Top 10 things to take away from my blog posts

Photo found on blog.bincsearch.com.

In case you did not know, the reason I wrote this blog was because one of my journalism courses required me to. However,  I have greatly enjoyed working on this blog and may continue to write posts in the future. For now, as a way of saying good bye, I would just like to outline a list of 10 Commandments I hope you’ll keep with you as you continue on your journey through college!

CASIE KOLBINSKY’S 10 COMMANDMENTS OF COLLEGE:

1. Thou shalt attend at least one social event a week, whether it be a party, ice cream outing or sporting event.

2. Thou shalt treat roommates with respect (even if they are sloppy and loud and unbearable to live with). 

3. Thou shalt attend all classes, except when circumstances absolutely keep you from going.

4. Thou shalt avoid excessive amounts of fats, alcohol, sugar and lack of rigorous physical activity to ward off Freshman 15.

5. Thou shalt be open to meet and spend time with different types of people.

6. Thou shalt study and complete homework assignments.

7. Thou shalt call home no less than once a month.

8. Thou shalt be mindful with money.

9. Thou shalt learn to do laundry.

10. Thou shalt remember the main reason to attend college: to obtain an education and degree to be successful later in life.

Good luck! 

How to stay safe on campus

No matter how safe your campus appears to be, one should always take precautions to avoid anything dangerous.

Be sure at least one friend is with you when walking back to your dorm at night. Photo found on engage.youth.wordpress.com.

Do not walk walk by yourself outside at night.

This is a key point to staying safe while in school. A lot of perpetrators seem to target college students at night,

especially during weekend nights after most college students have been partying/drinking. Always take a friend with you if you need to leave your dorm or other campus building at night.

Lock your dorm room. 

While you should lock your dorm room consistently throughout the school year, the period of time before the holidays is a prime time for theft. Even if you’re leaving your room for only 10 minutes, lock the door.

Pepper spray is an easy, affordable tool to use when practicing safety on campus. Image found on 123rf.com.

Be prepared to protect yourself. 

Every college student should have some form of protection when it comes to warding off perpetrators. Consider a baseball bat for your dorm room and pepper spray for when you’re outside the dorm.

Watch your drink.

Date rape does happen frequently. When you’re attending a party, always keep at least one hand on your drink.  Also, be careful when accepting drinks from others; inconspicuously slipping a drug into a beverage is remarkably easy for a person to do.

Don’t take college safety lightly. 

Many of us have the mentality, “That would never happen to me.” However, campus crime is extremely common; I myself can think of three incidents in which one of my friends has found him- or herself in a dangerous situation. While college is a time for earning a degree and having fun, college students need to be sure to make safety a priority, as well.

Handling parents over Christmas break

You love your parents to death, but let’s face it: after a few months living out of the house, adjusting to pre-college life

Your parents may drive you crazy over break, but at least you’re only home for a few weeks! Photo found on tumblr.com.

with the ‘rents can be difficult to do during Christmas break. Below are a few things to remember during the long

holiday vacation:

• Prepare to take on chores again.  Just because you’re a college student probably doesn’t mean your parents won’t expect you to take out the trash or empty the dishwasher once you arrive back home.
• Expect to re-gain a curfew.
• Don’t be surprised if your parents still treat you like a child when you return home; your parents probably aren’t sure how they should treat you now that you’re out of the house. More likely than not, going away to college is as new and different for them as it is for you, especially if you’re the oldest of your siblings. Just be patient, and don’t ruin the holidays by losing your cool when you don’t get your way with Mom and Dad.
• Respect your parents’ wishes. Just because you’re enrolled in a university does not mean your parents’ rules don’t still apply when you arrive back home.
• Expect your parents to be nosy! They haven’t seen you in awhile and are probably curious as to what you’ve been up to. If they ask a lot of questions about your goings-on at school, they’re simply showing they care (and probably making sure you’ve been staying out of trouble!)

Remember, parents can be a little overbearing when you’re home for the holidays. Practice patience, and realize their behavior is probably a result of them missing you a lot!

(Photo [left] found on tumblr.com.)