If you are a college student or just about to enter your freshman year, how can you prepare yourself for the challengest that await you? This article presents the importance of good credit history while in college and some practical tips on money matters for students.

Why Good Credit Is A Must

Why should you strive to establish good credit while you?re in your college years? Having good credit history will give you a huge advantage later on when you need to apply for loans, insurance, cell phone plans, and apartment rentals.

Keep in mind that lenders, insurers, merchants, landlords and even potential employers are all interested to see what your credit report reveals. In fact, an impressive credit history can just be the edge you need to win over your competitors when applying for a job.

Yes, college students are encouraged to start building credit history by getting a student credit card and managing their accounts responsibly. Aside from using your credit card regularly, see to it that you will be able to submit your payments in a timely and consistent manner.

Practical Tips On Building Good Credit

Check out these practical money management tips that you can apply in your daily life:

Stick with one student credit card. One student credit card should be the only tool you need to build personal credit. Although it is easy to apply and get approved for student credit cards, managing multiple accounts can be tough. Furthermore, having too many cards in your wallet can increase the temptation to spend more.

Be frugal. Frugality means being a wise shopper and consumer. Before making a purchase, shop around first to see what different merchants offer. If you can?t afford to pay it with cash, you should make sure that you will be able to pay your credit card back on time. Seriously consider the difference between NEEDS and WANTS.

Save your money. Are you saving money from your monthly allowance? Open your own savings account and contribute to it on a monthly basis. It doesn?t matter how big or small you put in, what matters most is that you can contribute regularly. If you take on part time jobs during school breaks, save some of your earnings for your personal emergency fund and savings account.

Pay all your other bills on time. Whether it?s your student credit card or other creditors, make it a habit to pay your bills on time. You don?t have to wait until your due date arrives. If possible, post your payment earlier than schedule to avoid additional charges (interest rate, late penalty) and the risk of bad credit.

Manage your student loans wisely. Use your student loan to support your college education, not your personal whims. While in college, try to pay off at least the interest rate of your student loans so you can cut down your debt even before you graduate.

What is literature review?

Usually, literature review is a summary of research on any topic provided in a book. Its main purpose is to give a reader understanding of the current situation in this or that branch of knowledge. Literature review may include suggestions about further development of the topic or ways of solving the problem in question. It should be noted that literature review is written only on relevant source, such as academic articles or books.

Important steps in writing

To come up with a good literature review, one should take into account the following tips:

1.First of all, establish the topic of the review. Once it is done, start collecting information about this topic. It is important to opt only for relevant, peer-reviewed academic sources. Additionally, one should look for reliable information on the Internet.

2.The next step is to read and analyze the collected information. Study it carefully and highlight the most significant facts and data.

3.Furthermore, create an outline of the paper. Start writing with a brief, consistent thesis statement providing the core idea of the review. Usually, a thesis statement is a part of an introduction that should also be logical and precise.

4.In the main body of the review summarize the main information from the selected sources. One should concentrate on his/her viewpoints that should be connected with the thesis statement.

5.It is possible to mention some other literature reviews in the paper to prove the thesis statement. In this case, one should mention the initial source of the review.

6.Finally, write conclusion and format the review according to citation style that is required by the teacher.

Culture shock goes beyond the feeling of homesickness or having jet lag, which are common problems of international students as well. Culture shock is the struggle of some people to adjust to an entirely new culture. It can lead to serious symptoms such as exhaustion, nausea, confusion, and frustration.

Coping with this predicament would be much easier if you know what to expect. Below, you’ll find some tips and tricks that will help you in managing your new life so you can adjust more easily.

1. Keep in mind that culture shock is temporary.

Some international students make the mistake of thinking that because they’re feeling queasy now, that’s how they are going to feel for the rest of the time they’re spending in that place. Some even quit their studies and go back home, thinking they will never fit in. There’s hardly truth to that.

Culture shock is a temporary thing. Things get better over time once you learn the customary ways of the people, language they speak, and so on. Also, once you meet new friends, you’ll be better off adjusting to the place. Knowing that those feelings of anxiety, depression or stress will eventually pass makes it a lot easier for international students to cope with the situation.

2. Things different aren’t necessarily wrong.

One common misconception among young people is that things that are different are wrong. That’s not true. Cultures are very diverse. In some places, people have the freedom to dress provocatively while in others, they do not have that. In some places, punctuality is a strict rule to follow while in others, they are hardly ever on time.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that you have to do the things that you don’t think is right just to fit in. But what you have to do is to accept the reality that this is a part of their culture and for these people, those things are not wrong. Instead of being critical, learn to accept the reality that not all cultures fit into your notion of right and wrong.

3. Learn the stages of culture shock

When you’re going through this, it helps to know the stages so you know how well you’re coping with the situation. The stages of culture shock are as follows:

- Honeymoon phase – Everything seems exciting. This is when you usually first arrive at the new place.
- Crisis stage – This is when the reality sets in that you find it hard to deal with the differences. This is the time when it becomes hard to focus on your studies.
- Adjustment chapter – By this time, you’ve already become more confident in speaking the native language, in going by your daily routine, and in having friends by your side. There are still a few problems along the way but you can deal with them more efficiently now.
- Bi-cultural phase – During this time, you become comfortable living in two cultures. You feel that you fit in whether you go back home or you stay in the place where you study.

Culture shock isn’t the only thing you have to deal with when you’re an international student. This is why, it would be best to be protected financially for any illness or injury you might sustain with international student insurance. Like the travel cancellation insurance, this can also be availed online.

The issue hasn’t been resolved yet, in spite of a number of attempts. One of the big problems is that New Hampshire depends primarily on two types of taxes to fund all of its governmental operations: sin taxes (motel rooms, meals, booze and cigarettes) and property taxes. Well, there’s only so much sin you can accomplish in New Hampshire, especially in the winter, and the property owners of the state are just about taxed out.

The state, and many other states and municipalities, definitely need to look at their methods of funding public education and come up with formulas that provide universally available, top-quality education. But beyond that, perhaps education planners need to get a little creative. Perhaps small schools in rural areas could institute block scheduling in their schools and share the best teachers in each subject, with the teachers spending a semester at one school and then moving to another; this could not only make it possible for schools to afford the best science and math teachers, which are a rare commodity, but to add extras like music, art, and drama, courses that often aren’t considered necessary, but that provide a tremendous motivation for many students to stay in school. Alternative building methods like using shipping containers for new school construction could save millions of dollars.

Right now, the state of New Hampshire is trying to come up with a definition for an adequate education. I think they’re barking up the wrong tree. I think they need to come up with a definition of an optimal education, and then figure out how to get that optimal learning experience to every student in the state, for the least amount of money. That will be universal education!