Preparing For College Checklist

Congratulations, you’re officially a college freshman! This is both an exciting and daunting transition for most students. Help take some of the edge off and start your first year with confidence by doing these 7 things before college starts:

Schedule your campus tour. You can show up and walk around on your own, but scheduling a tour gives will give you more insight into the different areas of campus and what you can expect on your first day. Avoid not knowing how to get to your dorms or your first class and make sure this “to-do” is a priority. While you’re exploring campus, make sure you note where the emergency points and security office are.

Improve your reading skills. Consistent reading not only increases your speed, it helps you process what you’re reading faster. If your freshman English professor hasn’t already assigned summer reading, get your hands on the syllabus or recommended reading list and see how many books you can knock out before the first day of college.

Start networking early. If you haven’t already, consider joining LinkedIn. It’s never too early to start building connections and working your way up to that awesome internship or part-time job. Connect with classmates, friends, and even your professors.

Download time-management and study apps. Make managing college life easy with a little help from your smartphone. From note-taking and citation assistance to time-monitoring and collaborative learning apps, there are a plethora of options available that can make your first year at college a breeze. See a recommended list here and here.

Put together a budget. It’s easy to get carried away with money in college, especially with food, shopping, and weekend trips with friends. Start putting together a budget by analyzing how much money you will need each month for food, gas (if you will have a car on campus), clothes, etc. As much as possible try to stick to this budget – it will help with your financial and prioritization skills down the road.

Prepare for life in a new city. Personal security is important. Stay alert, build a "buddy network" of roomates and new friends where you watch out for one another. Download and use the Virtual Halo app amongst your friends, it will help you check in with each other when you're supposed to, or send out an SOS if you get into an emergency and your buddy's will know where you're at.

Get to know your professors. Show initiative and willingness to participate by developing a relationship with your professor before school starts. As the year goes on, they might also be willing to act as your mentor and guide you through challenging coursework and college life. Remember to be respectful and sincere when contacting them.

Participate in orientation activities. Orientation is a crucial time to start making friends, researching clubs and organizations, and getting to know your campus environment. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to ask questions and get involved.

Reprinted from EnvisionExperience.org

How To Prepare For An International Trip

With all of the mayhem in the news lately, people are concerned about international travel, rightly so. We've crafted a list of things that people should have handy in preparing for their trip to ensure it's as safe and hassle free as possible. Unfortunately, we can't guarantee a terror attach, but knowing what to do should you find yourself in the middle of the action could mean the difference between life or death.

• Pack what's important - We all tend to overpack, mainly because we do it the night before we're set to leave. At that point, it's easy to forget something critical and to pack unnecesary items that can both weigh you down and take up valuable space. You'll want to remember the following items:
  • Write down your emergency contacts and their contact information
  • Make copies of the front and back of your credit cards and your signed passport page; leave a copy at home and take a copy with you.
  • Keep these copies with you inside of your carry on luggage and keep it with you at all times.
  • Take at least two weeks worth of medication..
• Make a plan - Discuss what you'll do in case of an attack with your traveling companions; in the event of a disturbance, where will you meet, how will you get there, etc. It's a good idea to take a simple one-page map of the area you'll be traveling with you in case your mobile device loses power or the internet goes down.
  • Prior to travel, register with the U.S. State Department's STEP Program.
  • While traveling, memorize your hotel's emergency exits and what the most evacuation route from your hotel room to the outside is and be prepared to retrace this route with limited visibility.
  • Once overseas, register with the nearest embassy and record their contact information and that of the nearest consulate if applicable.
• Carry backup cash - Cash is king and when on foot and if the internet goes down, it can help you get something to eat and a few bottles of water. Credit cards don't always work and there's nothing that will make you feel helpless than not having purchasing power.
• Avoid high-target areas - Avoid crowded areas at busy times of the day. Major sporting events, festivals and rally's are soft targets that a terrorist may find appealing.
• Try not to stand out - Instead of being the "ugly American" practice blending in by wearing muted colors, khaki pants, dark socks and leather shoes. Nothing stands out internationally more than an American wearing shorts, athletic shoes and white socks.
• Use your tools - Utilize the Virtual Halo app and communicate to your emergency contacts what your plan is in case of an emergency. Remember - SOS and Check In mode are your friends.

What To Do When Traveling Abroad During an Attack

Conde Nast published a great article on what to do when traveling abroad during an attack. In the wake of Charlie Hebdo, the Boston Marathon bombings, additional attacks in Paris, the foiled attacks in Munich and now the tragedy in Brussels, the thought that you might be present for an attack has sadly become a reality.

It's time to stop thinking "that won't happen to me." It can. Hopefully it won't, but you should prepare for it nonetheless. If you are present during an attack, or even in a city where an attack takes place, you need to know what to do. Below is a quick "cheat sheet" on resources to utilize when traveling abroad:

• Prior to Travel:
  • Add the international roaming option to your mobile phone. Over the past year, each of the major cell phone companies, including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, have lowered the cost and increased the capabilities of their international plans.
  • Make a list of phone numbers and email addresses that you can access if your mobile device runs out of power. Internet cafe's and hotel business centers are great places to shoot messages off to loved ones.
  • Visit the U.S. State Department's Alerts and Warnings Website - this resources will give you information about where you're going and what to be cognizant of.
• While Abroad:
  • Register your international travels with the U.S. State Department's STEP Program (State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
  • Log into Facebook and mark yourself as "safe" with their Safety Check tool (they know where you are based on your phone's GPS functionality).
  • Use the Virtual Halo app to let your emergency contacts know that you're safe