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College is expensive; there’s tuition, books, rent, food, beer, etc. Being short on cash can add to your stress level and make for a miserable existence. Here is one piece of advice I have to help you save some money: Never, never, never buy your text books. You may think I’m crazy but hear me out. In most colleges, professors are required to have their textbooks on reserve at the library. You won’t be able to check the textbook out of the library but it is available to you. You can do all of your reading and studying in the library without buying the book. Also, find out if any of the local public libraries have the textbook you’re looking for. This has saved me hundreds of dollars every semester.

My next piece of advice has to do with food. Don’t buy your food on campus. It may seem like it’s cheap but trust me, you can make and pack a more cash-friendly lunch at home. When I spend the entire day on campus, I pack a lunch and various snacks. Stop going to Starbucks in the morning as well. Why haven’t you invested in a coffee maker? Four dollars every morning for an entire semester adds up to $300! Make your coffee and home and take it with you. If you need a pick-me-up during the day you already have your to-go mug, refills are always cheaper than a new cup.

Finally, get involved. There are so many different clubs and organizations on campus. Some of them are very important to your career path after graduation, others help you build a nice resume buy offering service projects. If you’re new on campus, clubs are a great way to meet new people. Pick a group that participates in things you are interested in. Trust me, if you like it there is an organization out there for you.

In closing, enjoy your time in college. Study hard, laugh a lot and don’t be afraid to try new things!

Why do professors take roll?

In almost every course the professor requires that we be present in class and, to make sure we are, takes roll and awards points accordingly. This logic baffles me. Students pay a lot of money to attend college; we are, by all intents and purposes, adults. Why should any of us be penalized if, for whatever reason, we decide not to show up to class? Anyone who has gone to college has had at least one professor that lectured almost word for word out of the text book. What, then, is the advantage of attending that course if you can read the textbook?

Recent studies have shown that class attendance bears no reflection on grades. It is widely known that people learn at different speeds and in different manners. For some, reading texts is the only way to procure knowledge; others find lectures the key to their grades. So if I absorb information better by reading the text at home, what is the advantage for me to attend class?

As I am an adult I decided to approach one of my professors, who happens to be my age, in an attempt to discover why they had chosen to apply this rule. I got no justifiable response. I started to wonder if the reason was related to the professor’s ego. Perhaps professors need to have a full classroom to feel they are performing their duties as an educator correctly.

No matter what the answer I feel I am wasting valuable time in certain courses. In what other institution do you pay for something then be penalized for not attending?

The Holy War is nearly upon us. The past two years BYU has bested the University of Utah in their football rivalry, but Ute fans are hoping this year will be different. The two teams will go head to head on Nov. 22 to a sold out crowd in Salt Lake City. Utah, who is 10-0 in the Mountain West division, has a powerhouse defense they hope will be the key to a win over the 10-1 BYU.

The Holy War, which got its name due to both universities’ strong ties to the LDS church, is one of college football’s longest rivalries. The competition between the two teams is so heated neither can agree on when the first Holy War game was fought. Utah contends the first match was in 1896 against then named Brigham Young Academy. BYU sports fans argue the first match didn’t actually happen until 1922. You know its a heated rivalry when the two sides can’t even agree on their first match.