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College students are on a campus-wide hunt, trying to catch 'em all with the latest mobile app craze, Pokémon Go. The 1990s kids' card game laid low the past several years and now people of all ages are catching Pokémon fever - it's even on the brink of overtaking Twitter when it comes to daily usage. From bathroom, to office desk and on campus, fans are finally living the ultimate dream: having Pokémon come to life and inhabiting our world.

Pokémon Go lets players participate in an "augmented reality" that uses a smartphone's GPS to track players' locations and creates a virtual-Pokémon world on the screen. Players can view their physical surroundings as well as that of the Pokémon characters, and the goal is to catch them. Colleges seem to have caught the fever too and are embracing the trend. While focusing on campus safety and reminding students to pay attention to their surroundings, schools such as The University of Central Florida offered shuttle services to students who were playing Pokémon Go on campus during late hours. Some students have stayed out as late as 3 a.m. to play the game.

The buzz has "exploded" since last Thursday and according to Central Florida's campus police, "half of the community was tweeting about what was going on in Dallas; the other half was tweeting about Pokémon Go." Some believe that the game allows for even the most introverted, house body students to get out of their dorms and walk around campus, meet new people, and explore their campus. One student even went as far as claiming that students are "becoming more aware of things that are on campus because they have to walk to these different 'Poké Stops'."

Students aren't the only ones eager to play. College faculty like Samantha L. Jackson, a Coordinator for Academic-Advising Services at Central Florida is "currently on Level 10" and hopes to "level-up by the end of the day." Even the President of Wheaton College posted a photo on Instagram of a Poké Stop on his campus.

Pokémon Go is popular not only because it is easy to download, but also because it is free. If you have a passion for game design or computer science, check out our scholarships and download our FREE mobile app, too!

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

With Tinder, you can find your future partner, land a hookup, or...earn a scholarship? A female junior at the University of Nebraska Oklahoma was awarded a scholarship and paid internship for defending her use of the mobile dating app.

After Shannon Workman's sorority, Chi Omega, found that she had a Tinder profile picture while rocking a T-shirt with their letters, she was called to a disciplinary meeting. They found the picture to be "disrespectful" and pushed for a "membership revocation," which Workman secretly recorded. Rather than go through an appeals process, Workman opted to left-swipe and bounce. After choosing to exercise her right to use the Tinder app and defy Chi Omega, Tinder CEO and Co-founder Sean Rad reached out to offer Workman a full tuition scholarship to finish her undergrad education. Additionally, she was offered a paid internship at the company because what she did "sends a very empowering message to young women and college students."

Though Tinder has been blamed for creating a modern hookup culture and creating a "dating apocalypse", Workman stated that she defends Tinder because "I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Some people use it for hookups but I don't, and a lot of great things happen through Tinder.” Tinder was started at USC, primarily through the sorority and fraternity realm - which is still the most active group on Tinder. Over 50 percent of users are ages 18 to 24, many of whom are women.

What're your thoughts on Tinder offering a scholarship to the student? You may have your own causes that you believe in - from social action and environmental activism, to simple community service, there are scholarships that award student’s leadership and passion for causes larger than themselves.

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

The history of beer dates back as far as the 5th century BC and is known to be one of the oldest beverages produced by mankind. However, MillerCoors might not cut it these days for beer aficionados due to the latest cultural trend: microbreweries and craft beer. From your local bar, to the stadium, and now in the classroom, the craft beer industry is starting to dominate its field with universities now offering programs that educate students on the hottest hops and beers to help them launch their careers in the craft beer industry, according to Lisa Rathke of the Associated Press.

Craft beer, as defined by the Brewer's Association, focuses on small-batch, independent, and traditional methods of brewing. The craft industry poses a threat to Big Beer, which fell 2% in 2014. According to industry statistics, craft beer now accounts for a 19% or more of dollar sales. What exactly accounts for this popularity? Some experts point to the "trendy hipsterism" - the "local vibe' that Big Beer just can't match. Brewer Association Director Paul Gatza attributes the increased marvel to beer drinkers' experimentation to brewery experimentation, increased appearance on retail shelves, the social aspect, and its portability. So why not keep up with the trend by becoming more educated and involved in the ever-growing industry?

But there's a catch: you must be at least 21 years of age. Oregon, Vermont, and California all have a minimum drinking age of 21 years and in so far as applying for the programs, students must wait till the legal age to begin their courses. Though the programs are intended to educate and place people in a up-and-coming field, the age at which people may apply may have them delaying their careers and plans until they have reached the age of drinking maturity. The average age for college freshman is 18 years old, while several may be 17 or 19 years old. That said, those intending to enroll in craft beer business courses must wait three to four years before applying and starting. Do you think the age requirement should be lowered?

Ranking at the top in the nation for the most breweries per capita, the University of Vermont offers an online business of craft beer certificate program and optional apprenticeship. According to program director Gregory Dunkling, students apply from all across the nation. Most beer-focused breweries started out five to ten years ago. Industry statistics reveal that in 2014, overall beer sales were up only 0.5% while craft beer sales increased by 17.6%. The U.S. far surpassed 4,000 breweries in September of 2015, and it had not crossed this barrier since 1873. A decade ago, Dunkling claims that home brewers, despite their strong home recipes, lacked "business acumen" - so they hired marketing, sales, and business operation staff. With increased competition in the industry, there's a demand for higher brewer knowledge, especially on the business side. UV's online class offers two separate courses: the Fundamentals of Craft Beer, and then a choice for focus on Digital Marketing, Sales, or Business Operations.

In 2013, Portland State University in Oregon began their online Business of Craft Brewing program and within a week, the class had filled all its seats. Found to be one of the "most successful professional certificate programs," it attracted international students who either "didn't want to necessarily go to college," or had already received a degree - they genuinely wanted to learn how to open their own brew pub, which required a bit more knowledgeable in marketing. Portland State University even offers a scholarship opportunity in craft brewing, titled Pink Boots Scholarship for a woman who earns income from the beer industry.

Also, San Diego State University's College of Extended Studies offers a similar professional certificate in the business of craft beer - from introductory courses such as "Exploring Craft Beer" to "Finance," students can venture into the field at local breweries, to get a hands-on learning experience in the craft beer industry. Students can receive their certificate in less than 1.5 years.

If you have a taste for microbrewery, viticulture, or any related fields of study, search for scholarships today and pursue your higher education dreams with the help of free college money.

And remember, there’s no need to rely on expensive student loan options to pay for your college education. For more information on finding free scholarship money for college, conduct a Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

One of the things necessary for success in college is being a well-rounded person. No matter what career field you choose to enter, reading and writing is essential. Therefore, every college student should strive to read a wide variety of literature. Below are several popular and timeless books that every college student should read:

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. A classic coming of age story, many college students will identify with the young protagonist's struggles to figure out what she wants to do in life as well as learn that one should never abandon their principles, no matter the temptation.
• The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot. Considered as one of the most important literary works of the 20th century, it has a multitude of confusing references and footnotes that are designed to obscure rather than illuminate meaning. The Waste Land shows both the tragedy and the hope of modern life.
• The Odyssey by Homer. This classic epic of Odysseus’s fantastical and dangerous journey home to his family after the Trojan War has fascinated audiences for centuries. Odysseus must fight mystical creatures and endure the wrath of the gods while retaking the throne of Ithaca.
• Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare is well known for his tragedies like Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, his comedic play Much Ado About Nothing is full of examples of clever word play as the two main characters throw verbal darts at each other. Even the title is a triple play on words!
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This hilarious and random galactic adventure involving several eccentric characters will find its way to your bookshelf and heart. A science fiction classic, it is the first of a series that reveal Adams' imaginative depiction of the future.

And remember, there’s no need to rely on expensive student loan options to pay for your college education. For more information on finding free scholarship money for college, conduct a Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

When it comes to choosing extracurricular activities, many students are concerned about whether or not the activity will look good on college applications. They end up either changing activities without commitment or stick with an activity that they don't particularly enjoy, but believe will look good to colleges. However, working or getting involved in clubs and sports can and should be fun! Below is a list of tips as to how you should approach high school extracurricular activities to help you obtain that much-desired college acceptance.

• Join early. Building strong extracurricular activities takes time. Being in the program for a longer amount of time allows for more experience and better chances of obtaining leadership roles.
• Think quality, not quantity. Someone who spent four years in their school's jazz band and was the first chair of their section will look more dedicated than someone who was in fifteen clubs but never did much more than attend meetings. Try to obtain leadership roles in whatever extracurricular activities you choose.
• Pursue your passions. You may think your hobbies are too weird to impress colleges, but that's false. If you show enough dedication to an activity, whether it be basketball or making duct tape art, colleges will be interested. Remember, interviews are an important part of the college admissions process, and you will be asked to elaborate on your extracurricular activities. If you dislike what you do, it will show.
• Don't forget about school! Although extracurricular activities are vital, grades and standardized test scores are also incredibly important. Be involved, but make sure to leave enough time for studying, as well as for some free time. Although it may feel like it sometimes, your time in high school does not need to be a non-stop pursuit of acceptance to college.

And remember, there’s no need to rely on expensive student loan options to pay for your college education. For more information on finding free scholarship money for college, conduct a Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

It seems like to get into college these days students have to be involved in nearly everything: sports, debate team, internships, nonprofit volunteering, honor societies, part time jobs…the list of potential activities goes on. But how do you describe yourself adequately without breaking the cardinal rule of the college essay: Do Not Regurgitate Your Resume? Here’s a little metaphor to help break it down.

Imagine that all the different pieces of you are embodied in ingredients to your favorite meal. Your volunteering is the pasta, your creativity is the tomato, your leadership is the salt, that time you lost the championship game is the garlic…and so on. Now imagine that your college essay is the recipe and it has to tell the admissions officer, the cook, how to make your Mom’s famous spaghetti.

To make her sauce it is important to have the right proportions: how many tomatoes, how much salt and how much garlic? A list of ingredients is nothing without the amounts and neither is your application. Did you spend a year on a research project? Have you volunteered since you were in elementary school? Look to the length of your involvement for signs of character growth, project manifestation, and endurance.

Once you put the ingredients in the pot, you have to heat them up. You have to stir it to just the right temperature so that the scent fills the air around you. The circumstances of your involvement are important too. Did you finish the race despite all odds? Did you try something new? How did it change you? In what way did you interact with your environment to accomplish something?

Then there’s the secret ingredient, the one that Mom’s grandmother’s grandmother whispered in her ear years ago. It’s the ingredient that lets the sauce linger on your taste buds just a second longer so you can savor the taste. In your essay, it’s what creates the perfect picture of you. For me, it was sharing my biggest hopes and dreams, for you it might be describing the way your hands shook when you held the trophy, or the feeling of your first paycheck. It is something unchangeable, something only cultivated by a true connection between the reader and the writer.

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

Unless you’re rooming with someone you already know, a college roommate can be a wild card. For many, this is the first time that they are sharing their living space for an extended period of time. As a result, tensions can run high if you aren’t careful, dragging down both your mood and possibly even your GPA. In order to maintain a good relationship with your roommate and avoid explosions in your dorm room, try some of the following tips.

• Make rules early on. Chances are, you and your roommate will have some different habits. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but drawing up some general guidelines at the start of the school year will let you both know what to expect. (Defining what “neat” entails is a great start.)
• Communicate, communicate, and communicate! Passive aggressiveness gets you nowhere. Try to address problems when they are small, and in an open, non-confrontational manner. In addition, a little occasional compromising goes a long way.
• Have a fun shared activity. It can be something short and sweet. Some simple ideas would include going out to eat, participating in a club or even just going to the gym.
• Take breaks from each other. Even the best of friends need to separate occasionally. It’s healthy for both of you to have other friends and interests. The last thing you want is to give off the impression of being an impenetrable duo.
• Don’t try to force it. Sometimes your roommate may end up being your best friend. On the other hand, clicking on a higher level than "roommate", may just not be in the deck of cards. Maybe you two don't have similar interests or personalities that qualify each other as friendship material. Just because you were randomly paired up, doesn't mean you have to like each other to the point of friendship. If that’s the case, don’t worry! Being courteous is a must, but friendship is not something that can be forced. If you let resentments fester and don't really speak into how you feel, you plant the seed to a toxic relationship, that will one day blow up. Nothing is more awkward than living with someone you're not speaking with!

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

My name is Christina Zhou and as part of my duties as a virtual intern for Scholarships.com I will be writing blog articles each week. Writing is one of my passions and that, combined with the opportunity to help people, was what drew me to this position. Hopefully, the content in these articles will assist student readers everywhere in answering their questions about the college experience.

As with any high school senior, my experience with college applications involved a great deal of stress and procrastination. However, I was confident in my final decision of the University of Chicago because of several reasons. I knew I had made the right choice after thoroughly researching the school and comparing what it had to offer with what I wanted to get out of the college experience. I was particularly drawn to the Core curriculum, because although I love biology I am also interested in a wide variety of disciplines. Furthermore, the quirkiness of the university shone through its offbeat email topics and its unusual essay prompts. I actually looked forward to writing those admissions essays, something that led me to the realization that the University of Chicago was the right choice for me.

Now I am a rising second year at the University of Chicago and am currently leaning towards a biology major. Although I am busy with classwork, in my spare time I love to read and draw, as well as use various social media websites. On campus I am involved in many different organizations such as Leaders of Color, Phoenix Biology and have just finished training as an emergency medical responder. College is an incredible experience but the admissions process is daunting for many. I hope to offer advice that is beneficial to those embarking on the same journey.

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

For the first time this fall, high school students in the Los Angeles, California area will be participating in a new addition to the curriculum, “Sext” Education. KNX 1070’s Mark Austin Thomas reports the L.A. Unified School District has put together a plan that will educate students on the dangers of sharing sexually-explicit photos via texting and the Internet. Each school in the district will receive lesson plans, supplemented by videos and handouts for the students.

A 2011 national Pew survey found that, while only 3 percent of teens with cellphones sent naked or near-naked photos or videos of themselves, 21 percent of teens ages 14-17 claimed they had received them. District Police Chief Steven Zipperman says the campaign will teach students about violations of child pornography and obscenity laws that can come with sexting, along with the personal consequences. The primary focus of the effort is to get students to really think before they hit “send”.

Holly Priebe-Diaz, the District’s intervention coordinator, believes “We don’t have the exact number on how big or how widespread the problem is specific to our district, but we do know that I’s a growing trend. So we want to try to get ahead of it and raise awareness for all of our students.”

Texas Professor, Jeff Temple who has co-authored a sexting study, hopes the curriculum gives facts without exaggerating the risks of sexting, and emphasized the importance of consent.

Do you think "Sext" education classes are inappropriate to implement in a high school curriculum? Have you been a part of, or witnessed a scenario where "sexting" became a problem?

Your opinion matters, let it be heard on a college campus where you can impact thousands of your peers. Begin your college search and allow the experts to determine which college best suits your needs by filling out a quick profile at Scholarships.com.

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!