Posts filed under 'social life'
It seems like we are hearing everywhere that times are tough–tougher than they’ve been in a while–and its time to cut back. Well our grand dreams of European summer vacations may be on hold, but that doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to spending June through August cleaning pools or taking the “stay-cations” to your local mini-mart. It’s just time to get creative, cheaply. And isn’t that what college students do best?
Take in the Scenery
Sure, it’s nice to hop on a plane and read a magazine all the way from Point A to Point B, but if you bank account looks anything like most college students’, first class probably isn’t an option. Instead, round up your best pals and set off on an adventure by car, train, or bus.
Resources
Sleep on the Floor
Need a place to stay but don’t want to spend a lot? Consider:
- Best Western/Holiday Inn Express (relatively inexpensive and usually non-creepy)
- Checking out a guidebook for your trip area to find cheap, quirky hotels
- Crashing on a couch or floor of a friend/relative/friend-of-a-friend (but be a good house guest!)
- Stay in a suburb of a big city (like NYC) and make trips in during the day
- Camping out (in a tent, or if the weather is good & you’re feeling brave, right under the stars)
Resources
Cook for Yourself
If you’re going the camping route, one of the best ways to scrimp on food costs is to cook over your campfire (or if you’re staying with friends or family, cook there–or see if they’ll share a meal!) It’s easy to carry milk and cereal in a cooler for breakfast, and for other meals check out:
photo by bjearwicke
May 16th, 2009
Your first (or second… or third…) summer back at home after nine months of independence can leave both you and your parents a little shell shocked. You’re used to making your own hours, doing your own thing-and Mom is used to you taking out the trash and being in bed by ten. Here’s how to navigate those first few weeks gracefully, and gear up for a great summer vacation.
Redefining Boundaries
Your ability to spend a peaceful three months at home is pretty much contingent upon your ability to compromise, so it’s important that you have a face-to-face chat with your parents ASAP.
Discuss what each of your expectations are for your summer stay: maybe you want a later curfew (or none at all), Mom wants you to walk the dog, and Dad doesn’t want to wake you up for work anymore. You’ll want to touch expectations for things like curfews, chores, obligatory family time (hey, enjoy it! My parents stopped inviting me on vacations in college!), privacy, meals, your allowance (or lack thereof), and the “requirements” of living at home (like having a job or cleaning up after dinner).
Try to find a balance that will make everyone feel comfortable-and be adult about it if you want to win brownie points for that later curfew!
Making Money
It may be tempting to spend the first six weeks sleeping in and enjoying the comforts of home, but if you want to get a job this summer, you need to get out there and apply fast. With the economy tough and students all over pouring out of classes, your competition may be tougher this summer than ever before.
There are a lot of ways you can make a buck without having to sign on for something permanent. (See the posts on freelancing and making cash over school breaks!) Another great way to get a job back home is to have your parents network for you. They can ask their friends if they’re hiring for temp work, or even ask about Help Wanted signs they see posted. I got a second job at a hobby shop one summer mostly because my mom put in a good word for me.
Spending Time
I know you don’t want to think about this, but once you’re out of school, summer break is pretty much over for good. The work force doesn’t stop for summer. (Sad!) That said, make sure you make time for all the important things you REALLY want to do this summer. For example:
- Take a road trip,
- Spend time with your siblings (they miss you even though they can be pests) and parents,
- Reconnect with high school friends,
- Hit the beach or pool,
- Have a bonfire & eat s’mores (one of my summer to-do list staples!),
- Rekindle your hobbies before text book season returns, etc.
photo: Awesome House 2 by reznor70
May 8th, 2009
I know we just went over my top 5 Facebook Privacy Settings, but I wanted to write another quick post about Facebook because–TA DA!–Surviving College Life finally has a facebook fan page! Hooray!
So please +FAN the site , and feel free to post your ideas or requests for future posts on the fan site Wall. This site is all about you guys–I want to hear from you!
And now, on to the 5 more awesome settings…
1. Get LESS Info About Friends. I love Facebook gossip as much as the next girl, but I do have a few friends who seem to be changing their profile and updating their statuses incessantly. (I don’t need a play-by-play of each breath!) Happily, Facebook lets you ask to hear a little less from these peeps.
How To: At the top of your feed, click Options for News Feeds. At the bottom-right of the page, you’ll see Less About These Friends. Just enter in the names of the TMI addicts and you’re good to go. 
2. Get MORE Info About Friends. Clearly, this is the flipside of the “less info” option, and it allows you to get more and more details about the people you care about most, like your new crush, your BFF, or your ex.
How To: At the top of your feed, click Options for News Feeds. At the bottom-left of the page, you’ll see More About These Friends. Enter their names, and voila! You’re done.
3. Make a Badge. Want to link to your profile from your blog or website? Facebook has a built-in badge maker so you can list your profile pic, contact info & etc. all with a handy link to your Facebook page.
How To: Go to your profile and scroll down to the bottom of the left-hand bar (the one with your profile pic in it). Click on Make a Badge. You can either use a template they already have, or create your own. Copy & paste the HTML they give you into a widget on your blog or a spot on your site.
4. Mobile Facebook. If you are a true Facebook-aholic, activate your phone-to-Facebook feature. It will send you txt notifications of friend requests, messages, wall posts, and status updates. Plus, it allows you to make status updates on the go, or upload photos and videos right from your phone.
How To: Go to Settings > Account Settings and select the Mobile tab. Enter your phone number and carrier, and activate it! (Remember that standard text fees will apply to this feature.)
5. Edit Application Settings. I hate getting spamy emails from the applications I’ve added to my facebook page–little did I know you can edit all those settings! Each application had different options, so you can go in and edit each app’s authority to post stories about how you’ve used it, when it can email you, etc. Hooray for less spam!
How To: Go to Settings > Application Settings and click the Edit Settings link beside the application. Choose the settings you want, and click Okay. Now pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
Happy Facebooking, and remember to add Surviving College Life to your fandom list!
March 13th, 2009
Hide Relationship Status Changes. It’s nice that your facebook friends care for you and all, but you probably don’t want to broadcast to them that you and your sweetie of 4 months just split–again. Luckily, you can remove your relationship status from that home-page feed we all watch for gossip.
How To: Go to Privacy > News and Wall Feed > Actions Visible to Friends and uncheck “Change Relationship Status.
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Create (and USE!) Friends Lists. These work just like the groups you can make in your email; you can create a list like “Family,” “BFFs,” or “Co-workers” and change privacy settings for just the people on that list! So no more worrying about not getting in to college because a clever admissions officer checks your profile.
How To: Go to Friends and click Make a New List (in the column on the left). Then start adding friends to the list. You’ll see the lists available in your Privacy settings when you go to customize them.
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Hide Your Contact Info. Even if you don’t want just anyone IMing (or calling!) you, you still have the option of making your contact info available to only a select few (like people from the friends lists you just created!).
How To: Go to Privacy > Profile > Contact Information and start customizing!
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Choose Who Can Tag (& See Tagged Photos of) You. Again, maybe you don’t want to share your weekend in Vegas with all your classmates and co-workers. Start by making sure you are the only one who can see which photos are tagged as having you in them.
How To: To make sure only you can see which photos/videos have tagged you, go to Privacy > Profile > Photos Tagged of You and choose Only Me. Then go to the Networks dropdown list and choose None of My Networks.
To select only certain people who can see these photos, choose Some People instead of Only Me. You can then either enter certain people, or one of your Friends Lists.
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Block Someone. This is just what it seems–it blocks any interaction with another person on facebook. Like the ex who won’t quit writing on your wall that you two are meant to be 2gether 4ever. Block someone and they can’t find you in searches, view your profile, write on your wall, etc. To them, it is almost as if you have no facebook profile. Just keep in mind that they could (obviously) take offense.
How To: Go to Privacy > Block People and enter their name in the “Person” box.
February 28th, 2009
Like it or not, Valentine’s Day always seems to force us to contemplate our relationship status: being single, hooked up, serious, or otherwise. Having spent a good couple years of college being single (sometimes loving it, other times hating it) I thought this week was the perfect time to share a few reasons why being single is awesomely good.
- You Can Learn What You Love. When you’re on your own, you’re completely free to explore your life passions. You have time to indulge in a three hour novella-writing spree at 2 a.m. or take a road trip with your buddies to see the most incredible car museum this side of the Mississippi. And you’ll want to know that so you will make time for that passion when you do get into a relationship.
- You Can Learn How Strong You Are. When my dad was first diagnosed with cancer, I remember my mom wondering aloud if she could make it on her own-she’d gone from living with her parents straight to being married to my dad. She’d never had to cope with tough stuff on her own, so at almost fifty she was still unsure of her own personal strength.
- You Can Make Amazing Friends. Good relationships are wonderful but time consuming. Being single allows you the time and emotional energy to build deep and lasting friendships-friendships that will last even if relationships don’t.
- You Can Make Decisions for You. Being in a relationship means making a lot of decisions as a team, so enjoy the freedom you have to do things your way! Right now you get to choose exactly how to spend your time and money-from studying abroad to taking on a new job to road-tripping with your roommates. And you don’t have to share the remote.
- You Can Test Your Boundaries. Living at home or being in a serious relationship can both affect your ability to learn who you really are. It’s possible, of course, but it’s harder because (I reiterate!) your time and commitment are both more divided. So try new things (legal things, I mean), meet new people, and make big goals. See just how much you are capable of when you let yourself try.
And stop worrying about getting into a relationship if you’re not in one yet! The good ones find you when you’re doing the right things, anyway. 
And as always, please feel free to share your reasons why being single rocks with the class.
photo: lusi
February 11th, 2009
By now most of you are heading back to school, settling into the dorms with your new toys from the break, and if you’re anything like me, you’re feeling a little post-winter-break slump. Sure its great to be back (well, minus the homework bit), but all that bonding with family & friends you did over the holidays might leave you feeling a little lonely.
Make a Skype Date
I have just gotten on the video-chatting bandwagon (I picked up a webcam on a Black Friday shopping trip), and it is so much better than talking on the phone! The coolest part? Motorola has a video phone that costs about $800, but you can get a pretty good webcam for only $30.
Then just hook up to a free service like Skype or Gmail Voice & Video chat and start talking face to face–and don’t forget to make sure you get some face time with Rover if you’re missing your pup! (I was super homesick for my dogs, and I am not afraid to admit it!) Moms & dads tend to be pretty excited about video chat, too–I just showed my dad and he thought it was awesome.
Mail an Old Fashioned Snail Mail Letter
I am a firm believer that a good piece of mail can turn a bad day into a good one–so give someone’s day a lift (and help ensure you’ll get some mail of your own) by sending off a bit of snail mail. Send mom a postcard, write a letter to your BFF during class, or pen a love note to your crush–then stamp it and send it off!
Have a Long-Distance TV Party
Lost of shows are just starting up after the holiday break, but being apart doesn’t mean you can’t watch LOST with your kid brother anymore. Make a phone date and watch together, or if you’re in a different time zone, wait until the next day and log on to the web to watch the latest episodes together. Most TV stations air full episodes on their websites, or you can try one of my new fav sites, hulu.com, which has full TV shows (new and classic) and even full length movies.
How are you kicking the post-break slump? Help me out–I need to do it, too!
a girl with a phone by mzacha
January 14th, 2009
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