Culture Corner

We all know that some foods are bad for us. But which foods are the worst. Most of us know that potato chips can make us fat or that butter can clog our arteries, but what about the foods you buy every day? On average, the busy student, even one who is studying at an online school or college, will buy pre-prepared or frozen food. Why? Because it’s fast, it’s easy and a lot of times it’s cheaper than making the dish yourself. But unfortunately, students suffer from making these easy choices because many of them are among the worst foods available. Here are the top five worst foods that you can eat.

Campbell’s Soup – Campbell’s is a popular soup option, especially with students. It’s delicious, you can heat it up quickly and it has pretty much an unlimited shelf life. But just one cup of an average Campbell’s condensed soup contains more than 760mg of sodium. And that’s only if you eat less than 1/3^rd of the can. On average, you should have 1,600mg or less of sodium per day. If you eat the whole can of Campbell’s soup, chances are you are pretty close to touching it already. Sodium can cause water weight gain.

Cheesecake Factory Chocolate Tower Truffle

One slice of this delicious, mouth-watering desert is enough to send you into a sugar coma. While you probably don’t expect your cheesecake factory deserts to be healthy, you probably also didn’t know that just one slice is about 1,700 calories! (That’s almost an entire days’ worth of calories) When you consider that it also contains about 50 grams of saturated fat (you should have 25 grams or less per day). Then you might want to consider staying away, or sharing your slice between 2 or more other people.

Starbucks Peppermint White Hot Chocolate

This beverage might sound delicious and in fact, that’s how it tastes. But when you consider the 730 calories and more than 15 grams of saturated fat, you begin to think that maybe it isn’t worth it after all. Cutting down on your Starbucks can save both your waistline and your wallet. If you want hot chocolate, try buying cocoa powder and making your own with skim milk. For chocolate coffee, you can use the same trick, just run it through a coffee machine!

Haagen Dazs

If you are a fan of ice cream you probably don’t want to hear this. But Haagen Dazs icecream contains about the same amount of cholesterol and fat as your average stick of butter. One serving is 300 calories with half of your daily recommended dose of cholesterol and 1/3d of your daily sodium. And that’s at only a small serving! But you don’t have to give up your ice cream entirely, try buying light ice cream from brands such as Baskin Robbins and Ben & Jerry’s. You can even buy Haagen Dazs light sorbets which are much healthier than their ice cream.

Cold Stone Shake

If you’re a fan of this ice cream breweries shakes, you might want to think twice. Just one ‘Oh Fudge’ shake contains 1,920 calories for the size large. That’s one days’ worth of calories all in one cup. If you’re willing to give up food (and nutrition) to have this shake then go for it. However; the shake also contains 69 grams of saturated fat (3x the daily limit).  If you love shakes, you can always try making your own at home. Use low fat ice cream, skim milk and healthy additives such as fruit and nuts!

Soda is a beverage that the average student drinks on a daily basis. In fact, studies show that the average American drinks 1-5 20 oz. bottles of soda per day and sometimes more. Soda is one of the most sold and most consumed beverages available on the market today. But is it good for you, definitely not. But what makes soda so bad for you? If you want to stop drinking soda (or cut down how much you drink) you have to know why. Here is a full overview of what goes into soda and why soda is so bad for you.

The ingredients in the average bottle of soda include carbonated water, caramel coloring, natural flavors, caffeine and high fructose corn syrup.

Most of the ingredients listed are in fact not harmful at all. Carbonated water is simply water with air bubbles. While it isn’t really harmful it can cause bloating, gas and excess stomach acid which can result in ulcers if consumed with extreme frequency.

Caramel coloring is perfectly safe as are natural flavors. Natural flavors can range from lime extract (most clear sodas) to ginger (root beer) to a wide variety of other things and are mostly not only harmless but healthy as well.

Soda also contains caffeine. While caffeine isn’t harmful it can be bad if you have a weak heart and when combined with sugar, its effects are enhanced. Caffeine can cause heart palpitations, hyperactivity and sleeplessness, especially when combined with large amounts of sugar. Caffeine can also be beneficial to the heart and can help to improve several bodily functions.

So, what is it that makes soda so bad for you? The answer is simple, high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is essentially 100% sugar. You don’t have to be a nurse practitioner to know that sugar is bad for you.

Just one bottle of soda contains around 70 grams of sugar! (Cola has 69 grams per 20 oz. bottle). When you consider that you should only have 100 grams or less of sugar per day you might begin to see the problem.

Sugar has multiple harmful side effects, the first and most obvious being that it can cause weight gain. Gaining weight is associated with obesity, diabetes (increased risk with high sugar intake) and lethargy.  Sugar increases cholesterol, can weaken eyesight, cause addiction, cause hyperactivity, interfere with protein absorption, cause food allergies, lower the effectiveness of your immune system, assist candida growth (yeast infection) and contribute to a wide variety of other ailments including bone problems.

So what can you do about it? Try limiting your soda consumption to 1 20 oz. bottle or less per day. Even just one bottle and you are cutting it close on your sugar limits. If you plan on having ice cream, cake, cookies or even a lot of food with natural sugars, you might just want to skip the soda entirely.

Now that you know what is in soda you can make an informed decision about how much of it you will drink. Remember that sugar can affect your healthy, your energy levels and your weight.

Food is one of the most important things in your life. Next to air and water it is one of the most important things for keeping your body alive. Food can be considered as fuel for your body. Try comparing it to gasoline if you will. Without food your body just won’t go. Unfortunately; food is one of the most neglected body necessities.

The majority of college students are young and mostly healthy regardless of the foods they eat. However; unhealthy eating will affect you as you grow older and can cause a few current problems that you might not even notice.

If you’re studying at an online nursing program you probably already know a little bit about the foods you eat. You might even have been shocked to learn about the damage that some common foods can cause to your body. However; most of us don’t know about the problems or the damage that simple foods can cause.

Lethargy

Have you ever felt lazy, like you didn’t want to do anything or even had difficulty mentally processing something? Sometimes these symptoms are due to the foods you eat! Sometimes they are caused by chemicals that slow your brain down and other times they are caused by the lack of chemicals your brain has become addicted to. Try drinking a liter of soda every day and then not having any at all for two days, you will feel very lethargic and even ‘sick’.  That’s because your body is going into withdrawal!

Digestive Problems

Your body doesn’t always get along with the foods you eat. For example, lectins in improperly cooked beans can cause stomach problems such as gas. Other foods that cause more severe digestive problems include imitation sugars which can even slow your metabolism down. Unfortunately, most foods that cause digestive problems are hard to track because different people process different foods in different ways. Sometimes a food that one person can eat easily will cause another person pain.

Calcium Deficiency

Processed foods contain chemicals that can cause calcium deficiency. Notable chemicals that cause this problem include sweeteners and imitations sugars. A calcium deficiency is a big problem. Not only does it weaken your bones, teeth and nails but it can cause osteoporosis and arthritis at an older age. Since you obviously don’t want these diseases, you should either avoid foods that cause calcium deficiency or take a calcium supplement to repair the damage.

Hair Loss

Foods can also cause hair loss! While there aren’t really any foods that directly cause actual hair loss; not eating the right foods can cause it.  Hair is made up primarily of a nutrient called keratin and if you don’t eat foods with keratin; your hair will weaken, become dry and brittle and possibly even fall out! It isn’t necessary to consume huge amounts of foods with keratin, even a little helps, but some people actually don’t eat any foods that contain the essential nutrient.

You’ve probably heard the old adage, you are what you eat. While it has often been taken to extremes in parodies, it’s actually somewhat true. If you eat unhealthy foods you will be unhealthy, if you eat healthy foods you will be healthy. It is as simple as that.

If learning occurs in a quiet place where high school and college students contemplate the knowledge gained in class, as described in the previous article, “How To Study / How To Learn,” where and when does learning occur for students in kindergarten to eighth grade? It is at least an interesting question, but one which high school age and college age minds should consider. (Actually, consideration at an earlier age might not even be possible.) Here are some thoughts to get you started.

For Parents
How often do you ask your children, “What did you learn in school today?” And when they answer, how do you follow up on their response? The environment in which the question is asked is also important. If asked during dinner, when watching TV or when one or more family members or friends are present, you may be subjecting the child to too many distractions to expect a serious response. Just a few minutes of quiet time with your child each evening would be beneficial for the child. And it would provide parents with some insight into what’s happening, or not happening, during a regular school day.

Consider the parents who seldom or never make such inquiries. If significant learning only occurs during such quiet, meditative and reflective periods of time, and little or no opportunity is given for such learning, there may only be one result – little or no learning!

For Teachers
Could, or should, teachers admonish students to explain to their parents what they learned each day? If so, how should this be done? Should teachers reserve some time near the end of each day to review key points and then provide students the time opportunity to think, meditate and reflect on those key points? Should addressing student questions also be part of this time period? Should this be done individually, as a class or as a combination of both? If you are contemplating how to become a high school teacher, aren’t these pertinent questions?

After observing college freshmen for many years, it is clear that something different is needed. Two to four students in every class of 30 (7 to 13 percent) have significant problems in mental math, written English and verbal English. Specifically, here are some examples. Estimating sums, products and quotients of numbers is nonexistent; thus, grossly wrong answers are never recognized. Capitalizing the first letter of the first word of a sentence, placing a period at the end of a sentence and creating a complete sentence with a subject, verb and object are often impossible; thus, college remedial English courses are necessary. Pronouncing words clearly and verbalizing logical and understandable thoughts simply does not happen very often; thus, class participation and oral reports suffer significantly. Is there a cause/effect relationship here?

For Human Learning Researchers
Does this warrant further investigation? Has similar research already taken place? Might this be an excellent topic, or area of research, for a master’s thesis or even a doctoral thesis? I suspect that the answer to all three questions is “Yes!” And maybe you could capitalize on these ideas and address the issues involving the current number of students entering college with major deficiencies in math, written communication and verbalization of thoughts, ideas and opinions.

In the words of one expert in K-12 education (Name is withheld, pending permission.), who frequently travels all over the USA evaluating school curriculums and strategies for learning, “The problem is only getting worse!” (personal communication, Prescott, Arizona, February 28, 2012) At least in the U.S., we desperately need to research and improve our “Understanding K to 8th Grade Learning – Preparation For High School and Beyond”!

Thank you for reading!

You should be going to college for one major reason, to learn how to learn. Along the way you will be exposed to many different people, situations, problems, etc.; and you will learn from them also. But where and when does most learning take place? Surprisingly, experts agree that it is not in the classroom!

What Is Learning?
In the classroom you are exposed to knowledge. Sometimes knowledge is in the form of facts and figures, historical events, names, places, theories, descriptions of processes, formulas, etc. Actually, some of the lowest level of learning, rote memory, may occur in the classroom; but is that any good if you only remember the knowledge for a few minutes, hours or days? Memory researchers have found that new material reviewed within 90 minutes of its introduction, reviewed again that same day, yet again in two to three days, again three weeks and then reviewed a final time about two to three months later, may be remembered indefinitely! But is simply memorizing and remembering what you need. No, learning is much more than remembering.

Learning is knowledge which is understood, applied and used as and when needed. These correspond to the levels of learning called understanding, application and correlation.*

*Note: For those who may be interested, the link above provides the basis for the referenced “levels of learning.” The “correlation” level used here (as taught in aviation) is the combination of “analysis, synthesis and evaluation” in Bloom’s Taxonomy, which some students and theorists have modified to become “analyze, evaluate and create.”

For example, you have knowledge about a seed, soil, water and sunlight. Then, you come to an understanding about putting these together to make something happen; next, you apply the understanding in the spring of the year when all of these are available, work is required and harvesting comes three or four months later. Finally, you make the connection that the process is necessary to support a family with food, but that process may take place at a natural rate or an accelerated rate when large amounts of food are necessary. Now you have reached the highest level of learning – correlation.

Where Does Learning First Take Place?
Let’s use the simple example just given. You just came from your first class and learned some things about seeds, soil, water and sunlight. You reviewed the material again after your second class; so the material is fairly fresh in your mind. That evening you go to the library where it is fairly quiet (Some students prefer background noise or music and cannot study in quiet environments; so create, or find, the best environment for you.), open your books and notes, and review them yet again. Now, you think, “Water, soil and seed… why water, soil and seed?… oh, water makes soil soft… then soil makes seed soft and seed can then sprout… sunlight? sprouted seed senses light and moves toward it!” Wow, learning has just taken place at the next level – understanding! You have just made the process understandable to you. In this simple example, you have just been exposed to how, when and where learning takes place, at least to the understanding level of learning. Learning works the same way for calculus, chemistry, astrophysics and neuroscience!

But Then What?
Unless you get to the “understanding” level of learning, you will not be able to get to the application and correlation levels. Therefore, getting to the understanding level, and knowing how to get there, should open to you the whole world of learning. What have you just done? You have gained insight into how mankind learns, lives better and eventually prospers! And it all depends upon creating an environment conducive to learning – which is, or should be, the major purpose of every high school, college and university!

Thank you for reading!

Should you live on campus or off? If available, and if they can afford it, many freshman students will choose off campus living. But which choice is right for you? Here are some thoughts and suggestions.

On Campus Living
College life on the traditional college campus is a very sheltered environment. Meals, housing, security and studying accommodations are all conveniently located, which are intended to provide, most importantly, an environment conducive to learning. Especially for freshmen, this is important. It allows new students the opportunity to adjust to college life, while not having to concentrate on creating or providing for these elements of a learning environment. The environment conducive to learning is immediately available; whether new students take advantage of that environment is an individual decision.

On campus living also puts students in the immediate proximity to other students, instructors, administrators and the various student services such as health services, financial aid, student clubs and organizations and places for social gatherings.

Off Campus Living
By contrast, off campus living creates physical distance between the student’s living quarters and this carefully designed environment conducive to learning and the student services. For students with prior experience away from home, those wanting an independent lifestyle and those with the ability to assure their own safety and learning environment (for example, a quiet place to study), off campus living will allows all of this. However, with this independence comes the responsibility to accomplish academic work in the midst of the many possible distractions and temptations of the outside world.

The availability of off campus housing may also be an issue. If you are unexpectedly forced to leave a home or an apartment, are there alternatives living quarters available? Often this will depend on the season, the proximity of other colleges and universities, the economy and other factors, which may be completely out of your control.

Transportation to and from school may also be an issue or even an obstacle to accomplishing academic work. Extra time is involved, the possibility of missing classes because of traffic or vehicle breakdowns, planning for use of public transportation and parking near classrooms are all potential issues to consider.

Choosing the Right One For You
For most students, living on campus for at least the freshmen year is usually best. For older students and those part-time students who have work full-time work, living off campus is usually the best choice. Choosing to live off campus just because you want independence from the college or university (as well as from mom and dad), is often a poor choice; this is especially true for college students away from home for the first time.

Are there other alternatives? Yes, there is one. Live almost anywhere you choose and enroll in one of the best online schools. The convenience of studying where and when you want, according to your schedule, is certainly a big advantage. And many colleges and universities, for example the University of Phoenix, may also offer a combination of online courses and traditional classroom instruction.

However, the choice is yours. Consider all of the above. Talk to students enrolled in an online school, as well as those living on campus and those living off campus. Consider all the factors and then choose, but choose wisely.

Thank you for reading!

You are a wife and mother with two children at home. You have your own in-home business and are considering taking one or two online college courses toward a professional certification. Your are also partially home-schooling one child, a 14 year old. Much of his work is done online, but he must be supervised. And you have a 7 year old daughter in first grade. Here are some suggestions.

Priorities
This first priority is pretty straight forward. The Lord and church attendance are number one. He is the one making all other priorities fit together; so He cannot be neglected.

Next is your husband. He must be involved and aware of all your decisions, and actually give the final OK. (Eventually, you will have some income in your new in-home business; but right now it is minimal.) This priority includes being a wife and helping to assure that his work and income are not negatively impacted.

The kids are a close priority behind your husband; but actually you both work on spending time with each of the children every day. There are a few things you both need to assure. The kids must eat right, get to school on time each day, spend some time playing with friends – friends approved by both you and your husband, assure your son’s homework is completed, spend some time with your daughter each evening and then make sure they both get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Final priorities are house work, online studying and assuring your home work, assignments and projects are completed on time.

Time Management
Well, now you know what to do and in what priority. Next comes the hard part, “How?” There will be no substitute for a schedule. From getting up in the morning to going to bed at night, everything must get done. At least Monday through Friday, the schedule must be adhered to, regularly and even religiously; otherwise, something will be neglected a few days each week, or maybe even everyday. That cannot happen. You are setting examples for these kids to follow for a lifetime; and you would like to get your housework and course work done also. A strict schedule and regimen is the only answer.

And what are you going to do if you cannot follow that established schedule and regimen? You guessed it, the last priority has to go away – the online courses. So do not let that happen! Make it work!

Setting Goals
Maybe after two weeks or a month, you and your husband can reassess how it is going. The goal is to adhere to the schedule and regimen for those two weeks or a month.

Now that you have a workable schedule, and have tweaked it a little, set additional goals. These might include: 1. No interference with your husbands work for three months; 2. All A’s and B’s on your son’s remaining tests for the rest of the quarter or semester (the next 6 or 13 weeks); 3. No more than two school absences by your daughter for the rest of the quarter or semester; and 4. Finishing all your online course requirements in 3 to 6 months.

Notice that the goals are listed in priority order. Hopefully, this has given you some ideas on how to set priorities, manage your time and still get your online course work completed, and completed on time.

Thank you for reading!

Have you ever simply had no clue about a test question? Well logically, you might be able to figure it out. Here are some useful tips. However, they are no substitute for timely reading, studying, understanding and applying the information. These tips may get you a few extra points; but very rarely will they make a even letter grade change.

True/False Questions
Does the question contain absolute words “always” or “never”? It is most likely false.

Instructors should strive to make any given test a learning experience, meaning it emphasizes main points. Therefore, a series of true/false questions are very rarely all or even mostly false. The instructor wants you to recognize and remember true statements, not false ones. Additionally, often the false ones will be blatantly false; otherwise, they may be misleading, which would be grounds for labeling a question “unfair” – something your instructor should strive to avoid.

Multiple Choice Questions
Using the process of elimination, many multiple choice questions can be narrowed down to two or three choices. Particularly for a timed test, mark (or if that is not permitted, mark on a piece of scratch paper) the eliminated answers – those you are sure make the statement false, untrue or nonsensical. However, sometimes even a scratch paper is not allowed; in this case say to yourself, “Its not a, b or e, so it must be c or d.” Then, just concentrate on c and d. You now have at least a 50 percent chance of a correct answer, even if you guess!

Instructors try hard not to give away the answers to any given question within the wording of another question. However, it is a very easy mistake to make. This is not something you should rely on, but when you simply don’t know, and you still have time, review other questions for an answer or a clue to the questions giving you trouble.

As in the true/false questions, look for absolute words such as always, never, entirely, completely and wholly (and others), which give a sense of being either black or white. The answer containing such words is seldom the correct one.

Fill-In-The-Blank Questions
Again inadvertently, the instructor may give the answer, or a clue, within later or previous questions. Time permitting, check this out.

Sometimes, although most instructors are wise to this, instructors will provide a blank space just big enough for the answer, thus providing you a clue to the length of the correct word or phrase. However, some instructors (like myself), will sometimes purposely insert a long blank space when a short answer is required. It may be a little sneaky, but the instructor is just trying to see if you really know the answer.

Other Question Types?
Obviously, there are others. Matching, essay and ordering or prioritizing are some of them. Faculty at the best traditional or the best online universities, such as Boston University Online or Post University Online, may use a combination of many question types, which actually provides the highest quality testing. However, such a test takes longer to create and longer to correct; thus, some college instructors give mostly multiple choice and true/false questions, leaving essay or short answer questions only on a few homework assignments, projects and final exams.

If an instructor ever gives questions on content not covered in the text, online materials or in class, bring it to his or her attention. Most likely, it was an oversight; and you may receive credit for such questions.

Thank you for reading! Your comments and questions are most welcome.

My Roommates
I had two roommates as a freshman in college; both were brought up on farms in Maine – an egg farm and a dairy farm. But I had almost never even been on a farm, except for a horse farm in 1965 in Westport, Connecticut, when I helped my aunt and uncle with a horse show for a few weeks. Physically, they were in great shape and strong. On the other hand, I could hardly do one pull-up, one push-up or even run a mile. But I learned and was inspired by my roommates; I started an exercise routine and am still doing it today, 46 years later.

Learn From Your Roommates
As my roommates did, your roommates may come from entirely different backgrounds, have completely different points of views and beliefs, and even be enrolled in different majors. One of my roommates, Mel, was a Civil Engineering major; the other, Phil, was a fellow student in my Associate Degree Electrical Engineering Technology program. Phil went on to a four year degree program in Electrical Engineering (EE); and I went on to a four year program in Business Management. Each of us found our niche in academics and did well, at least in part because we learned to get along with each other as roommates.

Phil, Mel and I were the very last group of three in Stodder Hall, our dormitory, to be broken up. We got along very well and learned from each other. Academically, I learned much from Phil who made excellent grades as he went on to the four year EE program – one of the most academically challenging engineering programs. Academically, Mel was more of an average student, worked hard, got good grades, had a great disposition and had a broad smile for everyone.

But probably the most important lesson to be learned from your roommates is to tolerate their individual idiosyncrasies, moods, habits and sometimes even their lifestyles. I too knew the meaning of hard work; I just did not have to do it everyday of my life on a family farm. Both Mel and Phil also had a solid foundation about what was right, wrong, true, false, good and evil; so, although we occasionally had our differences, we tolerated each other. But what about roommates with completely different values, beliefs and even morals?

Coping With Roommates
When you reach the point where you have learned all you can, and benefited as much as possible from the experience, but you still cannot tolerate them or their lifestyle, it may be time to ask for a new roommate assignment. And that is not unusual. However, before that takes place, try to understand their points of views, upbringing and their parents’ background. Also find out why they chose their major. What are their goals? What are their college and career aspirations? If you show interest in them, very often they will also show interest in you. And you will understand each other much better and have a much greater chance of learning from each other, tolerating each other and successfully living together.

Thank you for reading. As always, your comments and questions are most welcome.

College life is nearly as much about developing social relationships as it is about academics. And the most important social relationship you will ever have is with the person you will someday marry. However, college life should not be primarily focused on finding a girlfriend, boyfriend or marriage partner; it should be primarily focused on education and preparations for a career. If finding that special someone happens along the way, that’s fine. But when it becomes your primary focus, i.e. all you can think about, you are in dangerous territory, especially without the Lord.

The Pressures of Dating
For those without the Lord there are many; and these many pressures can spoil the joys of getting to know someone of the opposite sex. Why? Because often, certainly not always, the central thought in the mind of both the boy and the girl is sex or the possibility of sex. The boy repeatedly thinks, “Should I or shouldn’t I and if so when?” The girl repeatedly thinks, “What is he going to do and when? How far should I let him go?”

For those with the Lord there are many fewer. And those social pressures mostly involve getting to know and understand the other person better. Why? Because the sexual pressures are off. The physical urges and attractiveness of one to the other are still there; but they are under control and not dominating the thought processes, as described above.

Those who are reading this who do not know the Lord as their best friend and Lord and Savior, do not and cannot understand what is meant by the words “under control” above. The Lord actually helps, immeasurably, with your self-control by not leading you, or allowing you to be lead, into temptation that you cannot handle. Why are there so many births outside of marriage? Too many young people do not have such help from the Lord, because they do not know Him!

Sex Outside of Marriage
Sex outside of marriage will lead to problems of heartbreak, despair, feelings of abandonment, apprehensions, regret, premature responsibilities and often children growing up in a broken family. In a word, “Don’t!” These problems are simply not worth the momentary pleasures of those first sexual encounters.

The Better Plan
Is it easy to wait? No, not even for those who know the Lord. I have a masters in business, not a masters in psychology, but I do know it is a “better plan” because it is God’s plan. One man and one woman can have a wonderful relationship within the bounds of marriage, physically, emotionally and spiritually. And the superlatives encountered in all three will far far outweigh those encountered outside the bonds of marriage; plus, they will last longer and grow stronger. How many unmarried couples do you know that can say the same about their relationship? They are few and far between. Additionally, I will add that those you do know who appear to be doing fine have many people praying for them, i.e. praying that the couple comes to know the Lord, gets married and enjoys the many benefits of “The Better Plan.”

Thank you for reading! Your comments and questions are most appreciated.

Just as you must take a number of basic education courses such as math, English and composition to attain a well-rounded basis for the rest of your higher education, you also should expose yourself to a number of different types of people, such as those from a foreign country, those taking different majors and those with a significantly different personality, interests and viewpoints about life. As covered previously, these do not need to be your “best friend” or even a close friend; they may be merely acquaintances or fellow students working on a course project or some extra curricular activity.

Foreign Students
Often, you may meet foreign students by simply joining a school club, fraternity or sorority; or you may just make a new acquaintance. Knowing a student from another country can be very interesting and educational. You can share your culture with them; and they can do the same with you. You will find that ordinary customs and habits become fascinating topics of discussion. Examples might include not only language but eating habits, dating habits, work ethic and routines, study methodology and use of communication and social media. Simply discussing their educational and professional goals and aspirations is often very intriguing. Will they elect to stay in this country after graduation, or do they plan to return to their native country? Might this change before graduation?

Different Major Students
You certainly will have many acquaintances and even friends within your own major. However, do not limit yourself to these students exclusively. Seek out other students, possibly with related or unrelated majors. If you are a business major, look for students in engineering or arts and sciences. If you are a history major, look for students in anthropology, astronomy or engineering. Again, you do not have to be close friends, but make such acquaintances to expose yourself to other disciplines. You will gain a better appreciation of their required academic rigors and technical expertise, as well as the reasons why those students chose their major. Consider this just another part of your social college education. It often will be at least interesting and possibly evolve into making new close friends or even a best friend!

Different Personalities, Interests and Viewpoints
This one will require more work and deliberate effort. However, it may be the most rewarding experience of your college education. Students with different personalities, interests and viewpoints may look at the institution, other people, their chosen discipline and aspects of life in general from a completely different perspective than you had ever considered before. For example, one student’s dad may be president of a large corporation, another student may aspire to be an astronaut, another may already have contacts in the FBI and aspire to become an agent, while another may have always wanted to become a police officer. Quite probably, you will never again be exposed to such a wide variety of personalities, interests and viewpoints. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn about people. Your life will be much richer for this adventure in meeting and understanding people with different aspirations and diverse social experiences.

Thank you for reading! Your questions and comments are most welcome!

This is the second of a multi-part series of articles on Adjusting to College Life. In Part I (post #2) we covered homesickness, meeting the professors and suggestions for your spare time. This entire article is devoted to selecting new friends. However, this article will mention many related subjects; and each may be the major topic of future articles about “Adjusting to College Life.”

Who Is Important!
In college you will meet a very wide variety of people. This will be true whether you choose a large school such as the University of Phoenix or a much smaller school such as Penn Foster College. Some students will be smart, dumb (at least at times), big, small, fat, thin, handsome or beautiful, unattractive or ugly, long haired, short haired, intellectual, nerds, shy, gregarious, boastful or unassuming. The list could go on infinitum. So how do you choose? Well, you don’t, at least at first.

College is as much a social learning experience as an academic learning experience. You should meet, and even introduce yourself, to people of every description listed above and more. You should also strive to meet those with whom you disagree; this might include those your disagree with spiritually, philosophically, intellectually and even morally (This will be covered, in some depth, in a later article.) and logically. (This refers to those who make choices in life, which are difficult to understand.) Additionally, you will meet people with whom you have no common interests, likes, dislike or preferences; these should be put in a separate category, such as “learn something new” or “try it, you might like it.”

The main point here is “Who is important!” College is a learning experience in many ways. Accumulate a wide variety of acquaintances and learn something from each one. Accept and even emulate or incorporate into your life the traits and characteristics you believe are admirable and acknowledge them as such. But, as importantly (in some cases perhaps more importantly), discard those you believe are not admirable and acknowledge them as such. Do not even try to be a friend, especially a close friend, to everyone.

How Many?
Be friendly to everyone, but only be a “best friend” to one or two; and be a “close friend” to no more than two to four others, and only more with caution. Every college student should have one or two “best friends.” Arguably there are exceptions, but most people must have one or two people to trust and confide in. However, be prepared to be blackmailed, lied about and to, stolen from, threatened and occasionally even yelled at and humiliated. Each of these are simply part of the college social learning experience. You may not experience all of these; but you will experience some of them, sometimes even by your own so called “best friend.” Why? Because you will make mistakes choosing your friends, especially making a best friend or close friend out of someone who should be only an acquaintance; and maybe they should not even be that.

Should You Have a “Best Friend”?
In a word, “Yes!” You definitely should choose one or two best friends; and for good reason, this has now been repeated four times. And this will also be true well beyond college life. Should you get married, your spouse should be your best friend; in college, should you have a girlfriend or boyfriend, she or he should be your best friend. One additional best friend is always fine, as long as they are of the same sex; otherwise, you are just asking for a new girlfriend or boyfriend or trouble!

There is no substitute for a best friend, who you can share your triumphs and defeats with as well as your joys and apprehensions. They will play major parts in “Adjusting to College Life.”

As always, your comments and questions are most welcome. Thank you for reading!

This is not meant to be a treatise on the Bible. Rather it is a guide for college students, whether attending a traditional campus or one of the many online schools, to not neglect their spiritual life; for we are spiritual beings inhabiting a physical body. And each of us will be required to give an account for ourselves, according to scripture. And that will determine where each of us spends eternity, as a spiritual being. Do even these simple introductory sentences peak your interest in spiritual things? If you answered “Yes,” good, because there is much to be learned and revealed by both man and the Lord Himself. If you answered “No,” do yourself a favor; force yourself to read the remainder of this article – giving yourself at least the chance to know the joys of discovering the reality of God Himself. It will take you only another two to four minutes, and could change your life forever!

On Campus
Colleges and universities, online or within the traditional campus, seldom if ever completely neglect the spiritual well-being of their students. However, you may have to hunt for whatever facilities, guidance and support are available. If there is a chapel or even a church or bible study on campus, start there. Ask what denomination is being espoused; then determine if you would like to become a member or even a leader. Possibly, you are not a member of any church or affiliated with any denomination. Or, maybe you are an agnostic and do not even believe in God or anything spiritual. In the former case, I challenge you to seek God for yourself and learn about Him and His Word, the Holy Bible. After all, you are in a college environment, which is carefully designed to stimulate and motivate students to learn. So why not learn about God Himself? In the later case, even an agnostic believes in something, i.e. some philosophy of life and understanding about eternity after life. If that is you, challenge your beliefs by learning about other philosophies, religions and belief systems. You might, and probably will, find one that makes sense to you. There is nothing that has the potential to change your life, and affect your entire future, than coming to the realization that God is real and can demonstrate that reality in your life on a daily basis.

I would be negligent if I were to ignore the elements of PC (political correctness) and liberal bias that permeates most college and university campuses throughout the U.S. and much of the world. These elements are real. Moreover, they may even influence you to believe in such philosophies as: there is no right and wrong or true and false, because everything is relative. Or, influence you to believe that all instructors, staff and administrators must be completely neutral in their communications, teachings and admonitions. From a secular perspective, these may seem logical or even correct. From a spiritual perspective, these are absolutely false and misleading. However, learn for yourself; then make an informed decision after you have given yourself the opportunity to:

• Know God as your best Friend
• Allow Him to help and guide you daily.
• Overcome evil with good and avoid temptations (There certainly are many in college.), with His help.
• Discern right from wrong and true from false. (It is not always an easy decision!)
• Appreciate the importance and rewards of considering other people first, not your own ambitions, desires and interests.

The above five items only scratch the surface of the very abundant life that can be yours as a result of exploring your spiritual being, for it is real!

Off Campus
Find a church consistent with the decision you made above, i.e. on campus. Even if you have to travel ten to forty miles from your college, the trip to support your spiritual life once or twice each week will be worthwhile. On campus you are often exposed to a wide variety of philosophies, religions and belief systems. An outside church, its pastor and the congregation will focus your spiritual life in a single direction, like nothing available on a college campus. And the exciting part, especially if you come to know the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, is that you will have the opportunity to share your beliefs with others, invite them to challenge your belief system and learn about other belief systems. Never be afraid to compare what you believe with what others believe. When you know the Lord, it becomes very clear that He and His Word must be declared, not debated! However, in the unique learning environment of a college campus, you must be tolerant of other viewpoints and belief systems, while realizing that not everyone will believe as you do and, sadly, not everyone will come to know the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

On Your Own Time
Simply, form the habit of reading the Bible, praying and attending regular church services. Together with regular physical exercise and eating right, you will be forming habits that will serve you, and your future family, for a lifetime. What could be more important than that?

Thank you for reading! Your comments and questions are encouraged and most appreciated.

Are you in good shape physiologically? Can you do any pushups? 30? Can you do any pull-ups? 5? Can you run? 2 miles? If you answered “No” to any of these, you need help. If you answered “Yes” to all of these, and you can do the specified amounts of exercise, you are actually in pretty good shape – probably better than many, perhaps even most, of your colleagues. If you are in good shape now, stay that way with regular physical exercise. If you are not in good shape, and you do not have any major health issues, start an exercise regimen and make it a lifetime habit and endeavor. If you have major health issues, consult your doctor first.

As A Freshman…
I was eighteen years old. Both of my roommates were farm boys; one from an egg farm and another from a dairy farm. They were strong; and as far as I could tell, they always had been strong, because they grew up doing hard manual work on the farm. On the other hand, I had never lived on a farm, at least not for very long or very often. I was energetic and had great endurance until about age 11. For the following 7 years or so I let myself go. I knew my energy levels were low, I seldom did sports on a regular basis and I never did any regular exercise. When I did try out for sports, I struggled with a lack of both strength and stamina. This happened in baseball and swimming, both of which I loved. I never could run very fast in baseball; and although I did have fast reflexes, I was shy and unassertive, which I believe was related to my lack of being in good physical shape. I also remember very quickly running out of physical strength and stamina while taking a junior life saving course, which I did not pass.

Yes, I was embarrassed but also determined to do something about it. I had no other major health issues, other than a integral hernia, which did give me more trouble in my last few years of college. I began a jogging regimen and I have maintained it ever since. During my college years I ran five to six days per week, peaking at about three or four miles. And on my 21st birthday I decided to do something different, since I never did smoke, drink or go partying; I took a 50 mile bicycle ride from Orono, Maine to Milo, Maine and back to Orono. Admittedly, I was totally exhausted after 50 miles; but I did it!

Later – A Lifelong Habit Was Formed
Moreover, on my 31st birthday I ran 13 miles – half a marathon! For me that was quite a feat and the farthest I have ever run, even to this day, 32 years later. But to this day, nearly 46 years after being a college freshman, I still exercise six days a week for about 45 to 50 minutes each day. Together with eating right (which means minimizing junk food and carbonated beverages and never drinking alcohol or taking drugs), regularly getting six to eight hours sleep and serving the Lord, I have formed the lifelong habit of regular physical exercise. And it has paid off! Not wanting to wear out my knees, which have given me some pain while running, I stopped running and started walking a few years ago. Today I regularly do 30 pushups and walk with my dog Bose (a white lab) for 35 to 40 minutes in addition to a number of stretching exercises before and after each session.

Other Benefits
Academically, I did better because I had more mental energy in addition to physical energy. I also found it much easier to deal with the stressors of college life, of which there are many! In addition to academic pressures, adjusting to college life, social pressures, sports, planning a career and managing finances (although my parents took care of most of the expenses) were all significant sources of stress; and I know they still are sources of stress for every college student, whether attending one of the top online colleges or universities or living in a traditional campus environment.

Talk to other students about getting and staying in shape. Especially if you are a college freshman, the next time you see someone coming back to their dormitory or apartment from working out, ask them, “How long have you been working out? Why do you do it?” And watch them over the next few months or years. If they are maintaining that exercise regimen, make it a point to find out how they are doing academically, e.g. what is their GPA? I will guarantee that 95 percent of these college students are B or A students with 3.0 to 4.0 GPAs. If you are serious about your college education, and obtaining a great career, such students should inspire you to be “Seeking Help – Physiologically.” You will be glad you did!

Thank you for reading!

As an academic advisor for most of my 27 years as a faculty member, I can easily provide much advice for college students on a variety of subjects, but especially on the subject of seeking help, academically. Besides their teaching jobs, faculty are often asked, or required, to do academic advising. Many students neglect these resources, principally because there are so many distractions away from academics and they feel no academic help is necessary.

Sources of Academic Help
1st: Your Individual Instructors: Before class, after class or during the instructor’s published office hours, take advantage of this most valuable source of academic help. Not all questions and concerns can, or should, be addressed during class time. Time constraints prohibit addressing all of them during class. And each instructor should strive to spend some time individually with each student. However, students should be aware that with a class larger than 20 to 30 students, this is very challenging for every instructor. Therefore, students must go out of there way to meet with their individual instructors, at least two or three times each semester! This cannot be overemphasized!

2nd: Your Academic Advisor: These are usually full-time (but occasionally part-time) faculty members within the same department, school or college as the student’s major. (If your advisor knows little about your major, or is in a different department, school or college, request a change immediately!) However, sometimes the institution will hire professional academic advisors, hopefully personnel with some expertise in your chosen major. The institution should have a written policy stating that each student MUST meet with their academic advisor at least twice during each semester, usually early in the semester and again a few weeks before final exams. You should be receiving an email and/or hardcopy of a notice explaining this requirement.

3rd: Student Tutors: These are juniors or seniors majoring in your field of study or one closely related. For freshman and sophomores requiring help in basic required courses (English, algebra, writing, etc.), they may not be majors in your field of study, which is OK. However, for junior and senior level courses, the student advisor must have the same major, or one very closely related. These are carefully selected and trained students with two qualifications: 1. High academic GPA; 2. Very congenial and friendly personalities who want to help other students. If you are ever assigned a student tutor who does not meet these qualifications, ask to be assigned a different student tutor.

4th: Library Personnel: Libraries are often huge and overwhelming to many students, particularly freshman or sophomore who have not become familiar with the many resources available. Library personnel are trained to help students find materials and do research at all levels, from freshman to graduate students. From finding books in the “stacks” to finding information online at an individual workstation, you will save much time and frustration if you ask for help, as opposed to trying to figure it all out by yourself. Your time is valuable! Use it wisely, especially when studying and doing assignments, which often will require library resources.

Priority of Sources
The above sources of academic help were put in priority order. Your individual instructors are priority one! Introduce yourself to them and get to know them individually, before, during or after the very first class, or at the latest during class two or three. This serves two extremely important purposes. You will feel more confident asking questions or commenting during class; and you will be much more apt to ask questions before or after any given class.

Notice that the other three sources of academic help require some voluntary initiative on your part. Even if you are shy by nature, which many students are (Don’t feel you are the only one who hesitates to ask for help; believe me, you are not alone!), force yourself to seek help. You are in college to learn. In the college environment, nothing will help you more in your quest to learn than forming the habit of asking questions. You are there to learn and spending allot of money to do so. So ask questions!

The Importance of Regular Use
The institution’s policy of talking to your academic advisor at least twice each semester is there for a reason. Unfortunately, I still had a number of students who never did visit my office, despite the policy and despite emails, written hardcopy notices and my repeated personal telephone calls or emails. Just as instructors cannot force a student to learn, instructors also cannot force students to seek help. The students must want to be helped and take the initiative to get that help.

I will guarantee, if you regularly use the listed sources of academic help, 1, 2 and 4 (Student tutors I will leave as optional; not every student must use a tutor.), your grade point average will increase at least 1.0 to 2.0. That could easily make the difference between a D and a B or between a C and an A in every college course on your schedule. Try it! You will be amazed by the difference you can make, simply by forming the habit of seeking help and asking questions!

As always, your comments and questions are most welcome. Thank you for reading!

The title of this article was selected very carefully, as was the previous one, " Dealing with Homosexuals and Other Minorities." Usually, the generic term "minorities" is a term referencing people of a different race, nationality or religious affiliation than the majority in a given population. However, in this article we are addressing a very special and unique population, that of a college or university. As was also addressed in the previous article, the college environment is a very sheltered one. What happens there may not happen, or openly be allowed to happen, anywhere else. Specifically, I am addressing the issue of tolerance.

Tolerance
Any college or university should create a somewhat sheltered learning environment. And that learning environment must be tolerant of many different points of view, perspectives on life, religious viewpoints, theories, ideas, opinions and even lifestyles – as long as any one of these does not disrupt or destroy that all important learning environment. Violence, physical hostility, denigration of character or personality or minority status on the college campus must all be strictly prohibited by faculty, staff, administrators and administrative assistants, and law enforcement. The students free verbal expression of thought must be preserved.

Other Minorities
Being consistent with the above description of the generic term “minorities,” and specifically addressing colleges and universities in the U.S., the most common (but certainly not all) minorities are Hispanics, blacks, Asians, Native Americans, Jews, Moslems and Christians. At least in the U.S. and in many “western democracies,” freedom of religion and freedom of speech are both critical and paramount in importance, which is especially important in the college environment. Therefore, to denigrate an individual college student, directly or indirectly, because of their minority status in one of these categories must not be allowed. However, statements, whether positive or negative, about the minority populations, or segments of the minority populations inside or outside the college or university, must be tolerated. Otherwise, the freedoms of religion or speech may be negatively impacted.

Therefore, will some college students be offended? Absolutely, and this will happen in the outside world also. Students must learn to deal with criticism. But they must also be afforded the opportunity to rebut or refute any allegations regarded as unfair or even false. Dialog and debate must not only happen; it must be facilitated by the learning environment. However and unfortunately, this will not always be the case in the real world outside of the college learning environment.

Homosexuals
By design, homosexuals have not been included in the list of common minorities above. In fact, homosexuals may be a member of any of the above common minorities except one, Christians. And this is true because of two factors: First, God’s Word is true and second, God’s Word says, “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed abomination.” (Leviticus 20:13; in New Testament see Romans 2:24-32) Additionally, God’s Word says, “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5) Finally, some homosexuals are often predatory; they seek out others for their own pleasure and exploitation – enticing or forcing others to engage in or practice their lifestyle.

However, in the college environment Christians too must “tolerate” homosexuals. They must be regarded as human beings capable of being forgiven by Christ, changing their lifestyle and making heaven their home through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. But it should also be said here that no one, in the majority or in the minority, is preyed upon and forced to become a Christian. God’s Word is clear, that no man or woman comes to Christ except when they are drawn by God Himself, not by the efforts of men or women. (John 6:44) Just as a person cannot be forced to learn, a person also cannot be forced to become a Christian. That must be done as one’s freewill dictates.

A Reminder – This Is A Christian Perspective
Clearly, this article and this series of articles are written from a Christian perspective. They do not cater to political correctness; some people will be offended. However, as is true on the college or university campus, what is true, false, right and wrong must be exposed, discussed or declared without disrupting or destroying that all important learning environment.

As always, your questions and comments are most welcome. Thank you for reading!

If you are a Christian, you know that humans are made in God’s image.  That means we have some similarities to God; and one of those similarities is jealousy.  God is a jealous god.  And men and women are jealous creatures, especially jealous of each other.  Striving to be different, unique, one-of-a kind, better, smarter, faster, more intellectual, more intelligent, more articulate, more insightful or more evil than anyone else.  Today, the slang expression is “bad”; or, “He is a bad dude!”  This means “he” is one or more of the listed attributes to make “him” different and sometimes even superior to others.

The Minorities

Therefore, it does not matter whether we are referencing homosexuals, blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Jews, Moslems or Christians or other minorities; they all are trying to be different, get noticed and in some cases enticing, preying upon, convincing, persuading or even proselytizing others to join them.  Some of these efforts are innocent enough, some are well meaning and some are clearly self-serving.  But which ones are good, meaning unselfishly helpful to the person being approached, and which ones are evil, meaning selfishly dangerous to the person being approached?  That is the most important question to answer as you deal with any of these minorities.  What is their agenda or motivation?

The Unique College Environment

The college or university environment should be designed with only one purpose, that is to create an environment conducive to learning.  Students are very much sheltered.  Colleges and universities often have their own police or campus security; some activities such as excessive drinking, use of illegal drugs, prostitution, speeding in vehicles and similar dangerous activities are prohibited or very strictly controlled or supervised.  They have their own set of rules or campus regulations.  They may limit certain demonstrations, solicitations, practice of dangerous activities (such as those listed earlier), foul language, loud music, etc.  They hire only uniquely qualified faculty members, provide special buildings and facilities for learning specialized skills or subjects and only admit students with backgrounds and qualifications thought to be compatible with their envisioned learning environment.

Dealing With The Conflicts

Given the minorities wanting to distinguish themselves as different or unique and the unique environment created by the college or university, the potential for conflict is clear and indeed inevitable.  Institution administrators, faculty and the campus police spend much of their time dealing with such conflicts.  Actually, the administrators and campus police should be attempting to insulate the majority of faculty and students from such conflict; and police officer training is designed for dealing with such conflict.  And fortunately, they often do a very admirable job of preserving and protecting that all important environment conducive to learning.

When any of the above listed minorities, or other minorities, disrupt the college learning environment by any actions other than civil discussion, debate and communication, some actions must be taken, including:

• Christians in all positions (students, faculty, administrators, campus police, staff and others) should speak up and take actions to preserve and protect the learning environment.
• Administrators, faculty and the campus police should take whatever actions are necessary to preserve and protect the learning environment.
• Minorities must cease and desist continuation of all activities disrupting the learning environment.

Therefore, statements, discussions and debates challenging the beliefs, practices and social moral behavior of minorities should be tolerated within the college learning environment.  However, actions and behaviors clearly offensive to certain minorities must be disallowed; however, this must not include words or dialog, unless they are foul or unnecessarily vulgar.  In the next article, we will list and discuss some of these statements.

As always, your questions and comments are most welcome and appreciated.  Thank you for reading!

The question of where to start in a series of articles entitled “Everything…” was a daunting one.  However, “Adjusting to College” seemed appropriate; although one article could not possibly cover everything, even about only this topic.  Therefore, there will be additional articles on adjusting to college life.

Homesickness

For some college students this may not even be an issue.  Summer schools, summer camps, boarding schools, extended trips to visit relatives or other adventures may have addressed homesickness long ago.  But for many others, it is a real issue.

The best method of getting over homesickness is to keep your mind occupied with your new surrounds and new people.  Do not sit idly in your room.  Take walks, visit the library, talk to your roommates, drive around the community, discover what the town or city has to offer college students and look for opportunities to have fun and explore the world.  College is a very sheltered world.  But it is one of the very best places to learn about the world.  From day one, make up your mind that you are going to learn as much as possible over the next two to four years.  And that learning should go “way beyond academic classes,” as this website is subtitled.  Here are some specific suggestions for your first few days and nights in college:

Talk to roommates:
* Where are you from?
* What are you majoring in?
* Why did you select your major?

Visit the library:
* Where is the library?
* What are its hours?
* Does it have an online catalog?  If so, how does it work?

Walk around the campus:
* Locate your dorm or apartment on, or with respect to, the campus.
* Find the building where each of class is located; and if possible, go inside and find your classroom.
* Find the library; you will probably be spending much time there.

Visit the cafeteria:
* It may be just downstairs, at the end of the hall, across the street or a few blocks away.
* Find out what’s for supper!
* Talk to the cafeteria workers; you might even want to get a job there!

Meeting the Professors

If possible, sit in the front row during the first class, or at least near the front of the class.  If not before the first class, then sometime by your second or third class, meet the professor in person.  Shake his or her hand firmly, introduce yourself and express a sincere interest in the subject.  You will then be more comfortable with the professor and more easily able to ask and answer questions – before, during and after each class.

Each professor has their own idiosyncrasies.  One may talk fast, another slow; one may repeat the same phrase over and over and another may talk with an accent.  (I had one professor teaching DC Circuits who repeated “in here” every time he pointed at a circuit diagram.)  One may force class participation and another may act as though class participation is not even important.  Be flexible, listen and ask a questions whenever you have one, or do so after class or before the next one or during the professor’s office hours.  Professors should treat each student as a unique individual and attempt to give individual attention; but some do not and others may appear as though they could care less.

Suggestions for Your Spare Time

You may not feel as though you have much spare time.  Homework, registration, orientation activities and other required responsibilities will demand much of your time.  But take the time to pursue your own interests and activities you enjoy.  Join the clubs or sports that interest you.  For example, I joined the archery club and tried out for the baseball team.  I enjoyed the archery club, but never made the baseball team; but at least I tried out.  Explore your interests.  Realize that you may not do well; or, you may even fail at some, but do not be afraid to fail – that’s one way you learn.  Know that you will excel and succeed at other adventures in your college career.  No one wins all the time.

College and undergraduate work is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Experience all you can, during your academic pursuits as well as your spare time activities.  Take advantage of the environment conducive to learning created by the college or university.  Most likely, you will never again have the same experience, at least not for any extended period of time.

Finally, there are often many scholarships for college students.  And if you qualify for these, you do not have to pay them back!  So spend some time calling and visiting the financial aid office.  You may have a pleasant surprise and qualify for a scholarship!  You will never know if you do not try.  So look into it and apply!

All comments are most welcome and encouraged. Thank you for reading!

This is the first in a series of articles on the many diverse elements of college life.  College really should have only one major objective – to create an environment conducive to learning.  Although they are certainly important, and necessary for earning that diploma or professional certification, learning must go well beyond academic classes.  EduIntersect.Com also will go well beyond academic classes and eventually include “Everything Intersecting College Life.”  These will include:

• Overcoming Homesickness and Related Obstacles
• Online Colleges and Universities versus Traditional Campuses
• Adjusting to College Life
• The Need for Tutoring
• Carefully Selecting a Few Close Friends
• Seeking Help – Academically, Physiologically and Spiritually
• Getting to Know Important People
• Online Links and References for College Students
• Getting A Degree in Education and Teaching Careers
• Using Your Schools’ Website – A Extremely Important Resource!
• Getting to Know Your Instructors
• Time Wasters and Learning to Manage Your Time
• Should You Get Involved with Extra Curricular Activities?
• College Life and Partying
• To Drink or Not To Drink
• Drugs and “Just Say No” – It Does Not Work!
• Sex Outside of Marriage
• Dealing with Homosexuals and Other Minorities
• The Importance of Internships – A Preview of Real Work Experience
• Working While In College
• Money Management in College

These are but a few of many subjects “intersecting” a person’s college career.  Additionally, we will often be referencing another website entitled “Stability and Reference for College Students.”  Both sites are designed and clearly written from a Christian perspective, most importantly emphasizing right, wrong, true and false as absolutes.  Many, and perhaps most schools in the U.S., do attempt to provide some spiritual guidance for their students.  However, none of this guidance should be interpreted as a substitute for finding good church, attending regularly and getting to know the pastor, priest, minister or rabbi personally.  Very often, meaningful spiritual counseling is a low priority, absent or completely ignored by the college or many of its students.  Your spiritual life as a college student will not be ignored here.

Your college life should be fun, vibrant, exciting and memorable.  New experiences should abound; and you should look for them often.  Extra curricular activities, joining clubs, going on field trips, exploring the local college community, exercising regularly and meeting new people and making new friends should all be part of the college experience.  However, there are also many pitfalls along the way; you might even consider them as minefields of temptation and potential disaster.  This site will help you navigate around them and carefully prepare you for life in the outside world – a critical part of your college education, way beyond academic classes.

Do come back and visit Everything Intersecting College Life again.  New articles will be posted weekly.  Your comments and questions are always most appreciated and welcome.