By Heather Kraus

Getting your first apartment is a wonderful experience, but it can also be a bit frightening and overwhelming. There are so many options to choose from, so many factors that come into the equation. You want to choose the right apartment so you can fully enjoy being on your own but you don’t know where to start. To help make the process of finding your first apartment smoother I have compiled a list of what you should look at when getting your first apartment.

The Room Itself: How large do you want the apartment to be? Are you planning on sharing it with someone in the future or is just going to be you? Are you bringing a pet with you? Do you want one bedroom or two? And how many bathrooms do you want? All of these questions need to be carefully considered when searching for your first apartment. It all depends on what you need in the present and what you feel you will need in the future. It also depends on how much stuff you are going to be moving into the apartment, you want to make sure you have enough room for everything that’s important to you. It can be hard to determine exact size by simply hearing the measurements or looking at a picture of the apartment online. Your best bet would probably be to look a few apartments first and get an idea of what size you want.

Amenities: Every apartment and apartment complex is different so before you start looking you should make a list of what your new apartment “must” have and what you would like it to have. For example do you want it to have a washer and dryer in the apartment itself or do you care if the complex uses a shared laundry room? Do you want a full kitchen or is half a kitchen alright? Other amenities include internet, if the apartment has a patio, new kitchen appliances vs. old ones, cable hook up, air conditioning and possibly a shared fitness center. You have to pick which of these you can’t live without and which ones aren’t that important. Once you have the list made it will narrow down apartment options significantly.

Pets Allowed: Are you going to bring a pet with you? And if so you need to find a apartment that allows pets and that would make living with your pet a comfortable experience. For example if you are going to have a pet with you there is a good chance that you’re going to need a patio. It doesn’t have to be huge just enough so that your dog or cat can get some fresh air and not get stir crazy being in the house all day. Also having a pet requires more money so you have to make sure that is feasible for you. Some places want a extra deposit up front and that’s it while others require a monthly fee.

Location: This is huge and covers a lot of territory. Location is about wanting to be where you are and safety, but it’s also about what you need close to you. If you have a dog you may want a dog park or just a part nearby so you can easily take your dog there. You may want to be in walking distance to the places you use most often like grocery stores, cafes, hospitals, restaurants, even a movie theater. If you don’t care about walking distance you probably want to be at least centrally located so you can get to all these places in a 15 minute drive or less. Again it’s about deciding what’s important to you, what you can and what you can’t live without, and what you want your first apartment experience to be like.

Price: This is a pretty obvious one. You need to get something that you can afford each month without breaking the bank. You want a nice place in a good part of town without going broke. Those can be hard to find but not impossible.

Management: I recommend meeting the management before you decide on a place. I have seen complexes that were beautiful but the management was very cold and uncaring. You may think it doesn’t matter as long as your place is nice but you’re wrong. If something breaks in your apartment and needs to be fixed you want to have confidence that maintenance is going to take care of it and not let it sit for months before getting to it. Plus you want to feel safe and comfortable in your house but if you have management who is harsh you may not feel that way. Essentially since you are going to be living there for awhile you want the management to be a friend, someone you can count on not the opposite.

Once you have thought about what you want out of all these options it’s time to find a real estate agent. You tell them what you want in the apartment and what location you would prefer, and they will help you narrow down the choices so you can find the right one.

Source: ArticlesFactory.com

By Adam White

Students with a passion for drama who are worried about finding roles beyond school productions should breathe easier – because according to Bill Reed, there is a place for everyone on life’s grand stage.

One of the leading voice coaches working today, Reed has seen several of his students progress all the way from his studio in South Burlington to major roles in Broadway productions. He was recently commissioned by Random House to write a book about how to train and prepare to be a musical theater major.

“Parents ask me all the time, ‘does my kid have what it takes to make it?’” Reed said. “I no longer answer that question with a simple yes or no; I think the answer has to be philosophical.

“I’ve seen students, through hard work and determination, make sustained efforts and do absolutely amazing things.”

Born to play a role

The first mistake that many young thespians make is to start typecasting themselves, and thinking that certain physical characteristics will limit their potential for a career in theater.

He describes one of his students, a 5-foot-3, Korean-American male, who was pessimistic about his chances of landing a role – until he found a production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” looking to cast someone with that exact description.

“He could sing, he could dance – and physically, he was exactly what the role required,” Reed said. “It just proves that there are all different roles out there, for all different people. Very often, what you see as a handicap could be the very thing that gets you cast in a show.”

Smarter than a plant

Reed gets some quizzical looks when parents ask if their child has what it takes for a career in theater and he responds with a question of his own: is the child smarter than a plant?

The rather unorthodox approach is meant to illustrate the importance of finding one’s own path to success and following it, through the allegory provided by an old-fashioned science experiment.

“I remember in grade school, we’d take a bean plant and put a cardboard box over it,” Reed said. “When you lifted up the box later, the plant had wilted. But if you cut a whole in one corner of the box, when you lifted it up, the plant would be leaning in the direction of the light.

“That is how people can live happy lives: figure out where your light is coming from, and move toward it.”

For those interested in theater, that light might not necessarily be the spotlight of a starring role. Reed points out that at the conclusion of a feature film, the list of credits of those involved “goes on forever.” Each one of those credits is a job, and many of the people filling those positions likely began their careers hoping to be in front of the camera.

“You may start out with one idea, one direction you want to go in,” Reed said. “But pay attention to where your light is coming from.”

All the world’s a stage

The unfortunate reality the theater is that “everybody hits the wall somewhere,” according to Reed. No amount of talent can stave off the aging process, and major life changes such as marriage and raising children often spell curtains for an acting career. Reed says that women are usually out of the business by their early 30s, while men are prone to bloom later and thus hang on a bit longer.

But even if one’s career path leads him or her away from the theater, Reed points out that the skills acquired on stage can prove valuable in many other professional arenas.

“Many of the skills learned as a musical theater major – presenting yourself in front of people, speaking with authority, even listening intently – are huge life skills,” Reed said. He cites sales as one area in which those with acting experience often thrive.

“Knowing how to get people interested or excited about something is basically the essence of acting,” Reed said. “It is all about making magic around something, whether it’s a character, or a scene, or a product you’re trying to sell.”

And though life after theater may not come with a script, Reed is sure that anyone with a stage background should have no trouble hitting his or her marks.

“If nothing else, it teaches you to know yourself, and what you are capable of,” he said.

Bill Reed’s voice coaching service can be found online at www.theatricalsinger.com.

By Gabe Albarian

As hundreds of thousands of parents send their kids off to college in the coming months, many of them will be wondering if it marks the last time their children will be living under their roofs.

According to a study conducted by Twentysomething Inc., a consultant firm specializing in young adults, 85 percent of the class of 2011 will wind up moving back in with mom and dad once they get their degrees. The cause? A combination of a shrinking entry level job market and crushing college loan debt.

The average student accumulates over $23,000 in student loan debt and $4,000 in credit card debt during their years as an undergraduate student. All these stats basically tell the same story: our next generation of college graduates will enter the next phases of their lives in a personal finance hell composed of a combination of crushing debt and poor credit.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are a few tips aimed specifically at helping those who are just entering college or about to graduate establish and keep a good credit rating:

New Credit Cards – Credit card companies love to hammer new students and new graduates with seemingly generous offers of unsecured credit cards. Don’t take the bait. There are other ways to establish credit without opening yourself up to the slippery slope of introductory interest rates that change after 6 months or the temptation to use that credit to live above your means.

Authorized Users – If your parents are financially responsible (not always the case sometimes) and pay their bills on time every month, I suggest that you be added as an authorized user on their credit card. Make sure to provide your personal information and social security number to the credit card company so that your credit history report will reflect transactions performed on this account. In about six months, after you’ve learned with the authorized user training wheels how to manage your credit reliably and maintained a responsible payment history, you will receive your own credit card offers.

Secured Credit Card – The temptation will be to apply for an unsecured credit card, but that’s still not wise or necessary to establish good credit and good habits. Instead, apply for a secured credit card at your local bank. With a secured credit card, you place a nominal amount of money in a savings account that cannot be withdrawn as it is used as recourse to pay back your debts in case you do not pay them yourself. In essence, your spending limit on your secured card is exactly the amount you place in the linked savings account – hence, your debt is secured by the money in your account. Just like a normal credit card, you will receive a monthly statement to pay off a portion or all of your debts but meanwhile your payment history will be reported to the credit bureaus. Within months you will receive offers for other unsecured credit cards. It’s not necessary to have more credit cards than you need, because not only will it present temptation, but it may also lower your credit rating.

The bottom line here is that once you have use of a credit card, you want to pay your bills on time, keep your balances low, don’t take on more credit than you need and if you’ve missed a payment you should get current and stay current.

Good credit can be your best financial friend as you go through life and bad credit can be the ball and chain that drags you down.

Gabe Albarian is a businessman who has worked in real estate sales, finance, and investment for nearly 10 years and has done extensive consulting work in personal finance for both individuals and groups. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

By Dan Bisaccio

It’s senior year in high school, and as a student athlete you want to play your sport at the next level.  You’ve succeeded at this level and have worked hard enough, so why not? The question becomes, what is the best option for you?

Making a college decision is tough, and adding the fact that you want to play a sport can make it that much more stressful.

Parents who want to see their son or daughter succeed and play at the next level also want to be sure that he or she is getting the most out of the college experience. They also want to make sure that those large tuition checks are being put to good use.

With three divisions in college sports, each one has a unique aspect that suits different student-athletes. Divisions I and II receive the most glamour, as they can give out scholarships and receive a lot of attention in the media. However, Division-III sports can be just as competitive, with many athletes who could have played at a higher level.

For some kids, sports are more of a hobby – albeit one they would still like to play at the next level. The higher levels and more competitive schools might not be a good option, but a Division-III school could be a great fit.

Other kids aspire to one day receive a scholarship to play the sport they love; it’s their dream to play on the big stage.  It is also a huge commitment and, unfortunately, there are only so many spots available on each team. The harsh reality then becomes that players don’t always reach that goal.

In the small state of Vermont, it’s hard to promote yourself as a potential recruit for the next level. It just isn’t as enticing to recruiters as states like nearby New York, where talent comes from all over and the level of play is always competitive. Coaches want to see how a player will handle his or herself in big games, and that just won’t come from just playing in Vermont anymore.

Jim O’Brien is the current head men’s basketball coach at Emerson College, and the former coach at collegiate powerhouses Boston College and Ohio State. In the latter position, he guided the Buckeyes to an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1999.

O’Brien said that when it comes to recruiting, geography is working against the Green Mountain State.

“There isn’t much opportunity for exposure since [Vermont] is isolated up north,” O’Brien said. “It’s not a destination for coaches to go”.

Sharing borders with New York and Massachusetts – two professional athlete breeding ground states – Vermont and its athletes simply get boxed out when it comes to capturing the attention of top collegiate programs.

With so many exposure camps and all-star teams in the Northeast, high school sporting events have taken the back seat as opportunities to scout. At the latest Rumble in the Bronx tournament played at Fordham University, college coaches from all over the country came to watch basketball players showcase their skills against one another.

“Getting out of Vermont gave me more exposure,” said Kyle Callanan. An oversized point guard by Vermont standards, Callanan served as floor general for Mount Anthony Union High School from 2006-’10, and managed to become the school’s all-time leader in points and assists.

Playing in the summer circuit on the Nike-sponsored Albany City Rocks team, Callanan was not only able to gain exposure, but he elevated his game significantly in the process.

“You play the best people and not just in your region,” he said. “It definitely got me more prepared for college.”

Even though Callanan enjoyed record-breaking success in high school, he didn’t have the right offer from colleges and decided to go to Cushing Academy for a post-graduate year, before committing to Division-II Southern Connecticut University.

Photos by Shane Bufano Though success in collegiate athletics may seem out of reach for Vermont high school student-athletes, there are a wealth of opportunities – including assessment camps – to help pave the way to the many Division-II and III programs where continued play is a very real possibility.

“I don’t think coaches don’t give Vermont enough credit, but there are some good players in all sports here,” said Callanan.

Especially for Divisions I and II, Vermont athletes don’t appear as appealing as potential prospects.  But for a Division-III school, those same athletes could really help a program.

“I like Vermont players. We try to recruit one or two a year,” said Norwich head men’s soccer coach Kyle Dezotell. “Along with their willingness to compete and work hard, they also usually possess a good mental toughness.”

Dezotell also said he likes recruiting “under-the-radar players” who, one or two years down the road, will develop and have the potential to make an impact on the team.

Coaches also say that it’s important for an athlete in Vermont who is looking to play in college to learn what he or she needs to work on to become better. Playing in-state isn’t considered a particularly strong way to do that – but attending exposure camps is.

Constructive criticism is a major benefit to playing at exposure camps.  Coaches working the camp and drills are full of knowledge about the game, and are there to help a player learn what it takes to get better.

Hank Desantis, the girls varsity basketball head coach at Newton (Mass.) North High School, runs an exposure camp called Hoop Mountain that includes an educational aspect that teaches the players more than just the sport itself.

“My job is to show them what their options are after high school,” Desantis said. “This includes what level they should be (looking at), and what questions to ask in the recruiting process.” He said these camps are a good place to see where a player stands in comparison to others.

While a player may not show his or her true potential in only a weeklong camp, the feedback received there can be invaluable in helping to determine what level of collegiate competition best suits that player.

“When it comes to recruiting, it all starts with their ability as a player,” O’Brien said. The coach also considers how much interest a potential recruit shows in the school, and if that player could be classified as an overall “good guy.” Other coaches agree that talent is only part of the package.

“Apart from ability, the biggest thing we look for is a player’s character,” Dezotell said.  “I prefer players who show a strong mental toughness, without going over the top – which can sometimes be a thin line.”

Along with having a great attitude, both coaches stressed the importance of academics, especially at the Division-III level.

“The academic side is huge in D-III,” Dezotell said. “Without scholarships, the best avenue for student-athletes to receive financial assistance is by having great grades.”

O’Brien said potential recruits who have sub-par grades have “already eliminated themselves.”  The better the grades, the more options available a player has when looking at schools. With a low GPA, a player has narrowed down his or her potential schools before even setting foot in a gym or talking to a coach.

Young athletes who have dreams of playing college sports in today’s world need to commit a huge amount of time to get better.  Classic three-sport athletes still exist in Vermont high schools, but  are becoming les common as many of the seasons end up interfering with each other.

“It’s a 12-month proposition nowadays,” Desantis said. “Everyone is looking to get a leg up on other athletes, and set themselves apart.”

For both the parents and aspiring athletes, it is important to understand that any level of college is competitive, and requires a lot of commitment. Anyone who has played at the collegiate level is likely to agree that it is an honor and a privilege to play for your school.  It will also help you make friends with your teammates and coaches that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

There isn’t always a red carpet that will show the way to the right college. Coaches, advisors and friends can give advice on where to go, but in the end it always comes down to what you and your family feel is the right choice.

Did you know?

The exclusivity of collegiate athletics, at every level, is a documented fact. Only about two percent of high school athletes are offered athletic scholarships from Division-I or II colleges in the United States. Yet at the 444 Division III colleges across the country, student-athletes make up an average of only 21 percent of the student body.

Source: National Collegiate Athletic Association

Children are taught to share and share alike, but a communal home computer can lead to parents and teenagers each drawing their own proverbial lines in the cyber-sand.

Teens don’t want Mom and Dad snooping around their chat transcripts and digital photo albums. Parents can’t afford to have junior mess up a crucial database or spreadsheet. Nowadays, nearly every member of the family has his or her own email and Facebook accounts, as well as personal hard-drive stashes of music and other media.

A computer shared by parents and teenagers is a reality in many modern homes. The financial issues associated with having multiple systems – especially given the way that peripherals like monitors, printers and external drives can add up – are enough to keep many families tethered to a single computer. Cyber-professionals warn that before privacy issues are even considered, more alarming concerns should be addressed first on a shared system.

“Before you even start talking about issues like privacy, you need to make sure you have your data protected,” said Dave Rose, owner of Rose Computer Technology Systems in South Burlington.

Rose suggests an image-based backup, which he says is easiest to use, runs by itself and is least prone to operator error. He recommends a product called Shadowprotect, which is offered with a free, 30-day trial period prior to purchase.

Protection from viruses and other types of “malware” – programs designed to infiltrate and infect a computer – is a no-brainer, according to Rose. He recommends the combined use of an up-to-date virus protection program along with a firewall between the computer and its Internet connection, to prevent infection.

“There are separate devices you can install that are typically superior to the ones you get from your Internet service provider,” Rose said.

One simple rule of thumb for avoiding malware – particularly “Trojan Horses” that seek entry into a computer system in order to infect it – is to adhere to a simple rule when it comes to email and pop-up ads that aren’t from a recognized and trusted source.

“Our favorite expression is that you should never click ‘here,’” Rose said. “Nine times out of 10, those types of emails are phishing attempts, designed to trick you into allowing that piece of malware access to your system. If you don’t know for sure, never click on one of those links.”

Another concern is that file sharing programs – a popular way that teenagers download music and movies – also pose vulnerability issues.

“Most tools that allow you to share files – sites like Limewire – also open you up for attack and infiltration,” Rose said.

Rose said that keeping individual tasks and settings separate on a shared computer is relatively easy for users of any of Microsoft’s operating system, which are designed to accommodate multiple users. He said that personalized settings for each user can be set up under “preferences” in Windows, allowing setups of aspects such as the OS’s desktop to be personalized and saved.

Rose said that parents who maintain important data in programs such as Quicken should not do so on a shared computer, simply because there is no way to completely eliminate the risk of that data being lost.

“It can be very difficult to prevent access to some of that data on the drive,” Rose said. “You can limit users’ rights, but it isn’t foolproof. Some kids are smarter than adults when it comes to getting around those types of things.”

A parent’s biggest concern about a shared computer is likely to be what his or her child is accessing with it. Rose said that preventing children from navigating to pornographic websites remains one of the top concerns he hears from clients, and that the best answer is another multi-faceted approach.

“The better – but more expensive – firewalls allow you to limit what your children have access to,” Rose said. “As far as where they’ve been and how to keep them safe, there are programs like Cybersitter that are designed to do just that.”

Loli Berard moved to Vermont in the late 1970’s to attend the University of Vermont, but circumstances conspired to cut her academic career short.

She raised four children while running a manufacturing company, though the urge to return to school was strong. All four of Berard’s kids were in their teens when she told them she was going back to college.

Berard completed her B.A. through the External Degree Program at Johnson State College and then went on to obtain her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at UVM in Dec. 2008. She is now the Interim Assistant Director at the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury.

Berard thinks her studies helped motivate her children to do better.

“I did all my work at home so they saw me working hard,” she said. “They’d leave for school and see me at my desk and come home and still find me at the desk.”

One problem she encountered was that it was hard to concentrate on reading when her children were home, so she tried to maximize the quiet time she had when they were not around.

Berard said her children weren’t troubled by the need to step in and help. “They’ve had a good work ethic since they were little,” she said. “So it was business as usual. There was no resentment.”

Berard did worry about her kids’ unsupervised, after-school time, and noted that there were times when she was unable to attend games or events and felt badly about it. In addition, she had to cut back on her parent-volunteer work at the school.

“I did what I could, when I could,” she said. “I think it all worked out, but I probably worried about it more than I needed to.”

Tammy Howard is a Coordinator of Academic Affairs at the Rutland site of the Community College of Vermont (CCV), where she sees many students who are returning to the academic world after an absence.

“One of the very critical things we do is qualify why they want to return to college,” Howard said.

After that, Howard said advisors look at logistics, the modeling behavior these returning students will be showing and expectations.

Howard noted that logistics are key. She said it is important to make sure there are supports in place since the parent will be spending more time away from home. She added that it is vital that all members of the family agree with the returning student’s decision since going back to school may mean missing a teenager’s sporting events or recitals, and even parent-teacher conferences.

The plus side to this equation is the behavior the parent is modeling. Many students at CCV do not come from families with strong college traditions so when they see a parent returning to school they begin to see college as a possibility.

“When mom or dad shows they want to do something better with their life, it sends a pretty strong signal throughout the family unit,” Howard said.

Another consideration is the expectations of the returning student. Howard said it is important for parent-students to talk to teachers and administrators, to explain their situation and the fact that they may have to miss classes due to family constraints.

“Adult students need to find an institution with a user friendly culture,” Howard said. “Without dialogue and communication, it can be a difficult situation.”

One of Howard’s success stories is Kristie Pitaniello. Not only did Pitaniello have two teenagers at home when she began her studies at CCV, but both are special needs children who are bi-polar and ADHD.

“Change is very significant to them,” said Pitaniello, who sat her children down and explained the need for her to return to school to better their lives. “When I first went back they had a very hard time with it because I wasn’t able to devote all my free time to them.

“I explained that when I had my door closed it meant I was studying but they kept knocking on the door, expecting me to drop everything. I had to remind them that this was important for us.”

Eventually the kids got used to the restrictions and as a result, Pitaniello graduated from CCV and will continue her studies in the fall, with the goal of studying forensic psychology.

Berard’s advice to parents going back to school is to include children in the decision-making process.

“You need to come together and work collaboratively,” Berard said. “Sit down with your family, talk about it and hear them out. You need a pre-arranged understanding that this could get rocky at times. Be up front and transparent; plan ahead and recognize that there will be some challenges.”

Berard worried that her decision to go back to school was a selfish one. “I felt it was my obligation to raise my children, even though they were becoming more independent,” she said.

Clearly, Berard’s attendance to that primary task paid off. All four of her children have attended college; one has yet to finish his degree, but the other three graduated with degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Creative Writing, and Studio Art.

Pitaniello thinks going back to school was well worth the effort, both for herself and for her children. She made a conscious decision not to return to college when her kids were young, thinking the break would be harder in their formative years.

“I’m glad I made that choice,” she said. “The kids are proud of me.”

Pitaniello often brought her daughter with her to school when she signed up for courses or financial aid.

“Last time we went, she looked right at me,” said Pitaniello “and said ‘I want to go to college.’ We signed her up that day.”

Did you know?

The number of older, non-traditional students enrolling at colleges and universities has been rising steadily over the last two decades, to the point where some schools have established themselves as catering almost exclusively to that demographic. For example, students at Granite State College in Concord, N.H., have an average age of 36, and the school enrolled more than twice as many women (411) as men (117) last year.

Source: Granite State College

The countdown has begun to move on from college dorms and your parents’ basement. Freedom is so close you can taste it; no longer will your comings and goings be monitored. You can eat pizza and cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But before these dreams become reality, there’s a lot of work to be done with the whole relocation thing. To help you combat packing panic, here are 12 moving tips to get you smartly on your way.

1. Start Sorting

Before you begin loading up boxes, go through all your stuff and weed out items you don’t want. There’s no point in adding this clutter to your new place. Remember, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. Before dumping and donating unwanted items, give friends and neighbors a chance to dig through for hand-me-downs. They’ll appreciate the thought and it’s one less thing for you to move.

2. Run Down the Damage

College houses are not always in the greatest condition. Since you don’t want to be on the hook for other tenants’ wild times, get together with the landlord before you move in and do a walk through. Document any existing damage, snap a few photos and get the landlord to sign off on a list of problem areas. This will ensure you don’t get nailed for pre-existing issues.

3. Set Up Your Services

Before moving day, make sure to call the electric, water and cable companies so you have service as soon as you arrive. There’s nothing more disappointing than moving in and finding the lights aren’t working.

4. Take Advantage of Your Schedule

One of the many great things about college is flexible scheduling. If you have the option, plan to move mid-week. This way, you can move at your own pace and don’t have to compete with others cramming their move into one hectic weekend. Also, moving trucks are typically cheaper to rent in the middle of the week.

5. Condense What You Can

If you have bags, suitcases or even coolers, think about how you can use them like boxes. Pack the small stuff inside larger items like Russian nesting dolls. The fewer trips you have to take back and forth, the more time and money you’ll save.

6. Don’t Pay for Packing

Before you buy expensive packing materials to protect your precious possessions, consider what you already have around. Dish towels, T-shirts and pillows all make for great packing materials. Your local grocery store will usually contribute some free empty boxes if you ask nicely during off-peak times. To cover more delicate furniture, hit a thrift shop for cheap blankets and tape them in place.

7. Wait to Buy

If you’re the type that likes to plan ahead, it’s tempting to shop for everything you think you’ll need before the big move. In many cases, you won’t need nearly as much as you expect. Fill in the space with what you already have before picking up a new sofa or coffee table. Once you know what you need, go shopping with roommates and save on some shared items.

8. Bribe Family and Friends

Trying to lug a floppy mattress up three flights of stairs by yourself is no fun at all. Your closest friends might help you with the move, but likely with some reluctance since no one likes moving. Sweeten the deal by planning in advance and offering bribes. A free meal and some suds can make it harder to resist.

9. Watch the Sun

You won’t find much relaxation in a scented candle when it’s melted all over your clothes. Even though temperatures are dropping, mid-day heat is still strong at the end of summer. If you have items that can melt or will be damaged by the sun, make sure to pack them in an easily accessible place and unload them first. Don’t forget about the bathroom, either. Aerosol products, such as body spray or sunscreen, can explode after sitting in the sun.

10. Ask About Student Discounts

You’re already paying a ton for tuition; you might as well make the most of your status as a student. Whether you’re picking up packing supplies, a new couch or just some snacks, there’s no harm in asking about a student discount.

11. Start Big, Finish Small

Once you get settled in there’s going to be plenty of time to unpack your knick-knacks. Instead of worrying about the small stuff, get major items out of the way first. Couches, beds and tables should all be in place before you begin putting up posters. Having your furniture set up will allow you to fill in the gaps and make your new house feel like a home.

12. Map Out a Floor Plan

It really helps to plan where furniture will fit before you move. Rough out a floor plan and fit in the major pieces so you have a guide on moving day. It also helps to have someone guide the move-in process. Spend the day playing traffic cop, indicating where boxes and furniture should be placed so you don’t have to move everything after your crew has left.

Brandon Farestad-Rittel is a college-savings expert for Kinoli Inc. He can be reached at 970-672-1136 or brandon@kinoliinc.com.

By Luke Baynes

If you’re like most people, becoming a parent is the single most life-altering event you’ll ever experience.

At the time, your wedding day might have seemed like the biggest life changer – the day when you and your spouse ceased being two separate people and became one couple. But after the honeymoon was over and the thank you cards had been mailed, what really changed? You still went out to dinner together on Friday nights, still went to the movies when a good picture was showing and still enjoyed the occasional drink with friends. Perhaps you’d already been living together during the engagement, sharing in the household responsibilities, and the wedding vows just made the arrangement official.

But once the stork pays you a visit, everything is different. The sleepless nights, the endless diapers, the worrisome doctor visits. A trip to the grocery store is suddenly a big ordeal with baby on board.

Days often pass slowly, but years almost always pass quickly when you’re a parent. In a flash they’re feeding themselves, tying their own shoes, walking home from school alone.  Before you know it, they’re teenagers and you’re driving them to soccer games or picking them up from music lessons. And as you sit in traffic while shuttling them to and fro, a memory of those emancipated pre-parent days might taunt you with the elusive sway of irrecoverable time.

But does it have to be that way? Might it be possible to maintain a separate “single” identity apart from being a spouse and a parent? Don’t you deserve it?

“I’ve heard of the ‘you deserve it’ concept and think it’s a fine idea, but I’ve never met anyone who has actually pulled it off,” said Susan Skeels, whose two children are now grown. “Unless you count half an hour in the bathroom by yourself.”

Skeels was only half kidding. Finding time for yourself when you’re a parent can be difficult. Difficult, but not impossible.

“I think it’s the politically correct thing to do to kind of be a martyr to your kids,” said Kathy Erickson, whose children are 13 and 17. “If kids are teens, I think parents do have more time, because teens want to be with their friends,” she added, suggesting that parents sometimes use their kids as an excuse for not taking the initiative and pursuing their own interests.

Williston residents Karen and Bruce Allen said that a certain degree of “me time” is essential to being a good parent and maintaining a sense of balance in one’s life.

“I think ‘me time’ is making sure that you don’t totally sacrifice yourself for everyone else – that you matter also,” said Karen Allen. “I try to exercise every day. That’s my time. I’m alone in the basement, watching the TV while I’m on the treadmill, and if I don’t have that I get very cranky.”

Bruce Allen agreed that exercise is vital and said it helps if your interests overlap with those of your kids.

“Exercise gives you a break, but it’s sometimes hard to manage with three kids,” he said. “With coaching I’m donating my time, but I’m also out there running with the kids, so I can get in an hour or an hour and a half of exercise.”

Marcy Kass and Brant Dinkin, neighbors of the Allens, like to get away by swimming at Indian Brook Reservoir in Essex. They refer to it as “our favorite place on Earth.” But they noted that there is an important distinction between taking time for yourself in the natural course of living and running away from a problem with your child.

“Sometimes when I feel like I need to get away from my teen, what I really need to do is spend more time with her. It’s like I’m not appreciating her,” Kass said.

“If you’re going through something that’s challenging or difficult and you’re not dealing with it, you might want to get away. But if you deal with it head-on, you might still want to get away, but you’re not running away,” Dinkin said. “I’ve found that meditation has really helped me. You’re not running away from anything. You’re just there.”

Meditation might be the ultimate form of “me time” – a retreat into the innermost recesses of the psyche – yet it’s but one of many ways to take time for yourself.

“I think you have to grab anything you can,” said Karen Allen, who manages to squeeze in harp lessons despite having three boys – ages 5, 10 and 16.

So whether it be as involved as a weekend retreat at a spa or as simple as curling up with a good book, it is important for parents to take some time for themselves.

And for anyone feeling too stressed out, busy or even guilty about such “me time,” just remember:

You deserve it.

With the cost of attendance outpacing the inflation rate, the affordability of college is paramount on parents’ minds. Rather than using terms such as “exploration” and “finding yourself” to describe the college years, “return on investment” crops up when anticipating college choice. Further, given unemployment rates and job prospects for undergraduates, the college major has become even more of a hot button issue. Rightly or wrongly, “What are you going to do with that degree?” rolls off the tongue of well-intentioned adults. Yet, there is much to consider when investigating schools and potential majors, especially given the number of two- and four-year colleges and the vast expanse of majors available to today’s students.

Dollars and Cents

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Beginning Post-Secondary Survey, only 63 percent of students who begin at a four-year college on a full-time basis will earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. Included in this statistic are students who take time off from school, but also students who change majors and cannot meet graduation requirements in four years. Most, if not all, families anticipate four years of college cost for a BA, so indecision about a major can be costly, especially the later a change is made.

Yet, choosing a college for a particular course of study can be costly, too. Students sometimes start their chosen field of study only to find that they really don’t like it. If their college decision was based solely on that program, they might find themselves in a position of having to transfer to another school or wait to be admitted into another program within their current college. Depending on transferability of credits, there could be an additional semester or year of college required.

The Intangible

Many students have a strong sense of what they’d like to study in college, and this can stand them well if their interests continue. However, plenty of students truly have no idea, and this can be a good thing. Up until college, students have been told what to take in school, with the exception of a few electives. College opens up to them a plethora of choices. While it might seem like a very costly journey to discover an academic passion, the investment in this time can have a big return. I’ve witnessed the excitement in students after they’ve looked at course catalogs, and the disappointment when they realize they won’t be able to take everything they’ve highlighted! The empowerment of exploring and choosing classes among a variety of subjects is invaluable in a student’s personal development. Plus, they are much more likely to be engaged in courses they have selected themselves.

Why It’s OK to be Undecided

Based on the myriad of college tours I’ve experienced, both as a professional and parent, the one question from tour guides that makes many high school students cringe is “What’s your intended major?” The response “undecided” is often muttered sheepishly. The perceived pressure to have identified a major as a junior in high school can be overwhelming. The “undecideds” feel like there is something wrong with them because they haven’t found a chosen field. Then along come the applications and the fill-in-the-blank Intended Area of Study. How many 17-year olds, who have taken core classes all their lives, can knowledgably answer that question?

Here are some reasons why “undecided” is OK:

• All too often, students default to what their parents chose as majors and/or career paths and ignore what is interesting and exciting to them. Also, societal pressures to “be” something, such as a lawyer, doctor or accountant, can squelch creativity and independence for those whose interests lie elsewhere.
• Students and parents often have no idea of the depth and breadth of what colleges offer these days. Here are some examples of majors that didn’t exist when parents went to college: Syracuse University’s Jewelry and Metalsmithing or Stage Management; University of Maryland’s Turf and Golf Course Management, Urban Forestry, or Soil & Watershed Science; Champlain College’s Management of Creative Media or Computer & Digital Forensics.
• With the pressures of high school – SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP classes and exams, searching for and applying to colleges – in addition to extracurriculars, community service, and a part-time job, students typically don’t have time to think about majors.
• High school students are just becoming aware of who they are beyond their own little world. According to Joe Cuseo, Ph.D. and Professor Emeritus at Marymount College, (“Decided”, “Undecided,” and “In Transition”: Implications for Academic Advisement, Career Counseling, & Student Retention)) this self-discovery is essential to personal development during the formative years of college. He cites that “Between 50-75% of all students who enter college with a declared major change their mind at least once before they graduate…. Among first-year students who enter college with a major in mind, less than 10 percent feel they know ‘a great deal about their intended major.’”
• The bounty of choices for areas of study can be overwhelming, and students often just aren’t ready to commit.
• With the multitude of career changes these students can anticipate during their lifetime, their college major won’t lock them into a specific career for life.

But Don’t be Undecided Too Long…

While many large universities require students to apply to a college or school within the university umbrella as freshmen, most smaller schools don’t require declaration of the major until the end of sophomore year. Students do need to be mindful of requirements of various majors and how those may limit their flexibility. For instance, engineering majors often find it difficult to study abroad, even for a semester. Fortunately, there are abroad experiences available for shorter time periods that can be an option. Many majors require an internship, so students will want to have enough time to accomplish this.

Pre-professional Programs vs. Liberal Arts

I’m often asked if getting a Liberal Arts degree is worth the price. With a rapidly changing economy, the need for critical thinking skills is paramount. Students don’t need a vocational major, such as accounting or finance, to get those skills. The critical reading and writing skills required in the humanities are developed and honed throughout the undergraduate years. Moreover, many medical schools like to see applicants with non-science majors, as they bring a different and well-rounded perspective to their medical school experience.

That being said, a student’s choice of major can have an impact on earnings. According to a press release published by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce regarding its new report, What’s It Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors, “Getting a degree matters, but what you take matters more.” The top 10 majors with the highest median earnings are in Engineering and Math/Computer Science, while the ten with the lowest include Counseling/Psychology, Early Childhood Education, Human Services and Community Organizations, Social Work, Visual and Performing Arts, Theology and Religious Vocations, and Health and Medical Preparatory Programs. “Liberal Arts and Humanities majors generally fare well in the workforce, ending up in professional, white-collar, and education occupations.”

For students who are contemplating a pre-professional program, but aren’t sure about committing freshman year, there are options. For instance, many schools offer 3-2 programs in the Liberal Arts and Engineering. Students attend a Liberal Arts school for the first three years, and then transfer to another school for two years to get a degree in Engineering.

So, how can parents and post-secondary institutions help?

1. Encourage students to explore careers, both in high school and when they get to college. Job shadowing, talking to relatives and friends’ parents about their careers, and visiting websites such as www.bls.gov, (the Occupational Outlook Handbook) are good places to start.
2. Reassure them that being undecided is normal, and even though it might appear that everyone else has it figured out, they don’t.
3. Encourage students to take advantage of their college advisors, career counseling centers and alumni network.
4. Be patient as your student explores. It can be challenging to sit back when he tells you about his Balinese Gamelan Ensemble, or his Ukranian Poetry class, but these are not Basket Weaving 101. These experiences expose your student to other cultures and give him a chance to do something he might not be able to once he’s in the working world.

So, can your student afford to be undecided?  My answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Joan C. Britt is an independent college admission counselor in South Burlington. She can be reached at College Fit for U, LLC, 802-863-9176, collegefitforu@gmail.com or www.collegefitforu.com

They say it’s never too late to learn, but Reuben Jackson is proof that it’s never too late to teach.

At 54 years old, Jackson is the newest addition to the English department at Burlington High School. It’s his first full-time teaching job.

“I think I was pretty composed,” Jackson said after his first day on the job. “You always get a little jittery, because you want to do well, but I guess you get to a point in life too where you just do your best.”

Jackson was born in Augusta, Ga., but grew up in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Plainfield, Vt.-based Goddard College in 1978, and did his student teaching in East Montpelier. He tried to find a permanent teaching job in Vermont after graduation, but America was in the midst of a recession, so he moved back to Washington, where he earned a master’s degree in library sciences from The Catholic University of America.

Although teaching was always hovering in the back of his mind, Jackson spent the 1980s working as an assistant librarian at the African Art Museum and as a children’s librarian for District of Columbia Public Schools. In 1989, he landed a full-time job at the Smithsonian Institution, working as an archivist with the Duke Ellington Collection, the world’s most comprehensive archive of jazz’s greatest composer.

A lifelong jazz buff, Jackson recalled spending his lunch hours staring at the display containing the tenor saxophone of the “eternally modern” Lester Young, to the point at which a suspicious security guard asked him what he was doing there day after day. “Do you know what came out of that horn?” he asked the puzzled guard.

His job allowed him to meet such jazz luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones. On one occasion he even ran into Michael Jackson in the hallway. “The girl I loved most in eighth grade jilted me, because she liked you better,” Jackson told his more famous namesake. The King of Pop just laughed and politely apologized in his delicate falsetto voice.

Ten years into his career at the Smithsonian, he began “scratching the itch” to teach by doing after-school work at D.C.-area middle schools three days a week.

“You’re a teacher with a museum job,” he recalled an astute friend telling him during that dualistic period of his life. “It was like someone cleared your windshield for you,” Jackson remembered. “I could see that I was very split.”

When he was offered early retirement from the Smithsonian in 2009, he took it. More than 30 years after his futile job search in Vermont, he began his quest anew, again during a period of economic recession.

“I never really wanted to leave (Vermont),” he said.

Jackson will teach 10^th and 11^th grade English this year at Burlington High. The first book in his American literature class will be John Knowles’ 1959 coming-of-age classic “A Separate Peace.” In light of the statewide destruction caused by Tropical Storm Irene, he also hopes to incorporate a section on various forms of flood literature.

“One of the points is to show that literature is topical,” Jackson said. “It’s not just something that we foist upon kids.”

A former poet-in-residence in Howard County, Md. and a contributor to the jazz-oriented Down Beat magazine, Jackson would like to use those experiences to introduce music into his curriculum in a manner similar to a workshop he taught for the Young Writers Project, in which he had students try to express the emotions of instrumental compositions in words.

“If we’ve been lucky, we’ve had teachers who’ve had an impact,” Jackson related, in an attempt to describe why he wants to teach. He recalled a teacher who learned of his interest in jazz and changed his life by giving him a long-playing record to take home of alto saxophonist Charlie Parker’s legendary 1947 bebop sides for Dial Records.

“This is terrible cliché – that teaching is learning – but it is,” he said. “It makes me a more engaged person. I get a lot of energy from kids. I learn so much about humanity.”

“I’m very calm in three places,” Jackson continued. “I love being in the mountains, I love being in a radio studio and I love being in the classroom. (Teaching) matters. It matters a great deal.”