Can the college you choose help you get a bigger paycheck?

Students choose schools for many reasons. Location, reputation, weather, size, and major are all important characteristics of whether or not that particular school is going to be suited for you. However, how much that degree will be worth in salary figures is often overlook. Although, how much you get paid heavily depends on what career field you choose, many companies are ready to shell out top dollar for recent graduates of some of the nation’s top schools. When you are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars on a top notch education it is a good idea to take into consideration which schools will give you the most bang for your buck when you graduate. Here is a list of schools with the highest mid-career salaries for their graduates.

Colleges That Bring The Highest Paychecks

Pets at College?

That’s right: at some colleges, there are dorms that let you bring the family pet with you to keep you company while you study! The following is a list of colleges that allow pets, and which kinds of pets they allow:

Notre Dame, the University of Georgia, and Northern Arizona University all let you bring along that aquatic friend, so long as it lives in an aquarium of a specific size.

Some colleges will allow smaller pets in aquariums and cages; Harvey Mudd College will allow a gerbil or a turtle; Humboldt State allows you to bring in aquarium pets like lizards, snakes, or turtles; Principia College, Vassar College and Case Western Reserve University welcome pets that live in cages; Wellesley College has several dorms that allow birds, fish, or rodents.

Students at SUNY Canton who live in The Pet Wing can bring many small caged pets like gerbils, hamsters, or even cats! MIT also has cat-friendly floors in several of their residence halls so that even if you don’t have a cat, you can enjoy fuzzy company from your roommate’s pet.

It may be rare to find a dog on campus, but some welcome them. Lehigh University allows each Greek house to have one registered cat or dog. Stetson University and Pet Central at Stephens College will allow dogs without any weight restrictions, and any other pet you might want to bring, too!

William and Jefferson College allows one cat or dog per room, so roommates have to decide which pet gets to live in the dorm. At Eckerd College several students have ducks, and one even has a rooster! Sweet Briar College even allows your horse!

Pets are part of the family, so why not take your furry friend with you!

Colleges with the Best…. Winter Weather

There are rankings for everything relating to college, most beautiful campus, nicest dorms, most academically challenging, and of course . . . best winter weather.  Not everyone is suited for surfboards and tanlines, if you love to ski, snowboard, or just the comfort of studying next to an open fireplace for the majority of year take a look at the best winter schools:

University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO

Dartmouth University, Hanover, NH

University of Montana, Missoula, MT

Williams College, Williamstown, MA

Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV

College with the Best…Weather

There are rankings for everything relating to college, most beautiful campus, nicest dorms, most academically challenging, and of course . . . best weather. If you’re going to have to study 24/7 why not do it under the shinning sun all year round!

University of California-San Diego, San Diego, CA

University of Miami, Miami, FL

Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA

University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI

University Looks to Naps for Better Grades

In high school, teachers would frown upon you for napping in school, but in college they promote naps on campus. Schools such as UC Davis provide “nap maps” for students on the prime locations to take 20-30 minute breaks in your day to nap. Researchers have discovered positive effects and study habits emerge from taking naps during the course of your day. Click on the link below to read the full article.

University Looks to Naps for Better Grades

Loyola Marymount University

Another one of Los Angeles’ most secret treasure is the beautiful campus of Loyola Marymount University. LMU offers 56 major and 57 minor undergraduate degrees and programs. Their missions statement states, “Loyola Marymount University offers rigorous undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs to academically ambitious students committed to lives of meaning and purpose. We benefit from our location in Los Angeles, a dynamic city that brings into sharp focus the issues of our time and provides an ideal context for study, research, creative work, and active engagement.”
Check out the video below to see what some of the current students are saying about the campus.

5 Oldest Universities in the United States

In honor of celebrating our country’s independence, below is a list of our country’s founding universities that still reign in prestige.

1. Harvard University- 1636; Cambridge, Massachusetts

2. The College of William and Mary, 1693; Williamsburg, Virginia

3. Yale University, 1701; New Haven, Connecticut

4. Princeton University, 1746; Princeton, New Jersey

5. Columbia University, 1754; New York, NY

Top Essay Mistakes & Pitfalls Part 2

One post is not enough warning on what to avoid when writing college admission essays. Take a look at part 2 of the top 10 Essay Mistakes and Pitfalls:

Mistake #5: Picking an inappropriate topic. In an attempt to be clever, many people resort to self-deprecation and paint a less than flattering image of themselves.

Mistake #4: Making an essay into a resume. Students want to impress the reader so much that they completely ignore the essay prompt and make the essay into a list of their accomplishments. Your application covers this area, use the essay to reveal more about who you are, not what you’ve done.

Mistake #3: Overt praise. If you are sending a school an application, they will simply assume that you want to attend. You don’t have to profusely compliment the campus and faculty – it might come across as insincere.

Mistake #2: Proofread! You CANNOT edit your essay too much. Write several drafts and edit each draft thoroughly for syntax, grammar, spelling, and general structure. Admissions officers will immediately discredit you for making petty errors.

Mistake #1: Not answering the question. The admissions committee uses certain essay prompts for a specific reason – they want you to answer it! So beware of steering away from the point and running off on tangents.

Top Ranked Liberal Arts Colleges

Every time we hear about the best schools in the nation we immediately gravitate to big universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. However, big universities are not for everyone. Some students are better suited for a small liberal arts college. Although they don’t make as big of a buzz, they offer top notch educations just like their larger counterparts. Take a look at US News list of top liberal arts colleges in the nation.

US News Liberal Arts College Rankings

Top 10 Essay Mistakes & Pitfalls Part 1

Application season is just around the corner. Along with that, comes what seems to be an endless amount of essay writing. The admissions essay can make or break the application. Before you get started on your essays take a look at Part 1 of the top 10 essay mistakes and pitfalls and avoid them at all costs!

Mistake #10: Using the same essay for every application. All colleges have their own identity and mission statement. Pay attention to what their ideology is and think about what you can do to cater to it.

Mistake #9: Plagiarizing other students’ work. Just don’t do it. Period.

Mistake #8: Using a thesaurus for too many words. This mistake can lead to an awkward tangle of an essay.

Mistake #7: Not streamlining the essay with your application. Many applicants do not pay attention to the unity between their essay and the actual application. It is jarring to read if the essay seems to portray a different picture of the student than the application.

Mistake #6: Trying to impress the essay reader. Do not try to impress the admission officer. They will be able to sense a pretentious voice beneath descriptions of grand earth shaking events. Write about what you know and draw from your own experiences.