College can be tough. But it also makes for some of the best years of your life. Debating going to the party or doing your paper? Not getting along with your roommate? Fighting the freshman 15? Been there. Done that. And we can help. We’ve been around the block a few times and we’re offering up all the helpful tips and ...

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 ...

For a while, I thought that leaving for college was no big deal. I would see girls I know get together the night before someone’s departure and they would all ball their eyes out about how they’re going to miss each other. I would always casually snicker at the sight and thought of such an event. It seemed so silly to ...

Final exams ended today and the fall semester of 2007 at Hofstra University is officially finished. We get five-and-a-half weeks off between the fall and spring semesters, basically half of December and all of January (unless you decide to take a winter class). FIVE-AND-A-HALF WEEKS. To me, it's no longer a concern. As an RA, I have to come back early ...

With people spending more time indoors to escape the cold, the flu runs rampant this time of year, and there's no shortage of it among the people I know. But what's even more prevalent this time of year is an affliction that probably affects more teenagers than anything else. Its symptoms are obvious, its potential for damage is great, and unlike ...

Below are just a few of the stories FastWeb members who are nontraditional, returning, students have shared: "The greatest challenge I faced was fitting in with the other students. I felt out of place most of the time. It took time, but after I started joining groups and becoming involved I felt better about the situation. I realized that very few ...

While some students’ eyes may glaze over when their parents recall their college days, these students have an advantage. First-generation college students who are the first in their immediate family to attend college face a unique set of challenges. Challenges of First-Generation Students Without guidance from a parent who experienced college, first-generation students are at a disadvantage. From filling out applications ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...