Students blog

Every April, National Volunteer Week provides an opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteer service in all types of communities. Volunteering is of special importance to many college students. Scholarships, admissions committees, and potential leadership positions are all looking to see community and civic engagement. Sometimes this can make it feel more like a requirement than an act of service, but with a little effort we can turn that around. 

Finding the perfect volunteer position for you can take a little time and effort. It is always worthwhile in the end so that you and the community you are serving can get the maximum benefits of your volunteering. Understanding the types of service that exist, learning what makes up a meaningful volunteering experience, and figuring out how to find what you’re passionate about are the keys to maximizing your volunteering experience.  

Service Options

The first step to this process is understanding the different types of service you can engage in. Clinical service is often popular for students looking for experience in the medical field, including hospital and clinic settings. This is a good option for people looking for a specific time to come every week. Most college towns also have animal shelters for those who prefer animals over humans. For those who prefer less interaction, food insecurity is an amazing place to start. Soup kitchens and food pantries are always looking for volunteers to cook, clean, and stock shelves. Many campuses even have a food pantry for students suffering from food insecurity. These places are often looking for volunteers and love having a helping hand whenever available. While these are just a few examples, places in your community are always looking for people, you just have to reach out.

Pick Your Meaning and Passion

Learning what makes a meaningful experience and figuring out how to maximize your time by finding something you’re passionate about go hand in hand. As a pre-medical student I was primarily focused on finding clinical opportunities where I would volunteer in a hospital setting. While that was great, I was not allowing myself to see the other service opportunities in my community. If I wouldn’t have branched out, I would have never found the local soup kitchen where I have served breakfast every Friday for eight months. Finding an opportunity that makes you excited and gives you something to look forward to every week is the kind of experience everyone wants to find. When you love to serve and are eager to help, both you and the people you are serving are able to reap maximum benefits. 

My biggest advice throughout this process is to volunteer at a few different local places as one-time experiences, and take time to reflect after each of them. More often than not the type of service that speaks to you the most will reveal itself to you after just one time. But if it doesn’t, that’s OK too; everyone’s experience is different. I can guarantee when you find the right place for you, you will know it. Service is not always about the time you spend, but rather the love, compassion, and concern for others and for your community that you are able to give is.

It’s mid-semester, you’re busy, you’re tired, and you’re hungry. You get home only to realize those groceries your parents bought when they last visited are basically gone, and you have $20 to survive the next two weeks! We have all been there. Adjusting to finding a balanced diet that is filling, healthy, and affordable is hard. Not to worry, learning to maximize your money when you go to the grocery store, finding meals you can make in 20 minutes or less, and knowing how to save your leftovers is easier than you think, and these few tips just might save your metabolism!

Never go to the grocery store without a list and a budget

It is easy to get in a hurry and just stop by the store and grab what you think you need, but more often than not you end up with things you don’t need and spend more money than you had to! Keep a running list on your refrigerator, so you can add things when you run out. That way you know what you need and what you don’t!

Plan ahead

The key to mastering a college diet is thinking ahead. Before you go to the store think of how long you are shopping for – one week, two? Then make the list accordingly for every day and try to account for how many meals you think you will eat out, the nights that you plan to cook, and how many leftover meals you will have. Preparing food in advance will help you avoid eating fast food – keeping you on budget and healthier.

Buy frozen when you can

One of the worst cases is when you buy ingredients to make a meal, but they expire before you use them! No one likes to waste money. But it happens to all of us; everyone gets busy and life does not always go according to your day-to-day plan. Avoid this situation by buying things frozen or freezing them when you get home. This is especially relevant with meats and vegetables. You can even stick your bread in the fridge to keep it fresh a couple extra days! 

Leftovers can be a saving grace

My favorite way to make the most of the meals I make is save them in the most efficient way so that I have a lunch or dinner for the next day as well. Leftovers do not have to be the same meal over and over again. For example, if you made grilled chicken and a side for dinner, save the extra chicken in the fridge and throw it together with a $1 bagged salad from the grocery store the next day for a healthy, fresh lunch! 

While these are not the only things you can do to maximize your diet efficiently, it is a start, and usually a start is all it takes! Once you have a couple of trips to the store under your belt, it will become instinct in no time. Before you know it, you’ll have your dinners and diet down pat with little effort on your part!