. A good credit score can save you huge amounts of money if you plan on making a large purchase in the future such as mortgage for a home.

Paying for college

With college costs continually rising, paying for your college education can be a very difficult task. Many students have the financial backing of their parents or guardians, while others don't . Do not let money be the limitation of you going to college. There are plenty of resources available to guide you on the correct way for you to pay.

A great way to get funding for your college education are scholarships. Do some research at your high school and see what is available. You do not have to be graduating at the top of your class to receive a scholarship, David Letterman offers a scholarship to students with GPAs less than 2.0. There are scholarships for almost everything, whether it be you are left handed or short (less than 4'10'') people are willing to give you money for college. Another great resource for college scholarships is Finaid.

Another possibility for paying for college are student loans. Although it is not ideal to graduate college with debt, it sometimes is the only way. There are many way to get loans for college, many times with very low interest rates. If you must take out more than one loan, it is highly recommended that you consolidate your loans. Loan consolidation can reduce your payments and sometimes even offer a lower interest rate.

The final way you can finance your college is by getting aid through military service. The military offers money for college if you commit to a certain amount of service. Many times you only need to go to training once a month and your college is paid for. Before you commit to anything, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.

Guide to buying a computer for college

In this article I will lay out some of the basics that will begin your search for a computer for college. Although most colleges do not require you to own a computer, it is however, highly recommended. With a computer of your own, you will not have to rely on the technology provided by the school, and you have the freedom to do much more. When beginning your search you should ask yourself three questions:

1. How will I be using this computer and what do I want out of it?

2. What components do I need that will meet these requirements?

3. What is my budget?

How will I be using this computer and what do I want out of it?

The first question is generally the toughest. This is the step where you have to analyze the core purposes of the computer you will be buying. When going into college you may be eager and ready to pick a field of study, but six months down the road, you may want to do something totally different. So be sure to choose something that is not just designed for one purpose, but something that will be good for whatever you pursue.

For many areas of school, all that will be required out of your computer are basic word processing, spreadsheets, and limited internet usage. There are some specific fields of study that require a much more powerful computer if you wish to run some of the applications designed for that specific field (i.e. graphics design, engineering applications, editing, etc) Many times if you pick a field that requires powerful computing power, the school will provide access to the proper technology. Unless your budget allows, I would suggest you use the provided facilities. Many times, schools will post the minimum requirements for computers at their school. Make sure to reference this before you make any purchases.

Obviously, the computer will not only be used for school work, but also many other aspects. Computers can be used for a countless functions. Whether you want to play games, download music, chat with friends, share pictures, create a website, or just about anything you can imagine, you can do it on your computer. When choosing your computer make sure you consider the extra activities you want to do on your computer.

The last area you should consider when you are deciding what your computer will be used for is the aspect of portability. Are you going to want to take the computer with you to class, or simply keep it in your room? In about 80% of the cases, I would recommend going with a laptop. A laptop offers you the freedom to use your computer almost anywhere you choose. Almost all campuses are becoming wireless which allows you internet access. Another great benefit of a laptop is that if your professor allows you to use your laptop for notes, you can be far more effective using a laptop compared to paper notes. In the case of the other 20% where I would recommend a desktop is when your budget does not allow for the generally more costly laptop or if you need a very power computer for your desired area of study.

What components do I need that will meet these requirements?

When choosing your computer you really don’t need to know what a front side bus is, or what latency your random access memory is rated at. There are a few components of your computer that you should be concerned about: the processor, RAM, hard drive space, and size.

Processor

For all practical purposes, the processor is the brains of the computer. It is what is doing all the computations. In both desktops and laptops, companies such as Intel and AMD are developing multiple core processors that allows for very powerful computers. When in the market for a computer look for these processors, they will allow you to multi-task as well as run programs faster.

RAM

RAM, or Random Access Memory, is where programs and applications are loaded so they can be accessed faster. Whenever you open a program, it is loaded on the RAM and remains there until you close it. I would recommend at least 1 GB (gigabyte). This should be sufficient to run multiple applications at once without slowing down your computer.

Hard Drive Space

The hard drive is where all your data is stored, such as documents, pictures, movies, settings, applications, and system files. Storage size on most hard drives ranges from 40 GB all the way to 1 TB (terabyte, 1000 GB). For the typical user 60-100 GB should be sufficient, but if you plan on downloading music or movies, or use it for video or photo editing, you may require more. In most cases you can either expand internally, or externally.

Size

Whether you decide on a laptop or desktop size must be a consideration. With a desktop, the actual computer is generally standard, but the display is what can vary. Make sure you know how much space you have where you will be staying. If you are considering a laptop, you have to decide on screen size, as well as weight you will be willing to carry around with you. Laptops can range in screen size from 10.1 inches all the way up to 21 inches. Weight can vary from 3 pounds to 15 pounds.

Other

There are many other options you can have in your computer. Optical drives are a very popular addition. They can allow you to listen and watch CDs and DVDs as well as create them. Many computers are now coming built with card readers to read cards from digital cameras. A popular feature in some laptops is that they now come with built-in webcams. Connectivity to the internet can be achieved by a network card that is standard in all computers. Laptops are now standard with built-in wireless technology.

What is my budget?

When deciding on your budget for you computer you need to acknowledge a couple of realities. It is going to be a rather large purchase. You are purchasing this computer for college; it is an investment for four years or more. Although you can go out and buy a desktop computer for $300, it will most likely not meet your needs today, let alone in four years. I would say that if you are in the market for a good college computer, you should except to spend between $750 and $1500 depending on your needs.

I hope this guide gets you started on your search for a computer for college.

New update soon

Sorry about the week of no posts, I was on vacation. I am back now, and you can expect an article in the next few days about purchasing the right computer for college.

Top Ten Freshman Mistakes

1. Partying (Too much)

At nearly every college, a major element of the college student’s life is partying. It is unavoidable. I myself am not a “party animal” but had many friends who enjoyed partying. My word of caution is that you do not allow your partying to interfere with the original purpose of college: academics. I witnessed many people progressively slip into a habit of partying over schoolwork. A few ended up dropping out, while many have to work much harder to dig themselves out of a hole.

2. Partying (Not at all)

As stated before, party is a facet of college life. I feel that it is part of the “college experience” and something that everyone should try at least once. I am not advocating you go get so drunk you can’t see straight. I am not even saying you should drink (if you don’t want to). A college party is something every college student should experience.

3. Poor Time Management

One thing that you will quickly realize in college is that you have much more free time compared to high school. Fifteen credit hours means about fifteen hours in class each week compared to the roughly thirty five hours in high school ( 8 AM to 3 PM, 5 days a week). Now this may seem great, you have twenty more hours to play Halo or browse Facebook, but this is what brings trouble for many people. College course generally require more time and effort than high school classes. It is important to budget your time.

4. Focusing too much on grades

Coming out of high school many of you may be focused on getting “good” grades. College should quickly redefine your definition of good. In some cases it is not rare for a professor in a class of 100 give out 5 A’s. Although the grades do matter some, you should also focus on to the knowledge you are gaining from these classes.

5. Skipping class

I will admit it; I skipped my fair share of classes. Many classes do not take attendance, the main reason many people attend class. Why I warn against this is because you do not get the same results from copying some one else’s notes or grabbing the lecture notes offline. Many times professors will add caveats not included in these notes, but many times are on the tests. Another good reason to go to class is the fact that you, or your parents, paid for that class.

6. Not utilizing the resources

Your tuition money is put to good use at college. There are near infinite resources at your feet for you to utilize. Nearly all professors offer office hours, time set aside just for you and your questions. Regardless if you need the help or not, go to the office hours. Introduce yourself to your professor, get to know them. You may not need their help right then, but in the future you could. Another resource that generally goes unnoticed is the Resident Assistant, or RA. They have a wealth of knowledge about the campus and are generally willing to help you out.

7. Freshmen Fifteen

Many college freshmen enjoy the food courts and dorm food, but rarely make use of the exercise facilities on campus. It is definitely important to eat well, but pizza every night at 1 AM is most likely not going to be kind to your figure. Make sure that you get at least two solid meals in a day. Try to schedule in some time to exercise too. If you make it a habit it will be much easier to maintain.

8. Associating only with high school friends

It may seem easy to just hang out with friends, but there is much, much more to be had at college. You will get to meet people from all different backgrounds and this can really open your eyes to the world. Although, you should not completely severe ties with all your old friends, really put yourself out there and try to meet as many people as you can when you arrive at college.

9. Not having an open mind

College will bring together many people, with many different viewpoints. Many people will instantly ignore anyone who has to say anything different from what they believe. One good example of this is religion. There were many night where I stayed up late discussing religion with people from different religious backgrounds.

10. Not taking opportunities (Staying inside your comfort zone)

College is full of many opportunities, opportunities that you will probably never have for the rest of your life. This is by far the biggest and most frequent mistake made by college freshman. You will be constantly bombarded with new club callouts and other activities. Just because you don’t know anyone in the club or organization doesn’t automatically mean that you should not try it. College is all about experiencing new things. Step outside your comfort zone and you will get more out of college.

Senior year is coming to an end

It’s coming down to the last days of high school. Many of you wish your senior year would never end, while others of you are counting down the seconds until you graduate. Before you know it you will be packing up and headed towards college, and if you were like me, it may seem like a daunting task.

I hope to develop this blog to try to reduce any fear or anxiety associated with going off to college. I will fill it with insight from fellow colleagues and myself who have gone through the process.