Guide to a Memorable and Safe College Road Trip

Jason Majewski

Marketing Intern

If you’re a freshman, by now you’re probably starting to feel a little more comfortable living on campus. You’ve met plenty of new people, had your first college exam, found the hot spots on campus and maybe even attended your first football game. Hopefully, most of your college experiences so far have been positive ones, and there are plenty more to look forward to. Something you may or may not be planning on already is the famed college roadtrip. We’ve all seen the Hollywood portrayal a million times, and the truth is, road trips are a great time. But beyond just being a fun experience, you might learn a thing or two about yourself, your friends or the world around you.

There are plenty of good reasons to plan a college road trip. Maybe you’re getting a little sick of that assigned roommate or you need to get out of town and forget about some of the stress that comes with college academics. Maybe you want to catch up with one of your good friends from high school at another college. There could be an away football game or other sporting event you’d like to go to — or you might not have a reason at all. The most important thing is that you do it safely and plan a little ahead of time.

When? Where? Who’s coming?

If you’re looking to plan a road trip, the obvious starting point is to figure out when and where you are going. A lot of times the best weekends are those when there isn’t a home football game or major event going on, that way you won’t feel like you’re missing out on your own campus. You should also try to pick a weekend that won’t put you behind in your classwork, it’s never fun to get back from out of town and have to play catch-up. Next, it’s deciding where you’re going to go. This part is completely up to you, just make sure you have a place to crash with someone you know well and trust.

Once you’ve figured out when and where you’re going, you should probably figure out who’s going with you. There’s nothing wrong with going by yourself, but there’s a certain thrill about a road trip with a few of your new college friends. Make sure you feel comfortable and safe with the people you’ll be going with don’t jump in a car with the guy down the hall just because he offered to drive. Once you know who’s going with you, make sure they’re on board with the plans and prepared to leave when you are.

It’s all in the details

Planning ahead is going to go a long way in making sure that your road trip goes smoothly and safely. A few things you’ll want to keep in mind as you prepare for your trip:

• Look into the parking situation where you’re going and make sure your car won’t be towed over the weekend (I can personally attest to how awful this situation can be).
•  Check on the route you’ll be taking, the weather forecast and if there are any stops along the way worth checking out.
• Make sure you take a look at your bank account and have enough money to get you through the weekend. The last thing you want to do is call mom and dad on the side of the road with your gas tank and wallet empty.
• Speaking of mom and dad, make sure your parents know when and where you’re going. Yeah, you live away from home now and you’re supposed to be “independent” and all, but they should know where you are in case anything goes wrong.
• Lastly, make sure the car you’re taking is in shape for a road trip. Make sure you have an up-to-date oil change, good tire pressure, working windshield wipers, etc.

Being careless about these things is likely to contribute to a bad experience. When you’re prepared for a road trip, it eliminates a lot of the hassle and worries that might come up and you can focus on just enjoying the trip.

It’s more than a weekend out of town

If you are going to visit a friend at another college, there’s a lot to take away from that experience. It’s always fun to see what other campuses are like, what kind of living situation your friend is in and compare and contrast it to your own school. You might see something that’s way better on another campus, maybe eventually inspiring you to get involved and try to help improve your own university. You might see something that is way worse and it could validate your own college decision. One other consideration if you’re visiting another campus is to be respectful and smart about what you’re doing. The campus you’re visiting probably has different rules, traditions and standards than your own. It’s easy to think “I’m not at my school, anything goes,” but that type of attitude can ruin a trip, and possibly your reputation or future, pretty quickly.

Introducing your new college friends to your old friends is also a unique experience. Your new friends get to see part of your past and where you’ve come from while your old friends get a picture of what your life has been like since you last saw them. Hopefully everyone gets along and you have a good time. If the person you are visiting is truly a good friend, they’ll make an effort to get to know the people that are now a big part of your life.  You might also learn a few things about your new friends just by simply spending a whole weekend with them. You’ll come back to campus with an array of inside jokes, funny stories and hopefully a great lasting college memory.

Music to get you through those long study sessions

Jason Majewski, Marketing Intern

Everybody has his or her own taste in music. This can be especially true when it comes to choosing the music you study to. Some people can’t study with music on, others like relaxed and calming music, some might prefer upbeat, encouraging music. Whatever your taste may be, music is a great way to keep you motivated, focused and sometimes awake when you’re studying or writing a paper. We went ahead and selected some great study playlists using 8tracks.com, a website where you can upload a playlist with an 8 song minimum and share it with the world. Let us know which ones you like best!

Didn’t find one you like or think you can make a better one? Make your own and post the link to The Study’s Facebook page (keep it clean) and get a free Study t-shirt!  

http://8tracks.com/watchingthestars/study

Acoustic, Chill, Singer-Songwriter

http://8tracks.com/eleanorivy/rainy-coffeehouse

Coffeshop, Jazz

http://8tracks.com/lefttowrite808/hittin-the-books

A little bit of everything, mostly upbeat with a few relaxing tunes thrown in

http://8tracks.com/engineer/the-motivation-mix

Described as motivating music, a little bit of hip-hop and mash-ups

http://8tracks.com/gabobridge/quiet-steady

Indie, Acoustic

http://8tracks.com/danielle9/time-for-yourself-period

Another acoustic, chill but upbeat mix

http://8tracks.com/esungelo/i-made-this-playlist-to-help-people-study-instead-of-studying

Contemporary, relaxing alternative

http://8tracks.com/benmclovin/study

Orchestral, Instrumental, Jazz, Sinatra

http://8tracks.com/alexmurogivii/study-time-in-progress

A few tracks on this one might make you want to take a dance break as you study

http://8tracks.com/munjoyboy/sunny-day-hip-hop

An upbeat hip-hop mix

*The Study doesn’t endorse the messages or lyrics of songs included in these playlists, they were created by people not associated with Academic Enhancement

Inexpensive Halloween Costumes

Written by Laura McGehee, Marketing Intern

Looking to “wow” your friends this Halloween with an amazing costume but you’re running low on cash? Explore your options and think before you buy this year.

Trading or reusing your friends’ costumes from last year is a simple way to save money.  You will not only have a costume you have never worn before, but multiple options will allow you to go as several different characters to multiple events.  Get together with your friends or go through Facebook pictures and make a list of friends you may want to contact for a trade.

It is also important to figure out which accessories you already own or can easily make. Before making any major purchase, use your imagination!  Old t-shirts can be used for fabric, household items may serve as props, and makeup could be used in place of store-bought face paint.

If you have not decided who/what you want to go as this year, here are a few inexpensive costume ideas to think about:

1.      Santa on vacation- Beard, Santa hat, and a Hawaiian shirt- simple, yet creative

2.      Smurfs- Blue body paint is relatively inexpensive and a white shirt and sweatpants can be found in your wardrobe or at a local Goodwill

3.      Avatars- Blue-painted bodies could also transform into Avatars.  Glue leaves and sticks in a pattern to old shirts, skirts, or shorts for clothing

4.      Mummy- Roll toilet paper around your clothes.   Extremely inexpensive and easy to fix of there’s a wardrobe malfunction

5.      Where’s Waldo- Own anything with red and white stripes? All you need now is a hat!

6.      Loofas- Inexpensive fabric can be found to make a fluffy dress and a small string or rope can be tied around a headband for the final piece

7.      Go as your friends- Are you and your friends total opposites? Trade clothes for the night and mimic each other!

8.      Katy Perry- A blue wig and anything outrageously colorful will do 

9.      Grapes- Tape purple or green balloons all over your body and wear brown or neutral colors underneath

10.  Billboard or Facebook page- create a funny advertisement or page on a piece of cardboard and hang it around your neck

11.  Present- Get a giant box to hang on your body and cover it with wrapping paper.  Add a bow and you are a gift!

12.  Babe Magnet- Tape a bunch of old Barbie dolls to your clothes and you instantly transform into the “babe magnet”

13.  Lady Gaga- You and your friends can all be different versions.  Wear the weirdest items of clothing you own and pair them with heels or wig

14.  Cowboy/Cowgirl- Take boots and a plaid shirt from your closet or borrow from a friend!

15.  Housewife- Cute dress, high pumps, and dolled-up hair and makeup paired with an apron makes a simple and dainty Halloween costume

16.  Beauty queen- Still fit into your prom dress from high school? Pair it with a sash that reads “Miss Kentucky,” “Miss Universe,” “Miss UK,” etc.

17.  Hippie- Finding accessories for this costume should be easy since some of these trends are in style!

18.  Soda can- Get an old garbage can and carefully cut a head and arm holes.  Paint the outside to match your favorite beverage!

19.  Dice- Looking to go with a date? Two large cardboard boxes can turn you and your date into a pair of dice.  Use white paint for the outside then appropriately glue small black circles cut from construction paper

20.  Miscellaneous- Own a little black dress? Pair it with a witch hat, cat ears, bumblebee antennae, or a glitter mask!

Really opposed to dressing up this year? Go in your normal clothes and tell everyone you are a werewolf or super hero whose true identity is only seen during a full moon or state of emergency.

A Classic Education in Good Scares!

Contributor: Katie Avra, Outreach Coordinator
*This list is representative of the contributor’s point of view.

Tis the season for witches, goblins and ghosts to haunt us with their terror tales and crazy blade swinging characters. This is the perfect time of year to watch a scary movie that will give you the fright of our life! Enjoy this list of top scary movies of all time.

Pet Semetery, 1989- Where did you bury the cat and why is she trying to claw my eyes out? Since this worked out so well, let’s bury our dead son there too and see what happens!

The Thing, 1982- A John Carpenter masterpiece. Don’t trust your friends; they might just be dying to kill you! A 2011 remake is set to release on Oct. 14th and the music harkens to John Carpenter’s taste.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1957 or 1978- need a reason to question your strange friends and family members? They may not be themselves! Donald Sutherland and a young Jeff Goldblum star in the 1978 version.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974- Well what could go wrong that hasn’t already? This is a classic tale of wrong-place-wrong-time with chainsaw enthusiast cannibals.

The Birds, 1963- a Hitchcock classic, a thrill and suspense masterpiece starring Melanie Griffith’s mother as the leading lady who can’t seem to avoid the aviary invasion!

Psycho, 1960- The suspense building musical cues in this movie set a standard still strived for today; a jump out of your seat classic good scare.

Dawn of the Dead, 1978- This is the follow up from Night of the Living Dead. They kill, they eat the living, and then they get up and kill.

Night of the Living Dead, 1968- George Romero’s classic black and white terror; it is a night with the dead who cannot die and whose only food is the living.

Amityville Horror, 1978- A twisted tale of a good step-dad gone mad! Is it the house, the town or the murdering possession driven spirits? The 2005 remake inserts a background story line explaining the possession.

Evil Dead, 1981- Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell fans unite; a true epic classic for cheesy, gory flicks.

Friday the 13th, 1980- This epic revenge tale portrays the prefect scary camp setting; a great American genre classic with Kevin Bacon.

The Howling, 1981- Long before “Jacob” and the rest of the hip new ware wolves, there was a great “bite you, turn you, and convince you to join a cult” classic.

Jaws, 1975- Who could forget one of the most terrifying musical cannons of classical cinema! Can you see the waves parting on the sides of the rising great white shark fin now? Dun-ah, Dun-ah…Dun-ah Dun-ah Dun-ah!

Poltergeist, 1982- “They’re here!” Oh memories of the braces that attack your brother, your backyard tree and pool trying to swallow you! Those were the days!

Hellraiser, 1987- As a young girl I remember sneaking a peak of this horrifying band of evil misfits with my brothers (nightmares for months).

Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984- The rhyme that could make your hair stand up on end with a chill running down your spine. 1, 2 Freddy’s coming for you. 3, 4 better lock your door. 5, 6 grab your crucifix. 7, 8 better stay up late. 9, 10 never sleep again. This is a top pick from my childhood.

The Shining, 1980- If Stanley Kubrick’s setting for this film wasn’t stunning enough, Jack harkens back to the Psycho and other Hitchcock days.

My Bloody Valentine, 1981- This was a surprise hit for me. It brought me back to camp Crystal Lake and the unsuspecting friends theme is a familiar classic.

Carrie, 1976- Maybe red was the color she wanted for her prom dress all along!?! And who hasn’t known a crazy fanatical mother! This film later makes way for 1980’s Prom Night starring Jamie Lee Curtis.

Exorcist, 1973- This film affirmed a level of gore in films not scene before. It defined and became a cornerstone for horror fans and laid a future foundation for gory films with religious ties.

Black Christmas, 1974- This was another surprise hit for me. Familiar stars include Margot Kidder, who was also in Amittyville Horror and John Saxon who was the detective/father in Nightmare on Elm Street. This movie gathered more popularity in Canada during its original release. The 2006 remake asserts background information regarding the mystery caller and his motives not in the 1974 production.

Halloween, 1978- What could be more realistically scary than an unsuspecting babysitter and her teen friends being terrorized on Halloween night? Moustapha Akkad, executive producer of the Halloween films, was right! The theme, the music and the simplicity work. Aren’t we glad that Akkad agreed to let Carpenter have his name before the title so this chilling movie can exist? Halloween spawned the slasher movies we know and love today. This is my eternal #1 pick for top scary movie of all time.