Orderly Withdrawls, when it all gets to be too much.

Life on Planet College is very, very demanding. Sometimes given our resources and continuing demands for our attention it can be too demanding. And we feel like quitting. This is understandable. We are limited, finite, human. When we not only feel like quitting but leaving school seems to be the most useful option there are some things to consider.
First of all you are probably stressed. The urge to quit usually occurs when somewhere inside we feel like we can't handle it. That is why it is probably a good idea to talk to someone. Someone who can listen and not judge. Sometimes its a friend. Sometimes not. On Planet College there are often a number of resources available to discuss your current life pressures. Counselors, former instructors maybe even whoever is covering the Interfaith desk this week in the Student Center. Whoever. It is simply useful and practical to find someone to talk it out with. Leaving school is a serious decision. It carries a lot of implications. Sometimes it is your best option. If you choose to do so, make sure you follow the guidelines required by your school. They are probably available at the Registrar's office. If currently college is more than you can handle you could probably use a break. While "quitting" sounds discouraging, it may be that a break for now can help you sort out your choices. Just remember. Don't just walk away. Talk to someone. If it still seems to be the way to go, follow your school's procedures for withdrawing. Get the forms, get the required signatures, turn them in to the appropriate offices. Also if you have time stop by and say thanks to instructors, coaches, office workers, your first RA, anybody who may have been helpful along the way. Remember you may want to return some time in the future.

Volunteer

This is a post to encourage you to find a way to volunteer for something this term. Planet College is mostly about finding enough time to do all the things you need to do to stay on track to graduate. Planet College is also about finding ways to get enough money to pay for school and sustain yourself until you graduate. This in itself is a pretty tall order. Still ,this post is to ask you to find time in your over busy schedule to give what you have with no thought of return. Not for more money, not for a better grade. Just you spending some time giving yourself, your talent, your interest, your time. For free. Sound foolish? Sound bothersome with all you have to do? Well, then maybe it is. Yet many students on Planet College have found volunteering to be uniquely rewarding. Rewarding beyond the usual expectations of return for effort.
Where to volunteer? The literacy campaign at the library. The local animal shelter. After school tutoring at a local school. Reading to a resident at the Senior Center. Sorting donations at the recycling center. There are lots of possibilities. Give it some thought. You may be surprised at the rewards. And who knows it might even be fun.

I think it's at my mom's.

A little further down there's a post called "Life. Now it can be yours". This is about record keeping. Birth Certificates, immunization records, passport, stuff like that. It says Keep a record as Planet College recommends. If you read it and said to yourself, "I think that stuff is at my mom's." that post was for you. If you've been around the campus for a few semesters you know that stuff comes up regularly in your annual life. Which is why Planet College recommends you get your own copies. Mom's are usually excellent record keepers. They've been doing it for you since day one. Of course they have a copy of your birth certificate, they were there. Sure your mom has your last TB shot record, she probably took you to the clinic. Now, though, it is time for you to become your own record keeper. If that stuff is still with your mom get it. That post was directed to you. This is part of the process of having your own life. Yes it is dull, grown-up stuff. But, it is important for you to do this for your self.

The Right School. The Wrong School.

Because of aggressive promotion by many schools in an effort to attract what they believe are quality students some colleges receive many, many applications. Thus many, many worthwhile students are rejected by their first choice. This leads to a general sense of disappointment which is normal following rejection. The ensuing depression resulting from this rejection and disappointment is something which needs to be addressed fully.

So here is the Planet College responses to the "right school / wrong school" dilemma:
You are in the right school, right now. There are many, many reasons that students are rejected by one college or another. Possibly the better term is "not accepted" by their first choice. If you have proceeded to a school and are now in that school you have acted wisely. Your degree or more accurately how you apply your college education is ultimately more important than the school you attend. This is often difficult to accept. Particularly if you had your sights set on one college in particular and aren't now attending that college.

You have the key to overcoming this situation by doing the best you can where you are. The only school you can do anything in is the school you are attending now. Right now. Review your schedule. Review your grades so far. Are you, in fact, doing as well as you can with what you have been given. This simple process is not easy. Being occasionally troubled by 'what ifs' is distracting and can become defeating if left unchecked. Counter this unhelpful trend by agreeing with your self that, right now, this school, this term is the best place for you to pursue your education. Let the rest, for now, take care of itself.

Need $, how about teaching?

Every student on Planet College needs money? It's continuous. In fact it will be a lasting need long after graduation. Right now most of us do several things to get money. Mostly some kind of work. Usually this work is part time. Well, still we could all use a little extra cash now and then so consider this. Teaching or tutoring? Surprised? Haven't thought of yourself as a teacher. Most average students don't. Still there may be some skill you have which someone will pay to learn. Martial Arts, Guitar, Cheer dance, there are lots of them. You can teach or tutor on your own schedule. Parents are often happy to have a college student assist their child with their homework or in a particular subject. By the way the difference between teaching and tutoring is the number of students. If you have one student at a time you are a tutor. If you have more than one you are a teacher. By this time you've been through enough teaching situations to know how it goes. Set a regular time for you lesson. Develop guidelines for the student or student. Find out what a fair fee to charge in your area for teaching your skills? Post a notice on bulletin boards virtual or real announcing that you are available. Remember this is money in your pocket directly. No middleman like your regular paycheck. YOU take care of it all. Give it some thought.

What's the Password?

Most of us on Planet College are pretty familiar with log-in passwords or numerical Id's as they are sometimes called. ,One to check your records on campus, another to access your credit union account on line, another and another and another. Every time a student starts another online well another anything they need a new password. ,These are often difficult to keep track of. ,It is pesky when you loose track of whichever password you need for this site and that site. So, here is a Planet College suggestion. E-mail your password or passwords to your self. E-mail those you don't use often and whenever you get a new one e-mail it to yourself. E-mails stay forever and the e-mail you send will also be stored in your "Sent e-mail" file. That way you will have them handy when you most need them.

Life, now it can be yours.

As you progress through Planet College you will notice that your life on Planet College requires a great deal of personal identification. More than likely you often require proof of personal identification such as your Driver's license, Student ID, Birth Certificates, Transcripts, Membership cards, Passport and numerous other details. Numerous other details include immunization records sometimes called shot papers.

Where are yours? Where are yours when you need them?

This is a repeat of an often repeated tip on Planet College which is: Keep a file. Use a manila file folders or better yet large manila envelopes. Within one keep the originals of such things as birth certificates and immunization records. Within the second keep copies of your birth certificate and any immunization certificates you may need. You may also need current transcripts which should be contained in one of these files. Label each of these Originals and Copies respectively.

The originals you hang on to and the copies you use to hand out when necessary.

If you do not have originals of the documents mentioned above then it is time to get on the stick and get them. Birth certificates are available from the state in which you were born. Often now they can be ordered on line.

Because of the current climate of heightened security such documents as these are often critical for purposes of identification when getting a new job or changing schools.

So, there. Another step through Planet College and back to Earth with your own real life.

Tax Time on Planet College.

Tax Time. It's coming. Just like everyone else student's have to pay. Federal, State and sometimes even local. Planet College, like the real world, is often about the money. OK. Where are your W-2s? They are the statement you get from your 2007 employer(s) showing how much money you made. They also show how much was taken to be applied to your income taxes. This part is called withholding. You will need your w-4's to file your income tax. You also need the form to file with it. There are several different kinds. If this is confusing or you are new to filing your own taxes it might be wise to get help. Sometimes campuses have help centers for student's filing income tax returns. It is a good idea to start now and collect all the paperwork you will need to complete your taxes. Remember to save your paperwork in a file folder. You can also save it in a large sturdy envelope. Mark it "Taxes 2007". Hang on to it. Sometimes this information is necessary to complete your financial aid file.

How much is your time worth?

Most students who work do better in school? Did you know that? Small consolation,huh? Still when you work you are trading your time for money. Money which never goes far enough. But how much money in reality do you get for your time? Ever look at your check, I mean the actual amount paid to you. Depending on where you work, some is paid to the government. Some is sometimes paid for retirement. Some is paid for health care. Some is paid for union dues. How much do you actually get that you can use? I figure it is about 8O% of what your quoted salary or wage is. Like if you were hired some place and they said,"OK this job pays ten bucks an hour." Maybe you were off of school on break or something and you can work forty hours a week. If you got paid every week what would your check actually be, $400.00? No, not likely. More likely it would be closer to around three hundred and twenty dollars. This would be your total after everyone else gets theirs. Bearing this in mind the next time you go to buy something like a CD think. Is this really worth the amount of time I spent to earn the money it costs?