College Bound

Your Guide to Care Packages

You'll be asking Santa for plenty of luxuries this holiday season, but here's some advice on what to ask from your family for those coveted care packages.

Although I’m a junior now, the feeling of receiving a care package from home will never get old.  Getting a care package can be a life saver, especially if your budget is tight. Additionally, it’s a sign that someone from home cares for you and your well-being. The next time a family member asks what you’d like in a care package, here are some items you should make sure they write down. Snacks Chips, health bars, cookies, you name it. Homemade snacks are an added bonus, but you’re running the risk of these delicacies being crushed en route to your residence and simply becoming crumbs. Laundry Detergent Sheets Not to do a product placement plug here, but I use the Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets instead of liquid detergent. It acts as detergent…

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Campus Corner

The Puzzling College Halloween Mystery

While many people in coastal Rhode Island will likely be spending their Halloween picking up large branches from the lawn, I speculate why the holiday is still popular in college.

As a side note, I hope everyone was unharmed by Superstorm Sandy and any damage done was minimal. With all the commotion and chaos from Sandy over these last couple of days, you deserve to be enlightened by some humorous speculation. So buckle up and enjoy. It was shortly after 12:30 a.m. the other night and I was just about to fall asleep. Everything seemed fine until I heard booming music being played for all of Milwaukee to hear. The second I heard it, needless to say, I woke up. I then realized that it must have been a Halloween party and I was simply another victim of noise pollution in the apartment complex. So what did I do? Got up and started writing this, of course. The Halloween spirit has long since faded away for me. Not being …

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College Bound

Embrace New Cultures At School

A good portion of college students may feel uncomfortable approaching international students and get to know them because they're from totally different cultures, but students should take advantage of this chance.

It’s sometimes an incredibly difficult transition for foreign college students to adapt to their brand new culture. Many American students steer away from foreign students because they may behave quite differently than they do. This shouldn’t be the case, and many colleges across the country have programs established for foreign students to integrate more easily. Marquette’s program is called Global Village, which allows domestic students the opportunity to stay on a special apartment floor with foreign students to assist them with the cultural transition. Activities may include going to local theater performances, restaurants, pubs, and maybe even leaving Milwaukee to see what other sites the U.S. has to offer. It’s not unusual for …

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Campus Corner

Transferring: The Smartest Idea?

Is transferring colleges the logical idea when it comes to financial or personal reasons?

School hasn’t panned out the way you had hoped. Whether it is for financial, professional or personal reasons, you want out. Take some time and really think if transferring to a different school is right for you. Ask yourself why you want to change colleges. Is it a matter of cost? Tuition rises every year, as does the price to live on campus, so would moving to a less expensive school ease the amount of debt you’d be left with upon graduating? If it’s money that concerns you, try applying for many different scholarships first before signing the transfer papers. Every $500 scholarship counts, and picking up a few of these could make a true difference on the annual bill. Then think about this: if you are to transfer, are you guaranteed that…

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College Bound

Live Worry-Free in Your New Flat

Yes, school is back in session and for those of you who are living in apartments for the first time this year, take a peek at some tips which could make your transition easier.

Welcome to a brand new school year! I am back with some more ideas on how to make your college experience simpler. This week, let’s discuss apartment life. Making the transition from dorm life to the apartment life is a pretty fluid one, if you’re ready for it. If this is the year you are moving out of your parents’ house or your college dormitory and into your own place, have no fear: if you approach the move correctly, it can be a truly rewarding experience. I have been living in my new apartment for about a week now and I can already see a few similarities and differences between this and what I experienced while living on campus. Realize that your responsibilities have drastically increased compared to living at your parents’ house or …

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Campus Corner

Recommendation Letter Etiquette

This week, we'll go over the steps you should take when considering a professor as a letter of recommendation candidate for either a job position or scholarship.

As a semi-continuation of my job search and interview column earlier this month, this time I’d like to discuss the proper approach one should take when asking a professor for a letter of recommendation or requesting to place their name on your reference list. Before we begin, I would like to thank my aunt Janet, who is a nursing instructor at URI. She helped come up with the idea for this week because she is constantly receiving recommendation forms to fill out and letter to write. Firstly, think of a class in which you contribute to discussions on a regular basis. This way, the professor will already sort of know who you are when you formally introduce yourself to him or her. It’s best to ask about the recommendation in person rather than…

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Campus Corner

The Art (Sort of) of College Movies

This week, I select three college movies that every high school junior and senior should watch, either just for the laughs or the lessons.

OK, it’s Saturday morning and as I’m sitting in my room thinking of a decent movie to watch, the idea of creating a mini-list of worthwhile college movies for high school juniors and seniors to watch suddenly clicked in my noggin’. Keep in mind these movies, as most Hollywood productions go, are an exaggerated image of the college experience and it is incredibly doubtful you will ever go through what these “students” endured. Below I have selected three college movies for you to watch before you step foot on campus either this coming fall or the following. I will point out what is realistic about each movie’s plotline and what is embellished, which is quite a lot. Also, feel free to add your own list of movies in the comment section, as I …

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Stephen Greenwell

2:59 am on Monday, April 30, 2012

I agree with Kristen - When I was actually in college from 2002 to 2007, we probably watched "Old School" about 500 times. While it's mostly about older dudes, it does have a very "college" feel to it. "PCU" with Jeremy Piven is also a good college movie - I think it's from the late 1980s or early 1990s.   more ›

Campus Corner

Admission: Possible

It seems I have forgotten to acknowledge the high school seniors who are frantically going over the pros and cons of the schools they've been accepted to. This week, I am here at your service to help you with what to look for in schools.

As I saw a number of prospective Marquette students and their families touring the grounds this past week, it reminded me that I have not yet discussed with high school juniors and seniors what they should be looking for in a school. With that being said, let’s begin. High school seniors have been receiving acceptance letters for the past several weeks and the typical deadline to respond to the school of their choosing is May 1, although this may vary. Take note of any housing or tuition deposits the school requires you send in along with your enrollment verification. But what leads up to you, the senior, making the final decision on where to attend college? It will most certainly include you parents’ subtly telling you their preferred …

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Did You Say Summer School?

Summer college courses can be beneficial in the long run, but it boils down to if you have the time and finances to pull it off.

At first you may reject summer school like how you might reject the fact that the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl, but taking summer classes can be used to your advantage. People have polar opposite views on college summer classes. Some see it as a useful tool to ease the workload in the fall and spring; others see it as time wasted when they could be working or enjoying the long summer break. Summer classes, although expensive, should be on everyone’s mind, especially if one’s major requires far many more classes than other people. Now is about the time to make a decision if you wish to take a summer class. Registration at URI opens Feb. 27 and odds are you will need to scrape together the per-credit-hour costs. The cost to take…

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Parents Talk Q+A

You Thought They Flew the Coop But Look Out, They’re Back

What do you do when your grown up kids come home to roost.

  You spent 18 or more years loving, feeding, cleaning up after and hopefully preparing your children to be self-sufficient. You can only hope that you prepared yourself for the day they leave home to pursue bigger and better things than keeping your couch warm. Perhaps they have married and given you grandchildren, started their own company and are on the cover of Forbes Magazine, or maybe have been serving our country and in harm's way for the past several years. Either way, our children are adults now and have to live their own lives in their own homes. Right? As the Parents Council discussed last week, many of us moved out of our parent’s house for one reason or another, or have had children that moved out of ours. It may have been a …

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