It’s back to school time, and it’s time to bring your dorm into the digital age. Whether it’s a new coffee maker or a new alarm clock, there are several new electronic devices that will make your life easier and your roommate jealous.

Here’s a list of this school year’s hottest gadgets:

Clocky Alarm Clock ($39): No longer will you be able to blame your tardiness on your alarm clock. Clocky has wheels attached to the sides and rolls away out of your reach to keep you from hitting the snooze button excessively.

Pivot Power ($25): This bendy power strip lets you shape it to fit any space. You can twist it, curl it or stretch it. Do whatever you need to do to make all those power cords more organized and less noticeable. Read the rest of this entry »

As students across the country prepare to embark on their fall semester of college, many students are experiencing a range of emotions: fear, excitement, nervousness, confusion, overwhelmed, etc. A lot of students might find that while they have waited their whole high school careers for these next couple of months, there is the chance that they may actually hate college.

So, what do you do if you get to college and absolutely cannot stand it? Well, here are your options.

• Reflect. Ask yourself if you’re just having a rough couple of weeks or difficulty adjusting. Most students take 5-7 months to really get their bearings at a university and you may just need to stick it out and try a little harder.

• Join a club, sports team or go Greek. An organization can introduce you to a lot of potential new friends and fill your social calendar to distract you from any feelings of homesickness or loneliness. And while Greek recruitment can be difficult in and of itself, I promise it’s worth it in the end!

• Consider transferring to another school. Maybe it’s not the entire college experience you hate, it might just be your living situation, your campus or your professors. Half way through your second semester, if you are still unhappy, consider researching online about transferring to another school that will accept your credits so you don’t have to start all over. Read the rest of this entry »

Figuring out how to fit your things, and all your roommates’ things into a tiny dorm room can be stressful. But there’s an online tool that can help you make the most of your space, and collaborate with your roomie: DesignYourDorm.com.

DesignYourDorm.com lets you find a 3-Dimensional model of your room, arrange the furniture, and add items that you’ll be bringing with you to see if it all fits. Then, you can shop for new items, from mini fridges to posters and electronics. All purchases will be shipped right to your dorm, so you avoid worrying about how all your gear will fit into your parents’ station wagon. It also helps you avoid bringing or buying duplicates of things your future roommate already has.

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As another school year gets underway, there are some constants you can’t forget. Between homework and library research, term papers and study sessions, it’s inevitable that there will be days you don’t have enough time to finish everything in your regular waking hours. Whether it’s a habit of procrastination, a big test or a heavy class load, college students are going to need to pull an all-nighter sooner or later. Some dread them, and some find they work better under the pressure of a looming deadline and lack of sleep, but either way, you better get used to them.

It’s definitely better to study on a regular basis so you aren’t forced to pull an all-night study session to get things done, but when you find yourself unable to avoid it, there are some things that will make your evening easier, and maybe even a little more enjoyable:

• Caffeine: Whether it’s in the form of coffee, chocolate, tablets or a fancy latte, caffeine is a must for pulling an all-nighter. It will help you stay awake so that you are alert enough to absorb the material you’re cramming into your brain at four in the morning. Read the rest of this entry »

It was only the second day of school, and I already failed to wake up to my cell phone’s alarm. Luckily, I made it to class on time, but determined to not let it happen again, I went to the store after class to get a new alarm. Who knew there were so many different types of alarms on the market today? Which ones will really wake me up in time to get coffee before class? Which ones will short out every time the power flickers? Argh! Too many questions!

So, I came home and started doing a little research. Here are the alarm clocks that I concluded are best for hard to wake students.

1.    Sony ICF-C318 Automatic Time Set Clock Radio with Dual Alarm. This is an all-around great alarm and has several awesome features. First, it will never lose the time due to a power outage because it has a back-up lithium power source. Second, it automatically adjusts for Daylight Savings Time, which means I would never be an hour early or late to my classes because I forgot to “fall backward” or “spring forward. “ The third thing about this alarm that really strikes my fancy is that it allows you to program two separate wake up times. With this alarm, if you sleep through your first wake up call, there’s a chance the second one will do the job. Price: Around $15.00. Read the rest of this entry »

Almetris Duren Hall Dormitory

It’s not unusual for colleges for freshmen to drink too much in the first few weeks at college, but is pledging leading students to drink dangerously? This week, two young women at the University of Texas were hospitalized for alcohol poisoning after a sorority pledging event.

One girl was found foaming at the mouth in the shower by her roommate. The other was discovered unconscious on the bathroom floor of the Almetris Duren Hall dorm. Both girls were hospitalized. “When freshmen get here, they kind of go a little crazy and you often times find people passed out or stumbling drunk,” said one University of Texas senior.

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At the University of West Florida, visiting professor Mark James asks his students to close their laptops and put away their cell phones. Although James is not against technology, he has decided to make his English literature classes gadget-free. “The students seemed more involved in the discussion than when I allowed them to go online,” he told The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Let’s face it, most students who bring their laptops to class to “take notes” really spend most of their time on Facebook. Aside from the distraction, some professors feel that the use of too much technology in classrooms takes away some of the professor-student interaction that is key to learning. Students may feel like they participate more in lectures if the professor is writing the notes as they talk, rather than reading from a PowerPoint slide. Of course, class size, subject and course level all have special considerations when it comes to the technology debate. Some find that new technologies just don’t work in the kinds of classes they teach. Read the rest of this entry »

With so many Blackberry and iPhone applications out there, sometimes college students forget the real reason they have a cell phone: to actually call people. So as you embark on another semester of school, here are some handy numbers to keep in your phone to ensure safety on campus:

• Credit Card Cancellation Numbers: If your credit card gets lost or stolen it is imperative that you call to cancel all of your cards immediately. Most people realize in the heat of the situation that the number to report a lost or stolen card is inconveniently only on the back of the credit card itself, so have it handy on your phone to avoid any delay.
• ICE (In Case of Emergency): Emergency response teams and police officers are trained to look in phones for numbers stored under the alias ICE. In the case of an emergency, it is important for bystanders to be able to get a hold of someone to alert them of the situation you are in (such as a car accident). Read the rest of this entry »

You probably thought going to an out-of-state college would offer a sense of independence, a chance to meet new friends and help you escape parental control. But now, after a few days of classes, you realize just how much you miss home.

I know it didn’t take long for me to miss home. My campus house was only 25 minutes from my parents’ house, and yet, I noticed that my bed got more uncomfortable each night. I started to miss the walls of my old high school, and I couldn’t seem to shake the crowded college dining hall and parking lot. It wasn’t long before I decided to spend the weekend at my parents’ house.

It’s normal for college students to feel homesick, but it’s important that you learn to cope. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself skipping class and constantly griping to your roommate about how much you hate the campus. Read the rest of this entry »

For those on a budget, food is one area where it’s easier to cut corners. One popular, cheap food option, especially among broke college students, is ramen noodles. Ask any kid that went away to college what they ate the most while away and the response is almost always ramen noodles. For just pennies a packet, ramen noodles are a simple food with a simple, salty flavor, so it’s no surprise that people are often looking for ways to add some depth and variety to the meal. Below are ten suggestions to give your ramen noodles some flair.

• Tex Mex Ramen: Brown a pound of ground beef and add a package of taco seasoning. Boil ramen noodles and mix with meat. You can garnish with your favorite taco toppings like cheese, lettuce, sour cream and nacho cheese chips.
• Spaghetti Ramen: Pour heated marinara sauce over boiled ramen noodles for a quick and cheap spaghetti dish. Read the rest of this entry »