One of the great things about being a college student is that you’re encouraged to rethink the way the world works. Professors often reward students who are critical of the status quo, the idea being that challenging popular beliefs ultimately leads to a greater understanding. It’s a tradition that dates back to the days of Socrates and it’s by no means a bad thing.

However, when it comes to fundraising for a college club, religious group or other college-affiliated organization, students should remember that the status quo works…don’t over think it!

Let’s focus on the tried-and-true fundraising method of  selling goods and services. While not always glamorous, selling products/services can be effective and easy to manage. Here are five college fundraising rules to live by:

Rule #1: Sweets sell. You would be hard-pressed to find an American who doesn’t enjoy a candy bar or a slice of cheesecake. Yet despite its universal appeal, most people deprive themselves of sweets for fear of becoming overweight. For most of us, there’s a lot of guilt that comes from eating fatty foods (even if they’re really, really good).

However, for reasons that aren’t entirely logical, most people don’t feel guilty at all about eating a candy bar or cheesecake if it’s for a good cause. If your club or I.M. team needs funds, selling sweets is simple and effective. If selling candy bars – or gourmet nuts or fancy coffee – is too “high school” for your group, remember this: it works.

Rule #2: Fundraise at community events. Simple community events like street fairs or arts and crafts shows are a great place to sell food. Rather than lugging a box of candy bars door to door, you can setup a table at community events and let the customers come to you. With nothing more than a couple of school banners on your table and a big smile on your face, people will put two and two together and buy their snacks from you. What’s more, most community event organizers will give college groups a free table or booth…all you have to do is ask.

Rule #3: Parents and alumni will buy anything (well, almost anything). Whatever it is that your group is selling, parents and alumni are a great customer base because:

• They know what it’s like to be in your shoes.
• They like you.
• They want to help.

Therefore, when you need to raise funds, don’t forget to get the word out to parents and alums.

Rule #4: Support your fundraiser online. In the old days of fundraising, you could send letters and drop off flyers to get the word out. Today, all you have to do is create a quick website on Tumblr or WordPress.com, write up a little bit of info about why you’re raising money, slap on a free fundraising thermometer, and then start sharing a link to your new website on Facebook. It’s instant word or mouth advertising that works.

Rule #5: Have fun. Fundraising can be a chore, but it’s much less of a chore if you do it with a smile on your face. A smile is the best fundraising tool in your toolbox. People buy things from people they like, which means that smiling young faces sell more than bored-looking young faces. If you brighten up your attitude and your energy, you’ll be more successful and you can finish your fundraiser ahead of schedule.

Good luck!

When searching for an educational program you must verify that it is everything it claims to be. Just because the school operates a snappy website, runs a funny commercial and takes out billboard space around town doesn’t mean that what they’re offering is right for you.

Thousands of colleges, universities, trade schools and other enrichment programs are available, but some are outright scams. Sign up for their courses and you could receive an inferior perhaps worthless education and be none the richer for it.

We came up with six warning signs to help you separate the wheat from the chaff, any one of which should give you reason to rule out that program on the spot.

1. Accreditation – An accrediting body should stand behind the school. Colleges and universities are typically accredited regionally or nationally with organizations such as “National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation” or the “National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation” being some of the more notable specialized accrediting agencies. An unaccredited school may have certain standards in place, but if they don’t answer to an independent committee, how can you be sure that you are receiving a quality education?

2. Reputation – While accreditation is important, a school’s reputation can be the clincher. Academia prides itself on reputation, citing grads who have gone on to succeed, alumni support and community involvement. You have to wonder about any school whose program is constantly questioned, bankrolling a team of reputation managers to help control public perception. Higher education PR is important, but some schools appear to be hiding something.

3. Endurance – Any school founded in recent years cannot have built up the accreditation and reputation of a well established school. Conversely, some aged institutions have fallen by the wayside over the years and have shut down. Yet, if all things are equal would you be willing to trust your education to an institution who has been around for many years or to an organization who recently set up shop? As the late tennis legend Arthur Ashe said, “Trust has to be earned, and should come only after the passage of time.”

4. Staffing – Who teaches the classes? Is the school staffed by part-time instructors who hold down other jobs or is the faculty led by professors and other tenured members whose primary work is to educate students? Try getting educational guidance from an instructor who is too busy for office hours or for one on one assistance.

5. Location – This is an important one for online institutions. You may never set foot in a classroom, but the school should have a physical address with a full complement of staff on hand. Though the internet makes working remotely possible, a central office housing computers, school records, financial information and all of the usual college administrative record-keeping is a must. Allowing visitors to stop by, of course, goes without saying.

6. Education – “Get your four-year degree in as little as eighteen months.” “Just two weeks until you are certified.” “For X amount of money you can get your diploma.” If you were to accept these claims on face value, then you’re one step closer to being scammed. There is no way you can rush through school–at least not the kind of school offering a respectable education. Moreover, flat fee charges are just plain weird: per class tuition, books, fees and other costs make this cost impossible to set.

Your Research

While you’re in school you will be researching as never before, but don’t wait until after you enroll to find out all that you can about the program. Verify the school’s accreditation claims before enrolling, contact students currently enrolled as well as recent graduates (the school should be more than happy to provide references) and check with competing institutions. If there is a problem with the school, that information will quickly surface saving you from a possible educational and financial disaster.

Adv. – Are you looking for a school? Off To College has a college search directory featuring colleges, universities, online schools and vocational schools to help you find a program right for you. Keep in mind what you read in this article while searching for any educational program.

Back in the day when I was in college, professors would distribute end-of-the-semester surveys to allow their students to review the class and the instructor’s teaching methods. We never knew what the results of those surveys were, as that information was shared between the college and the professor only.

Today, many colleges and universities still practice this method of student evaluation, but in Ohio they are taking it one big step further: according to The Columbus Dispatch the state’s 13 public universities and its medical college will begin rating themselves.

In a plan approved last week by Ohio’s education czar, Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut, the schools will be offering a standardized test to students to see how well they are learning while at school. Though the testing specifics haven’t been finalized yet, the results — when they are released in about four years — will give the public a clearer look at how specific colleges are faring, to provide improved accountability to Ohio residents.

In the meantime, student satisfaction surveys will be released along with hard to find crime statistical information for each school.

Other benefits of the self-grading plan include a college-cost calculator to allow prospective students determine the actual price of an education at each university along with degree offerings, housing options, student demographics, counseling and legal resources, graduation rates, transfer rates, student retention and success rates, post-graduation plans and data about community engagement.

Ohio’s community colleges, which aren’t part of the initial rating plan, are expected to be included later on and will also adapt their program for national accountability.