How to Prepare for College While In High School

How to Prepare for College While In High School

 

Many different factors go into the reasons students are accepted in different schools. Most of these factors have a lot to do with the student’s GPA in high school, extracurricular activities such as honors societies and such, as well as what classes the student had been taking in high school. It is very important that the new high school student begin thinking about college in their first year. In addition, there are counselors available for students to speak with every day at the school and should utilize this benefit whenever necessary in order to help make decisions.

Once a student begins focusing on getting into a good college, they will also have the opportunity to apply for scholarships and more later on down the road.

Most colleges require before admission that a student has taken either both the SAT and ACT or both exams. Each college can be different in their admission requirements so it would be a good idea to contact the school directly.

In regards to score requirements, each school can, again, be very different from the other depending on what they value at the school. In order to do a better job on the SAT and ACT exams, it would be a good idea to begin preparing for these earlier on and even preparing for the PSAT exam to be taken earlier on such as in their junior year of high school in order to see where they stand on the exams and what needs improvement. Students can usually take the PSAT exam around the 2^nd year in high school and they should speak with the school counselor in order to find out more about registering for it. In addition, possibly get more information about the actual SAT and ACT exams from the counselor as well in order to prepare for those as well.

There are many ways to prepare for all of the college admission exams. Some of the most effective ways to prepare for the SAT or ACT exam would be:

Reading books, magazines, newspapers, even trade journals.

Take the SAT and ACT prep courses. Also there is SAT and ACT prep software available as well.

Take the practice exams available as well as the PSAT.

Take more difficult and/or challenging courses in high school. It all matters.

Keep a regular study schedule. Study more and study often.

Work with the student that experiences test anxiety. This barrier is something that will have to be worked with as in college there is a lot of public speaking for many students as well as heavier deadlines and exams.

During the senior year students and parents should begin considering financial assistance as well as the actual application processes for all selected colleges. Some of the best ways to start would be to contact the college(s) directly to get good, reliable information.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at college living and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and subscribe to our Free Member services.

Top 10 Back to School & Graduation Gift Ideas for those on a Budget

Top 10 Back to School & Graduation Gift Ideas for those on a Budget

 

Summer time usually means back to school preparation time for most students. And especially for those recent high school graduates! If you haven’t already begun looking into what the new or returning student will need for their college endeavors we compiled a list of items that would be a great collection of items to have for their living and learning situation on campus. There are many options and we recommend shopping around, of course. Here is a list of those must-haves for college.

 

Laptop computer

Compact, portable full of memory and all a student needs to keep organized while on campus and at the dorm. Laptops are great for taking notes in class and storing assignments and more. As for PCs we like Dell and Lenovo laptops, in addition to the great Mac books as another choice.

 

Cell phone/Smart phone

If they don’t have one already, they need one now. Cell phones are practically a necessity on campus. And better yet, a smart phone will be able to help them conveniently handle the many tasks that the smart phone can handle…while keeping up with friends, instructors, landlords, and more! The on-the-go emailing capabilities really help you out when in a bind at school.

 

External Hard Drive

It’s a great idea, especially in older college dorms to back up files. When storms surge in many areas, so does the electricity. It would be a pity to wipe out everything on a hard drive without being backed up. The assignments stored on the computer are essential and a student cannot afford to see them erased. What do you do then? Skip the class? Redo the entire semester’s work? Scary to think of isn’t it?

 

Printer

There are printers throughout campus, but it would be a good idea to have a little inkjet just for the dorm. Sometimes it can get really inconvenient when working on a late night project on a cold winter night and having no place open to go to print out your assignment due in the morning. They could wait and get up earlier and go to the copy center, but why not get more of that valuable sleep time that so many students are deprived of?

 

WiFi Router

Having your own router can be really handy in the dorms. That way you aren’t stuck at one spot all the time and can move about your room and even the hall to share information with other people in your hall. Convenience is key.

 

USB Flash Drive

It’s a great investment to have a flash drive or memory stick on you at all times. This way you can easily download and upload information from other students’ laptops while on campus. I suppose the other option would be to email it then download it, but if you don’t have your laptop on you, then memory sticks are great just to have around.

 

TV

TV’s are must-haves. They help break the stress cycle and give students a break in private. It does not have to be anything extravagant, in fact, maybe a more budget one would be a good idea. You don’t want any envious dorm mates wanting that TV too much do you?

 

Digital Camera

Digital cameras are great for college because they allow the student to document their journey through college. These pictures become little treasures later on in life. Plus, parents, don’t you want to see what they are up to over there in school? Lots of fun and interesting stuff goes on in college. Get a camera for them.

 

Laptop Bag

Don’t forget a laptop bag for the laptop. There are some really stylish bags out there like the backpack kinds that are really helpful when you have other things to take to campus with you in addition to the laptop.

 

Surge Protector

In reference to the power situation I mentioned earlier, get a good surge protector to help protect the computer from any despair due to electrical problems and storms. It’s always a great idea to be cautious…especially when there is so much at stake in college.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for BackToSchoolNetwork.com. The BSN Online Back To School Guide is a premier college back-to-school information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at college living and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.BackToSchoolNetwork.com and subscribe to our FREE Member services.

Tips on How to Make Yourself Fall Asleep

Tips on How to Make Yourself Fall Asleep

 

Do you ever find yourself lying wide awake at night only to start getting nervous and upset that you won’t be getting ANY sleep at night? Many people go through this and in all actuality; many people are bringing it onto themselves. Of course no one aims to deprive themselves of sleep but, in all actuality, it is the individual who is keeping themselves awake due to anxieties. In this article I will give you some tips to help get to sleep faster and how to help yourself to stop thinking about those things that cause you to stay awake at night.

First, TELL yourself to stop every time a thought that affects your sleep negatively crosses your mind, you will be surprised how powerful YOUR own commands to yourself will be. When you start to realize the power you own words have you will become more reassured that it will work and become more relaxed. However, it is important to avoid anxiety.

How about those times when you REALLY need to be asleep and are wide awake? Much of this is caused by that classic case of performance anxiety. How about considering reverse psychology in order to relax your body. For example, if you aren’t falling asleep, tell yourself to STAY awake. Naturally your body wants sleep and it will eventually succumb to the slumber. It’s all about relaxing.

If you have lots of anxiety in regards to the aforementioned issues, try breathing techniques such as taking very deep breaths and slowly releasing. Try this technique over and over and you will feel the relaxation proper breathing provides. Keep breathing in deeply and slowly releasing, feeling the release of anxiety as you exhale slowly.

Why not try counting sheep? Counting forward and backwards actually does help many people all asleep. Even picture those numbers appearing in your mind in front of you. This is not thought that causes a person to stay awake like those of your BOSS and deadlines, which cause anxiety. These are simple and will help put your mind to “rest” (in all actuality our minds are busiest at night).

Try to picture yourself in a relaxing setting while painting the picture in your mind. The trick is to focus looking forward until you fall asleep while avoiding “real-life” thoughts that will just get you going. Try to relax and float in your thoughts…soon to be dreams. Floating sensations help the muscles relax and when your muscles are relaxed, you are relaxed. Mental and physical relaxation will take over and when that happens, who can resist falling asleep? So avoid any form of anxiety-provoking thoughts and just LET yourself drift away to a good night’s sleep.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for The Memory Foam Network. The MFN Online Memory Foam Product Guide is a premier memory foam information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at memory foam and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.MemoryFoamNetwork.com and subscribe to our Free Member services.

The New Fibromyalgia Drug : Lyrica

The New Fibromyalgia Drug : Lyrica

 

A new fibromyalgia drug called Lyrica has recently become the first FDA approved fibromyalgia medication and treatment. The new fibromyalgia (FM) medication also referred to as pregabalin is currently only available for people over the age of 18. However, currently research is being conducted on similar forms of the medication for those individuals under the age of 18.

Lyrica is thought to affect the nerve cells inside the fibromyalgia sufferer’s brain which oftentimes is what causes the amplified feelings of pain. This new fibromyalgia medication shows evidence of becoming the top drug for decreasing the effects of fibromyalgia as the only other alternatives would be pain relievers, sleep inducers, muscle relaxants, and more.

The new fibromyalgia drug has also shown amazing results in clinical tests in which the individuals who were tested experienced very effective results and successfully decreased their symptoms of fibromyalgia, such as pain relief and movability, substantially. If a person suffers from fibromyalgia, they know how huge this really is as in many cases, not even pain relievers can really do a whole lot in reducing the pain involved with FM. There were some side effects that seemed to occur in some of the individuals during the testing and those side effects included some dry mouth, dizziness, drowsiness, swelling, rashes, feeling off-balance to reportedly unusual feelings of happiness and having a hard time concentrating.

The other concerns involved with the new fibromyalgia medication also involve mixing the Lyrica drug with other types of medications. It is important that an individual speak with their doctor in order to discuss their possible issues involving the use of the FM drug.

There seems to be a lot of hope for new forms of treatment for fibromyalgia patients and more research is being done presently in order to find out more about the new treatments for fibromyalgia and more.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for The Memory Foam Network. The MFN Online Memory Foam Product Guide is a premier memory foam information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at memory foam and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.MemoryFoamNetwork.com and subscribe to our Free Member services.

Tips for Back Pain Relief

Tips for Back Pain Relief

Did you know that back pain is one of the most common neurological disorders in the US? In fact, the only neurological disorder more common than back pain back pain according to the NIH (http://www.nih.gov) is a headache. That really says a lot when considering that many people don’t really know what to do about relieving themselves of back pain other than taking some pain relievers and hoping that it goes away. There are many things a person can do in order to reduce and/or help eliminate pain caused by back pain caused by such things as muscle tissue damage, osteoporosis, and more. Our goal in this article is to help bring some of those treatments and therapies to your attention in order to help relieve back pain now and even help to prevent back pain or its worsened effects in the future.

Some of our recommended therapies include:

Try massage therapy

Learning to breathe more properly while focusing on mind-body connections. (Alexander Technique)

Practice yoga

Hydrotherapy

Acupuncture

Bowen therapy

Capsaicin cream

Stress relief music and relaxation cds

Prolotherapy

Vitamins and minerals:

Vitamin D

Magnesium

Willow Bark

Vitamin B12

All of these recommendations have shown evidence of providing pain relief in many individuals and it would be a wonderful idea to look into each of these in order to see which one or more of these would suit your personal needs the best. It is also important to stress the fact that in addition to daily routines such as the aforementioned, regular usage of a memory foam mattress will also help provide relief from back pain due to its contouring and cradling effects in the visco-elastic material inside the mattress. As we mention at the MFN website, memory foam mattresses provide back pain relief through the temperature sensitive memory foam material. This material is what allows for proper spinal alignment as well as proper blood flow through the body as you sleep. This type of arrangement with a new memory foam mattress and pillow has helped many people since it first came onto the market in 1991 and has received quite an extraordinary response.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for The Memory Foam Network. The MFN Online Memory Foam Product Guide is a premier memory foam information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at memory foam and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.MemoryFoamNetwork.com and subscribe to our FREE Member services.

ID Theft and Identity Theft Prevention

ID Theft and Identity Theft Prevention

Identity theft affects over 9 million Americans alone each year. As the degree of damage varies from individual to individual, the lasting effects are nearly the same. ID theft ultimately affects your credit score. And in many cases ID theft can cause major damage without the victim even realizing it at first. Identity theft can occur simply by a ID thief obtaining a person’s identifying information such as their name, Social Security numbers, credit care and other account numbers and more.

There are many ways thief can use a person’s identity and not just so they can steal money and buy home theater systems or take lavish vacations, like the recent college-aged thieves caught after years of stealing credit to finance expensive vacations, but many will even steal such information for paying their own rent, telephone bill or even checking out books at the public library.

There are many ways in which an identity thief can obtain your information. Many of the methods used more frequently include going through your trash, going through your mail and stealing a credit card statement in order to obtain your credit card number, email scams, stealing purses and wallets, and even an employee at a restaurant or store jotting down your credit card number as they are running your card.

These events and more can really damage a person’s credit report and overall score which could take a while just to get back in order.

So how can a person protect themselves from identity theft? The most effective way to combat identity theft is to check your billing statements regularly as well as monitor your credit report regularly. Monitoring ones credit does not have to occur daily. But, if done on a monthly basis, one can see any discrepancies on their credit report soon after a potential identity theft occurrence appears on their credit report or billing statement.

Despite the fact that the ID theft occurrence may not be entirely the credit holder’s fault, the lasting effects become that victim’s responsibility to discover and fix. However, there are now services that provide identity theft protection which can be found in more detail at our site. These services can help you keep a close eye on your credit and all identifying information and help prevent identity theft overall.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for myCreditScoreNetwork.com. The MCN Online FICO Credit Score Guide is a premier FICO score and credit report information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at credit scores and reports and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.myCreditScoreNetwork.com and subscribe to our FREE Member services.

FICO Scores and Your Credit Rights

FICO Scores and Your Credit Rights

 Our credit score and credit report are a couple of the most important things we have when being considered for a loan or more. In many cases, it seems like everything depends on your credit score. This in many ways is very true for everyone as your credit report is what contains everything about you…financially. Knowing this, do credit reports really contain EVERYTHING about a person? If so, couldn’t there be some things that any person may deem as a little risky about any individual or something that a potential lender, employer or landlord just may not like about the applicant? With this in mind, the FTC has actually set some ground rules for those seeking credit, jobs and more. And in order to keep it fair for everyone, they have created laws which protect consumers such as The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), and The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) really enforces the privacy and accurate reporting of information in consumers’ credit reports that are provided by credit reporting agencies. In addition to this, consumers are also given the opportunity to always know who has made an inquiry on their credit as well as give consumers the right to dispute any item on their credit report that they deem as inaccurate.The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) is a law that was passed in order to protect consumers from any type of discrimination having to do with religion, sex, ethnicity, marital status or even any public assistance that one may have received in the past. None of this can be considered by potential lenders when a person is applying for a loan. Now, many potential creditors, landlords and more do have the right to inquire about such items with the exception of religion. However, creditworthiness cannot be determined based on any of these facts. In addition, if a person feels they have been discriminated against in regards to one of these factors, then they have the right to receive reasons for why they have been denied credit.The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) is the law that gives consumers the procedure in which to follow if they ever feel as though something is in error on their credit billing statements and EFT statements. This law provides consumers a way to defend themselves if the creditor is in error in regards to either reporting on their statement or the actual delivery of the billing statement. For example, if a creditor does not send your billing statement to a new address and you gave them notice of at least 20 days of your change of address, you would be protected under this act.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) protects those who are being contacted by debt collectors and such. This law protects individuals from any collectors who may be unfair, abusive, deceptive and more in order to collect what is owed on household and personal debts such as car payments or medical payments. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act has created some rules that collectors must abide by such as only calling between 8 am to 9pm, always identifying themselves on the phone, not calling the debtor at their workplace knowing that their employer would not approve of such calls, or any type of tactic that would normally be considered as harassment, lying, cheating or more. In addition, the FDCPA also states that a debtor can stop the collector from calling by sending out a written request for the debt collector(s) to stop calling them immediately.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for MyCreditScoreNetwork.com. The MCN Online FICO Credit Score Guide is a premier FICO score and credit report information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at credit scores and reports and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.MyCreditScoreNetwork.com and subscribe to our FREE Member services.

All About Free Credit Reports

All About Free Credit Reports

 

Obtaining a free credit report is not a daunting task. However, finding the right way that best suits you can save you a lot of time and money when looking into your credit score. There are several ways to get a free credit report. One of the ways is simply visiting one of the three credit reporting companies and simply following their directions at their website. In many cases the free credit report will be provided in exchange for a free trial on your part or something very similar. While this is not necessarily a problem as it has a 30 day money back guarantee period or similar, it can be a slight drawback since there is a bit more responsibility on your part. But, realize that during these 30 days you can really look into your credit report and utilize the additional services these companies can provide at no cost! Now that is a great deal. Better than just a free report with nothing else.

Other ways of obtaining just a free annual credit report can be through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). If you go to the FTC website and follow the necessary links, you will end up at a form which you must fill out and submit to the FTC. The information the commission wants from you is your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth mainly. After filling out the form, you can send it over to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 and wait for a credit reporting company to respond as opposed to instantly through the credit reporting companies directly.For individuals who have been denied credit or similar, they are provided a free credit report through the inquiry on the part of the lender, insurance company or even employer. After receiving this notice, the person inquired upon has the opportunity to receive a free credit report from the company who provided the organization with your credit report. In addition, if a person is currently unemployed and planning on getting a new job within 60 days or are on welfare, they are eligible for a free credit report as well.

Having a good FICO credit score and clean credit report is very necessary in order to obtain quality loans, jobs, insurance, even places to live and it is very important to look at your credit more than just once a year. Monitoring your credit regularly will allow you to find any negative marks and/or errors due to such things as identity theft immediately. It can be quite astonishing how fast unnecessary items can appear and quickly lower your credit score. Many people don’t even notice this until either they get an annual report, if they do, or apply for a loan and discover the problem. Take advantage of the no cost trials consumer credit reporting companies provide and see how easy monitoring your credit can actually be.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for MyCreditScoreNetwork.com. The MCN Online FICO Credit Score Guide is a premier FICO score and credit report information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at credit scores and reports and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.MyCreditScoreNetwork.com and subscribe to our FREE Member services.

Correcting Errors on Your Credit Report

Correcting Errors on Your Credit Report

 

So what do you do if you receive your credit report and there are negative marks on it that you never even had any part in? This very situation has occurred for many individuals already and may very well occur again on someone’s credit report in the near future. If this ever happens to you, what are you supposed to do about it? The road is never easy in this case, but there are indeed ways to correct any errors on your credit report.

If you discover an error on your credit report, the very first thing you should do is contact your consumer credit reporting company that issued your report in writing. Yes, the FTC recommends a written statement be sent to the reporting company. In the letter you should include copies of all the relevant documents required as evidence that it is indeed an error. In addition, the required elements such as your name, address, an explanation of the erroneous situation at hand and why you are disputing the error with all errors that are being disputed circled on the copy of the credit report. Also in the letter, the suggested correction, such as a request to delete the item completely, should also be stated in the letter.

When delivering the letter off to your reporting company, remember to send it via certified mail in order to make sure that you get confirmation that they had indeed received it in the case there is a dispute in regards to someone not even getting the letter. In addition to a certified letter, make sure you make copies of the letter(s) as well in order to keep record on file in the case that there may be a dispute on their end.

After the reporting company receives your dispute letter, they will begin their investigation on the matter, that is, if they deem the dispute as not being frivolous. They will normally begin their investigation within 30 days of receiving your letter. During the investigation, the reporting company will forward all documents and disputes to the organization(s) in question in order for the disputed organization to do their own investigation of why they placed that item on your credit report. Once they complete their investigation, they must then send back their statement on whether it is truly an error or not and support that statement with further evidence of their own.

In the case that the information is indeed inaccurate, then the organization at fault must inform all credit reporting companies of their error and have it corrected. Once this is complete, the credit reporting company will send you a new, updated credit report after the inaccuracy has been corrected.

Now, if your item in question is indeed correct and the organization has the evidence to back it up, then you will also receive a written statement in regards to this issue and you will have an option, for a slight fee, to place a note in your credit report in regards to your dispute about the item. This statement will be provided to all who see your credit report in the future as well as those who already received your credit report.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for MyCreditScoreNetwork.com. The MCN Online FICO Credit Score Guide is a premier FICO score and credit report information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at credit scores and reports and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.MyCreditScoreNetwork.com and subscribe to our FREE Member services.

The Things That are NOT Considered in a FICO Score

The Things That are NOT Considered in a FICO Score

 

These days it seems like everything in our life has something to do with our credit score. But, there are some things that are prohibited from being reviewed when considering a person for credit. Some of the items that are not considered in your credit report include sex, race, single or divorced, your ethnicity, nationality, and religion. In addition to these items, whether or not a person had received any public assistance is not to be included in your credit report when being considered for a loan.

Other factors that are not to be considered in your FICO score include age or location of residence. Also, even though a FICO credit score or credit report may indeed affect a person’s chances of getting a particular job, employment history information including salaries, dates of employment, professions, job titles and employers’ names will not be included in the credit report.

In the case that employers do check a job applicant’s credit, it is important to note that this type of credit inquiry does not affect the person’s credit score. In addition, when your credit is inquired upon by other credit card companies offering “pre-approved” credit offers, this type of inquiry doe not impact your credit score unless you actually fill out the credit application and have your credit report accessed in order to open a new line of credit.

Rent has been another issue when considering credit scores as they normally would not affect a person’s credit score unless any item such as a delinquent payment has been reported to collections. As unfair as it may seem to some individuals, making payments to your landlord in most cases will not be reflected on your credit report. Also, just like rental payment situations in regards to how they affect our credit scores, child support affects your credit score in a similar way. If a person does not pay their child support payments and I categorized as “in arrears”, which simply means behind in payments, then in this case the person’s credit score will most likely be affected by the delinquent child support payments.

Credit scores and credit reports are a tool used for lenders to calculate how much risk they will be taking if they provide financing for that particular person. The FICO score allows an individual to be represented in the fairest way with only those factors which could affect a person’s ability to pay back a loan being considered. This process allows lenders to make quicker decisions based on the actual information they require at a moments notice which provides many benefits to you, the potential borrower, such as lower interest rates, lower fees and not to mention a quick, fair answer to whether or not financing can be obtained and what types are available based on your credit history and relevant information.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for MyCreditScoreNetwork.com. The MCN Online FICO Credit Score Guide is a premier FICO score and credit report information platform that provides individuals with a quality in-depth look at credit scores and reports and the associated products, services and information available today. Visit us today at http://www.MyCreditScoreNetwork.com and subscribe to our FREE Member services.