18 Recommended College Blogs

Although I enjoy writing my College Life blog, I look at the following blogs quite often.  They all have some great advice, ideas, news, and stories to tell.  If you get the chance, check them out!

• Campus Grotto
• College Admissions Counseling
• CollegeTimes » Blog
• Get Schooled with CollegeBound.net's U. Got It? Blog
• Great College Advice
• My College Guide
• Student City
• Chegg Blog | College Topics for Students by Students
• The College Survival Handbook
• HackCollege
• College Fashion
• Study Hacks
• Innovation in College Media
• Free College Blog
• College Students are Poor!
• Every College Girl
• College Surfing
• Online College Blog and School Reviews

Like I said, these are a great read and have given me many ideas to write my own posts about with my opinions on each topic. 

Make The Most Of Your Summer

Summer is just around the corner, and I think I can speak for all college students when I say we cannot be more excited.  For the next week or so most of us will be buried in our textbooks and hyped up on coffee and red bull, but we can't let that stand in the way of the light at the end of the tunnel. So whether you're staying at school or at home for the summer, there are ways to make the most of it. 


Explore

Considering most of us are broke and living off of ramen, we don't have the money to travel anywhere far...but that doesn't mean you can't explore where you are.  Find things to do that are cheap, or even free nearby.  Go camping, or for a run on a route you've never gone before.  This gives you a chance to see all different aspects of where you live!  Personally, I would suggest a canoe trip with your friends. It's an inexpensive and great excuse to get drunk and weird with your friends in a swimsuit. 

Work

I know work doesn't sound like something you want to spend your whole summer doing, but we have to feed ourselves somehow!  This gives you more experience to put down on your resume, a wider network, and some beer money.  And chances are, you might meet some great people!  I loved my summer job and met some wonderful people.

Get Organized

Organize all your school supplies by throwing away what you don't want/need and put the stuff you're keeping in a certain spot as you're moving out.  This will save you a lot of time later! 


Good luck on your finals, everyone! Have a great summer!!!

What to Consider When Moving Out

Moving day is approaching!  This can be a stressful time for students since it's all right next to finals!  To make the moving process go a bit more smoothly, we should consider a few things.


Make yourself aware of what you agreed to in your lease

When you sign a lease, you agree to abide by the lessor's rules of the residence.  Although you may think you know all the rules stated in your lease, it is important to go through the contract again before moving out so you aren't being charged for anything.  This may include things like:

• Maintaining the upkeep of your room.  Vacuum, clean windows, no nails in wall, etc.
• All items must be out of your room and room must be cleaned.  This will cause less of an issue with cleaning costs with your leasing agent.
• Make sure to book a check-out inspection.  Turn in keys, etc.
• All roommates may be responsible to make sure the common areas are clean and that any damages are reported.

Follow the Check-Out Procedures

• Book an inspection for check-out, as mentioned above.  In most cases this is done within a day after finals.  So book early!
• Know what the inspection requires.  A lot of places require that your room is completely empty, so arrange a place to take your things! 
• Know where to put your garbage.  Some places may have an extra dumpster during move out periods, locate those.  Don't leave your trash outside or you may end up being charged for it!

Yoga Pants vs. Jeans

As college students, we put less effort in how we look going to class than we do studying and drinking (if we're going to be honest with ourselves).  

So the real question we're aiming for is... comfort or style?

Yoga Pants 

"Those yoga pants are hideous" -Said no one ever

Pros:

• Makes your butt look GREAT! And who doesn't want a great looking ass?
• Comfortable for classes, YOGA, working out and lounging 
• Room for small weight fluctuations (within reason...you still can't max out on chicken fingers and cheese fries)
• Less expensive than a good pair of jeans
• You don't HAVE to participate in yoga to wear yoga pants (I don't care what anyone says!)

Cons:

• Unprofessional looking
• Don't last incredibly long
• Buying yoga pants is addictive...GUILTY...there's just so many different kinds....capri, legging, flare, sparkly, pink, purple, OH MY! Endless possibilities. 

Jeans

Pros:

• Also makes your butt look decent. 
• More suitable to wear in public
• Warmer
• Pocket space
• Can dress up or dress down a pair of jeans. (jeans with a t-shirt, or with a nice blouse)

Cons:

• Not much room for weight fluctuation...unless you are buying jeggings...but that's a whole other category!
• More expensive
• More durable
• Less comfortable to be in all day
• AND they take much longer to dry!

In my opinion, yoga pants are great for lounging and class all week.  However, if you have a guest speaker for class, meeting with a professor, club meeting, etc., put on those jeans! (Or something more professional than that if necessary) 

Just keep this into consideration before walking out the door in the morning:  Who are you dressing to impress?

College Life Products

I have created a few products EVERY college student would enjoy.  All of these can be visited on my CafePress website.  My College Life logo is of a person studying, a mug of beer, and a person sleeping.  I like to think that these three things represent college life in a nutshell.  And if this DOESN'T describe your college life in a nutshell...you're not doing it right!

This deluxe hoodie is stylish, comfortable, and perfect to wear on an ordinary day going to class or lounging with your friends.  This hoodie is constructed with a cotton/polyester blend, build to last with comfort!  100% quality.  Available in multiple different colors (white and heather gray)! Don't miss out.  If you're interested, click here.

$41.99

Another late night of studying and need a nice blend of coffee to wake you up in the morning?  Get this College Life travel mug!  It is good for hot or cold beverages and it's snap-tight lid guarantees no spills! Perfect for at home or on the go.  Wanna buy? Click here!

$21.59

We all need to have some decent glassware in our homes, or in our case, a house cup for your parties!  This glass gives your drink a little personality and funk.  This pint-sized glass is easy to stack with existing glasses and a keepsake for your college career!  Interested? Click here.

$13.19

Feel free to visit my CafePress website for similar products with this logo!  Things like bags, ipad/iphone cases, buttons, hats, keychains, and much more!

• 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
• Shop for one-of-a-kind gifts
• Go crazy!

What To Consider When You Tan

Alright ladies, we all want to look our best for these upcoming summer months, but we must be aware of the dangers ultraviolet rays can do to our skin. We all know tanning increases our chances of getting skin cancer, but there are a few things many of us don't know about.

Dangers of tanning according to Tanning Booth Dangers:

• Sunburn- UV rays damage your epidermis.  When you get to the point that your skin starts blistering, the risk of you getting melanoma (deadliest skin cancer) doubles. 
• Tan Skin- Having tan skin isn't having healthy skin.  Skin has an SPF of 2-4, but it is recommended that our skin gets no less than 15 SPF.
• Skin cancer-  If you tan in a tanning bed before the age of 30, the risk of getting skin cancer goes up by 75%!  Although this can be treated if caught in an early stage, it isn't worth it!
• Pre-cancer- More than 5 million Americans are diagnosed with Solar Keratoses (form of pre-cancer) which can sometimes turn into full blown cancer.
• Premature aging- By tanning, you're making your skin age quicker than you would otherwise.  "Tan skin is nothing more than skin damage." 
• Eye damage- There is a reason you're required to wear goggles in the tanning bed.  Cataracts can be brought on from the UV exposure.  Other damages to your eyes may include: sunburn on your cornea and cancer around your eyes. 

With that in mind, evaluate whether a bronze, summer look is more important than your health.  Spend the summer months enjoying your friends and family! (NOT fake'n'baking!)

College Students and SLEEP

How much should we sleep?

We have always heard people tell us that we all need our 8 hours of sleep at night, but in most cases, that is an unrealistic amount of sleep for a typical college student.  According to "Do I Really Need to Sleep? Sleep Deprivation in College Students", that college students average less than six hours of sleep a night (2 hours less than scientifically recommended).  The truth is, everyone is different, so it is hard to put a number on how many hours of sleep we all "need".  Personally, I can function on only 4 hours of sleep a night, whereas my roommate needs double that to accomplish what she needs to the next day!

Sleeping Tips:

• Make your bed a place just for sleep.  Some people like to do homework or study in their beds, DON'T.  The moment your bed becomes a use for more than sleep, sex, and sickness, is when the hours you spend actually sleeping is limited. 
• Create a routine.  Although your classes may not start at the same time each morning, try to wake up around the same time everyday.  Regular schedules help with a healthy sleep routine. 
• Avoid long naps during the day (even though they feel wonderful!).  If you spend too long napping during the day, you won't sleep at night, which calls for a rough morning ahead. 
• Don't go to bed hungry. Eat your dinner at a reasonable time so you're not hungry when you go to sleep.  No one wants to go to bed with an angry stomach.