College graduation gift for best friend?
My best friend and I have known each other since we were 8 years old. Even though we aren't very old now, I think our friendship is very special considering most of our friendship she's lived in another state (I live in CA, she moved to WA when we were 10) She's going to be graduating from college in a year and I'm very excited for her! I've been thinking about what to get her and I'm not sure what. I know I have a year to finalize it, but I still want to have enough time to get her an awesome gift. So I would like some ideas. She loves concerts, art, traveling, taking pictures, crafts like scrapbooking, and so much more. I want to get her something really great but not really over doing it. Something that can thank her for everything she's done for me and to congratulate her on this accomplishment. So far I've been putting together a scrapbook starting from the beginning of our friendship (and I hate scrapbooking!) But I would really like to give her something else too.
Should I get a college dorm even though my family has a house near the university?
You ~might~ have to sacrifice some of your social life, but if your parents are going to allow you to live rent free, you will save thousands by staying at the house. *Picture this: It is ten years from now and you are making student loan payments. You see you will be paying about $300 a month for at least 5 more years. Not awful, right?BUT - if you are still paying your dues at low-paying entry level job, that $300 a month could be the difference between living comfortably and stressing about making it to the next paycheck. Plus, you should consider other hypothetical situations. Car breaks down? That $300 a month could be going to a car payment, but instead it’s paying for that dorm you lived in years ago. It is easy to take out loans without thinking, especially since you don’t even have to worry about them for at least 4 years!_HOWEVER, if money is not truly an issue for you or your family, by all means stay at least 1 year in the dorms! It is your best option for socializing and meeting those college friends that you will remember for the rest of your life. Most of my favorite college memories stem from socializing in the dorms during my freshman and sophomore years! Once I moved off-campus into my own apartment, I honestly stopped going out and seeing friends outside of the classroom.Two reasons why:1.) I was working a lot more hours in order to pay for my apartment, so it was harder to find the time or motivation to go out while balancing work and school. (If you are able to live in the house free of charge, this may not be an issue!)2.) It was no longer as easy to make “spur of the moment” plans. While in the dorms, a group of friends might be walking in the hall and say something a long the lines of “hey we are going to *insert campus activity/movie/concert/party here* —wanna come??” That just doesn’t happen when you are living off campus.Best of luck!-*I should add that the cost of dorm life for you may differ drastically compared to my college! For me to live in the dorms, it broke down to about $700 a month, (for one tiny room!) plus another $400 a month to be on the required meal plan. But of course that was covered with loans so I didn’t have to physically shell out $1,100 each month to pay for that. Once I moved off campus, I shared an apartment with my sister. My half of rent and utilities cost me about $400 a month and I could easily get groceries for $100 a month. My living expenses were cut in half AND there was no interest building up.
So I don't want to go to college....what should I do?
First of all, whether or not you plan on going to college, you should stay on top of your school work and try to make the best grades you possibly can. That way, if you change your mind for ANY reason, you have decent grades and can still get into school and hopefully secure scholarship dollars. You might find a school or conservatory that "fits" you perfectly, or have some other reason to change your mind years and years from now. The other things is that you should start getting work experience. As an actress, you might have to do a lot of side work to pay the bills. At 15/16 don't worry about getting a career, just a solid work history with employers who will give you good references later. The longer you work, the easier it is to get work if you need to change jobs or get a second or third job. Finally, try finding some acting experience now. Hopefully, you'll be discovered, but at the very least you'll be getting experience and building a good resume so that you can get better and better acting gigs as you get older. You might not end up a movie actress, but you might be a big deal one day in some small-theater scene. Good luck.
Should I move back home after I graduate from college?
I am 22 and will be graduating from college in a few months. I plan to get a job and would like to continue to live with friends (I lived on campus throughout college even though it's only about 30 minutes from home), but my mom wants me to move back home. She's worried she won't see me as much if I move out, and I'm worried that I won't be able to stay out late with my friends and boyfriend if I move home. My mom said I could stay out late with friends because I'm an adult, but she thinks it's disrespectful on my boyfriend's part if I stay out late with him, which is something I don't agree with. I currently enjoy going on weekend trips with my boyfriend or having him spend the night and I know trips are probably something my mom won't allow. My mom divorced my step dad about 2 years ago and I'm the oldest (my sister is 14), so I'm sure she feels like she's losing everyone, but I really want to be able to do whatever I want. It would be nice to move home for a few months to get finances in order (find out how much I'd be making after taxes/insurance is taken out of my check, how much loan payments are, see how much car payment is etc.), but since I would have the money I'd like to move out. How do I deal with this situation? I'm an adult and would like to be treated like an adult in all aspects of life. Thanks for your feedback!
Should I dorm even though I live 20 minutes away?
Hey, I am in university and I live at home with my parents still. I live about 35 minutes away from school (each way) so I had to decide whether living in dorms was a better option. I think it comes down to what your priorities are. One one hand, I saved quite a bit of money so that I haven't yet had to take out students loans (I'm just finishing 3rd year). My parents are also really relaxed and I can come and go as I please so independance wasn't as much of an issue. However, many of my friends lived in res and say it was the best time of their life. It's where they met their best friends and learned how to write papers while still drunk (whether that is a valuable skill or not I don't know!). It is a pain driving to and from school everyday, and I didn't sociallize nearly as much as I wanted to in first year. I actually considered moving close to the university so I could make more friends and have a better experience... but then there's the $10 thousand dollar per year. So I don't knwo if that will help. I think that if I could make the decision again, I would spend a year in res just for the experience. It sounds like you're set for scholarships and whatnot, so I say go for it! have fun!
Should I live in a college dorm if I live close to the college?
Hey Peter The 4 comments before me hit the nail on the head: living in the dorms is not glamorous. However, you should weigh out the pro's and the con's. Pro's to living in the dorms: You get to meet new people on a more intimate level You feel like a greater part of the campus You get to participate in dorm-specific events Depending on the university, you are likely much closer to campus than you would be at home You get to eat some fantastic fattening food in the dining halls You get to experience living away from your family Con's to living in the dorms: You have to live with strangers, who could be awful or could be great, depending on who you end up living with You could have an awful roommate (like I did freshman year) You get very little privacy or down time away from people People coming home drunk after a night of partying Loudness, screaming, blasting music, etc. Shared bathrooms Smaller, less "luxurious" room than most people are used to Personally, if I had the option, I would live at home. My roommate freshman year was such a nightmare (she watched me when I slept). As soon as freshman year ended, I got a studio apartment just to have my own space and my own kitchen. If you don't mind living at home, you should live at home in my opinion. It will also save you money.