Can you answer at least one of my college questions?

Question

1. What's a good, affordable laptop that I can use for college? What's the best brand? (I am not rich. I am a middle class citizen and money is tight due to house renovations.)
2. What are 5 to 10 must-haves for a dorm room?
3. How much loose money should I have per month for laundry and other expenses?
4. What's a good cell phone provider that has a great network? What's the best plan? (My cell phone works at only one college campus out of town that I have looked at.)
5. What's a good bike that is reasonably priced that can withstand rain and other weather that I can use on campus? Does it make getting up hills fairly easy?
6. What are easy-to-make foods that are healthy and can be put together in a dorm room? (I don't want to gain the notorious freshman pounds.)
7. What's the best way to combat homesickness? (Because I know I am going to get homesick! :) )
8. Which general ed class (that you take in your first year before you start your major) is the hardest?

Answer 1

1. Toshiba..check ebay or circuit city
2. Microwave, mini-fridge, plates, utensils, tv (w/dvd player), computer, and incidentals like toiletries.
3. Laundry...maybe 20 bucks a month..maybe. Food...anywhere from 150 to 300 dollars. depends on how smart you are with your shopping.
4. Cingular gets good reception, but verizon is the most dependable. Talk to your parents about getting a family share plan. That way you can save the most money, and anyone else you call within the verizon network costs you no minutes.
5. I have a Trek Mountain Bike. Cost me around $200. It's a great 21 speek bike and it really helps get around a large campus. Makes climbing the hills as easy as eating a sandwich.
6. Ramen is easy...but WHOA the sodium. Sandwich meats and tortilla shells. More healthy than subway, and good hot. (refer to microwave)
7. The best way to control homesickness is don't be a homebody. Go out and meet the people that are there to be met. You are all there for the same experience. Which shouldn't include getting drunk all the time and sleeping with every person on campus. Making mistakes like that will only make you miss home more.
8. Any Phys. Ed. class is not going to be the hardest, but it is definitely the most annoying. Get it over with. Everyone's gotta do it.

Answer 2

1. What's a good, affordable laptop that I can use for college? What's the best brand? (I am not rich. I am a middle class citizen and money is tight due to house renovations.)

Check with the school you're going to. Most have deals with IBM or Mac for student discounts. I would recommend a Mac only because they usually have discounts for college students and they're really durable computers even though they cost a little extra. I have a thinkpad and I've needed it completely reformatted at least once a year.

2. What are 5 to 10 must-haves for a dorm room?

Unless you have a meal plan, you need a microwave-fridge combo, get some cheap plates and utensils (plastic, like $1 at Walmart), space saving carts or buckets to fit under your bed (space is incredibly tight in dorms), a loft if you don't mind sleeping high up, a robe and a shower caddy (I hated public showers)

3. How much loose money should I have per month for laundry and other expenses?

Even if you have a meal plan, plan for about $20 in food expenses a week. If you do two loads of laundry a week, I'd put aside about $20, general entertainment should run about $10 for the weekend.

4. What's a good cell phone provider that has a great network?
What's the best plan? (My cell phone works at only one college campus out of town that I have looked at.)

Verizon is my hero. It is all over the nation, my plan covers free nights and weekends so I can call my family for about $20 a month.

5. What's a good bike that is reasonably priced that can withstand rain and other weather that I can use on campus? Does it make getting up hills fairly easy?

Can't answer this. I walk or take the bus.

6. What are easy-to-make foods that are healthy and can be put together in a dorm room? (I don't want to gain the notorious freshman pounds.)

Pre-made salads saved me my freshman year, lean cusine or like tv dinners, brocolli and cheese, buy pre-cooked chicken to throw in salads or vegetables, anything in the freezer section will hold up pretty well in a dorm.

7. What's the best way to combat homesickness? (Because I know I am going to get homesick! :) )

I made a promise to call my parents once a week, no more because talking to them all the time just made it harder to commit to enjoying college. My parents could often be a crutch and if I talked to them every day, it made me whiney and hate college more than I actually did. Also, have your friends write letters. Getting mail from home would make my day and remind me somebody back home was missing me.

And make friends! First week, start hanging out with new people. Friends will make all the difference in whether you like college or not. Don't be shy, remember that everyone else is just as scared and alone as you are and they'll welcome anyone trying to be their friend.

8. Which general ed class (that you take in your first year before you start your major) is the hardest?

I had the worst time with calculus and chemistry. I think it depends on your professor and the time of the class. A bad professor can make a hard class almost impossible. And certain times of the day (after lunch especially) can make you sleepy and inattentive. Whatever one turns out to be the hardest for you, nip it in the bud early. Get a couple people from class to study with you (also an awesome way to make friends) and talk to your professor.

Answer 3

1. Dell, buy the cheapest one that won't do real time video games so you will be writing mostly on it. Also, they help when its broken.

2. whatever, a bed, a guitar maybe, compatible sex partner ideally, a desk maybe, a hot plate if you will cook there.

3. as much as possible, $30 a week at least

4. don't get one, distracting from your studies

5. get any old clunker, $40 or fix one from the trash. Maybe you don't need to travel that much.

6. popcorn, get the meal plan, go to the caf when you are hungry and eat. Put the time into studying and making friends. Its a nice luxury too.

7. call , write and visit

8. probably all easy, if any are really hard avoid that subject for the rest of college.

Answer 4

1. Toshiba or Compaq are reasonably priced and good buys for the mney.

2. Microwave, laundry basket, thumb tacks and stick tac, posters, kettle (if allowed), small fridge, cutlery, comfy pillows and blanket.

3. $50

4. Verizon

5. Any good mountain bike.

6. Popcorn, instant soups. prepackaged salads, oatmeal, cereals, fruit, precooked chicken breast, sandwiches on whole grain bread,

7. Stay active. Remember that this is a new stage of your life and the homesickness will pass. Many other people will be homesick for a little while too.

8. That depends on you and your interests and skills. Could be psychology if you have never done it before.

I hope this helps.

Answer 5

You can get a refurbished laptop from Dell or just about any computer co.
Must haves: Decent pillow, sheets that fit, towels & washcloths, pail to carry your shaving stuff/shampoo, hair dryer, extra lamp, clock radio.
Set aside $10 mo. for laundry, don't dip into it for pizza & other junk.
You can get a Tracphone or some other co. that doesn't have a contract.
It's not the type of bike you get, it's the bike lock you need to be concerned about. If you get the latest mountain bike, it's a target for thieves.
Try not to make food in your room. Then you won't have to worry about the Freshman 15.
Call home on a Friday afternoon. Then you have the weekend for fun and studies.
It depends on your major. The weedout classes aren't too terrible, they're just tedious. Hence the term "weedout" classes.
Good luck.

Answer 6

#1 Do not buy a Gateway. I had a horrible Gateway experience.

#7 I went into the Air Force at 18. The best ways to fight homesickness are to make friends, get involved in activities, and call home whenever you can.

If you have to be away on a birthday or holiday then spend it with friends - do not stay home alone. (and don't do what I did one Christmas far from home and watch Schindler's List alone - that was dumb)

You have the advantage of e-mail and chat. There are also computer programs that allow you to talk over the Internet for free. Stay in contact.

Good Luck on your adventure.

Answer 7

Wow, I'm impressed. You're certainly giving college alot of thought.

#2. Check with your specific school, but you will likely need twin xl sheets and comforter/bedspread. You'll want a twin xl mattress pad and most people recommend one of the "egg crate" pads, as well. You can find them at bed bath and beyond or linens n things, perhaps online, as well. You'll want good lighting/lamps (if the rooms don't already have sufficient lighting, which is likely.) You'll need a laundry bag...perhaps one of those "pop up" types that folds flat for storing or transport. Or one that turns into a basket, for carrying to the laundry room. If you will be sharing a room, you should speak with your roommate before purchasing any of the following: phone (meaning, a land line phone), refrigerator, television, dvd player, etc. This way you won't duplicate unecessarily, you can divide and conquer. Most dorms have severe restrictions on hot plates, etc., so check where you're going before making any such purchases. You probably want underbed storage bins/pouches (WalMart, etc.) as well, to help minimize clutter in the room. You'll want flip-flops to wear in the shower.

#7. First, you should really try to focus on college. It's a wonderful, exciting time in your life and you want to study hard, make good decisions, make good friends, make the most of your time there. Keeping in touch with family and friends from home is, of course, important. Do so with e-mail and instant message, which make it so much easier now. You should call your mom and/or dad a minimum of once a week. I know someone who calls her mom every day. They chat just briefly, but it's good for both of them to be in touch that way. You'll find your own rhythm. Of course, make sure you have photos of important things from home that you can pin to a bulletin board or put as a background on your computer. And perhaps bring a special stuffed animal or momento from home. People at college "get" those sorts of things, no one will (or should) make fun of you.

#4. Cingular and Verizon are clearly the best re: national networks and receptivity. I suggest that you make a final decision once you know where you're going to school. The school itself will know/be able to advise re: "best" service on campus.

#1. I don' t know specifics, but with laptop prices dropping all the time, you should be in pretty good shape here. I've had quite a few Dells, and most have been trouble-free, but our IBM ThinkPads have been the best. I hear HP is making great laptops these days. See if you can get some free access to the consumer reports information online. Maybe not ALL of the info, but some that could be helpful. Also, look at cnet.com for suggestions re: lower-priced laptops.

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.

Answer 8

Boardwalk empire, Terra Nova, New girl, Dexter

Answer 9

Ok..here goes: some ideas:

1. Check on Freecycle.org (then select your area). This is free and there are usually a lot of people getting rid of stuff that they don't use or need anymore. You can also post "wanted" ads and then you can just say you are looking for a lap top to bring to college with you. If it needs to be cleaned up, there are computer labs on the college campus that can do this for you for as low as 5 dollars if not fee. You can also clean up a computer by going to "howstuffworks.com". When you are filling out the reason that you want to join freecycle, just list that you want to recycle good personal junk and to save the landfills.

2. Must haves: small area rug (keeps the cozy feeling of home), small dorm frig (personal chiller of your own instead of cafeteria), comfy chair (can be a beach chair, bean bag chair, etc), blankets (soft and feeling of home), pillows and bedding (sheets, pillowcases, pillows, etc.), Clock radio/cd player (it is good to be on time for class and now they have ones that have everything built in), music (your kind that you listen to), lamps (one floor lamp or desk lamp) usually most dorms come with a desk..(should check though..make sure), stuffed animal (reminds of home), stationary, stamps, small TV with VCR and DVD player built in, and an electric wok or griller or George Forman Grill, a phone, microwave. (just some ideas..most you can probably get on freecycle).

3. I would call your local college and find out how much their washing machine is per load and dryer etc. Then I would calcuate how many loads of laundry you do a month and base it on that. (just an idea) You can also check out the area laundromats..if there are any..they might be more affordable! (being off campus)

4.Cell phones: Call your college that you are interested in and ask what is the majority cell phone company that covers the campus or what comapny they use. Some companies are used more then others. Also if you go to orientation or an open house you can ask the tour guide this question. Then you can call or research that company and see what the best plan for you is. (it depends on where some of the satelites are). Are you going to make your cell phone your dorm phone or are they going to be 2 different things. If you are going to have your room phone/answering machine/voice mail and a cell phone you might be able to get a deal if they are both through the same carrier.

5. Bike: First Huffy's and mountain bikes are usually really good. You want to find tires that will work where you will be (thicker for off road riding, thinner for racing, and in between for road). You should invest in a good U shaped lock with a key. Also you might want to invest in a bike cover, if it is going to be out in the rain. You can ask local people in college or look online. You can also call a local bike shop or check freecycle.

6. healthy foods: salads (lots of veggies and fruit). You can grill boneless/skinless chicken on a george foreman grill. you can also marinate chicken. You can add yogurt to fruit salad. You can add peanut butter/soy butter to yogurt and dip fruit in that or even dip animal crackers for a treat. You can make popcorn and dip it in melted chocolate for a treat. pasta (wheat), brown rice. Make your main course only a small portion (meat). If you have a microwave you can heat up water for pasta. Salad is the easiest choices..you can put veggies in a wrap (lots of wrap options), multi grain bread sandwiches, lots of fruit options, etc. You can drink water, tea and crystal light (stay away from cream/whole milk and soda).

7. Homesick: bring lots of pictures with you. Email home weekly to stay up to date with what is going on. Write notes to family and friends. Send them intersting things that you have seen or gone to. Keep in touch. Stay in the loop. Other then sitting around thinking about being away from home, get involved in campus life. What are some things that you are doing in your highschool or around home. Do they have an affiliation to that at college on campus. are you volunteering, doing sports, drama club, newspaper ....mingle and have fun. College only happens once for undergrad. I had a blast in college. I didn't want it to end...and would love to be a professional student..: ) Bring books from home, ask your family to send books (paperbacks) to you when they finished reading them...and vice versa....ask for care packages..keep up with the goings on..and the most important thing is to go home for the holidays! Bring your friends home with you if possible.

8. Classes: depends on what your strengths are and likes. I hated math..so math was my hardest...not the class per say..but the basic math exam..I did fine in advanced calculus but didn't pass the basic math exam..go figure..it was the darn interges...some people it is a gov't class, other it may be a science, english, math. those are the core. I also think the introduction classes are harder then the regular classes (so much to cram in). You get to choose though. What I did. I was took some basics one semester and then took one hard and easy ones the next semester. So I didn't have so much stress.

I hope some of these helped ease your mind. If you have any other questions do not hesitate to ask ([e-mail])

Answer 10

I took out my brain after college MS.
no longer need it..