As students begin the fall semester, news of the H1N1 swine flu virus spreading across college campuses is everywhere.  But whether the flu has hit your college or not, getting sick at school is a real concern and can quickly derail your semester.

Living far away from home, many college students aren’t well-equipped to take care of themselves and stay on top of their coursework while ill, especially if they contract something more serious than a cold.  While the flu’s getting all the attention now, other common illnesses can put students out of commission for days, or even weeks, causing them to miss class, miss work, and get behind on projects that are crucial to their success in school.  Missed work due to illness can even jeopardize your financial aid.  Part of taking care of yourself when you’re sick at school is taking care to minimize the impact of illness on your semester.

Beyond attending to your immediate needs (seeing a doctor, getting rest, etc.), the most important thing to do if you get sick is to contact your professors, preferably before you miss a class or an assignment.  If you’re really ill and need to miss more than one class or an important assignment, quiz, or test, the earlier you establish communication, the better it will go.  If you have a diagnosis, you can share it, but don’t go into the minute details of what your body is doing and don’t assume that because you’re sick with something verifiable, your professors will instantly cater to your every whim.  A doctor’s excuse doesn’t always go as far as demonstrated willingness to take responsibility for your missed work and to work with your professor to get caught up. Most instructors will be willing to provide you with information and course materials from missed classes, and depending on circumstances and how you approach the situation, they may allow you to make up work, as well.

If you’re going to miss a lot of school or you have professors unwilling to budge, contacting your academic advisor is a good step, as well.  A note from an advisor carries more weight than a call from a student, and if you lack the time or energy to address each professor personally and immediately, talking to your advisor can save you some time.  They can also give you advice and information on what to do about missing class, and help you keep from falling behind.

Finally, once you’re healthy, back in class and taking care of your missed work, there may still be other matters to attend to.  Even if you have tried your hardest, you may wind up with too much work to catch up in a class.  If talking to your professor and your advisor about incompletes and other options doesn’t bear fruit, you may need to drop classes or you may see your GPA suffer.  If you have scholarship awards or other financial aid, lower grades or less than full-time enrollment can have an impact on your eligiblity for these awards.  Be aware of the GPA and enrollment requirements for your scholarships and grants (even some student loans) and if you are in danger of not meeting them, talk to the scholarship provider or your financial aid counselor to find out your options.  Your financial aid office is also a good place to stop if illness has generated medical bills or lost income for you–they may be able to adjust your aid package to help you deal with these expenses.

Posted: under Back to School, College Culture, College Life, Tips.
Tags: Back to School, campus life, College Life, college students, college tips, student life

Comments (0) Sep 16 2009

Suffolk University offers “Sacred Hoops, Sneaker Pimps, and Hoop Dreams: Race, Gender, and Consumerism in 20th Century American Basketball” through its Seminar for Freshmen program. The University of California-Berkeley uses “StarCraft Theory and Strategy” for its course on war tactics. Santa Clara University has gotten students talking about waste and decomposition through its environmental science department’s “Joy of Garbage.”

Attracting students to courses by having some fun with their titles is not a new phenomenon, but a recent article by The Boston Globe says that it has become more common in a climate where professors are looking to boost enrollment in their classes, perhaps to make themselves less vulnerable during budget cut season. Boston College recently renamed a straightforward course on German literature to “Knights, Castles, and Dragons.” The effect? Tripled enrollment.

Professors quoted in the article describe how important marketing has become in getting more students to fill seats in their classrooms. Students have a wealth of options at their fingertips when applying for courses, and after they’re done filling their rosters with classes required by their majors, there may be little room for the more fun-sounding titles. So, anything that will give a student pause when putting together their course load is probably a good strategy. The professors also said that a heavy reliance on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter has given the college-bound a shorter attention span, and that even those already in college are bored more easily with the traditional course offerings. Students want to be entertained, even those in fields like computer science, philosophy, or traditionally more “stuffy” majors.

A word of advice, though: Be sure to consider the finished product of your transcript when signing up for courses with kooky titles. That “Science of Superheroes” class at the University of California-Irvine may be fun, but a balance of electives with interesting names and traditional courses applicable to your major will make you a better sell if you plan to pursue an advanced degree or land a job interview where the employer wants to see your coursework. As with an eye-catching course title, image is everything.

Posted: under Back to School, College Culture, College Majors, College News, Just for Fun.
Tags: College Classes, College Majors, college students, course enrollment, student life, undergraduate students

Comments (0) Sep 10 2009

The idea of the broke college student is a well-worn cliché, conjuring up images of extreme money-saving measures.

Thrift store clothing, dumpster-dived furniture, and dinner from the manager’s special aisle or the 99 cent store are all stereotypical trappings of the budget-conscious college student.  One student in New York recently managed to come up with a creative and envelope-pushing way to save money, however.  Brian Borncamp, a senior at the University at Buffalo’s North Campus in Amherst, New York, recently decided to save money on housing by building himself a cabin in the woods near campus.

After months of sleeping in stairwells, Borncamp was 80 percent finished with his cabin when university officials persuaded him to give up the effort and make alternate housing arrangements, according to The Buffalo News.  The student had compared himself to a modern-day Thoreau with his decision to live in the woods, but claimed his decision was initially motivated by financial concerns.  He realized in May that he was unable to pay for school and pay rent, and thus decided to live outdoors.

Once he began construction on an 8′ by 10′ cabin, the university intervened, offering him temporary housing, a campus job, counseling, and other assistance, according to a statement issued by UB’s Vice President for Student Affairs.  Borncamp initially refused, prefering to go it alone, but announced this week that he’d made other arrangements and would be vacating his campsite.

While this is an inventive solution to college budget concerns, cash-strapped students don’t need to resort to camping in the woods or residing in homemade structures.  Additional assistance is available for those in need of additional financial aid, and a free college scholarship search can help you find it.  For example, if building your own cabin or emulating a reclusive author appeals to you, you might find yourself well-suited to win a design scholarship or an English scholarship.

Posted: under College Costs, College Culture, College News.
Tags: College Costs, College Culture, college news, college students, money management, Scholarship Search, student life

Comments (0) Aug 28 2009