I find myself getting slightly nervous but also excited at the same time that college is right around the corner.  I don’t know what to think… it’s really a mix of emotions.  Leaving home for the first time is good for many but also has a downside for me at least.  Two things that I dread the most when I leave for college are…

1. Doing laundry day in and day out.

2. Not having a home cooked meal once in a while.

Yes, yes, I may be spoiled because I’m not used to doing my laundry every time I need something washed but it’s just going to suck doing it every single day while still trying to balance all the newness of college.

I haven’t even begun to start getting ready… next up on CollegeBlogged: a bunch of preparation posts.  Be sure to visit CollegeBlogged.com for a few quick tips and reminders!

A friend of mine asked my advice about buying a computer for college and I couldn’t help but recommend Mac. It really is an unbelievable company that produces quality computers. I’ve been using Mac for three years and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve never had to call Apple with problems with either of my two Macs and I’ve only had to Google a problem one time, which involved something I installed. (So it was my fault!)

Anyway, why do I recommend a Mac for college? Well, let me cut to the chase. College students want Macs, but they don’t want them as much as Apple wants college students. Apple is running a number of promotions for college students right now as follows:

1. Upon purchase of any Mac, college students will receive a free iPod Touch

2. All college students get a good sized discount, $100 off on Macbook’s for example.

3. College students get a rebate on a printer if you purchase at the same time as purchasing a Mac (some have full rebates, so that’s a free printer!).

One common myth that many parents of my friends automatically insist is that there will be compatibility issues at the university their precious son or daughter is going to. I’m not really sure where this myth came from but Mac computers do not have a problem connecting to the Internet (wired or wirelessly). They can open and view documents that were created or saved on Microsoft computers or vice-versa. There are virtually no barriers other than the fact that Mac can only run Windows software if you use a special program (Parallels, VM Fusion Ware, Boot Camp are to name a few).

So there you have it, folks, a Mac computer has never been offered for more bang for your buck. Capitalize on this chance to own one for such a low price. Think about it, if you didn’t want the printer and iPod Touch, you could always sell. That means you could knock off another $200 - $300 from a $900 Macbook lickity-split.

I recently received a letter from Wake Forest University (where I am attending) encouraging me to open a bank account with Wachovia due to them having an ATM (possibly a branch as well) on campus.  I thought this was a really helpful gesture that they sent me the form and allowed me to register without having to do so on moving day.

Even if your college didn’t send you information on opening a bank account near your college, I would recommend doing so.  It would be a lot easier to call and see if they can mail you some forms rather than trying to do it when everyone else is on moving day.  Waiting in line with a big check in hand for an hour or two might not be the best idea that your parents have.

So first, find out what branch is located closely to your campus.  Then, contact that branch via phone and find out if they can send you forms to save the hassle and time!

It’s funny how in today’s world, the minute that you find out who your new roommate is online or via mail, you automatically add them on MySpace or Facebook.  However, the main reason isn’t that you are so eager to become best buddies, but moreover… You are automatically checking “to see their interests” or in other words, you make sure they aren’t a freak show for lack of better description.

Why is this revolutionary you might ask?  Well, I can’t even imagine going to college 20 or 30 years ago when they actually had to meet their roommates on orientation day or move-in day.  Oh how awful it would be, having to sweat it out all summer thinking about how the person you are going to be living with the next four years is going to be.

As a college-bound senior, I’m nervous about seeing who my roommate is going to be.  Going to a college that will not allow you to pick your roommate as a freshman makes everyone in the same boat though.  People say that it doesn’t matter if your roommate and you don’t click but I don’t know if I believe that.  I think in the end, it is best to have a roommate you can at least get a long with because the stress of a bad roommate can just pile onto the stresses of just about everything else associated with the life of a college student.

My school just had their academic award ceremony last night and our dean just announced our senior class of 22 received over $500,000 in scholarships.  Yes, I do go to a private school but if you saw the people that went there, it’s not what you would expect.  We aren’t some elitist school that only has the son’s and daughter’s of doctors.  We are just people who are pretty savvy at applying for scholarships and reaching people who will provide scholarships from our students.

First, I have to confess that we had a handful of athletes go of full scholarships to D-2 and D-3 schools but aside from that, the rest was academic.  FastWeb.com could probably be credited with getting well over $30,000 in scholarships that our students found on their websites.  I used to get some email “spam” from them a couple months ago and almost unsubscribed until I actually realized how many scholarships they have available.  If you can get past the ads and the email “offers” they send, you can really find some scholarships that appeal to you.  So, my advice, sort through the spam and get yourself some coin for college!

True, FastWeb.com’s scholarships do have thousands of applicants so they are pretty competitive but you just have to find one that you fit well with.  For instance, I was able to capitalize on the NFIB Entrepreneur scholarship from Visa.

In conclusion, I’m not trying to spam or advertise for them, all I’m saying is even if you’re going to college this fall, I would recommend checking out FastWeb for a chance for some scholarships.  (Yes, they still have quite a few available for next fall’s students)

What are the up’s and down’s of summer preparation at the college of your choice?  Well, that’s assuming that you have made your choice at this time but let’s take a look here…

First of all, why would it be good to do this?  I mean, hell, you are going to be there for the next four years hopefully, why would you go early?  Well, I’ll tell you why… You need a head start going into “college” mode.  What I mean by that is, you not only academically get credits that will be a head start on your college curriculum in the fall, but you will also actually learn how to study and manage your time.  Just two or three weeks out of your summer can put you leaps in front of your peers in the fall.  A lot of people may know how to manage their time and study well but the fact of the matter is, a lot of people also think they know how to but then the time comes down to it, it’s easier said than done.

Not all “losers” are going to be at these preparation programs either so don’t think you won’t make any “cool” friends that you might actually hang out with during the fall.  It always helps because if you are going to a college where you don’t know many people or you are itching to meet other people, this is a great connection you can make!

Of course there are some negatives to this type of dedication and lose of your precious summer time but I think it’s a fair trade off.  If you trade your summer time now, it may keep you in college for the years to come.  If nothing else, it will put you ahead and you can graduate early or take an easier class later on down the road if you get necessary credits to graduate earlier than expected.

If there’s two things you can do this summer, at least do one of the following:  get a job so you can live more comfortably, even if your parents provide some cash.  Do a summer program to meet friends, learn skills, and earn credits.

For the first time ever, you are about to see a completely honest commercial for a college! They nail it right on, so hilarious.

After visiting colleges for the past 6-8 months planning on making the big transformation of my life from high school to college, I have pretty much become seasoned in visiting colleges.  I know where I want to go on the tours, if certain sessions will be valuable, or what opinions I should really take to heart.  So I’m going to share my five tips to think about when evaluating a college and hopefully if you have not decided on a college yet, you can use these to sort out the good stuff in my opinion and the worthless stuff.

1. Don’t take everything a one person says to be true. Ask as many people as possible for their opinion on a particular college. -  Whenever you are thinking about a college, you tend to ask someone you know or someone on the Internet about what they think of the college.  If you ask one or two people from the college their personal opinion that they nail in your brain, you might get a biased opinion.  You may THINK you have the same tastes as that person but there’s a good chance you are two very different people with very different attitudes in the “real” world when it comes to college.  Ask as many people as possible for their opinion on a college.

2. Listen to speakers but don’t… -  A speaker at a “campus day” or tour is always good to listen to when trying to become more informed with a college but them telling you how great it is and how much they love it is worth just about two cents and that’s it.  I went to about 6 different college campus tours and everytime I was either talked to by a speaker, University president, or tour guide they told me they “did things at (Insert college name here) that they would have never been able to do” or they “followed their dreams”.  You can’t listen to that type of stuff, you have to gather the facts and sort it from the opinions because you can follow your dreams and do almost anything at any University!

3.  Stay for what you think is valuable  -  If you have any more college tours left in you this spring, always remember that you don’t have to stay the whole day for those tours, as most events go from early in the morning till late in the afternoon.  However, I’d recommend staying for ATLEAST 2-3 hours unless you think the information is totally worthless to you.  Why?  I know it’s hot, boring, and your legs hurt but later on, you might wish you knew a little more about the college that you complained and whined through the whole tour of.   I always made a point to stay for the introductory speech, then the department discussion, and then either a bus/trolley tour of the campus or city and maybe a residence hall tour if it was offered.  Then of course, I ate lunch at the cafeteria to get a general feel for the num-nums.

4.  Hang out with a college student… alone - Before visiting my first choice college, I was very apprehensive about the social life and the people that were there.  I had believed in the stereotypes and I was expecting to see nerds wearing collared shirts and a sweater on their shoulders sipping tea and eating caviar elegantly.  I was dead wrong and I found that out when I visited a friend of mine that went to the college.

This really is a BIG tip for me but I hesitate to list it because many parents still have not gone through the starting of the “let go” phase.  Hell, many parents still haven’t started that phase when the day to move in rolls around but ya know, they have to let go eventually so why not now?  By staying the night with the friend of mine, I not only met people and made friends, I got opinions and attended a social event in the process.  You don’t have to get drunk either, just so you know, this isn’t a recommendation in disguise to suggest that if any parents happen to be reading.

5.  Don’t sweat the small things - Even though your heart may have sank when your dad or the tour guide mentioned that the campus was “dry” (no alcohol) or freshman were not able to take cars, don’t rule out that college.  Even though you think that they are absolute must-haves for you now, they are just distractions and things you will not care about after the first couple of months.  If you really want to drink, you can find a way.  If you really want to use a car, you can always find a ride or have your parents pick you up.

In conclusion, think about these tips, they will prove worthy to you even though you may have already done your touring for colleges.  Just apply them to what you already know about the colleges you toured and it will make things a lot easier.

Everyone that I’ve ever talked to has said that when they stepped on the campus of the college they were meant to be at, they knew it.  Do you really get a feeling like that or is it your mind playing tricks on you?  I’ve never quite understood.  I went to the college that I was meant to be at this past weekend and I can’t say for certain I had a supernatural feeling whether that was where I was supposed to be but I know it’s the college for me.

What I’m trying to say is, whether you know it or not, you will end up at the college you are meant to be at.  You may not think at the type because you are waiting for that special feeling but you will know.  You will get there somehow, some way if you want it bad enough within reason.

If you are like me, you plan to just lay around this summer and maybe sit on Facebook and watch a little TV but mostly just sleep in real late and eat. Well, I’ve got news for you.  If your parents aren’t making you get a job, that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to just lay around all summer.  Getting a job in the summer is one of the productive things you can do for two main reasons:

1. The experience - having a job in the summer gives you experience.  It gives you experience you can put on your resume for other jobs or applications.  It gives you experience that will make you actually value your money, which is skill that if you don’t learn early in live, you may be in debt the rest of your life.

2. The money - the green, the cash, the dough, dinero, coin, loot, moola, THE BREAD! Just because your parents may give you some money here and there in the summer or at college, you could always use more.  You know your parents are going to give you “x” amount for food, gas, and maybe a few other things but what about all that other stuff?  Entertainment? Clothes? I’m sure you can think of a few other things…

Think about getting a summer job, at least inquire somewhere to find out what wage a store you would enjoy working at is paying.  Even 5 or 10 hours a week can go a long way if you can keep it for a while.