When a student begins schooling at the college level they are around the age of 18, usually. I haven’t come in contact with many 18-year-olds who know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives.

I started out my freshman year as a nursing major. Then I entertained the idea of physical therapy, then occupational therapy. I researched art therapy. As of right now, I am happy with mass communications – pretty big jump from something in the medical field to journalism. But that’s okay.

My ideas about what I wanted to major in changed as I took different classes. I may decide mass communications isn’t for me the longer I study it.

If you’ve gone back and forth with your major, don’t worry. Eventually you will find something that interests you. Some programs may be competitive, like nursing, and people will tell you to get an early start and take all the classes you can so you can apply early to get into the program.

I don’t see the need to rush. Take your time and don’t stress. Academic advisors are there to help, but every one of them will tell you something different – a different route to take, different classes, it’s all just an opinion. Ultimately it has to be up to you. That’s the cool thing about college: you choose.

You make your own schedule, you choose your classes, you choose your professors, etc. If you find a class you think might be interesting, but it doesn’t go toward your “expected major,” take it anyway! It could always be an elective. And who knows, it might end up being the thing you love and decide to do with the rest of your life.

As long as you enjoy what you’re doing, it doesn’t really matter if it is a popular degree. The crossword puzzle editor of the New York Times, Will Shortz, majored in enigmatology, the study of puzzles, at Indiana University. That’s just one example of somebody taking what they like and what they’re good at and making a career out of it. It can be done.

I know people who often get discouraged because they never find anything good when they visit a thrift store. I’ll tell you the secret: You have to dig. Dig through the racks of clothing and you might be surprised. What you thought looked like a pile of junk may actually contain something special. That’s the beauty of a thrift store.

If second-hand clothing or shoes isn’t your thing, there’s something for you at a thrift store too. Goodwill, for example, frequently has clothes with the price-tags from other retailers still on them and shoes still in their boxes –brand new, but much cheaper.

That price-tag will sometimes be three times the price the thrift store is asking, which is another very appealing aspect. I would say 40 percent of my closet is second-hand clothing and I have saved tons of cash because of it. And it’s funny, it seems like I get the most compliments from wearing the clothes I get from Goodwill and Avalon Exchange. I don’t have to sacrifice fashion at all to save money.

Given the state of the economy, people are constantly looking for ways to cut costs, especially college students. We need to save money whenever possible and those ominous student loans breathing down our necks regularly remind us of that. Thrift stores are possibly the greatest way to find discounted merchandise.

Aside from the clothing, thrift stores have a lot to offer from artwork and furniture to DVDs, CDs, cassettes and records. I bet most college students could find something that interests them. Next time you’re driving past one, stop in and take a look around. You won’t be sorry because you never know what you might find.

Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

by Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

It’s tax time, and everyone is scrambling to make sure they get everything turned in by Thursday. For those who did not receive extensions, it could get a little overwhelming.

My favorite part about tax time is all the people who do not seem to realize you can file your taxes as early as January.

Each year, as soon as my W2s arrive, my mother and I sit down so that I can get my taxes done and filed. My only reason for bothering with it or even remembering is that the earlier I file my taxes the sooner I can get all my financial aid paperwork done. And, especially at SIUE, I have found the earlier I file paperwork, the better.

One day, I will not have my mother to remind me to make sure that my taxes are done. And hopefully, one day, I will not have to worry about getting them done early to get my financial aid paperwork done early either.

I am going to have to start educating myself on what I need to know to do my taxes. Since there are all kinds of programs to do it yourself, it should be pretty easy. Still I am always terrified that I am going to do it wrong, thanks to the commercials talking about all the different tax law changes and and that I could be getting more money back than I thought.

I can only hope that it will either become easier or cheaper to do taxes, because I am not a number-oriented person.

If the government has the time to find all the mistakes I made when I filed taxes, they should think about implementing some kind of program to make sure that its citizens are at least marginally educated in the whole tax filing process.

Sean Roberts, Alestle Photographer

by Sean Roberts, Alestle Photographer

Yes, I’m a PC, but that doesn’t mean all Apple products are dead to me.I recently tried out the iPhone 3G, now it’s my primary phone. I chose the iPhone because I was  looking for a fast and reliable phone from AT&T, this seemed to be the pick.

The iPhone was surely an innovative leader in the market when it came out. Right now it is still one of the best phones on the market. However, it has been lagging behind as of recently. With few real innovations in the past few years, Apple will have to start innovating again or fall behind.  Apple will announce its iPhone OS 4.0 on May 7, and I hope for its sake that major changes are made. A new iPhone is also in the works, but I do not suspect that very much is going to change as compared to what we have now.

That being said, the iPhone is one of my favorite devices thus far. While I haven’t tried any Android phones (There are only two that I know of for the market right now for AT&T) it is far superior to what Windows Mobile or RIM has to offer so far (See my post about Windows Mobile 7.) The speed and Web browsing capabilities are second to none, and the app store has personally helped me wake up and track my running.

Along with the iPhone, I had a chance to check out the iPad and determine if my review from the past was correct. It was.

The iPad is sleek, I admit that. It’s sleek and fast like the iPhone. Still I see it as completely useless, especially at the price point. The typing is awkward, and carrying around such a large device with an unprotected screen seems like a recipe for disaster.

Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

by Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

A twist in unemployment laws will hurt more than help those who need money because they can’t find any work.

With the state of the economy during the past few years, it is not really a surprise that the government is now trying to find a way to give out less money than when the economy was thriving. Many of the people who have found part time jobs are now getting cuts to their unemployment checks because all the paperwork is being recalculated.

Even though most of the people who are now losing money are part of a federal program that was put in place to help those who had run out state benefits, instead of cutting the paychecks so drastically, there should be a more vigorous application process.

It is good that people cannot collect from both state and federal funds, but the federal government should just give the state the money to hand out instead.

Congress changed the unemployment laws in the 1990’s to make sure that unemployed people would not be penalized for finding part-time work, but that change is now “expired” and that does not make sense either.

It is the work of the government to take care of its citizens. If one law is going to be made to help the people, then more time and money should not be spent on changing those laws after they are put into place.

And in this current economy, there is nothing worse than being told you are not worth the paper the unemployment check is printed on.

As the weather gets warmer and the heavy coats worn around campus get replaced with t-shirts, the inevitable mating season of the SIUE Canada geese comes along with the spring. I need to be careful here because talking geese at SIUE is like politics; it can turn ugly in a hurry.

The average life of a goose if it reaches adolescence usually spans anywhere from 10 to25 years.  That’s a long time to call SIUE a home if they choose to do so. And since there are very little predators besides humans here, the geese have kind of domesticated here around campus.

The eggs laid by mother geese in the spring are vulnerable to fall prey to raccoons, foxes, skunks and a variety of birds to name a few. Even after hatching geese still have their predators they have to be weary of. Most of these predators obviously did not exist around campus. There aren’t any wolves around Edwardsville, and I am guessing Cougar Lake does not have a whole bunch of northern pike or muskie in it. Although I have seen a few raccoons and possums on the outskirts of campus, the list of predators to help control the population of geese at SIUE is very limited.

Since both male and female geese look very similar, it can be hard to tell them apart at times. But at this time of year, both genders can become agitated fairly easily even if you mean them no harm. For the record though, male geese normally tend to be a little larger than females. Males are commonly referred to as “ganders” as while females are actually called “geese.”

Nesting for geese begins in the month of March and will trickle into April. Both males and females will protect their nests. A female will usually lay about a half dozen eggs that in shape are three times the size of chicken eggs. The incubation phase of these eggs will go on for a month or so (25 to 30 days). During this time, the eggs need to be kept warm at a temperature of 90 degrees in order for the embryo to develop. The embryos that do hatch into ducklings will go through a “molting” period of about another month or two.

Typically if you encounter a hostile goose, the best thing to do is to maintain eye contact with the animal. Geese pay close attention and are very wary of body language, so it is not a good idea to turn your back on one. Returning your hostility towards the bird is also a no-no. For the most part, you are trying to get the point across that you mean the bird no harm. A lot of times, geese are only trying to look after their young when they become agitated.

Listed below are a few typical body languages projected by alerted geese that feel they are in danger. You’re best bet:  stay clear.

a) Alert, wary of danger

b) Conflict, accompanied with hiss

c) Increased threat, accompanied by a call

d) Conflict situation, pumping display, precedes direct attack

For more information about Canada geese, click here.

Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

by Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

The time for Student Government elections is coming up in about two weeks. There may be a lack of senators running for a position, but there is also a lack of any signage that encourages people to vote for them.

Last year during the elections there were signs and flyers posted up around the campus. This year everything I have seen so far for this election campaign has been on Facebook. Maybe I am just not looking for them hard enough, but there are not even any flyers posted on the bulletin board. There are also no signs anywhere.

I am not sure if it is a lack of funding or if the candidates are not worried about being elected because there are not enough people running for candidacy, but it feels like there is some laziness as well.

Electronic sources are great in getting the word out into the world and spreading it around, but it is also making people less likely to put in as much effort and time they normally would if they did not have all those resources available to them.

Just because there are Facebook groups and events, Twitter feeds, etc. does not mean that those who are trying to get into an elected position should just wait for an outcome that is inevitable since there is not much competition.

If someone is going to represent me and my school, I would like for them to show a little more initiative than just waiting till election day and sending everyone who joined their group or is following them a message saying, “Hey! Vote for me.”

Sean Roberts, Alestle Photographer

by Sean Roberts, Alestle Photographer

Your laptop just fried. Your phone screen just smashed.  That’s going to be an expensive repair, but it doesn’t have to be.If you have the technical know how to open up electronic components, you should consider repairing electronics yourself.

While this isn’t for everybody, I have saved hundreds of dollars buying replacement parts and fixing things myself. When my motherboard for my laptop fried, a repair from a Dell technician would have cost something in the range of $400, if not more. I spent $150 and replaced it myself.

I also just broke the glass on my HTC Tilt 2 Smartphone. HTC would likely want more than $100 to fix it, but a quick search on eBay shows me that a $30 replacement part will do just as well, and I won’t have to search for a new phone either. If you’re worried about where to start, a quick Google search or a YouTube video tutorial can give surprisingly easy instruction.

While this is definitely not for everybody, if you’re comfortable with opening up electronic devices, you should seriously consider replacing them yourself instead of taking them in. For a college student on a budget, the stress of opening up your phone and counting those tiny little screws is well worth buying a new one and not eating for a month.  If you’re interested in replacement parts, there are plenty of sales on eBay or replacement part  hubs, you might be surprised by the deals you can find.

Just to show you how easy it is, here are some online video tutorials for basic electronic repair that I found on YouTube.