Traveling In Hostel Territory

"Travel broadens the mind" and education and travel have been intertwined since probably day one. Part of the student traveling tradition is hosteling. Hostels are economical lodgings usually located in major cities around the world and always near universities. The quarters are simple, clean and often dorm style so the whole set up is familiar to any one who has been on Planet College for a while. Right now, Winter, those hostels near skiing sites are probably pretty full. Those near summer associated recreation aren't. But if you are planning on traveling soon, either spring or summer, hosteling, if you haven't heard, can be a cool way to save money and enjoy the trip by meeting new people who, like yourself, are students.

In order to get reservations at some but not all hostels membership in an organization is usually required. These organizations and their membership requirements are all currently available on line. Searching 'hostel' will bring up quite a few.

Planet College brings this to your attention because now more than ever hanging on to your money is essential. Hostel traveling can help. So if you plan on travel soon look in to hosteling. And Bon Voyage from Planet College.

Tuition Gaurantee Plan.

Regularly Planet College has observed that many news stories about higher education, college, and university life contain and often begin with the words, '"due to the ever increasing cost of tuition." For a while some colleges have offered for their students a tuition guarantee. That is the cost and fees that you are charged at the time of your original admission will apply for the term of your attendance at that school, usually up to four years. Here comes the "due to the ever increasing cost of tuition" part. Due to the ever increasing cost of tuition (see we told ya') many schools are now adopting some form of this same guarantee. The continuing rise of charges by colleges, these schools have observed, have discouraged many potential students from even applying to college. Who wants to sign up for something which is practically guaranteed to increase in cost year by year?
Now that tuition guarantees are becoming more widely spread perhaps it is being applied at your school. You won't know until you ask. So, go find out. Even if your tuition has been raised since your admission perhaps your school may lower your current cost to those which were applied during your first year. Never hurts to ask.

Your Mirror of Erised.

Endings often prompt reflections and memories. Endings also fortell beginnings. This time on the calendar contains a classic time-honored ending as recognized by New Years Eve. All prepratory to the beginning of another year, honored by New Years Day.

Some time back you may have followed the story of Harry Potter. Harry has been kind of hard to avoid him being all over the place for the last ten or fifteen years. The story's devotees can continue to site, quote, relate, and re-tell their favorite or most memorable events, incidents and characters from the wizard-in-training's progress.

Planet College recognizes one potentially useful tool from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Mirror of Erised. Those with a penchant for word games and such quickly recognized "erised" as "desire" spelled backwards, a mirror of desire . Those who gazed into The Mirror of Erised saw what they desired for themselves. Harry saw his parents who had been killed. Other characters saw what they most desired in this clever object in this entertaining tale.

Planet College brings this Mirror to your attention to point out that you to have such a device. It is most probably in your bathroom. That mirror, right there can become your own Mirror of Erised. Right now, at this time of ending and beginning take time to look into your own mirror. Then ask, "Am I becoming what I desire?" Only you can answer, only you will know. Well, are you?

Have an interesting and productive 2012.

End Of The Year So Let's Talk About Those Loans And That Business You Were Going To Start After You Got Your Degree Except Now - Well Just Read This.

Here's One for the end of the calendar year. Loan help. This is from the Small Business Administration's web site. The Small Business administration is a federal agency which is dedicated to helping - and I bet you saw this coming - small business. Below is part of what they said about you starting your own business. IBR means income based repayment. It's for students who have a large loan obligation and a small income. That means just about every one and certainly you. You can read more about it here.

Student Startup Plan

Is student loan debt stopping you from starting your own business? The Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan can help.

Income-Based Repayment is an existing payment option for Federal student loans. The Income-Based Repayment Plan supports young college grads, including those looking to start a business, join a startup, or work in a public service job by making Federal student loan repayment manageable. It can help you keep your loan payments affordable by using a sliding scale to determine how much you can afford to pay on your Federal loans—empowering you to take risks with new opportunities.

Re-do the Math.

Many, many students on Planet College come to campus fully equipped with extreme math phobia. " I will do anything to get out of taking a math class." they say. Unfortunately, for most programs on most campuses math is some where along the way required. Thus, conflict. But this conflict need not become a crisis.

The initial fear of math probably came from the traditional way most students are educated. The USA has had the policy for more than a century and a half of educating everyone. This involves classrooms filled with students learning or trying to learn the subjects which are presented. But not everyone learns at the same rate. Mathematical ineptitude which leads to math phobia is usually the result of a students inability to absorb and perform at the expected rate. That means you took a long time to do arithmetic. However, there was not a long time to do arithmetic so you didn't get very far. Thus you became 'bad' at math. Bad because you were 'slow' at math.

Now, on Planet College there may be solutions to your dilemma. Most campuses offer help to their learning 'challenged' students. If you are a student who characterizes your self as 'bad' at math find help. There is some. Math departments have tutors, so do campus learning centers. Some schools have programs including alternate courses for the 'math challenged.'

If you are on Planet College you are here to learn. One thing students often need to learn is to ask for help. So, do so. Find the tutor, find the program, ask for extra time to do the tests in your required math class. It is time to change your attitude and re-do the math.

The High Cost of Hip.

Nate e-mailed Planet College about his latest frustration. Among other things he says;

My latest frustration, and perhaps my motivation for writing this, is the growing movement amongst my friends to drink “good” beer. It goes against everything the first few years of college taught me. I’ve drank all the crap beer in large quantities, spent under four dollars for twelve packs (Hobbs-don’t drink it- It’s not worth it), and even developed a legitimate fondness for Keystone Light. Until now, I was doing what I was supposed to: getting hammered on 30-packs you could buy with a twenty and still have enough for a Deli News pizza.

Now, a single bottle of “good” beer costs 8 bucks and that’s what real men are supposed to drink. That’s an hour’s work for this grocery bagger.

Nate continued in a good natured and humorous style about how he now feels left out of conversations with his friends since on his weekly wage he can not savor the 'aromatic hops' really good beers should have.

Planet College thanks Nate for pointing out what often happens in the social circles of college. Upper class men, Planet College veterans, not wishing to appear as 'un-hip' as freshmen refine their taste. And this refinement cost money. Plenty of money.

The company of classmates you've been partying with for many semesters is desirable and comforting. When they change, or their taste change, or their spending habits change it can be decision time. Continuing to drink Keystone while every one else is jovially swigging Red Witch, or Ol' Dity Bastard may call for a decision.

Planet College has no advice only the observation that, as Nate has pointed out, college offers opportunities for many different types of decisions. Ultimately, they had been summed up by a fictional college student on leave to attend his father's funeral. Hamlet, or his creator William Shakespeare, said it very well, "To be or not to be." This applies to hip, trendy or cool, and ultimately it says, "Can you afford to be or not to be." As always it is up to you.

Deferred Pay

The increasing difficulty of finding any kind of employment sometimes leads students on Planet College to consider other sources of finance. Some which have begun appearing with increasing regularity are offers of work for 'deferred pay". This means that you will work now and possibly be paid later. Possibly.

Money is hard to get and even harder to keep. The possibility of additional finances even working now for some money later is alluring.

But if your time energy and talent are worth anything at all they are worth being paid, paid real money, in a timely fashion, a lot closer to Now than Later.

Deferred pay, often contingent upon some payment to the concern that 'hires' you, is not a promising source of funds. Not promising at all.

No matter how 'lean' things are, and right now that is pretty lean, deferred pay will put no money in your pocket now and possibly none ever.

Those ads for 'deferred pay" ? Skip 'em.