Danielle Graver - Edit by Brett M

August 2021
Issue 4 / No. 27

5 Reasons
to Get A
Masters
Degree
20
What Makes
A Positive
College
Experience?
14
38
40
The Benefits of
Campus
Involvment
How to Get
Involved In
Campus Activities
Eating Healthy On
A College Food
Budget
53
10 Ways Students
Can Survive
College
67
9 Gadgets Every
College Kid Needs
8
The College
Student’s
Guide to
Managing
Depression
6
82
94
99
6 Tips to Help You
Afford College
Money 101 For
College Sudents:
How to Budget
Healthy Food Ideas
For College Dorm
Students

A Better
Future
Editor In Chief
Danielle Graver
Art Director
Holly Tienken
Assistant Editores
Sam Kozak
Alex White
Photographers
Jim Schneck
Derek Graver
Writers
Rich Litzenburger
Jonathan Hoffer
Contributors
Jordan Cappetta
Kevin Gruber
8325 N. Walnutwood St.
South Plainfeild, NJ 07080
www.EnRoute.com
W
hen students go to college for the
first time they don’t know how to
budget, and it takes them by storm.
When they figure out, they need to budget it’s
too late their already out of money. They all soon
find out, creating budget with no money, is not
creating a budget at all.
Another conflict they have is budgeting enough
study time around the social life of campus. They
are going from a structured environment in high
school, to not having their parents watching
what they’re doing, and when their doing it. With
this newfound freedom, it is easy for the social
Sincerely,
Editor in Chief
aspect to take over all their time, and not
doing all they need for school at which they are
actually there to do. This is another trap that
once you fall into it is very hard to climb back
out of. With current events, this is no longer
as large of a challenge. This schools shut down
and going online, we have to learn whole new
social game with our classmates. We have
no idea what the social aspect will be in the
future once we recover from the corona virus.
Having the proper tech helps you with your
classes. It can be as simple as drowning our
unwanted noise, to being able to ask Alexa
a simple question to get a fast answer. With
social distancing, tech has a larger part in
our lives than it did in the past, expectably
with online students. We now have to rely on
technology to make it through our classes.
Time management is even more important
for the current student. Being at home taking
online classes provides many distractions,
confusing their time management skills.
As with the other articles, mastering time
management could make you a successful
student and make your college life easier to
maneuver through.
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What Makes
+
POSITIVE COLLEGE
?Experience
By: Tamar Lewin
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After a decade of
research, Daniel F. Chambliss, an organizational
sociologist at Hamilton College, believes he knows
what most determines how students feel about their
time at college. It comes down to factors like dorm
design, friends and extracurricular involvement
more than what happens in the classroom. In their
new book, “How College Works,” Dr. Chambliss
and Christopher G. Takacs describe the findings
from an ambitious study of Hamilton students and
alumni, using interviews, surveys and even an
analysis of academic writing samples to tease out
how college has affected them. Although Hamilton,
a small, selective, expensive liberal arts college in
upstate New York, has little in common with the large
state universities and community colleges that most
students attend, Dr. Chambliss said the lessons
learned could apply everywhere.
What really matters in college is who meets whom,
and when. It’s the people, not the programs, that
make a difference.
How Can Students Get More Out Of College?
As a freshman, live in one of the old-fashioned
dorms with the long hallways, multiple roommates
and communal bathroom, where you’ll have to bump
into a lot of different people every day. Apartment
dorms look appealing, but they’re isolating and
disastrous for freshmen. In choosing classes, pick
the teacher over the topic. Over and over, we found
that contact with one great professor sent students
in a new direction. Try to get to know a lot of people
your first year, when everyone is looking for friends.
Most students don’t make their friends in classes.
It helps to join a large high-contact activity, like a
sports team or choir, where people see each other at
least twice a week. We found that it only takes two or
three close friends and one or two great professors
to have a fulfilling college experience. The smaller
the class, the less chance there is of getting in.
Usually, when people do research on small classes,
they talk to the students in the class, who think it’s
swell, and the professor, who likes it, and not the
people who didn’t get in. If you had 99 tiny classes
and one huge class for all the thousands of students
who didn’t get into one of them, U.S. News would
report that 99 percent of your classes were small,
but it wouldn’t feel like that to most students.
Should Students Take As Many Small Classes
As They Can?
Small classes are great. But most colleges also have
some wonderful very large classes, like Michael
Sandel’s “Justice” at Harvard, where professors
deliver engaging lectures and students learn a lot.
Introductory courses are important turning points.
An introductory course with a boring lecturer stops
many students from ever taking another class in the
department, but a lively intro course, no matter how
big, draws students into the field.
What Should Colleges Do To Make Students’
Experiences Better?
They should be looking for things that give the
biggest payoff for the least effort. One hospital study
found that patients reported a better experience
if a nurse had offered them a warm blanket while
they were on the gurney waiting for surgery. There
are all kinds of “warm blankets” colleges can offer.
Students who had a single dinner at a professor’s
house were significantly more likely to say they
would choose the college again. In learning to write,
it made a lasting difference if students had at least
one experience of sitting down with a professor to
go over their work, paragraph by paragraph; for the
students it was someone serious saying their writing
was important.
What Do Colleges Do That Doesn’t Improve
The Experience?
Strategic plans. I used to be so into those
mission statements and goals, and I read
hundreds of them when I was on the Middle
States Commission on Higher Education,
which accredits colleges. But I’ve never seen
one that actually helped. The president of
one highly ranked liberal arts college told
me, in the middle of his big campaign, that
he knew it wouldn’t help the education.
When I asked why they were doing it, he
said the trustees wanted something grand
and millennial. I guess presidents have to
keep their jobs, too.
Get Involed
On Your
Campus
ATTEND CAMPUS EVENTS!
College events are organized with students
in mind. You can find film series, music,
plays, visiting speakers, and more. The
best part is a lot of it is free!
JOIN A SPORTS TEAM OR A CLUB!
Intramural teams and sports clubs can help
you meet people and get moving at the
same time. We all know exercise keeps
you healthy and boosts your mood, but did
you know it sharpens memory too?
JOIN A STUDENT ORGANIZATION!
Your options can range from academic,
cultural, and religious clubs to singing,
outdoor, and environmental groups. There’s
student media, and leadership
opportunities There are clubs for martial
arts, Harry Potter fans, and Dungeons and
Dragons.
GET INVOLVED IN STUDENT
GOVERNMENT!
Student leaders represent the voice of the
student body to convey interests to the
campus faculty and administration. Student
government gives you a seat at the table,
where you can meet administrators and
advocate for student concerns.
TRY OUT FOR A PLAY OR
MUSICAL GROUP!
Performing Arts majors may have first
opportunity but find out what your school
offers for acting groups, theater
productions, and performance ensembles.
If you’re a behind-the-scenes person, look
into stage crew possibilities.
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Dorm Room
Tech
For many college students, home sweet home for nine months out of the year will be a shared
6-by-8 space. Twin beds, minimal privacy, and noise at all hours. This is dorm life.
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If you're at the University in Arizona in Tucson, you can rent a student apartment at The
Hub and live a life with a walk-in closet, stainless-steel appliances, and a washer and
dryer in your unit, not to mention the swimming pool, hot tub, and game room on the
premises. But most other college living arrangements will leave something to be
desired. And while college is so much more than where you lay your head, you will
have to return to your abode at some point. When you do, you'll want to be as
comfortable as possible.
Pinterest has plenty of ideas for making the space pretty, but how about
practical? You can invest in a bed tent for privacy, but you'll also need
some reliable technology to help you do research, stay awake, and
decompress after putting the final touches on a 20-page paper.
This is where PCMag drops some knowledge with suggestions
on what to buy (or get your parents to buy) before you head
back to school. Also be sure to download these apps to
make the year ahead easier.
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