Students are still upset about the news last week from the California State University Board of Trustees, where they voted 10-2 for an increase in student fees by 5 percent. The continued cuts in the California state budget have forced the CSU system to raise fees to try and compensate for the loss of funding. This increase will set fees and tuition for in-state undergrads at $4,230 per year and graduate students at $5,214 a year. In addition Teacher Credential student fees will also increase by 5 percent which puts tuition at $4,908 per year. Previous increases, combined with this 5 percent bump could cause even more students to shy away from a CSU and attend another California college, or go out of state.

Last year there was a 32 percent increase in tuition and fees, which was attributed to a reduction in students enrolled within the CSU system. This additional bump is likely to force some students away as they struggle to pay for food and housing. The situation is therefore complicating things in California as students need to to get an education and graduate so that they will have a better chance to get a decent job. The state economy is struggling, and one of the best ways to start to get out of an economic slump would be to get more qualified and educated people into the workforce. No matter how rough the economic conditions become, California cannot give up on a commitment to higher education so that it can continue to graduate thousands of individuals every year who can then contribute more to the economic recovery.

Succeeding in college is a big commitment, as it will take many years for you to complete your degree, depending on if you are working towards an associates, bachelors, or masters degree. Focusing on the end goal of graduation is very important, but there are many things you can do along the way which will help you succeed. There are many facets of college and the classes you will take, all of which must be given proper attention throughout your years in school. While there are a number of ways to succeed in college, the best approach is to find a combination of techniques which work best for you. Below you will find a handful of ideas to help you succeed in college in California.

1. Take Action – The bottom line is you have to make it happen, and cannot be a procrastinotor. Choose your major early on and set goals frequently to keep achieving toward your graduation. If you do not start on this path early, it may prevent you from graduating on time so you can get the job you desire.
2. Be Prepared for Classes and Take Notes – This means you need to start with the syallabus and make sure you understand everything that is required of you for the class. On top of that, you need to make sure you stay on schedule with your assignments and reading, so that you are prepared for each class. Make sure you get to class on time and focus the entire time so that you do not miss any critical information. Do your best to take notes of relevant information, but you can also try and add a recorder of some type to your note taking, as this will capture all of the class. Lastly it is good to make a friend in class, just in case something happens and you need to miss a class.
3. Good Study Habits – Make sure you study in a nice and quiet place, and stay in the rhythm of studying so you stay on track for the term. Also have the right tools with you, like pencils, pens, calculator, and a highlighter. Also take periodic breaks when studying to give your brain a rest and mix up the long study session.
4. Tests – You will have lots of tests throughout college so get into the habit of studying ahead of time, and not waiting until the last minute the night before the test. Also remember to get proper sleep that night, as it will help you arrive early to class so you can focus on the test. Make sure you take your time and read the instructions, as a simple mistake can mess up the whole test. Answer all questions, and review the entire test before you hand it in to be graded.
5. Utilize College Resources – Libraries, tutors, and doctors are just a few of the resources you can use at college to help you succeed. No matter what you need help with at college, there is usually a free resource on campus to help you out or point you in the right direction.
6. Papers – Along with tests, papers will be your other best friend in college and very common in almost any class. So it is best to start on papers early so that you do not get behind, as you can often have more than one paper due on the same day. Before you get started, layout your research and get an outline going to make it easy to write.  However you should make sure all research is accurate, as everything you read on the Internet is not always true.

College textbooks can be very expensive, and college students in California are feeling the pain right now trying to afford all the books they need each term. As tuition and fees continue to raise for California Universities, students struggle to keep up with all the expenses which include textbooks. This is why one California college partnered with Santa Clara, California-based Chegg.com, by allowing a Chegg kiosk inside the Fresno State Kennel Bookstore. Chegg.com is a leading online ecommerce site which rents textbooks to college students around the country. Ron Durham, the director of Fresno State’s Kennel Bookstore, felt that he wanted to be one of the first California colleges to adopt this strategy and help meet students’ needs for textbooks. Durham was very familiar with seeing the Chegg orange boxes around campus, as students get their rented textbooks and then ship them back in their orange box once done with the class.

Many students are sick of paying $100+ for a textbook, only to get $40 back from selling it after the term is over. In these cases, it’s as if they just paid $60 to rent a textbook anyway and had to deal with the process of buying and selling it. Why not pay something like $40 easily online with Chegg and rent the textbook for the term, then return it easily when complete? The only real downside for using a service like Chegg, is that some California college students might want to keep the books that pertain to their major. However most students take 2 years of classes which are more general education, and are a perfect options to use a service like Chegg. Over the next year it is expected that other California colleges will partner with local company Chegg, to give their students another option for obtaining textbooks.

California colleges have been popping up in the press quite often this year, as they work to become greener campuses by implementing solar technologies and other environmentally friendly practices. The Princeton Review recently released their Guide to 286 Green Colleges, in which California took 26 of the top spots on the list. However New York beat out every state on The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges with 37 schools making the list this year. In order to compile this list of green colleges in the U.S., The Princeton Review teams up with Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council. Also known as the  USGBC, their mission is to help the U.S. become more sustainable via cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. Having 26 California colleges on the list is a great accomplishment, but with the amount of colleges and universities in the state, this number could be much higher.

It is great that someone is taking the time to compile all of the environmentally-responsible campuses in the U.S., as it should inspire other colleges in California to step up their game when it comes to being green. The study looked at many factors which a number of California colleges can improve, such as solar technology utilization and increasing the percentage of budget spent on local/organic food. Having local and organic food should be a definite for all of the colleges in California, as the state produces such a large percentage of U.S. food. Now that this list is published, California colleges can use it as a guide for what they can do to become greener, so that we increase the number of colleges on the The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges next year.

Complete List of California Colleges on The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges

California State University, Chico
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State University, Stanislaus
Claremont McKenna College
Harvey Mudd College
Humboldt State University
Mills College
Saint Mary’s College (CA)
San Francisco State University
Santa Clara University
Sonoma State University
Stanford University
University of California—Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California—Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California—Riverside
University of California—San Diego
University of California—Santa Barbara
University of California—Santa Cruz
University of La Verne
University of Redlands
University of San Diego
University of Southern California
University of the Pacific
Whittier College

Not many of the California colleges have organized 4/20 celebrations, but schools like UC Santa Cruz and Humboldt State University are known to have meet ups for the day. These celebrations at colleges in California come at a time when people in the state are pushing to legalize marijuana. The events at HSU and UCSC are not secrets, as people flock to a central location in public to meet up and celebrate. Students at UCSC celebrated at Porter Meadow for their 4/20 celebration, and HSU students gathered at Redwood Park in Arcata. Only about a thousand people showed up at the UCSC event this year, as school officials tried to deter people from attending as it give the school bad press. In years past there have been 2,000 to 3,000 people attending the 4/20 event at Porter Meadow in UCSC. No official numbers are out yet for the HSU celebration but last year there were roughly 5,000 people, which can be confirmed by doing a search on YouTube where you can find lots of 4/20 celebration videos from years past.

Many California colleges have always been known for their liberal culture, and these types of peaceful celebrations seem to be accepted as common place throughout the state. Other colleges in California do celebrate, but not in a mass organized style as they do at UCSC and HSU. California residents will be able to vote this November to decide if they want to legalize marijuana and allow it to be sold and taxed. If this is approved it could mean a lot of revenue for the state, which could flow to California colleges who are struggling due to a lack of funding. An approval could also mean 4/20 celebrations will be much more common next year at colleges in California.

California colleges and universities decided to implement waiting lists this year so that they could better control the flood of students applying this year. A couple of the CSU schools like San Diego State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo have used waiting lists for years, but now almost all of the California universities and colleges will put them to use. The budget crisis in California has really hurt UC and CSU schools, as they struggle to keep up with student demand, while dealing with limited budgets. Therefore the waiting list process will allow the California colleges and universities to more accurately control their enrollment targets. This will make them more efficient overall, but as a student the process is very awkward and difficult to deal with when trying to make your way into college after high school.

This year had a record number of applicants for the UC and CSU systems, and now many of these students face difficult decisions as they may have been accepted to some schools, but got the wait list for others. Students who excelled in high school are not always getting into their number one choice, so now have to decide if they want to deal with the wait list process. Many students feel frustrated and discouraged by the wait list process, as the fall term is only five months away and students want to solidify their plans for the future. While many California students have voiced their concern, but the hard data is not out until April 14 on how many students have been admitted and wait-listed. If the wait list process continues at CSU and UC schools, then there needs to be a bigger and better education process about it so students understand all of their options.

You might be surprised to know that most California colleges and universities do not have the best websites, in fact many look outdated which may make it tough to get a prospective student excited about the school. California colleges like CSU Bakersfield, CSU Sacramento, and San Diego State University all have websites which are not very visually impressive, and not the easiest to navigate. CSU Chico wanted to improve the overall usability of the college website and give it a redesign which everyone associated with the school will be happy about. They surveyed current and prospective students, staff, faculty, alumni, and administrators so that they could determine what the audience who uses the website most wanted to see. Luckily CSU Chico had a big group of community participants on campus who helped out to launch the new website this week.

There are three committees at CSU Chico which includes the Web Management Committee, the Web Design Team, and the Web Content Committee, who made this newly redesign possible. At first glance the new website really catches your eye, and the navigation is very clearly laid out so that anyone visiting the website will have an easy time finding what they are seeking. They have ten different hero images on the home page which all represent different facets of CSU Chico. The color palette and design is fresh and clean, which makes it very easy on the eyes. Overall the new CSU Chico website is one of the nicest among all of the California State University campuses.

Coed Dorms or gender-neutral housing has been becoming increasingly popular among California colleges, and schools through the United States. Some of the California colleges that are already accepting this housing option include Stanford, UC Berkley, UC Riverside, and the Harvey Mudd colleges.  There are roughly 50 colleges and universities across the U.S. which are using coed dorms, but this number is expected to increase in the next few years. It seems only logical that more California colleges and universities would consider this as a way to gain them more flexibility when it comes to housing. If couples, or friends want to live together then California colleges should make this an option as it will make them more attractive to wider groups of people. Some of the push for these coed dorms have been helped by The National Student Genderblind Campaign, which strives for gender equality, gay rights, and trans-gender inclusion for students across the country.

In the 21st century the idea of coed dorms at California colleges and universities is not that taboo, as more people want gender-neutral housing while in school. Being yourself and comfortable with who you are as a person is part of the college life for many, and the addition of coed dorms opens up an option for many people who will benefit from that environment. Having a truly compatible roommate allows students to better enjoy the college experience, which should translate to an improved atmosphere for learning. Over the next few years we should expect to see more colleges and universities shift toward offering gender-neutral housing as an option.

California college students at UC and CSU schools in places like San Diego and Los Angeles often make Mexico their top pick for spring break trips as they can drive down or fly in very quickly. However things in Mexico are a bit hectic lately, which has caused the U.S. State Department to issue a general warning regarding travel to Mexico. Last weekend there was an incident and three people who are associated with the U.S. consulate were shot down in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. There were also two children which were reported to be injured due to this shooting in Mexico. The city of Ciudad Juarez has long been known for violence, often associated with drug cartels which are notorious for killings throughout Mexico. Therefore California college students are being warned about going to Mexico for spring break, due to the gun violence that left three people dead this past weekend. Many California colleges are sending out email communication to their students to make sure that they are aware of the current state of Mexico. Some California universities like USC are already on spring break, so the school put out a warning to let students know about the situation that just occurred in Mexico.

Any California college student that is planning to still travel to Mexico for spring break should review the information that the U.S. State Department released so that they become prepared before leaving on their trip. There has been a lot of drug related violence across Mexico, many of which have occured in border towns which are often frequented by California college students on the weekends, or for spring break. Make sure to do your research, and if at all possible postpone any trips to Mexico in the near future which are not essential.

The California college budget crisis has forced the lay offs of many teachers, which has resulted in a reduction of classes across CSU and UC campuses throughout the state. California State University schools have been hit extremely hard, with all campuses facing some sort of faculty cutbacks and budget cuts. This results in more students in fewer classes, which is why many California college students at CSU campuses have been unable to get into certain classes they need. At the same time there were tuition and fee increases taking place, which compounded with class reduction has made thousands of students very angry. There have been major protests recently with students, faculty, and citizens, showing their frustration with the budget issues and reduction of college classes.

Many students feel that the California colleges and universities are more concerned about keeping certain administrators happy and employed, as opposed to ensuring that their are enough classes for students who need them to graduate. Students are feeling the economic recession as well, which is making it tough for them to come up with the extra funds to pay for school. This is especially true when they have to attend college longer than expected because they cannot get into a particular class. It is expected that there will be more protests by students and faculty against these changes, until the legislators of California work with colleges and universities to fix the current issues. If California colleges and universities do not educate our youth, then we will have a major gap in our workforce in future years as students move out of state.