A million possibilities. This is something that Ana Dunham probably never thought she would find. But she did. Literally. She sat in front of a lighted Solid State Logic (SSL) mixing board with dozens of knobs, buttons, switches and toggles that represented all the possible levels and directions that could be around the corner with a turn of a knob.

She had just finished a tour of Ex’pression College for Digital Arts when the tour guide for her group invited her to a mixing session in one of the school’s state- of-the-art studios. She knew at this point that she had found a home.

“When I walked into the studio and stood in front of the SSL mixing board, I had a million flashbacks of the people I’d met there in the last few hours and how many thumps I’d felt in my heart,” Dunham said. “I couldn’t stop smiling. It was a million possibilities laid out in front of me.”

Many students who visit Ex’pression College for Digital Arts probably feel the same way. After all, this is like no other college tour in the country. From multimillion dollar digital editing suites and broadcast stations to a recording studio named after Jimi Hendrix and a recording hall outfitted with a green screen and 3-D capture capability, this is not your average campus tour. This is not your average college.

Ex’pression is located in Emeryville, Calif., in a 102,000-square-foot building just blocks from the shores of San Francisco Bay. More industrial park than palm trees and boardwalk, the small town has become famous for producing some of tomorrow’s brightest sound and graphics artists in the entertainment business. Just two miles down the road is Pixar Studios, makers of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and, most recently, Ratatouille. The caliber is so high for Ex’pression graduates that many now work at places like Pixar or as engineers at major recording studios. A recent alumnus just won an Oscar for the Dreamgirls soundtrack.

Dunham is now deeply committed to the Sound Arts program at Ex’pression, but after graduating from high school in 2004, she wasn’t so sure about her future. She spent a few years working at jobs she knew she wasn’t passionate about and didn’t always feel like she fit in. She needed a place to call home, a place where she could explore new opportunities and really become engaged in something she loved.

“When you find that place, it grabs you by the heart and you know this is the one,” Dunham said.

That’s when she found Ex’pression. Sure, it has the elements of a regular college campus: a cafeteria, classrooms and computer labs. But, the cafeteria contains sofas to nap on, and the classrooms have ergonomic and adjustable work stations and are wired for the advanced audio and visual teaching supplements. The computer lab is an Apple G5 utopia featuring cinema widescreen monitors, networked computers and printers, and industry-leading design and editing software.

The overall attributes of the school are just as unique: classic bare-knuckle teaching juxtaposed with high-tech classrooms and outfitted with world-class electronics and classrooms painted with bright, lustrous paint schemes.

Noticing a pattern? Ex’pression is different. The school’s strengths lie in the student-centered approach, tremendous technological facilities and industry networking. Dunham equates the school’s teaching philosophies to real life. “They want to make sure that you succeed, but if you don’t want it bad enough, they’re not going to make you,” Dunham said.

Dunham wants it bad enough. She just started the program, but she extols the school’s encouragement of learning independence and creative freedom. The ability to walk into a classroom and consume as much as she wants to. The opportunity to plant herself in a studio and brood over every detail until the most prodigious creation she can think of is perfectly complete.

Before she can move on to her dream project, she must complete a few inevitable general education classes. But she doesn’t mind. She says even these classes intrigue, challenge and set a tangible, concrete base for the rest of her education. She uses the example of understanding the writing and story lines of her American Literature class so she can write better scripts and produce a better movie for her Media Sound and Visual class. Dunham says the seasoned teachers are the foundation of it all, partly because they bring industry expertise to the classroom. Ex’pression’s program director for the Sound Arts program, John Scanlon, has worked on projects for Ben Harper, Tori Amos, Dave Grohl, Jack Johnson and others.

“They’re definitely not typical. They’re impressive,” Dunham said. “The teachers have a different style. Not only do they give you the concepts, they employ them.”

This is what Dunham is hoping to very soon be able to accomplish. She hopes to one day sit down at that SSL mixing board and employ everything she’s learned at Ex’pression to record and produce something with a tangible impact. Something more than a hit pop song or movie soundtrack. Something worthwhile that will begin to fulfill at least a few of those million possibilities.

Remember about a decade ago when you left the protection of your parents’ wings for the first time for a half day of coloring, counting and napping? That was kindergarten – the time when your parents dragged you into unfamiliar territory and left you to survive on your own. You may have initially cried and stomped to display your disapproval, but chances are you became instant best friends with the first person you encountered at the Lego table. Your memory of the experience might be a little fuzzy, but I guarantee that five-year-olds weren’t mingling with only those in their exclusive social circle. Kindergarten was the time when everyone was the new kid, thrown into a room of strangers and left to thrive.

Welcome to the Club
Over the years, that chaotic classroom has evolved – not just because you’ve gotten older, but you and your classmates have come to identify with certain cliques of friends. Although movies often depict the jocks, drama freaks, skaters, hicks, goth kids and band geeks, you don’t have to look to Hollywood portrayals of cliques to understand how they work.

“For the most part, cliques are just a Hollywood stereotype of high school or a rare occurrence in real life,” said Abby Hauver, graduate of Lansing High School in Lansing, Kan. “Sure, people tend to hang out with a group of friends, but that has to do with being comfortable with people that are like you.”

Look around your high school cafeteria. Chances are you can categorize the lunchroom tables. People tend to gravitate toward those who look like them, act like them and do what they do. But the question is, do you really want people to assume they know who you are and what you’re all about based on a quick glance? One would hope not.

Exploring the Unknown
“A group of friends becomes a clique when it becomes exclusive and starts putting others down to make their group seem superior,” said Hauver. “A group of friends are just people who like hanging out with each other and feel comfortable around those people.”
Cliques sometimes provide security for people who aren’t completely confident in their own personality or haven’t made an effort to branch out. While it’s nice to have common interests with the people you spend time with, you can also explore and try new things by hanging out with a different crowd.

Whether you’ve been able to shoot three-pointers since you could stand or have starred in school drama productions since you learned to say, “To be or not to be,” now is the time to break out of the social restraints you have set for yourself. You’ll not only grow as a person, but you can also provide colleges with a more diverse admissions application.

Spread Your Wings
Since your time at high school is coming to an end, remember you’re truly going to leave your parents’ nest when you go off to college. This will be the opportune time for you to broaden your horizons. Just try to handle this transition a little bit differently than you did during kindergarten. No stomping or crying this round, but bring back the same assertiveness you had as a child. Make an effort to meet people from diverse backgrounds and people with different hobbies. Consider living in the college dorms. Join clubs. College is a fresh start at the Lego table.

Most new college students can’t wait to be on their own. They want to make their own decisions, doing what they want, when they want and how they want. Many new college students also receive a rude awakening when the realization hits home that they truly are on their own. Mom isn’t there to make sure that they get out of bed and go to school or that they have clean clothes to wear. Professors aren’t quite as forgiving as high school teachers when assignment deadlines are missed. Dad isn’t there to provide the few extra bucks needed to satisfy that pizza craving at two o’clock in the morning.

“I had no idea how to do laundry,” said Lauren Morgan, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas. “My mom had always done that for me. It was so embarrassing because I had to ask other people in the laundry room how to work the washer and dryer.”

It’s not too late to become independent as you begin college this semester. Start taking the following steps to make that first year away from home as successful as possible.

Learn how to budget – Plan on putting a set amount in savings each month, and then open a checking account and balance your checkbook diligently. There’s nothing worse than a $10 purchase turning into a $50 purchase because you bounced a check and have to pay a returned check fee.

Find a part-time job – Find this on your own. Don’t allow your parents to pull strings for you. If they have a connection, find out the person’s contact information and get in touch with them yourself.

Introduce yourself to the washer and dryer – The last thing you need is for all of your large white shirts to become extra small pink shirts. Learn how to sort laundry by color and how to use proper water temperatures to protect your clothes – and your pride.

Become a planner – Keep yourself on a schedule with a day planner or PDA. Don’t expect your parents to wake you up and tell you when and where you need to be. Keep track of assignment due dates, activities and meetings. Schedule time during the week for studying so you’re able to relax and enjoy the weekends.

Taking these steps will put you on the fast track to personal independence. You might even end up being the person your roommate goes to when they need to turn on the washer.

Almost every prospective college student wonders where the money is going to come from to go to college. Getting the most out of financial aid and scholarships can be a confusing and sometimes stressful process, so starting early and being educated about your options is the best way to keep the pressure off.

State and Federal Aid
To apply for state and federal aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be filled out. By completing this form, you are eligible for need-based grants, scholarships, work-study programs and loans from the state and federal government. To apply online or find more information, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Private Scholarships
There are millions of dollars out there in a variety of scholarships. Private scholarships typically take some time to find and to apply for. A financial aid expert at Nelnet Enrollment Solutions, Craig Cornell, said, “Scholarships may be ‘free’ money, but you’ll find that the ‘price’ of finding ‘free’ money is the effort and perseverance you will need to uncover all of the opportunities out there.”

Cornell recommends looking at a variety of organizations. Check with your counselor for local scholarship information and then continue your search of community clubs, ethnic organizations, religious groups, education associations, veterans’ organizations and even local colleges.

The following web sites are great resources to find more information about scholarships and financial aid information. Use them, your high school counselor and financial aid professionals at your prospective schools as resources in your search for money to pay for college.

Nelnet
www.nelnet.com
Search a database of more than $8 million in scholarships, allowing you to narrow your search based on who you are, where you live and what you are interested in.

The Sallie Mae Fund
www.thesalliemaefund.org
Last year the Sallie Mae Fund gave out $2.5 million in college scholarships to low-income and minority students.

Hispanic College Fund
www.hispanicfund.org
Information about several scholarships for Hispanic students can be found here. Make sure to look under the resource section to find links to scholarships with a variety of qualifications and interests.

Ronald McDonald National Scholarship Program
www.mcdonalds.com/rmhc/index.html
The Ronald McDonald House Charity offers four scholarships to high school seniors through their chapters nationwide. You can find all the information about scholarships and how to reach the local chapters that offer them on the site.

Other informative sites and scholarships to look at:
The United Negro College Fund
www.uncf.org

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
www.cbcfinc.org

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
www.chci.org

Hispanic Scholarship Fund
www.hsf.net

Coca-Cola Scholars
www.coca-colascholars.org

The Gates Millennium Scholars
www.gmsp.org

You may have a friend whose mother picked out her top colleges and practically wrote her resumé, a buddy whose mom calls him in his dorm room to wake him up for class, or maybe your dad is the one known for yelling at teachers for your bad grades.

If you are the child of a helicopter parent (a parent who hovers too closely over a child, mapping out their activities and decisions), you probably feel loved and protected. But, although you appreciate all that Mom and Dad do for you, you need to realize that growing and developing as an individual, especially when you leave for college, is essential to your success.

Your parents can benefit from your independence, too, and there are steps you can take to secure this independence while maintaining your relationship with your parents.

Set communication guidelines
Unlimited access to cell phones and e-mail can add fuel to a helicopter parent’s hovering. Together, you need to decide the amount of contact you want to have. Also, discuss who is going to call whom. Then you need to stick with the plan. If you “forget” to call because you’re out with friends, then who can blame Mom for calling 12 times to make sure you’re all right?

Regular conversations about your classes, friends, health and next plans to visit will keep Mom and Dad feeling comfortable about your life away from home and curb their urges to call six times a day to make sure you’re safe.

Budget your money responsibly
Whether you are paying your way through school or have never even seen a W-2 tax form, you alone need to be responsible for where your money is going. Responsible spending shows Mom and Dad that you can budget like an adult and gives them less cause for worry.

By taking care of yourself financially, you show your parents that you are turning into an adult, and that – while you still need their guidance – you’ll be able to take care of yourself once you’re officially on your own.

Fight your own battles
Your parents should never practice any of the following behaviors: contacting a residence hall over petty roommate issues, yelling at a professor regarding one of your grades, writing a paper or resumé for you, or calling a potential employer for any reason.

If you feel that your parents are practicing these or similar behaviors, you need to have a talk with them. Tell them that as much as you appreciate their help and support, part of becoming an adult is learning to deal with problems on your own.

The bottom line
Your parents always have your best interests in mind, even when they are hovering a little too close. You can’t change Mom and Dad, but you can help them understand your desire for independence. Talk to them and draw out respectful boundaries. Follow through by taking responsibility and acting like an adult. Both you and your parents will end up happier, and your relationship will benefit.

Living on campus was an experience. It was fun and exciting … and it was really, really hard.

Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to go. I knew that living on-campus was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Still, the idea of moving into a building full of strangers scared the snot out of me.

I’d lived in my hometown for 18 of my 19 years of life. I knew I would miss my friends and family and the comfort zone I’d been cocooned in. To top it off, I was shy. Really shy. The thought of being surrounded 24/7 by people I didn’t know gave me butterflies the size of 747’s.

But you know what? Dorm living was one of the best experiences of my life.

Within the first week my dorm room felt at home. I met people on my floor, joined the residence hall governing board, and made some fantastic friends. Friends I still keep in touch with. Friends I’ve watched graduate, get their first post-college jobs, get married and move around the country.

Moving in wasn’t easy. It took courage and a huge leap of faith in myself. But because I did it, I grew in ways I never expected. I learned I could thrive in a new place. I learned I could turn strangers into friends and I learned I was stronger than I thought possible.

That’s what college will be about for you. Not just attending classes and taking tests, but figuring out who you are. I bet you’ll like what you find.

You’ve helped pack the clothes, boxed the stereo and purchased a year’s worth of school supplies. Your college student knows her classes, her dorm room and roommate. What did you both forget: The nutrition strategies that will prevent your child from gaining the notorious ”freshman 15.”

Eating Well in College 101
Present your college student with these tips from nutrition professionals who work in universities or who have college-age children themselves:

• Along with all the other changes that college brings, changes in eating habits are sure to happen. Give yourself time to adjust to new surroundings and new foods.
• If your campus has more than one dining hall, try them all! College students often complain of boredom with their meals — you’d be bored with any restaurant if you ate there three times a day, seven days a week and nine months out of the year!
• Remember to eat three meals every day. It may seem like you can function on caffeine alone, but your brain and body will fail you when you need them most if you routinely skip meals.
• Carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go. That way you can stop spending money on soda and other sweetened beverages, avoid unwanted calories and ensure that you’re well hydrated. A triple bonus!
• Grab a piece of fruit every time you leave the dining hall, and carry it with you for a quick snack on the go.
• After you brush your teeth in the morning, take a balanced multivitamin. It doesn’t hurt to have extra nutrition insurance!
• Experiment with vegetarian meal options. College is full of new experiences, and this is a perfect time to try different foods.
• Keep quick snacks in your room: pretzels, low-fat popcorn, high-fiber crackers, unsweetened breakfast cereal. If you purchase snacks at the grocery store instead of using vending machines, you’ll save money.
• You may think eating lunch at the salad bar is a great way to avoid gaining weight. It can be, if you:
  • Use only a small amount of low-fat or fat-free salad dressing
  • Avoid vegetable salads made with mayonnaise
  • Use only a sprinkling of cheese, nuts or seeds
  • Use legumes such as garbanzo beans or kidney beans for added protein
  • Fill up your bowl with fresh, plain veggies
• Avoid keeping high-calorie foods such as ice cream, candy and cookies in your room. Instead, eat a small portion for dessert after a meal once each day to satisfy your craving for something sweet.
• Eat breakfast! One college student I know thinks ”breakfast” is a foreign word. Breakfast can be a bagel and juice in your room or on the way to class; cereal, milk and fruit in the dining hall; or even a hot meal. Breakfast will get your body and brain ready for the day, and you’ll be less likely to snack due to mid-morning hunger attacks.
• Eat a variety of different foods. Instead of choosing peanut butter and jelly for lunch every day or stocking up on ramen noodles because they’re cheap, expand your horizons! Make sure to include fruit, vegetables, whole grains, protein and dairy products in your food choices every day.
• Stock a dorm refrigerator with fat-free milk, yogurt and individually portioned canned fruits, puddings, bags of ready-to-eat lettuce or carrots for quick meals or snacks.
• Every time you visit home, package individual portions of leftovers such as spaghetti, grilled chicken or your favorite casserole to take back to school with you and store in your refrigerator. Who needs frozen dinners when you’ve got Mom?
• Make a goal of trying one new food each week. Share with a friend so you can both experiment.

If you want to find out even more about how to eat well in college, read The College Student’s Guide to Eating Well on Campus by Ann Selkowitz, M.S., R.D., Litt.D., or The Healthy College Cookbook: Quick, Cheap, Easy by Alexandra Nimetz, et al. Both books make great gifts for college students and their parents!

Original article by Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE for iVillage. View the article in it’s original context here.

Your college instructors will be one of the best parts of your college experience. I was lucky. I had several fantastic teachers in high school. But the instructors I had in college took the student-teacher relationship to a new level. I learned things about real life and the work place that few (if any) textbooks will cover.

One of my copyediting instructors, who’d spent years as a newspaper editor, helped me realize that I didn’t want a career in journalism. An advertising instructor helped my class visualize life in a big city ad agency. I even had an instructor sit down with me and a friend to help us plan a Spring Break trip to New York City.

All of your instructors will have office hours. This is time they are available to meet with their students, to answer questions, or to just talk. Take advantage of those times. Make sure you’re more than a name on a roster of students. Your teachers are where they are because they know their subjects inside and out. They want to share that knowledge with you.

Frankie Milley’s son Ryan was 18 years old when he died of meningitis. “The hardest thing was to walk to the cemetery, to see his name on a gravestone,” Milley says. “His name shouldn’t be on a gravestone. It should be on a wedding invitation, a birth announcement. … If he’d had that vaccine he wouldn’t be there.”

Now, many states are lobbying to make the Menactra vaccine (83 percent effective against meningitis) mandatory. Many parents are against the idea and feel that nobody should be forced to receive a vaccination. What do you think?

Let’s take a look at some facts:

According to Dr. Tom Clark of the Center for Disease Control, “It’s not unusual to hear a story of a kid not feeling well on a Friday night and going to bed, and being dead on Saturday morning.” “It happens so quickly.”

Meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the thin tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord, called meninges. It is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.

Teenagers and young adults are at an increased risk of contracting meningococcal meningitis.
Studies show college students, especially freshmen living in dorms, are more vulnerable to the disease, because of lifestyle factors such as:
• Crowded living conditions
• Moving to a new residence
• Contact with students from all over the country or world
• Sharing beverages or utensils
• Lack of sleep or irregular sleep patterns
• Smoking, including secondhand smoke

The Center for Disease Control recommends young people ages 11-18 receive Menactra, a vaccination that is 83 percent effective in protecting against four strands of bacterial meningitis.

The symptoms are very similar to those of a cold or flu, and they can develop over several hours or in one to two days. For those over the age of 2, the most common symptoms are high fever, headache and stiff neck. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, confusion and sleepiness. As the disease progresses, a purple rash may appear and seizures can occur.

Once the bacteria has been identified, doctors can treat the disease with antibiotics. Immediate, aggressive treatment is necessary to avoid death or serious aftereffects. Because the disease progresses so quickly, treatment does not always lead to full recovery.

Whether or not a vaccine against meningitis becomes mandatory in your state, please be aware of this fatal disease and make sure your college student takes the necessary precautions.

Information provided by Melissa Dahl for msnbc.com. Read the original article in it’s entirety here.