More Than a Test Score

If you are a college student who wants to be on the frontlines making a positive change in people’s lives listen up. ONE, a grassroots poverty fighting & disease prevention organization, and Chegg For Good have teamed up to bring eight outstanding students the opportunity of a lifetime: a summer internship in Africa to to raise awareness of extreme poverty, disease and how these issues limit African students’ access to a quality education.

To learn more about the opportunity, check out the video actor & activist, Jesse Eisenberg, put together.

This internship program will give eight college students the opportunity to become fully immersed in the issues faced by millions living on less than $1.25 a day in sub-Saharan Africa. You will get to experience the fight against extreme poverty and disease where it’s happening – and come back fully energized to guide other students as the next generation of advocates on campuses across the country.

How to enter? Tell Chegg in 500 words or less why you’re passionate about social change, improving access to education, fighting extreme poverty, etc. & what you’re currently doing on campus to fight it—whether in Africa or right here in your own community.

The top 50 applicants will be entered into a public voting round. Here you’ll be able to rally support from your friends, family, and social networks to vote for you.

After voting ends, the top 20 finalists will then travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress, the ONE team, like-minded students and social entrepreneurs for a few days, showing us what really sets you apart from the other applicants.

Have what it takes to make a big impact in the fight against poverty? Head over to Chegg For Good to apply>>>

A special thanks to our friends at College Prowler and Seventeen for helping spread the word!

Sayonara 2011, it’s time to usher in the new year with a bang! For whatever historical reasons, we like to think of the new year as the Apple + R (or F5 for you PCers) on taking charge and bettering our lives.

Sounds awesome, right? But New Year’s resolutions rarely go that smoothly. We’re motivated to meet this goal for the first few weeks, and then something happens that curtails our drive. It could be the goal, it could be the execution. Whatever the reason, you don’t want it to happen again!

Here are a few SIMPLE steps to make resolution planning a little easier>>>

While many are eager to continue their educational journey at a four-year university, a rising number of students are turning to community colleges as their next step. Matthew Forrest, Zinch’s Student Ambassador at Massasoit Community College, dropped in to give us his perspective on attending a community college, and how students from all walks of life can take advantage of the services they offer.

“Community college classes are a joke. Community college provides a lower quality education than a four-year institution. Community college students are not successful in their future endeavors.”

I assure you that all of these statements are all too common misconceptions. Not only are community colleges for everyone, but their classes are often of the same exact quality that the same or comparable classes would be anywhere else, and they offer many latent benefits, such as their professors, small class sizes, free tutoring services, and an international honor society for two year colleges, Phi Theta Kappa.

Without a doubt, community colleges’ professors are unsung heroes. Because of the small class sizes (usually less than 20 students) that many community colleges offer, the professors are able to get to know each and every student on a personal level. Many professors even have a significant amount of office hours a week (often 5 or more hours) in which any of their students can drop on by and ask questions. As a result of this, professors grow to develop professional relationships with their students, and genuinely care about their success. In turn, students are often more comfortable reaching out to and approaching their professors, resulting in greater success.

At the same time, many community colleges offer FREE tutoring services. Who doesn’t love free stuff? For instance, my college offers free tutoring in math, science, accounting, writing, computers, and foreign languages. These services have been a LIFESAVER for me. My tutors have all been very knowledgeable and truly care about my success as well as the success of their other students. In fact, many of my tutors have been fellow students, making it easier for me to interact with them and discuss any difficulties that I’ve had. If these resources had not been available to me I would have surely given up and taken another path down the road of life.

Another phenomenal benefit of community colleges is Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). PTK is an international honor society geared towards students attending two-year colleges. Although I have not been a member for long it has already started to play a significant role in my continued success. PTK not only encourages excellence in academics, but also provides many other benefits including leadership training, opportunities, and alumni networks. The fact that they have over $36 million in scholarships available to their members doesn’t hurt either.

Everyone knows that community college is a cheaper option than the traditional four-year college, but that is the only fact that most are actually aware of. Whether it is the amazing professors, small class sizes free tutoring, or the opportunity to join an amazing international honor society, community college is a viable option in the world today. Ever hear of Nolan Ryan? Ross Perot? Tom Hanks? Yeah, they graduated from community college and they aren’t doing too bad.

Photo licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

Summer’s coming up but don’t lose focus! Angelina Modica, Zinch’s Student Ambassador at SUNY Fredonia, took some time to lay out some helpful tips for all you graduating seniors.

Three hours. One-hundred multiple choice questions. Three essay questions. One fifteen minute break. Repeat two, three, or maybe even four times for some of you. But guess what? It’s over! AP Exams are done with and now it’s time to relax, but only a little bit, because school is not over yet! Finals, final projects, and state exams are still in your future and it is your job to continue excelling in school! Here are the top 3 “Do’s and Dont’s” of the end of your senior year.

DON’T

-Don’t skip your classes. Although it may seem like the cool thing to do, going to the beach instead of going to calculus class may not be the best idea. At the end of the semester a lot of teachers prepare you for post-AP final exams and some teachers even offer extra-credit opportunities during this time.

-Don’t fall behind in your classes or let your GPA skip. Although you may be already accepted into a college or university, your final transcript is still sent to colleges. I have heard stories of people losing scholarship money or even admittance into a university because they slacked off so much in their last semester of high school. Although the warm weather might be calling your name, make sure you’re getting all of your assignments done. I don’t think anyone wants to be studying and doing final projects on Memorial Day Weekend when all their friends and family are at barbeques and are enjoy the beautiful weather!

-Don’t let end of the year finals or Regents exams surprise you! Yes, the hard part for many of you (AP Exams) are over with! But while you don’t need to pass AP exams in order to gain your diploma, you do need state-mandated exams. Although you might be ready to check out of your high school, focus for these last few exams. Your grades on these may decide which kind of diploma you graduate with!

DO

-Check your mail and email often as your future college will be contacting you. One of the most important messages you’ll get from your college is your school email address and password. It’s quintessential to check this email often because they will be sending you information about orientation, information about scheduling, financial aid, and housing information. Don’t miss out on these opportunities!

-Schedule yourself for an early orientation session. Although it might be a little inconvenient because the earlier orientation sessions are either right after high school graduation or 4th of July weekend, take advantage of these early orientation opportunities. The main reason to do so is because this is when many colleges arrange meetings with advisors for scheduling. Classes have already been available to the sophomores, juniors, and seniors for a few months and classes that you might want to take (or would be convenient time wise fill up fast!) Also, after returning home from orientation, make sure to check out textbook prices online so that you can order them and have enough time to receive them before school starts!

-Have fun and enjoy the end of your senior year of high school. Attend senior-only field trips, barbeques, picnics, proms, or whatever your school does to celebrate the senior class. A lot of people who don’t attend these events definitely regret it in the future. It’s a great way to remember the things you love about your class and maybe even talk to some people you were never close with in high school. Sign lots of yearbooks, take tons of pictures at prom, and celebrate!

All in all, enjoy the end of your senior year but make sure that school is still a priority. If you have any questions about this time of the year, don’t be afraid to ask any of the Zinch student ambassadors! They’ll be more than happy to help!

Image courtesy aeypix / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

- Know where your local amenities and facilities are situated, and how to locate them from your residence. Know the location of your local hospital and police service, and familiarize yourself with emergency numbers (e.g 911 in the U.S. is 000 in Australia). This website contains most of the emergency numbers you will need from around the world.

- Make sure you have appropriate medical insurance/cover – you could be stuck for thousands of dollars if you don’t! Keep all your records in a safe, easy to access place. If you speak a different language to your host country, make sure you memorize a range of phrases that allows you to communicate your needs with emergency services. You should also memorize how to say your address in your host country’s language.

- When you get to your destination, take the time to figure out a “safety route” for all your major day-to-day activities including going to school, workplace and social spots. Your safety routes should be areas that are well lit and well populated i.e travel down bright major strips as opposed to darker laneways. If you can, talk to some locals about where the dangerous spots are to avoid in your local area – everywhere has them! Also, let your nearest consulate know you are in the country studying and engage with the student affairs office to learn about neighbourhoods, housing and transport links from lodging to campus.

- Watch out for shady landlords/accommodation operators. In many major cities there is a tendency for bad people to take advantage of the vulnerability of students and strip them not only of their cash, but also of their dignity. Try, to the best of your ability, to organize accommodation through legitimate providers – and also take the time to shop around. Look at the market rate for rental properties/rooms for let in the area you wish to stay in and use that as your benchmark. Also, most countries have practices that protect the rights of tenants, and this also applies to students, so familiarize yourself with what rights you have. You don’t need to get ripped off, and you don’t need to live in a room the size of a cupboard!

- Campus culture is very important to your study – take the time to research potential campuses to make sure they are right for you. This recent article from the New York Times EducationLife supplement is a good example of what opportunities and challenges international study presents.

- Also, take some time to learn the local customs. What is polite, impolite, offensive and acceptable behaviour in your host country? If you have travel safety questions about your destination or are planning to explore your new host country, hop on travel discussion boards to ask questions of locals and other people who have been there such as Zinch or World Nomads Answers. Before you go, learn about tips and advice that can keep you safer and confident in your new host country. A little bit of research could save you a lot of trouble!

Content written and provided by World Nomads