The Advisor is sick

Earlier this week when I went to the doctor for a routine check up, I learned that I had a detached retina that will require surgery... surgery that I will be having later today. So, needless to say, Ask an Advisor will be out of commission for a little while.

Photo credit: http://kidsincludedtogether.blogspot.com/

I expect to be back to my old blogging, first generation and low income college student advising self some time around May 2nd, assuming all things go as planned.

While I am healing, check out The College Survival Handbook for tips on how to take care of yourself when you're sick in college.

Wish me luck and healing and I'll wish you a great day of academic achievement as finals approach!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it (although do not expect a reply until I am all better).

Saving money on college textbooks

This is a guest post by Amit Sehgal, a first generation college student who runs www.bookase.com, a free price comparison website for college textbooks. 

As a first generation or low income college student, you need to control your costs–especially costs for college textbooks. That means making sure that you squeeze the most out of every cent that passes through your hand.

But why especially the cost of textbooks? Because college textbooks can be one of the most expensive parts of your college budget. Not purely because of the price, but also because of some circumstances: Some lecturers release book lists at the last minute, leaving you with no time to search for bargains or used books and you end up having to buy brand new books. Most colleges also change the books they use very frequently, and in such a situation, you can’t buy used books.

No matter what the situation, these tips can help you save the money you spend on college textbooks:

Start on campus. Make a list of the college textbooks you need and put it up on a campus noticeboard. If you are lucky, students who have already finished the course will sell the college textbooks you need for less than the price of originals.

Go to online bookstores. The most famous way to buy college textbooks for cheap nowadays is by using the internet. If you join this wave you will soon realize how unbelievably beneficial this is. In my time, this was a pretty new thing and students mostly just collaborated through email to trade, sell, and buy college textbooks. But now we also have online book vendors with very good bargains and diverse stocks including most college textbooks one might need. I managed to find 90% of the books I needed online.

There are many websites on the internet where you can buy books from. They offer very diverse options. Some websites sell old as well as new books. From some places you can find all the versions of a particular textbook. Find a site that describes the condition of the book in detail as this could prevent many problems. Some sites may offer you an option to get your book replaced if you discover that the book you got isn’t in the mentioned condition.

Get that number. An ‘ISBN number’ can be found on the rear cover of books near the barcode. This number is unique to the book and can be used to search specifically for that particular book on the internet. Many websites sell college textbooks for prices that are extraordinarily competitive when compared to the prices in local bookstores. The ISBN number will help you find the best deal for the right book.

Bid on it. College textbooks can even be found on most ordinary auction sites like eBay and Amazon. This is especially useful if the book you are looking for is hard to find; it could be one that’s no longer printed or maybe it’s one that’s autographed by someone special. You may be able to find books you normally wouldn’t find in other places. To be on the safe side, you should read all the information that’s posted about the product and be thoughtful before bidding or buying.

Not just money. Buying used college textbooks is advantageous not only cost-wise because some books can contain annotations and highlighted passages from the previous user. These marked up used textbooks will more likely than not be useful to you.

Get your money back. You can also sell your college textbooks online, there will be other students thinking just like you were a year back. This will be a great help to them. If the edition you have is new enough, you’ll have very little trouble selling it.

Good luck saving money on your college textbooks!

If you have questions about saving money on textbooks or www.bookase.com, you can email Amit Sehgal directly. Got other questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Improve your body image

First generation and low income college students are more likely to be women and/or people of color. As a member of all of these communities, I know that body image issues are certainly present in each.

With all the stress that can come with college life, worrying about how you feel in your own skin just adds to it. A negative body image can impact your academics, relationships, and general well-being.

Photo credit: http://www.adiosbarbie.com/

To help you deal, here are 5 tips to help you find your inner and outer beauty and improve your body image:

Look on campus. Your college campus probably has more services and resources than you know about. Many college campuses, especially those with women's centers, have programs and services designed to help you build a positive body image. Check out a book from the library about it and read up.

Break the cycle. A lot of the time, the same influences time and time again are making you feel badly about your appearance, like comments from family and images in the media. When something like that happens, do something about it immediately. For example, if your mom makes an unsolicited comment about your weight, tell her that she is hurting you and not helping you.

Look at the real you. Get naked and look at yourself in the mirror. What are your best features? As you look at your body, compliment something about your appearance. This is a form of positive self-talk. If you really don't see anything good about yourself, follow the next step...

Talk to someone. Health services at your college can often help you make a plan to get healthier or offer mental health services to help you feel better about your body. It can be helpful to talk to someone that is not part of your circle.

Get inspired. Look for and participate in displays of positive body image. Submit your picture to You're Beautiful, Dammit. Check out organizations like National Organization for Women (NOW) Foundation and their Love Your Body: On Campus, In Community campaign. There are blogs,  groups, and organizations out there that aim to help you build a positive self-image.

Help someone else. Try paying someone else a compliment about his or her appearance, just keep it sincere and appropriate (you don't want to be creepy!). Paying attention to the beautiful things of someone else and helping support that person's positive body image can help move you to seeing yourself in a more positive light.

You are awesome no matter what your shape and size, so I hope these tips help you to remember that.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.