One Year Down

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I've been busy with assignments, exams, and such. I just finished up my freshman year a few days ago and found out today that I got a 4.0 for the Spring semester! Summer classes start the 15th, but I'll try to post more helpful hints for you guys. See you soon!

Well it has been a rough week of midterms but I have enough time to sneak in a post. I'm going to talk about college textbooks and the best ways of getting them. College textbooks are very expensive and are often a way for universities to make extra money, so you want to explore all your options before buying. There are three ways about acquiring your textbooks: buying new, buying used, or renting.

1. Buying new
This is the most expensive route of the 3, but it can be beneficial in the long run. When buying a new book you know it's going to be in mint condition and contain all pages. Also, if you buy a new book and take care of it, you can often sell it used for around 50-60% of the new price. The resale value can be higher then the price you would have paid for a used book, so this option interests some.

2. Buying used

Buying your books used can be risky but it can also save you a lot of money in th end. Used books are generally 50% cheaper than new ones, but often in worse condition. When buying online you have to trust the sellers description and hope there are no missing pages or torn covers. This doesn't apply if you are buying a used book in person because you can just check it yourself. Buying a book from a friend is usually cheaper than one on amazon.com so make sure you check locally before using the internet.

3. Renting
You can also rent your books. Most university bookstores have this option, but you can also rent them from websites like chegg.com. From what I've seen, bookstores rental prices tend to be a higher than a used books, so make sure you check all your options before renting. Also, make sure you take good care of your rented books so you don't end up paying some ridiculous fee when you go to return them.

Hope this helps!

Scheduling

Scheduling is very important aspect of college so you want to make sure you do it well. The best way to schedule is to ask your advisor what classes you should be taking, figure out the best times to take those classes, and then sign up for them as early as possible.

1. Pick your classes
Your advisor should give you a set of classes you need to take and then options for electives. Talk to your friends about what electives they are taking or have taken, or just pick a class in a subject that interests you. Ideally you should have between 15-20 credit hours a semester.

2. Pick times and teachers
Once you have a list of classes you need to find the best times and teachers for the classes you will be taking. If you're like me, you want to have small breaks in between classes. I find it much easier to just have all your classes in a row. If you go to myedu.com and put it all your classes. it will generate all the possible schedules for you. Also make sure you check out reviews on professors at ratemyprofessors.com. For tough math or chemistry classes you really need to make sure you get a good professor.

3. Sign up for classes
The last step is to sign up for your classes. You want to do this as early as possible, so check when registration starts. If registration opens at midnight or 6am, it's worth it to stay up/get up in order to register. Classes fill up fast so sign up early.

Check out my schedule for this semester:CS 111 - Introduction to Data Structures

GEOL 101 - Planet Earth

GEOL 102 - Planet Earth Laboratory

MATH 156 - Calculus 2

POLS 210 - Law And The Legal System

Food!

When I last posted I told you guys I would talk about dorm foods next, so here we go.

Today I just want to talk about the food provided by the dorms, and in a later post I'll talk about some of the best dorm microwavable and snack foods.

Here at WVU we have cafeterias at several but not all of the dorms. With a meal plan you can go to any of the cafeterias and eat an all you can eat buffet. The everyday there is salad bar, several cereals, a sandwich station, and pizza. In addition to those there are entrées such as turkey, beef roast, hamburgers, chicken patties, mashed potatoes, and a variety of other foods. You might think all this sounds great but sadly, it's not. The food is often of very cheap quality so the beef is rubbery, the pizza is awful, and you can really tell they use inexpensive ingredients. Because of this I often avoid the cafeteria and go to the other option we have, the Grab N Go.

The Grab N Go has a different hot sandwich every day, a variety of chips, and many side options. The sandwiches are usually pretty good (except for Tuesday's Caprese sub) and the sides aren't bad either. I usually get the hot sub of the day, Cheetos, and cheese cubes or a Smucker's Uncrustable.

From what I've heard, other colleges and universities food snit much better. Universities like to get a lot of money out of students meal plans so they stick to cheap foods. I recommend not getting a meal plan if possible and just going grocery shopping every week or two. Sometime in the future Ill write about my favorite foods are for keeping in the dorm and snacking on. Thanks for reading!

If you want to check out whats on our cafeteria menu check out this link.

Well guys I think I know what I'll be blogging about. I'm a current freshman at West Virginia University and from here on out Ill be sharing the experiences I go through and tip you guys on basically anything college related. I hope to give you guys a feel of what the college life is like and give you a chance to learn a thing or two if you're not already in college. Stay tuned for my first update: dorm food.

Greetings and salutations to all,

This is my first blog and well, this is my first post. I plan on using this blog to speak my mind or post an entertaining thing or two. I'm new to the whole blogging scene so give me some time. Enjoy the blog!