Things to Think about Before Transferring

Transferring schools can be a challenging task. Most likely, you are not feeling content with your original selection. Many reasons include the cost, location, athletics, and the desired curriculum. No matter why you have made the choice to transfer, it is usually a quick decision. You become discontent and you want a change. Now, while you are in the midst of making your decision, you have the painstaking process of finding another school, in addition to your homework. Here are some of the key things to address when you are transferring schools so that you do not risk being unhappy with your decision. While considering a new school, it is essential to consider, why would I like to go there? If you are unhappy with the weather in upstate New York it would not benefit you to transfer to a school in Maine, right? Then, once you make up your [...]

Get a Mentor, Get Results

I was fortunate in college to have not one, not, two, not even close to three, but maybe 12-14 classmates who provided me with some form of mentoring. I never shared a strict mentor-mentee relationship with those 12-14 individuals. On the contrary, they were some of my closest friends, many of them 2 years ahead of me when I first began college. They were my go-to source for insider information regarding those amazing professors and their special classes that I had-to-take before graduation. We shared laughs, weekend adventures to Ultimate Frisbee tournaments in San Diego, and amazing conversations over delicious food. But the best part about these incredible individuals was their ability to help me transcend and learn from moments of failure. During my first year at Occidental, I applied to be a director of the Charles R. Blyth Fund. Unlike other schools with investment clubs on campus, the Blyth [...]

The drinking dilemma: Making informed choices

Alcohol is one of the biggest issues on college campuses today and being informed and aware lays the groundwork for making choices that feel right.

College is… duck confit.

Saul Sutcher, like many college students, grew tired of the uninspiring offerings of cafeteria food. But instead of wallow away with “overcooked, unseasoned pasta that lies on the plate as mush,” Saul used his cooking skills and entrepreneurial vision to launch Cafe Norris, a once-a-week gourmet cafe offering such fares as duck ragu, pancetta-wrapped quail, and tarte aux pommes for dessert. In an interview, Saul details this awesome venture and describes how his experiences in college helped him achieve his gourmet goals.

The original article is well-worth a read (find out how a top-notch summer internship helped Saul prepare for dishing the goods at Cafe Norris). Last week, I caught up with Saul to learn more about this awesome venture and find out how his experiences in college helped him achieve his gourmet goals.

Rock Bottom to Rock Solid: How I Learned to Love College

A Wonderful Beginning When you start college, it can be easy to lose track of why you went there and what you’re really there for. Starting in college across the country, either I lost sight of that for a little while, or the reasons I went cross country weren’t the right ones. I was a freshman at Occidental, who was going to be a Political Science major in pursuit of a Law degree down the line because a law degree, even if I didn’t want to be a practicing lawyer, would be good graduate degree to have. It made sense on paper and when I answered my family and other adults with what I’d be doing at college. I thought it made sense to me. The problem was, I didn’t give half a damn about politics. I found it difficult to care about an American political system whose rules, classifications [...]

Mental Maintenance

Just to dovetail on Lisa’s excellent college health advice (seriously, buy that Emergen-C), I’d like to take a moment to focus on another college health issue: mental health. College encompasses a great many life changes and challenges and it’s important to keep tabs on how you’re feeling. Here are a few tried and true methods of keeping your mental and emotional health in check: Make time for yourself College is about roommates, dorms, activities, study groups, and holing up in the library with half your school before finals. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a total people person, but sometimes I felt like I couldn’t hear myself think and I needed a little space. I went to the gym by myself sometimes, other times I bought People magazine and a latte to enjoy outside. My roommate had a “nook” in the library whose location she never revealed so that she could [...]

College Sports: Free Entertainment!

If there is one thing that all college students love, it is getting things for free. Sometimes this requires going to a kickoff meeting for a club or fraternity to get pizza. Sometimes this requires signing up for a credit card to get a free sandwich (btw, you shouldn’t do that, your debt generally exceeds the price of a sandwich). But when it comes to college sports, the product is free, no strings attached. Nearly all schools allow students free admission to sporting events, and most give away prizes and gifts just for coming to the games. And there are so many sports to choose from. Go to your college’s athletics website and you get a full list of every team’s schedule. Since the games are free, you can try out new sports without any charge. The sport that I recommend attending the most is basketball. Even if your team [...]

Why You Should Not Fear Failure While in College

In continuing to answer questions sent from the Granada High students, I wanted to spend some time answering one that was not included in Lisa’s post. The question was something along the lines of, “What was your favorite memory from your days in college?” The easy answer would be something along the lines of, “Well, there was this one weekend, where I went to this fraternity / sorority house, and everything that happened that night made me feel like I was in Asher Roth’s ‘I Love College’ video / “Animal House.” During my college career, I did partake in these kinds of weekend activities. But, those fleeting moments did not define my college experience. On the contrary, my favorite college memories include the times I failed. In particular, failing one of my intermediate economics courses was probably one of the best things to happen to me, and here’s why: Failing [...]

Top 10 Questions High Schoolers Have about College

Based on YOUR responses, we’ve compiled the Top-10 in questions about college. With the answers, of course.

Alternative Weekend Activities

In the spirit of Friday, I believe that it is only appropriate to discuss other fun things you can do during the weekend instead of partying like a rock-star :) 1). Get to know your local community: There is always something fun and exciting happening on a Friday night within your college’s local community. In Eagle Rock, CA, there was a fantastic farmer’s market with delicious fruits and vegetables, and some of the best floral arrangements I had ever seen. There were plenty of times where I purchased the raw ingredients that were soon to become part of scrumptious dinner dishes later that night. Research whatever it is that your future school’s community specializes in, and take advantage of the opportunity. On a similar note, take advantage of the your community’s cultural offerings. Perhaps there is a huge Lebanese population and there are a plethora of delectable Mediterranean restaurants surrounding [...]