sample college admission essays

Some people work best when left all by their lonesome, while some absorb and understand information better with the help of others. If you fall under the latter category, you have probably already considered joining study groups for some of your classes. Study groups are effective and helpful in that they provide you with insights and perspectives that you may not be able to pick up and realize on your own. Getting your classmates’ opinions and take on certain topics can add depth to your own understanding of the subjects taught in class.

But just as study group sessions can help you in your studies, they may also be just a waste of your precious studying time if left undirected and aimless. To avoid this, here are some tips to help you get the most out of study group sessions:

Do your own studying prior to the study group session

Study group sessions are venues for students to share knowledge, information, and their own understanding of lessons and topics. This means that even before going to the study group session, you should already have gone through your notes and done your own information-processing. The most annoying study group members are the freeloaders who feed off other people’s learnings without bothering to share their own. Not only are you not contributing to the group, you are also not helping yourself because you’re merely echoing your classmates’ thoughts and not developing your own ideas on the topics.

Have your group follow specific objectives for each study group session

Because study groups usually consist of friends, or students who have a lot of things in common, it’s all too easy to steer off-topic during discussions. Without realizing it, your group may be going from discussions on the Pythagorean theorem to controversial love triangles in Hollywood history. To avoid veering off-topic, one member should be assigned as the “party pooper” in that he or she will remind the group when the discussion is going on a path no longer related to the topic.

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Among the horror stories you’ll hear about college, the ones about the dormmate from hell are by far the most popular. From unhygienic habits to sneakily stealing your stuff, annoying dormmates have a special way of creeping into your hearts and making it turn black with angst. Most students who get stuck with such dormmates do not think twice about transferring residence halls, and some even transfer schools!

But before you get scared into sharing a room with a dormmate, you should also know that there ARE people out there who make good dormmates. As long you establish and maintain a good relationship with your roommate, dorm life may even be a rewarding and good learning experience for you. To ensure that you make the most out of college dorm life, below are some tips that should be real easy to follow:

Establish spatial boundaries and respect them

One easy way to avoid petty fights with dormmates is by respecting their personal space, both spatial and emotional. Clearly, your dormmate’s bed is not the place for you to put heaps of your stuff. And obviously, your dormmate will be mad if you “borrow” their laptop for two days without asking permission. Establishing spatial boundaries may be a bit too awkward for some, but this can be an effective way to keep your stuff organized and to prevent your dormmate’s stuff from getting mixed with yours. That way, you both know that each of you are responsible for your own things and no one is in charge of keeping the whole room spick and span.

Be sensitive to their quirks and irks

By quirks and irks, we mean the things that they’re into and the things that make them tick. If your dormmate’s a vegetarian or hard-core vegan, have the decency to not joke about his or her beliefs and leave bloody pieces of meat on the desk or sofa. The same goes for religious and political beliefs. If you want your dormmate to respect the fact that you actually like spending Friday and Saturday nights studying undisturbed in the room, you should also learn to respect whatever eccentricities and traits they have.

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While some college graduates immediately enter the rat race to secure employment, some are left thinking of ways to pay off the loans they incurred during their time in college. For some, landing a high-paying job is the best way to pay for college student loans. But for others, a high salary still may not be enough to pay off their loans AND maintain the lifestyle needed in the professional world. The good news is that college grads have tons of options to pay off student loans. Below are just some of them.

Loan consolidation for lower interest rates

Paying off separate loans means also paying for the interests of each specific loan. Instead of letting these annoying interests add unwanted layers to your loans, you can consider consolidating all these loans so you end up with just one big loan. It may seem overwhelming once you learn the total of all your loans, but at least you’ll rid yourself of the extra payments you make for the interests. This is not to say that you won’t be paying interest on your “mother” loan, but it may be cheaper than all your loans’ interests put together. The difference may be just a few dollars or so, but a buck is still a buck, and the bottomline is you’ll have a lesser amount to pay off.

Money from the military

So you’re quite the adventure seeker, eh? If that’s the case, then you probably wouldn’t mind doing military service to pay off your college student loan. You can consider joining the Army Reserve or the National Guard after you graduate so you can get up to $10,000. And if you really want to up the ante on your thrill-seeking quests, you can even request to be assigned in hostile or conflict areas, which will allow you to get even more money to pay off your college loan. Just make sure you survive and LIVE to actually pay off the loans.

Loan forgiveness options

Unfortunately, this is one type of forgiveness that requires more than just being sorry. The government is willing to grant you loan forgiveness if you engage in social work and volunteer for non-profit organizations. Your options under loan forgiveness include signing up for the following: VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), Americorps, and Peace Corps.

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Books, articles, and even entire websites are dedicated simply to providing tips and resolving college students’ issues on time management. But what most of these articles and websites lack is specificity; students won’t magically “stop procrastinating” unless you illustrate specific instances wherein they can avoid procrastination and how. To give you an idea of what we’re talking about, check out the (specific) examples of tips below.

Don’t use your sleeping hours as a time bank

It’s common practice among students to forgo sleep or bargain with their body’s resting time to get more minutes and hours of studying. We’re all guilty of “withdrawing” hours from our sleeping time to make way for other activities. What we fail to believe and realize is that we’re less effective in doing activities when we lack rest and sleep. Your brain can absorb much more information after 6-8 hours straight of sleep, as compared to after waking up from 2 to 3 hours of sleep. So next time you plan on skipping sleep to study, remember that your weary brain won’t be able to effectively absorb information. You’ll only be wasting time that should’ve been spent on sweet slumber.

Master multi-tasking by doing feasible activity combinations

Laundry day today? Bring your class notes along and read them while waiting for the dryer to finish. Going to the library to photocopy notes? Might as well browse through shelves for possible references for your Psych 101 paper due next week. If you’re good at halving your attention, you can even go to a brainstorming session for a group paper AND participate while scribbling down notes for your reaction paper in film class. There are countless ways to go by the “two birds with one” principle, just make sure that you stay within your limits.

Make a non-negotiable to-do list

We say non-negotiable because the tasks written in your to-do list should be those that should not be skipped or put off to a later time. Sticking to a to-do list is hard for a lot of students, because they often have to multi-task and squeeze in sudden deadlines and study for exams or write reports that were announced at such a short notice. What you can do is write two to-do lists; a general one (which includes non-academic tasks such as laundry and grocery shopping) and a non-negotiable one. We highly recommend arranging the tasks on your to-do lists according to urgency. By doing so, your mind can focus on the task at hand and minimize the tendency of getting overwhelmed with the numerous other tasks listed.

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Colleges and universities often contract the services of a teaching assistant to aid the lecturers and professors in handling classes and other related tasks. Many college students apply as teaching assistants to help them pay off student loans, pay their tuition, and cope with other financial expenses incurred during college. Applying for teaching assistant posts is advantageous because it can provide students with teaching experience and insights on how the college education system works. Below are more information you need to know about teaching assistants and what their job involves:

Teaching assistants: What they do

As mentioned, the main job of teaching assistants is to help professors and lecturers carry out their tasks. These range from administering tests and exams to supplementing the crafted course syllabi and outlines. College teaching assistants are also often tasked to reproduce and distribute the required course readings to students, as well as prepare audio and visual teaching aids. In cases when the professor cannot attend and teach classes, teaching assistants may also be asked to take full responsibility of lecturing the class. Teaching assistants also grade examinations, papers, and reports.

Teaching assistants: who they are

Posts for teaching assistants are open to qualified individuals who want to earn extra income and gain relevant teaching experience. Students aiming to hold teaching jobs after graduating often apply as teaching assistants, as well as those who need financial aid in their studies. Teaching assistants may be students at the particular university or college, although they may also be “outsiders” looking to gain experience in teaching.

Although teaching assistants tend to be young, you should also treat them with the same respect you give to your college professors. Teaching assistants often give recommendations and student evaluations to professors, so you should never underestimate them and think that they won’t be able to influence the grades you’ll get in your classes. Many students also prefer discussing their course-related queries and issues with teaching assistants rather than their professors, because the former tend to be less intimidating and thus, more approachable.

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Shifting majors or courses is a common tendency among college students, especially those who are in their first or second year in college. A review published by an Ivy League school found that freshmen and sophomores tend to shift courses three to four times during college. There are many possible reasons why students switch majors; the most common of which is the realization that they’re more interested in another field than they are in the course they’re currently taking. This often happens when students don’t take time reading through the college’s course offerings before enrolling, or when they are exposed to fields of study that they never before realized they were into.

Switching or shifting majors is a major decision. This will have implications on financial costs, academic orientation, and your length of stay in college. So before you decide to shift out or into a major, educate yourself on the pros and cons by reading the outline below:

Pros and perks

One main advantage of switching majors, especially early on in college, is that you’re able to explore other options instead of staying in a course that you only feel mildly passionate about. If you’re willing to risk losing valuable time and money to pursue a different major, chances are, it’s something that you really want and will be determined to pursue. Shifting majors will also let you gain perspectives into different fields and subjects, allowing you to make the most of your college education and enhance your overall college experience.

Drawbacks and downsides

One of the main downsides to shifting majors is that some of the subjects you have already taken may not be credited in the curriculum of the course you’re transferring to. Aside from having wasted money on those classes, you may also have to spend more time in college. This is true especially when the major you’re switching to has prerequisite classes that you haven’t taken yet. Another drawback is that you’ll have to again adjust to a different academic framework and orientation. This isn’t a problem if you’re shifting to a related major, but if you’re going from Sociology to Computer Programming, you need to get up to speed with the basic theories and concepts of your new major.

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Students have various reasons for transferring colleges or universities; some are valid, while some are workable and not so valid. Common reasons include homesickness, issues with professors and school authorities, weak course programs, and unbearable workload and course requirements. Whatever your reason is, the first thing to ask yourself if you’re planning on transferring colleges is if you have a good reason for changing schools. Is it worth the hassle and expenses? If you’re convinced that you have a good reason for transferring, like weak course programs, here are a few tips to help you get started:

Do your research and plan your course of action

Some people tend to cringe at the mention of the word “research,” but it’s a necessary and important step to make your transfer a whole lot easier. If your reason for switching schools is a weak program for your major, look into your prospective school’s programs to gauge if it will provide you with the knowledge you want and need to gain. To better ensure that the program is challenging, you can ask around or post threads in forums and social networking sites so you can talk to people who have actually enrolled under that program in your prospective school.

As for planning, by this we mean scoping out your options for all the other aspects of college life: housing and accommodations, location, tuition and transfer costs, course credits, etc. It’s important to look into your prospective school’s course credit system to see how many of your previously taken classes will be credited.

Be mindful of the admission requirements and deadlines

In connection with research, the most important thing you should take note of are the application requirements and deadlines. Most colleges only accept transfer applications for a limited period of time, so make sure you’ve noted important dates and deadlines for submissions. If you plan to transfer by fall, you might have to submit your application by March or April. Also, the requirements for transferring may not be similar to first-time enrollees. Your high school transcript won’t hold much weight anymore, and your college transcript should show pretty good marks.

Most colleges will still require an admission essay, but this time, you can focus on your reasons for transferring to that specific institution. For this, you can check out sample college admission essays found online. Some websites require registration to view their sample college admission essays, but there are many websites who allow free viewing of their sample college admission essays. Structure your essay in such a way that details your reasons for transferring, while being careful of not resorting to flattery and why your prospective school is better than your previous one.

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Nothing gets high school graduates all psyched about going off to college than hilarious college fraternity-themed movies. Tons of movies have been made about college frat life; some are hilarious, while some show the more serious aspects of how juggling frat life, personal responsibilities, and academics can get a bit too difficult. Below is a list of five of the most popular and hilarious Hollywood movies that follow the college frat theme:

Animal House (1978)

Some say that Animal House is to college movies just as The Godfather is to mafia movies. Dubbed as THE movie that started the genre of college frat movies, Animal House stars Tim Matheson, John Vernon, and John Belushi as members of the infamous Delta House fraternity. The three struggle to counter the efforts of the dean and another fraternity to abolish Delta House and kick its members out.

Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

Along with Animal House, Jeff Kanew’s Revenge of the Nerds also ranks high on the list of popular college fraternity movies ever made. As the title itself implies, the movie shows how the college nerds and misfits finally learn to stand up for themselves and against the frat boys who constantly bully them.

Old School (2003)

Old School stars Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn as three 30-something men who aren’t quite ready to grow up and act their age. In their desire to relive the fun and craziness of college life, the three from a fraternity of their own and recruit losers, elderly retirees, and misfit college students as members.

Going Greek (2001)

Headlined by Dylan Bruno, Laura Harris, and Simon Rex, Going Greek follows the story of Jake Taylor, who is forced to join a fraternity so his geeky cousin can get admitted into the fraternity. Problems arise when Jake and his cousin get caught up in all the wild out parties of the fraternity and threatens his relationship with his frat-hating girlfriend.

Fraternity Row (1977)

Fraternity Row actually borders a bit more on the serious side, with the main plot revolving around how a harmless fraternity initiation escalates to a form of hazing and results in a student’s death. Fraternity Row is set in the 50s, and shows how the uptight upper class college students deal with family and peer pressure, and fraternity issues.

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Politics is existent in every aspect of modern life, especially in areas where resources are quite limited. When you go off to college, you’ll most probably be faced with situations where petty politics is practiced. Whether it be in the classroom, in student organizations, or in student elections, college students often witness and experience issues of power relations, which are often the root and cause of petty college politics. To help you avoid getting involved in petty college politics, here are some simple tips you can follow:

Practice diplomacy in dealing with people

Raising your voice and allowing your temper to go out of control won’t solve anything. If you have specific concerns regarding a classmate or a fellow member in your organization, confront him or her and talk about the issue with a clear head. Never ever go behind someone’s back and use the Internet or other forms of media to get back at someone who you think has done you wrong. A lot of students make the mistake of lashing out at their “enemies” at social networking sites and gossip sites, thinking that the resulting embarrassment will make the other person drop the issue and leave them alone.

On the contrary, cases like these often lead to even bigger issues and fights, and leaves the original issue still unsolved. This is why talking things out in a diplomatic manner is still the most effective way to resolve issues. By keeping your cool when talking about the issue, you will be able to discuss and express your points better in such a way that would make it easier for the other party to see your point.

Learn when to recognize authority, and when to question it

College is the time when most students find and establish their sense of individuality. Here they discover aspects of their personality that they never knew existed. Most students learn to be independent and assertive during college. And while assertiveness is an admirable trait, you should also learn when and where to practice it in different levels. For example, if you’re not comfortable with some of your organization’s rules, you can talk to the president or officer of the organization and ask them to explain the rationale for these specific rules.

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Although financial costs are an important factor to consider when choosing a college, there are also other important aspects of college profiles that should be noted and taken into consideration when deciding which college to attend. Depending on you and your family, such important aspects may include the reputation of the school, educational facilities, accreditation, and size of the institution. Below are brief discussions of other factors that you should consider when choosing a college.

Course or program offerings

Next to tuition fees and living expenses, many students place a premium on the course or program offerings of a specific college - and for a good reason. College is not just about fitting in and making friends; it’s essentially about gaining knowledge on the field you’d like to specialize in and practice professionally later on. If you already have a major in mind, browse the different degree programs being offered by schools to see which suits you best. Basing your decision on the quality of the school’s academic programs will help ensure that you’ll get the most out of your college education.

Location and campus setting

Deciding whether you want to go to a college near or far from your home will help you narrow down your choices early on. Aside from the college’s distance from your home, you should also consider the climate and the features of the town where it is located.

Is the town conducive to student activities? Are there interesting places to visit? You won’t spend the next four to five years of your life just holed up in your dorm or campus, so it’s also important to consider the town you’ll be staying in throughout your college years.

Student support: social and academic

When we say student support, this includes on and off-campus housing options, student counselling and advising programs, financial aid, and other services related to student life. Student support is an important thing to consider because most of you will probably be living on your own for the first time, and taking that leap is never easy. Choosing a school that has an effective student support system will make it easier for you to get through the fun and trials of college.

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