collegestudentsrule

College Isn't Necessary Article...I'm Not Making This Up

I first saw this link on That College Kid. It was originally published on The Best Article Everyday.

Click on the image to see it full size. Enjoy!

So You Want To Be An RA [Resident Assistant]

By Guest Author: Karen Pearson

Ideas And Tips For Getting Hired This Spring

Opportunities for residence hall leadership are fast approaching. Soon you will see posters, message board announcements and strategically placed applications across campus. Are you considering applying? What do you have to offer and how best do you compete with your fellow students for this paid peer position?
Before applying you need to get the FACTS.

Here are some things to ponder as you decide if this leadership position is for you.

F- Does your future employer recognize your Face? 

+ Have you made an effort to get to know the Resident Director/Resident Counselor of the hall in which you want to serve?
+ What kind of connections have you made with your future boss? Have you taken the time to get to know them (or their families), have you found an opportunity to thank them for a job well done?
+ Do you know something that you share in common?

Make the time to get personal with your new potential employer, don’t let the first time you meet, be at the interview. If the position is in the hall that you currently live, have you gotten involved? Those students who have attended the hall events, volunteered for community service and served on the committees have a leg up on the students that have not made the effort to participate in the dorm activities. RD’s want to know that you enjoy hanging out in their hall; that you are willing to invest in the life of the residents.

A - Do you have an Angle?

+ It might sound calculated, but what is your angle?
+ How do you stand out from the rest of the candidates?
+ Do you have applicable experience that would increase your chances?
+ What skills do you have that would be invaluable to the RA staff?
+ Do you speak a foreign language, are you well traveled, do you play sports, do you excel in academics, play an instrument, are you from the local area? What knowledge or gifts do you have to contribute to a great RA team?

Figure it out and make sure you address those attributes in the interview process.

C - Make it Creative!

There is the potential that the Residential Life office will receive hundreds of applications for the open positions. Even small colleges wade through dozens of applications.
+ Besides making sure your application is professional and readable, how can you increase your chances that it will get noticed?

Hook up with a graphic design major and have them help you design a letterhead or a logo for your potential hall and add that to your application. When you get to the interview, why not bring a sample of a door tag or goodie bag that you might use to welcome your residents. Come in prepared to share some well thought out plans for some new activities and programs to use on your wing or area of service. Impress them with the creative details.

T- Do you have the Time?

A big red flag for your potential employer on campus will be the scope of your commitments in the coming year.
+ What does your schedule look like for the next semester?
+ You are a student first, so academics should be your priority and they understand that, but what is your credit load?
+ Will your internships or class work require you to be off-campus for extended periods during the day?
+ What is your availability in the late afternoon or evenings when you might need to be around the halls the most?
+ What do your extracurricular activities look like?

Intramurals, clubs, choir, volunteering; boyfriends/girlfriends… all of these opportunities have the potential to pull you away from your role as an RA. Be prepared to share your ideas for time-management and how you will make the role of the Resident Assistant a priority. You will be asked this question, be ready for it.

S- Student to Student…

Even though you are most likely interviewing with a campus employee and/or committee, remember that the people you will be serving are your fellow students. Before you answer the essay questions or participate in the role plays, do your homework with your peers.
+ What do the students in your hall need or want in a Resident Assistant?
Create a survey of current students and bring the results with you to your interview that is a great way for you to show your interest and stand out in the process. You will also learn what issues need to be addressed as you plan for the following year of service. Those students who take the survey will also be impressed that you want to hear what their needs are and give them some ownership in your events. Serving your fellow students is a great way to learn about leadership and yourself.

So grab your school calendars and mark the deadlines for the leadership positions that you want to apply for. If serving as a Resident Assistant appeals to you, try the above ideas and best of luck!
______________________________________________

Karen Pearson is the Director of Residential Life at Northwest Nazarene University. She loves working with college students and is currently obsessed with Scrabulous.

Save Money Early In The Semester

Oftentimes, college students have more money to spend at the beginning of the semester than the end of it. Help yourself now by planning your spending and don't blow it all in the first few weeks.

Geezeo has some simple tips that will help you to stretch out those hard earned dollars for a few more weeks into the semester. I've added my own comments to each item:

+ Buy Books Used
While there are all kinds of strategies to find books at the best deal online, your best bet will be to buy a USED book. If you buy a used book from a smart person, all of the important parts will be highlighted already. But you gotta shop early to get the used books. Our bookstore sells out of these before anything else. So the secret's out.

+ Don't Splurge On All New Notebooks & Pens Each Semester
I know there's something wonderful to the start of a semester with new office supplies. But if you haven't used the ones you already own...you're just wasting money. Use every bit of paper and ink you have left. Make it your goal not to buy a new one until the old one is used up.

+ Use Your Print Quota At School
You probably have your own printer hooked up to your computer. But those ink cartridges will set you back a pretty penny. Your school gives you a certain amount of print credit and you should use it up. You don't get to save it and it probably runs out at the end of each semester.

+ Don't Party Too Hard
With all of that cash squeezed into your wallet, you probably think you're the life of the party. But that cash will run out quick unless you have a plan. I recommend you set a budget for yourself. Go through your semester calendar and make note of those big events that you're going to need to buy tickets for. Put money aside. Try to spend less than your budgeted amount and you'll be prepared for the emergency that pops up.

Found via: Geezeo Blog

11 Tips For College Students

I'm not currently a college student. Haven't been one for awhile...at least in the undergraduate sense of things. But I hang out with college students. I work with college students. And I work full time at a University as the Director of Campus Life (the coolest on-campus job in the world).

Plus...I really like college students.

It's one of the greatest times in life. When do any of us ever get to hang out with hundreds of friends for four, five...dare I say...six years? It's like going to camp..except they give you homework and you have to read 800 pages a night.

So if I could sit you down, with a slow drip of coffee being shared between us (intravenously or by the cupful if you prefer), and share some ways that I believe you could not only make the most of your time in college, but really, really enjoy it and succeed at it - here's what I'd say...

1. Meet people.
One day you'll walk across a stage, and a very smart looking man or woman in a really nice, long, black gown will hand you a piece of paper that says "Bachelor" (even if you're a girl!) on it. You'll graduate from college. Do you know what you'll remember most?

The relationships you've made.

My advice is to meet everyone you can. Be friendly. Smile. Talk to people (not in class...that could be dangerous). Go to places where people hang out and hang out with them. Your friends are what make college special.

Some day you'll come back to campus as an alumni and the place will feel weird. It will feel different. That's because all of the people that you were friends with during your college years aren't there. It's the same college, but different people. It's the people that make your experience unique. You are going to make friends that you'll have for the rest of your life.

Like I said earlier, I work at a University. My boss (yes...he's smarter than me) is a good friend that I went to college all four years with. It's been a great relationship for all this time. I don't know of any other place you create these types of relationships at this age. So get out there. Get busy meeting people.

2. Talk to your professors.
This one continues on with the theme of number 1. Go ahead and do everything you can to meet your professors. Make an appointment with them as soon as it is possible in their schedule. I have discovered that I learned so much more from a professor when I had some kind of personal relationship with them.

Professors are people to. Respect their time and make sure you communicate clearly with them. Don't waste their time with excuses for not doing the work or simply not showing up to class. The goal here is to establish some type of relationship.

Whenever I think about a subject or content I learned in college it is tied to the face of a professor. If I think of learning German - it's McKinney; if it's creative writing - Nelson; if it's communication - Jackson. My knowledge came from a person more than it came from a book.

One of my favorite movies is Orange County. It's a story about a high school senior that wants to get into Stanford. He's enamored with the writings of a certain professor there. When he finally has the chance to meet the professor and sit down and talk with him, it changes his entire perspective. While those types of conversations might be rare in your experience because you go to a large University - seek them out anyway! They'll be some of the best memories you take from your time in college.

3. If you need help ask for it.
One of the reasons you're in college is because you don't know everything. If you can learn to admit that, you'll be ahead of most freshmen at your school.