Dude Where Can I Park my Car?

Quinnipiac University has about 5400 undergraduate students, 2000 of which, approximately, live off campus. This means each and every day about 2000 students need to get to campus to go to class, meetings and a variety of other activities. Quinnipiac’s North Lot parking lot, located off Mt. Carmel Avenue, is generally where these cars are expected to park. Once this lot, and the lot to the right, which is reserved for commuter carpools, is full students are expected to park down the road at the Hogan Road parking lot. 

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As you can see from this map, the Hogan Road commuter lot is a significant distance from the Mt. Carmel campus and ultimately from the University’s buildings where classes are held. The University has provided shuttles from Hogan Road Lot to North Lot, on Mt. Carmel’s campus, but often these shuttles take about 10 minutes to complete the trip. These 10 minutes can mean the difference between getting to class on time and being late.

Many seniors work and therefore cannot afford to come to campus all day for classes they have in the afternoon or stay in between morning and night classes. Each situation is different, but most times commuting students prefer to come for their classes and then leave. The parking situation often hinders this desire.

“The commuters get the short end of the deal no matter how you look at it. Why can’t York Hill students be required to take a shuttle just like other resident students from Whitney Village and other satellite parking lots?,” said Jaclyn Hirsch, a senior print journalism major.

Students from Whitney Village, according to Quinnipiac regulations, are not allowed to drive their cars onto campus until after 4 p.m., and before that are forced to take a shuttle that runs every half hour from Whitney Village to the Mt Carmel campus. The York Hill residents will also have an option of the shuttle, but will be allowed to park on campus whenever they like, as per an open forum with Ron Colavolpe that took place in April to discuss the changes at York Hill. The shuttles from York Hill will only run until 8 p.m. on weekdays and not at all on weekends. This means that in addition to commuters and students living off campus, students living at York Hill will also be placed in the North Lot parking lot next semester.

For some students the issue of number of spots is really not the issue at all, it’s safety.  Genna Kornweiser, a senior public relations major, feels that situation is really “not bad if only students would drive a little slower and adhere to directional signals.”

All in all these are kinks which will have to be worked out as the University continues to grow and expand in the coming year and in the future, and students will simply have to continue working their schedules around the ever expanding University. 

10 Steps to do before going away to college

The time between high school graduation and the day you leave for college may seem like a long period, but it is not! It is so short in fact that no sooner will you have packed away your cap and gown and yearbook, will you be packing your car and heading out for the "last night home." A million things will change in that period, but it is as they say the best and worst summer of your life. 

This 10 step checklist is a bunch of things you will probably forget to do in this short period of time. It ranges from ways to make your home away from home, or that 2 x 4 they call a dorm room, homey to how to save your parents money on phone calls. 

All in all these are valuable tips and tricks of the going away to college trade, so enjoy!

Okay so you may not think this is so important, but it is. Your dorm room is where you will be living- and so it needs to be as home-y as possible. Of course that is often quite hard to do when you have a 2 x 4 living space, but this 10 step article is going to show you exactly how to do that. First you need to learn where to shop and what to shop for. Then you need to be realistic about what your dorm can look like. Then you also need to remember to bring a lot of things that without reading this you would have forgotten, and also a little advice for helping your parents deal with the whole process. 

1. Bed Bath and Beyond

This can be your best resource, or it can be your worst. The checklist is filled with items that seem like something a first time college student would need, and yet many of these items move from your hometown, to your college dorm and back again. For example flannel sheets. Not everyone likes flannel sheets and to be perfectly honest unless you are going to school in Alaska you will most definitely not be cold in your dorm room. The things that should be on this list are:

a) two window fans- these will come in handy after you have moved in, and they will definitely be sold out in the school store in the first five minutes of move-in day. 

b) lofted bed shelf- particularly if you have a lofted bed, as many freshman at Quinnipiac University do, this will come in handy. You can put yet another fan on this and also a drink, glasses, and you know those textbooks you are supposed to be reading. 

2. Pottery Barn

Now according to Pottery Barn, this is how big a dorm room generally is. In any of your college visits did you see a full size bed in a dorm room? I didn't think so. 

 

Regardless, Pottery Barn Teen is a good resource as well. Organization is key in creating a comfortable dorm room and Pottery Barn has a lot of interesting options for organization. 

a) Curtains: These can mean the difference between making lifelong friends and lifelong enemies in the first few months away. College is an adjustment period, which also means you have to adjust to other people's habits. Everyone adjusts at different rates, so one of your roommates may not realize until the middle of the semester that it is rude to keep her desk light on until 3 a.m. These may help with the limited space, at least slightly. Hanging them around a desk area may give you the quiet you need to study and can also signify to your roommates that you are indeed studying and do not want to be bothered, no matter what. 

b) Locker Bins: These are an easy way to organize your books, extra paper, shower accessories and other small items that would otherwise take up too much space in your closet and/or your desk. Your desk should be as clutter free as possible to allow for a good study environment. This may sound ridiculous but you definitely will be happy when you can study in your room instead of braving the 20 degree weather to go to the library during finals in December. 

 

And now while your dorm may never look like the above picture or this:  it can definitely be comfortable for you!

3. Staples

Now Quinnipiac students have it quite easy- they have a staples within 10 minutes of campus. If you do not have one as close, it is important to remember to purchase the necessary supplies before hand. This does not only include notebooks and looseleaf pages, but it also includes pens, staples, a stapler, post-its, and batteries. It is also good to ensure that you have extra quantities of all these "office" supplies as you most likely will not have a car freshman year and ultimately will not be able to get off campus so easily. You also will need a chair or at least a cushion as many college chairs are quite uncomfortable. 

Directions to Staples from Quinnipiac University: 

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4. Communication

Although this is not a store, it is vital to your pre-college prep. How will you communicate with friends and family members while away? In the digital age, most people have cell phones, and facebook is also a great resource for keeping in touch with high school friends. Depending on how far away from home you are and your wireless service provider, these calls can be quite costly. A low-cost option, particularly for that semester you will hopefully spend abroad, is skype. Skype is a VOIP service- which stands for Voice Over Internet Provider- it is similar to vonage in that it carries phone calls through an internet connection for a minimal fee. Skype costs two cents per minute calling to anywhere in the world, but if you call from a computer it is free! The new Dell laptops, required by QU, and all Mac laptops, have a camera installed in the screen. All you need to do is purchase one for a home computer and viola! you can communicate with your family and family pets, for free. Depending on the quality of the webcam it can be quite expensive or inexpensive. You can also purchase one on ebay. This will ultimately score you major points with your parents because not only are you saving them money (which they will be grateful for after the six digit tuition bill they will receive after July 1st) you will also be teaching them something technical that they can brag about to their friends, because you know parents love that stuff!

5. Meal Plan

Again more a concept and thought process. How much food do you eat in a week? Do you want to have extra money on your meal plan for coffee or do you want to eat the two meals a day, six day a week plan that some schools suggest? If you choose to simply do the two meals a day another important thing to consider is how you will supplement your meals. Will you go food shopping or use peapod? One of the best things about peapod is that they deliver food from stop and shop straight to your dorm and your parents can order the food for you from home (which means they can also pay for it!)

6. Spending Money- Otherwise known as a Job

While adjusting to college many students find it quite difficult to keep up with class work and also a side job. An option for this is work study. Be sure to apply for this in APRIL when you submit your FAFSA. (Federal Application for Free Student Aid) Work study allows you to be granted a specific amount of money to be paid to you by the University you attend in exchange for work. So you can work at the Library, Admissions office, Bobcat Den, Polling Institute, and a variety of other places depending where you attend. 

7. Mac or PC- Which is better?

Ah the age old dilemma- which is better? Well according to Justin Long (and the Wall Street Journal) a Mac definitely has the upper hand, but here's a few easy ways to compare. 

If you are attending Quinnipiac in particular it might be easier for you to have a Dell, the school sponsored computer. The STARs will take care of any and all problems that you may have.  The Quinnipiac Dell can be viewed here.

If you do decide to get a Mac, you will be forced to go to West Farms Mall for any and all service problems. The West Farms Mall is about 45 minutes by car. This may be difficult if you are a freshman this will be quite difficult. 

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8. Clothes- Do not over pack!

When you first go away it will be hot, so you will want summer clothes. If you do not plan to go home until Thanksgiving break, then you may need to bring a warmer set of clothes. The important thing is to not bring too many winter clothes as it will be a lot easier to simply switch out your clothes during your breaks. Another important thing to remember is to bring a lot of clothes you like. For example if you plan to be going out a lot (and you will in the first few months) then you will need a few dresses, dress shirts (for boys) and whatever else you like to wear to go out. 

9. Facebook

Setting up a facebook is definitely a vital part of college prep. You need to determine which networks you will be joining (generally your college and your hometown), and it is a great way to communicate with roommates beforehand. This way you can meet them and coordinate who will bring the microwave, fridge and tv. It also helps you to stay in touch with people from your orientation group, which also means you will have a built in group of friends waiting for your arrival!

10. The Last Night

The last night home can be one in which you are quite torn. Your parents will want you to have dinner with them, your friends will want you to have drinks with them and your significant other (should you have one) will definitely want some quality time. How do you balance all this? There is no right or wrong answer, the best answer is simply to see who, when and where, makes you happy. It's YOUR last night, and things will honestly never really be the same again, so embrace it and be ready for the most amazing four years of your life--the four years where you learn what living truly is. 

  

Students take a stand against hate

I recently wrote an article for The Quad News regarding the subject of hate. And although parts of this post may seem like a plug for my own article (and okay they are) the true meaning of this post is to make people aware of the problems at Quinnipiac as of late and also how we, as students, can change the world. That's right I said it- change the world, and even if we can't change the whole world, because let's face it the world is pretty screwed up right now, at least we can change our Quinnipiac world, our Quinnipiac home.

Hate is something that no one expects to encounter in their first year, or even in their four years at college, and it certainly was not something I expected to see my first year either, but it's there. It's present everywhere and the sooner people start talking about it, the better, because as the saying goes, Apathy is almost as bad as the act itself, or something to that effect.

Coming from New York City I have seen all kinds of people, and having traveled to nine different countries I have really seen ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE, but the one thing that never really struck me-as a child or now as an adult-was that I should discriminate against these various people because of their skin color, their hair color, their nationality or anything. I merely marveled at these differences and, as a journalist, asked them as many questions as I could to understand their point of view, their story. I feel everyone has a story and that every story deserves to be told and this story- the one which I have been spending days writing about and am publicizing on every website I know of- Twitter, Facebook, my blog etc- is about how students can change the world.

Students can change their college communities and we need to learn how to do this now, otherwise the world is going to be a lot more screwed up- regardless of our financial situation.

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

With the current economic situation, many students are now wondering if there were things they could have, or should have done differently. Jenna Labisi is a junior from Staten Island, N.Y. and she believes there isn't much she could have done different, and yet Kelly Bruneau, a junior from Cheshire, Conn. believes she needs the extra year or two that grad school will give her.

These two students both attend different schools based on their needs and yet their message is universal- enjoy the time you have here in college, because before you know it, it's over.

The following are interview transcripts with the two college students:



Kelly Bruneau, 21, Cheshire, Conn. attends Quinnipiac University
Major: Economics Minor: Spanish and International Studies

1. What made you come to Quinnipiac?
a. I decided to come to QU because it was the best fit for me, I play lacrosse here and for me QU offered the best combination of academics and athletics. What is the hardest thing about being in college?

2. What’s the hardest thing about being in college?
a. I think the hardest thing about being in college is balancing everything - especially for me, being a student-athlete, I don't have a lot of time, so its really hard to do everything that I want to do and still do all of the things that I have to do.

3. What would you do differently if you could?
a. I'm honestly not sure what I'd do differently... I don't regret most of the decisions that I've made, academically at least...I just wish I knew what I wanted to do after college, because at this point I'm still very much undecided..

4. What worries you most about graduating next year?
a. I think what worries me most about graduating next year is that I have no clue what I want to do... and of course the fact that the economy is terrible right now, and the job market doesn't look so promising.




Jenna Labisi, 20, Staten Island, N.Y. attends SUNY New Paltz
Major: Communication Disorders Minor: Art History

1. What made you go to New Paltz?
a. I wanted to go to New Paltz because they had a variety of subjects and I wouldn’t have to do something I really didn’t like.

2. What’s the hardest thing about being in college?
a. Studying all the time and knowing that its constant studying is hard

3. Do you wish you had waited a year to go college and/or had taken a year off?
a. I’m glad I didn’t wait that I went straight to school because I would have worked and I wouldn’t have wanted to go to school and I probably wouldn’t have gone away to school I would have stayed home

4. What would you do differently if you could?
a. I wouldn’t do much differently

5. What worries you most about graduating next year?
a. I’m worried about not being able to get a good job that can support myself, and possibly a family, when that comes. I have to go to grad school to become certified so at least I have a little extra time before I have to become an adult.

What is the best recipe for dinner under $25?

Okay, so since we are all college students and I'm sure we've all cooked at one point or another, I'd like to know what you think the best dinner under $25 is. The whole meal has to be under $25 and should feed at least one, but if you can make it for more then all the better!!

Comment on the bottom of this blog post and let me know what you think!

My idea is chicken and pasta with sundried tomatoes, olives, zucchini and broccoli, which I will make and post a recipe with pictures about at some point in the future.

Living On Campus vs. Living Off Campus

Okay so we all know that living on campus entitles us to a roof, extra long twin bed, café food, and of course the easy walk to and from classes, but what does living off campus entitle us to?

            As college students many parents and their dependents (aka US) often only see dorm-ing as the only way to live away at school. Some schools, like Quinnipiac University, often guarantee only three years of housing, if that. Recently, however, Quinnipiac has been working to get more and more students on campus, and are therefore now able to offer students four years of housing. Some students, however still opt to move off campus their junior and senior years

Saira Zafar, 19, a sophomore, speaks out about what it is like to live on campus and why she decided to move off. She anticipates parking to be the biggest issue when living on campus, because she feels that the cost will ultimately be cheaper to live off campus, but the aggravation of finding a spot in the commuter lot in the mornings may not be. 

 

Rachel Hellman, 20, a junior went so far as to create an excel sheet for her parents to prove her point. "It will always be cheaper to live off campus," Hellman said, "because when living on campus each student pays approximately $14,200 to live in a room made for 7 when in a house you will be splitting it two, three or four ways and you have your own bathroom, kitchen, laundry etc. It will be cheaper, I know it will be." 

      Most Quinnipiac students live in Seramonte, Aspen Glen, Hamden Center Apartments, and Broadmoor. Of course there are more apartments and houses throughout the Hamden Area. Many students find their houses through realtors or an online google search. The best website to use is Rent.com. This website allows a student to send the landlord an email to inquire about rent, and the actual facilities. It also pays $100.00 if you happen to sign a lease with a policy you found on their website. 

Ultimately many students are currently happy to move off as they feel it gives them a taste of the real world while still being sheltered in the bubble of Quinnipiac. This may change, however, as more and more dorms begin to open up on York Hill and the North Haven campuses. 

   As someone who lives off campus and throughly enjoys it I say its something everyone should do, but if you don't believe me think about this- if you live off campus you DON'T have to eat the 80g of fat hamburger found in the cafe, how's that for a reason to move off campus? I think it's a pretty good one. 

Down with Love? I'm not so sure...

Ahh Valentine's Day, that magical day when some boyfriends get it right and some just get it horribly wrong.

That's right, I'm blaming it on the men. It's not to say that women shouldn't do something romantic for Valentine's Day, it's just that traditionally it's the men who get it wrong. I'm sure there are some women out there who can't seem to commit or get the romance just right, I for one though would like to blame the men. 

My valentine's day was quite awesome this year, even though I found myself out of a LTR (long term relationship) for the first time in a LONG time on Valentines day, I still enjoyed the day. I even got to have my fondue =) 

"Umm Mom I..."

This quote is always followed by some sort of phrase that your parents definitely do not want to hear.

I must have said this phrase to my mom at least 50 times in my college career, and the words following ranged from the outrageous (got a tattoo in Italy) to the mundane (went to work) to the slightly less outrageous (got a dog). And yet each and every time I am always stressed out for days before (because generally by the time I am telling my mother I have done or decided to do what I am telling her) telling her for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON!!

So fellow college students, this post is going to be dedicated to How to Tell Your Parents the Important Stuff Without Sweating The Small Stuff (I like the caps, I feel they lend more importance to my statement) okay so here it goes.

Let's say you want to get a dog- because this is exactly what I just did- you need to explain to your parents (or parent or the person who is paying your bills) that you are ready for the responsibility and have carefully thought this out and blah blah blah...

Now while I do agree that asking parents for money often requires a lot of groveling, pleading and begging, there are a lot of other things that will make them give you the green for with a lot less anxiety. 

First show your parents you are responsible--do your homework, make the deans list, show them that your apartment can actually look like somewhere that is inhabitable instead of the next HAZMAT site.  

After you have done this show them how you will be able to afford a puppy or that new stereo. Will you get a new job? Do you have the time to take care of the pet and if not have you made arrangements for someone else to do so? Etc. 

Hopefully your parents will fall so in love with your new puppy (as my mom did) that they really won't ask any questions at all. 

Dee Dee was rescued! 

Cupcakes =)

At my internship in NYC I tend to do a lot of research. In my web-travels I happened upon this image and realized that sharing cupcakes with you might be a fun post- so here you go =)

Also fun fact about New Haven- while they lack a certain popular NYC bakery (Magnolia to be precise a name that makes me salivate) they do have an interesting invention- The Cupcake Truck is literally a truck that goes around New Haven (and sometimes HAMDEN!) and delivers gooey delicious goodness to those of us willing to brave the long lines and cool temperatures. Now, as it gets nice out it might not be so bad, although the lines will probably be the same.

And fun fact number 2 the Cupcake Truck is coming to Quinnipiac University. That's right- read it again and jump for joy!!! They will be in North Lot on February 26, 2009 (a Thursday) from 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and you should definitely get yourself a cupcake AND FOLLOW THEIR BLOG- they are also on blogger- check it out =) because cupcakes make everyone happy

Have you updated your status today?

Facebook -- it's as much a part of the college experience as buying twin extra long sheets is.

It was founded in 2004 and was originally a college networking site, now it has expanded to include companies, high schools, cities, countries and just about every other type of "network" you can think of.

I have quite a love-hate relationship with Facebook. As a journalist I realize that the connections I have created with it will ultimately help me out in the long run, and as a college student I like it because it helps me stay connected with people I meet while abroad, at different college programs and at Toads on a Saturday, but then again I hate it. I hate it because I am always on it and I hate it because sometimes I worry that too much information is out there.

I have made myself facebook invisibile- you can't find me on facebook unless you are my friend- it is as if I don't exist. Which is kind of a cool thing, again back to the reason why I love it.

I think that if students (communications and others alike) truly harnessed the powers of Facebook, instead of just looking at who is most likely to be "best at everything" (the true result of a quiz believe me I know) and what wacky bumper stickers were posted, then they would realize how important social networking sites are becoming in the working world today.

But then again, it is kind of fun to just check out the crazyness that is the newsfeed...

Ways to Budget Your Money

Okay so whether you are a freshman or a senior, you always need to learn new ways to save money!

I have been budgeting for the past three years and yet feel as though there are still some things to learn. One of them is that you can never plan for that 3 a.m. dominos or the "emergency" trip to the nail salon, but you can plan for food shopping, going out, magazine subscriptions and eventually electric and cable bills.

Despite the hundreds of budgeting programs out there, the easiest way to create a budget (and stick to it) is to use good old pen and paper (and then sync it to your calendar on your computer and to your cell phone, etc.)

First determine how much you "make" each month- it can be how much money you make from a job, how much your parents send you, or how much you find on the floor- doesn't matter as long as it totals some amount.

Then, a good thing to do, would be to add up all your expenses- I'm talking everything- manicures, waxing, iTunes purchases, going out, etc.

Once you have that you subtract what you spend from what you earn- simple isn't it? And then you just try to not spend more than what you allocated for that month or week.

This to me is the hardest part of the equation.

Some ways I solve this problem-

I live off campus, so I have more opportunities for cheap eats- for example I can get to Kumo during the week between 11 and 3 when all their sushi is half off, and I can buy 5 lbs of Chicken in Stop and Shop and use it for about three weeks, but what should you do when you live on campus? A good thing to do would be to eat in the Dining Hall as much as possible- I know the food sucks, but you can create a variety of okay meals but just asking for substitutions, and that way you can save on your grocery bill. Another way to save on grocery shopping is to have it delivered. That's right I am telling you to have your groceries delivered to your dorm room- I'm not completely sure if this will work, but it is definitely worth a try!

To do this go to peapod.com and then follow the "easy" instructions and ta-da! You have just food shopped via the internet- isn't it a wonderful thing? I've been doing this since I got back to school and you know what- I've been saving money! I avoid the hunger pains that always overcome me as I enter Stop and Shop and ultimately only buy what I need instead of what looks sooooooooo good! It really does work, it might be lazy, but hey at least I have extra time to go to the gym! (That's another budgeting lesson for another day- budgeting time- that one not so simple)

Another way to save money is to try to always take the shuttle into New Haven if possible- and if you happen to be staying in Hamden for the night, then carpool and rotate the DD. Cabs around Hamden aren't really that expensive, but can add up, so having someone DD eliminates the expense and could potentially save you from going home with a Mr. Oh-So-Wrong.

Other than that, all I can say is try to budget, try to save, but most important try not to let it consume your life- if you are constantly worried about saving/budgeting, you won't enjoy the great time you could be having with your friends, because College only happens once- so enjoy it!

What the Stimulus can mean for students

It's official- both the Senate and the House passed some sort of Stimulus package and we, as college students, are a part of it.

According to the Zimbo- an interactive magazine with 15 million readers- the Stimulus package passed by the Senate provides "$13.9 billion for Pell Grants, to increase the maximum grant by $281 in 2009-10 and by $400 for 2010-11, and eliminate an existing shortfall in the program." The House's bill also set up provisions for extra money to be allocated to these grant programs, with $500 to be increased in 2009-10. The Senate bill would also include another $61 billion for the Perkins Loan program, although the bill passed by the House would not.

These are things that will affect you- maybe not today, or tomorrow but definitely when you are in the process of repaying your loans and therefore they are something you should be paying close attention to. The more money you are able to take from the government, instead of from private loans, will ultimately help you because they are lower rates than you get when you apply for private loans, such as the Sallie Mae loans.

According to the Student Lending Analytics blog, the stimulus package would also "provide limited 'emergency access" student loan pool for colleges that commit to providing adequate need-based aid.

• Colleges would have to meet certain criteria and bear some of the risk
• Participation limited to colleges that commit to maintaining or increasing the proportion of student need covered by their own grant aid for the next two years"

This will definitely help some of the colleges who are having to cut back, freeze jobs, or increase tuition in the next few years, but what will it do for students who are at these schools and suffering from the problems caused by the economy? Quinnipiac, for example, is raising their tuition approx. 4%--which according to the myQ announcement is the lowest it has ever been raised, but I think this is the worst possible time for any increase, regardless of how low or high it is.