Welcome to Ask Herk-ampus! Every month, we will accept questions from you, our readers and attempt to answer them to the best of our abilities. At our meetings, we discuss your questions and come up with some advice. This month our writer Marin took on the task of jotting down our thoughts. We hope our advice helps! Submit your questions here, and we’ll do our best to answer your question for September’s column!
Dear Ask Herk-ampus,
I’m graduating, and I don’t know what to do with my debt. SOS!
Drowning in Debt
Dear Drowning in Debt,
First of all, relax. You just graduated! You should be celebrating all of your accomplishments of the last four years, not stressing about a manageable problem almost everyone in their young 20s has to deal with.
Second, there are plenty of steps you can take to reduce your stress about student loans throughout the summer and the first years after you graduate. Here at the University of Iowa, our financial aide office requires that each student who has taken out loans over the course of their education go through an exit program. During this program, you will be able to ask any and all questions you have about repaying your student loans. Also at Iowa, career services are open to alum for up to one year after they graduate. That’s a whole year of all of the best resources our university has to offer.
There are also steps you can take on your own to feel like you have your loans under control. The first is to not be afraid of certain less-than-glamorous recent grad trends, namely, moving back in with mom and dad and taking another internship. There’s nothing wrong with saving on rent money and getting more job experience. You can also revamp your resume and network like crazy to find a job that will fulfill you and make you feel more financially stable.
Good luck with those loans, Drowning in Debt! We’ll be rooting for you from campus, eating our two-dollar ramen and praying Bernie’s free tuition policy goes through!
Sincerely,
Ask Herk-ampus
Dear Ask Herk-ampus,
All my friends are leaving, and I’m staying in Iowa City for the summer. What can I do for fun?
Summertime Sadness
Dear Summertime Sadness,
A whole summer in Iowa City? You’re one of the luckiest collegiettes in the world. Iowa City has plenty of great things to do that will keep you busy while your friends are back home.
First, you can always meet new people in Iowa City. Be open and friendly, and you’ll have a whole new squad before you know it.
Next, take your new squad (or ride solo, because there’s nothing wrong with that) downtown to check out all of Iowa’s local businesses and eateries that you wouldn’t be able to get in any other city. You can also check out Lake MacBride, Kent State Park or any of the activities sponsored by Summer of the Arts, including Friday night concerts, Saturday night movies on the Pentacrest and a three-day festival downtown. In between all the fun times, though, be sure to also check out internship and job opportunities and maybe sign up for a class or two.
Good luck in IC this summer, Summertime Sadness; we’ll all be jealous from our hometowns and anxiously waiting to join you in the fall!
Sincerely,
Ask Herk-ampus
Dear Ask Herk-ampus,
I’m going to be away from all the friends I made this year. What do I do?
Separation Anxiety
Dear Separation Anxiety,
Ugh, we feel your pain. Having Hawkeyes from all around the country (and the globe) is great for our university but not so great when we have to leave. Don’t fear, though. You can stay in touch with fellow Hawkeyes in many ways.
First, make sure to plan visits. Texting, FaceTiming and social media shoutouts are great ways to stay in touch, but nothing beats hanging out in person. Visit a friend’s hometown to see what life in like in another state or host a friend in your hometown. You can also plan a fun road trip to meet in a place neither of you have been before.
Another fun way to keep in touch is to use snail mail. No one does it anymore, so your friends will be super surprised and excited to see a letter addressed to them from you. Draw pictures, write a sappy “I miss you” letter, glitter or confetti bomb them, send postcards: anything to let them know you’re thinking of them. You can even send care packages of stuff you miss from Iowa or stuff from your hometown, like your parents did when you were away from them.
So don’t be worried about being away from friends this summer, Separation Anxiety. All of your fellow Hawkeyes are just a text, road trip or confetti bomb away!
Sincerely, Herk-ampus
Need some advice? Submit your questions to Ask Herk-ampus here, and we’ll do our best to help you out in September’s column! HCXO