When I was in high school I don't think I could have cared any less about the college decision process. As far as I was concerned I was going to move back to my old state of residence and go to school with my friends. Well, my lack of planning certainly came back to bite me in the ass when after I had gotten into the only school I applied to I realized the true cost of an out of state tuition and that funding all of the debt wouldn't be worth it. Lucky for me the school in the city that I live in was still taking applications and I got accepted...in June. I tell this story not only to single out my idiocy but to drive home the point that the decision on where to go to school should not be made on the basis of where your friends are going or where your boy/girlfriend is going. When deciding on a school weigh all of you options and decide on the place that is most comfortable to you, let's go over some things that you should consider.
What are you going for?
The answer to this question doesn't need to be a specific major or activity but you need to have a sense of purpose and not go to college just to be there. If it isn't clear on why you want to go to school perhaps it might be best to take a year off before registering for any classes. If however you do decide that you would like to attend right after high school and don't have a major in mind do yourself a favor a sign up for a variety of courses your first year and worry about major requirements later on. During my Freshman year I took only the classes that sounded the most interesting to me and not only did it give me exposure to many different topics it also kept my grades up. That is something first year students tend to overlook, the transition in the amount of work between high school and college. If you are already interested in something it makes it that much more easier to drag your ass out of bed and go to class and much more likely that you will do your work.
What kind of experience are you looking for?
Are you the type of person who likes quieter surroundings with less people or would you rather be in a big college town where you might not ever see a fellow classmate more than once? The size of the school is important not only socially but also academically. It gets difficult to meet your professors and have a closer working relationship with them when there are 200-300 other students in your class. What about the location of the school? Are you going to move across the country to experience new things and be fine with the distance? If you stay close to home will you miss out on things? What about the weather? I've lived in the south pretty much my whole life so even if I would have applied to more school I doubt that I would have moved up north because I don't like a colder climate. It may sound stupid to weigh climate as part of your decision but you're going to be there for four years you should enjoy where you live (note: I wouldn't over weigh this in a decision but if two schools are even this could be a deal breaker).
Find out what kind of social life you would have at the school. Are athletics a huge deal? Parties? What is there to do in and around campus? It would probably a disappointment if you arrived your first week and found out there was nothing to do but sit in your room and read your books. Try narrowing down your choices of schools to two or three and then start going on campus visits if you have the opportunity. You may find that your decision becomes quite clear after spending some time on the campus, whether one school was a really great visit or you found out that the school you had your eye on isn't all that great. There is no substitute for visiting the place and seeing it with your own eyes don't rely on what you have heard from other people because they will have their own bias and reasons for loving/hating a school.
This also applies to rankings and schools that you think would look good on some future resume. Don't assume that a school is no good academically just because it made a 'party' school list and don't push yourself into crazy amounts of debt just to attend an 'elite' institution. Just because a place has a big name doesn't mean it's a good fit for you socially, academically, or financially and you'll quickly learn it isn't fun coming out of school with $50K plus in debt tied around your neck. Which brings me to....
How much does it cost?
If you're filthy rich then this doesn't matter that much but for everyone else the financing of your education is a big deal. When I was looking to go to school out of state they were sending me estimates of 25-30 thousand dollars a year when everything was taken into consideration (tuition, room, board, etc.) but in-state I won't pay that in four years, in fact with grants I should finish with under 10 grand in student loans to repay. Think about that even if I cut my costs way down at an out of state school I would still owe over 50 thousand dollars! In this job market unless you get very lucky your starting salary isn't going to be that high and that's a whole years worth of work just to equal your debt. Then add on all your living expenses and you're going to be staring down student loan payments for years. Don't get discouraged though, it just means that you need to research about possible aid your school offers or scholarships that are available for you to pursue. With that said keep in mind schools budgets have been slashed and tuition is going up so that means even less money is being given out as pure aid that you don't have to pay back. Ask yourself if that debt is something that you really want to have looming on the horizon as an 18 year old or could you still get a quality education and have fun a some place more affordable?
This isn't a full list of factors that you need to consider when making a choice on a college but you get the idea of where your mind needs to be. Clear your mind of everything you think college is going to be based on what you have seen on TV or in a movie because most of it is bull shit. Make the choice that you want and don't make a decision without taking in and processing tons of information about the place. You may come to find out that after all of this time and research that you want to transfer somewhere else and that's okay plenty of people do, just try to get it right the first time and I promise you'll have a great college experience.
With schools across the country about to start the fall semester the signal for back to school shopping has been sent out by the nation’s retailers. My classes start back up on Monday and I thought that it would be a good idea to produce a post on back to school fashion for college guys (if you're a freshman try reading this also: 5 Tips for College Freshman). Too many people brush the way the dress off as unimportant, I mean just look at the guys (and girls) who come to class in their pajamas. Like it or not how you dress will have a say in how people react to you in your day to day life. After all what is the first thing people notice before they ever speak to you? What you look like and if you spend your days walking around looking like a bum then you can expect it to have some effect at the way people view you as a person.
I actually just got back from the mall (sigh) and while I prefer online shopping I wanted to get some things that I could have during these first few days of classes and that required a precise fit. My main purpose was to hunt down the cardigan that I wanted and to add more basics to my wardrobe. That is what we are going to start with today the basics of what we wear. Too often we buy a great shirt(s) and keep pairing it with the same look until it gets too worn and faded. That’s wear these basics come into play, they help add versatility to your wardrobe and don’t always run you a lot of money.
Fitted tees: I’m talking about solid color tees here and most importantly white and black tees. They shouldn’t be included in every single look that you’re trying out but they are great when done right as stand alone pieces of clothing and for layering purposes. I don’t mean Hanes undershirts but more along the lines of the solid tees you would find at Gap. These shirts generally cost between 12-15 dollars a piece and I make sure that I have some in my closet.
Dress shirts: You don’t necessarily have to wear them like you’re going to a business meeting in fact they can look great casually. You should have at least two dress shirts to start but make sure these fit properly and have the right type of collar for the shape of your face, meaning try them on before you buy. For a really perfect fit you might consider having the shirts tailored so that all of the proportions are right.
Jeans: I’m not a fan of skinny jeans but then again you shouldn’t go baggy with your jeans either. Are you sensing a trend of having clothes that fit? You’ll want some with a darker wash and a pair with a lighter wash so you can pair them with different colored shirts. If you can afford the expensive designer jeans you should consider investing in a pair because there are some brands that are very high quality and durable. For the rest of us poor folk, Levi’s has some more in our price range that aren’t totally flimsy.
Pants: For many guys khaki’s are as far as they venture out to besides wearing jeans but a good pair of pants allows for more looks and are very comfortable. In addition to your khakis, pick up pairs of slacks in black, grey, and navy. These are all essentials to have because they often work better than jeans when paired with certain sweaters or coats plus those dress shirts we already talked about. A store like Dillards usually has some designer pants that you can get for fairly cheap. Today for instance I bought a pair of dark grey Calvin Klein’s for $35 because they were the last of my size and on the clearance rack. This isn’t the first time either, I’ve bought pairs marked down to $12 that weren’t any weird design or pattern they just needed to get rid of inventory. So check these clearance racks for your basic items like pants because some things that never go out of style get placed on there too not just horrid crap.
Belts: Have one brown and one black as a minimum.
Shoes: We should move beyond just wearing trainers, I know we’re in college but we need to have other options. First, we should have a white pair of shoes for our casual days something along the lines of an Adidas Stan Smiths or Nike Cortez. Boat shoes or drivers will work well with the pants we bought when we’re not trying to dress up, brown will work for most shades. Finally we need dress shoes and don’t go buy the plastic ones from Target either. Your dress shoes should be an investment in quality and despite the fact they won’t be in our day to day campus wear you should still own a pair.
Sweaters: It’s the middle of August now and hotter than hell but in 6-8 weeks it will be time to whip out the longer sleeves. A v-neck pullover is a good bet to have and also have a nice cardigan because you can use them for many different styles.
Socks: Get more than just the white athletic socks and pick up some nice dress socks in different colors.
The list of items shown above are always going to be in your wardrobe and will serve as your building blocks. Always add more of them to your collection but try different shades and styles to help branch out. The rest of the clothes you buy should exemplify your very own style which I cannot decide for you. Add different tops, pants, jewelry, and other accessories to complete the look that you’re going for.
When choosing the types of clothes you want to wear you need to take into account your body type and skin tone because certain cuts and colors will look like crap on you. For me red really does a disservice which sucks because I like the color but I know that other colors look much better on me. Here are two great articles to help you out, How to Find Your Perfect Colors and The Color Wheel: How to Combine Colors in Your Wardrobe. Also you should look through pictures of different styles that you like and mix and match items you find or maybe lift the style of some celebrity you enjoy ( I would recommend only using pieces that reflect who you are).
Beyond clothing another important aspect of fashion is grooming. You should always look the best that you can which means shaving, cutting your hair and nails, and just practicing all around good hygine.
Shaving
When it comes to shaving you can use a blade or an electric shave. I use a blade because it produces a closer shave. You can get fancy and have a whole shaving kit with brush and hot lather but I use only a good razor and some Nivea shaving foam. The trick to getting a really close shave is to lather once and shave with the grain and then re-lather and shave against the grain, thus getting the hair from both sides and leaving you baby soft.
Skin Care
I have a tendency to break out if I don’t shave for a couple days so I make sure to shave almost daily to help keep my skin clean. I wash my face using the Neutrogena Complete Acne Therapy system. It really helped my skin get way clearer than it had been previously. Yours may be different so if you have acne try different things and find what works for you. Also, with skin care make sure you use an after shave lotion with SPF 15 and that doesn’t clog pores to protect your skin and prevent blade irritation. The Neutrogena kit actually comes with it so if you buy that you’re covered. Get a body lotion as well especially for the winter months because your skin will get very dry. During one winter years ago I kept forgetting to go buy lotion and use it and my knuckles started to crack and bleed a bit from the cold. Yeah it hurt like hell.
Teeth
Floss your teeth everyday. Use a mouthwash like Listerine twice a day. Obviously brush your teeth. If you need whitening I suggest Crest 3D White toothpaste, I’ve used it for the past 6 weeks or so and my teeth look much whiter and it’s only $5 so buy it.
Scent
A good antiperspirant deodorant is a given to help you from stinking up everywhere you go but what else do you need? It starts in the shower. Find a scented bodywash or soap that you enjoy and do the same for shampoo. Take a shower daily which I don’t think I should have to say but well I can tell people don’t do it. During the summer months I use baby powder to help keep me dry and smelling good and then in the winter switch to lotion. When choosing a cologne try out many different scents to see which one you like and try not to buy one that’s too overpowering. Speaking of which don’t make a cologne overpowering by spraying it all over, 3 sprays max (and that may be too much for some scents). I own the following colognes, YSL Body Kouros, Burberry London, YSL Opium, and Adidas Moves 0:01 which I hardly ever wear. The Kouros is a favorite of mine and I don’t know how to describe its scent properly but it’s delightful. London is more of a rugged/woody smell, and Opium has an Asian spice to it and settles down into hints of vanilla.
Well that’s going to do it for my back to school fashion extravaganza. Try to always keep in mind that your clothes should be a reflection of who you are and who you want other people to see you as. If you’re still totally clueless remember to keep it simple and stick to the basics, having clothes that fit and the right colors for your skin tone will put you ahead of most of the pack. Keep searching online and pick up books on fashion to help move you into a space where you can make the right fashion decisions on a daily basis and have a wardrobe you can be proud of.
