Category Archives: College Blender
Free college tuition for everybody! 4 countries that are making this happen
It is a seemingly inescapable problem for many young Americans. The work force is getting more competitive as the bulk of new jobs are being created in highly skilled fields, yet the cost of education is skyrocketing to healthcare-esque heights.
As a result of this conundrum, many feel they are in a proverbial Catch-22, having to choose between taking on crippling amounts of debt in the hope that the jobs they seek will be there for them when they get out of school, or take their chances with a high school diploma in the job market, or as an entrepreneur.
Meanwhile, across the pond, a tantalizing Third Way is materializing, as many schools in European countries are either drastically lowering or eliminating tuition fees for foreigners in a bid to attract them to their schools.
But why? In the article that follows, not only will we review each country’s free college tuition incentive programs, you’ll find out the method behind their madness…
1) Germany
With the scrapping of tuition fees in Lower Saxony this past year, every single university within Germany’s borders are now 100% free to attend, for residents AND for foreigners. What’s more, the degrees that these schools offer span most disciplines, with some programs not even requiring that you put together a formal application.
This all seems too good to be true, but in this case, it is, as the government of Germany has invested enormous amounts of money to attract English speaking foreigners to German schools so that its citizens might be exposed to native speakers of the language.
Germany also has many glaring skill shortages that it is staring in the face over the coming years, so the hope is that after foreigners complete their schooling, they will have loved their time in Deutschland so much that they will decide to pursue a career here as well. Go to school for free and get a job in an in-demand field after graduation? What is this, 1955?
2) Slovenia
Those looking to immerse themselves in a relatively obscure Central European country may want to consider spending some or all of their college career in Slovenia, as this nation offers easy access to Croatia and Italy for those seeking exciting weekend trip ideas.
In addition to only paying a paltry €30 registration fee, your meals here will also cost much less than you may be projecting, as the Slovenian government subsidizes meal plans, with the average meal costing half of what it would back in America.
While no school here tops international rankings, those looking for a piece of paper and a good time in their college years may want to consider coming to Slovenia.
3) Norway
If the fjords of Norway are beckoning you, then you’ll be happy to know that the schools here cost foreigners nothing to attend … not a single krone. Of course, the fact that Norway is one of the world’s most expensive countries, or that some schools in the Norwegian arctic are cloaked in 24 hour darkness for a portion of the winter will weigh on your decision, but there are many other positives that make this country a strong contender.
Outdoor lovers will have their hands full with activities such as skiing, hiking and Northern Lights viewing, while those that are serious about their academics will love the small class sizes, professor approachability and lightening fast internet access in even the most far flung of communities.
4) Sweden
Like its Nordic neighbor to the west, Sweden also offers college programs to foreigners that are highly attractive. Unlike Norway though, Sweden’s programs do charge tuition fees for those seeking a bachelors or masters degree.
Sweden makes an exception for those seeking a PhD, waiving tuition fees for those seeking the highest attainable academic honor. The workforce of the world is getting more competitive with each passing year, with even master’s degree owners beginning to feel the heat.
For members of this crowd, this program may be the opportunity to finally break apart from the pack, all while experiencing life in a foreign country in the process.
How to Save Money For Traveling!
By focusing on how to save money for traveling, you can join these guys in Europe, or wherever you endeavor to go!
With graduation looming at the end of your upcoming senior year, you have big plans. Instead of strolling off the stage with your diploma and marching straight into a cubicle, you’re going to hit the road on a multi-month (maybe multi-year?) trek of exploration and discovery around the world. You want to do this while you are young and physically able to climb mountains, crawl through ruins, discover obscure mysterious islands and endure rough and tumble night buses, and for this, we applaud you.
Far too many people wait until retirement when their health has failed them, leaving them unable to fulfill all the dreams that they had put off for countless decades. One reality of travel that is constant, no matter how slim your budget, is that you need to have sufficient money to travel for any length of time.
Economy class fares cost the same for all of us, so in this final year of school, you need to acquire the eye of the tiger when it comes to saving cash from whatever job you have (if you don’t, start looking).
The following five tips will show you how to save money for traveling in no time, allowing you to get to the fun part of travel: planning out all your amazing adventures!
1) Stop eating out
Bear in mind that this doesn’t mean to stop eating: we all need adequate nutrition to survive. What this tip does prescribe is this: no more lunches at Chipotle, midnight pizza runs, or hungover breakfasts at your local sports bar. Look up some beginner recipes and start making food for yourself. Start off simple, then branch out to more complex meals. Soon, you will be eating better than ever, while spending considerably less dough than you were before. Talk about a win-win proposition!
2) Wave goodbye to your cable company
With abundant free entertainment on Youtube, Vimeo and Reddit, and cost-effective options on Netflix, Hulu and iTunes, why are you still shoveling your cash into your cable company’s furnace for the sake of a few measly channels? Endure the 30 minute phone call you’ve been dreading and cut the cord tomorrow, and watch as all that wasted capital begins piling up in your account instead of padding the wallet of some greedy CEO.
3) Cut back on drinking (and when you must, do it at home)
While going dry would have a dramatically positive effect on your finances, we realize that the college experience is often drenched in booze. So instead of cutting out the alcohol altogether, go out once per week maximum instead of the multiple nights per week that you are doing now. If you normally go out once per week, then take alternating weekends off from the bottle. Band together with potential travel companions and find fun, non-alcoholic things to do on those days to make adherence easier for everybody.
On weeks when you do drink, opt to stay home and avoid the expense of cover charges, marked-up alcohol prices and expensive cab fares. Instead, have your friends over to your house, and host the party there instead!
4) Seek out freelance work
With all that free time between classes (trust us, you’ll be looking back at this surplus time fondly when you enter the real world), you likely have time to find a second job, or failing that, a freelance gig on the side. Got a way with words? Become a freelance writer. Skilled in the art of editing/manipulating photos? Flog your Photoshop wizardry to the people of the internet in return for monetary compensation. $200 here, $600 there … it all adds up fast.
5) With a month left to go, sell everything that won’t fit in your backpack
With your plane tickets booked and your preliminary plans getting you excited, one last thing you can do to top off the pile of gold in your vault is to sell off all your stuff. Furniture, trinkets, gadgets, kitchen ware … anything that doesn’t fit in your backpack, or will have a practical use on the road – GONE. Sentimental items should be boxed and stored at your parent’s house or at the home of a trusted friend, but all that other stuff? Liquidate it into sweet, sweet spending cash!
The Most Beautiful College Campuses in the US
While most of us try to evaluate schools on honorable criteria such as the quality of its academics, student to teacher ratio, the efficacy of student services and so on, let’s face it: we are inherently emotional creatures, and as such, we are ably seduced by beauty. In this light, the look and feel of a college campus, from the architecture of its buildings, to the natural setting that surrounds it all indelibly colors our perception of a school.
Most of us would love to spend our college years in a place that feels like being on the set of the Dead Poets Society or Good Will Hunting, rather than be trapped in an institution so ugly the pigeons won’t even crap on it. As such, even if you are strictly making your decision based on pure logic, it’s still fun to look at pretty pictures of schools that represent the collegiate ideal (… and there’s nothing saying you can’t visit them on a road trip with your buddies)!
With that sorted, here are five schools that have been the apples of our eye for some time here at College Blender…
5) Wake Forest University
Filled with structures constructed in the Georgian style, this private college in North Carolina blossoms with cherry, apple and dogwood blossoms in the spring, burns with bright orange, yellow and red colors in the fall … with the occasional sprinkling of toilet paper strands when one of their athletic teams wins a major championship. This school also ranks favorably in teaching surveys on an annual basis, making this southern college a solid choice all round.
4) United States Military Academy At West Point
Think that joining the army means you’ll be spending all your time in uninspiring barracks? If your training has you bound for West Point, you will be in for huge surprise. Situated in the picturesque Hudson River Valley in New York State, this imposing collection of neo-gothic buildings will imbue you with a sense of power and strength as you work your way through the intensive academic programs that are offered here.
3) University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sandwiched between two deep blue lakes in the Wisconsin capital of Madison, there is ample room for inspiration and recreation on the campus of U of W – Madison. As if this wasn’t enough, the buildings on campus exude a traditional feel, and student life on campus has long been regarded as some of the liveliest in the nation, as the University of Wisconsin – Madison has consistently ranked near the top of party school rankings by publications such as Playboy magazine.
2) Pepperdine University
In some respects, the west coast often has it so good that it simply isn’t fair. The physical surrounds of Pepperdine University is a perfect illustration of this, as its campus in Malibu has an unbeatable view of the Pacific Ocean, with the steep foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains acting as the backdrop behind it.
This institution has buildings that take inspiration from Mediterranean and modernist schools of architecture, and palm trees and other subtropical shrubbery is found in abundance here. One caveat: this private school has a Christian bent in its underlying philosophy, so the scenery might not be enough of a draw if you have views that collide with those held by the administrators.
1) Elon University
When it comes to channeling the collegiate experience via the exterior and interior design, the creators and builders of Elon University have accomplished this masterfully over the years, as they have crafted a school that has ranked at or near the top of beauty rankings for decades. Much of the flora on campus is actively managed as part of the academic curricula of its horticultural faculties, aiding its placement at the top of our list as well!
Have any other contenders for the most beautiful college campuses in the US? Share them below in the comments!
5 Fun Drinking Games Anyone Can Learn!
Disclaimer: College Blender.com does not promote or endorse underage or binge drinking. All of these games are intended for those of legal drinking age and to be done in moderation.
While drinking alcohol isn’t a prerequisite to having a good time in college, let’s be realistic: a comfortable majority of students enjoy a beer…or many on a semi-regular basis. It’s not hard to see why: freshmen are celebrating their liberation from their parents, sophomores and juniors are stress-balling about making the excellent grades they need to graduate with honors, while seniors are freaking the hell out about their pending release into the Real World … and the start of those dreaded student loan payments.
But let’s forget about all that tonight, as we are all collectively in the present moment … why not be one big happy drunk family together? As fun as normal socializing is while consuming your favorite alcoholic beverage, sometimes a little stirring of the pot is necessary to elevate a party from awesome to epic.
This is where drinking games come in, as it adds equal parts of social interaction, shared laughs, and most importantly, wanton consumption of alcohol! So get started on that hefty pre-game meal to soak up the punishment that your liver is about to take, because after playing one or more of the games below, your head will be feeling the effects the next morning if you don’t prepare properly (drink water regularly through the evening as well, and have fun!)
1) Flipcup
Beer pong is so ten years ago. The plastic drinking glass game that is sweeping the nation these days is the intense, fast-paced game of Flipcup. The object of this contest is simply this: you take two teams, and line them up down a table (3 per side minimum).
Filling the cups halfway (all the way if you’re truly ambitious) with beer, the first grouping of drinking combatants chugs their beer, placing the cup upside down on the edge of the table when finished. The player then has to flip the cup so that it lands on its proper bottom without falling over. When this task is successfully completed, the next person down the line can drink. First side to complete these tasks successfully to the end wins!
2) Card games
There are many card games that can be made into drinking games, or were invented with drinking in mind. Asshole is a prominent one, where the deuce is the trump card, with values descending A,K, Q through to the worst cards, 4 and 3. The first player can lead with any card (the worst one(s) they have is the smart play), and the next player has to get rid of the same card or better.
Combos add more excitement to the game, where a player getting rid of three 5’s for example would compel the next to play a three card combo or higher, lest they have to pass on their turn. The president is the one who finishes first, vice president is 2nd, and the last two players are saddled with the titles vice asshole and asshole, compelling them to drink half and chug their beer respectively.
3) Drinking games based on movies or TV shows
These types of games proliferate widely throughout the internet, with combos of drinks and chugging being assigned for the cliché actions and sayings that actors/actresses in common movies and TV shows perform on a regular basis. An example out of the infinite number that exist: In one particular Walking Dead drinking game, one of the cues to drink includes when Rick tries to restore hope to the group (all the time without success, it seems!), and chugging happens whenever somebody gets killed by a zombie (even if they are a redshirt).
4) Quarters
This game seems simple enough at the start, but the sorry state of most people’s coordination skills (made worse by all the drinks you’ll consume by losing to someone more experienced than you) and understanding of physics make this a challenging but fun contest.
In order to play, start with a glass in the middle of the table. You then take a quarter and attempt to bounce it off the table and into said glass. A successful shot means you get to pick who takes a drink. The shooter keeps taking shots at the glass until they miss, whereupon the quarter goes to the next player. If you wish to try again after your first attempt, some versions allow you to declare “chance”. Hitting this shot allows you to keep going as per usual, but missing results in a penalty of at least two drinks.
5) Century Club (attempt with beer ONLY)
Also known as Power Hour in a toned down version of this game, players attempting to join the Century Club bring a shotglass and at least eight beers with them to the event. A song list with splits that occur once every two minutes needs to be prepared beforehand, as when the song switches, a drink of beer from their filled up shotglass must be taken. A fun thing to do during this 3+ hour boozefest is to pass around a pen and a large notepad/scribbler, noting the thoughts of participants as they descend the downward spiral into excessive drunkeness!
What other fun drinking games do you know? Share them in the comments below!
Thinking Global: How To Spend A Year Studying Overseas!
In the past decade or so, the way the world works has changed dramatically. The wide-scale adoption of the internet in most nations has created a truly global marketplace, putting pressure on the way work is structured everywhere, but especially in the developed world. The current young generation cannot follow in the footsteps of their parents, as they will not be living and working in the geographic bubble that their elders did.
The global marketplace will put them in touch regularly with cultures from across the world, and the ones that understand cultural nuances, speak multiple languages, and consider/adopt different philosophies on work and life stand the greatest chance of success in the years ahead. One way to get a leg up if you are currently in college is to seek out and apply for programs that allow you to spend a year studying abroad.
This will plunge you into an environment where your peers will have an entirely different outlook on life, speak a tongue completely foreign to your ears, and where nothing seems to make sense (at first anyway). This will teach you practical skills like different languages, and soft ones like coping and adaptation skills, giving you an edge over those drifting through life back home without ever being challenged.
Besides, it comes with copious amounts of wine/tequila/sake/soju/etc during numerous nights out with new found friends from around the world, so what are you waiting for, young adventurer? If you are all set to throw your textbooks in your backpack and take off for the other side of the pond, here are the steps that will get the ball rolling towards you landing at a foreign university in a wonderfully strange land next semester…
What experience are you seeking?
Do you geek out on all things Asian, like anime, Hong Kong martial arts flicks, and the endless permutations of Thai food? Are you a hopeless romantic, seeking to wrap yourself up in the lavish lifestyle of Italy? Maybe you have a taste for adrenaline, making the extreme activities of New Zealand and the surf breaks of Australia your best move.
The point of all these questions is to get you thinking about your passions and interests. To find your niche in this new world of ours, you need to embrace the person that you are deep down inside with vigor. Accordingly, pick a destination that suits your personality well, or your year overseas will feel like a decade.
Go it alone, or have your current school plan things?
If the idea of going through the onerous steps of applying for a school all over again (in a different country no less, and just forget about all the other logistics) make you curl up in the fetus position, then going through a program offered by your school will likely be your best option. You’ll go to a specific country with professors from your faculty, and all the incidentals like your housing will all be sorted for you.
The downside of this though is that you’ll be seeing the country of your choice in a bubble, as you’ll be taught by familiar faces, and you’ll likely be housed with people from your own country, If you select your own program or apply for a foreign university on your own, you’ll have to go through all the administrative and logistical headaches that goes with expat living, but this way, you’ll have an educational and cultural experience that is much more true to your interests and desires than the former option.
Adjusting to your new home
Once you’ve gotten through the rush of traveling to your new home for an entire year, the adjustment process to an entirely different culture will begin. To avoid awkward situations early on, be sure to read up on cultural practices before departure, and review them regularly. Look up and practice essential phrases, then extend your studying to words related to your area of interest (e.g. if you love playing soccer, learn words frequently spoken during games … if your subject is business, seek out the words in the local language for terms used both internationally and in the local biz community).
Most of all, practice your favorite hobbies and sports in your new place of residence, and look for opportunities to pick up new activities that the locals like. This will engender new friendships, and improve your social skills with respect to people of different backgrounds, which is something that will prove to be an invaluable skill in the rapidly changing world in which we live.
