In all honesty, you can’t decide until you get to campus.  I read so many guides and some said Greek life was huge at the college I was going to attend but others said that it didn’t matter and the fact of the matter is, you are going to get a biased decision either way.

It’s something you need to figure out for yourself and what fits your schedule and your personality.  The best system that I personally experienced was that nobody could join a fraternity or sorority in the Fall semester as a freshman.  That gives you time to decide if it really is for you and what kind of people are part of Greek life.  Even if your school does not have this type of system, you should give yourself plenty of time to determine if Greek life is for you.  

I had never heard of this site until coming to college but it was one of the hottest websites visited on campus where I am located.  It’s basically a site where anyone can post anything anonymously about anyone.  It included racial slurs, sexually explicit and other kinds of filth. 

I think the site itself was wrong in some ways but in other ways, I thought that the site was just serving as an outlet for some people, as bad as it sounds, in which people could freely administer there right to freedom of speech.  I never personally posted on there but it’s a form of entertainment that was easily ignored by many including myself.

Juicy Campus was shut down on account of “dissolving capital” and the downtrend of the economy and it’s reflection on the advertising industry, amongst many other reasons, mainly lawsuits.

Wow, it’s been a while since I have last written here but it’s all been a blur as far as college goes.  A lot of initial college worries have turned out true in the first semester of being at college.  Amongst them are these three:

1. Laundry does suck.  There’s a service here that actually picks up students wash because people hate it so bad.  So budding entrepreneurs, take note!  They charge $200 for biweekly pickups and return laundry within 2 days.  Over 75 subscribers participate.

2. You spend a lot of money; most notably on food but I highly suggest getting a job over the summer before going to college if you don’t have some money saved up.

3. The work is hard.  Getting yourself organized with an agenda is an essential or else you will be lost.  Plan accordingly and always get your homework done early or you will find yourself struggling in the early AM’s.

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.