But how can you find community service activities if you are a college student with a full schedule? Follow these tips to find out what options are available to you.

Ask for Community Service Opportunities

Two ways to start searching for community service projects are:

• By interest. What sort of volunteer work would you enjoy doing? Even if a group or agency isn’t actively advertising for volunteers, it never hurts to ask. If you pick community service that motivates and excites you, you’re more likely to stick with it over the long term.

• By need. What organizations or causes in your community have a great need for volunteers? If there’s a local shelter or nonprofit that consistently asks for help, you know you’ll be put to good use.

Larger organizations like schools and hospitals may have a detailed volunteer application process. Check and see what information, if any, you need to provide.

In general, be prepared to wash dishes, stock shelves, sweep floors or do whatever you’re asked to do – no task is too small!

Look for Schedule-Friendly Options

It’s helpful to determine whether you want to spend a few hours volunteering or commit to a community service project over a series of weeks and months. Make sure to honor your commitment, whatever you decide. Many organizations like to build relationships with their volunteers, and they may give them increased responsibility over time.

Join College Organizations

Well-known organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Key Club, Greenpeace and Big Brothers Big Sisters will often have college chapters. Chances are, your college has its own clubs and extracurricular activities dedicated to serving the community. Check bulletin boards, sign up for mailing lists and ask around.

Since you’ll be working side by side with other students, it’s a perfect opportunity to make friends. If you have friends already involved in community service, why not ask to join them?

Search Your Local Community

Whether you are in a tiny college town or a large city, you probably won’t have to look far to find people in need. Public libraries are a good resource for volunteer projects. So are community centers. Food pantries, animal shelters, local parks and other organizations will often welcome help, and in some cases may have a partnership with your college or university.

Find Special Events

Community festivals, holiday celebrations, fundraising marathons, building cleanups … all kinds of events may lead to a call for extra volunteers. These short-term service projects might require only a few hours. They can be an ideal way for a busy college student to get involved in the community.

Think Beyond the Obvious

If you enjoy working with kids, animals or the elderly, you have plenty of community service options. If your interests and skills lie in computers, political science or art history, you may need to get a little more creative.

For example, a nonprofit may need help organizing its finances or maintaining its computer system. A community bookstore may run entirely on volunteer staff. A grassroots publication may depend on volunteer contributors.

Academic skills can be used in community service, too. You may be cooking and serving large quantities of food at a homeless shelter or transitional living facility; you might also help residents write resumes and cover letters to find jobs. In addition to needing envelope stuffers, nonprofits might need volunteer graphic designers and photographers to help with their marketing campaigns.

A large part of community service is initiative and being willing and available to do what’s needed. This way, your college community service can be rewarding both to you and to those you serve.

Today’s post is by campus correspondent Allyson Vaughan, a senior at Boiling Springs High School, Boiling Springs, SC. Find out how you can become a campus correspondent, too!

The Freshman Fifteen is one of those things that often sneaks up on college freshmen, leaving them wonderstruck as to how it got there.

Being on your own for the first time gives you freedom to eat what you want, when you want. That fifteen pounds did not come just from hours spent studying in the library. It also comes from eating unhealthy cafeteria food, late night Taco Bell runs (come on, how could you resist that fourth meal deal?) and one too many sugary lattes from the campus coffee shop. It’s not surprising that all that junk food adds to the junk in your jeans.

The Freshman Fifteen can be outrun though, Nikes required.

Check Your Meal Plan Options

First, it may help if you survey the different meal plan options. Some colleges may encourage you to get a 21-meal plan, but what you can do is get the mid-sized plan and opt to use your microwave to whip up some healthier meals.

Microwaveable vegetables, popcorn, low sodium soups, 90-second brown rice and oatmeal are convenient and much better alternatives than pizza that’s drowning itself in its own grease. Your microwave is your friend. Go on, give it a hug!

Snack Smart

Unhealthy snacking is another culprit that affects college freshmen. It’s hard to not want to snack when you’re stressed out or in need of something to munch on while you study.

Avoid chips and honey buns, they’ll do nothing but get grease on your textbooks and add more jiggle to your wiggle. Most cafeterias have fresh fruit available. It’s also a good idea to keep granola bars or lite popcorn stocked in your dorm room. Popcorn is great if you need something crunchy, and string cheese is protein-packed and fits neatly in your mini-fridge.

Exercise!

To stay fit, take a quick jog or do some yoga, which is calming and space-friendly in your small dorm. Being physically inactive is a big problem for students. They often don’t want to spend their free time working out.

Colleges usually have gyms the students can use, but if not, try using workout DVDs, or grab your sneakers and go for a walk with a friend. Load your iPod with some fast beat tunes and dance around your dorm room! Anything that gets you moving is better than sitting around. Take the stairs, walk to class. Aim for a half hour, three times a week if nothing else.

The Freshman Fifteen can be beat if you try to live a healthy lifestyle. Eating right and working out will give you more energy and can help you feel better about getting up early for those classes. It can also reduce your stress when your work load builds up. Be in tune to your body, don’t eat unless you’re hungry and stay hydrated to keep yourself from mistaking thirst for hunger. Eating healthy and exercising will help you keep a good attitude, feel better and enjoy your freshman year.

Allyson Vaughan is a senior at Boiling Springs High School, Boiling Springs, SC. She will attend Anderson University in the fall of 2012 and will major in Creative Writing. Currently, she is President of the Psychology and Book clubs, historian of History Club and enjoys her involvement in her school’s Literary Magazine. Her dream is to be a successful writer.

Today’s post is by campus correspondent Devon Abelman,

I’ve grown up with the word “sorority” constantly being thrown around. My mom was a member of one and her “big sister” lived with us for some time when I was little. Joining a sorority always seemed like a natural step I would take once I started college.

When I received my acceptance letter to University of Florida, a school where Greek life is prevalent, I planned on rushing my mom’s sorority. Halfway through rush, however, I noticed that Greek life wasn’t for me. I quickly realized that just because every other person at my college seems to be a part of a sorority or fraternity, it’s not the only thing at school you can be involved in.

Find Your Passion

Take a moment to figure out what matters to you. Whether it is a political party, religion, movement, area of study or hobby, write it down. Focus on things such as your major, your favorite causes, your career goals and activities that you enjoy. This list will help steer you in the direction you will go to figure out what extracurricular activities you want to be a part of.

Seek Out Clubs at Your School

At a big university like UF, there are over 700 student organizations. There is everything from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club to Habitat for Humanity. No matter the size of your school, you are bound to find an organization that caters to one of the passions you wrote down on your list.

Go on your campus website to find out about different open houses and club fairs to learn more about organizations in a non-binding and open environment. Pick two or even three, depending on your course load, that mean the most to you and attend their meetings.

If sports are your thing, you are not limited to student organizations. Check out the recreation and fitness center on campus. Many colleges offer free instructional classes and intramural sports to get involved in.

Take An Active Role

Don’t join an organization just because it will look good on your resume or because it sounds cool when you tell people you are a member. Join because you have a passion to get involved and want to meet others who share your passion. Attend every meeting and event you possibly can along with socials so you can connect with other members. Think about applying for an executive position. It will give you something to do besides studying and you’ll feel like you are really apart of something.

Joining a sorority or fraternity may seem like the only way to make friends and get involved at a school where Greek life is big, but it may not be the right association for you. Follow your passion and find an organization that is the best fit for you and will help you get the most out of your college experience.

Devon Abelman is a sophomore at the University of Florida. She is involved with many student organizations, including UF Hillel’s chapter of Challah for Hunger, Society of Professional Journalists, and Reitz Union Board of Entertainment.

Since we recently published a blog post on the advantages of riding bikes in college, we thought it only fair to let you know where you can find some of the most bike-friendly campuses in America.

According to The League of American Bicyclists, which publishes a list of colleges in the US with the most bicycle-friendly campuses, the following schools are your best bets if you are looking for a campus that’s conducive to cycling.

The schools were evaluated on the basis of a number of criteria, including what they have actually built or designed on campus to make it accessible to bikes, the extent of education provided by the school on safe bike-riding habits, the ways in which the school actively promotes bike riding, how local law enforcement is involved in creating a safe environment for bike riders, and the systems the school has in place to evaluate current programs and plan for the future.

Awards were then given to colleges in four levels, ranging from Bronze to Platinum.

Here are some of the top-placing campuses:

Regardless of your motives for bike riding — whether you want to preserve the environment, try to get yourself in shape or simply enjoy the feeling of the wind in your face as you cycle down the street — there are plenty of colleges out there with campuses designed to accommodate your affinity for biking. These are just a few of the best ones out there, which might be worth paying a visit or even submitting an application to.

(On a side note, did anyone else notice that the vast majority of these schools are on the West Coast? Looks like we East-Coasters have some catching up to do!)

How does your college campus measure up when it comes to being bicycle-friendly? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below!

Today’s post is by Scott Perske, a senior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa who writes for The National Society of Collegiate Scholars’ blog, TalkNerdy2Me.

Integrity is a difficult concept to define. We all have it, but few can clarify its meaning.

We mostly know that “integrity” is some condition of steadfast morality or ethical principle, but that “definition” doesn’t capture the immense importance of subjectivity. One person’s “integrity” could be inconsistent with another’s.

But herein lingers the problem of context, that stubborn salvation of situational specificity. Some people believe that the quality of integrity varies based on circumstances. But nothing could be further from the truth!

Integrity is the consistency between our pre-evaluated responses to varying trial conditions. More than that, though, integrity is the ability to successfully act upon a personalized ethical framework that guides each individual to realize what he or she considers the best reaction to a situation.

The strange thing about integrity is that it needs only one person to be prevalent, but it needs at least one witness to be perceived. This, then, is where things get muddled.

Some people criticize students for exhibiting a lack of integrity nowadays. “Generation Me” is supposedly a group of impolite narcissists expecting nothing less than the world on a silver platter. To an extent, this is true; there certainly are more people than ever before who fit into that stigma, but that doesn’t mean these types of people have never before existed.

The problem, though, is that it’s never before been easier to overlook integrity. Plagiarism and cheating have always been options, but they’ve never been more convenient than in the time of the internet.

Illegal consumption of alcohol or contraband drugs is not new (after all, let’s remember the “free times” of the ’60s), but more people are accepting new norms over traditional rules. What we’re witnessing in the rise of GenMe is not the lack of integrity, but the transition away from previous generations’ definitions of integrity.

We must be very careful, though, in this process of generational change. We mustn’t bother just to be better than our contemporaries or predecessors — as William Faulkner once implored — we must try to be better than ourselves.

The college campus is exactly the place to enact our better selves. We’re told not to cheat or plagiarize, but we think nothing of it when others do it. We sometimes hold back our criticism of bad teachers (and our praise of good ones) in situations when our voices our needed. We push off our assignments as much as possible in order to have more free time for fun. The longer we continue these actions, the more we’ll cheat ourselves and others in the future.

Difficult though it may be, integrity demands self-evaluation and proactive response. Some people feel GenMe has a lack of integrity. No! We do have integrity, but we don’t employ it often enough.

Our time at college is precious. Grad school, careers, relationships — lives are made there. We must take the time to demand ourselves to be better. Only then can we achieve our individual and collective potential.

Scott Perske is a senior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he studies world/comparative history and international relations. He currently serves as the executive vice president of the National Leadership Council for The National Society of Collegiate Scholars and is a regular contributor to the NSCS blog, TalkNerdy2Me. He has taken part in the International Scholar Laureate Program’s European Delegation for Diplomacy and International Relations, has completed a course study at the Qufu Normal University in Qufu, China, and has traveled into Tibet with a seminar on Chinese culture and economics.

A lot of careful consideration must go into registering for classes each semester in order to ensure that you stay on track with your degree program as well as experience, learn and accomplish everything that you would like to in these four short years.

Here are a few tips to help you get through the registration period stress-free and end up with a college class schedule that rocks.

1. Do your research.

Don’t wait until the last minute to start looking at what classes are available next semester. Class offerings are usually posted weeks in advance of the registration period, so there’s no excuse not to get a head start on this. In addition to browsing the course catalog, it is important to review the requirements for your major in advance, so that you can make sure the classes you plan on registering for will fulfill them and count toward your college degree.

2. Map out your schedule.

Once you have finished choosing your courses and made sure your desired classes fit the requirements for your major, map out your preliminary class schedule to make sure that it is actually feasible. This strategy will help you to make sure that none of the classes overlap and to see whether or not you’ll realistically have time to get from class to class. Creating a visualization of your class schedule prior to registration will also help to determine whether and when you will have breaks between classes for lunch and other daily essentials.

3. Have backups.

Unfortunately, unless you are an upperclassman with a very good registration appointment, you may not be able to get into all the classes you want. As such, it is always a good idea to come up with a list of potential backup classes – classes that you would still enjoy taking, would still fulfill the requirements for your major and would still fit in with your schedule – just in case some of your first choices fill up before your registration time.

4. Plan ahead.

Be proactive! Keep your eye on the prize! Don’t waste precious time and class slots by registering for courses that do not fulfill any of the requirements for your major or college degree program. Create a general plan or timeline for the next few years to make sure you complete everything you need to in a timely manner and stay on-track to graduate in four years.  While it’s always good to live in the moment, don’t make the mistake of forgetting about the future entirely, as you don’t want to be left struggling to complete all sorts of distributional and required credits your senior year of college. The bottom line is, when registering for next semester’s classes, keep the big picture in mind!

Remember these tips as you prepare for the upcoming class registration period at your college and hopefully you will be able to avoid potential pitfalls and create a class schedule that is not only enjoyable, but also strategic and prudent in keeping you on-track to fulfill all the requirements for your college degree.

But how do you choose where to work?

To help you narrow down the list and find the perfect student job for you, here are some of the benefits and drawbacks of on-campus and off-campus jobs.

On-Campus Jobs:

Pros:

1. Scheduling. On-campus jobs tend to be more understanding of college students’ schedules, seeing as they’re specifically designed for them. If you’re looking for more flexibility in terms of scheduling times to work, an on-campus job is for you. Some positions even allow you to set your own work schedule and put in your hours whenever you have the time.

2. Variety. With all of the various academic departments at your college, you can expect a wide range of on-campus jobs to choose from. On-campus jobs can be anything from preparing solutions for a chemistry professor to proofreading a literature professor’s latest book.

3. Practical application of classroom learning. Many on-campus jobs give you the opportunity to work with professors at the top of your field of study and gain some practical, hands-on experience with what you are learning in class (while getting paid at the same time!).

Cons:

1. Money. Some on-campus jobs have pretty low starting pay rates, which may be less than their off-campus counterparts. They also don’t give you the opportunity to earn tips as, say, servers or bartenders would.

2. Less personal interaction. Some on-campus jobs tend to be isolated. Whether doing research in the college library or crunching numbers on the computer, you may find yourself working alone with many on-campus jobs rather than brushing up on your interpersonal and customer service skills.

Off-Campus Jobs:

Pros:

1. Money. Off-campus jobs often pay more than the average on-campus position. Also, off-campus jobs in the service industry allow you to supplement your hourly wage with some tips.

2. Opportunities to expand your social circle. College campuses can often feel like a bubble, isolated from the rest of the world. Off-campus jobs are a great opportunity to get out and meet new people, whether coworkers or customers, who may offer you fresh perspectives and alternatives to hanging out on campus every weekend.

3. “Real world” experience. Off-campus jobs allow you to escape the “ivory tower” of college and gain some real work experience that may be more applicable to jobs you pursue in the future. This experience may also be just the thing to set you apart from the average student when sending out resumes and applications as your college career comes to a close.

Cons:

1. Scheduling. Off-campus jobs may not be as flexible and understanding as on-campus student jobs in terms of scheduling. In the “real world,” money is the bottom line, so bosses may not be as lenient or willing to let you off the hook if you need to miss a shift to study for an exam or go to a formal.

2. Less convenient. Off-campus jobs may be less convenient than on-campus jobs simply because of the fact that they are off-campus. You may have to commit more time to commuting between your college and your place of employment and likely won’t be able to get your work done on your own time, say in between classes, as you can with some on-campus positions.

Whichever option seems more appealing to you, on-campus or off-campus, it is a shrewd idea to get a job while you are a student in college. With the promise of more spending money, new professional and social contacts and invaluable on-the-job experience, you will come out of it a richer, wiser and hopefully happier college student than you were at the start.

While activities such as these certainly have their merits, college student groups are much more diverse and open doors to all sorts of new pursuits, giving you the opportunity to broaden your outlook and find that perfect niche. Not only do extracurricular activities provide you with a way to pass your time, they provide you with the opportunity to learn new things, make new friends and find the basis for your social life on campus.

What we’ve listed below are just a few of the interesting extracurricular activities you can expect to find on your college campus. Hopefully you can find one (or more!) that sparks your interest and inspires you to pursue a passion you may not have even known you had.

A Cappella Groups

A cappella, which in Italian means “in the manner of the chapel,” refers to singing that is done without the aid of instrumental accompaniment. A cappella groups have become a hugely popular extracurricular activity on many college campuses. Go to any college and you are likely to find a wide array of a cappella groups, from coed to all male, singing a variety of music from top 40 to traditional Jewish folksongs, Broadway showtunes, and country standards.

With their popularity, probably only further accentuated by the emergence of “Glee,” competition to get into a cappella groups can be quite stiff. But don’t let that discourage you. A cappella groups accept members from all walks of life – and all majors. In most college a cappella groups, it is not unusual to find business, chemistry and political science majors mixed in with the more expected theatre and music majors.

Intramural Sports

Even if you were always picked last in childhood kickball games and wouldn’t stand a chance at making the school basketball team, thanks to intramurals you can still play organized sports in college. Intramural sports teams allow you to have all the fun of playing a game of basketball, soccer or hockey without any of the pressure that comes with being on a school varsity team.

While there is still a competitive aspect to intramurals, as they often compete in leagues, it is essentially just for fun and there is nothing really riding on whether you win or lose. It’s just a chance to get some exercise (which you’ll need if you’re to avoid the dreaded Freshman 15!) and have a good time with your friends.

Fraternities and Sororities

Even if the prospect of joining a fraternity or sorority may not initially seem like your cup of tea, don’t write it off just yet. Greek life on college campuses these days can be markedly different from what you may have seen portrayed in movies such as Animal House.

Many fraternities and sororities are dedicated to charitable pursuits, encouraging their members to get involved in all sorts of interesting community service activities. There are also a number of Greek organizations dedicated to specific ethnic, religious, social and academic groups, so joining one of these houses is a great way to meet other students with interests and/or backgrounds that are similar to yours.

Pre-professional Groups

Another interesting extracurricular activity to consider getting involved in on campus is a group for students interested in pursuing a career in a specific field, such as law, medicine or business. These groups are great ways not only to meet students with similar interests, but also to learn more about whatever field you are considering pursuing in a more relaxed atmosphere outside of the classroom.

Furthermore, pre-professional groups are a great way to get a head start on networking. The fact that the people you meet here are forward thinking and driven enough to join such a group in the first place means they are likely to go on to become influential, successful figures in their respective fields. So if you can count them as friends now, that might mean a better chance at landing a great job in the future.

Improv/Sketch Comedy

Though most high schools’ extracurricular activities for the dramatically-inclined are limited to drama club and glee club, many college campuses offer more diverse opportunities to shine onstage. For those looking to hone their funny bone, improv and sketch comedy groups are great options.

Whether you thrive on the thrill of improvisational comedy (think “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) or prefer more scripted, situational comedy (think “Mad TV”), college comedy troupes are wonderful opportunities to find your funny, gain more confidence performing in front of an audience and refine your ability to think on the spot. Who knows, you may even meet the next big star of SNL!

Try Something New!

This is just a small sampling of the extracurricular activities available on college campuses across the country. The key is to try something new and unique. Colleges boast a smorgasbord of extracurricular activities and groups to please even the most seemingly bizarre and obscure tastes of students, so why settle for the ordinary?

Each school has its own unique variety of extracurricular activities, so rather than settle for the same clubs you joined in high school, be that the debate team, drama club or cheerleading squad, find a group devoted to something that intrigues you, like radio broadcasting, sign language or underwater basket weaving, and expand your horizons. After all, isn’t that what college is all about?

Here is a list of some of our most useful tips to help you achieve a fulfilling social life that we’ve compiled from a number of our student guide pages and past blog posts.

1. Get involved.

Student life on campus has plenty to offer. If you don’t take advantage of all the clubs and organizations, you only have yourself to blame. Joining campus activities during your first semester of college is a great way to make friends and get involved. Interested in taking part in Greek life? There are plenty of options for that as well.

2. Keep your door open.

During your first semester of college, you want to make as many friends as possible, especially with people living on the same floor as you. And it’s easier than you think. All you have to do is keep your door open, literally! Keeping your dorm room door open is an invitation for people passing by to pop their heads in and introduce themselves. And while sometimes you need a little privacy, there’s no better way to make friends than to appear interested in doing so.

3. Try to get along with your roommate. 

It’s simple: getting along with your roommate is absolutely essential to a good social life in college. Think about it — you’re going to be living in a tiny room with this randomly selected person for at least a semester. You don’t have to be best friends, but it’s a good idea to be as friendly, respectful and understanding as possible so that you can hopefully get the same treatment in return.

4. Find a student job.

It may seem a little counterintuitive, but getting a student job is a great way to boost your social life in college. Student jobs are an opportunity to make new friends, meet new people – and make a little extra spending money to use on seeing a movie, grabbing a bite to eat, or taking a trip with your newfound friends! Many colleges offer on-campus employment opportunities in the dining hall, library and other campus buildings.

Sometimes on-campus jobs are scarce, but if you find competition fierce, don’t despair! If you live in a college town, there are likely to be plenty of nearby off-campus jobs available, including retail, restaurant and coffee shop work.

Now it’s your turn! How are you building a social life in college?

I was ready.

But – and I’m sure you’re shocked, just shocked! – I still made mistakes. My mistakes were ones I didn’t see coming as I prepared for my freshman year. They snuck up on me all the same.

I made these three mistakes as a college freshman. You don’t have to.

1. I was too quiet.

Sure, I made friends in college. In fact, I still count two of my freshman-year roommates as some of my best friends, even after we’ve graduated. What’s more, I nearly always got to know at least one person in each class I took. Going to classes was a lot more fun when I knew I would see (and sit beside) a friendly face.

My mistake was that I would rarely make the first move. I waited until someone started talking to me instead of taking the initiative to start a conversation first. Yes, our dorm room door was open pretty much any time my roommates and I weren’t asleep, but that’s not all it takes. You have to do a little legwork yourself and stop by your dormmates’ open doors as well. I didn’t, but I should’ve.

2. I fell asleep in class.

Since my high school classes began at 8:12 a.m. on the dot, I thought taking an 8:30 a.m. class my freshman year of college wouldn’t be a problem. My mistake. My hours as a college student were much different than my hours as a high schooler. I stayed up later, which meant I also wanted to sleep later. Much later.

I always made it to class; I never skipped, not once. But my eyes weren’t always wide open – or open at all — during that morning math class. I was lucky and got an “A” that quarter, but I never made that mistake again. I either scheduled later courses so I wasn’t tired in class, or I prepared by getting a good night’s rest.

3. I tried to prepare for everything.

Being prepared is hardly a mistake. Being too prepared is, however. When I was registering for my first quarter classes before my freshman year began, I also began choosing which courses I wanted to take each of the next three-and-a-half years.

I quickly learned that this was not only a mistake, but also impossible. Some classes aren’t offered every term. Requirements change. And sometimes something unexpected comes along – such as the internship I received my senior year that awarded me credit. Don’t get me wrong: Planning ahead did pay off. Because I was so organized my first three years of college and finished a lot of required classes, I was able to cut back on the number of classes I took during my senior year when I had that internship.

The lesson: Be prepared, but be flexible.

Every college freshman makes mistakes. Heck, every human being makes mistakes. The trick is to learn from the mistakes others have made … and make totally new mistakes on your own! On that note, what mistakes have you made as a college freshman?