Top Ten Ways to Get Along With Your Fellow Students

How to get along with your fellow students whether you are studying for a masters degree or are doing a part time course. 

1. Don't take things personally. It is very easy to get off on the wrong foot with someone. Just because someone doesn't like the same thing as you, doesn't mean they are criticizing you. Everyone likes different things. You will probably have some stuff in common.
   
   
2. Don't ask personal questions: It is best never to ask people questions about age, politics, religion and sex. Asking people questions about these explosive subjects is the quickest way to an argument....
   
   
3. Agree to disagree. If you cannot agree with someone then just respect their opinion and ask them to respect yours. Don't just state that you are right and they are wrong. This will not make you any friends. 
   
   
4. Be Polite: Manners cost nothing. Even if you do not like someone you should be nice to them. A good person treats people nicely even when that person can do nothing for them. 
   
   
5. If you can't be kind, be vague. Least said, soonest mendest, as they say! 
   
   
6. Respect other people's boundaries. Don't invade other people's space, talk over them or hit on their partners. Have other people's feelings in mind. 
   
   
7. Don't talk behind other people's backs. Not only will it probably get back to them, but the person you are being indiscreet with won't trust you either. 
   
   
8. Reputation is everything. Protect yours. As Bob Dylan says: 'You're dignity is something that you can sell, but you can't buy back'. 
   
   
9. Say sorry. If you do something that upsets someone, apologize. It may be the last thing you want to do, but it will make you the bigger person. 
   
   
10. Talk it through. It is easy for misunderstandings to happen. Always be brave enough to talk things through with people. They will respect you for it. Be honest. Maybe there wasn't even a problem in the first place! It's easy for misunderstandings to escalate into something bigger. Stop it from doing so immediately. 
    
    

How to Start Your Writing Career At College

Sometimes it pays to get a head start in life. The years of college can go pass in a blur and while you are getting a degree, other people are getting ahead in their careers. College is stressful and piling on any more work can cause burn out, so here is a few ways to get your foot in the door of a writing career. So when you leave college, you have that all important head start.

1. First, go to one of the best journalism schools you can and write for the student paper, if there isn't a student paper, make one. Lots of people, including Richard Branson, got their start from doing a student paper. You will learn all the basics of journalism and will make invaluable contacts. You will also have a market for your publication: you're fellow student.
2. Start a Blog: Starting a blog had made many people rich and famous. Think Belle Du Jour. You will also get into the habit of writing regularly, learn what people are reading most and gain invaluable skills.
3. Write as much as possible: You probably won't get paid at first but you will find your voice as a writer and also learn the discipline of writing. Many people give up because of the sight of a blank screen.
4. Ask for feedback: Ask your most trusted friends and family for feedback on your writing. It's the only way you will get better. You will probably have some bad writing habits or overuse certain words. Only ask people who's opinion you trust. Don't take the feedback negatively, but as an opportunity to learn.
5. Write an e-book: There a number of e-readers out there. Amazon's Kindle has made it very easy for anyone to write a book and sell it on Amazon. Write fiction or take something you know and sell your wisdom to someone else. If you write 500 words a day, it will take you 160 days to get to 80,000 words. It is completely manageable to do that in a year.

How to Understand an Intimidating Research Article

While you are attending college to get one of the best careers, you will need to do research at some point. After successfully finding a few articles on your topic, reading through them seems like a daunting task. It can be intimidating to read through a long, complicated article. Here are some tips to get you through reading these research reports.

A scientific research report has but one purpose, to communicate to others the results of their scientific investigation.  To this there is a standard format that has been developed to utilize effective communication. There are 6 key components:

Headings
This contains the information you will need to cite your source, including the title, name of author(s), any institutional affiliations. Also the title will clue you into the article's object.

Abstract
This will help to set the stage and provide you with a brief overview. It is a condensed version of the article that will briefly provide the statement of the problem, methods used, major results of the study, and their conclusions.

Introduction
The introduction will provide the thesis which will sum up the entire article into one or two sentences, found in the first or second paragraph. If the article is a literature review, it will follow similar to a funnel, broad and wide at the start, and gradually become more narrow. Also the author should briefly provide rationale for the study, then tell you quickly how they did the study. Lastly should be the results, if the hypothesis they tested was correct or if they had unexpected findings. I suggest highlighting the thesis and labeling it if possible on your copy.

Method
After the author has given you the introduction, they will get into the nuts and bolts. They should explain in this section the detailed information in how they set up the study, including describing participants. Following should be procedures used described in detail. Highlight and/or underline what you feel is the key points of the details.

Results
This is where all of the author's hard work ends up. Usually there will be statistical information, complicated charts and graphs that the author has worked very hard to complete. Their vast knowledge is difficult to convey sometimes into a language that the average student can understand. Try to break it down into parts. Underline and label the important key details you find interesting to your research topic.

Discussion
Evaluation and interpretation is the key basis for this part of the article, to conclude the work done. They will let you know if their hypothesis was supported, they may alert you to any further research that may need to be done. Finally they will conclude, restating quickly and efficiently what they have found. Again you should underline or highlight and label the key parts.

After you are finished reading through the article, GO TELL SOMEONE! It will stick in your mind easier if you can tell someone about the article, what the author did and discovered. A professor suggested this to me last year and it really does help me retain information better. 

Top 10 Ways to Deal with Finals Week Stress

Everyone has stress while attending school. It doesn't matter if your goal is to be a  medical assistant or a registered nurse, the last few weeks of the semester is going to be stressful with everything wrapping up. Here is the top 10 ways to cope with your stress. 

1. Avoiding Procrastination! 

Sure it's easier said than done for some people, but it's truly a way to hinder yourself from being successful. Compile a list of tasks that need to be finished, even little things such as preparing for a presentation. Once you have your list of everything to get done, put it in order of what makes the most sense by when things are due. Obviously you need to complete research before writing a paper or giving a presentation. These things aren't rocket science! 

2. Time Management

Everyone has many things going on besides just school, such as work, family, and friends. The trick is to juggle everything without anything falling apart. You have probably been doing this most of the semester, but you'll need to work harder for just a little while longer as the semester approaches completion. 

3. Music and Dance

Everyone needs a break once in awhile! After I accomplish a small task, I like to celebrate by turning up some music I enjoy and dancing around. It helps to stretch everything out and gets the blood pumping. When I'm short on time, I will also do something, such as clean my apartment. 

4. Walk

A brief walk outside can really be beneficial, even taking the trash out, or walking around the block. You are getting fresh air, blood circulating, and a bit of exercise to counter-act all of the sitting down while studying you've probably been doing lately. 

5. Drink Green Tea

Green tea has many benefits we've all heard of. It also has the important caffeine that helps keep us alert. I personally do not enjoy the taste of green tea, so I have discovered a way that I do enjoy it. I brew a bag of tea, then ice it down and put some drink flavor in it. I prefer to mix some powdered sugar free lemonade powder, or a squirt of MiO. 

6. Reduce Caffeine at Night

Despite being exhausted, you really should think twice about getting that coffee after dinner. Drinking caffeine too late will interfere with getting a good night's rest, we've all heard this before. If you aren't sleeping well during the night, it will only continue the cycle of that exhausted feeling.  

7. Color

One of the most enjoyable activities for me is to color with crayons or markers like we did as a child. I will set aside 10 minutes when I am stressed to color and relax my mind.

8. Mini-Vacation 

Take a hour or two to travel to another town near by and grab lunch at a sit-down restaurant with friends. Not only are you getting out of the library, you are setting aside specific time for friends and getting fresh air. School is important, but so is your health and social life as well. 

9. Night with Friends

Plan a relaxing evening with some friends at home. I would suggest guys preparing a pot luck supper to catch up and enjoy food. For ladies I would suggest planning a spa night, where everyone brings some sort of treatment or ingredients for home-made recipes. Be sure if you are doing nails, everyone has their own sanitized nail file. Offer hydrating facial treatments and paint one another's toes. 

10. Alone Time

Some people just need alone time to relax. I would suggest using guided imagery, watching and participating with a yoga DVD, or even meditation. 

Reduce College Stress: Top 3 Ways to Organize

One of the best ways to reduce college stress is to get organized. Even in the middle of the semester of college classes it’s not too late! Here is the top 3 methods that have worked best for me. 

1. I have found the best way for me is to get a binder with a clear pocket on the front, where I place the class schedule, with exam dates highlighted. Inside the binder I have tabbed dividers where I have everything organized by the class. In the front is blank notebook paper with a 3 hole punch. Following is my course syllabus and assignment sheets, lecture notes and power points, research articles for my final papers, and course work. I have 2 courses in this binder that fall on the same day. Most of this can be recycled semester after semester, just changing out the course materials. Saving money helps reduce my stress too. 

2. I utilize a dry erase board. I found the best way to keep up with all of the homework and things coming up soon is to write it down in a place I visit frequently, the fridge. I have my board divided into 4 courses, and a blank spot for work/personal things. I placed clear tape over the dividing lines so it won't erase easily, alone with over the course titles. As things are coming up I add them to the board. It feels relieving to erase the things I have accomplished. At the end of the semester, I can peel it off and start again for the next semester, saving money.

 

3. Keep supplies close! Everyone needs pens and pencils. I prefer a cosmetics bag as it is smaller than the typical pencil pouches, and I like the clear plastic. I like being able to quickly see what I am reaching for instead of digging and making noise in a quite classroom during lecture. Inside my pencil case is a host of supplies for school, including some pens of different colors, mechanical pencils, highlighters, a spare flash drive, paper clips, and sticky notes for marking pages or chapters in text books.

 

7 Tips on How to be a Productive Housewife

The notion of being a housewife is just an unemployed wife, staying at home doing household chores, and taking care of the kids. That is the first thing most people will think when you say you’re a housewife. Is that what you’re thinking too? I am a housewife but I can say I have a great life.

Being a housewife is not an easy job and it’s without pay too that’s why most women are unhappy. It’s time to make a change. Cheer up momma! Even though you’re just a housewife you can be productive on your own. It’s not too late to open your door too some things that will make a difference. All you need to do is manage your time properly, be a positive thinker, and move it!

Here are some tips for you to help you be a productive housewife and be happy even you’re just at home:

1.     Schedule Household Chores

Make a list on the things that you need to accomplish in the house and make a schedule when to work on them. From the time you wake up, cook breakfast, dish washing, drop kids to school, clean the house, pick up kids from school, grocery shopping, dinner preparation, gardening, and laundry. Grocery shopping, gardening and laundry can be done once a week, right? If you put things on a certain time schedule, you can accomplish a lot of things on time and you will have more time for yourself. You’ll not feel exhausted. This is time management.

2.    Dance to the Beat!

Housewives should look better than wives with a regular job. Yes,, because you have more time for yourself at home. That should be the case. Don't take yourself for granted. While doing your household chores turn on the music and dance to the beat. While the laundry is spinning, groove it. You will feel great and will be healthy and fit.

3.    Read Motivational Books

When you read books that will help you change your old self defeating thoughts, it will really make a significant difference to the way you view life. Being positive opens your signal to good opportunities, happy family, and good luck.

4.    Social Media Networking

Who says it’s boring to stay at home? What is the internet doing? You can connect to your long lost friends from high school or college, distant relatives, business associates, and meet new friends online. This way you have a social life and it’s a high tech way of keeping in touch.

5.    Current Events

Since you are at home, this is your chance to be up to date on the current events. Be smart on knowing the weather forecast, showbiz issues, up-coming movies, political issues. This will help your family prepare for the day and be informed too on what’s happening in the world. You will be the home based reporter. How about that?

6.    Online Education

Staying at home sometimes make you feel you are not smart. But, hey you are! You just have to dig deeper. Believe in yourself and strive more. It’s not too late to have a degree or add something to your knowledge. Why not check on the best accredited online schools? There are a lot to choose from. You can try to enhance your present knowledge or learn a new one. Learning is for all and not just for kids. This is your chance to keep your mind sharp. Don’t be afraid to feed your brain. You will feel good doing this. I’m so sure.

7.    Virtual Work

I bet you are surprised with this virtual work. Yes, you can be a virtual contractor/freelancer. This is a person who works remotely and provides various services to different business people. Meaning, you can earn money while you are at home. But, be careful because there a lot of scammers out there. You can work as a freelance writer, blogger, transcriber, translator, English as Second Language Teacher, survey taker, website builder, recruiter, call center agent, bookkeeper, administrative assistant, and a lot more. There are some well known outsourcing platforms online where you can create your profile and bid for projects. All you need is your computer and your basic skills. It’s amazing because you’re at home but you are earning dollars and you can still do your duties as a wife and a mother. That’s what they call multitasking.

I think being a housewife is the most amazing status a woman can be because you can do a lot of things in one day without neglecting your family. Now that you know how to be a productive housewife, what are you waiting for? Go on and widen your horizons and be proud of yourself. I am a productive housewife. I know you can too. No one can say I am just a housewife doing nothing because I can do more things than any woman can do with a regular job.

By: Ritchell Thibodeaux

t

Smart Cookie

You have always been the darling of your parent’s eyes because you are the intelligent one in the family.  The “gifted one” so they say.  You have always gotten good grades in school, and have nice friends surrounding you.  You are one those kids whom the teachers saw as someone who’ll go a long way.  Unfortunately, college was too expensive for your parents.  You didn’t mind at that time because life was good, not that it is bad now.  It is just that you see that you have been missing a lot by not being a college graduate.  You have a good job now, but you know that you can do better.  You see that the world is a big place.  You are hungry to develop your full potential. 

Well, you don’t have to be imprisoned by your circumstances anymore.  Opportunities are all around you!  And as what everyone will tell you, it is never too late.  You have to believe your parents when they told you that you can be anything you wanted to be as long as you put your mind into it.  So your parents didn't have the money to send you to college, now you can pay for your own tuition since you already have a job!  College does not have an age limit!  I think that there are more working students in the world than those who are full time students.  At least, while you are learning from your books, you are also learning about reality at the same time. 

If it is not just money you are concerned about, but your time, then that still is not an excuse to hold yourself back. The best colleges online are offering the most sought after courses for your taking.  And, their programs are designed especially for working students whom they cater to the most.  Taking online courses are not just good for your schedule but for your wardrobe as well.  You don’t have to worry that you’ll run out of clothes to wear at school, because you’ll be working from home.  LoL!

So, now you don’t have to be just a smart cookie, you’ll be a smart cookie with a college degree to prove that nickname.  


                                              

Got The Candy Cane Blues?

The holiday season is a strange combination of hospitality and hostility. What should be cause for celebration is often an excuse for anxiety, depression, or domestic violence. These can be difficult times for anyone, especially for students who aren't taking classes online, and can’t spend time with their families because they're away at school (maybe for the first time).

            If you’re feeling blue over the holidays, or even if you’re excited to start your own holiday traditions, here are five tips for getting into the spirit.

1. Be Active!

      Colder weather is no reason to stay inside. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors all year round. Go for a walk through a quiet neighborhood or wade through the snow in a park. If you live in warmer climates, get out of town and go for a hike. Of course, if there’s a blizzard outside or the wind is knocking you off your feet, maybe it’s best to watch a movie.

2. Be Creative!

      A big part of the season is decorations. Certain color schemes and objects automatically make people think of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day... so put a little color in your life! If it’s covering your room in streamers and stickers or just one silly decoration (a Charlie Brown Christmas tree or a leg lamp, perhaps), you can always put your own personal touch on the holidays.

3. Be Crazy!

      If you’re already missing your grandma’s pumpkin pie or your mom’s waffles on Christmas morning, the holidays are the perfect time to try something new. Sing karaoke in a sushi restaurant! Learn how to line dance! Getting drunk with new friends and doing something spontaneous is the perfect way to make new holiday memories.

4. Be Friendly!

      Speaking of friends, everyone could use a few more! No matter what your mood for the holidays, chances are that someone else feels the same way. There’s a million ways these days to connect with people who share your interests. Have a party and invite those classmates you’ve never really met or spend time with the roommate you’ve barely seen this semester. You might accidentally make a lifelong friend.

5. Be Helpful!

      Sometimes the best cure for feeling depressed is to get out of your own head. If partying just isn’t fun right now, or you don’t feel like doing anything at all, try volunteering. Homeless shelters, nursing homes, and hospitals could always use extra help over the holidays. Donating a few hours of your time may lead to new friendships or opportunities. After all, isn’t the holiday season really about giving and sharing?

Rock Your Way Up the Corporate Ladder

 

So you are one of those members of the busy corporate world who thinks that you are in the beginning of your life’s career and thinks that the world is at your disposal.  Well, you may be right.  Yes, your dreams can really come true, but not without working hard and playing your part.  Here are some helpful tips which can just make that corporate fantasy of yours come true.

1.    HAVE THE RIGHT MINDSET

In starting anything, you should have the right frame of mind because that would affect your attitude towards your work.  It would show how committed you are in performing your assigned tasks.  Your attitude will reveal how very much determined you are in accomplishing whatever it is expected of you and much more.  It is very beneficial to know what you want and where you want to go so it would be difficult for you to get derailed as you trudge that path, no matter the obstacle you may face.

2.      DRESS THE PART

 

Going up the corporate ladder means that you have to be trustworthy in order to get the higher-ups to believe that you can handle the responsibility.  Aside from actually being reliable, you should appear reliable.  You should bring out the professional in you and let everyone see that.  You should be able to remove all doubts in their minds regarding your proficiency and show them how serious you are in your work.  This means that you have to be presentable in every meeting, and even on casual Fridays.  You should never be seen as a sloppy dresser because like it or not, it will directly reflect on how they see you.

3.       CONTINUE LEARNING

If you want to grow your career, you should never stop yearning for knowledge.  As the saying goes, “when you want something you never had, you have to do something you've never done”.  If you want to be on top, you should let everybody know that you are capable of bringing something new on the table.  You should have a lot of ideas in stock, and how can you do this if you remain stagnant?  If your issue is lack of time considering the tons of work you do to impress your superiors, then worry no more because the best online colleges are just a click away.  In this day and age, you really don’t have an excuse not to be an educated individual.

       MINGLE

As what has been said before, you have to be trustworthy to make people believe that you are capable.  You cannot do this when you are always locked up in your office working your bum off like a nerd.  You have to socialize.  They have to know that you can handle different sorts of people because that is what you’ll be doing once you’re at the top.  You have to constantly impress them with your charm, wit and intellect.  Don’t let them think that you are only book smart.  Show them that you are the whole package!

5.      DELIVER

                

Most importantly, you have to produce results from whatever you are working on.  There should be closure.  Never leave your tasks half baked.  Also, in accomplishing every job, you should always strive to do it perfectly.  Never settle for average because an average result for someone yearning to be at top is mediocre.  Don’t give the people any opportunity to question your competence.

Big Fish, Small Pond

What were your biggest dreams when you were a child? Did you want to be a ballerina, astronaut, doctor, lawyer or a hotshot businessman? And may I ask what you are doing now, I mean your job? Are you actually doing whatever you dreamt of doing? 

Most of us outgrow those dreams as we grow up, and what do we do? We settle.  We settle to whatever life gives us.  We let other people and our circumstances define what we are.  There is always an excuse why we couldn’t be what we wanted to be.  And the funny thing is, we just let it happen.  We don’t fight for those dreams.  As we grow up, we just think of them as silly childhood imaginations.  Those dreams are just castles in the sky.  We live our lives on autopilot, and when we wake up, it is usually too late.

After floating through our lives for many years, a realization occurs.  You really wanted to be somebody.  You wanted to be that person you dreamt of when you were in pigtails.  You realize just how you really are not satisfied with your job.  You become conscious that you haven’t developed your character over the last years.  You become aware that you just took what life gave you.  You have been asleep at the steering wheel.  And after all those times, you think again about your childhood dream.  Maybe you wanted to make it happen this time, or you realize that you want to achieve much more than what you’ve been dreaming of.  You are back to square one.

Here’s a little secret.  You are not alone.  A lot of people are like that.  And it is not too late to do something.  It is not too late to be somebody.  Be thankful that you woke up and realize where you are because you now have an opportunity to go somewhere.  Never mind yesterday, what is important is the here and the now.  Opportunities are everywhere.  The best schools are just a click away.  You can take online classes if time and distance are an issue.  

Be aware that you are now capable of achieving your once cherished childhood dream.  You know that you have what it takes to reach it, otherwise you won’t be thinking about it nonstop.  Don’t settle for whatever you have now when you know deep inside what a smart cookie you are!  Deep down you know that you are a big fish in that small pond.  Well, it’s about time to move to the great lake, or even to the endless ocean.  Choice is always yours!

Tips For A Great Night Out

Everyone is excited to get to college, and for some of you this means a whole new level of freedom. While freedom is pretty much the best thing ever invented, learning how to manage it and maximize all of its benefits without letting it turn you into a hot freshman mess is as important as any midterm or research paper. I’m of course speaking of a big night out.

Brushing their teeth with a bottle of jack turned out to be a bad idea

Maybe you already have all of this figured out, if so I say cheers to you! Though if you have found yourself waking up in strange places, wearing other peoples clothes, or have half of your dormitory is suddenly calling you Ke$ha, I have a few tips for you. I can assure you one of the most important parts of growing up is learning how to have a good night out. Many factors obviously contribute to this, but there are some simple steps to take so that your night has the best chance of going according to plan.

Don't Ride Dirty

First, make a conscious effort to leave all illegal party favors at home. If you are underage, don’t travel with alcohol or drugs. Avoid hefty fines, jail time, and that awkward call home explaining to your dad why you can't follow in his footsteps with a career in criminal justice by following this simple but often overlooked tip. This way if you or someone in your group find themselves face to face with the police, you don’t have to worry about anything else than the matter at hand.

"I swear officer, I don't know where that 8-ball came from!"

Know How You'll Go

Try to have a ride set up. Does everyone have their student ID’s? Many Colleges offer a discounted or free transit pass to it’s students. Also, make sure you know what bus or train routes to take, and how long they run. Nothing says "awesome Friday night!" like shivering at a lonely bus stop, only to find out the route stops running at midnight. Does your college offer a discounted taxi sticker? You can usually get this from the student government office.

"Wait! Ladies only drink free till midnight!"

We Have The Technology 

Try out one of the many apps available that help you keep track of your alcohol consumption. I personally use Alchodroid, For iphone users there is DrinkTracker. Ladies! Another more low-tech marvel of our society are foldable shoes that you can keep in your purse. This way, if you do miss the bus you won’t have to donkey clomp 11 blocks in your fly clubbin' heels.

Hopefully this doesn't match your GPA

Obviously, the best way to make sure nothing in your night goes horribly wrong is to consume all substances with moderation in mind. Lame, I know, but it's better than waking up in jail or the ally behind a drag-queen bar.

Enjoy your night out! Just remember it's up to you to keep yourself safe. Never go anywhere or do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Peer-pressure is overrated, and nobody knows what's better for you than you. 

Make sure you leave room for the unknown or the unseen, but try not to follow too stringent of a plan, it can really stress out your fellow partiers, and ruin your night out before you even leave.

Stay safe, and happy partying!

Make Sure You're the Coolest Kid Home From Winter Break

As your first semester of college draws to an end, you've probably realized that college is much more than classes, tests and grades. You might even have a hard time counting all the ways you're a different person than you were just a few months ago. You're a smarter, cooler, and more confident you! But what if all these changes have been exclusively internal? Just because you haven't finished your liberal arts degree yet doesn't mean you haven't made major progress! Winter break is a time to return to the old stomping grounds and show all your hometown friends just how much more awesome you've become since you passed psych 101.

These are some tips to make sure you blow them all away, leaving no doubt that the old you is gone, and the new and improved you is here to stay!

Become A Music Snob.

College is synonymous with music; enough to warrant an MTV station, a laundry list of blogs, and a huge music festival circuit all telling you what music is cool. Your first trip home is sure to bring out the inner music snob of at least one hometown friend. When said friend insists on playing you the first minute of every song on an album that "changed their life", make sure you can hang.  Reply with something like, “Yeah man, this is sick, but (insert band here) will really fist your brain!" They'll probably play along, maybe even pretend to know what you’re talking about, either way you just scored major cool points

The M.I.A mixed tape you downloaded literally knocked them off their feet.

Cut Something Off or Grow Something Out.
Do you still have that weird puberty beard you’ve been able to grow since middle school? Shave that biz! Likewise, if Sinead O'connor was your go-to for hair styles in high-school, start growing those locks to the floor. Consider something more extreme! This may be the only time in your life you can have any hair style you want, free from your mother's judgement and write-ups from management because CPA’s arn’t allowed to have moe-hawks in your office building. So go ahead and shave some lightning bolts into the side of your head, you’re only young once!

Timmy was the envy of every boy on the playground

Organize A Clothes Trading Party.
This one is fun and simple, get all the kids from your dorm together and trade your stuff! Don't be ashamed of some of your more questionable pieces, remember one persons trash is another's treasure. So bust out that horse sweater grandma got you for Christmas '01, you just might make the hipster across the hall wet their skinny jeans in excitement.

This might have made you "queen bee" in 4-H, but that was the old you.

These are just a few tips to get you going. Remember, college is about finding who you are, and what you like. Don't be afraid to try something new just because it doesn't fit into your old identity. Keep an open mind and a sense of humor and you just might surprise yourself with the things you find on the quest to become the best you. Happy Winter Breaking!