Bright Futura5 Simple Ways To Start Packing for Winter Break
Posted on December 6, 2012
Winter break is approaching and finals week is days away. In fact it may have already begun for some of us. Either way both worrisome events are worthy of focus.
As you cram all the knowledge you’ve learned throughout the semester into your tiny little head, you are also expected to cram all of your belongings into trash bags and plastic bins. Sounds dreadful doesn’t it? There there now young one… So rather than going it alone, I have decided to create a simple and painless way to begin packing for winter break.
Think Of It As A Way To Cram While You Cram!
1. Procrastinate The Right Way
If you are going to take breaks from studying, you might as well use that time to clean and pack. Rather than spending your time watching reruns of scrubs and twiddling your thumbs, try putting those hands to work. Getting a jump start on packing can make a world of difference and studying in a clean room has been proven to help the mind focus.
Related: 7 simple ways to keep your dorm clean
2. Toss What’s broken:
If you have a bleach-stained t-shirt or an irreparably busted desk organizer, throw them out. In fact if you have anything you don’t want and know you haven’t used it, donate it or toss it.
Getting rid of unuseable things now will reduce the amount that you have to contemplate packing and will allow you to beat the rush at the school dumpsters.
Take Notes: Freecycle and Craiglists are a good way to turn your trash into treasures.
3. Start Eating All Those Non-Perishable Snacks
If your parents or family has sent you care packages full of food that will survive an apocalypse (e.g canned foods and Ramen) EAT THEM! Trust me you aren’t going to want to take them home with you. They will most likely end up getting in the way while you are packing up and thrown away as you leave. Rather than letting good food go to waste try having a study break potluck party!
Related: 119 Ramen Noodle Recipes
4. Start Boxing Knick-knacks
“This is more applicable to people who are graduating early, going abroad, or changing residence halls. If you’re in those categories, however, it’s key.
If it’s not nailed down or wearable, it can probably start being put away.
Good contenders for this are theme party costumes (you probably won’t need the devil trident before the semester is out), photos that you have taped up to your wall, and obscure kitchen items that belong to you (like that lasagna pan no one has used this semester).” -via Hackcollege
5. Recycle Your Papers
If you take paper notes, scan and digitize them in Evernote once classes are over. That way, you can recycle the paper and avoid lugging it home or storing it for the next semester. The same goes for any documents you may have picked up during the year–I know that I have ads for the study abroad department, a welcome-back barbecue, and a Thai take out menu sitting on my desk. All of those are stressing me out, and all of them can be recycled now.
Take Notes: Paper scanners can help save space and the environment if you recycle your class notes.
Break down your things over a few weeks rather than a cramming into a few days at the end of the semester will help reduce the amount of things you have to pack while lowering your stress load. Finals time is stressful–am I right or am I right?
Maximillian Garland| Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
10 Things You Do That Blow The Interview
Posted on August 1, 2012
Below I have listed 10 Things You Do That Blow The Interview
1. Your Attire
Your interview attire is
- outdated
- messy
- too tight
- to loose (Dress pants shouldn’t look like pajamas)
- slutty (ladies!)
- too revealing
- too flashy.
Sometimes you won’t find these dress codes in writing; but if you look around you’ll find that all employees are dressed in a similar way.
Take note: It is always better to be slightly overdressed than under dressed. However tuxedos make you look like an idiot. Leave that level of swag for James Bond
2. Your Physical Appearance
You look
- stupid (cough* mouth breathers cough* )
- disheveled
- outdated
- sloppy
- smelly
- overpowering (i.e. too much perfume).
You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but a job candidate’s “cover”—overall grooming and interview attire, for example—is likely to be judged by prospective employers, according to a report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
3. Your Eye Contact
Your eye contact is
- weak
- shifty
- disrespectful (fellas!)
- intense.
I don’t care how hot your new boss is, DO NOT undress her with your eyes!
4. Your Handshake
Your handshake is
- limp
- too forceful
- clammy
- non-existent
In my personal uncertified opinion,
If you have to choose between knuckle bumping your interviewer and not shaking their hand(s), I’d choose the knuckle bump.
Take notes: Employers indicated that a candidate’s handshake is likely to have a greater influence on their opinion of a candidate than many other more obvious attributes, such as unusual hairstyles and colors, tattoos, and body piercings. However, that doesn’t give you the right to go dye your hair like Marshall Mathers.
5. Verbal Fillers
You say
- ah
- um
- like
- ya know
way too much.
You sound like a Valley girl seriously! Ah Kay!
Listen To This Annoying Lady Talk About Crutch Words
6. What You Say
You
- talk too much
- use poor grammar
- say inappropriate things (i.e. swearing)
- can’t answer interview questions
- say politically incorrect things
If you say “no homo” or “sike naw” in an interview don’t expect a call back. What are you 14?
7. You Come Off As ________
You appear
- overconfident
- pushy
- self-centered
- insecure
- aloof
- ditzy
- scatter-brained
- desperate
- retarded (please don’t dribble during an interview)
8. How You Speak
You talk
- too fast
- too slow
- too loud
- too soft.
If you sound like pork pig when you talk. You you you yyyaaaouu aint getting the job. Just sayin’
9. Your Odd
You
- giggle
- fidget
- act awkward
- have facial tics
- lack expression
- scratch your balls…
There isn’t really a cure for being weird. I hear being homeless is kinda fun though.
10. Your Lacking In Certain Traits
You lack
- sincerity
- self-confidence
- clarity
- individuality
- conviction
- sense of smell (take a shower bro)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: National Association of Colleges and Educators (NACE)
So, what have we learned?
93% of communication is non-verbal, so if you want the job and you aren’t getting it reevaluate yourself. Ask someone to be blunt with you. I can tell you that many of the negatives above can be improved by focusing on one thing: Attitude.
Take a hard look at the 10 reasons above and commit to finding a way to improve your first impression factor.
It’s your career.
Own your actions and take control of your professional development. I promise, employers will take notice.
Your Turn
If you know someone who think could benefit from reading this or if you learned a little somethin’ somethin’, please share it. We college kids gotta eat too.
Feel free to share any reasons I missed below. Better still, if you’ve got a resource you’ve used that has helped you get over one or more of these first impression-busters, please share it below so fellow readers can use it as well.
Maximillian Garland| Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
NO CLASS: July 29th, 2012
Posted on July 29, 2012
Every Sunday Bright Futura will feature all the funny, witty, irrelevant, and nonsensical, gifs, videos, pictures and images that we’ve found and or made from the week. We’ll be putting all this extreme amusement in a post called No Class.
For those students who use Bright Futura as a resource for informational articles and interesting college news coverage, please be advised that No Class is not for you.
COMMENCE THE HILARITY IN 3…2…1
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
College Level Chess
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
NO CLASS: NEW EVERY SUNDAY!!!
Matthew Maddock | Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
NO CLASS: July 22nd, 2012
Posted on July 22, 2012
Every Sunday Bright Futura will feature all the funny, witty, irrelevant, and nonsensical, gifs, videos, pictures and images that we’ve found and or made from the week. We’ll be putting all this extreme amusement in a post called No Class.
For those students who use Bright Futura as a resource for informational articles and interesting college news coverage, please be advised that No Class is not for you.
COMMENCE THE HILARITY IN 3…2…1
_________________________________________________________
Doing Homework
_________________________________________________________
Remember That Class You Thought You Passed? You Will Have To Redo It In Summer School
_________________________________________________________
All Of Your Teachers Gave You Homework On The First Day Back
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
A+
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
NO CLASS: NEW EVERY SUNDAY!!!
Matthew Maddock | Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
Internships After Graduation?
Posted on July 18, 2012
Graduation is a very major milestone in everyone’s lifetime. After years of continuous studies, quizzes, assignments, and tests, you are finally free to take your first steps in your professional life. However, that is a major test in itself nowadays. With the economic downturn, finding a good job is nearly impossible because of the number of applicants jumping at every good opportunity. What you can do to improve your odds however is apply for part time jobs or through the various recruitment services available online such as: http://www.inspiringinterns.com/
Who says internships are only meant for students?
Students and fresh graduates both can apply for internships and use them to gain access to the organizations where they want to get full time jobs.
They are an excellent method to test careers and employers and to enhance your network. They might even give you access to better positions, as opposed to entry-level jobs.
Good full time jobs are very difficult to come by if you don’t have some experience written on your resume. However, with internships or temporary placements such as a part time job, you might just find the kind of job you were looking for. Once you have access into an organization, you can easily network
Network. Network. Network.
All you need are good interpersonal skills and a professional attitude. Internships are specially useful to get the feel for an organization and gain entry there. Once you’re in, you’re in. Most organizations put together a resource pool of interns that they can hire later on as full time employees. That, combined with a strong network within the company is all you need to find yourself a decent full-time position.
According to surveys by several educational and human capital development institutes, employers usually hire most of their interns for full time positions. Internships are low risk scenarios where the intern gets to know the organization and how it works, while they get to see the candidate in action. This gives them a much better understanding of how they will perform in a proper job. This makes internships excellent tools for both entities to see how well they fit together.
Whether you go for an unpaid or paid internship, both are pretty good investments of your time as long as you have done your homework about the organization. Just make sure you use that time to make a permanent place in the organization for yourself.
Once you’re through the internship term, you won’t necessarily get a full time position there right then. However, you will still gain some experience and learn some new skills. You will also be able to add a few stars to your resume and hence, will improve your chances of getting a good job at other firms. Moreover, if you have networked properly during the internship, you should have a decent network of contacts that you can utilize for career advice and referrals.
Regardless of all this, you have to tell the company what you want. Until they know that you are interested in a full time position there, they won’t be sure about it. Why wait for them to decide to hire you? Once you’re through half of your internship term, communicate your interest to your boss and ask them what the proper steps would be to apply for a certain department. If done properly, this should give you the entry-point you wanted.
NO CLASS: July 15th, 2012
Posted on July 15, 2012
Every Sunday Bright Futura will feature all the funny, witty, irrelevant, and nonsensical, gifs, videos, pictures and images that we’ve found and or made from the week. We’ll be putting all this extreme amusement in a post called No Class.
For those students who use Bright Futura as a resource for informational articles and interesting college news coverage, please be advised that No Class is not for you.
COMMENCE THE HILARITY IN 3…2…1
On Vacation
When Getting Test Results
In Class
NO CLASS: NEW EVERY SUNDAY!!!
Matthew Maddock | Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed
NO CLASS: July 8th, 2012
Posted on July 8, 2012
Every Sunday Bright Futura will feature all the funny, witty, irrelevant, and nonsensical, gifs, videos, pictures and images that we’ve found and or made from the week. We’ll be putting all this extreme amusement in a post called No Class.
For those students who use Bright Futura as a resource for informational articles and interesting college news coverage, please be advised that No Class is not for you.
COMMENCE THE HILARITY IN 3…2…1
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
No Lie
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Is This Possible?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
This May Be The Most Amazing, Most Truthful Picture College Picture EVER
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
It’s True. Marry Rich And Don’t Suffer For Four Years
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
NO CLASS: NEW EVERY SUNDAY!!!
Matthew Maddock | Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
NO CLASS: July 1st, 2012
Posted on July 1, 2012
Every Sunday Bright Futura will feature all the funny, witty, irrelevant, and nonsensical, gifs, videos, pictures and images that we’ve found and or made from the week. We’ll be putting all this extreme amusement in a post called No Class.
For those students who use Bright Futura as a resource for informational articles and interesting college news coverage, please be advised that No Class is not for you.
COMMENCE THE HILARITY IN 3…2…1
_________________________________________________________
Walk To Dining Hall…Closed
_________________________________________________________
School…Just UGH!
_________________________________________________________
College Hippies
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Thanks Voldemort
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
This Is PERFECT.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
This Seems Like Something I Would Do.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Isn’t This The Truth?
_________________________________________________________
Only College Students Know How To Rationalize Meal Plans.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Oh Yeah?
_________________________________________________________
Please?
_________________________________________________________
Extra Points For Cleverness
_________________________________________________________
Good Luck.
NO CLASS: NEW EVERY SUNDAY!!!
Matthew Maddock | Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
Smoking & Drinking Teens Are The Unhappiest Of All
Posted on June 30, 2012
Teenagers who smoke, drink alcohol and eat junk food are significantly more likely to be unhappy than their clean- living counterparts, a study has found. About 5,000 children were questioned on their appearance, family, friends, school and life as a whole, and had their happiness levels rated.
Researchers discovered that those who never drank alcohol were between four and six times more likely to have higher levels of happiness than those who did
While those who shunned cigarettes were about five times more likely to have high happiness scores than young smokers.
The authors of the study, based at the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University, used data from Understanding Society, a long-term study of 40,000 UK households, to analyze the home life and health-related behavior of about 5,000 ten to 15-year-olds.
Their results found that unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and not taking exercise were closely linked to substantially lower happiness scores, even when factors such as family income and parents’ education were taken into account.
Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, and less eating of crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks, was associated with high happiness levels. Also, the children who played a lot of sport were deemed happier.Cara Booker, co-author of the research, said that children could be turning to damaging vices to cope with their unhappiness. She said: ‘Another explanation could be that youths who smoke and drink first fit themselves into certain groups that tend to be unhappier, and then they find themselves unhappy. It becomes a vicious cycle.
‘It’s probably a combination of both. Some will take up smoking because they want to feel more adult, but then find themselves hanging out with people who are less happy and then they become less happy. But if you’re participating in sports and have a social group who are also interested in the same things, you’re happier versus not doing much of anything.’
The study found that between the ages of 13 and 15, teenagers’ food consumption became unhealthier – only 11 per cent reported eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day – and their participation in exercise fell. And the figures for alcohol consumption revealed 8 per cent of ten to 12-year-olds admitted having had an alcoholic drink within the last month, rising to 41 per cent among 13 to 15-year-olds.
Dr Booker added: ‘The message [to teenagers] is that you need to be as healthy as possible, and participating in more adult behaviour such as smoking and drinking is not necessarily going to make you happier.
12 Things College Students Don’t Need
Posted on June 25, 2012
Of course, not all students’ needs are the same — students in medical studies, for example, may not require might need a powerful computer while students engineering and computer science may.
But, generally speaking, here are 12 expenses campus life doesn’t absolutely require:
12 Things College Students Don’t Need
1. New textbooks
Never ever ever buy a new textbook from the box store.
While the convenience may be tempting you honestly should never buy from you school bookstore. There are hundreds of textbook sites online now, and even programs that will find you the cheap priced textbook and the place to buy it.
Disclaimer: Bright Futura receives a kick back for all books purchased using this tool. Help support Bright Futura by purchasing using our free textbook tool
You can also see if there is a free downloadable e-book version 
Advantages to getting an E-Book
1. Some things don’t get better with age.
Paper textbooks are expensive to produce and expensive for schools to buy. And as books are passed along from one student to the next, they get more highlighted, dog-eared, tattered, and worn.
2. Heavy backpacks. Weighed-down students.
It’s no secret that paper textbooks are heavy. But what you may not know is that backpack weight is an increasing problem among kids. Studies show that heavy backpacks can lead to both chronic back pain and poor posture — and many kids are carrying a quarter of their body weight in textbooks. -Apple
If online textbook shopping isn’t your thing or the book can’t be found see if your university has an old edition.
More and more universities are offering textbook rental programs to help students avoid paying unfathomable new-book prices. Check to see whether your university offers a rental program, which is most often available for the school’s core-curriculum and prerequisite classes.
Ask a friend to go halves on it. Often times the books you are looking for have already been purchased by a friend or at least need to be. If your friend is no longer taking the class ask if you can buy it from him/her. Or if you and your friend are both taking the class split the cost and study together! Knowledge is power.
2. A Top of the Line Laptop or Desktop Computer.
This is dependent on your preference but the reality is that an inexpensive laptop or desktop should do the trick. In fact I didn’t even have a laptop for the first 2 years of college. I survived…barley. I would note however that while netbooks are cheap, their small keyboards and slow processing speed really suck.
3. A Printer.
You have two options, you can skip the printer all together and just print from the school labs which will save you money on the printer and the ink or you can g a cheap/free printer on $50 for a printer, $30 a pop for replacement ink and $9 per pack of paper.
If you decided against buying a printer: For about $10, you can buy a flash drive instead, save your 20-page term paper on it and print the paper in the campus computer lab, which btw you’re already be paying for in tuition!
- Flash drive
- Send yourself files via gmail
- Use Dropbox
- Use Google Drive
Take Notes: Some schools include a technology fee in room-and-board costs — $100 per semester in some cases.
4. A Pricey Smart-Phone Plan
While I personally have a smart phone and would kill anyone who tried to take it from me, they aren’t a requirement for college. Especially if you can’t afford/need it.
Fortunately, there are less-expensive, no-contract alternatives. Consider Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk Plan, which uses Sprint’s Nationwide Network. Plans start at $35 a month, for which you get unlimited Web, data, messaging and e-mail and 300 Anytime minutes. Simply buy a phone, select a plan at www.virginmobileusa.com, activate it on the Web site and manage your account online.
5. Cable TV
I personally don’t understand having cable tv at any point in life. Their are hundreds of things to watch and do on the internet and real life. However, if you’re a huge tv buff I’d suggest you
1. Cut back, watching TV isn’t a good look!
2. Cut this additional expense by accessing a wide variety of current entertainment and news online.
You can stream programs from your computer or a Web-enabled device, such as an Xbox 360 gaming console, a Playstation 3, a Wii or a TiVo:
- TV Shows: XfinityTV.com and Hulu.com, for example, let you download TV shows free. You can also catch recent episodes of your favorite shows at the networks’ own sites. Hulu.com now offers Hulu Plus, which for $8 a month gives you access to more than 1,000 seasons of current and classic TV shows, hundreds of movies (including films from the Criterion Collection) and limited commercial introduction in 720p high definition. College students can get a one-month free trial if they sign up with their .edu e-mail address. Movies.
- Movies: Netflix offers for $8 a month unlimited TV episodes and movies streaming online through a Web-enabled device.
- Sports: WatchESPN (formerly ESPN3.com) streams live broadcasts of professional sports, such as professional baseball, basketball, golf, soccer and tennis, and of course college basketball and football. You can stream WatchESPN content to an Xbox 360, but you must have an Xbox Live Gold membership, which is $10 a month, or $60 a year (same goes for streaming Netflix content with the Xbox 360).
6. A Car
In a nine-month academic year, according to AAA, the average small sedan would rack up about $3,000 in expenses, including costs for gas, standard maintenance and insurance. Parking permits and any tickets or breakdowns would add even more to the bill. Keeping the car parked at home could lower insurance premiums, too.
7. A Credit Card
The average freshman who has a credit card has nearly $700 in card debt, according to a recent study by Sallie Mae. To curb the frivolity of first-year credit card spending, Uncle Sam is now enforcing stricter credit card rules. Anyone younger than 21 is required to prove his or her ability to repay any debts or have a parent (or someone else 21 or older) co-sign the card application.
Help your student stay in the black by withholding your signature until he has a long track record of fiscal responsibility. A debit card is a good way to get started.
8. High bank fees
Open an account at a bank that is close to campus and has nationwide coverage.
Don’t use an account with the hometown bank at college. Otherwise you could spend up to $5 when withdrawing money from an out-of-network ATM.
Consider opening an online checking account with a bank that doesn’t charge ATM fees or that refunds ATM surcharges by other banks.
Be sure to read the fine print: Some of these banks do not refund ATM fees beyond a certain amount, and some require the account holder to maintain a minimum account balance every month.
Open an account with a credit union that belongs to a surcharge-free network. Click here to locate one.
9. Overdraft protection
You now have the option when you open an account to opt out of overdraft protection. That means the bank either will not permit you to withdraw funds if your balance is too low or will ask whether you want to pay a $35 fee and proceed with the withdrawal. This is not a one-time decision; you can switch your preference if you decide you want the bank to cover overdrafts. Checks and recurring payments that cause you to overdraw the account are not covered even if you opt out, so you can still incur hefty overdraft fees.
10. A Big Meal Plan
Often, the money you spend on a meal plan does not roll over from year to year — if you don’t use the money, you lose it. Best to start low and see how much you eat. Many colleges give you the opportunity to replenish meal-plan funds midyear. You could also supplement your meal plan with gift cards to the local grocery (or pizza joint). Or you can buy gift cards at GiftCertificates.com.
11. Campus health insurance
If you have family health coverage, your child may still be covered under that plan when she goes to college. If your plan does not cover out-of-network costs, a campus health-insurance plan may be a more cost-effective option. Be careful, though: Some college policies have low coverage maximums, which could leave you with thousands of dollars in uninsured expenses.
12. Private loans
The hefty price tag on higher education makes it hard to avoid student loans, so steer clear of private student loans.
They usually carry variable rates (as opposed to the fixed rates of federal loans), have fewer repayment options and allow students to rack up high balances. (See Be Wary of Private Student Loans.)
Maximillian Garland | Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
