Blog

I know a few people (and I'm sure you do, too) who take ADHD medication; however, their names are not the ones on the prescription bottles.

Most people – often college students – who are not prescribed attention-deficit drugs like Adderall or Vyvanse use the pills during times of high stress, like during final exams. Getting a hold of these drugs is so easy that sending one text message to a friend can lead you to the door of a dealer. Usually, the dealers are students who are prescribed ADHD medication and have extra pills to distribute...but not for free. According to a recent New York Times article, a student revealed he is prescribed 60 pills a month from his hometown psychiatrist; he personally uses only 30 or 40 and sells the extra pills to students who want the added push to help them focus.

Universities around the country have become aware of attention-deficit medication abuse and are creating rules to eliminate the misuse. The biggest problem is for university officials to find a system that works. For example, California State University in Fresno requires students to go through two months of testing and paperwork, then sign a formal contract which requires them to submit to random drug testing, to see a mental health professional every month and to not distribute the pills. Other universities, like the University of Vermont, want nothing to do with evaluating and prescribing students ADHD medication and would rather have students go to outside health professionals to get prescriptions, as the school doesn’t want to be liable if students get sick or die from using ADHD medication.

I believe there’s another problem here. Students shouldn’t feel stressed to the point of committing a federal offense by taking unprescribed attention-deficit medication. What do you think about students abusing ADHD medication and how can we eliminate this issue?

Carly Gerber is majoring in journalism at Columbia College Chicago. She loves fashion and hopes to cover the topic for a Chicago-area magazine. In her free time, she focuses on her blog, loves making jewelry and spending time on Pinterest and Pose. She hopes to use this blog to guide and relate to its followers: college students like herself!

As we all know, it’s tough living a healthy lifestyle at college but according to USA Today College, doing so can lead to a higher GPA! Here are a few tips from me to help you live a little healthier while attending college:

• Earn It. Sometimes, the best way to relax and forget about a hectic day is by watching TV but don’t go overboard and become a couch potato. Watching too much TV or spending too much time online can lead to procrastination so tell yourself that you have to earn an hour of TV or 20 minutes on Facebook. Just finished a paper for your English class? Awesome! Enjoy an episode of Homeland...because you’ve earned it.
• Get Moving. Working out is the best thing you can do for your body and mind. According to the Mayo Clinic, frequently hitting the gym reduces stress, fatigue, helps your overall health and, eventually, you’ll look damn good in a bathing suit. Before the upcoming semester, buy a calendar and schedule work out days. Instead of exercising alone, go to fitness classes or enlist your roommate as a workout buddy to stay dedicated.
• Find Alternatives. We all get hungry after a night of college activities but avoid eating a cheeseburger, hotdog, pizza or burrito; instead, enjoy a bowl of popcorn or veggies and dip. Buying healthy alternatives specifically for late-night munching helps me stay on track. I’ve already spent the money on these items at the grocery store, so why waste it?
• Count Sheep. Regularly getting seven to nine hours of sleep improves concentration and memory and decreases hunger, fatigue and irritability. Create a sleep schedule that includes when you’ll go to sleep and when you’ll wake up. It’s hard for me to relax and fall asleep so I created a routine that tells my brain and body it’s time to relax. I wash up, light a candle with a relaxing scent, dim the lights and read a book. Within 30 minute, I’m fully relaxed and ready for bed.

Do you have any tips and tricks for a healthy college lifestyle?

Carly Gerber is majoring in journalism at Columbia College Chicago. She loves fashion and hopes to cover the topic for a Chicago-area magazine. In her free time, she focuses on her blog, loves making jewelry and spending time on Pinterest and Pose. She hopes to use this blog to guide and relate to its followers: college students like herself!

When many students begin college, they will be living away from home for the first time. If you are one of these students, it’s likely you have a lot of thoughts about living in a college residence hall. You’re probably wondering what your roommate will be like, how you will decorate your room and how you will adjust to a new environment but there is an area of residence hall living that is often overlooked: sharing kitchens, bathrooms and other common areas.

During my freshman year of college, I lived in Chatham’s Woodland Hall. Though it was a great place to live for the most part – all residents friendly and it is the only residence hall on campus with an elevator – there were some not-so-great qualities as well...the worst being the kitchen. Despite the number of posters that resident assistants hung up asking people to “Please stop dumping food in the sink” and “Please clean up after yourself”, no one seemed to listen. (I’m not even going into detail on the condition of the bathrooms.)

It might be easy to say that cleaning up after students is the job of university staff but they can’t possibly handle everything, especially when people are being careless and lazy. College students are young adults and learning responsibility is very important. This sort of problem in cleanliness really isn’t that difficult to fix and all it takes is a little pitching in from all of the residents. If you pick up after yourself and do your part to make sure things stay clean, chances are that others will follow.

Is there a problem with cleanliness at your school? If so, be sure to report it to your resident assistants so that they can hold a hall meeting. Also, be sure to take charge yourself by expressing your feelings about the place that you live. Tell your friends politely to be sure to clean up after themselves when they are done using a shared space. We are all neighbors in the residence halls and a clean environment is definitely much more pleasant to study in.

Melissa Garrett is a sophomore at Chatham University majoring in creative writing with minors in music and business. She works as a resident assistant and is currently in the process of self-publishing several of her books. She also serves as the president of Chatham’s LGBT organization and enjoys political activism. Melissa’s ultimate goal is to become a college professor herself.

College is a time of stimulating classes, new friendships and terrible eating habits. Many students gain weight when they enter college but what no one tells you is that if you don’t change your eating and exercising habits, that weight gain doesn’t end freshman year – it’s up to you to make sure you’re remaining healthy, physically and mentally. Here are some tips on how:

• In the cafeteria: You may be sick of the cafeteria food but I promise there are ways to mix it up and remain healthy. As a rule of thumb, make sure your plate has an array of colors and try something new at every meal if you can. Fill up one plate with everything you want instead of using multiple plates – your eyes will see more food in one place and your stomach will feel full on less – and drink plenty of water with your meals because cafeteria food contains lots of sodium.
• In the gym: Access to campus fitness facilities is often included in your fees so take advantage of the gym. Start out slow by doing some simple walking on the treadmill or track and work yourself up to more difficult workouts. Sweating can help you avoid germs, relieve stress and boost your energy. Most schools have clubs that involve exercising as well such as yoga, Zumba or swimming. Sometimes they even offered exercise classes for credits!
• In your head: Getting enough sleep can improve your mood, your attention span and the quality of your work so listen to your body and always take time for yourself. Hang out with friends, create long lasting memories and make sure you’re having fun but don’t be afraid to close your door, put in your headphones and enjoy some alone time every once in a while. Make to-do lists and feel accomplished when you cross everything off...or just take a nap. Go somewhere new. Challenge yourself. And always, remember to ask for help when you need it.

What are your tips for maintaining physical and mental health in college?

Abby Egan is currently a junior at MCLA in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, where she is an English Communications major with a concentration in writing and a minor in philosophy. Abby hopes to find work at a publishing company after college and someday publish some of her own work. In her spare time, Abby likes to drink copious amounts of coffee, spend all her money on adorable shoes and blog into the wee hours of the night.

 
1. Applicant must be a registered Scholarships.com user. Creating an account is simple and free of charge.  After you have created an account, conduct a free scholarship search to view and apply for this award.
 
2. Applicant must be a US citizen.
 
3. Applicant must be a current undergraduate student or a high school senior who plans to enroll in a college or university by fall 2009.
 
4. Applicant must have indicated an interest in one of the following majors:  
    
   • Allopathic
    
   • Ambulatory Health Care
    
   • Audiology
    
   • Biology
    
   • Biomedicine
    
   • Chemistry
    
   • Chiropractic
    
   • Dental Assistant
    
   • Dentistry
    
   • Family Practice
    
   • Forensics(Medical)
    
   • Genetics
    
   • Health Care Administration
    
   • Health Education
    
   • Internal Medicine
    
   • Maxillofacial Radiology
    
   • Medical Assistant
    
   • Medical Lab Technician
    
   • Medical Office Specialist
    
   • Medical Technologist
    
   • Medicine
    
   • Microbiology
    
   • Neural and Behavioral Science
    
   • Neurosciences
    
   • Nursing/Nurse Practitioner
    
   • Nutrition Studies
    
   • Obstetrics/Gynecology
    
   • Occupational Therapy
    
   • Oncology
    
   • Ophthalmology
    
   • Optics
    
   • Optometry
    
   • Oral Radiology
    
   • Orthopedics
    
   • Orthotics/Prosthetics
    
   • Osteopathic
    
   • Pediatrics
    
   • Pharmacology
    
   • Pharmacy Technician
    
   • Physical Fitness
    
   • Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation
    
   • Physician’s Assistant
    
   • Podiatry
    
   • Psychiatry
    
   • Psychology/Counseling
    
   • Public Health
    
   • Radiology
    
   • Respiratory Care
    
   • Science (Health)
    
   • Speech/Language Pathology
    
   • Sports Medicine
    
   • Therapeutic Health Technician
    
   • Veterinary
    
   • Vision Rehabilitation
    
     
   
   
 

The topic of health care has dominated the news recently. Voices on both sides of the political spectrum have been trying to either stop the debate entirely or come up with ways to compromise on a complicated issue even legislators have become perplexed by. In a big push forward, the Senate Finance Committee voted "yes" yesterday to approve an overhaul of the country's health care system, signaling at least the first step toward potential medical reform.

But how will college students be affected in all this, if at all? An article in Inside Higher Education today looks at whether the proposals currently being considered will have an adverse affect on students and campus-based health care plans, which many students leave their parents' plans for. The article suggests that without any major changes, the bill up for debate ignores college health insurance plans altogether as it focuses instead on employer-based group plans and individual policies. Allowing students to remain on their parents' health insurance plans for a longer period of time could be an option under the proposal, although this would not address students whose parents have lost their jobs and health insurance, for example, and need an affordable plan to get them through their college careers.

Lookout Mountain Group, a nonpartisan group that researches the impacts of health care reform on students, released a statement last week that the proposals currently on the table did little in the way of making sure college students had access to affordable, quality health care plans. The group further warns that the cost of health care for students could actually increase if language isn't included in the bill that would address the lack of campus-based options. Jim Mitchell, the director of Student Health Services at Montana State University and spokesperson for the Lookout Mountain Group, said in a release that any health care proposals should strive to include college? and university?sponsored student health insurance/benefit plans under the bill's definition of "group insurance."

Worst case scenario, how would students' health care be affected if no changes were made? According to the Government Accountability Office, 71 percent of four-year private colleges, 82 percent of four-year public colleges, and 29 percent of two-year public colleges offer student health care plans. Best case scenario, legislators realize the oversight and work on including amendments that would not only maintain campus-based student health insurance plans, but expand health insurance offerings for college students, a population that definitely needs affordable options.

No matter what happens with the health care bill, consider your health insurance options before you get to college. Many insurance plans will allow full-time students to remain dependents under their parents' health care plans while those students are in college. If you choose to go this route, make sure you've notified your college; many schools that carry student health insurance plans automatically charge and enroll new undergraduates for their plans. (You may need to provide proof of your insurance in this situation, but that's for your own benefit. Trust us. You don't want to start college uninsured, and will be thankful for insurance when you get sick at college.) If you go with your college's plan, you'll probably pay less than you would for a private plan, and you'll need to be comfortable going to your school's clinic or health center for most of your minor ailments.

Few programs are as competitive as medical school programs. You need stellar grades, a host of science-based courses on your undergraduate transcript, and impressive scores on the MCAT to be a contender. Or do you?

One New York school is taking a different approach, in part to graduate more sensitive and people-friendly doctors. The Humanities and Medicine Program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine requires that its students major in the humanities in college, not chemistry or biology, and doesn’t require those enrolled to prove their worth on the MCAT, the standardized test score typically used to rank applicants to medical school.

A recent article in The New York Times took a look at the program and a possible shift nationwide to programming that gives equal weight to not only the science behind medicine, but the social skills needed to be more effective in communicating with patients. The Mount Sinai School of Medicine program saves 35 slots per year to undergraduates with degrees in fields like political science. Applicants are asked to provide two personal essays, high school standardized test scores, and transcripts of grades from both high school and college. Once they’re in the program, the students attend a summer “boot camp,” according to the article, where they receive some instruction on science courses they may have missed in college. According to a recent study published by the Association of Medical Colleges, those students did as well if not better in the program than their peers who got into medicine the traditional way. The humanities students were also more interested in disciplines where they had more interaction with patients, such as psychiatry, pediatrics, and obstetrics.

Despite the success of the Mount Sinai program, if you’re interested in medical school, most of the programs out there will ask for MCAT scores and transcripts that boast a good GPA in a science-related major. According to the Times article, it may be tough to get the most elite medical schools to start admitting humanities students because so much of their rank depends on how students at those schools did on their MCATs. Wherever you go to enter into a health-related field and whatever you decide, make sure you know about the medical scholarships out there. Medical school is one of the more costly endeavors you could choose to pursue, so you’ll need all the help you can get to cover the costs of that professional degree.

A student’s first year in college is one rife with new experiences and challenges. We have plenty of info on our site to help ease that transition – from dealing with common roommate problems to overcoming writer's block in college essays to beating the winter blues – but it looks like members of the class of 2014 are having more difficult times adjusting to the college lifestyle.

An annual study found 51.9 percent of first-year, full-time students reported their emotional health was above average. That may not seem so bad but lead author, UCLA's John Pryor, said this figure is a "fairly alarming" 3.4 percentage points lower than last year and the lowest since the inaugural study in 1985 when 63.6 percent reported feeling above average. Despite these record-low levels of emotional health, about 73 percent of students surveyed generally expressed positive attitudes toward higher education, even as they struggle to fund it because they believe it will help their future earning power.

But why the disparity between low emotional health and high expectations? It’s difficult to pinpoint one specific reason but Marcus Hotaling, chairman of mental health for the American College Health Association, has a theory: When the study began in 1985, he said, many students with mental health issues did not get into college but today, they are able to pursue post-secondary degrees because of improved medication, reduced stigmas and a greater willingness to share concerns with others. "Students are more attuned to who they are, what they're dealing with, and that there's help out there," said Hotaling.

First-time college students, do you share the sentiments of the students surveyed or is your freshman year shaping up to be one of the best years of your life thus far?

Eating in college brings a slew of questions. Are you going to have enough meals? Will you gain the Freshman 15 from dining hall food? Even with all the dining opportunities on campus, there are some foods that are easy to keep in your dorm room or apartment for quick snacks or healthy meals.

The USDA’s MyPlate (the replacement for the food pyramid many are used to) shows a few important ideas about proper diet. It’s in the shape of a plate and is divided into rough fourths, with each fourth representing one food group – fruits, grains, protein and vegetables plus a cup for the dairy group. The new diagram is all about good knowledge, good decisions and portion control. Keeping this in mind, here are a few foods that I’ve personally found last a while in the dorms and are generally healthy, too.

Fruits: Dried fruits are the way to go here. Coveted by hikers and endurance runners, raisins pack a natural sugar punch and don’t go bad in a matter of days. Try dried cranberries or banana chips, too.

Grains: I love the taste of whole wheat tortillas and bread. Go with whole grain or wheat because multi-grain is not the same thing.

Protein: Protein is either animal- or plant-based. Some research shows that the plant-based kind is more easily absorbed so spread some peanut and cashew butter on bread or crackers!

Vegetables: Celery and baby carrots are both long lasting in the refrigerator. Celery tastes great with peanut butter and baby carrots are good with pretty much any dipping sauce. Steam carrots up in the microwave with a bowl and a bit of water or keep some folic acid-rich leafy greens like baby spinach handy, too.

Dairy: It’s tough if you don’t have a fridge but plain yogurt is packed with digestive-aiding probiotics.

Aaron Lin is a chemistry major at Louisiana State University but has plans to transfer to LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans to pursue a clinical laboratory science degree and further feed his interest in the application of scientific and medical knowledge. In his free time, Aaron likes to eat food, read and write about food, exercise to work off that food and play the occasional computer game. He also enjoys footbiking, running and Frisbee.

Does your back ache from carrying heavy textbooks from class to class? Do you hate paying extra money for priority shipping to ensure you get your textbooks in time for the new semester? If you answered yes to either one of these questions, you may be interested to know many websites now offer textbooks digitally.

Sites like Chegg.com, Textbooks.com and Cengagebrain.com offer dozens of e-books to accommodate your e-reading needs. You don't need to go out and buy an e-reading device such as Amazon's Kindle or Sony's Reader (you can read e-books right on your computer screen) and you never have to worry about losing your e-books because if your computer or e-reader is misplaced or stolen, all you need to do is download the e-text again.

Even with all these benefits, I know some of you may still be reluctant to go digital because you think you won't be able to highlight pages or navigate a digital text easily. Well, put those fears to rest: Many e-books allow you to highlight specific words or phrases, make notes in the margins and even search the entire e-book for a specific word or phrase.

Finally, you can rent e-books just like you can rent traditional books. Normally when you rent textbooks, you have to worry about water damage, torn pages and shipping your books back on time but not so with e-books! When your rental period is up, the e-text simply expires with no fines for damages or shipping incurred. If after using all these features, you decide you still prefer having your text on paper after all, you can print out whichever pages you specify.

So consider going digital, if only just for one class. I guarantee you (and your back and your wallet) won't regret it!

Lisa Lowdermilk is a published poet, avid video gamer and artist. Her poems have appeared in Celebrate Young Poets: West (Fall 2006) edition and Widener University's The Blue Route. She enjoys watching thrillers, trying different restaurants and attempting to breakdance. Lisa is now majoring in professional writing at the University of Colorado Denver.