College Degree Search

Depression is a serious issue among College students.

The change from high to College is complicated by going from childhood to adulthood with the responsibilities that entails, let alone the stress of passing College then eventually finding a job.

Here’s depression among College students by the numbers.

• 1 in 4 College students is believe to suffer from some form of mental illness, including depression.

• 44% of College Students report having symptoms of depression.

• 75% of College students not seek help for mental health problems

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among College students.

• 4 out of 5 College Students who either contemplate or attempt suicide show clear warning signs.

• The number of students taking psychiatric medicines increase more that 10 percentage points in the 10 years to 2009.

• 93% of students who accessed College counseling support in one study in 2008 were diagnosed with one mental disorder, that number increased to 96% in 2009.

• One our of every four to five students who visits a university health center center for a routine cold or sore throat turns out to be depressed

College life isn’t always known for providing much sleep, however sleep is a very important part of maintaining your health and well being.

Here’s seven facts about sleeping that every College student should know.

Sleep makes you smarter

As much as you might be tempted to cram in all night study sessions, you may actually be doing yourself more harm then good.

A Berkeley study (PDF) found that sleeping or even a short nap for an hour helps reset your short-term memory and that in turn allows you to learn and retain facts better when you wake up.

Sleep can save your heart

A Harvard Study has found that taking naps is good for your heart.

They found that by even taking afternoon naps of 30 minutes each three times a week reduced the risk of heart related ailments by 37%. The study found that this is probably owed to an afternoon nap acting as a stress reliever.

Abandon all nighters

There’s even more research to suggest that all night study sessions can reduce your ability to retain information by up to 40%…actually defeating the purpose of setting off to do an all nighter anyway.

If napping sleep for under 45 minutes

It’s said that  60 minutes of sleep helps you stay alert for over 10 hours, however research has found you’re better off napping for 45 minutes or less if you need to get back into action after waking up.

Napping 60 minutes or more may lead to you drifting into slow-wave sleep which results in sleep inertia, that groggy feeling many of us have often experienced when oversleeping.

Short naps are best

Stranger still, naps as short as 20, 10, or even 2 minutes can provide you with all the mental benefits of sleep, without risking waking up groggy.

Napping can help you lose weight

A study has found that women who sleep for 7 hours of more weigh less than women who sleep for 5 hours.

The reason is believed to be linked to a lower rate of metabolism for those who don’t sleep as long.

You can’t avoid that down period after lunch by not eating

Human bodies go through a number of phases of deep tiredness, generally speaking one is between 2 to 4 a.m. and the other between 1 to 3 p.m.

Some people believe that skipping lunch helps beat the afternoon tired period but the opposite is true: you need to fuel up to get through this period.

Sexually transmitted diseases can be a scary subject to discuss, however with knowledge comes the ability to guard against catching on yourself.

Here’s 10 STD facts about College students EVERY College student should know.

25% of College students have an STD, and 48% of all new STD cases each year occur among College students

48% of all new STD cases each year occur among 15-24 year olds (which include College students.)

The CDC estimates that there are 19 million new sexual transmitted disease infections in the United States each year

According to recent studies only 54% of College students regularly use condoms during vaginal intercourse, only 29% during anal intercourse and 4% during oral sex.

Over 45% of college freshmen under the influence of alcohol have failed to use condoms when engaging in sexual intercourse.

The most common STDs among College students are HPV, Chlamydia, and Genital herpes.

In the general population 25% of women and 20% of men have genital herpes and 85% of them do not know they have it. The rate is higher among College students.

61% of men and 48% of women have never been tested for an STD other than HIV/AIDS.

Only 28% of men and 34% of women, who say they have had an STD say they revealed that fact to their current of most recent partner before they had sexual intercourse.

Young women under 25 years old are more biologically susceptible to STDs than older women.

Editors Note: We recently posted a really cool infographic about the Stress Outbreak amongst College Students. Well don’t worry we didn’t just leave it at that we had our in house associate Editor Duncan Riley write up a great article on the 6 Ways To Deal With College Stress.

Life at College isn’t always fun and games…and parties: sometimes your efforts to balance study, exams, part-time work or even your social life can result in high levels of stress.

Here’s 6 simple ways you can help deal with College Stress.

Stop Stressing About Stress

Admit that you are stressed and figure out how to handle it. The irony is that you may have come to this post for this very reason, and like dealing with any problem, admitting the problem is the first step.

Quiet Time

Finding a few moments of peace and quiet might be just what you need to relax.

Grab a book, go for a walk in a park, stroll along a river…finding quiet time not only helps you deal with stress, many times it’s also a very cheap or free source of recreation as well.

Food

Eat something balanced and healthy: fruits and veggies, whole grains, protein.

Balanced food does NOT mean orderings fries with your burger. Multiple health studies show that eating healthy food provides your body with the vitamins and minerals it requires to function well…and that includes dealing with stress.

Exercise

It doesn’t have to be long, it can mean a relaxing 30 minute walk while listening to music can help reduce your stress levels.

If walking isn’t your think try swimming, a gym or even cycling, even if one of these activities is undertaken through the course of your day (say cycling from your home to College.) Exercise not only helps your body deal with stress, is also helps with depression.

Social Time

Don’t forget to take a break from studying to enjoy friends.

A good lesson for every stage of your life, let alone College is to find a great work/ life balance. You do need to study hard to get good grades, but over doing it can result in further stress, depression and tiredness that can actually deliver the opposite result.

Fun

College work just needs to get done – try to figure out how to make it more enjoyable.

This might mean mixing up how you study, playing music while you do, or even studying with friends.

Nicknamed the “Granddaddy of Them All,” the annual Rose Bowl Game is the oldest bowl game and is considered by many to be the most prestigious of the College bowl games.

Held on January 1st of each year (January 2nd where January 1 falls on a Sunday) the game draws national attention and fan interest throughout the United States.

There are many traditions around College football, and the Rose Bowl was one of the earliest bowls to introduce flip cards to the half time show, where fans flip cards to present words, logos and symbols supporting their team. Each flip card routine can be dozens of movements long and requires some serious planning, and it’s the subversion of this planning that gave football the Great Rose Bowl Hoax of 1961.

The Washington Huskies were pitted against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, not far from a local technical college by the name of Caltech.

The Caltech team occasionally played in the stadium, but had never made the Rose Bowl itself, a fact a group of fourteen Caltech students took to heart.

The fourteen, later known as the “Fiendish Fourteen” hatched their plot in the December of 1960.

After discovering the method the Washington State cheerleaders used co-ordinate the flip show (instruction sheets as to when to hold up each colored card,) they subverted the planned instructions by first obtaining copies of them, altering them by hand, and then replacing the original sheets with their altered sheets…all without being discovered.

Come January 2nd, NBC cameras focused on the stands where the flip show was to take place, and at first nothing was untoward, with the first eleven flip cards sticking to the Washington cheerleaders original plans.

The 12th flip was when the fun began. Little known to those watching, the Washington State Husky had been replaced by the Caltech Beaver mascot.

The 13th flip was meant to spell Huskies left to right but instead delivered “SEIKSUH” (Huskies in reverse.) By this stage the cheerleaders who were co-ordinating the flip turns knew something was going wrong, but little did they know what the 14 turn would deliver.

CALTECH.

Reports at the time stated that the band stopped playing, the crowd went silent and no body knew what to do.

The crowd then erupted into laughter and the cheerleaders and band left the field.

Washington did go on to win the Rose Bowl that year 17-7 but the game will always be remembered for the Great Rose Bowl Hoax.

The United States may not have thousands of years of educational history such is the case in Europe, however it can boast of some grand and fine Colleges and Universities. Here’s the list of the nine oldest Colleges in the United States, which collectively are commonly referred to today as the “Colonial Cottages.”

1. Harvard University: 1636

Initially known as “New College,” Harvard was established by a vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

It was later renamed in 1639 after John Harvard, who bequeathed the College his library of four hundred books and 779 pounds, 17 shillings, and two pence, a sizable sum in those days.

Although never formally affiliated with a church, Harvard trained Congregationalist and Unitarian clergy.

2. College of William & Mary: 1694

Founded in Williamsburg, Virginia, the College of William & Mary was established by a letters patent issued by King William III and Queen Mary I which stated that the College was to “make, found and establish a certain Place of Universal Study, a perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good arts and sciences…to be supported and maintained, in all time coming.”

The College was originally founded as an Anglican institution. The college became the first (formal) American university with the establishment of its graduate schools in law and medicine.

3. Yale University: 1701

Originally known as the Collegiate School, Yale was established by an Act of the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut on 9 October 1701 as an institution to train clergy.

Yale was changed to its existing name in 1718, and is named after benefactor Eilhu Yale, the Governor of the British East India company.

4. Princeton University: 1746

Princeton was originally founded by the New Light Presbyterians as the College of New Jersey in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey to train Ministers.

Following moves to Newark in 1747 then Princeton in 1756, the institution did not get its current name of Princeton University until 1896.

5. University of Pennsylvania: 1740/ 1749

There’s some conjecture when the University of Pennsylvania was established. The first building was originally built in 1740 and was intended to be used as a charity school, however the first meeting of the board of Trustees did not occur until 1749. Further the University did not receive a formal charter until 1755.

Unlike other Colleges of the period the University did not just focus on education for the clergy, but offered (for the first time in what is now the United States) a multidisciplinary model, had a non-sectarian board, and study was open to the public.

6. Columbia University: 1754

Columbia was founded as King’s College by Royal Charter of King George II in 1754 with funding from the General Assembly of New York.

Columbia has a tumultuous early history, having been closed and ransacked during the American Revolutionary War as American and British forces both traded places in holding the New York itself. At the end of the war the “rebels” renamed the Kings College to Columbia University.

7. Brown University: 1764

Brown was founded as the “College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” in 1764 as a Baptist College to train Baptist Ministers.

It is renamed Brown University in 1804 after Nicholas Brown Jr, who between 1786 and 1804 contributed $5,000 toward an endowed professorship.

8. Rutgers University: 1766

Chartered as Queens’ College in 1766, Rutgers was founded by the Dutch Reformed Church to train those who wanted to become Ministers.

The College closed between 1795 and 1807 and for a period following the War of 1812 and 1825. Its named changed to Rutgers College in honor of American Revolutionary War hero Henry Rutgers the year it reopened (1825,) until finally becoming know as Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey by two acts in 1945 and 1956.

9. Dartmouth College: 1769

Dartmouth was founded by Puritan Minister Eleazar Wheelock as a school to primarily train Native Americans as missionaries.

It is named after William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth and early supporter of Wheelock.

College is an expensive proposition, even if you have a scholarship, aid or parental financial assistance.

We’re not claiming that the following 10 ways to stretch your budget while at College are all easy, but following this advice can make your money go further.

Plan!

The biggest mistake most College students make when it comes to money is failing to have a plan. You can go as far as having a formal budget, but even a basic plan of where your money goes can help you with your long term financial needs.

Get rid of your car

Cars are great to own, but they’re also a sinkhole for money, from registration through to maintenance, insurance and sometimes even parking. Most College campuses have public transportation, and there’s always the option of walking, riding a bicycle or using ride-sharing services instead.

Eat in

Buying lunch of campus, or even regularly buying any of your meals can quickly run up a big food bill where as you could be saving money and even eating more healthily by making it yourself. Learn to cook, take a packed lunch, and seek out food co-ops and bargain supermarkets. If you share food in a dorm, or you’ve got some extra storage space, consider bulk purchases from outlets such as Costco: the savings quickly add up.

Buy Textbooks cheaply

Buy used books where you can, and with all book purchases (new and used) keep them unmarked and in a great condition so you can resell them at the end of term. There’s also a growing number of options for digital versions of your textbooks, so hit Google as well to try and save some money.

Try to avoid credit

Credit cards are pushed at College students like drugs to addicts, except the former is legal. Credit cards are not your friend and try to avoid obtaining one if you can. If you absolutely must, look for a low interest rate, low limit card so your debt doesn’t get out of control and becomes unmanageable.

Resist impulse buying

It’s tempting when you have money in your pocket (or a credit card) to impulse buy something when you’re our shopping in the mall or local stores. Try to resist impulse buying, and if you do buy something you later regret, don’t be afraid to return it.

Be a bargain hunter

The internet is your friend. When you do need something the chance is that you will find it offered somewhere online at a cheaper price. Browse at your local stores by all means, but be sure to check the price online before you make your purchase.

Set aside a fun budget

Just because you need to save money doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to some fun. Set aside money on a weekly or monthly basis so you can go out and enjoy yourself

Find work

The job market is difficult but that doesn’t mean that work isn’t available: even if it’s a couple of hours a week it all adds up. Tutoring (other College students or High School students,) music lessons, baby sitting, yard work…there’s always someone out there who needs a hand.

Pay your bills on time

Late fees can blow your budget alone, so it’s important to pay your bills on time. Paying your bills on time is also an investment in your future as it helps you establish a good credit history for when you finish College and want to rent an apartment, buy a car or even start a new business.