Posted by
Alan Duro on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 @ 01:44 PM
When you are making your list of
what to bring to college, there are some items that are probably not on the packing list that the college provided. Make sure that you are prepared and minimize trips to the store by putting these ten things on your checklist.
1. XL Sheets
Beds in most dorms are extra-long (XL) twin, so standard sheets from home won't fit the
mattress awaiting you. If you wait until you get to campus and try going to the local Walmart to find them, it's almost guaranteed that they will be sold out. Check your local stores or order XL sheets online in the patterns you want.
2. An oscillating window fan.
Even if your room is equipped with air conditioning, it might not work very well. And when the room gets a little funky, you'll be glad you brought it.
3. Loose change, in all denominations.
The pop machine in the rec room? Needs change. The washers and dryers in the laundry room? Take change or your meal card, and the meal card buys valuable food with a simple swipe - go with the change.
4. A flash drive.
You'll be on your computer, the college computers, and at random parties with bad music. To keep your coursework and extracurriculars handy, keep your flash drive with you.
5. A surge protector.
To protect your valuable electronics, spend twenty dollars to buy a good surge protector. When the heat or the air conditioning kicks on in the building for the first time in six months, you'll be glad you did.
6. Flip-flops.
When you're making a list of what to bring to college, flip-flops should be on it. You will be glad you brought them the first time you step into the shared showers. Also, at night for quick trips around the dorms, they'll come in pretty handy.
7. Small coffee maker.
Often when considering what to bring to college, the coffee maker gets left out. If you aren't drinking coffee already, you probably will be by mid-semester. You won't want to be dragging yourself down to the caf in the morning just to get a cup.
8. Inexpensive food.
There may be food emergencies when nothing is open and you're awake and starving. Or your hall could descend on your room for a sudden party to eat all of the eight dollar pesto dip that you brought from home. Keep the cheap food out, and stuff that's just for you in the closet.
9. Earplugs.
No matter what time you're trying to sleep, there will be other people up and about. Make sure earplugs are on your list of what to bring to college so you can get some shut-eye.
10. Basic toolkit from the hardware store.
You will be surprised how often you use this - whether it's for fixing something in your own room, or for that crush down the hall. As a bonus, other people will have forgotten to bring hammers, screwdrivers and other needed items, so you can make it known you have a toolkit and rent those tools out. Who said entrepreneurship was dead?
Posted by
Alan Duro on Fri, Jan 20, 2012 @ 07:30 AM
Top 5 Best Dorm Decorations
Leaving home and moving into a college dormitory is one of the most exciting
and let's face it - scary - periods in your life. Dorm mates have the potential to be people you form life-long relationships with. But sharing a small space with others can be challenging at times. The best way to claim a space of your own, and show off who you are, is the way you decorate your portion of the communal space.
Dorm decorations are a way to bring a little bit of home with you, while demonstrating your individuality. You'll want to decorate your dorm in a way that conserves space and is easy to take with you when it's time to move to the next dorm room or apartment.
- Collages. Collages are one of the best ways to take all those random childhood photos and favorite high-school memories. Incorporate them with magazine cut outs that reflect your talents and interests. You can create a simple collage using poster board, glue, and scissors. More permanent collages can be made using a series of smaller collages in frames. Or, get a piece of plywood, your collage cut-outs and Modge Podge or another clear adhesive to adhere them. Permanent collages are durable, easily transported, and stand the test of time throughout college dorm life.
- Framed Art or Images. It's easy to find affordable prints of high end artistic renderings, favorite bands, landscapes, poetry, etc. You name it and you can find an image of it. You might even be able to find images online that you can save to a zip drive and have printed at a local print shop. Frames of all sizes, shapes and styles can be located at any craft store. Framing favorite visual images is an easy way to display who you are, or images you want to have up for inspiration, without consuming a lot of effort on installation time.
- Find An Interesting Bedding Set. Your bed will now become a public space. Hey, dorm life is tight so every space needs to be functional. Your bed is always on display, and will often serve as a couch, table, study area or the setting for midnight pizza parties. Investing in a new bed set is an easy way to add color or expression to your room or space, while keeping the general public from sitting/laying on the sheets you sleep in every night. Sleeping in a bed full of crumbs, or stranger cooties, is never pleasant so your bed spread will simultaneously serve as a protective barrier and a decoration.
- Hang Vintage Records and/or Album Covers. Now that records have become virtually obsolete, you can find boxes of vintage albums online or at garage sales for ridiculously low prices. Some people might even pay you to take away their boxes of long unused albums. They are a great and easy way to have 'Art' on a wall and the ones you display will tell people a little about yourself. Plus, they just look cool.
- Have a Decoration Party. Have a "Yahoo, I'm Leaving for College!" party and tell everyone to bring one thing to decorate your future dorm room walls. This can be a great way to get decorations you never would have thought of and are also warm fuzzy mementos of your nearest and dearest back home. It's fun, it's free, it's bound to make you laugh ,and you might end up with the quirkiest dorm decorations in the entire building.
Dorm decorations help claim your space, so get creative and make your space the place where people want to hang out.
Posted by
Alan Duro on Mon, Jan 09, 2012 @ 10:24 AM
The Top 5 College Dorm Supplies
There are so many things to bring to college it can be overwhelming. We've narrowed it down to a list of 5 college dorm supplies to bring to college.
1. Computer and Television: A computer is obviously an absolute MUST in this day and age.
Many colleges even give students a laptop upon arriving at school. However if they dont you'll obviously want one to bring to class and participate in many of the online resources at your college. And a TV is pretty self-explanitory. When March madness comes around you dont want to be the only student without a TV.
2. Laundry Bag: No more mom doing the laundry. You're in college and its time to step up and do laundry for yourself. Dragging laundry back and forth from the washing machine is a pain and therefor a laundry bag is a must. There are many options including washable, bug proof, and smell proof laundry bags.
3. Alarm Clock: Cant make it to class because you slept in? This is a huge problem with college students. If you cant make it to class you'll have a very tough time graduating. Therefor number 3 on our list which could easily be number 1 is an Alarm clock. Get one that works and make sure you use it!
4. Mattress Pads: College Mattresses are NOT comfortable. And, due to fire regulations, most colleges will not allow you to bring your own mattress to school. Therefor the only real way to make your mattress more comfortable is with either a matress pad or featherbed.
5. Security Safes: The unfortunate reality of college is that things get stolen. Having a reliable safe in your room is a smart idea for protecting all your valuables. With other students in and out of eachothers rooms there not telling when something will get stolen. You want to be prepared with a good safe to keep your stuff.
Posted by
Alan Duro on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 @ 09:56 AM
DORMPAKS: More time for College
College life is busy. There's classes, social life, studying, and many many distractions inbetween. An unavoidable distraction for many students is shopping at college. Not shopping for fun stuff, like beirut tables and ping pong balls, I mean shopping for mundane essentials that you use almost every day. Things like bodywash, detergent, toothpaste, energy drinks, that kind of thing. Keeping these items stocked is not only kind of pain (especially if you're a freshman with no car) it also becomes expensive (especially if you're a freshman with no money).
Enter Dormpaks. Our new Dormpaks service is designed so that students can quickly and easily have all the things they need for college delivered right to their dorm room. And the best part is that the service is fully automated. With our service you simply decide on the items that you want and we deliver them every 5 weeks straight to your dorm room. Before each delivery we'll send a confirmation in which you can add, delete, or modify items in your DormPak as you see fit. Not only do you no longer need those regular trips to the store, we've also found that many students prefer to setup an account with their parents credit card. This enables students to get what they need delivered straight to them, and also gives parents the peace of mind to know that their money is actually going to things that their student really NEEDS! No just spending all the money on beer and other popular money drains of college.
Watch out DormPaks video and signup for our new BETA service. Its free to use and will save you the time and money which are the two most precious resources for any college student.
Posted by
Alan Duro on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 @ 10:05 AM
3 Tips for College Moms
Sending your child to college can be a difficult experience, especially if your son or daughterhas never spent much time away from home and is going away for school. However, there are several tips for college moms that can help both you and your child cope with the change that college years bring.
Tip# 1: Send Care Packages
In many cases, dorm life is difficult for new college students because many of them don’t know much about cooking. This is part of the reason that so many college freshmen put on the ‘freshman 20’ – they tend to order pizza and other fast food to meet their hunger needs. In order to assure your college student some ability to fend for him- or herself, you can put together care packages, with easily microwavable meals for your student to eat. Microwaves are common in dorm rooms, and there is little time or preparation involved in heating a meal, meaning your college student can easily feed themselves while studying for an exam.
Tip # 2 Make sure they have Personal Funds
Some of the best tips for college moms involve ways to assure your student has the finances required to support him- or herself. While some college students work part time to help pay bills and support their own ‘recreational’ fund, this is not always possible, especially when first starting out. College courses can quickly become overwhelming, and maintaining a job can lead to difficulty maintaining grades. In order to better support your child, you may want to get a prepaid credit card, to which you can add funds as needed. This makes it simple for you to assure your child is taken care of while also making it simple for the student to access the funds. It also helps you and your student budget appropriately, as you determine the exact amount available to your child for miscellaneous expenditures.
Tip #3: Communication
One of the most difficult parts of sending a student to college is coping with the fact that you may not see or speak to your child on a daily basis. That’s why one of the most important tips for college moms is to find ways to make sure communication is easy. Assure that your student has a cell phone or a prepaid phone card to contact you. Dorm phones are busy a lot, and often, there is no privacy involved in conversations held on those phones. A cell phone or prepaid phone card gives you student the chance to call you privately at will. You may also want to assure your and your student both have Skype accounts, which, with the use of a web cam, allows you to visibly communicate with your child and gives you the opportunity to see that your child is doing well.
Following tips for college moms can assist you in more readily ‘letting go’ of your student as he or she embarks on this new journey toward adulthood. Preparing yourself in advance with ways to assure that your child is taken care of can help you cope with the distance between you while still giving your son or daughter the freedom of being independent as he or she practices being responsible and works through the adventure of graduating from college.
Posted by
Alan Duro on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 02:56 PM
Sending my child to College: How to Prepare
The day is both a celebratory occasion as well as one that can be sad and difficult. As with any major life change, advanced preparation and an open
dialogue about the event even months beforehand can make the transition easier. Here are few tips to help.
Talk
Spend time as a family talking about the positives and negatives. Sharing feelings can be a great way to release stress and worry surrounding the event. Most parents will say "sending my child to college isn't easy," but don't forget that teens can have a lot of mixed feelings about it too. Tell your child you are excited for her and see great things ahead, but also share how much you will miss her and how empty the house will feel without her. This may help open the door for her own sharing. Make sure you listen without interrupting and validate her feelings when she is finished talking by saying things like, "I know how you feel; I remember when I left my home for college," or other appropriate responses.
Pack
Start packing early, even weeks before, to ensure your child doesn't forget anything and to also ensure he is mentally ready. Slowly filling up boxes as he is ready may help ease him into this transition. Keep a list of supplies and items you'll need to purchase once your child arrives at school, such as pens and pencils and other desk supplies.
Buy Necessities
This might have to wait until your child arrives at college and knows exactly what she'll need, such as new curtains, rugs, or other items to spruce up her dorm room. If possible, go on a shopping trip together as a way to spend time together.
Tie Up Loose Ends
Make a list of everything that has to be done before your child leaves, such as completing an address change request with the post office, opening a checking account and compiling a list of emergency contact information and medical information. Talk about finances with your child. If you will keep a joint account, discuss spending limits and whatever else is applicable. If your child will have his own account, stress the importance of staying on budget and advise him against opening credit card accounts so he won't graduate with a lot of debt. Next, make sure he has his medical information somewhere accessible in case of emergency. Finally, although your child is an adult and is leaving to start his own life, it may be a good time to discuss family rules, like being honest, avoiding cheating at school, respecting others, etc. For example, remind your child that the decisions he makes can impact him for the rest of his life, and tell him that you trust he will make good ones.
Say Goodbye
Hold a going-away party for your child so she can say goodbye to friends and they can say goodbye to her. Many parents don't want to view "sending my child to college as a celebration," but it is. This is a new beginning and one that your child will remember for the rest of her life; make it positive.
Establish Visiting and Communication Schedules
To make you both feel better, set up a weekly phone call (or more frequent if necessary) that you both agree on. It will give both of you something to look forward to. Also, give your child a calendar with possible visiting dates written on it, such as during parent's weekend. Decide together if he will come home for the holidays.
Posted by
Alan Duro on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 @ 08:10 AM
Financial Aid For College: Tips and Advice
Paying for college is not quite like it used to be. With many universities raising their tuition
fees, and the cost of accommodation, books, and other supplies also on the rise, it’s understandable that many people feel like making those payments is an insurmountable barrier. The questions about financial aid for college does not have to daunting, though.
The first step for anyone struggling with the financial end of college is to fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As the name suggests, the form is free to file, and almost every college in the United States requires this form before any kind of financial aid can be administered. The form is available online, and for being a bureaucratic process, it is quite straightforward and user-friendly. It will gather all your relevant financial information (either for independent students or parents) and assess the amount of need your family demonstrates. The difference will then be reported to you as well your options. FAFSA will either award your family relevant grants or scholarships (which you don’t have to pay back) or loans (which you do).
After the FAFSA has been filed and returned, the next step should be scouring the web and financial aid offices for relevant scholarships. If you’re wondering how to pay for college, scholarships are the first place to look, because the money does not have to be returned or repaid. There are innumerable scholarships available, many of which can be found through simple, free online databases. Whether your student demonstrates amazing grades or has a particular skill (music, sports), scholarships should be explored thoroughly. If web results are not yielding anything promising, make sure to also directly contact school’s financial aid offices. They can help your student find scholarships that are tailored to his or her skills. The number one thing to remember with scholarships, though, is that timeliness does matter. Never let a deadline pass on a scholarship, and beyond that, turn all paperwork in as early as possible. It reflects very well on the student, and a favorable impression with the people divvying up the funds is exactly what you want.
Another major avenue to explore is securing a student loan. If scholarships haven’t worked out and financial aid didn’t cover everything you were hoping for, student loans might be the best way to go. Interest is often lower on this type of loan, and payments are generally deferred until after the student has graduated, although this is not always the case. Loans, of course, must be repaid with interest, so don’t enter into the contract without being fully aware of all the guidelines, stipulations, and details.
Should your family income be too high to qualify for assistance, another way to tackle how to pay for college is with a whole lot of forethought. After all, the earlier you start saving for your kid’s college, the easier it will be. Ideally, you should start putting a little away every month soon after your child is born. There are plenty of programs that reward parents who are proactive about saving for their kid’s college. Some programs will even allow you to purchase “tuition credits,” effectively locking you into today’s tuition rates, no matter how much those rates rise after the fact.
How to pay for college doesn’t have to be a scary, unknowable question mark. Just remember that timeliness is often the key to success. Allow you and your child enough time to fill out all required paperwork, write that scholarship essay, or apply for that loan.
Posted by
Alan Duro on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 @ 08:01 AM
How To Pay For College; Tips and Advice
The College financial nightmare…How to pay for it! 
We can talk about nightmares all day long, but one of the biggest a family can face is how to pay for college. We think about it for years, but because those years seem so far in the future, some of us don’t plan. Maybe we feel our finances will change. We can’t be living hand to mouth forever, can we? But, if you close your eyes too long, the day suddenly arrives.
But not only parents are concerned. There are many students out there on their own and responsible for their own college education. What do they do? Who dothey turn to?
In today’s economy, people of all means are finding themselves trying to save money through some kind of assistance. They are watching college costs rise and personal fluidity shrinks.
So the search begins with finding the right college for yourself or your child’s anticipated career. But when you find one…how will you pay for it?
Well, help is on the way! But, first you have to calculate your Expected Family Contribution, (EFC). The EFC will display what the student can anticipate to receive from a variety of sources including state and federal help, as well as the colleges.
College costs are pretty grim today, however, who’s to say that you can’t keep a dream on track.
Diminishing state and federal aid as well as drops in fund raising and lower donations have forced many colleges and universities to increase tuition and cut back on financial aid programs.
Unlike the days of old, the Web is a wonderful place to get started. It’s easy to check out different colleges from your own living room and search for scholarship sources. Just avoid those sites that try to charge you to search.
There are also two forms to complete when you apply for federal aid:
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
College Scholarship Service Profile
These two forms are used to calculate the Expected Family Contribution. All schools, however, require the FAFSA so that they can acquire as much government funding as possible.
Here are some financial aid helpful suggestions:
- Do a scholarship search.
- Find out what it costs to go to college and not just for a semester. Add the total cost for the privilege of your child’s education.
- Try to estimate your probable financial aid and the "net" price you will be projected to pay.
- Read all there is to know simply by visiting sites and reading their FAQ’s.
- Find out exactly where those scholarships are.
- Are there tax credits?
- Finally, it is wise to apply early, read carefully and follow all the rules.
As you begin to cultivate different strategies for affording college costs, then do so with as much knowledge as you can stuff into your pockets. The good news is that there is an abundance of colleges awarding aid to those students who need it.
A few things to ponder:
- Get familiar with the terminology of the financial aid world.
- Apply to many colleges because if your student can get in more than one, his or her chance of receiving a larger financial aid package becomes greater.
- Apply for national grants and local scholarships.
- Do your homework. Read and re-read and know your options.
Remember…there was a time when students were not allowed to pursue an education because of cost. Today, these loan programs open doors so they can take advantage of a valuable resource… education.
“Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know.” Daniel J. Boorstin
Posted by
Alan Duro on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 @ 02:12 PM
Decorate a College Dorm Room; Ideas to help you out
Okay, so you're ready to get serious about your dorm room decorating, and make it ascool and comfy as possible. Excellent! Here are some tips to help you decorate a college dorm room.
All in All it's Just Another Thing on the Wall....
Let's say that there's a rule that you can't use nails in your room walls. Not a problem. Simply go to the local hardware store and pick up some inexpensive 3M Command strips - they can hold up to seven-and-a-half pounds, so that allows you to display all kinds of artwork or amazing masks or other objects de arte. Or you could go with a different type of flare and pick out some amazing fabric to use as a wall hanging. Vinyl wall decals don't make holes, and don't leave a mess, so they're another good option. A well placed retro or modern mirror here and there can give your room the sense of more space.
Beds Aren't Just for Sleeping
Usually, the largest feature of a dorm room is your bed. In order to effectively create more storage space, you have some options which can turn the space underneath your bed into very creative storage. You can find risers (which can be hidden by a dust ruffle) at such stores as Bed, Bath & Beyond, or Linens & Things. You may also want to look into a rolling underbed cart, or a rack raiser. Other types of under-bed drawers or bags are also readily available at a wide variety of stores. The great part about using that space under the bed is it leaves more room for you to creatively save more space for your dorm room decorating
Picking a jazzy or patterned comforter that matches your decor is essential in tying the room together. Cool throw pillows and other bed-top items can help you really express your personality and interests.
Flooring
Rugs are another key element in coordinating your dorm room decorating theme. The colors, patterns and textures you choose for your rugs can really expressively pull your room together. Ikea, Target, Walmart and many other stores offer great options in rugs.
This 'n That
Your electronics are very important, so making sure you have good lighting for your computer is necessary; you can also choose really unique lamp styles to carry the theme of your room that much further.
Putting your television, stereo or iPod and speakers in a practical place is important, and you can use splashes of color underneath these if you like, to further enhance your dorm room decorating. There are some very cool bedside organizers which tuck neatly under your mattress, and safely hold remotes, magazines, glasses and other necessities.
These are just some ideas to get you rolling as you dive into your dorm room decorating. Be creative and make sure that your room is comfortable, has a welcoming feel and an area that's conducive to cultivating good study habits. Express yourself, and enjoy the decorating process - let your unique personality shine through!
Posted by
Alan Duro on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 @ 12:38 PM
Many college dorm rooms are not spacious enough for you to turn around in, yet you’re
expected to live in one for a year with at least one other student (sometimes two or three!). The trick to it all is setting up your dorm room so that you make the most of the space you have. Here are some dorm room space saving ideas to maximizing your dorm room area while keeping it stylish.
1.) Storage bins. You know those giant plastic containers your parents use to store stuff in the garage or basement? They can really come in handy when you need to have items with you at college but want to avoid having a cluttered mess on your hands. Ask Mom and Dad if they have an extra container you can take with you to college. Better yet, wait until you can measure the spaces where these bins will be stored and then go make your purchase. That way, you won't be stuck with containers that refuse to fit under your bed.
2.) Raise your bed. Climbing a ladder to get into bed every night sounds like a chore to some folks, especially after a long day of lectures and studying. But the space you will win by raising your bed will be completely worth the effort. Once you've elevated the bed, you'll be able to fit your desk underneath, and possibly a mini-fridge as well. A loveseat would be a good alternative to this set-up, providing you and your friends a place to chill out and watch movies or play video games. Your dorm facilities manager or front desk usually has the necessary bed frame extensions to lend you for this purpose. Just make sure you leave enough room at the top so that you don't start every day by inadvertently banging your head on the ceiling.
3.) Wall hangings. When storing unusual-sized objects, remember that vertical space also makes for good storage. If you play a musical instrument, consider getting a wall mount so that your guitar or harp or trumpet can double as an eye-catching art piece. Certain sporting equipment, such as skates, skis, or rackets, can also be stored in this manner. Ceiling hooks can be acquired and used to hang anything from house plants to road bikes. Before you mount anything, check first with the dorm management to see what their policy is on walls. Some dorms will allow you to hang stuff as you repair the hole upon move-out.
4.) Minimize belongings. Remember, you've come to college to meet new friends, learn new things, and have great, exciting new experiences. If everything goes to plan, you won't be spending a whole lot of time in your dorm room anyway. Bring less with you to college than you think you will need. Aside from a few packaged snacks, don't hoard tons of food in your room. You'll be eating in the cafeteria most of the time anyway, and no one ever gets through a Costco package of Cup O' Noodles unless they run out of money on their meal card halfway through the semester.
- Focus on decor. Living in the dorms means that many, many people will have a glance into your home life. Never again will you be so exposed and surrounded by people all the time. This isn't a bad thing at all, not by a long shot, but just remember that first impressions are important. So find a good sheet set, some posters that reflect your taste in movies or music, and a few pieces of flair - an interesting lamp, for example, or some intricate curtains.
