The college admissions essay can be quite a daunting and intimidating task for many aspiring college students. However, the college admissions essay does not have to be so bad. In all actuality though, it seems many colleges do favor an admissions essay which knocks them off their feet, but in that case, a book on writing essays may help with that task along with a LOT of practice. On the other hand, many colleges and universities just want to know more about YOU…while seeing how well you write.

Colleges and universities WANT you to succeed. They want you to do well on the college admissions essay so they can accept you and make them look great! In order to help you along with this task, I have put together some tips to help all students along with their university admissions essays.

First thing I wanted to point out is that focusing and staying on a topic that you know about very well is key. This will show, through your writing, that you are very sincere and do not appear to be misleading anyone. Write what you now about.

Put a little bit of humor in your writing. Of course, the college admissions essay is not a stand up comedy routing, but a little humor helps show a more modest side to your self. Remember to stay on topic while modestly making light humor out of some of the subject matter in your college admissions essay topic.

In reference to the last tip, remember that you don’t need to impress the reader with something you don’t really have. Try to avoid using really big words that you normally would never ever use in real life. This will only come across as inflated and a little odd to them. But don’t worry, they read enough of this type of thins in many college admissions essays all the time from others. Be original.

Even though there may be an option to hand write your college admissions essay, try to type your essay out completely. If you cannot gain access to a computer or simply must write your essay out, then be sure to write as legibly as you can. A messy-looking essay may not show your writing in its best light and may even potentially hurt the reader’s impression of your writing skills overall. So it is just safer to type the essay when applying for college.

Start out with a rough draft of your essay and make improvements as you go along rather than simply writing from the heart and letting destiny do the rest. This will give you an opportunity to look over your grammar and be sure that it is clear, concise and legible (if writing by hand). You are trying to make the best impression possible for this admissions essay so make this shot count.

After you have written the essay and have made corrections on it, have family and friends look at it with a critical eye. Ask friends or family members who have already written a college admissions essay to take a look at it to see if it does any justice based on their past essay experience.

As I mentioned earlier, different colleges have different requirements for their admissions essays and it would be very wise to read over all of the guidelines the college or university sets forth in regards to your college admissions essay. It is very important to follow directions, especially when you want them to educate you. So be sure that the essay is no longer or shorter than what they require.

These tips and referring to other essay-writing resources can help you, as a student, to really achieve your college goals and getting into that college you really wanted to attend. In many cases, seemingly smaller things such as the college essay for admissions makes such a big difference as it is the only real statement you are able to make in reference to the consideration of your admission to the college. So give it your best shot and show those essay readers the best side of you.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at these topics as well as the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and get your free subscription our member services.

For many students, especially freshmen in college, living in the dorm can be quite a change from what a student is normally used to. And as for meals, in many cases, you are at the mercy of the dorm cafeteria hours and whatever restaurant is open when you want it. The problem with the dorms is that there is obviously no kitchen in your dorm room in most cases and many students don’t have a car at first. So what is a person to do with their sudden hunger at 2am while cramming for that political science exam in a day or writing the final draft of a report that you thought would only take a few hours to write? Many students living in the dorm have learned to cook in their dorm rooms.

There are many options in addition to simply storing dry goods such as granola bars under your bed in the dorm room. This is why it is a good idea to bring a small refrigerator the first day arriving at the dorm. In addition to the fridge, it’s a good idea to have a microwave in your dorm room as well as some microwave safe dishes, utensils, dish soap, pot scrubbers, dish towels and a cookbook. With these tools in your grasp, you will have plenty more options available to satisfy your hunger pains rather than simply going for the pack of cookies or tortilla chips in the vending machine down the hall. You will have a little kitchen in your little dorm.

Now what to keep in your dorm while not taking up too much space is important as well. We recommend simply keeping your standard canned pastas and soups around along with those wonderful bean burritos, frozen dinners, nuts and yogurt. Late at night, eating pasta may not be the best thing so yogurt and nuts is always a good thing, but you never know. You may just have a massive craving for carbs or even need them on the go as you are forced to skip dinner for whatever reason. It’s good to have a balance. The dry items can be placed in your wardrobe closet in that extra space beneath your clothes which can be used as a makeshift pantry.

Another great piece of equipment for the dorm is a water boiling unit. This is always great for those ramen noodle cravings as well as for making coffee and tea. Coffee makers can suffice as well just as long as you can boil the water since it will most likely be coming from the restroom faucet. You will need to boil out whatever may potentially be in the tap water such as chlorine.

Some students living in the dorm actually decide they want to be a bit more gourmet with their dorm cooking and who could blame them. These students usually have a stock of fresh lettuce greens, salad dressing, frozen vegetables in their freezer and more. They will prepare a gourmet salad on those days hey have no access to real food using all of the ingredients they have available.

Living at the dorms should limit you or any student completely as there are many ways to get around some of the small hurdles of college life. It just takes a little adapting. If you are one of the fortunate ones who arrives at college your first year with a car to drive around in then that is great. But there are just some times you will not feel like traveling all the way to the parking lot to get into your car in order to travel out to main street to find a business that is still open that has a drive thru window or even a grocery store that is open at later hours. It is always a good idea to simply keep cooking equipment and ingredients around in your dorm to make sure that you get the proper nutrition that all students need during their new college experience.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at these topics as well as the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and get your free subscription our member services.

When first arriving at college and first walking into the barren dorm room, new students may realize that they still have a lot of shopping to do in order to decorate those blank walls and actually DO something with the place. Sometimes this task may even take a lot of the year and then by the end…it’s time to take everything down. Better preparation is the key.

The first step in getting that dorm room in a livable fashion is to contact your roommate if you haven’t already and take a little time to get to know them and to find out what exactly they like on their walls. It is also a good idea at this time to get the dimensions of the room so you can properly plan out what to bring. This information may be online, but if not, then just contact your college or university and they will be glad to help in most cases.

Once you contact your roommate, you will both have to decide on a color scheme and theme for the room. There is nothing worse living with a roommate than a really bad decorator you are afraid to say anything to the entire year because you know it may very well hurt their feelings. Get things out in the open about what you want the dorm room to look like early on in order to help alleviate these disagreements. Remember, you will be living in very close quarters for an entire school year.

Next, find out what the college dorms do not allow in the dorm rooms. This is normally limited to candles or other fire-breathing items as well as such things as halogen lamps which COULD start a fire if something is laid on top of it. The limitations may seem a bit extreme but it is only for the safety and well being of ALL the students living there.

Once you have figured out what you both want and what the limitations at the dorm are, collect the items that you can use among both or you as well as just yourself and compile a list of items that are still going to be needed. It would be a good time to buy these items ANYTIME before the school year begins as there will be a lot of things going on at the university that you may gave to miss out on just to get your dorm room set up and shopping for stuff like extension cords.

Through decorating the dorm room together, this helps you and your new roommate actually start talking and helps alleviate those anxieties of living with a complete stranger in a small dorm room. Sometimes friends will request each other and become roommates, not bad. But in most cases, students living in the dorms are given a random roommate and will have to learn to live with the person whether they talk first or not. So why not give it a try and get that dorm decorated and set up the way that BOTH of you want it to be. And if they are a very passive person who says they don’t care what it looks like, try to get SOMETHING out of them as they will ultimately have to live with it too in the long run.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at these topics as well as the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and get your free subscription our member services.

Some of the best ways to pay for a college education is by focusing on either scholarships or grants. With college scholarships and grants, none of the money has to be repaid, in contrast to Federal student loans as well as private loans. Access to these types of funding usually has to do with the student’s past achievements in school and more. There are many types of scholarships and cannot be listed in full here; however, a good site to look at all the different scholarships would be college-scholarships.com which lists each one as well as some descriptions available. It is important to know that each scholarship may be different from the next and they may all have different terms and conditions applied to them which you will need to review prior to applying for the scholarship.

In addition to scholarships are grants. As a result of the US government’s No Child Left Behind Act, our government now offers more college grant opportunities than ever. Some of the Federal grants include the Pell Grant, National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (aka SMART) grant, as well as the Academic Competitiveness grant. The money provided by these grants and more are provided in order to help pay for college expenses such as for books and tuition. These grants and more can be obtained through federal and state governments, colleges, universities, as well as other public and private organizations.

There are several different categories for grants such as student-specific grants, degree level grants, subject specific grants as well as grants specifically for lower income students and minorities.

As for the student-specific grants, there are several categories such as those for low income or disadvantaged students, graduate grants, doctoral grants, undergraduate grants, non-traditional grants as well as military grants for college.

When considering subject-specific grants, subjects such as nursing, teaching and healthcare may offer grants for schooling which in many cases will be sponsored by corporations hoping to acquire interns and future employees to their companies after graduating from college with a degree in the corporation’s industry. In addition to the grants provided by many corporations and such, there are also those grants which are offered by your state and information about these types of grants that are offered by your individual state can be found be simply contacting your state offices and/or contacting financial aid offices at your college which you will be attending. There are many opportunities for students to get the funding for a great education and they can all be found by contacting those organizations or their websites for more information. If you are in high school, try a guidance counselor. It is important to get this information earlier on as the more you know the easier things will be once it comes down to getting that education funded.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at these topics as well as  the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and get your free subscription our member services.

When a student or parent sets out to obtain a loan and/or financing a college education there are a many different sources they can go to in order to acquire the funding necessary. However, there are two different categories of loans which are either federal loans or private loans.

As for federal funding for college, in many cases it is much easier to get the financing if you fit the criteria set in place. By far, one of the most popular federal student loans is the Stafford loan. There are two types of Stafford loans which are the federal family educational loan and the William D. Ford federal direct loan. The process of obtaining a Stafford loan is through the student filling out a federal student aid application, then once approved they will sign a promissory note on the loan.

The only real difference between the two types of Stafford loans is where the actual funding is coming from. For a direct loan, the funds are coming directly from the federal government as for a FFEL loan, the funding comes from either a bank, credit union or another participating lender in the program.

There are also a couple more that should be mentioned in this article and those are the Parent PLUS and Perkins loans. First, the Parent PLUS loan is designed for parents in need of assistance for paying their child’s college fees. This loan basically will fill in any gaps that the parent needs in order to cover all the college expenses fully.

The Perkins loan is basically a student loan which can be applied for at the college or university financial aid office which usually has a very low interest rat, but has a maximum loan amount of around $4,000 each year for students. They are federal fund and can be added to other types of funding. There are late fees and fees for skipping payments on the Perkins loan as well.

These loans and more can all be inquired upon at your selected college or university.

Credit history may not be as necessary if it is necessary at all in obtaining these types of funding options. As opposed to federal student loan funding, there are many private lenders willing to provide assistance for college funding as well. However, if you so decide to take the private lender route for financing a student loan, it is important to remember that most will need a bit of a credit history from the potential debtor and will most likely require a co-signer on the loan if the student with not much credit history at all is attempting to obtain the financing.

Federal funding for college students who need the financing, as well as parents is very available for anyone who has a need for such funding and it would be a good idea to look at all the options available in order to compare interest rates, fees, and more as these student loans will be around for a while after college as some loans will begin the payment schedule immediately during college like the Parent PLUS. Other repayment schedules will begin after 6 months for Stafford loans and 9 months for Perkins. So it would be a good idea to get all this information first hand before making any quick decisions about your college student loans.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at college living and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and subscribe to our Free Member services.

Staying healthy on campus may be one of the more overlooked items of importance when it comes to college living…especially when there are more important things such as deadlines and midterms to be concerned with. But what many college students tend to forget is that on campus, illnesses run rampant especially in the winter. The risks are too great to avoid a daily dose of healthy reminders in order to stay healthy and not have to miss too much class for reasons that could have been avoided. Here are some tips to help college students stay healthy and going strong at the university.

First, before heading off to college, it would be a good thing to get your vaccinations in order. There is a big mix of completely different people from all around the world in close quarters with one another and disease and illness can be easily spread, especially when using shared resources like those of colleges and universities.

Put together a healthy eating plan. With the hectic schedule college demands, it is very easy to simply grab whatever is easy to eat such as a double cheeseburger and onion rings…every day. The dorms make it very easy to not only consume deep fried foods regularly, but in quite an amazing abundance. Try to focus on a healthy diet, sticking with fruits and vegetables and try to make those things, such as french fries, you know shouldn’t be going into your body more like rewards than an everyday necessity in your diet.

Get enough sleep. Sleep is so important in order to keep yourself healthy. Many college students believe sleep is overrated, yes, I confess…but now I correct that mistake. Lack of sleep will only make things worse in the lines of illnesses and even academics. Yes, you may do just fine without sleep, but just think about how much more you will enjoy your college experience while potentially even doing better than you are WITHOUT sleep. No sleep = heightened risk of illness due to lower immune system defense and more.

Try to keep a regular exercise schedule. Sitting around and studying may exercise your brain cells but not necessarily the rest of your body. You can use the college gym or just take a run, but it is a good thing to get the blood circulating through your body and brain. This oxygenation will help improve your studies and will make many things a lot easier for you in the long run, not to mention boost your immune system.

Drink plenty of water. Many students tend to forget this and simply grab a soda. Let’s see…you need a quick drink as you are on the go, ah yes soda machine! You stick your hand in your pocket to find only a little change left. “Oh man I forgot I had those other three sodas earlier. Darn, I am so thirsty and I need something for class!”

Keep a water bottle in your bag and keep it filled. It does wonders and not to mention helps keep your body healthy.

In regards to the “communal living” aspect of college, make sure you are cautious of all the different people who use the restroom at your dorm. This is not home where mom may clean up after you. The college restrooms are, indeed, cleaned once a day or so, but they can get dirty really quick. Wear flip flops in the shower and make sure you try to avoid placing things on the counter tops such as razors that you may be shaving and such with. Be sure to wash your hands regularly in college as well.

Even though it may be rather difficult to remember to do all these things, this is not all. In fact there are many other tips at our website and more. But all I am trying to say in this article is to simply be a little more cautious about staying healthy in college in order to help you stay healthy as well as others. Good luck with all of your future college endeavors and stay well!

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at college living and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and subscribe to our Free Member services.

Many different factors go into the reasons students are accepted in different schools. Most of these factors have a lot to do with the student’s GPA in high school, extracurricular activities such as honors societies and such, as well as what classes the student had been taking in high school. It is very important that the new high school student begin thinking about college in their first year. In addition, there are counselors available for students to speak with every day at the school and should utilize this benefit whenever necessary in order to help make decisions.

Once a student begins focusing on getting into a good college, they will also have the opportunity to apply for scholarships and more later on down the road.

Most colleges require before admission that a student has taken either both the SAT and ACT or both exams. Each college can be different in their admission requirements so it would be a good idea to contact the school directly.

In regards to score requirements, each school can, again, be very different from the other depending on what they value at the school. In order to do a better job on the SAT and ACT exams, it would be a good idea to begin preparing for these earlier on and even preparing for the PSAT exam to be taken earlier on such as in their junior year of high school in order to see where they stand on the exams and what needs improvement. Students can usually take the PSAT exam around the 2^nd year in high school and they should speak with the school counselor in order to find out more about registering for it. In addition, possibly get more information about the actual SAT and ACT exams from the counselor as well in order to prepare for those as well.

There are many ways to prepare for all of the college admission exams. Some of the most effective ways to prepare for the SAT or ACT exam would be:

Reading books, magazines, newspapers, even trade journals.

Take the SAT and ACT prep courses. Also there is SAT and ACT prep software available as well.

Take the practice exams available as well as the PSAT.

Take more difficult and/or challenging courses in high school. It all matters.

Keep a regular study schedule. Study more and study often.

Work with the student that experiences test anxiety. This barrier is something that will have to be worked with as in college there is a lot of public speaking for many students as well as heavier deadlines and exams.

During the senior year students and parents should begin considering financial assistance as well as the actual application processes for all selected colleges. Some of the best ways to start would be to contact the college(s) directly to get good, reliable information.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at college living and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and subscribe to our Free Member services.

Summer time usually means back to school preparation time for most students. And especially for those recent high school graduates! If you haven’t already begun looking into what the new or returning student will need for their college endeavors we compiled a list of items that would be a great collection of items to have for their living and learning situation on campus. There are many options and we recommend shopping around, of course. Here is a list of those must-haves for college.

Laptop computer

Compact, portable full of memory and all a student needs to keep organized while on campus and at the dorm. Laptops are great for taking notes in class and storing assignments and more. As for PCs we like Dell and Lenovo laptops, in addition to the great Mac books as another choice.

Cell phone/Smart phone

If they don’t have one already, they need one now. Cell phones are practically a necessity on campus. And better yet, a smart phone will be able to help them conveniently handle the many tasks that the smart phone can handle…while keeping up with friends, instructors, landlords, and more! The on-the-go emailing capabilities really help you out when in a bind at school.

External Hard Drive

It’s a great idea, especially in older college dorms to back up files. When storms surge in many areas, so does the electricity. It would be a pity to wipe out everything on a hard drive without being backed up. The assignments stored on the computer are essential and a student cannot afford to see them erased. What do you do then? Skip the class? Redo the entire semester’s work? Scary to think of isn’t it?

Printer

There are printers throughout campus, but it would be a good idea to have a little inkjet just for the dorm. Sometimes it can get really inconvenient when working on a late night project on a cold winter night and having no place open to go to print out your assignment due in the morning. They could wait and get up earlier and go to the copy center, but why not get more of that valuable sleep time that so many students are deprived of?

WiFi Router

Having your own router can be really handy in the dorms. That way you aren’t stuck at one spot all the time and can move about your room and even the hall to share information with other people in your hall. Convenience is key.

USB Flash Drive

It’s a great investment to have a flash drive or memory stick on you at all times. This way you can easily download and upload information from other students’ laptops while on campus. I suppose the other option would be to email it then download it, but if you don’t have your laptop on you, then memory sticks are great just to have around.

TV

TV’s are must-haves. They help break the stress cycle and give students a break in private. It does not have to be anything extravagant, in fact, maybe a more budget one would be a good idea. You don’t want any envious dorm mates wanting that TV too much do you?

Digital Camera

Digital cameras are great for college because they allow the student to document their journey through college. These pictures become little treasures later on in life. Plus, parents, don’t you want to see what they are up to over there in school? Lots of fun and interesting stuff goes on in college. Get a camera for them.

Laptop Bag

Don’t forget a laptop bag for the laptop. There are some really stylish bags out there like the backpack kinds that are really helpful when you have other things to take to campus with you in addition to the laptop.

Surge Protector

In reference to the power situation I mentioned earlier, get a good surge protector to help protect the computer from any despair due to electrical problems and storms. It’s always a great idea to be cautious…especially when there is so much at stake in college.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at college living and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and subscribe to our FREE Member services.