College Students Need Money Too!!

As a college student we obviously don't make that much money, unless we are able to have an off campus job or work study. When I started my first year as an undergrad I thought that I was going to be able to have a work study job on campus, but then my parents told me that I was not eligible for it because they "made too much money." I was so upset and angry at financial aid saying that I couldn't have a job and make any money considering I was going to a $30,000 school. But I have found ways to help make my tough financial situation not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I want to share with all of you the many ways at Mercyhurst you can increase your bank accounts. But first, everyone should apply for the FAFSA to see if you qualify for any type of scholarship/grant/any type of money at all! If you don't qualify for work study then I would suggest doing the following:

- Apply to be an RA (you get free room/board!)
- Apply for jobs close to campus that will let you be flexible with your schedule.
- Get involved with clubs that will give you a scholarship (i.e. become a tour guide! Usually they pay you to do it).
- Get involved with your professors and see that there are any research assistant or teacher's assistant jobs. The school will pay you for that too!
- Become a tutor. At Mercyhurst there are tutoring jobs that pay you minimum wage for every hour that you tutor. It's really nice cash!

So if you find yourself needing some extra money, I suggest these possibilities to you! You don't have to go 4 years with just lint in your pockets!!

Go to the link below to learn more about Mercyhurst Financial Aid and costs for attending the college!

Mercyhurst College Financial Aid 

Lessons Learned from Final Exams

Well it's getting down to the end of my last fall term as a laker. Today I had my Social Ethics final and I think it went pretty well. I have a final tomorrow in Antecedents of Aggression, and Wednesday is my History of Psychology final exam. After Wednesday's final I will be going home for 10 days :) Usually a semester school only has about a 3 or 4 day break for Thanksgiving. But at Mercyhurst we're on the trimester schedule and we get a lot more time off. I love the schedule that Mercyhurst is on, but sometimes it can be a little frustrating compiling a lot of information into 10 week terms.

Since I am applying to graduate school, that adds a lot more work to my already busy schedule. During the past week I have been hiding myself away in the psychology lab for 12-13 hours a day and believe me, it was not such a great idea. Saturday I took the Psychology GRE Subject Test and I only had about 5 hours prior to waking up and going to take the test. Immediately after I was done I went straight back up the psych lab and stayed there until about 10pm. Just from neglecting myself and consuming all my time with my studies I got myself very sick. I woke up Sunday with what it felt to be strep throat, but that ended up going away and turned into body aches, headache, and a fever. I could hardly get out of bed this morning and I knew exactly that this was all my fault.

When your studying for finals and doing everything else in your life except worrying about you, it catches up with you and can turn into a disastrous plan that you thought was going to work. So now here I am in bed trying to explain how you should avoid using your time the way I have. This has definitely been one of the biggest lessons I have learned and sadly I had to learn it the hard way.

Here are some great ways to reduce stress in college. After reading this over, I definitely believe I will be considering to put more time in for myself so I never have to get sick during finals again.

Reduce College Stress

College Life - Through the Eyes of an RA

Being an RA is not a bad thing at all like some people may perceive them to be. It is actually a very enjoyable and fun experience! So let me tell you all about what has been going on lately through the eyes of an actual RA. 

I am an RA (resident assistant) in the sophomore area on campus! RA's are in charge of putting on programs, which are events that help bring the resident community together and of course have lots of fun doing it. Tonight my staff and I got together for our all area program and invited our entire resident community to join us and do something really great for the elderly residents of Erie! We took regular flower plants and painted, colored, and even bedazzled a few of them. As a result, we have created close to 30 vibrant flower pots and are going to fill them with different flower seeds and give them out to the elderly in a nursing home of Erie. 

Here is the Upper Sophomore Staff with our Assistant Director, Michael, and Hall Director, Dean. Dean was trying to be funny as you can tell :) 

Here is the finishing product of all the pots the residents and RA's created tonight! We hope to make the elderly at St. Mary's feel like they are thought of and cared about! 

RA's are not there to make residents' lives miserable and catching them when they are doing things they shouldn't be doing. RA's are leaders of the college who are willing to help other students in times of crisis, in times of need (such as maintenance issues and roommate conflicts), and most of all to bring fun and happiness to the residence hall! It's very tough at times to be in the position of an RA, and sometimes it can be unfair when you are on duty on days, such as Halloween. That means you can't go out and dress up with your friends and have a fun time. You are going to be in your apartment doing rounds around the area when the Assistant Director tells you and to be on call when there are incidents going on. I must say those are the only downfalls of the job, but it is your job and you get VERY good perks for doing it. 

RA's in the freshman area get a free meal plan and free room as well. RA's in the upperclassmen area only get free room, but that's okay because we get an actual kitchen! RA's in the freshmen area do not. So it balances itself out. RA's in all area's also get a stipend of $250 to spend on campus (i.e. food, coffee, etc.). And most of all, the best perk I think we get is the lasting relationships you make with your staff. You become so close and they basically become your second family. I've been lucky enough to have had 2 great staffs both my years as an RA and I love knowing that when I go to staff meetings I'm going to have a fun time being there. 

So my advice to you, if you want to live up the college experience become an RA! It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but I promise that it will be an experience you will never regret.

If you'd like to learn more about Residence Life and their role on campus, here is the link!

http://www.mercyhurst.edu/student-life/residence-life/