If you graduated high school near the top of your class, you probably didn't see many B's or C's on your report cards. And chances are you had a comfortable routine you used to approach tests and projects. There's no doubt you're capable of studying at the collegiate level, but you will have to adjust. Many good students "get their first ...

If you haven't downloaded the iPhone 3.0 version to your iPhone, do it now. Students with the iPhone can now use the gadget help them study. And, what's more, some schools are even giving them away to students-- for free. Just released today, the 3.0 iPhone version offers cut, copy, and paste capabilities, MMS, an improved calendar, and many other updated ...

College orientation sessions are important because they help entering students learn about the culture and expectations of an institution and the many programs it offers. "Orientation is a time for a student and his or her family to take a personal journey into a new life—to try it on," says Jeanine Ward-Roof, dean of students at Florida State University and an ...

On my first day of school, I feel a tingling in my fingers as I search through my closet for my black dress. I usually wear this gloomy-colored attire to funerals, but this dress will not witness any melancholy tears or expressions of farewell today. Bolles, my high school, carries an abiding tradition of letting the senior women wear black dresses ...

We asked FastWeb users to share their advice on college life, based on their personal experiences. Here's what they said: "Try not to hold on to what is familiar to you. You have a chance to be anything you want. Let the world around you influence you and teach you. College prepares you for the future, but everything else helps you ...

Seeing the University of Virginia’s men’s basketball team make it to the second round of the NCAA tournament brought me back my own basketball career. Though it was short-lived, I made good use of my two-inch vertical leap and attained virtual stardom in my 175-person high school. Oh yes, my fingers were like the jaws of steel traps. My speed was ...

I’m old enough to be these kids’ mother, I think to myself as I observe my younger classmates lining both sides of the hallway. While we wait for the professor to arrive and unlock the door to our classroom, I wonder about these young people only a few years older than my teenage son. What are their personal backgrounds? What has ...

This week I’m going to write about persimmons. Oh yes, that most noble of fruits. No, hang on, that’s wrong. You’ll have to excuse me (well, you don’t have to, but it’d be a very generous move on your part). I’m graduating from college on Sunday and my brain’s just about full to capacity. Bet you didn’t know that could ...

College is like a colander — it strains things. Mostly relationships. Mostly relationships with your parents. The way I see it, there are two types of parental predicaments. The first is when you fight over issues that hadn’t surfaced when everyone was living together during high school. The second is when kids begin to see their moms and dads as people ...

The cherry blossoms are starting to fade and fall to the ground, reminding me that spring semester is nearly over. Summer break looms like a child’s birthday balloon buoyantly hovering above a crowded room. From this vantage point, the next 12 weeks seem like plenty of time to tackle those neglected home decorating projects, catch up on nearly 20 years of ...

As my professor reads the winners of Arapahoe Community College’s Third Annual Literary Contest from the podium, I remember an icy February night two months ago. Stuck in rush hour traffic during a snow storm, I was determined to turn in my nonfiction essay before the literary contest deadline ended. Although the school parking lot was mainly deserted when I ...

Clutching a white rose and an unlit white candle in my hand, I followed a procession of 35 inductees into the small auditorium. The audience stood up as we entered the room and I could see my husband, in-laws and five children craning their necks to find me in line. A violinist played classical music on the podium until we took ...

The back-to-school jitters kicked in just as I climbed into the elevator. Trying to appear calm and self-assured, I surveyed the swarm of younger faces around me. I made my way to the fourth floor classroom for my first “publishing your writing” class. Arriving early, I tentatively chose a seat and waited for my professor and classmates to trickle in. Fully ...

FastWeb asked upperclassmen to email us the most embarrassing and awkward moments from their freshman year of college. We also asked what they wished someone would've told them before they started college. These cautionary tales and insights might help incoming freshman avoid follies of their own. Roommates No topic inspired more emails than roommates. Just how do you successfully share a ...

My rosy outlook on avoiding senioritis has been smashed. Second semester has been completely different than first semester (when I wrote that column). At the beginning of senior year, you're still in high school mode. Nothing about the pattern has really changed, so aside from the fact that you're called a "senior" instead of something else, there's not really any ...

Did you always long for field trips when you were a kid? I did. It seemed that field trips took too long to come around and never lasted long enough. When I was younger, my favorite field trips were the ones that sparked my imagination for weeks. As nontraditional students, we can take advantage of learning opportunities all around us. It’s ...

My first day of college, just over 20 years ago, was filled with the anticipation and excitement of every other college freshman. I was on my own and preparing for success in my double majors of education and business. Months of preparation and planning culminated in the moment I sat in my first college class, Business 101. Perhaps it was the ...

When you're in college and dating the same person you did in high school, you have two options: break up or stay together. Of course, staying together may call for committing to a long-distance relationship (LDR) which can be difficult. How do you go from seeing each other almost every day to seeing each other only once every two months? ...

“As you walk across the stage—take a bow and hear the applause. And as the curtain falls, just know you did it all the best that you knew how. You can hear them cheering now, so let a smile and show your teeth because you know you lived it well.” – This is Not an Exit, by Saves the Day I ...

Traditionally, marriage comes after education. But today, there is no normal timeline, and the two often overlap. Every married couple who has one spouse in school has a story as unique as their situation. Still, there are predictable benefits and pitfalls most couples should consider before combining matrimony and matriculation. Here's advice from three couples who have been through it. Cory ...