Transferring and Winter Breaks

So, I started my college career at West Virginia University in the fall of 2006. During the middle of my sophomore year (January 2007), I transferred home to the University of Delaware to help save my family some money. Anyway, the NY Times just posted this really informative article on transferring and what students are doing during their Winter Break. I thought you might enjoy it =)

click here

Love Chocolate Milk?

Check this out.

Want a pet in college?

Having a pet in college is a huge commitment. I know. I have a beagle. The biggest surprise for me, after getting him, was the expense. Granted, he had an eye infection when he was a puppy and got a cold, so those were unplanned vet visits, but it's still a huge expense. All of the shots, neutering, and routine puppy visits can get costly. You also have to think about how often you're home, and if your roommate(s) are going to be willing to help you out with (at the very least) watching your pet.

Here's an article and some tips to help you make this big decision.

Pet spay/neuter info & general info

Questions to ask yourself before getting a pet -

1. Can you afford a pet?

2. Do you have the time for a pet?

3. Do you have enough space for a pet?

4. Is your living situation conducive to having a pet?

5. Does your landlord allow pets?

6. Are your roommates as happy about the pet as you are?

7. What's going to happen to the pet after you graduate college?

Check out more detailed information on these topics here.

College Anthems

So, music consumes a big part of my life. I listen while I do homework, while I write papers, while I'm driving, while I walk from one class to another. Every where I turn, there's music. And, I feel like all college students can attest to having listened to some everlasting college anthems. These are the songs everyone knows the words to. At a party. In a bar. Wherever. Here's what I came up with.

1. Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

2. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

3. Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi

4. Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A Lot

5. (I've Got) Friends In Low Places - Garth Brooks

6. More Than A Feeling - Boston

7. Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield

8. Jack and Diane - John Cougar Mellencamp

9. Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes

10. Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

Suckered into the Vampire Craze...

Check this out.

Okay, thinkgeek created this energy drink. It has the same consistency and nutritional value as real blood. You're also supposed to heat it up so it's also the same temperature as blood. I bought it. Stay tuned to The Review next week to find out how it went. =)

Swine again

President Obama declared on Saturday that the swine flu outbreak is a national emergency.

So, how does this affect you? This means that governments are now allowed to set up emergency facilities and alternate sites for treatment and care for the illness.

Depending on where you live, there are a couple different things happening. In Delaware, two people died this week from the illness. One was on the 19th and one was on the 22nd. Agreed, this is some pretty scary stuff.

Don't forget all the precautionary measures to take. Yes, I'm sure most of these have been pounded into your head time and time again since the disease first surfaced last winter/spring. Still, keep yourself healthy.

Vaccines are still not readily available, and, even if they were, they're still being worked and reworked.

Keep on the lookout for more coverage of this... as I'm sure, unfortunately, this isn't the last of it we're going to be seeing.

Obama's campaign manager returns to UD

So, this past Wednesday, the 21st, I had the amazing opportunity of meeting with and interviewing David Plouffe, President Obama's campaign manager. He returned to UD to hold a question and answer session, open to the public.

Plouffe was a really nice, personable guy. He was incredibly easy to talk to and interview. Coming up this week, Gwen Ifil, the moderator of the presidential debates, is also coming to UD, and I'll have the opportunity to speak with her, as well.

Here's some coverage of the Plouffe event.

On the topic of news again...

I don't want to generalize, but I'm going to. I feel like most college students are slightly apathetic when it comes to paying attention to, or following, the news. I mean, really, we could get into this whole in-depth conversation about what "news" actually is, but I'm going to pass on that for that moment.

Think about it. How much do you, personally, know about what's going on in the nation/world on a daily basis? If someone in class asked you if you had watched the news the night before, how often could you reply with a "yes"? I understand you could very easily say "Well, Ashley, you're a journalism major. You enjoy reading the news. It's what you do." Yeah, I get that. But, seriously, the news affects everyone everyday at every moment. It affects you on a constant basis, and you may not even realize it.

For example, approximately three weeks ago, the "government" of Guinea (for those of you who don't know where that is, it's on the west coast of Africa) attacked innocent civilians, killing more than an estimated 50 people. This may seem like it doesn't affect you. But, alas! It does!

The U.S. government has since considered helping Guinea. (If you don't believe me, check here and here.) Guess what? Now it affects you. Your country and government are considering offering aid to the people of Guinea. It affects tons of things. Money. Soldiers. Relief workers. To name a few.

I understand this is a broad and single example of the news in another country, on the other side of the world, affecting you, but follow me to my point. I'm not saying every little thing that happens is going to affect you personally. I'm saying you should be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of what's going on. Don't be apathetic. Don't be just another college student. Be a smart one. Put your education to use. No matter how you get your news, be sure to get it. As much as possible.

Where do you get your news from?

As technology is steadily evolving, there are more and more outlets for students to get their news from. I, personally, enjoy opening a newspaper in my hands. I don't mind reading news on the Internet, either. Don't get me wrong, the Internet makes it incredibly convenient for me to read the news at any time of the day or night from my cellphone and laptop, but I still like having an actual newspaper in my hands to read. I don't know what it is about it. It may be the journalist inside of me who prefers that, who knows. Blogs are also steadily gaining public interest. It's hard though, when reading one, to determine the actual legitimacy of it because anyone has the ability to start a blog. Anyway, where do you get your news from? What's most convenient for you? I'm interested to find out =)

Party Colleges Do Little to Curb Drinking...

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Obama's Healthcare Reform

I wanted to post some articles by The Review about the current Healthcare Reform bill that has been put forth by the Obama administration.


Healthcare debate brings out emotions on all sides

Lined up outside of Kirkbride Hall, three protesters stood with signs reading, “Abortion is not healthcare,” “No taxpayer-funded abortion,” and “As future nurses, don’t make us participate in abortion.”

Sophomores Maria Lort and Gina Paladinetti along with graduate student Nick Cotter protested the inclusion of abortions in President Barack Obama’s proposed healthcare plan at a College Democrats and College Republicans debate on Oct. 6 in Kirkbride.

Cotter said all three students are pro-life and do not believe the new healthcare bill should cover abortions.

“The Democrats keep saying that there’s nowhere in the bill that abortions are included, but, the fact is, without a specific exclusion of abortions, they would be considered healthcare,” Lort said. “It’s part of women’s services, so it would automatically be funded.”...

Read the rest of the article here

Axelrod brings Oval Office insight to university

David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, visited the university Wednesday night to discuss healthcare reform with students, faculty and community members at Mitchell Hall.

The event was part of the fall Wednesday night public affairs lecture series held as a part of the “Assessing Obama's First Year” class taught by professors Elizabeth Perse and Gretchen Bauer.

At 8 p.m., 30 minutes after the event was scheduled to start, Provost Tom Apple took the podium to introduce Axelrod and explain the delay.

Mr. Axelrod called a little earlier and gave us that excuse that I must hear 50 times a day: ‘I’m meeting with the president of the United States’,” he said...

Read the rest of the article here

H1N1 Vaccine

It seems a lot of my friends are having the same concern as I am about getting the swine flu vaccine. Everyone thinks its either not going to work or its going to actually give them the virus because its the first version of its type. Either way, this is something affecting all of us. Here's an article from the NY Times you may want to check out.

Why are we afraid of the vaccine?

From the NY Times...

Does Exercise Really Keep Us Healthy?

click here

Cooking for the College Kid

Here are some awesome and delicious recipes that are SUPER EASY, take barely any time to make and are budget-friendly! Enjoy! =)

Bagel Pizza

(add any toppings you like! pepperoni, vegetables)
Alfredo Sauce
(super easy to make & add onto pasta!)
Crock Pot Chicken
(can be served over rice or potatoes!)
Mexican Hot Dogs
(so delicious!)
Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge
(only 2 ingredients!!)

Combatting the Swine Flu

So everyone thinks this winter is going to bring a pandemic of the swine flu. Whether that actually happens or not remains to be seen. In the mean time, though, here's some incredibly handy information you can use to make sure you don't catch it and become a statistic.

SYMPTOMS:

Fever
Chills & Cough
Sore Throat
Runny Nose
Body Aches
Headache
Tiredness
Diarrhea
Vomiting

Yes, these are all essentially the signs of the "regular" flu, BUT the kicker is the fever. If you wake up and have a fever (99+ degrees) make sure you get to a doctor ASAP.


Here's some other information you may find helpful in staying swine-free.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand cleaners, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• And, CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! Wipe down counter tops, door handles, refrigerator/microwave handles, bathroom sinks, etc.

Happy cleaning, and good luck keeping healthy!

Basic Health and Wellness

WebMD is, without a doubt, one of my favorite Web sites. It contains so much information on so many topics. I decided to check out what it had to offer on the subject of "college". My search came up with over 4,000 articles and informational videos, including pretty much anything you can think of.

The Freshman 15 is a huge topic of taboo discussed throughout colleges and universities nationwide, well, maybe even worldwide. Everyone is seemingly convinced they are going to come out of their freshman year of college having gained 15 pounds.

FACT: A new study shows that nearly one in four freshmen gain at least 5% of their body weight, an average of about 10 pounds, during their first semester.

Here are three WebMD articles to help spell this common problem out for you. One article gives you all the facts you need to know about the Freshman 15, the second talks about what you can do to avoid it and the third goes over just how to lose those pesky 15 pounds in a safe and healthy way!

Freshman 15: College Weight Gain Is Real
Expert Q & A: Avoiding the Freshman 15
Weight Loss Health Check -
A really fun way to develop a diet plan

There are tons of other articles on WebMD that I'm sure would be helpful to all of you college students. Here are a few that I think you would enjoy, and, at the bottom, I've included a link to all the articles I found on WebMD in regard to college if you'd like to try and find something more specific to your own life.

Next time, I'll be posting some info I think is helpful about the Swine Flu. I know my parents are freaked out about it and so is my college campus. It seems like everyone is. I'll be giving you some info on how to avoid it, some symptoms and how to get through it if you think you may already have it.

• Tips to Prevent Meningitis
• Cooking Basics for the College Student
• The Comfort of Pets to College Students
• Relationship Violence Common in College Students
• VIDEO on Helping College Kids Stop Smoking

WebMD College Article Search

The Beginning

Whether you're a freshman or a senior, I think everyone could use a few tips on balancing their college life with their academic life. These two components, without a doubt, go hand in hand. Here are a few places that I've checked out for you. They've been a great help to me...

College Confidential
10 Tips from College Success Story
Ezine Articles

Also, I know the actual college or university you are attending normally has lists of tips on their Web site. I would definitely check that out for more specific information geared towards your life.

Stay tuned for health and wellness information for the average college student!...