We insure our cars, our houses, and sometimes even our pets. So, why not insure tuition? For a few hundred dollars, parents can purchase insurance for their child’s tuition in the event they drop of out college for medical reasons. With parents gawking at the semester’s $25,000 tuition bill, it’s no wonder some are considering tuition insurance. It has other parents, however, wondering if those extra hundred dollars are worth it, considering that bank-breaking tuition money they are already struggling to come up with.

The largest tuition insurance provider, A.W.G. Dewar, a unit of OneBeacon Insurance Group Ltd., said that insuring a child’s education is a solid investment. Providing plans for more than 1,000 of the U.S.’s priciest, private schools and elite colleges, Dewar often sends out insurance brochures to families when it comes time for parents to pay for tuition. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a little secret about getting in shape: despite the multi-billion dollar diet industry, staying fit and healthy doesn’t cost that much money, nor does it require a lot of space.

If there is one thing students have experience in, it is lack of space and money, so if you’re looking to get into shape in school or reduce stress, look no further than the four walls of your dorm room and the 5,000-year old Indian tradition of yoga.

What you’ll need:

• Yoga mat
• Yoga DVD
• Laptop or television with a DVD player
• Peace and quiet is preferred, but probably not realistic Read the rest of this entry »

Grades are important, but for some overly ambitious students, they are more important than their health.

Adderall is a prescription drug that is prescribed for kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Now, the drug is being clandestinely used to improve grades on college campuses. Since the drug is known for its ability to promote concentration and focus, students desperate to get a winning edge in school are popping it in order to enhance their ability to retain knowledge, stay up later and work faster during study sessions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 23 percent of young people admitted to abusing prescription drugs, and Adderall was one of the most common. In fact, the drug is so common among college students that on campus it is commonly referred to as the “study drug.”

This medically-unsupervised method for taking this prescription medication has health and medical experts, as well as teachers and parents, extremely concerned over the pressure today’s students face while trying to succeed in school. Read the rest of this entry »

MTV Jersey Shore's Pauly D Rib Tattoo

Allison Kramer is a high school student, aspiring to attend the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, who is inviting you into the real world of teenage girls. Allison has a video blog on her YouTube channel, Ally Baley, where she shares makeup, shopping and fashion advice while giving you an inside look at the actual life of the American teenager.

Today, more and more teenagers are getting piercings and tattoos as a form of self-expression.

As far as piercings, many teenage girls are getting their noses, belly buttons, lips, tongues and eyebrows pierced. Although, most girls get their ears pierced when they are 1-2 years old by a doctor. Guys are piercing their eyebrows, tongues and lips, as well. Read the rest of this entry »

After an exhausting week of classes, it’s time to unwind. How do most college students relax on a Friday night? For me, it usually includes hanging out with my friends, a few glasses of wine, and a couple of parties. For others, it’s slamming shots, chugging beers and waking up the next morning not entirely sure of how you got home.

Now, I am not saying that all college students are complete drunkards, but the fact is, most college students drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol is a part of the college experience, but that doesn’t mean that you should drink yourself under the table: it’s just not classy.  Here are my tried and true tips for not getting too drunk and maintaining some of your dignity:

Eat something before you drink. You do not need to stuff yourself, but try to eat a little something before you start drinking. Carbohydrates and healthy fats, like mixed nuts or a slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter, are your best bet. Eating will slow down the rate your body absorbs the alcohol into your blood stream, and will help you better control the amount you consume. Read the rest of this entry »

Kids love pizza, hamburgers and french fries for school lunch, but parents are often reluctant to encourage the purchase of these unhealthy meals. But a new bill that passed in the Senate this week will help reluctant parents with better school lunch choices.

Estimated to cost more than $4 billion, the new bill will raise standards for all foods sold in school, including vending machines. In addition, the number of children who qualify for free lunch would rise. A similar bill is expected to be voted on in the House next month.

Read the rest on the new school lunch Senate bill at DietsInReview.com. Read the rest of this entry »

If you thought yoga is only about gentle postures and chanting Om in an incense-filled room, you may be in for quite a surprise during your first yoga class.

While there are many forms of yoga, some, like Ashtanga yoga, can produce quite a caloric burn. In fact, given yoga’s ability to increase metabolism and tone and strengthen the body, it can be a great way to fight the freshman 15. But yoga’s physical benefits are just as important as its mental benefits in helping you avoid weight gain.

Here is what you need to know about yoga and your health.

Yoga and weight loss

Yoga can be such an effective workout to avoid the dreaded freshman 15 because it does more than just give you a cardiovascular workout and produce lean and toned muscles. When it comes to weight loss and health, yoga’s real gold star comes from its ability to produce body awareness. In doing so, it has a near magical way of making you much more aware of the reasons for choosing certain foods over others, controlling portion sizes and clueing you into why you are eating. Read the rest of this entry »

Most college students are living on a fixed budget. There are so many expenses that steal your money, little is left over to feed yourself. Buying your meals everyday from the school cafeteria can add up fast, and personally, I don’t like to spend a big chunk of my weekly “allowance” on food at the school cafeteria. However, I usually don’t have enough time to go off campus to get something to eat either. As a result, I brown bag it most days.

While bringing my own lunch is a much cheaper and healthier option than getting French fries and a burger every day, it can get boring. A girl can only eat pb&j so many times before the mere thought makes her mouth feel sticky with peanut butter.

Here are some of my favorite alternatives to the boring sandwich-and-chips brown bag lunch to jazz up your meals without putting a big dent in your pocketbook. Read the rest of this entry »

Most students think that college is the time to party. You may have fewer commitments, more leisure time and no parental guidance; that sounds like an awesome time, right? Well living it up in college doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend it binge drinking. Sure, that peer pressure mom warned you about is tough to ignore in college. Plus, some parties can be socially awkward, and you may cling to the beer can to become more outgoing. While heavy drinking may seem like a necessary college pastime, it comes with several risks:

Your wallet: you probably thought it was just the books and tuition that broke your bank, but you can plan on spending $25 to $50 a night boozing it up at a club.

Weight gain: If you’re trying to lose the “freshman 15”, binge drinking isn’t going to help. There’s roughly 750 calories in 5 cans of beer and 2500 in 5 margaritas. Read the rest of this entry »

In the United States, an estimated 50,000 cases of alcohol poisoning are reported each year, and approximately once every week, someone dies from this preventable condition.

Excessive or binge drinking is the most common cause of alcohol poisoning, and it is one of the most dangerous activities a college student can do. Binge drinking is defined as drinking five or more drinks in a row. Drinking too much too quickly can affect your heart rate, your breathing pattern and your mental and physical coordination.

Whether it’s you who has consumed too much or your roommate, here is what you need to know about alcohol poisoning. Read the rest of this entry »