Paying Your Tuition

As it rolls around to school time, your school will post up your tuition. Usually, they are kind enough to list out exactly how much you are paying for everything. Mine even listed how much I was paying for using the chemistry lab because I'm a Biology Sciences Major.

The school goes further to list all or any credit you previously had. For instance, I had to deposit $100, when I sent my S.I.R. (Statement of Intent to Register). Then I had to deposit $250 when I sent in my housing contract. I also received loans and grants, and so at the end of the list of what I had to pay, my college kindly listed all of my credits, and let me know exactly how much I had to pay.

One thing to keep in mind that while it's easy to pay online, most schools charge an outlandish fee for convenience. UC's generally charge about $70.00. That in itself is quite an outrageous fee!

This is why I suggest that paying by check. Schools DO NOT usually except money orders, and expect you to either pay by check, online, or drop in payment.

A drop in payment is when you personally visit the school and pay them.

I myself paid by check.

IF PAYING BY CHECK REMEMBER TO DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Fill in the To: field exactly as the college informs you. Do not write it incorrectly because then the school cannot cash it, and it can possibly lead to having a late fee. (After writing in the name, put a line through the rest of the space so that no one can place their name in the field, and cash the check for themselves).

2. Write out the amount in capital letters. If the price is 3,099, write THREE THOUSAND AND NINETY NINE DOLLARS ONLY, and place a line through the rest of the space.

3. For the numbers write 3099.00.

4. In the memo, remember to write down your NAME, and your STUDENT ID.

5. Lastly, remember to have your mom or dad or guardian sign it.

Once you have written the check, place it in a piece of paper folded into thirds, and place it into the envelope. This is so that if someone tries to see the contents of the letter under a light, it looks like it's just a letter to the school. You do not need to put a stamp on the envelope, but you need to write the address. GO TO THE POST OFFICE TO MAIL THE LETTER. It is worth it to spend the extra to send it through priority mail, with a delivery confirmation. (You will go to the people working at the post office, and have them personally weigh, and put a stamp on the envelope. They will also be the ones to ask you if you want delivery confirmation). This way you know that the school has gotten your check.

It is important to do this because it relieves the stress of wondering if the check has reached the school. If your check reaches the school on a weekend or a time that no one is there, it is best to inform them because the school might not know that the post office had attempted to deliver the check. After 15 days the post office sends the check back to you.

Is is important to keep track of WHEN the money is due. For instance some UC's require that the money be in their office by September 1st, no questions asked. They disregard the post mark date. So it is best to get the money in as soon as possible, but if that's a problem, try to aim for a few days before the due date in case their is a delay in mailing. (This also applies to if paying online because usually after 4 or 5PM, the payment is processed the next day. You do not want to be stuck on September 1st, paying at 4:30PM and finding out that it will be processed on the 2nd. It would be awful to have to pay the convenience fee as well as the $50.00 late fee).

--- If you have any questions regarding payment of tuition please don't hesitate to ask because it's a lot of money going towards your education. ---

Excel! Excel! Excel!

I think that when people think of college Excel is something that does not come to mind. Some would repute it as an accounting application, or something that is just not something they care for. HOWEVER, I recommend that you learn how to use this product, even the minor basics such as how to add or subtract without using a calculator or doing it in your mind, by applying the program's features.

My dad had me layout a budget for him on Excel. He wanted to know exactly how much money he would need to supply me with every month. Obviously on the quarter months the requirement would be much higher, but nevertheless he wanted to know exactly how much. I obviously was just thinking, 'Whattttt? I don't want to do this!' I'm glad I did.

USING EXCEL 101:

To lay out your budget...

1. Begin my labeling the "A" column with all the different types of bills you have, such as Room and Board, Tuition, Books, Supplies, Loans, Grants, etc... (Start this labeling from the second row, not the first).

2. Then label row one with all the months starting from column "B".

3. Then just fill in the numbers in the appropriate rows and columns. (Mind that these numbers are fake, AND REMEMBER to input the grant and loans as a negative number).

4. Now total up all of the amounts highlight the numbers from FEES down to THE EMPTY SPOT IN TOTAL and click the 'Auto Sum' near the top of the page.

This way you know how much money you will need every month in college, and you won't be short of cash since you planned ahead!

Sorry about the images. For Some reason it wont let me make them larger but click here to see them! :]

Where Does All My Money Go?

Many people wonder why college costs so much. I'm sure that my parents did not have to pay $25,000 in taxes or more to pay my way through public school. Well, if you went to private school, then that's a whole new land for me. I don't really know how much private schools' cost, but I'd estimate it to be around $12,000? Don't quote me on this.

Anyway, tuition is broken down into about five categories. According to a UC, it lays out as follows.

Cost of Attendance:

Fees 9141

Room and Board 10900

Books and Supplies 1750

Transportation 1300

Personal Costs 1750

This totals up to be a little over $24,000, which is a lot of money. However, if you go to a private school, through some calculations you can multiply these costs by two, and it'll be about how much you're spending on everything.

Room and Board tends to be the most expensive because while Room is your room and Board is your food costs, this category includes utilities, mailbox, a gym, and other facilities. REMEMBER: A mistake that many students make their first time at college involves the meal plan. Everyone thinks they're going to eat a lot at college, but that's not true. For example, I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it for breakfast which is from 6am - 9am. I have a class at 8am, and I am probably going to get up at 7:30am for it. Another thing is that when you have classes during the day, you might just not have time to make it for lunch either. It just depends on your schedule, but be realistic. When you choose a meal plan like 7 meals a week, it comes with a couple hundred dollars to buy food from the student center.

Fees are your tuition. It's usually some solid amount of your overall cost. This is the money charged to pay for the classroom, maintenance of the school, and paying the teachers. Sometimes this can be a lot and sometimes it's not so much. Just remember that this fee is paid quarterly, so even though it might be $10,000 or $20,000, it's only paid 1/3 at a time.

Books and Supplies may seem like a lot but if you buy all of your books from the bookstore, it won't be long before you have spent $1,750 on books. That's why it's highly suggested that you scout out the used book sales on the Internet. Some people choose to use:

Amazon.com

Half.com

Textbooks.com

CampusBooks.com

There are many options. Sometimes it's possible to buy from upperclassmen because they won't need the books anymore, and might as well make some cash from them. Not only that but REMEMBER to sell your books at the end of the quarter unless the book relates to your major. Then it might be beneficial to keep them for reviewing later.

Transportation is pretty nice. It usually includes free shuttle service around campus, free bus use, cheaper taxi service, escort service, and a safe ride service, for those times that you know you can't get home safely. I recommend using the escort service for those times when you have to stay late somewhere, because campuses are open, and anyone can walk through. At night, especially, it can be dangerous because strangers might mug or assault you. It's better to just not take the risk of walking back to your dorm late at night, alone.

Personal Costs are usually things like deodorant, shampoo, and all those other accessories that you could possible need. Just remember that it might be smart to buy a load of the supplies you need so that you don't have to worry about having to buy them during the year.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to leave a comment, and i'll get back to you as soon as possible. :)

High School Weight

I've noticed that many people seem to worry about their weight, which is quite obvious since it is once of the leading causes of death. While walking around outside, I seemed to notice that people, who I knew from school, who I didn't even know lived near me, seemed to running or exercising at the elementary school nearby.

Everyone always looks for the easy way out, and choose to take part in magical diets, which include pills, bars, and liquids. However, what many realize after hundreds of dollars later is that losing weight the "old school" way is the only sure way to lose weight safely.

I know what you're thinking. "Hey doing it the old school way is so time consuming, and hard!" I won't disagree, it is, but I will recommend a couple of ways to lose weight, which have seemed to help me, and other people who I know.

ONE

This first one requires determination. I suggest that people who are extremely adamant about losing weight go on this plan. It is called the Men's Health No Gym Weight Loss Plan. This plan is an 8 week long process. The website breaks down the weeks day by day, and gives direction as to what you should do and how long to do it for. I know that sounds obvious, but it helped people close to me, and it helped the person lose 30 lbs! That's almost 4lbs a week!

If the link above doesn't work, here are the directions on how to get there:
1. Go to menshealth.com
2. Click on 'Belly Off' (Under 'Weight Loss')
3. Click on 'The Workouts'
4. Click on 'No-Gym Classic' (on the left)

After you do all of this, there will be a table in the middle, which will tell you what to do week by week.

TWO
This one I haven't personally tried, but by the looks of it, it takes longer, but it is less intense than the Men's Health workout. It is the Official British Army Workout.

This workout outlines every single day of the week, what exercises to do, and how long to do them for. By just looking at the weeks you can tell that it is a slow build to fitness, but in the end it's easier to achieve.

Remember it might seem more extreme because it's the British Army Workout, but it's a slower build up than the first workout so don't worry about it.

THREE
This is far by the easiest way to lose weight, but it takes time, and I mean TIME. Everyday, whenever you want to, go for a walk. I use this method, where I go for a 5 mile walk everyday, and I've been able to tone myself. I have now been able to fit in capris that I wore in elementary school! It's amazing! Not only that, but with the walking you have to consume about 64oz of water a day. An easy way to measure that is to drink either 8 cups of water, OR two 32oz Nalgene bottles.

What To Bring?

As fall rolls around most first year students are extremely anxious about school. I know that I was so excited to buy everything but my dad kept saying, and I quote, "We'll by everything on Labor Day Weekend," which by the way was 3 months later, in September!

I wanted to start buying things before high school even ended, and I knew i'd have the urge to buy things, but instead I decided to keep myself busy with exercising, and relaxing. However, I did come across a fantastic list of everything I could possibly EVER need for college, and I suggest that all college students look at it because when I did I found myself saying, "OH I never would have thought of that," many times.

So here's the list...

A
Acne/cleansing wash and acne cream
Address book
Alarm clock: very important!
Alcoholic drinks if you’re over 21
Allergy medicine: Claritin or Benadryl or other anti-histamine
Anti-Itch cream: for bug bites (also good if you’re going to do road-trips off campus to mountains/lakes on weekends etc)
Atlas-- any cartographers out there? A world or nation atlas is informative

B
Backpack/messenger bag
Balls: Basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, baseballs, tennis balls
Bandages and band-aids: for sprains and cuts
Batteries, especially AA
Bicycle, helmet, LOCK
Binders
Bins or boxes for storing papers/folders
Blanket: fleece or thermal
Bleach
Blender
Board games (Monopoly, a chess or checkers set etc)
Body lotion
Bookcase: find a slim, tall bookcase if you’re pressed for space. It’s good for organizing text and literary books; of course you can store anything on it-- from food to board games to boxes of cleaning supplies. Great storage. If it’s a shorter bookcase, you can put decorations atop it-- pictures, a vase etc.
Bottle opener
Broom or short-handled brush with dustpan (if you don’t care for vacuums or Swiffers)
Brush: get a good scrubbing one for cleaning grout/tough stains
Bucket: get a sturdy one for use in cleaning/mopping
Bug spray (to keep your skin from those awful mosquitoes etc)
Bulletin board with pins

C
Cable/wiring organizer: for your computer wires
Calendar: to keep track of the date and days; dry-erase calendars are awesome for scrawling in important events and then erasing for the next month
Calculator or graphing calculator
Camera-- at least a disposable one
Can opener
Cds
CD cases, or soft-cover
CD folders which are more space efficient and easier to carry
Cereals, cereals, cereals
Chair: a comfortable one, not a desk chair, but more of a reading/relaxing seat.
Try the:
a) Butterfly chair
b) Egg chair
c) the classic beanbag
Chair cushion: if you don’t want to bring or buy a desk chair, buy an attractive seat cushion for the chair that the college provides
Chips
Clothes
Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are amazing, easy to use and leave a good scent
Coffee
Coffee machine
Cold and cough medicine: Robitussin/DimetapCollege-rule line paper
Colored markers and colored pencils
Comb or hairbrush
Comforter
Computer-- Laptop or Desktop or Notebook.
Conditioner (hair)
Condoms/birth control pills/contraceptives etc.
Contacts
Contact lens case
Contact lens solution
Containers: small plastic or mesh containers for small accessories (paperclips/tape/white-out/jewelry/makeup)
Cooking pans and pots
Cordless Phone and/or Cell Phone: very important!
Correspondence: Various cards or letter paper, for birthdays or congratulations etc
Cough drops/lozegnes
Cotton balls: many uses, including for applying/wiping off make-up, applying antiseptics to cuts and wounds
Cotton facial pads: for applying or removing foundation and other make-up, also for applying facial lotions, toners and astringents
Curling iron (hair)
Curtains: if your dorm room doesn’t provide curtains, an attractive set of curtains can help bring color and life to your room

D
Day planner, dayrunrer, agenda etc
DayQuil/NyQuil
Decorator’s Lamps: these are pretty, inexpensive ways to light up your room and add color
Deodorant (can’t forget that!)
Desk chair-- colleges provide a desk chair, but it often isn’t as nice as the one you probably have at home. A good desk chair that swivels and is on wheels is great
Desk lamp: many stores sell extremely inexpensive and colorful desk lamps, but the more expensive ones are worth it too.
Desk organizers
Dish bin to carry any plates/flatware etc to dorm sink
Dish detergent
Diskettes
Dry-erase markers
Drying rack (for wet laundry-- dryers are often all occupied by the time your clothes are clean from the washing machine, so a drying rack might be helpful)
DVD player or VHSDVDs or Videos

E
Eating Utensils: inexpensive utensils OR disposable plastic utensils will do: packs of disposable OR two to four inexpensive sets of knives, spoons, forks, cups, mugs, plates, bowls
Eggshell pad or mattress pad or mattress foam
Electric lights: like Christmas lights you put on your tree or around your house-- small strings of white-light bulbs can be lovely strung around the edges of your ceiling
Envelopes (white, letter type)
Erasers
Eye drops

F
Fabric softener for the dryer
Facial lotion (especially if you’re in a colder climate and your skin will tend to dry out more easily)
Favorites books
Febreze: excellent to temporarily rid clothes (and blankets, pillows, etc) from odors
Files and expandable filing folders
Flashlight
Floss
Folders-- with pockets and three-prongs
Folding chairs/tail-gaiting chairs/folding lawn chairs-- any easy, folding chair that you can quickly prop open for guests or haul down to the game for tail-gaiting is a plus
Footstool (if you’re vertically challenged)
Foreign Language Dictionary: for whatever language you’ll be taking in college
Foreman Grill
Fragrance: perfume or cologne, or body sprays
Frisbees!Fruit: apples, bananasFruit juices-- orange, apple, grape, tomatoFuton: a bed at night, great for seating two or three visitors or for watching TV

G
Gatorade and other sports/electrolyte drinks
Glasses
Granola bars, Nutri-Grain bars
Graphing paper

H
Hair dryer
Hairbands/hair pins for ladies
Hairspray/sculpting cream
Hammer
Hand-held electronic games (Gameboy etc)Hand and feet cream
Headphones-- very important-- both to block out annoying sounds from your roommate or keep music your roommate doesn’t like to yourself
Highlighters
Hot Pot: I love this thing. Quick and easy and hot, no need for an electric kettle or coffee machine or microwave with it
Hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol

I
I-Pod or other music player (MP3, CD player)
Internet access software/wiringIronIroning board

K
Kleenex or other facial tissue

L
Laptops and desktops: for work/studying, but plays your music and DVDs as well

Laptop case

Laundry basket: a lot of people prefer the sturdy plastic baskets to laundry bags. Can hold folded clothes better as well

Laundry detergent

Laundry Hamper or Bin: hampers are always useful; some of us use canvas bins with handles to toss wet towels and dirty clothes in; others have large mesh or canvas laundry bags (folding hampers are great if you need space)

Lip balm

Lint-roller

Loofah/sponge or wash towelLysol, especially the sprays and the all-purpose cleaners (though the scent is sometimes too strong)

M
Make-up (a lot of more low-maintenance girls I know often just go with the basics-- foundation or tinted moisturizer for covering up flaws, mascara and lip gloss or a lipstick)
Manila envelopes (for papers or reports that you don’t want folded)
Map-- of your country, your state, the world, your college campus
Masking tape
Microwave
Milk
Minifridge or Microfridge
Mints or minty gum

Mirror-- a good mirror (full length)
Mop
Mouse
Mouse pad

Mouthwash
Multi-vitamins (especially vitamin C, when you’re trying to keep your immune system up around cold season)
Muscle Relief or Icy Hot Patches or Thermal Patches for achesMusical instrument/music books

N
Nail clippers
Nail file
Nail polish remover
Neosporin
Nightstand: if you’ve got room, nightstands are nice-- put a small lamp and your reading books atop it. Looks pretty and if it has drawers, it offers more storage space for whatever you’d like.
Notepads

O
Oxi-Clean gets rid of stains

P
Pack of playing cards
Pain and fever relief-- Tylenol, Advil, ibuprofen
Paperclips
Paper towels
Pencils
Pencil case/container
Pencil Sharpener
Pens: regular blue, black and red; have at least one, nicer ball-point pen as well
Photos and picture frames
Pillows
Pine-Sol: the original scent is great, it’s good for floors
Plants: IF you can take care of them. They’re lovely and it’s nice to have some green in your small dorm room
Plasti-tak or other mounting material that won’t leave stains or holes on the walls
Popcorn
Pop-Tarts
Posters, of course
Post-its
Powder drink mixes: They are cheaper to buy than sodas, and all you need is a large pitcher of water and a spoon.
Powdered lemonade and Kool-Aid are cheap and easy to make.
Power strips (because you’ll only have so many electrical outlets)
Printer Paper (white)

Q
Q-Tips: tons of uses-- for cleaning the insides of your ears, for applying or removing make-up, etc

R
Radio/stereo
Ramen/Cup Noodles (of course)
Razor, shaving cream and aftershave for males
Religious texts: if you’re religious, bring your Bible or Koran or Torah etc.
Reusable water bottles, like Nalgene bottles
RobeRoller-skates or ice-skates
Rolls of coins or your laundry card
Rubber bands
Rug!: to add attractiveness to the bare tile or wood floor of your room-- and keep your feet warm when you slip out of bed winter mornings

S
Safe or lockbox for valuables: jewelry, watches, etc-- actually, any box with a lid will do to store your valuables in, just as long as you don’t leave your bracelets, watches, rings etc lying around
Screwdriver
Shampoo (if preferred, you can pour your shampoo or conditioner in small plastic bottles with flip tops-- see Container Store-- to save space in your shower tote)
Sharpies or any other permanent marker (thick and thin)
Shaving lotion, gel or body wash for shaving
Shaving razor
Sheets: at least two and preferably three different sets of sheets for your bed, often college beds are extra-long twin size
Shot glasses
Shower caddy/tote: should have a hole or holes in the bottom, for drainage
Shower shoes (flip-flops)Small pair of nose hair scissors (gross, I know, but for any overgrown hairs from your nose)
Snapple/other tea brandsSoap or body wash
Soap container: it’d be best to have a container for it, so the other items in your tote won’t get soppy and sticky. Bed Bath and Beyond has some handy plastic soap cases with latches
Sofa or armchair: if you can fit at least a small one into your room, go for it!
Soup
Spiral notebooks
Sponge: get one for cleaning dishes, another for cleaning your dorm/bathroom
Spray bottles, clear: for various uses-- holding cleaning fluid
Stamps
Stapler and staples
Steamer or Footlocker: these are more expensive, but they’re usually attractive and add character to the room. You can store extra blankets or out of season clothes in them. If you have room, they look good at the base of a bed. You could also sit on it or store books or knickknacks atop it.
Stomach Relief: Ah, Pepto Bismol.
Straightening iron (hair)
Sunglasses
Suntan lotion
Swiffer Dry: extremely easy to use, quick and easy to clean (just dispose of the cloth after use; hard to pick up more than lint and hair).
Swiffer Duster: excellent and easy to hold and maintain
Swiffer Wet: use like a mop, very easy to use and leaves a great fresh scent
Swim goggles

T
Tape measurer
Tape dispenser and clear tape refills
Tapestries: hang them up on the wall, above your bed, etc...
Teabags
Three-hole punch adapter
Toaster oven
Toothbrush
Toothbrush case: Bed Bath and Beyond has a great little plastic toothbrush container with a latch, so the bristles of your toothbrush don’t get all gross jumbled next to everything else in your shower tote or caddy
ToothpasteTowels (at least two sets each of bath towel, hand towel, face towel etc)
Trash Can
Tree Floor Lamp: these are good because you can use one lighting source to illuminate different parts of your room-- in a tiny room, one light can be aimed at your desk, the other at your bed while you read, the other at the ceiling.
TV
Tweezers

U
Umbrella- a good, sturdy one

V
Vacuum: any slim, lightweight one will do. It doesn’t need to be an expensive, bulky vacuum to get the job done.
Vacuum: hand-sized, to clean up dust in corners, on desks etc...
Vaseline: or petroleum jelly. It’s oily and sticky, but if you don’t have lotion or lip balm handy, a spot of Vaseline will do it.
Video game console
Video games
Multi-vitamin
Vick’s Vapo Rub: I always put this on my chest and throat when I’m sick
Vitamin C: to keep up your immune system during cold season
Vitamin E: this comes in two forms-- one is in a gel-like pill, the other is in a small glass jar. The ingestion of vitamin E is supposed to soften your skin, strengthen your hair. The vitamin E in a jar-- vitamin E oil-- is often put on scars or stretch marks to advance healing and lighten the scar
Vitamin D/Oscal: to keep your bones strong

W
Washcloths or washrags: use old ones for rinsing or drying dishes, and cleaning floors
Water bottles
Water filter pitcher and replaceable filters
Water pitcher: a regular one, if you don’t want filtered
Waterless hand sanitize
Whiteboard with dry-erase markers (lots of people hang these outside their rooms so friends can leave messages)
White-out or correctional fluid (I prefer the rolling, tape-dispenser-like white-out)
Windex or other window cleaner; the wipes are especially handy
Writing Basics: a writing style book, a dictionary, a thesaurus