A Guide to the University of Alaska Southeast Juneau

Surviving college can seem easy when you are seventeen or eighteen. You are finally going to use the wings you have had tethered in high school and lower grades. You are on your way to becoming an adult, but with that comes responsibilities. To survive college you need to have a game plan and even then there are aspects of your new life that will crop up unexpectedly. While the University of Alaska Southeast Juneau Campus is not a hot spot for teenagers of America and abroad they have their share of students. Juneau also offers many things for a student to experience. This is my guide to surviving college where most of the students are part time and there is no road out.

THINGS TO BE CONSIDERED:

Scholarships- some scholarships are only offered for a small portion of college. Other scholarships may be offered for the first year of college. At the University of Alaska Southeast you will find a scholarship is offered each year to students no matter their year. While it is difficult to get the scholarship you will be able to apply.

Loans- the best loans are federal student loans. They will have the lowest interest rate. There are a few problems with federal student loans you have to qualify, your parents have to help you qualify, and they only give you a certain amount per year. This means you may not have everything paid for. Often these loans cover tuition and student housing as long as you are on campus. See housing for more details on loans. When you are looking for a loan you need to check out the interest rate, the payment methods, and whether you may be able to defer the loan later on. While you are in school no loan should ask for payments. You should begin paying the loans back once you have graduated. The option to begin to pay early is always there, but you should never have a loan that stipulates a monthly payment before graduation. These loans are usually the worst kind.

Tuition- the University of Alaska Southeast has one of the lowest tuitions. While you will not get the best benefit by being an out of state student you may find gaining residency is an option. If you are serious about staying in the state of Alaska for the next several years or your entire life residency is a great option for gaining a better tuition. Even as an out of state student taking 17 credits I paid three thousand to four thousand a semester with lab fees included.

Books- I found the campus bookstore to be one of the best places to get used books. I could also return my books at the end of the semester. Sometimes the return amount was not that great, but having the option for gaining a little money back was great. Other places you can find used books are amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. If you choose this second option you will need at least a month to two months to get the books sent to you. Most of the time they come in two weeks, but there can be problems if you wait till the last minute in finding the textbooks anywhere.

Housing- on campus housing at the University of Alaska Southeast is some of the best in the country. They have three different styles of housing: dorms, apartments, and family housing. The dorms are usually given to freshman for the college experience and you will have a roommate. The apartments are for sophomores and up where you get your own room, a kitchen and living area. The apartments are the best. While you still have three other roommates you can lock yourself in your room for quiet. Family housing is for those who have children. The on campus housing offers you the best place to live while being inexpensive. Off campus can rate $800 to $1500 depending on where you choose to live. To find a place within walking distance is difficult. I did manage to find a place just down from student housing for $1000 a month with two bedrooms, one bath, and a garage, but that was more a who you know type situation. The person moving out of the apartment was a friend of my boyfriend at the time. In order for a federal student loan to help you with housing costs you do need to remain on campus so this may make the decision for you.

Activities- There is wealth of activities in Juneau and at the campus. Each year they host an Easter, Halloween, and Christmas function for the respective holidays. The University also built a brand new activity center for playing pool, air hockey, watching television, and exercising in 2000. There is a bus system to get you around town to the movie theaters, bars, shopping areas, tram, glacier, and even to Douglas Island. The fourth of July is a wonderful party if you decide to stay all year round. They have the fireworks in Juneau at 12:01 am on the 4th. That very day is a parade through Juneau and a following parade on Douglas where food, drinks, and entertainment are provided. Treadwell Mines is located on Douglas for hikes. There are many different places for you to hike or take a walk whether you are on Juneau or Douglas. Whale watching tours will also get you out to see the waterways of Alaska and the Orcas or Humpback whales. Tour to the Tracey Arm Glacier, Haines hosts a Bald Eagle Fesitval, and you can even see Black Bears walking near the campus housing.

While these are some of the basics aspects you need to consider for any college your main concern for a place like Juneau is travel. It is extremely expensive for you to go home for the holidays and you can't drive your car out of Juneau unless you take the ferry. So if these are not problems for you or just minor inconveniences you may find the atmosphere of Juneau and the wonderful views, like I did, worth the education you will receive at the University of Alaska Southeast. Among other things to consider for the University of Alaska Southeast are the many restaurants around town, the campus cafeteria and Spike's Café for coffee. Nightlife in Juneau usually consists of movies or hanging out at the bar so if you tend to party you may find yourself and friends hanging out in one of the college apartments throwing a party. The circle of friends I have from Alaska are some of the best. Despite graduating and being spread all over the U.S. today I am still in contact with them. They are the most important friends I've had in my life save one.

We all recently lost one friend in our group. He was not even thirty. The network of friends I have from college has gone strong in getting information to everyone about his recent death and the proceeds for this article will be going to his mother and fiancée.