The Next Step by Jess Pitts

I know that right now all your energy is focused on just getting through the next couple years of college. But there is more to a college education than the diploma you get to hang on your wall, and you don’t want to be that person thinking “So now what?” after you graduate. It is never too soon to think about what you want to do after college, and just a little bit of planning ahead can really help you make the most out of your degree.
So now it’s time to ask yourself the tough question: “What am I going to do after graduation?” If your answer is “I have no clue” then there are a couple of options to think about. Can you make a career out of your major? Think realistically about the job market for people with a Bachelor’s in your major. Let’s face it – a Philosophy major is probably not going to find a career in Philosophy out of college.

Majors that actually yield a career with a Bachelor’s degree are few and far between, so if you love your major and want a career in that field, you are probably looking at continuing your education after graduation. It is worth researching what requirements or standards there are for being a professional in your field. For example, some states require a Masters in Psychology to be able to be a practicing therapist while others require a Ph.D or Psy.D. What qualifications do you need to be hired in your field?
Other than pursing Masters and Doctoral degrees in your field, you could continue your education through Medical School or Law School. Many Med Schools require a specific undergraduate major such as Pre-Med or Human Physiology. Law Schools will accept applicants with any undergraduate major, and look only at difficulty of course of study as well as how well rounded your undergraduate education was.

Another option is to consider teaching. Adding a certification or licensure in Education is often not difficult, and education is a huge job market. Or if you want to up your pay grade a little, you can spend the time to get a Masters in Education.

If you are not necessarily looking for a career in your field of study, then there are plenty of options opened up simply by having a degree. You just have to be open to working a job that does not require academic specialization, such as sales.

It is not as easy for our generation to start a career out of college as our parents’ generation, but it is not impossible to find the perfect career with a little foresight. Then, once you land a perfect job you get to start paying off all that debt from college!

Little Side Jobs by Anne Wrobetz

Every muscle in my body aches this morning, but at least it’s Friday. I spent the entirety of Thursday moving furniture to my apartment via U-Haul. When you’re suffering the financial strains of a college student, you typically don’t waste money to hire movers and not risk your life (and those of your friends) rolling a giant couch down three flights of stairs. The U-Haul was the most cost-intensive part of the day, and I miraculously got my mom to pay for that. Score one for the unemployed!

Now for the real challenge of the week—my interview at Game Stop. I’ve been diligently researching such recent hits as Dante’s Inferno and Super Mario Galaxy 2 as well as the old standbys of World of Warcraft and Half Life. I’ve also been plugging away at my favorite old classics for the original Playstation, Harvest Moon and MediEvil. My brain is abundant with knowledge of MMORPG’s, first-person shooters, and when to plant turnips in the virtual world. I feel ready for this interview and am definitely keeping my fingers crossed!

Should this job not work out, however, I do have a backup plan that doesn’t involve moving in with my mother. Yesterday, I walked my neighbor’s dogs for a couple hours and tonight I am going to babysit. I’ve realized that a job is not necessarily dictated by direct deposit—lots of small, odd jobs can add up to a big lump of cash. That cash means the difference between living in my newly furnished apartment or my mom’s freshly de-couched townhouse. Even if I do end up with a part-time job this summer (I’m going to keep trying until it happens!), I can continue to work the small jobs on the side. So now in addition to handing in applications at every restaurant and retail store I pass by, I’m handing out my name to neighbors and family friends. The key for a working student really is perseverance—you can’t let rejection get you down. Somebody somewhere is always looking for help, and that help may as well be provided by you. So everyone, don your interview attire, grab a stack of resumes, and begin canvassing your names around town. After all, you can’t find work if nobody knows you’re looking.

iPhone 4 by Tim Gao

Last weekend, Apple announced their next big innovation: with the iPhone 4, to be set for release on June 24th at $199 with their new feature called “Face Time Video Chat.” The iPhone 4 has been redesigned to with a smaller frame, 2 cameras, and better display screen. If you look closely around the phone you’ll notice a stainless steel band wrapped around it, which is the antenna for the iPhone 4. The new product will now support 2 cameras; the front one and a rear one with built-in LED flash. The upgraded camera is now 5 megapixels, with 5x digital zoom with a “backside illustrated sensor,” which supports video recording in HD at 720p and 30 fps. The new high resolution display supports double the amount of pixels in each direction for a whopping total of 4 times the pixels compared to previous models. The iPhone 4 is powered by the same processer that powers the iPad, the A4 processer. Despite being a much smaller (25% smaller) counterpart to the iPhone 3G, the battery life of the phone has been increased. According to Apple, 3G talk time is rated at 7 hours, 6 hours of Wi-Fi (802.11n) browsing, 10 hours of video, 10 hours of 3G browsing, and 40 hours of music.

The new iPhone 4 sports a brand new operating system, the iOS 4. The new OS will enable the iPhone 4 to have motion control compatibility. Gamers all over will rejoice over this feature, as there are many games that can be imported with motion control. iOS 4 will automatically have high resolution text and button support. Current software developers for the iPhone can easily manipulate their software to be compatible with the new display. Last but not least, the introduction of the latest application called “Face Time.” This application is used exclusively for iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 users, and is currently only available via Wi-Fi. This feature does not require any setup and the camera view can be altered between front and rear.

The iPhone 4 will retail at $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model. AT&T will be the sole provider and will allow up to 6 months for grace upgrade timing. Pre-order starts in a week! Personally I won’t be getting it, simply because I do not like Apple products in general and their business model.

Extreme Makeover: College Football Edition by Spencer Thomas

The landscape of major college football is changing, and changing fast. With TV negotiations pending, conferences hope to boost their standing in order to grab their share of the massive revenues available from the major TV networks. So let the shuffles begin. Already Nebraska and Colorado have jumped ship from the Big 12 to the Big Ten and the Pac-10 respectively. The official mergers will take place in 2011 for Nebraska and 2012 for Colorado. The Big Ten has created huge revenues for its schools by creating its own television network to broadcast games and other programming. By adding Nebraska to their collection of schools, the conference hopes to further those revenues by adding a 12th team (the Big Ten previously had 11 teams, not 10 like the name suggests). Additionally, adding a 12th team to the conference will enable the Big Ten to hold a championship game after the regular season is complete. Out west, Colorado made a splash by being the first team to join the Pac-10 since the 70s. While it was previously rumored that Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were also going to join the Pac-10, these schools have since renewed their commitment to the Big 12. It is possible that the Pac-10 expands more in the near future, but at this moment, the conference is situated with 11 teams.

So here’s my take on all this. As currently constructed the Pac-10 has 11 teams, the Big 12 has 10 teams and the Big Ten has 12 teams. It seems like these places of higher education need to work on their counting skills. I would compare the shuffle to a Chinese fire drill. All the schools jumped out of the car and had to get back in before the light turned green; or in this case before the new TV contracts are negotiated. As a student at The University of Colorado, this bodes big things for the future. The Pac-10 is a renowned baseball conference, yet CU has no baseball team. Perhaps the additional money generated from the new pacific power conference will enable CU to add a baseball team to the athletic department (the addition of a baseball team would also yield a necessity for a softball team for the university to remain compliant with Title IX). The ramifications of conference realignment will not be realized for a number of years, but it is certainly worth talking about.

Kids These Days by Angus Bohanon

I wish I could tell you that this photograph is fake, but I can’t. This is a picture of a boy in Indonesia named Aldi. He is two years old and tips the scales at 44 pounds, twice what a toddler his age should weigh. And as you can see, he’s a smoker.

By now I hope you’re incredulous. I hope you’re saddened. Come to think of it, I hope you’re angry. How, you wonder, and why? Allow me to explain.

According to his mother, Diana—many Indonesians only go by one name—Aldi has always loved smoke. “I don’t remember when,” she told CNN, “but we went to the market and then suddenly he had a cigarette in his hand. Even when he was a baby and he would smell smoke he would be happy.”

Seto Mulyadi, chairman of Indonesia’s National Commission for Child Protection, blames the cultural stigma of smoking, or rather lack thereof, for Aldi’s habit. In Indonesia, apparently, there is almost no public knowledge of the toxicity of the smoke that so many residents willingly suck down. Aldi’s mother smoked all the way through her pregnancy, only quitting when she gave birth, and it is a common sight to see a parent with a baby in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

In fact, the main reason that Diana wants Aldi to quit smoking has nothing to do with his health—Diana simply doesn’t know how fragile his health is or how devastating the tobacco is for him—she just doesn’t want to pay for it anymore. Aldi smokes 40 cigarettes a day at a cost of almost four dollars, a crippling expense in a country whose average per capita income hovers around $2000.

But what’s to be done? The simple answer, I suppose, is simply not to let the chubby little chimney smoke, but Aldi is prone to tantrums that pose a serious threat to his own safety when he’s kept from his precious cigarettes. In hindsight, his mother should have just yanked his first cigarette out of his hand and stomped it into the dirt, but it’s far too late for that now. The only glimmer of hope is that, as belligerent as he may be, Aldi’s two. Just take them away. And if he doesn’t like it, well . . . tough. It’s for his own good.

Meals for college students by Elizabeth Hernandez

Growing up my mom and dad always prepared healthy home cooked meals; marinated chicken, homemade macaroni, applesauce and fresh green beans making sure to cover each food group.

But when I journeyed off to college the significance of the food groups was not top on my priority list. I mean let’s be honest, not every teenager knows how to cook lasagna let alone a four course meal. We are in college. We have little money. We have little time. We college students rely solely on what is microwavable, instant and most of all affordable. Things like “Just Add Water” and “Instant” excite us.

While these are easy ways to keep ourselves fed it is not really practical. One of my biggest fears was gaining the “freshman 15,” the notorious weight gain experienced by new college students.

So ultimately I want to prepare my meals faster, purchase groceries at cheaper prices, and eat healthier meals. Some may find the thought of attempting to eat healthier to be an act performed by the rare college student and no one would participate in the idea. In the collegiate culinary world, the diet of the average college student consists solely of Top Ramen, coffee and fast food but some students like me don’t want to be another statistic.

This sounds like a clever tactic, find inexpensive ways to keep off the extra pounds, but am I really going to have the motivation to cook healthy whole hearted meals? Waiting over 30 minutes for chicken to bake, when I could just pop bagel bites in the toaster oven? Probably not. But I am going to give it my best effort. I am going to look for other options rather than using the foreign appliance in my kitchen, the stove because when you live in a dorm you are limited.

So this is my attempt to create a place where college students can come discover new recipes, share their experiences, both good and bad because when it comes to cooking like mom it usually results in disaster. This is a chance for a college student like me, not to sugar coat the truth behind the world in which we stay nourished. What happens when we leave home and there is no one to cook for us?

College Curfew by Erik Kemp

In college, there is no curfew – none. Whether you did or did not have a curfew under your parents’ supervision, having no curfew is going to be different. Sure, there are quiet hours and visiting hours but nobody’s giving you a specific time or a punishment to go back to your room and sleep. You’re going to want to stay up with your friends for movie marathons, late night junk food runs, and who knows what else. Soon, it all adds up and it turns out that you’re hanging out every night and not studying or doing any homework. Solution: Hang out with your friends and meet new people, but every day find some time to sit down and study for at least an hour or more. Trust me, that prank war with the north side third floor will still be going on whether you’re studying or not and you can join right back in once you’re done getting your business taken care of. The biggest problem isn’t just the studying though – it’s sleeping. As a freshman, you’re most likely not going to get a schedule tailored to waking up at noon every day and sauntering off to your one o’ clock class. It’s going to be the “8 AM’s” and the “9 AM’s” that will put a toll on your body, if you’re staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning hanging out. The final straw will inevitably be the joke you have with your friends when you all say, “Sleeping is getting in the way of having fun.” And when that happens you might want to rethink how much time you spend with them. If you’re still not convinced, think of it this way; sleep is like oxygen, food and water. They are all essential to living and should not be ignored. My Final Words: Lay off the energy drinks and get some freaking sleep people! There’s always tomorrow to look forward to.

Time to Exercise by Chris Wicus

The lifestyle of a college student is full of responsibility and stress. Many of us juggle attending classes, working to pay for our education, and studying to keep our grades up. When you factor in social aspects like partying, dating and hanging out with friends, finding time to exercise becomes difficult.

I encountered this problem when I moved away to college. With no real schedule outside of classes, I was not managing my time effectively. I found my academic responsibilities took priority over physical activity. Throughout middle school and high school, the structure of clubs and sports had legislated my use of free time. I soon found that I had taken this structure for granted and I was headed down a path full of poor fitness choices.

Little did I realize that once the active portion of my lifestyle was removed from the equation I would start to gain weight and become unhealthy. Like so many newly liberated college students, I ate snacks and candy with no regard for my health. My body was taking in more energy than it was expending. This increase in calories and lack of exercise made me another victim of the dreaded “freshman 15”. Through my studies I learned the necessary steps for getting fit and staying healthy.

Using what I have learned from my own mistakes as well as the knowledge I am currently gaining becoming an exercise physiologist, I hope to provide some guidance for current and prospective college students in the realm of fitness as a lifestyle choice. Using limited exercise time efficiently and effectively is an invaluable skill for college students interested in keeping their bodies and minds healthy. I look forward to posting advice and tips to this blog to help you all realize and attain your fitness goals while in school.

What will your college sports scene look like? by Spencer Thomas

As students prepare to go back to college in a couple months, many may be curious as to what the sports scene at their respective university will look like. Many Division I schools offer student season tickets to football and basketball for discounted prices. But how should an incoming freshman or transfer student know whether or not they are getting a good value by spending upwards of $200 to attend the schools’ sporting events? There are a few points to consider. First, how close is the stadium to campus? The majority of schools house their stadia on campus, but stadiums are often a few miles away from campus, thus removing some students’ incentive for attending. Second, is the student body interested in the respective team? This question lends itself to the value that can be found by attending the game. Many students are interested in attending a game because it is a social event, not necessarily because they are a big football or basketball fan; i.e.: people go where they know there will be other people. Ask around campus to find out if there is a buzz about the team entering the season.

While every university’s primary goal is to be the best educational environment possible, many schools take just as much pride in the success of their intercollegiate sports teams. Athletic departments are multimillion-dollar enterprises that operate in a similar fashion to professional sports franchises. It goes without saying that if your prospective school is in a major BCS conference, then there will be significant interest in the athletic programs.

Whether it’s books, a new computer, meal plans or a longboard, students are presented with a plethora of things to spend money on every August. Yes, spending money on your schools’ sporting events is just another one of those things, but it is one of the best ways to become acquainted with your schools’ traditions.

College Checklist by Erik Kemp

Check List: Graduate from high school – Check. Have an epic summer with my friends – Check. Figure out how I’m going to pay tuition – Uh, my parents will probably help me out, maybe. Sign up for the right classes so I can graduate on time – Hmm, I’m sure they will tell us at orientation, right? So, recent high school graduate, I’m sure you have just hugged your friends good bye, listened to Vitamin C – Graduation Song for the hundredth time, and packed all your stuff for college. Have you forgotten or lost anything? Yes, you have. It’s called your mind. Plain and simple, college life is going to be different and you may have overlooked many of the smaller things that have a bigger impact than you may think.

Why is 3D Better? by Meagan Flannery Why is 3D Better? by Meagan Flannery

When I was little one of the most exciting treats for me was to see a 3D movie. I had only seen a few total during my childhood, and they were usually an event at an amusement park. Michael Jackson’s Captain EO was one of the greatest movies I had ever seen at three years of age. My parents probably spent hundreds of dollars just to get into Disneyland for the experience of that particular film. To me, 3D was rare, mainly because it was expensive and reserved for the spectacle films. Today, a single ticket to a 3D experience such as Avatar could cost you over $20!

3D films have been around almost as long as moving pictures have been around. Sure, the technology is better than the early 1900s, but the concept is the same: to get more viewers. Especially since television, 3D has been used as a competitive tool to make the movie-going experience better. But was it really better? People found it more convenient (and cheaper) to sit around the television as a family rather than spend the money to see movies that didn’t look so interesting. Hollywood added the 3D experience to draw crowds, but the fad quickly faded when people realized they were the same bad movies in a different vision.

Is Hollywood doing the same thing now? Well, with the convenience of the Internet, people are having an easier time pirating movies that haven’t been released yet, or if they have, could be watched from home. It is hard to steal 3D because it is an experience, one that can only be enjoyed in a big, dark theatre.

Is it worth it though? Personally, I’d rather sit at home and watch a movie (which I’ve bought legally!) or my favorite TV show because it is more convenient and it is considerably cheaper. I don’t think that a 3D experience can make a movie better; because a bad movie is a bad movie is a bad movie (that’s a lot of bads!). And particularly nowadays, theatres are switching to projecting in digital, so I feel that I could see the same HD quality at home. A lot of major theatres are losing the film experience and falling into a digital, 3D one, where everything is expensive, including the bad food.

More information on spectacle films: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/papers/medculturespectacle.html

See the history of 3D in pictures:

http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/slideshow/347577/pictures_history_3d_cinema_3d_television/?fp=4194304&fpid=1

http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/slideshow/347577/pictures_history_3d_cinema_3d_television/?fp=4194304&fpid=1

A Job Interview! by Anne Wrobetz

I never thought there would be a more exciting call I received from Game Stop than when they phoned to let me know I could trade in my old games for five dollars apiece. As of today, I have been proven wrong. I have an interview this Friday, an actual interview!

In a college town, life grinds to a screeching halt from May to mid-August. Except for the occasional trip to the ice cream parlor, the economy stagnates. The students spending the summer propagate like mosquitoes, sucking up not blood but the few jobs that do exist. All of this combines to create one miserable effect: I am depressingly unemployed.

For the past two weeks, ever since I moved into my apartment, I’ve been hitting the pavement searching for jobs. At first I was optimistic: I’m a hard worker, I have awesome references, and my last job (on campus in the dining halls) was a piece of cake to get. Quite literally; after my interview, the manager treated me to a free meal including dessert. This optimism quickly dissolved—I regressed from applying to such high-class locales as research labs and museums to dingy convenience stores and Taco Bell. As far as I’m concerned, Game Stop is a shining beacon that falls in the former category.

I thought that balancing a job with school was difficult, but at least I was gainfully employed during the school year. Now that I’m living on my own, buying my own food and paying rent, I actually need a job, which is why it’s so maddening not to have one. If I don’t get a job, it means the end of my independence. I’ll be moving back home to spend another summer bored out of my skull just waiting for school to start. It’s understandable that this phone call just made my week!

It’s always challenging trying to find a job, especially in an economy as slow as the current one. But perseverance is really key. I probably felled a whole grove of redwoods in my unquenchable thirst for applications. Was it worth it? I suppose I’ll find out on Friday. For now, I’m going online to learn everything the Internet has to say about video games. Overkill? Maybe, but I’m just too excited not to. How long until Friday?

Volunteering by Jess Pitts

It’s no secret that volunteering looks great on a resume and can be the factor that sets your resume or application above the rest. But before you sign up for the first volunteering opportunity you come across, there are a couple of things to keep in mind to make the most out of your time.

First off, choose something that you are actually interested in! If you enjoy the work you are doing, it doesn’t seem like work at all, and before you know it you will have tons of volunteer hours stacked up. So brainstorm about what your interests are, then do the research to find out which volunteer organization is a good fit for you. Don’t be afraid to contact someone to ask about what their group does, or what your responsibilities would actually entail.

Something to keep in mind when you are choosing where to volunteer is your career goals. If you want to be a surgeon someday, volunteer at a hospital. Even if you are only mopping floors to start, you will get first-hand experience on hospital life that can help inform your decision about med school. And if you like the experience, then the fact that you have already spent some time working in the area you’re pursuing will look great on an application or resume. Plus, now you have something to talk about in an admissions essay or statement of intent. And if you hate it? Well, it’s better to find that out now than after med school.

Next, think long-term. Two weeks with one group and a month with another will make it seem like you can’t keep a commitment. If the volunteer work just isn’t doing it for you there is nothing wrong with finding a better opportunity, but don’t jump around too often.

Also, if you can stick around for a while with the same group, there is a better chance for you to advance into a leadership position. Taking on extra responsibility always impresses employers and admissions officers.

Finally, and most importantly, don’t volunteer just for the resume booster. Going into volunteer service with that attitude will make it a miserable experience for you and everyone else. Volunteer because you want to, and because you care about the work you are doing. Enhancing your resume is just a perk that comes along with it, as does the sense of satisfaction you get from doing something good for your community.