Colleges and universities are tweeting about the things you care about: campus events, the college admissions process, student issues, college scholarships, even new classes and majors.  Sure, some are more willing to engage directly with you than others – but what a great way to stay up on all the current happenings at your favorite colleges and universities!   There’s a lot to choose from – so make it easy!  Follow My College Guide’s List of Colleges Who Twitter.

Did we miss your favorite college or university? Two years or four – we love them all! Feel free to add your colleges of choice to the comments section for inclusion in our next Big List edition!

Related posts:

1. The Big List Part Three: 50 More Colleges and Universities Who Twitter
2. The BIG List: 50 Colleges and Universities who Twitter: Part Two
3. The Big List: 50 Colleges and Universities Who Twitter Part 1

rustman/Russ Morris

Practice makes Perfect! You might want to have some idea of what you’ll say – without sounding too rehearsed!  Go over potential questions and answers with a parent or friend. Think about your response before rushing in and rambling out an answer – your interviewer will appreciate it! Common questions include:

Why do you want to go to our school?
What do you hope to get out of your college experience?
What is your biggest high school accomplishment?
What are your interests and hobbies?
Which five famous people, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?  Why?

Oops. Did you receive poor grades during sophomore year because you were dealing with major life events like a serious illness or parents’ divorce?  This is the perfect opportunity to explain why your test scores or GPA aren’t as high as they might otherwise be. If any extenuating circumstances have negatively affected your high school performance, explain them! Keep it brief and professional – you don’t need to go into great detail.

Dress for Success. Most college students don’t exactly dress up for class—but you’re not there yet! Dress a cut above so that you can make an excellent first impression. You can probably skip the business suit, but for guys – you may want to break out the khakis and a button-down shirt and girls: think nice top and slacks or a skirt.  Stay away from jeans, shorts, baggy or torn pants, and anything too tight or revealing.

Phony Baloney! Students sometimes get so worked up and nervous over college admission interviews that they stick to pre-rehearsed responses to questions – and way too many “yes” and “no” type answers!  That makes for a boring interview – for both of you! It’s awesome to be prepared but the admissions officer wants to see who you are. Don’t be afraid to tell an entertaining (and true!) story that reveals your personality and interests. Just, please, don’t share anything you wouldn’t be comfortable telling your grandparents.

How about a little Q & A? Psst!  This interview isn’t just for the admissions officer! Shocking, we know.  But an interview works both ways.  Sure, your interviewer will have questions for you but it’s okay for you to have questions, too. In fact – it’s a wonderful way to show your interest in the school – and learn a little something in the process!

Related posts:

1. To be or Not to Be: The College Interview
2. 3 Secret Reasons You Might Not Get In to Your Top School (and What You Can Do to Help Your Odds)
3. 6 Ways Homeschoolers Can Help Their Admissions Odds

alaskaval/Val

Nap time? Everyone has that time of day where work seems impossible. Your energy lags, your attention span is missing in action, and motivation is out the window.  Try to figure out when you feel the most alert and schedule your important college related activities and study time accordingly.

Time Savers. Are you always rushing to make morning classes?  Stop while you’re ahead! Figure out in advance what you’re going to wear. Gather together snacks, keys, your wallet, purse, cell phone, and laptop.  Get everything organized and ready for the day.

Jot it down! College professors will be heaping on the homework.  Assignments, study groups, or dinner with friends?  Don’t rely on your memory – write it down! Whether you use a planner, small calendar, your laptop, or a notebook, get used to writing down everything you need to do and you’ll save yourself plenty of headaches and missed deadlines in the long run!

Decisions, Decisions. It’s called time management.  What are the most important items on your to-do list?  While it might be tempting to hang out everyday with your friends, those essays won’t write themselves (unfortunately).  Learn how to juggle your college homework with studying, friends, and campus activities early on before it becomes a problem.

Got Stress? Get into the homework groove and out of the procrastination rut.  Wouldn’t it be nice having a paper done days before it’s due – instead of mere hours?  When you feel overwhelmed – take a break! Use 15 minutes to do anything but schoolwork and come back to it feeling a little refreshed, energized, and ready to dig back in!

Have any tips you would like to share?  Please, add them in the comments section below.

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2. 15 Google Chrome Extensions to Make Your College Bound Heart Sing!
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ERIO

Smooth Gestures –  Using arrows to flip from page to page?  Slow. Using only your mouse?  Fast – and fun!  Pictures display your customization so quit  playing the guessing game.  Brilliant!

StayFocusd – Compulsive Facebook checker?  We’ve all been there.  When self-control runs thin, turn to StayFocusd to back you up…or at least lock you out of your favorite time-draining sites!

Diigo Web Highlighter and Bookmark – Ever bookmark something for a specific reason and then have no idea why (or is that just me?).  Highlight the important stuff so you can easily come back and find it.  Bonus: add sticky notes to leave yourself reminders for next time!

Tab Jump — No muss, no fuss! There are a few tab extensions out there, but Tab Jump enables you to instantly see your open tabs.  It’s subdivided tabs sort recently used and most used making it easy to, um, jump to whatever tab you need!

ChromeMilk — Love Remember the Milk? Access (and add to) your to-do list from the Google Chrome toolbar itself.  While it might be a work in progress, for RTM lovers – it’s just awesome.

W.O.T. Some extensions are good no matter what browser they are on.  Enter: Web of Trust.  Internet addict?  Then you, my friend, must install this Chrome extension.  See what sites can be trusted – and what sites you need to avoid like the plague!

Shareaholic for Google Chrome – Use your time online wisely, you know, share stuff!  Instead of jumping from page to page, make it easy on yourself, and get Shareaholic installed!

RemindMe: Set up multiple reminders on a sparkling clean interface – organize or delete as needed.  Oh, and the alarm?  It’s almost musical but will still make you jump out of your seat the first time you use it.

Google Dictionary – There are all sorts of complicated words out there just waiting to trip you up.  Highlight and right click the mystery word and select the dictionary option.  How easy is that?

Download – Download a lot?  This one’s for you!  Eliminate the extra “click” – this handy button makes it easy to get into your downloads and find what you need right from the Chrome Browser.

kenleewrites

UnDoIt – Did you just close that tab you needed?  D’oh!  Reclaim that accidental closed page with the click of a button…instead of digging around in your history looking for the one without any extras.

Ad Block — Firefox’s AdBlock Plus – for Google Chrome!  It blocks ads, period. Is there actually anyone who pays attention to those pesky pop-ups anyway?  We think not.

Google Similar Pages – Make it easy on yourself. Discover Google’s idea of related pages with the click of a button.  Beta or not, it’s a promising work in progress.

Copy without Formatting – Floating button = fun in our book, but if you find it distracting, you can get rid of it.

Handy Google Shortcuts – Google Chrome user?  Chances are you’re using other Google products.  Keep Google shortcuts to Google Buzz, Gmail, Wave – 40 buttons of non-stop Google fun!

Okay, so, what did we miss?  Are there any “can’t live without” Google Chrome Extensions that we missed?  Let the world know in the comments section below.

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ImNotQuiteJack/Jon Collier

You’ve heard about the College Admissions video – well, Tufts University Admissions is giving students the option to post a one minute video supplemental essay about themselves on YouTube!  It’s just another way for Tufts University to put a face to a name, and if video is your thing (ahem future filmmakers) — it could be your way in!

What did creative Tufts University applicants dream up?  There’s a Tufts hopeful on a unicycle with a ukulele, the rubber duck stop animation video supplement, the what’s currently on my iPod video, Inside the Actor’s Studio spoof, and the pink, blue, or red haired lover of questions…to name a very small, really fun assortment of what’s out there.

There are plenty of videos on YouTube – and a few more still trickling in!  It definitely looks as though the College Class of 2014 has played a key role in many new social media trends and innovations in the college applications process – so what’s next?

Marquette University on Twitter had My College Guide wondering when they jokingly tweeted, “What would you say if you had to write a college application essay in 140 characters or less?”   At least, we think they were only kidding.

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lukeamotion/Luke Pickard

Colleges sometimes have really unusual college mascots – or, possibly even more unusual — no mascot at all!  That’s the  case with the University of Mississippi.  Ole Miss retired Colonel Rebel, their controversial southern gentleman mascot, back in 2003 — and haven’t had one since!

But a mascot is in the future for Ole Miss students.  Tuesday, February 23, 2010, University of Mississippi students voted online as to whether or not they wanted a voice in choosing the new mascot – or if they wanted to leave it in the hands of college officials.  The result? UM students voted yes — well, 2,510 students voted yes with only 856 voting no.

Students selected to serve on the Student Mascot Advisory Committee will begin developing a new mascot, keeping the school colors (red and blue), and the name “Ole Miss Rebels” which only leaves the question – what (or who) should be the next University of Mississippi mascot?

Students, alumni, and the Twittersphere in general have been tweeting all sorts of hilarious mascot suggestions but the favorite by far is currently none other than Admiral Ackbar – yes, you read that right: the Admiral Ackbar of Star Wars fame!  The Mon Calamari and his catch-phrase “it’s a trap” has been appearing everywhere: on his website, Facebook page, Twitter account, and is suddenly one of the high ranking search terms on Google!

What do you think?  Will Lucas Arts permit Admiral Ackbar to become the new Old Miss Mascot or do you think that Ole Miss students should move on?  Do you have a better idea?  Share it in the comments section below!

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alamodestuff

WordPress, Blogger, TypePad…there’s all sorts of blogging platforms – and higher education is using them!  College blogs are a fun way to learn about college life.  Straight from the colleges themselves, (though not necessarily a reflection of that school’s opinions) you’ll discover fun campus superstitions, big events and celebrations, exciting classes, or even new majors.

Follow along with the life of a college student or read what college admissions has to say.  Some may be more descriptive than others, but they all possess value: a peek at the inner workings of colleges and universities.  It’s a great way to stay on top of college life – and aid you in your college decision-making process!

Did we miss your favorite college blog? Oops! As always, feel free to add it to the comments section below.  While you’re at it – don’t forget to get My College Guide Blog updates free via RSS or Email.

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Related posts:

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madabandon

Considering ditching your college interview? DON’T!  Your grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations tell admissions a lot about who you are – but many colleges want to know more!

The college interview process, though often optional,  is a great way for you to get your questions answered, put a face to a name, and explain any bumps in your high school record face to face.  We’ve mentioned before that students who vocalize their desire to attend a particular college increase their college admittance odds – what better way than during a college interview?  Show college admissions how much you want that letter of acceptance and it could help you get in!

Not every college or university has the staff (or the time) to conduct college interviews but for those that do (or if you happen to snag one)  – it can be a great way to get a little one on one with someone whom the college trusts, especially if you aren’t sure yet which college would suit you the best.  Some colleges ask you to hit up the campus (not a bad way to make a second campus visit), interview by phone, or, at some schools – they come to you.

Many colleges and universities (think Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Connecticut College, and Vassar College) utilize their college alumni, reaching out to students who live far from the college.  There may be just one – or a panel.

Colleges do value what these volunteers have to say so they should still be treated with the same respect you would show the admissions counselors themselves – and they can still give you the information you are looking for – and from the point of view of a student which could prove invaluable!

While colleges and universities like to say that the college interview isn’t a major deciding factor (the rates for college acceptance are roughly the same with or without the interview) – it’s still not something to be taken lightly and, if at all possible – go for it!  Standing out from the crowd (in a good way), can only help you get in!

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College students in the University of Notre Dame’s marching band got a chance to be a part of OK Go’s This Too Shall Pass music video for the album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, shot live.  How fun is that!  Sure, it’s an experience that the majority of college students probably won’t get to have, but it just goes to show, you never can tell.  And, wow – what a story to tell the grandkids!

Overheard on Twitter from Shawnz.

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Trevor Haldenby

They’ve already banked millions of dollars for movie roles or modeling contracts, but some celebrities are determined to prove that they’re more than just a pretty face — and headed back to school. Here are a few famous people spending their days taking notes in the college classroom instead of parading the red carpet.

Emma Watson – She’s made millions from the Harry Potter film franchise, but this young British actress just wants to be a regular college student. Last year, she enrolled at Brown University, where she’s studying literature. Chances are, she probably won’t be reading J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter in any of her classes, then again — you never know!

James Franco – This tall, dark, and handsome star of films like the Spiderman series, Milk, and The Pineapple Express is eager to show that he can do more than act. Find him doubling up on course credits, pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University and taking filmmaking classes at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Remember his bizarre guest-starring role on General Hospital? According to Franco, it was simply part of a course project (hope he scored an A for that one).

Christy Turlington – One of the most famous cover girls of the 1990s, Christy Turlington has traded the catwalk in for college life. These days, you can find her pursuing a master’s in public administration at Columbia University, while also producing No Woman, No Cry, a documentary film about pregnant women in developing countries.

Haley Joel Osment – Remember the creepy little kid from The Sixth Sense who saw dead people? Looks like he’s all grown up now—Haley Joel Osment, who also starred in films like Pay It Forward and A.I., is now studying acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. During his time off, he appears in Broadway plays—wonder if that counts as an internship?

Jerry O’Connell – As a child, he was one of the stars of the classic film Stand By Me. Later, he moved on to the sci-fi series Sliders, and movies like Scream 2 and Jerry Maguire before settling into married life and parenthood with model/actress Rebecca Romijn. Now, the famous family man has decided to tackle the world of law, and is currently pursuing a J.D. at Los Angeles’ Southwestern School of Law.

The City Project/Robert Garcia

Ashley Judd – Though Ashley Judd, star of films like High Crimes and Double Jeopardy, dropped out of  college when her acting career took off, she decided to head back to school in 2007, completing her bachelor’s degree in French at the University of Kentucky. Well known for her political activism, Judd is now pursuing a master’s in public administration at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth — As a manipulative villain on The Apprentice, Omarosa’s latest career move was quite a shock: she enrolled in United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio to pursue a master’s degree in ministry.  Maybe this is a true transformation on her part—then again: we’re wondering if there’s a camera crew involved.

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