Where else can you make lasting friendships, have too many all-nighters and eat lots of ramen all under one roof? Dorms add a lot to the college experience, giving you the opportunity to live with students who are going through the same things you are. Know what to expect once you move in and get the most out of your dorm ...

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 ...

The beginning of Laura Maxwell's experience at William Woods University was a little more stressful than she expected - thanks to a messy roommate. Her roommate's closet was a landfill spilling into the middle of the floor constantly threatening to take over the room. An ever-growing mound of crunchy laundry remained unwashed for weeks at a time and her shoes smelled ...

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 ...

If you think four years of college is expensive, try five. You may hear jokes about fifth-year seniors, but the extra time and money you'll spend on an additional year in college is serious. Not only will you pay another year's worth of tuition, textbook costs, campus fees and other education expenses, but you won't be earning money in your first ...

When designing this column, I aim to relate the peaks and pitfalls of my experience as an undergraduate in a way that will make you think, feel and laugh. I hope the information I’ve shared has been a help. As a grand finale and because I love compilations, I created this: a list of the Top 10 Things I Wish I’d ...

Jim Davis, creator of the Garfield comic strip, once wrote, “I could wallpaper a room with my rejection slips.” From an interior-design standpoint, not such a great idea. In terms of maintaining an optimistic viewpoint, also not the best plan. Yet, I think Jim’s on to something. There are always going to be times when things are … stacked against the ...

Late one night, as I bent bleary-eyed over my sewing machine, I was feeling the pressure that comes from taking on more than one can handle. With the foot pedal pressed to the floor, I sewed seam after seam, intent on finishing my family’s seven costumes for the church Nativity pageant. As I stitched, the thought of my unfinished book proposal ...

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 ...

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 ...

“Sing in me, muse, and through me tell the story of the graduating high school senior about to embark upon her college odyssey.” –My modified version of Homer’s The Odyssey. Homer made his epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, unique by focusing on different characters and plots in each poem. But they’re cohesive because The Iliad lays the foundation for ...

It’s hot. Even though I’m a writer and I believe a good writer should be able to describe anything, there doesn’t seem to be an accurate way to record the feelings of a t-shirt sticking to the small of your back, slimy lines of sweat sliding down your neck, the grit of dirty feet from wearing sandals. It’s just hot ...

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? ...

Every day I realize that I'm a senior. I know that probably sounds like a weird thing to say, but every day I have this enlightened moment where I say to myself "Whoa. This is my last year of high school. This is my last year of mandated public education." When I wasn't a senior, I heard seniors talk about missing ...

I’m sitting on a red leather couch. There are two yellow Labradors, Sophie and Lucy, snoring at my feet, a warm wood stove and the Redskins game sounding in the background. Home. There are a lot of things wrong with this place, sure. The couch is garish in color and sticky in nature, especially in summer when the slightest drop ...

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 ...

Four years is a long time. It hasn't seemed like it to me, but by June I will have been doing this high school bit for four years now. That thought has led me to ponder what these years have meant and will mean in the future ... of course I've learned a lot about endoplasmic reticuli and asymptotes and syllogisms ...

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 ...

In high school, I went to tennis camp for three years. I figured I'd come out with a sweet backhand but ended up coming out with better sportsmanship, while my form stayed the same. In other words, I expected one thing and ended up with something else. Here are a few unexpected things I got out of each of my important ...

Ever look at successful people and wonder how they got there? Next Step asked five celebs their advice on how to have a successful college experience. Here’s what they want you to know. "I went to Indiana University at Bloomington. I wasn’t the first one in my family to go there—actually, my parents met there! Grades are so important, but if ...