Applying to colleges can be quite the juggling act; you are torn between senioritis and an astonishing amount of homework, commitments to your social life and family obligations, work, sports, extracurriculars, and the favorite among high school (and even more so college) students: sleep. [gate] On top of all those things, there is also so much that you have to consider ...

I can never again poke fun at the cliche concept of girls locking themselves in their bathrooms and crying until they feel better. That was me, minutes after reading my decision letter from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: waitlisted. All I could think was, "I'm not even good enough for a rejection." Looking back, it seems really silly. ...

As of late, society has adopted a curious fascination of the awkward. We laugh at Napoleon Dynamite and basically any Michael Cera character, and “that awkward moment when…” has become a popular introductory phrase for interesting Facebook statuses. But the word itself hasn’t changed very much and certainly hasn’t been changed into the kind of adjective you would want used to ...

Like she has for years, my mom recently surprised me by telling me something I had never heard before. Like mothers and daughters do, we were sitting on the couch, watching TV and discussing my feelings for people at school. These are the people who seem to have it all: the straight A’s, the college scholarships, the popularity. All without really ...

One of the most intimidating aspects of college is the increased difficulty in academic coursework. Unlike high school, you can’t squeeze by with cramming for a big test the night before, and you can’t just take your chances with your midterms because they can be a huge part of your final grade. My history class, for example, has only three assignments: ...

With the relaxation of winter break in mind, we also take out time to remember the frivolity of our younger years (along with the hours on the PS3 in the common room). Fortunately, those games have prepared you for more than a nostalgia run at Super Mario: video games teach us to follow a surprising range of rules that apply to ...

The fading sounds of applause echo across the huge hall, dying down into nothing as we begin our final set. Our first song of the night is a showstopper, the second a laid back interlude. Our last song, however, is much darker, striking a melancholy theme that will haunt the audience throughout the final moments of our performance. The hall is ...

With the new year comes new resolutions and a fresh start, and this is no different for high school seniors. Now that you have some idea of where you’ll be a year from now, it’s time to make sure you can afford it. While nearly everyone fills out the FAFSA and waits to hear back from schools on their financial aid, ...

It’s quite an easy thing to become lazy in your first semester of college. Nobody is yelling in your ear for you to get up (unless your roommate just cares that much), you can skip class more easily (depending on your professor’s attendance policy), and at any given time, you’re probably no more than 300 feet from an Xbox. A lot ...

Senioritis: we’ve all heard of it, but you never really know what it’s like until your senior year. Second semester seems to be the time when it strikes most vindictively, transforming even the most diligent of students into unmotivated clock watchers—college apps are done for the most part, ACT/SAT scores are in, and it really does feel like there is no ...

I can save you a lot of time and frustration in deciding which of these two major standardized tests to take and when by just saying this: Take them both twice with writing, and don't take them too late. Let me explain that first part, the reasoning behind taking them both. The SAT and ACT are essentially the same test in ...

This is the time of year that is often most nerve-wracking for high school seniors: on top of all the school stressors that have been fairly consistent over the past three years, we have to consider where we’ll be a year from now. For the majority of us, that place will be on a college campus. Thinking about college, while a ...

I've previously written here on Fastweb about the importance of borrowing student loan funds wisely. I am also an advocate for students pursing scholarship opportunities that they qualify for in order to offset the cost of a college education. There are, however, other ways that you can gain an education without going into debt. [gate] Do you want to know more ...

When applying to colleges, one of the admission factors that is given lots of consideration is the applicant’s résumé. While the process of crafting your resume is pretty simple, many struggle with finding activities and details to include, and older students often regret not doing X, Y or Z activity that may have helped give their resumes a boost. [gate] First ...

Most students graduate high school ready to take on the world. Perhaps they are accepted into their first choice college, or even if it is a second choice school at least the freedom of living away from home is something to look forward to. The financial aid award letter arrives in the mail and mixed in with the grants and work-study ...

To survive college, it’s crucial to learn two things quickly: the first is to stop procrastinating. Putting off your work will only ever make your life more difficult and more stressful when it comes down to crunch time. It’s a lot easier to do a little bit at a time than it is to fit it in all at once. That ...

The day you graduate from college may be one of the happiest days of your life. The sense of accomplishment, the acknowledgement of a job well done, the pat on the back from your family and peers elates you. The future looks so bright, until you begin to search for a new job and are met with rejection after rejection. Then ...

As exciting as college is, it was extremely difficult for me to leave my mother, father, older brother, younger sister, and dachshund. I had never been to camp or away from home for longer than three days, yet I was determined to go to college out of state. I searched for colleges that offered my potential majors, but mostly I looked ...

When you first begin the long process of applying to college, it’s easy to feel like you’ll never stand out amongst the thousands of applicants. It doesn’t feel like enough to send in an application that shows off your amazing credentials and talents – you want the school of your dreams to see how serious you are about attending. Fortunately, there ...

Whether you’ve just begun considering attending college or you’re that student who has been working to get into a college ever since the end of their junior year, you are probably looking for some ways to stand out from the average student. These are a few good tips to help give you an edge over other applicants and help you get ...