Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with studentlife

How does one convert idleness into currency, sans boss?

AAAA — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:37:54 -0800

What are some interesting ways people have used to make money, without having a job, per se? (Legally, I mean.) I'm a student in an urban area. I'm relatively broke right now and the thought of asking Mom and Dad for (more) money is really getting me down.

I could go bus tables or wash dishes, but I don't want to. I need some way of selling my time that will make me proud. Experience has taught me that being elbow-deep in suds and other people's food scraps is generally bad for my spirit.

I'm applying for jobs that are more to my liking, but it's looking like it might be a little while before I'm able to land one. Now I'm thinking, as a survival strategy for the next little while, it might be best to make up my own job, and just hire myself.

Has anybody ever successfully made money using nothing but their wits? What, specifically, did you do? How much did it make you?

I have the following assets:

-I can write PRETTY well, though I might not be a good enough copy editor to do the I-will-edit-your-essay-for-$$$ thing.

-I can perform repetitive work for a few hours at a stretch, quickly.

-I have a house located centrally in my city and a bike to get around on, though I am definitely not cut out for bike-messengerhood.

-I have 20 to 30 hours per week to devote.

Wanna go hang out at the mall..again?

gursky — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:21:33 -0800

Niagara-Region-Filter: What should I check out in the Niagara region? I have seen this thread, but it's old and not what I'm looking for.

I attend school in the Niagara region (the Canada side) and it recently occurred to me that I should stop complaining about what a terrible place I live in, and find out what it has to offer. I am in my 4th year of a 5 year program, so I have a year left to see some cool things.

What I like:

- concerts, indie music, small bands
- art - especially the modern period
- books - used bookstores are a favourite
- thrift shops

What I know about:

- the small music venues located in St. Catharines
- the Albright-Knox gallery in Buffalo
- the Book Depot in St. Catharines
- every Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village, and Christian thrift shop in the Niagara region

I don't want to tour wineries, and I have been to Niagara Falls too many times to count.

Any suggestions? I'm open to almost anything. If there is something that can redeem the area for me, I'd love to hear about it!

People & Resources in Student Welfare

divabat — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 22:47:33 -0800

I am deeply interested in education - not teaching, but in student life and welfare, as well as alternative/non-traditional education. How do I learn more about those issues? Which people are prominent in the field? What resources do I have? Some example issues of the above are: ace for grades, college choice, career choice, being overloaded with extracurriculars just to enter a prestigious university, anything alternative education related, education policy, etc.

I've been scouring different Brisbane (Australia) universities' staff profiles, since I live there, but no one I found seems to be working in those areas. Almost all the resources on those topics are American. I have contacted a few places but haven't heard anything from anyone. I'm particularly interested in specific people who research or work in this field.

Examples of people I'm after:

* Denise Clark Pope, who wrote Doing School and organizes the Stressed-Out Students Conference (we've corresponded a little bit but she hasn't replied to my latest email)

* Loren Pope & Marty O'Connell from Colleges that Change Lives (I've corresponded with Marty a while ago)

* Marilee Jones, ex-MIT Dean of Admissions who was in the news recently for lying on her resume - she was a big advocate of choosing colleges for their suitability not their name (I would LOVE to talk to her...but I can't find any contact details)

* Nel Noddings, author of The Challenge To Care In Schools

* Grace Llewellyn/John Taylor Gatto/John Holt - regular names in unschooling/homeschooling (I've tried emailing Gatto but apparently he doesn't read emails anymore. Missed a chance to meet him directly. Damn!)

* The folks at Education|Evolving (shot them an email, waiting for a reply)

also: how else can I get involved in this area? I'm currently a Creative Industries undergrad. I was thinking of doing an Education degree but the ones here are focused mainly on teaching. (I could get a Grad Dip with my current degree, but I need a year's worth of related work experience...which requires the Education degree. bah.)

I also write a blog about related issues (see profile) but I feel like I should do more.

Ultimately I would like to raise awareness of the issues students in Malaysia (where I'm from) face in school that get overlooked - stress, choosing uni courses, work-life balance, etc. Only now has the interest been piqued in the national mindset and it's critical that this awareness is raised. That's the main reason my blog was set up. However, I would like to get a stronger foundation, and network with people that could help me out.

What can I do? Shadow as someone's research assistant? Read as many books as I can get my hands on? Move to America and transfer to Stanford since that's where most of them (Denise Clark Pope and Nel Noddings especially) seem to be hiding? What else am I missing?

Lots of undercooked pork alert!

nasreddin — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 22:04:26 -0800

PorkFilter: Is there anything medically wrong with eating large amounts of pork, sometimes irregularly prepared? I'm a college student, and the only meat I can afford is pork (shoulder, loin end, etc.) I like meat, so I end up eating it almost every day. I don't get tired of it because I'm a pretty good cook and can use different sauces and such. I like my pork juicy, so sometimes I'll find that my chop is pinkish near the bone area.

I haven't experienced any problems, (other than rustling from my Jewish ancestors rolling in their graves) so I'm tempted to conclude it's okay. My momma always said to cook pork very thoroughly, though. Is this habit dangerous?