Well, don’t feel like you’re alone, because a lot of graduates–especially now-a-days–are facing the prospect of graduating without a concrete job offer. It’s a scary prospect to be sure. So, what do you do about it? If you are lucky enough to be reading this article with several months, or semesters, before you graduate then good for you. If not, you have to get a move on, right now!  Here’s what you do:

• Update your resume: If you don’t have a resume, you better start writing. After you’re done writing, show it to your professor and get it proof read. There are lots of different ways to style and compose a resume, make sure you didn’t choose the wrong way for either of those categories.
• Look for jobs: That’s right, it doesn’t matter that you haven’t graduated yet; nor does it matter that you aren’t graduating anytime soon. Why? Because people like proactive applicants. Granted, you may feel like you’re spinning your wheels because people may say that they have no spots open at the time, or that you should call them after you graduate. However, there is wisdom in an early application. What is that wisdom? They have your resume, they know your name and they know you want the job. That sort of dedication and interest shows employers that you are someone that will be a great employee, because you want to be there.
• Cover letter: After you find the jobs that you want to apply for, you have to make a specific cover letter for each one. It doesn’t matter that it takes time to do a new one each time, it pays dividends. It is useful because employers can spot a copy-and-pasted cover letter just as easily as you can write one. In your cover letter you want to say why you’re interested in that company, and provide the experience to say why you’d be a good fit. It isn’t a difficult thing, and you will be glad you made so many.
• Follow up: If you really want a job, you have to hound these people until they give you one, of two, answers: Yes, or no. If there is silence, that is neither a yes or a no; so you have to keep trying. Persistence shows that you are interested in THAT job, not in just any job. Employers want to feel that they are your first choice; make them think they are.

There are a lot of other things you can do to make yourself more attractive to a potential employer, but you’re going to have to figure those things out for yourself. Just know that the early bird gets the worm, and the persistent beaver cuts down the tree.  Hope this helps to calm some of your anxiety and post graduation fears

Students today are always on the go. The weight and price of traditional print textbooks often leave students feeling chained to their dorm room desks, unwilling to overload their backpack and head to the library.  And with the national average price of books in 2010-2011 being $1,137 a year, according to collegeboard.com, it doesn’t leave much money for extracurricular activities – an important part of the college lifestyle.

However, CourseSmart®, the world’s largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, is helping to change that.  They understand the student lifestyle and are dedicated to making the studying experience more effective and flexible through technology – a factor known to be important to most college students.   According to a recent study commissioned by the brand, the majority (52 percent) of college students use an Android™-based smartphone or iPhone®.  Additionally, a Wakefield Research study recently reported that 38% of the 501 students surveyed said they could not go more than 10 minutes without checking in with their tech device – about the same amount of time it takes to walk to class. These statistics suggest a strong market for digital course materials which can help streamline studying by using devices students already own.

With the rising popularity of tablets, smartphones and eReaders comes the popularity of digital textbooks, a more affordable option to the pricey and bulky traditional print textbooks of yesteryear.  And with CourseSmart’s recent release of their newest eReader that allows students to access their course materials online, offline or on their devices, the studying experience has gotten a whole lot easier and more mobile – a key benefit for today’s busy, on-the-go student lifestyle.  Studying is no longer confined to the library or dorm setting but can now take place anytime and anywhere (at least that’s what you can tell your parents).

Thanks to eTextbooks and advancements in technology from companies like CourseSmart, studying has become more accessible and flexible in order to meet the needs of students everywhere.  Hopefully this also makes studying [slightly] more appealing and more of a top priority too.  We know parents sure hope so.

Do you want to become a doctor or a surgeon? What about pursuing an entrepreneurial pathway, and starting your own corporation? If your focus is most definitely on making lots and lots of money, then make sure you look at this list of college majors that will put you on the right track to bringing in big bucks.

Degree Major: Medicine
Anesthesiologist
$290k+

The anesthesiologists are the ones who are responsible for keeping patients alive so that the surgeon can adequately perform his duties. How important is their job? Well, that responsibility is their main focus, and it pays handsomely well for something that is pretty straight-forward.

The average income for the anesthetist is $290,000 and tops out at $393,000. The positions that pay extremely well are usually those that are at large or private hospitals or exclusive private out-patient centers.

Degree Major: Medicine
General Surgeon
$260k+

The patient that the anesthesiologist kept alive is now in the hands of the crafted, skilled surgeon who will work his magical wonder on the patient. Although the surgeon makes slightly less (on average) than the anesthesiologist ($260,000), they top out much, much higher than their counterpart (at $412,000).

These well-paid, highly-skilled surgeons are usually specializing in an area where there aren’t very many of them. Specific lucrative specialties include cosmetic (skin, breasts, hair) with sub-specialties in everything from trauma surgery to vascular surgery.

Degree: Physics or Science
Scientist or Engineer
$250,000

Playing with matches as a kid may actually pay off with this major! The student does excellently in math and science when he or she pursues these intense degrees, but the payoff is more than worth it in the end.

The scientists are those that develop formulations and strains for various medicines, antibodies, chemicals and/or other medical or environmentally related interests.

Degree Major: Sales/Marketing
Sales Director
$225k+

When the medical students get their practices and start doing well, there will be a host of salesmen coming around to sell them the latest and greatest piece of equipment that promises to escalate their practice. That salesman may even be one of his former college buddies…YOU!

Sales directors are in charge of helping a company excel and grow their product base, customer base and generating the sales team to sell more products or services. They are highly skilled at what they do, and they are very creative in getting the job done. Although the median pay is average ($142,000), there is potential there to double or even triple that number since salespeople usually get commission on their efforts.

With beaucoup bucks comes big responsibilities, so it’s critical also that while you’re in college pursuing your dream career, make sure you study diligently so that you know your industry well. This will help to ensure that you excel, stay productive and employed and the top of your industry. You want to make sure you keep those big checks coming in!

Electronic cigarettes are reported to cost anywhere between one and three thousand dollars less, per year, than a nicotine habit supported by the use of tobacco. According to manufacturers (who shall of course remain nameless, to preserve an air of impartiality), the e cigarette equivalent of 20 tobacco squares will cost you around$1.60 – saving you roughly $5 per 20 cigarette sized “hits”.

As an economist, I have to point out that this figure is skewed. Of course it is: it comes from a website promoting the sale of electric cigarettes, so it is hardly likely to be genuinely unbiased! The price quoted, $1.60 for an electronic cigarette equivalent of 20 tobacco cigarettes, is for the E Liquid capsules themselves – not for the whole device you need to smoke them.

A decent electric cigarette starter pack can cost you as much as $80, with average prices coming in between the $30-$50 range. For the sake of argument let’s call our e cigarette starter pack a nice round $50. So you need to factor $50 into your cost benefit analysis, if you are going to come out with a realistic figure.

Clearly the longer you use your electronic cigarette, the less impact that initial expenditure is going to have. After you have bought just eight packets of tobacco cigarettes at today’s average price of $6.50, you have already spent more than the $50 average we have identified for an electric cigarettes starter pack. Bearing in mind that the starter pack contains E Liquid (the stuff in the capsules, which you “smoke” when you use the e cigarette) that means that a 20 a day smoker starts saving money just one week after switching from tobacco to electric.

There are corollary savings to account for as well. Let’s start with lighters. The disposable lighter is the bane of every cigarette smoker’s life – and I might add it’s also the one most likely to be owned by a smoker ready to move onto an electronic cigarette. Serious smokers with no intention of stopping never buy disposables, just us guilty folk who want to quit but can’t.

You’d be stunned by the amount of lighters you buy every year. Or matches. Or fuel for a Zippo style lighter. However you look at it, smoking electric cigarettes, which require no ignition at all, will save you money by your not having to buy sources of flame.

So, in answer to our slightly weirdly worded title question – yes, men and women can preserve income by using the e cigarette. An average smoker can start racking up holiday sized savings within one year of quitting the cancer sticks. Add that to the feeling of self satisfaction you get, puffing away on your healthier electric cigarettes in pubs, bars and other public places, and it’s hard to see why you haven’t bought one already.

So how does it work? Well, basically these sites are able to make money because they take a cent from you every time you bid. You are able to save money, though, anytime you win the auction. It make take a bit of time to get used to, but the best way to play the game is to bid in multiple auctions at a time, and make sure to keep track of what you have spent.

There are other tricks as well. Like the time of day when you choose to bid and the popularity of the products you bid on. I was lucky with the iPad, and I was bidding at odd hours of the night. Most sites tell you, however, the average cost you can expect to pay for each item they have. So try your hand and you may be headed back to school with some great new college stuff you just won from live auctions.

Live On A Budget

1. List out the things that you absolutely cannot do without in a month, such as food, rent, transportation, utilities, parking fees, debt repayments, school supplies, and so on. Budget expenses against each; calculate total budget and what’s left over.
2. Out of the left over money, set aside an allowance out of which you must pay for your entertainment, special purchases and so on.

Evaluate Your Debt Commitments

1. Evaluate your monthly credit card use, outstanding debt and interest charged. Avoid using your credit card for small purchases; use cash instead.
2. If you have student loans, see if you can work out a better refinancing deal with a different bank, or pay more per month using your additional savings.
3. Don’t take on additional debt for things you don’t need, but just want desperately. Resist buying the latest PlayStation unless you have additional funds.

Keep An Eye On Your Spends

1. Carefully file away and categorically organize important receipts and papers such as bank statements, receipts and bills.
2. Keep an eye on how you much cash you withdraw, how much you spend using your debit card and check online statements for cashed checks.
3. Always be aware of your outstanding balance; don’t get overdrawn, as banks will charge you interest for this.

Check For Tuition Discounts

1. Check for tuition discounts or education reimbursement programs at your part time jobs, at your parents’ offices and so on.
2. Check if your college will give you credit if you take lower division classes at a community college.

Save Money On Books

1. Buy used books to save money; campus bookstores always charge you a lot more.
2. Use CampusBooks.com to compares book prices on different sites.
3. Buy older versions if your college is fine with that. Make some extra money by selling your books online at semester end.

Check For Scholarships

1. Some corporate and non-government organizations offer student scholarships in specific educational streams. You’ll be able to find a list of these at your local town educational center.
2. Check for special community scholarships; for example, if you are part-Indian, or if you belong to a specific minority, you might be eligible.

Save On Food Expenses

1. If any meal points are integrated into your college fee, use them as much as you can. You won’t be able to get a refund at the end of the year anyway.
2. Buy store brand food items to avoid paying the rates charged by market brands.
3. Buy the things you need in large quantities in bulk, for example, soap, shampoo, toilet paper and so on.
4. Buy a few basic dishes and utensils for home; don’t buy anything disposable as it only piles up the cost.
5. Budget your weekly meals and shop only for those things you absolutely need for your meals.
6. Save money by buying groceries on sale; don’t be tempted to load up your cart with things just because they’re on sale.
7. Eat at wholesome, eat-all-you-can restaurants that charge you an overall price for anything on the buffet.
8. Buy fresh veggies and fruits from farmers market or local produce stores for fresh and cheap food.

Save On Transportation Costs

1. If your college issues free bus or shuttle passes, use them; check your school’s transportation department for these today.
2. Carpool with a bunch of other students; you will have to pay only a fraction for gas money.
3. If you want to drive your car some days, you can still save on gas.  Use GasBuddy.com to locate cheap rates in your area.
4. Most transportation facilities for both short and long distances offer student discounts, such as the San Jose Bay Area’s VTA student passes. To find out student discounts when you travel, check a travel site such as StudentUniverse.com.

Save On Communication Costs

1. Watch the minutes on your cell phone. Get a student plan if you can to save money.
2. Use Skype or GoogleTalk to call your parents and friends. This will save you a lot of money.
3. As much as possible, use your college’s free internet service, to avoid paying for it at home.

Save Money While Shopping

1. Coupons can help you save a lot of money for everything from groceries, to clothes to home needs. Check sites such as RetailMeNot.com for more information.
2. Buy your clothes at thrift stores and vintage stores that offer great bargains on fabulous clothes.
3. If you want to buy a more expensive item such as a bed, offer to buy the floor model that’s used for display to save money. People usually ask for a fresh piece.

Learn How To Use Credit Cards

1. Stick to a healthy credit score, as this helps when you’re looking for a low interest rate on loans.
2. Always pay your bills on time to avoid late payment fees, which can be above $20 with some cards.

For young drivers insurance is not exactly cheap and, in many cases, it is simply unaffordable, but you can get around this and reduce this necessary cost if you are careful. If you’re getting a car purposefully for college, then make sure you can park it in a safe place and, indeed, make sure your insurer knows that it will be parked in a safe place. Getting an alarm fitted to the car will also boost your chances of getting reduced premiums.

While insurance can be the most expensive thing about running a car at college, it is probably the cost of gas that rolls into second. The cost seems to be rising day after day and it is students that often feel the worst of it. A simple way around these spiralling costs is to use your car less. If it is plausible, why not walk to college or catch the bus a couple of days a week? Carpooling is also a great thrifty idea – there may be people on the same course as you who also live near you, so you could alternate as the designated driver throughout the week.

Stretching your gas as far as possible is certainly the way forward, as it is in any walk of life. For students, trips to the supermarket might not necessarily require the car – especially if your house-, flat- or room-mates want to go every other day of the week.

Unless you need to do a lot of traveling throughout your time at college, then you will no doubt benefit from setting yourself a gas budget for a set period of time. This will obviously vary according to how far you have to travel to college and how far away you are from your parents, but a monthly limit will give you some financial control and restraint.

Unexpected costs like repairs and general maintenance can crop up now and again, but being faithful to a budget for your motor can go a long way to making your college life much more financially comfortable.

For many students, starting college usually marks the first time they have lived away from home, so it can be difficult to get into the swing of managing your finances. In truth, you’ll never really know exactly how much you can spend and save until you’ve actually spent and saved for a couple of months. The costs of settling into your accommodation, getting contents insurance and buying books and equipment for your course will have you spending more than usual at first, but once these have calmed down, you can start defining a proper budget.

Your groceries will obviously be a frequent expenditure. If you live relatively close to home, then it might be possible to stop by for a couple of free meals every now and then (as well as seeing your parents, of course) to save a bit of money. However, if you moved as far away from home as possible, then you have complete control.

Be mindful of your choices, i.e. don’t pick the most expensive products on the shelves just because you can. You can’t because your funds will run out in no time at all. Be sparing, but don’t starve yourself – maybe you could eat smaller portions and freeze more stuff so your weekly shop turns into a biweekly shop.

We all know the main reason we go to college – the parties. And we all know how frequent they are – every night. Without dampening your party spirit, it might be wise to think about your budget here, too. No student budget can afford to hit a party every night of the week, week after week, so pick carefully which ones you think will be the best and save your money for them. Drink cheaper beer and arrange cheap travel if you need to.

Defining and sticking to a budget doesn’t have to ruin your college experience. In can, in fact, make it better if you’ve got more money to enjoy more things in the long run.

So shouldn’t there be increasing expectations on the product these schools are offering as well?  In any other industry in a capitalist system the price goes up when either the demand for the product increases or the quality of the product increases.  While indeed there are more students trying to get into college today than twenty years ago, there are also many more institutions, and with online courses and entire university higher education programs available over the internet, it’s not as if there is insufficient supply to meet the demand.  So where’s the beef?

Despite having the most expensive education system in the world, the U.S. is ninth among industrialized nations in terms of sending high school graduates on to college.  Is this simply an indictment of our weak public high school system, or are students simply unable to pay the rising costs of college.  I don’t want to get into a political debate on social vs. private education systems and government policy, but it does seem that there are two factors at play here.  Sure, there is the unfortunate 30% high school drop out rate in the United States, which is both appalling and embarrassing.  But what about the 70% that do graduate high school.  Why are they still unable or unwilling to go to college?

Many may suggest it is the social norms or simply the specific characters of different nations that determines why certain countries have high college attendance rates.  I am quite certain, however, that the continued rising costs of college education in this country is playing a significant role in keeping students out in the cold when it comes to university higher education.  In developed countries where the government subsidizes college, the post-secondary enrollment rate of high school graduates is up to 20% higher than in the United States.

Sure the US government offers loans, but many students do not wish to be saddled with $60 to $120K in debt upon receiving a degree.  It could take one 20 years to pay off such a “gift.”  The question is simply is the value proposition of a college diploma worth the tuition price in our current university higher education offerings.  Considering the number of Americans in debt and the overall collapsing of our borrower heavy economy, I would have to say no.

So, I was one of the fortunate to attend a Colegio Americano, or an American High School that specifically prepared us for an English education. My father always worked with multi-national corporations and banks, so he understood the value of English and the prestige associated with the American collegiate system. I can thank him for always reminding me of the importance of education as well as achieving the financial resources to send me to private school.

School was intense and super competitive. We were all from the “elite” class in Mexico City, so failure and incompetence was not really an option. The division of classes in Mexico is obvious to say the least, so to those of us to whom much was given, much was expected. Unlike what I hear from my American friends about high school in the United States, the Colegio Americano curriculum was much more intense, and we definitely did not have as much time to chase girls or play sports. While part of this is cultural, I also think the pressure and expectations of the students at the Colegio Americano just didn’t allow for many activities outside of studying and academics. Add on top of that the fact that we pretty much were learning an entire curriculum in a language other than our native one, and you can imagine the hours we spent in the library.

Well, I have survived and have indeed achieved the goals my father and I had set before beginning the Colegio Americano. I applied to a bunch of US colleges, and despite not getting into either of my top two choices (Stanford, Princeton), I am happy to say that I was left with many options to choose from. After visiting Northwestern, Columbia, Cornell, and Georgetown, I have decide that Washington DC was the place for me.

Looks nice, except for the snow of course….

Now, I am not planning to get into politics right away, but the Foreign Affairs programs at Georgetown blew me away, and I am super excited to start in the fall. And now, hopefully, I will have time to enjoy some of the things that my American friends have been doing for years….sports, parties, and chasing girls.