Money, Money, Money

Back at orientation, I complained about the hours I had to sit through for the “Money Matters” portion. I guess I shouldn't have taken it for granted because it's only six weeks into school and I’m dead broke.

Money has always been an issue with me. If I have money, I spend it. If I don’t have money, I ask for it and then I spend that. Sadly, that’s just how I've always been. In college I’ve come to notice that lately, I spend a lot more money than I used to... and that’s just not cool.

In high school, I would survive for the whole week with an average of $12. I would buy lunch everyday, some candy and a couple of extra inexpensive supplies. On a regular day in college, I go to Einstein’s for breakfast, eat lunch at the food court, drink coffee at least twice a day and buy a magazine once in while. That all adds up to $20.00 or more a day. That means I’m spending more than $100.00 per week!

The funny part is that I actually try to save my money on a regular basis. I have an account with Bank Atlantic where I’m supposed to put my money and save it... the thing is my money never makes it that far. I usually spend it before I even get close to the bank to make a deposit.

I’ve noticed that I’m not the only freshman — or student, for that matter — that has trouble saving their money. A lot of students — especially freshmen — have trouble saving money because it is the first time that we are having a chance at monetary freedom. It feels great at first but for some, the consequences can be upsetting.

Toward the end of my high school career, my parents decided that I was “old” enough to get a debit card. I was stoked about the idea at first. I could not believe I finally had my name on a card... with money in it! When I went to the mall with the card for the first time, I attempted to control myself in the things I bought, but it was so hard to stop shopping. It was like suddenly, everything was a complete “must-have” and I could not resist buying them. When I went online and looked at my balance, I almost had a heart attack. I had spent more money than I actually had.

The problem is that as a freshman, I don’t know how to control my money. I’ve never had this much liberty and freedom with it, and now that I do have it, I'm going crazy.

I don’t have to pay rent, I don’t have to pay insurance, I don’t pay for gas... I don’t pay for anything! And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe it is that I don’t have enough responsibility or serious things to worry about that will make me stop spending money like a mad woman. Maybe... that’s just what I need: responsibility.

In high school, I never paid for anything. I had a job my junior year at a retail store at the mall and whenever I got my pay check I would just spend it on clothes. My parents have always paid everything - my cell phone bills, gas money, food, etc. And even though that feels great, maybe it would have been better for them to give me a bit more responsibility when I was younger. Look at me now: I can’t even have a dollar bill in my wallet without spending it somehow. And believe me, spending money is not a good quality to have.

If I had bills to pay and more things to worry about, I would probably be more careful with my money and the way I spend it. I wouldn’t be going to the mall on shopping sprees every weekend, I wouldn’t be spending so much money on food, and I wouldn’t be spending money just to spend it. I would probably organize myself better.

If you’re in the same position as me right now, here are some tips from getrichslowly.com on money matters for college students:

1. Create a Budget. Limit your beer buying to one 24 pack a week.
2. Don’t get a credit card unless you absolutely need one. The guys at the sign-up table are not there to help you. They are there to make money.
3. Save and then splurge. If you decide you really want to buy the Wii, then save for it and pay it with cash. Don’t put it on a credit card.
4. Limit vices. Beer and cigarettes can get expensive. There’s nothing wrong with a drink or two on a Friday night, just don’t go overboard.
5. Learn the art of a cheap date. The student guide to cheap dates suggests:
· Take advantage of mother nature.
· Go for coffee.
· Attend campus activities.

Hopefully some of these tips will help us freshman who are going crazy with the concept of saving money. Let’s just hope that next time I actually make a deposit and not have a $.50 balance any longer.

Anyway, just to refresh our memories with what responsibility is... here’s a video by MxPx.

Will you marry me?

I’ve never been one to plan out my wedding and picture my prince charming, but I’ve always known that I definitely do not want to get married at a young age.

On the first day of school, as I was waiting to go in my astronomy class, I had the chance to encounter what turned out to be a very interesting conversation between two strangers:

“So, what’s your major?”
“Communications. What about you?”
“Same... oh is that a ring?”
“Yeah, I’m getting married.”

I could not believe what I had just heard! This kid did not look to be more than 20 years old and he was already engaged. Call me crazy, but isn’t that a bit irrational?

Back in high school, relationships were not taken that seriously. Sure, there were a couple of people who talked about getting married, but they didn’t actually make it together through graduation to make the wedding happen.

In high school, relationships were more of social thing. It was more about a 'who was going out with whom' kind of thing. It was never too serious and most relationships were probably over a couple of months later. I’ve noticed that in college, relationships are actually long-lasting, and many of them even get to the altar and have a wedding. All within eight to 10 months of “going out.”

That is what scares me the most in college when it comes to relationships. It’s not like I don’t want one, it’s just that it seems as if relationships in college get serious incredibly fast, and at 18 years old, I'm definitely not ready for that kind of commitment. I just want to have fun and meet cool people. I’m not necessarily looking to get married.

I understand the feeling of being in love and that sudden desire of spending the rest of your life with that special someone. But, some of these kids seem to be rushing into everything way too fast. Not only are they too young, but how can you know for sure that you’re truly in love with that one person and that you want to spend the rest of your life with them when you haven’t even experienced other relationships and other kinds of people? How is that possible?

On top of everything, it must be incredibly difficult to try to balance a marriage with school. One thing is to have a casual relationship with someone, but another is to be married. When you’re married you live together, there are bills to pay, there’s work to do, you have to go to school and you also have to make time for each other to “make it work.” How are kids doing that these days if there’s barely enough time in one day to work, study, rest and spend time with your spouse, all in 24 hours? It must be hard.

However, I must say that even though I might not agree with students getting married so quickly while in college, I actually do admire them for the courage that it takes to try to make ends meet and try to make a marriage work from so early on in their lives. Even though I don’t plan on getting married any time soon, it must be nice to wear a ring on your finger that symbolizes the love of your special someone.

Relationships in college still petrify me, though. But who knows, maybe that’s the fun part about them.

Anyway, here’s a cool video just to illustrate the whole topic on dating...

Let's go Owls, let's go!

I had never been to a football game before – a college football game, that is – and I admit that going in the stadium, I had no idea of what to expect.

I’ve never been a big sports fan. They only sport that I’ve ever liked has been hockey. I still don’t understand the rules of football very well, but it is a whole different thing. I had just always thought of football as a bunch of sweaty guys with big helmets running down a field, tackling each other down ‘til they hit the ground. But going to the game gave me a whole new perspective on why college football games are so much fun.

For the first time in my life, I experienced a real football game. There were cameras, photographers, free t-shirts, big screens; I mean, it was the real deal. It wasn’t some silly game that everyone goes to to get trashed – although I’m sure a lot of people did. It was actually somewhat professional.

The energy was incredible. I never even knew FAU had that much spirit and enthusiasm towards the game. There were people passionately yelling out to the players, encouraging them and rooting them on to win (which, by the way, we did - 42-39). I guess I was surprised because I just never saw that kind of spirit in my high school football games. They were always so dead.

The only football game that I went to in high school was the homecoming game my senior year. I was excited to see my school play – even though I knew we completely sucked compared to other high schools. But that one night, I went to the game and unfortunately it turned out to be very disappointing.

But now that I’m in college, I feel like I want to go to every football game and support my team, the Owls!!! I actually want to get involved in the football games and be one of those die-hard Owl fans. For the first time since I’ve been here, I’m proud of being an Owl. I’m proud of our team and proud of our school. I just never thought I’d feel this way about FAU. I just thought I’d come here, study and get it all over with and not actually enjoy my time here.

Now I realize that FAU does have a lot to offer. I’m not only saying this because we won the football game, but because going to the game gave me a whole new perspective of what life at FAU is like. The game made me feel welcomed to the FAU community and like I was a part of this school.

I will definitely keep going to the football games now. Watch out for me next time. I’ll probably be the girl sitting in the front row, wearing all blue and red and yelling out “Let’s go Owls!” the entire game.

Hmm... that cheeseburger looks good...

A couple of months before high school graduation, all of my friends started talking about the Freshman 15: the dreaded weight you put on your freshman year of college. I thought it was pretty stupid, considering I was still going to live at home and the whole deal wouldn’t really affect me. Well boy was I was wrong. In fact, the “freshman 15” should now be changed to the “freshman 20” thanks to me. Yes boys and girls, I have officially gained 20 pounds.

I tried sticking to my diet. I tried to eat fruits and salads instead of bagels and frapuccinos, but Starbucks looks so good in the morning it is almost impossible to pass by. Not only that, but the new food court on campus is absolute heaven if you're into clogging your arteries and increasing cellulite. The new Wendy’s that is being built there is definitely not a good idea. It is already calling my name and it hasn’t even opened yet!

The good thing is that now there are on-campus Yoga and Pilates classes to burn off those unwanted calories. The bad part is that I never have time to go to the classes. I am beyond busy with my schedule and, on top of that, I have the obligation to keep up with my social life. Plus, sleep is always necessary after all of those all-nighters.

Don't get me wrong, it's not as if I haven’t tried to keep up with diets. I tried the cigarette and coffee diet, the “only fruits” diet, the run-your-butt-off-and-eat-six-small-meals a day diet, the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet and the whole vegetarian diet. The problem is that I can’t ever keep up with them. I’ll try them for a few days and before the week is up, you can probably find me at Einstein’s eating another bagel with cream cheese. I simply can’t help it.

Besides that, I have completely become a caffeine addict. Every time I’m stressed out, I drink coffee. If I haven’t slept, I drink coffee. If I’m hungry, I drink coffee. I think I’ve tried every single type of coffee at Starbucks and that’s just plain bad, considering each frozen drink has more than 500 calories... which could actually constitute as a small meal if my next meal were to be something healthy like a small salad with grilled chicken... instead of a cheeseburger with fries.

There are activities around campus that do help if you are looking to lose weight. One great activity that I recently found out about was this small club called L.I.F.T (Learning Initiatives for Team-building.) They focus on climbing and doing challenging activities that require physical and mental activity. For more information on L.I.F.T, you can go to: http://www.shs.fau.edu/ropes/

Another great thing that you can do around campus to lose some pounds (or just get some killer calves) is to walk everywhere as fast as you can. Believe it or not, the power walk does work when it comes to losing weight, and not only are you working out, but you’ll get to class early.

If dancing is your thing, hip-hop classes are also offered around campus. Not only do you get to work out in a fun way, but you can learn some new moves for the next time you hit the club.

Of course, you can always go to Pilates, which I highly recommend. They are fun, relaxing, and I assure you that with a bit of dieting, you will most definitely achieve that toned body you have always wanted.
For more information on Hip-Hop/Pilates classes, click here.

If you’re still unsure of how you want to lose weight and want a little bit more information, you can also always go to the Today & Beyond Wellness Center (located above the Breezeway Cafeteria on the Boca Raton campus in room 222). They have a lot of information on how to be healthy on campus and on losing weight the right way.

Don’t let the freshman 20 get you like it got me. If you’re really looking to lose weight, start eating healthy and leave all of those cheeseburgers behind. I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to let them go. Go out there and get some sun, run a few laps, and don’t forget to do the power-walk when you’re on your way to class. Trust me, after a few months, it’ll be as if those 20 pounds were never there.

College Social Life 1101

“Excuse me, do you know where the BU (Barry Kaye College of Business) building is?”

“Ha, freshman.” That’s the response I got after asking an upperclassman where the BU building was.

This past week, I’ve felt like a high school freshman all over again. It’s so funny because right before you get out of high school, you feel like the king of the world: you’re 18, you can drive, and you don’t have a curfew. Things seem great, right? Not after you start going to college and know absolutely no one. It’s not even like in high school, where you still knew most people from your eighth-grade class. Here, you actually know no one. At least that has been the case for me, considering most of my friends went to UCF or UF.

In high school, if you socialized with the people sitting next to you, you knew that you’d probably sit with them for the rest of the school year -- if not for the rest of your high school career. Here, even if you meet a good dozen people at a party, the next day they might not even say hi to you because they don’t recognize you from the previous night. You’d be lucky to get a high five if anything. That’s just how college is.

My whole life I’ve heard my parents say, “The College years are the best years of your life,” and “You’ll meet friends of a lifetime once you start college.” So, where are they? Where are those future classmates that I’m supposed to be friends with? Are they part of the newspaper? The student government? The radio? Or are they just regulars at Coyote Jack's?

At orientation, all the leaders kept saying that we had to get involved, that we had to make an effort to join clubs and organizations, go to social gatherings, etc. But, what if I actually don’t have time to do anything else? What if I have a job, take six classes and don’t live on campus? What am I supposed to do? Not have a social life for the rest of my college years?

There has got to be a way to meet people besides practically living on campus everyday. So, in my quest to try to find out how to make friends on campus, I decided to ask some of my friends in college how THEY made friends.

Many commuter students said that most of their friends were from high school and that they had met people in classes but hadn’t gotten to be friends with them yet. Students living on campus mentioned they had met other people in the elevators by simply saying hello, but like commuter students, most of their friends still came from high school. So, why are we holding on to our friends from high school and not socializing with new people in college? Why not say hello to the person sitting next to you?

My advice to all freshmen on campus is simply to be nice to as many people as possible, because the secret to having friends is looking approachable to others and smiling once in a while. Everybody seems to be preoccupied with work or school, but the next time you see somebody sitting alone at the food court, go up to them and start a conversation; you’d be surprised to see how many people you can meet that way.

But still, the best way to meet people is getting involved. I can honestly say that joining the University Press and getting involved in general have been the best things I could have ever done as a freshman. Not only has it made the transition from high school to college a bit easier, but I’ve met a lot of great people and haven’t felt as alone as I thought I would.

So, go out there, get involved in a club, join an organization, go to concerts or even start your own club if you want. Just make sure you talk to people. That’s the best advice I can give you. But if it helps, here’s a cool video…