Recently in Focus on Freshmen Category

Congratulations on making it through your freshman year! (Believe it or not, I've seen statistics that say 35% of college freshmen drop out. So yes, congrats are in order!)

Now that your first year is behind you, what's next? Personally, I thought my sophomore year was my best in college. It was so much fun coming back to school that fall to familiar faces and a campus I was comfortable with—I was full of confidence and excitement about the year. Maybe you will be too!

As you enjoy your first college summer, think about ways to make the most of your sophomore year. Are there organizations that looked interesting last year? Go ahead and join. Were you leery about getting a job your freshman year? Give it a try during your sophomore year. Both are ways to meet new people and potentially make contacts in your field.

Whatever you do during your sophomore year, branch out from what you did freshman year. There are only four years of college (usually!) and they go by more quickly than you can imagine.

With that in mind, what's in store for your sophomore year of college?

Now that your first semester is under your belt, what did you learn from it? During your first semester you're learning to navigate college life — this semester is all about realizing what worked for you and what didn't and making the second half of your freshman year better than the first.

How did classes go? First things first — how were your grades last semester? If they were not all they should be, that's the first thing to address this semester. Ask yourself the tough questions: Was it your study habits? Is it just a matter of getting to each and every class? Was your course load too heavy? Could you use a tutor? A lot of people struggle with classes their first semester, but now is definitely the time to get to the bottom of any academic problems you may be having.

How's your social life? The first semester can be bumpy as you're trying to make new friends and get used to a new roommate. Finding your place at your school is important. If you still haven't found your comfort zone, focus on it this semester. Stick around campus on the weekends, and seek out some new activities to join — shake up your old routine and see if you can't find a fresh perspective on your school.

What about money? How did you handle your finances your first semester? If you were out of cash by October, or if you've started living on your credit card, it's time for a new approach. Now that you have an idea of your college expenses, make a weekly or monthly budget and stick to it. If you're carrying any significant balance on a credit card, switch to a cash-only policy until you get it paid off. Nip any money problems in the bud now and you'll be in good shape when graduation rolls around.

Are you making any big changes this semester? Tell us about it.

You made it! Your first semester of college (and an exhausting finals week) is finally behind you. Most of you probably have almost a month of vacation stretching before you. What will you do with it?

Sleeping, working, and hanging out with friends and family are likely high on your agenda. All fine pursuits for a college vacation. But I have to suggest that you do something else as well. Have an experience. Do something different, weird, or exciting. Make the most of your time. You may not realize it now, but long vacations like this are few and far between in life, so my advice is to try to make it memorable.

It doesn't have to be anything too crazy, just shake things up a little bit — whether that's taking a short road trip, volunteering somewhere, or taking up a new hobby.

For instance, I needed to make money during my freshman year winter break. I could have gone back to my hometown job at a grocery store, but I opted for something different instead. I took a temporary job taking inventory at a university hospital. Originally I did it for the better money, but it ended up being one of the oddest temp jobs I've ever done (and I've done several!). Life changing? No, but it was definitely a unique experience!

And that's the point. College is the perfect time to explore new things in life, without taking a huge risk. You may end up going to back to class next semester with a couple funny or interesting stories. Or you may go back with whole new outlook on life. Either way, it's a good way to spend your vacation.

What are your plans for winter break?

Editor's note: The Student LoanDown team will be taking a little winter break to shake things up a bit ourselves – ok, we'll probably be eating cookies and taking naps. We'll see you the week of January 3rd!

Being sick is never a picnic, but it's even worse when you're in college. And I'm just talking your common colds and stomach flu here — nothing major.

That first time you get sick can be tough — dorms and college apartments are naturally loud and communal places. Not a great place to rest and recuperate. But try to make the best of it. Your roommate doesn't want to catch what you've got, so it's likely he or she will get lost while you recover. Just keep your cell phone handy in case you really need something.

If you're feeling too bad to drag yourself down to food service, ask a friend to bring you the basics. When I was in college, food service offered a "sick tray" that could be brought up to your room. It was pretty much what Mom would have made: broth, Jell-o®, crackers and tea — and it did the trick.

Let your professors know what's going on, if you really can't get to class. Keep your friends in the loop, too, so they know to check in on you, and not assume you're hiding in the library writing a paper. If things turn serious, you want someone on alert to get you to student health services, or the hospital, if need be. These things happen in college — one of my friends had to have an emergency appendectomy during sophomore year. Make sure your friends know enough to look out for you.

Once you're on the mend, do a thorough cleaning of your room to minimize germs — you don't want your roommate or visitors getting sick, too. Wash your bedding, disinfect doorknobs, empty the trash — you get the idea.

Have you been sick since while you're at school? How did you get through it?

As a college freshman, you've had to pass a lot tests to get where you are. You've proved your academic skills.

But now you've got to pass another test. It's time to prove your life skills.

We're talking the basics here, nothing too advanced: just laundry, cooking, cleaning. Maybe you're a pro already. Maybe you brushed up the summer before college. Or maybe you need Life Skills 101. Failure at Life Skills leads to a wardrobe full of gray (or pink!) clothes, a semester's worth of bad food, and all-out roommate wars over dirty dishes and dust bunnies.

So after a month or so of college, how are you doing? Still piling up laundry for your first trip home? Get a grip, get some quarters and get down to the laundry room. If you really want to save money, you can wash everything together — just use cold water, so the colors don't bleed. Not the best idea, but not a biggie for the basics you wear around campus. If you're a little pickier, wash your jeans and darkest clothes together, and all the rest in a different load. Stick with cold water just to be safe. Still saves $$ and time, and is a little easier on your white t-shirts.

When it comes to cooking, fortunately, most freshmen don't have to do it. You're probably on a meal plan except for Sunday night suppers. Once in awhile, skip the pizza and try getting some healthier takeout. If you want to save money, warm up some veggie soup or toss a single serving of frozen veggies in your Ramen noodles. Get your vitamins, stay out of the Student Health Center — it's all part of Life Skills 101!

And last but not least, how are you doing in the cleaning department? Dorms are pretty small spaces, so if you've got a mess going on, your roomie has nowhere to escape it. This can lead to big trouble in the not-too-distant future, so if you're the messy one, it's time to get it together. Follow these tips for peaceful coexistence: Take out the garbage if it looks even close to being full. Trust me on this one. And pick up after yourself generally — don't leave any clothes, shoes, food, or dishes lying around. You may not care about that stuff, but your roommate probably does.

If you're a freshman, let us know how you're dealing now that you're on your own? Do you feel like you came to college with good life skills?