The reason most students attend college is to get a degree. Beyond that, they want to expand their knowledge, they want to learn, and they want to belong. To that end, there are 10 things college students should do to get the most out of their college experiences.

10. Try not to take on too much responsibility. Now, this doesn

Going to college can be both exciting and scary. The joys of being on your own, meeting hundreds of people at once and starting on the path to adulthood are enough to send most college-bound teens into a state of permanent euphoria. It’s figuring out how to get to college that can be a tad scary. And it’s okay to be a little scared. We have all been there. The key is to identify the source of your fear and find the information you need to be comfortable about heading to college!

We want you to make the transition to college without unwanted awkwardness, we have put together a list of web sites that every college-bound student should frequent. So, keep this list handy, bookmark these sites and get ready for the greatest adventure of your life!

U.S. Department of Education
The US Department of Education sets the education standards for the national public education system. They also have a cool web site. In addition to learning how the No Child Left Behind Act affects your education, you can get help with homework, find financial aid for college and connect with volunteer organizations!

Common Application
Thanks to 277 colleges and universities across the nation, the college application process has gotten a whole lot easier. You can now complete one college application and send it to any of the member colleges. No more duplicating the same high school achievements 10 times! Fill out the common application, photocopy it, send it to all your college choices and get on with life.

FAFSA
You have probably heard by now that you have to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify for federal financial aid. What you might not know is that the FAFSA web site makes the application process a cinch! Get updated information, check your application status and make changes all at one convenient virtual location. Getting money for college was never easier.

Global Experiences
Got an itching in your bones for a little world travel before heading off to college? Or maybe you want to explore the great, big world during your college breaks. Whatever the case may be, Global Experiences has the low down on adventure travel, volunteer opportunities, internships and every thing else you can think of that relates to you packing your bags and getting your globe-trotting on!

Teens Health
You already have tons of things to do and few hours to do them. Neglecting your health might seem like a necessary sacrifice. But, one of the worst things a college student can do is ignore their health. Get a jump start on healthy living by developing good habits now. Pay attention to your body, eat healthy, stay in shape and get enough rest. The crew at Teens Health can help you with tips on everything from food and fitness to drugs and alcohol. No topic is off limits so check it out and arm yourself with the facts about proper health.

The campaign to make high school more demanding seems to be picking up support from the people who have the biggest stake in the matter: the students themselves.

Almost nine in 10 students say they would work harder if their high school expected more of them, a new survey finds. Less than one-third of students say their school sets high academic expectations, and most students favor ideas that might add some hassle to their life, such as more rigorous graduation standards and additional high-stakes testing.

?The good old times in high schools are being replaced by good old hard work,? said Peter Hart, whose Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., conducted the survey for the ?State of Our Nation?s Youth Report,? released Tuesday. ?There?s a recognition among students that they have to be more ready to compete.?

The nonprofit Horatio Alger Association, which provides college scholarships and mentoring to needy students, issued the annual report on youth attitudes. The findings are based on a phone survey of 1,005 students in high school last May.

Improving high schools has become an urgent topic in education, as mounting research shows many students aren?t ready for college or work after graduation ? if they get that far. The call for change has come from President Bush, governors, employers and college faculty.

Now students are saying it, too.

Julie Hetcko, 16, of Lincoln, Neb., who will be a senior in the fall, has taken three Advanced Placement courses and is looking for other ways to prepare for college. High schools that don?t offer some type of advanced coursework, she said, are holding students back.

?Times are changing,? she said. ?I don?t think people realize how much students are trying to excel, trying to get into college. It?s important that adults and parents know that it?s not just a walk in the park. We want to work for our grades.?

When given options for improving high schools, 95 percent of students agreed that more real-world opportunities, such as internships, would help at least somewhat. More than 90 percent also favored two other ideas: earlier counseling in high school about how to prepare for college, and more opportunities to take college-level courses for free.

Majorities of students said other changes would help, too, including increasing the availability of after-school and summer school, requiring students to pass math and English exams to graduate and requiring four years of math and courses in biology, chemistry and physics.

The students? call for more rigor comes as 41 percent of them said the pressure to get good grades is a major problem for them, about the same level as the last two years. One-third of students said getting good grades is very important when it comes to fitting in with their friends ? a factor cited more often than having a car or being involved in sports.

More than three in four students plan to go to a four-year university. A total of 83 percent said high school is preparing them ?adequately? for college, although a smaller number, 71 percent, said high school is getting them sufficiently ready for the work world.

Most of the students surveyed were enrolled in public schools, with the rest attending a private school, home school or another type of school. Students age 13 to 19 took part.

The survey has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Among other findings:

More than two in five students say at least half the students they know cheat on tests.

More than six in 10 students say they have a cell phone.

Nine in 10 students say they have at least one family member whom they can confide in.

About half of students say they eat a meal with their family every day.

Almost three in four students say they would admire a professional athlete less if they found out the athlete had taken illegal steroids.

? 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently conducted a study that proved kids have access to more media than they can handle. According to the findings of Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-old, the amount of time young people spend “media multi-tasking” has increased from 16 percent to 26 percent of media time in the last five years.

“Kids are multi-tasking and consuming different kinds of media all at once,” said Drew Altman, Ph.D., President and CEO of Kaiser Family Foundation. “Multi-tasking is a growing phenomenon in media use and we don’t know whether it’s good or bad or both.”

Most teachers and high school counselors would lean toward it being a bad thing if left unmonitored. One reason media use goes unmonitored is the unlimited access students have to various media in their bedrooms. The study shows that 68 percent of all 8-18 year-olds have television sets in their bedroom and more than half have a video game player connected. There has also been an increase in the number of students with VCR or DVD players (54 percent), cable or satellite TV (37 percent), computers (31 percent) and internet access (20 percent) in their bedrooms. When all is said and done, students spend at least six hours a day devoted to media use.

“These kids are spending the equivalent of a full-time work week using media, plus overtime,” said Vicky Rideout, the Kaiser Family Foundation Vice President who directed the study.

This excessive amount of time spent using media has to be interfering with work. While the study found that the only students who reported unsatisfactory grades were those who tended to devote more time to playing video games than using other media forms, it doesn’t negate that excessive distractions interfere with homework.

Teachers will attest to the inability of students to critically read a literature passage for homework while trying to instant message friends or talk on the phone. It is difficult to give full attention to math homework while music videos are blaring in the background.

The findings of the study might not be immediate cause for alarm, but “anything that takes up that much space in their [young people's] lives certainly deserves our full attention,” said Rideout.

The top ten most popular college majors are:

• Business Administration and Management
• Psychology
• Elementary Education
• Biology
• Nursing
• Education
• English
• Communications
• Computer Science
• Political Science

It’s a question that parents often ask themselves. Christine Noble, a mother of two Colorado high school students struggles trying to find a balance. “I consider myself moderate,” she said. “But, what’s okay to get your kids prepared for the experiences they are going to have in college?”

There is no easy answer to that question. An article in the Coloradoan Online offers a few suggestions. They are as simple as “having parents involved in their children’s social lives, schools involved in educating students about the impact alcohol can have on their health and overall quality of life, community members setting positive role examples and the youths getting involved in positive activities.”

However you choose to address the problem, the key is to start educating kids about alcohol while they are young. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), nearly 50 percent of adolescents have had at least one drink, and more than 20 percent admitted having been “drunk” by the time they reach eighth grade. Most students don’t start drinking once they enroll in college. It’s usually a behavior they bring from home.

“When parents teach kids about rules and boundaries in general, they shouldn’t just address the alcohol issue,” said Kurtis Royer, mental-health specialist with Connections, a partnership between the Health District of Northern Larimer County and Larimer Center for Mental Health. “Teaching children about responsibilities and setting examples for making healthy decisions and living a healthy lifestyle are the best lessons.”

Before high school guidance counselors try to address the problems of underage drinking at college, they should have a grasp of the problem within the halls of their high schools. Some high school students attend parties hosted by college-age students, friends whose parents allow them to drink with supervision or they drive around until they find a party to attend.

Michelle, an 18 year-old student at Fort Collins High School in Fort Collins, Co., admits to seeking out parties. “A lot of weekends, we drive around trying to find something to do. I’ve been to places where I have not had any idea who is throwing the party.”

It is that kind of risky behavior that can lead to dangerous situations. Often times, teens will meet up at a party with a bunch of friends and drink until they are drunk or pass out. No one is fit to drive but arrangements have not been made before hand to make sure everyone gets home safely.

Michelle tries not to drink and drive, but confesses that she has before. “I’ve never been so drunk that I couldn’t drive,” she said. “You take it into consideration if you have to drive home, and stop drinking at a certain time.” Other teens make finding a designated driver a part of their party plans.

Scott Crandall, executive director of TEAM Fort Collins, a nonprofit organization that educates college students on abuse and illegal use of alcohol and other drugs, believes the logic of students like Michelle is part of the problem.

“We have to stress that?a designated driver doesn’t mean the person who’s had the fewest drinks,” he said.

Though not rocket science, it appears that high school guidance counselors presenting the facts about alcohol ends up being the best way to prepare students for a college environment that is all too alcohol-friendly.

Be upfront with students about the dangers of underage drinking. In 2003 alone, more thank 1,400 college-age students died from alcohol related causes according to the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

High school guidance counselors can also actively engage parents and community leaders in dialogue and programs that talk about alcohol responsibility. Organizations like SADD have programs in place that can be implemented at your school. Be creative in your approach for reaching your students, but know that the truth goes a long way.