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Travel with my friends.

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The author James Michener called Bora Bora the most beautiful island in the world. It's a travel-writing law to mention this is the first paragraph of any article that attempts to use common words to describe this French Polynesian paradise.

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Can't wait to own my own salon.

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Get your business started on the right track with four simple steps. To discuss your specific business needs, please contact a BMO business professional. Visit a branch or bmo.com/business

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I need roommates.

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Apartments.com: Apartments and Homes for Rent

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We simplify the process of finding a new apartment by offering renters the most comprehensive database including millions of detailed and accurate apartment listings across the United States. Our innovative technology includes the POLYGON™ search tool that allows users to define their own search areas on a map and a Plan Commute feature that helps users search for rentals in proximity to their office.

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Get my associates degree and then go for business.

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As Associate Dean of Academic Advising, Bob Neuman, Ph.D., spent his professional life working one-on-one with thousands of college students, many of them in academic trouble, despite excellent high school grades and test scores. Listening to these students, he identified a set of common problems that defined student "un-readiness" to meet the academic demands of college. These problems formed the basis of the 12 strategies of his book aimed at younger students, Are You Really Ready for College? Here, he shares a few of his insights on what undermines college student success.
College is different

Over the years, I've given thousands of new college students some very basic advice. First, college isn't like high school. Many students want college to be 13 th grade, but it's not. So you're going to have to make some serious adjustments. Second, college is a full-time job, so you have to study better, harder-and a lot longer. And, lastly, you have to focus on graduating on time.

About graduation rates

When I talk about graduating on time, most students look at me as if to say, "Of course I'll graduate on time. Four years and I'm out of here!" The sad truth is that most college students do not graduate on time. Only one out of three students (33%) graduates from a four-year bachelor's degree program in four years. In fact, after six years, only a little more than 60% of college students will have completed their college degree. The United States now ranks 12 th in the world with regard to young people with college degrees.

Students don't expect college to take so long. They don't see it coming, but nearly 40% haven't graduated after seven years. This article will identify some reasons for the low graduation rates. And to keep the article brief, my comments will be pretty straightforward-no softening of the truth.

The cost of graduating late

You don't want to be a student who hangs around college hoping to "get adjusted" and waiting for things to eventually fall into place on their own. Just think of the financial consequences. College is terribly expensive as it is. So imagine having to pay 25% more with each year you add to your education. . . . Just do the math.

All that wasted time and money, and there you are graduating from college, trying to begin the next phase of your life later than you thought-and with more debt. So how do you avoid the pitfalls? How do you get from "here" (where you are now) to "there" (on-time graduation)?

The right attitude-and graduating with pride

From day one in college, you have to focus on graduating on time. Once you firmly set that single, crucial goal for yourself, it leads you to other goals: studying and succeeding in each course, for example. And once you've become more confident academically, you become more focused, more determined to set and achieve even more goals (e.g., high grades, challenging courses, graduating with honors.) One goal creates another, and all transform you into a first-class student with great options for your future.

So why do so many students take five, six, and even more years to earn their degree? What don't they understand? From my experience, here are four of the major mistakes that prevent students from graduating on time.

Mistake #1: Not taking college seriously

Too many college freshmen continue to act like high school students and think like teenagers. It's a mindset they carry throughout college. They study very little. Instead, they cram for tests and then blame teachers and bad luck for low grades. They generally maintain the attitude that school is something to get through as easily and painlessly as possible. They just don't want to believe that college is different, more demanding, requiring more work and independent study.

This attitude just won't cut it in college where being careless and casual means being left behind. So if you don't take college seriously right away, your education will continue to move beyond your grasp until it is simply out of sight. Therefore, not acting like a college student is mistake number one.

Mistake #2: Students don't "do the job"

Research reports that 65% of college-bound high school seniors study fewer than six hours a week. After studying as little as five hours each week in high school, college freshmen just don't believe that college requires 30-40 hours per week of outside-of-class study, much like a full-time job.

If you had a job, what would happen if you told your boss things like "I'll do that later," or "I won't be able to work next week," or "I can't do that very well; ask someone else," or "I'm too tired to do that now; maybe later." How long do you think you'd keep that job? Now, what do you think happens to college students if they try using these same kinds of excuses for postponing study and not keeping up with classes? It just won't work. Like the irresponsible employee, these college students are soon out of luck. In college, you have to "do the job."

Mistake #3: Not thinking ahead

Do you remember when you were little how some of your relatives would ask you, "So what are you going to be when you grow up?" Now you're a college student, and I'm going to ask you a similar question, "What are you going to do when you graduate?" College is supposed to be your big preparation for life, so what exactly are you preparing for? Do you know? Too many college students are still thinking like teenagers: "It'll somehow all work itself out."

Once again, thinking like that just won't cut it. If you don't make college work for you by setting goals and making plans for your future-like taking and succeeding in the courses that will get you there, joining relevant extracurricular clubs and organizations, and acquiring pertinent work and internship experience-nothing will happen.

It's a heavy responsibility, but you're the one who has to carry it. Successful college students look toward their future with career opportunities, job options, and a lot of self-confidence. So if you haven't thought about what you're going to do with your life during high school, then as a new college student, you have to begin answering that question even before you finish your freshman year.

Mistake #4: Taking a lackadaisical approach toward majors

As a college freshman, you may not know exactly what kind of career path you want to follow. That's okay. College is a time of looking, talking, and discovering. But you still have to have an academic plan, and you should start formulating that plan as soon as possible. There are a lot of majors, and you should investigate them. Talk to other students, teachers, and even professionals in fields that interest you; take exploratory classes-while making sure you take care of your prerequisite and required courses; and join clubs and pursue work opportunities that will expose you to your major options.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make? Going into the game with zero defined interests. It's that high school attitude creeping in again: "Oh, it'll come together sooner or later." In college that attitude pushes you further away from a degree. Once you decide on a major, you'll know which courses are required and you can begin taking them sooner, not later. If you start college undecided, try to narrow your focus to a handful of majors that interest you, and hedge your bets by taking classes that can work toward multiple degrees. While it's good to explore your academic options, choosing a major at the 11 th hour might leave you scrambling to make up the required courses-which will almost certainly delay an on-time graduation.

Here's a tip to keep in mind as you consider a college major. You can divide majors or degrees into two groups. On the one side, you have what I call "professional" majors or degrees like engineering, computer science, education, business administration, nursing, etc. These academic areas point to specific careers and professions.

On the other side, you have liberal arts majors and those subjects that don't usually point in a specific career direction. These are majors like history, sociology, biology, English, political science, and foreign languages.

When looking toward a job, a student graduating in the liberal arts may not have the clearly defined career path of, say, an accountancy major, but employers really want to see relevant work and extracurricular experiences. Critical-thinking, clear writing, and organizational skills: these are qualities you can cultivate in many ways-and apply to practically any job.

Liberal arts students enter the job market equipped with very good analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills. In some cases, these students go on to graduate school. You'll find liberal arts graduates in medical and law schools, earning advanced academic degrees, or attending schools offering professional education after college.

I recommend you start as early as your junior year asking for help with a college's career counselors and academic advisors. In fact, I judge the quality of a college by the job and career counseling it provides.

Your challenge

Starting college means making a lot of adjustments, changes, and decisions about yourself, as a student and as a person. It means becoming determined and mature about reaching goals, and intelligent in using your time-skills that you'll use not only with regard to your college education, but your whole life. It means renewing old goals and setting new ones.

Your biggest new goal? To graduate on time. Set that goal firmly in your mind the first day you walk into a college classroom, and you'll make other good decisions. You'll get great grades, and you'll equip yourself with the intelligence and knowledge you need to succeed in life. It is upon that single goal that all the others stand.

Earning power and on-time graduation

College is a really big deal, and not just because a person with a college degree will earn twice as much $$$ in a lifetime than someone without one. For many students, college is their last educational chance to show that they are very intelligent, knowledgeable, resourceful people who are clever problem solvers and excellent communicators.

When college graduates go out to find a job, what question are they constantly asked? "How smart are you?" Maybe not asked in just those words, but it's the basic question on employers' minds. Employers want mature and industrious people who "achieve." Success in college means you can "do the job."

Earn a college degree on time with high grades, and you can honestly say in a job interview, "Yes, I'm smart, and I work hard, just look at my college transcript, and see what I can do."

If you've graduated on time, this signals that you are organized, focused, and responsible. You meet deadlines. Applicants who present employers with college transcripts covering five or six years that show dropped courses, inconsistent grades, and transfers from one college or program to another appear to be students "wandering in the academic wilderness" without goals, without purpose. So say to yourself that you are NOT going to be one of those students.

When you start your college education, you need to remember that your "life" is right around the corner. If you make college the best experience of your life, as you turn that corner, you'll love what you see.
Next time: What you can do to avoid the four mistakes . . .

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How to Graduate from College on Time: Part I

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Did you know that most college students don't graduate in four years? But you can graduate on time and in control with this straightforward (and non-sugar-coated) advice from a higher education insider! Search Thousands Of Colleges And Scholarships. Join Our Growing Community Of College Bound Students.

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5 more months of high school left.

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Higher education and better employment opportunities are incentives for finishing high school.

According to the National Dropout Prevention Center, "high school dropouts are four times as likely to be unemployed as those who have completed four or more years of college." If you want to improve the quality of your life and be a contributing citizen to society, you should finish high school. High school provides you with basic educational and social skills you will need to face life challenges. By finishing high school, you will have a diploma to show prospective college admission counselors and employers that you are dedicated to achieving your goals.

Social Responsibility

High school provides you with opportunities to learn and practice social responsibility. Classes help you develop an understanding of social issues that plague society, and give you a chance to examine your values, beliefs and behaviors, develop sensitivity for others and learn how to resolve conflicts without violence. Classes and extra-curricular activities also provide you with opportunities to learn how to interact with diverse populations, practice tolerance and accept leadership roles. By finishing high school, you will be better prepared to work with others to achieve common goals and to serve society without adversely harming others.

Problem Solving

Finishing high school improves your thinking and problem solving skills and it shows others that you can follow projects through to the end. The courses you take in high school are designed to challenge and enhance your critical thinking abilities. Finishing high school equips you with the problem solving skills and persistence that will empower you to make positive changes in your life, workplace and society.

Higher Education

A high school diploma indicates that you have satisfactorily completed your general education coursework. It is much harder to get into college if you don't have a high school diploma, since colleges review your high school transcript to verify that you have met all of your general education requirements. If you finish high school and acquire a diploma, you will have the fundamental background knowledge and skills you need to pursue higher education for your chosen career. Skills such as problem-solving, oral communication, written communication and computer skills are important for college and career success. Many entry-level careers require a college degree.

Employment

High school graduates typically have better earning and employment opportunities than high school drop-outs. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "In 2010, the median of earnings for young adults with a bachelor's degree was $45,000, while the median was $21,000 for those without a high school diploma or its equivalent, $29,900 for those with a high school diploma or its equivalent, and $37,000 for those with an associate's degree." As a high school graduate, your promotion opportunities are greater than those who drop out of high school because you have knowledge and skills to offer employers. Even if you do not have experience, many employers are more likely to offer you employment and provide training if you have a high school diploma because you've demonstrated a certain level of perseverance and competence.

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Why Should Students Finish High School? | Synonym

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Higher education and better employment opportunities are incentives for finishing high school. According to the National Dropout Prevention Center, "high school dropouts are four times as likely to be unemployed as those who have completed four or more years of college."

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Drink 4 bottles of water a day.

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This feature is part of CNN Parallels, an interactive series exploring ways you can improve your health by making small changes to your daily habits.

"Water regulates our body temperature, keeps our joints lubricated, helps prevent infections and delivers nutrients to our cells," said registered US dietitian and CNN contributor Lisa Drayer. "Additionally, our kidneys and liver work hard to get rid of toxins in our bodies, and they depend on water to do their job."

<img alt="Related article: CNN Parallels: Water" class="media__image" src="//i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/70928121925-water-large-169.jpg">

Water makes up about 60% of your body's weight, and although you can survive without food for weeks, dehydration can kill you within days or even hours, depending on the temperature and your environment.

Dehydration means more water is moving out of your body's cells than into them. And as this happens, it's not just water that you lose. Small amounts of electrolytes critical to cell function and energy, such as sodium and potassium, are lost along with the water.

You're constantly losing water and electrolytes throughout the day via breath, sweat, urine and bowel movements, so even mild dehydration can exhaust you and affect many of your body's daily functions.

Hydration and your health

You could quickly become constipated as your colon steals water from your stool to keep your digestive system moving. Urine will become darker; prolonged dehydration can also crystallize salts and minerals in urine, possibly leading to the formation of painful kidney stones.

Because dehydration can often be mistaken for hunger, you might gain weight as you try to satisfy your body's needs. Fortunately, the opposite is also true if you're hydrated.

"If you are looking to lose weight, water can help you shed pounds," Drayer said. "Drinking a glass of water before a meal can fill you up a bit and help you eat fewer calories at a meal."

If you suffer from migraines, studies show that a lack of fluids might easily trigger an episode. Headaches are also likely to last longer if you're low on fluids. In addition, dehydration can leave you unable to concentrate, cause short-term memory problems and leave you feeling moody and anxious.

"When you're well-hydrated, your sleep quality is better, your cognition is better, you function better, your mood is better, the list goes on," said Douglas Casa, CEO of the University of Connecticut's Korey Stringer Institute, which studies athletic performance -- another area that benefits from drinking enough fluids.

"We did a study on people who were mildly dehydrated, which can happen within just 30 minutes of exercise," Casa said, "and we found mood was compromised in both men and women."

Signs of dehydration

The signs of dehydration differ by age group. Infants and young children may not be able to recognize their need for fluids, so it's critical to provide frequent fluid intake and keep an eye out for symptoms of dehydration: irritability or lethargy, no tears when crying, no wet diapers for as little as three hours, a dry mouth and tongue, sunken eyes and cheeks, and a shrinking of the soft spot on top of head.

<img alt="Related article: CNN Parallels: Sleep" class="media__image" src="//i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170810212828-cnn-health-parallels-sleep-large-169.jpg">

Adults show much different signs of dehydration, including fatigue, dizziness, confusion, less-frequent urination and extreme thirst, but the latter has one exception: the elderly. Older adults may not feel thirsty but can still be dehydrated.

That's why one of the best ways to tell whether you're lacking fluids is by the color of your urine.

"The morning is the best time to get a global sense of your hydration status," Casa advised. "If your urine looks more like apple juice instead of lemonade, then you're dehydrated. On the flip side, the need to urinate throughout the day is a sign that you're well-hydrated."

Additional causes of dehydration

A lack of fluids is not the only cause of dehydration. Certain blood pressure and diuretic medications can increase urination, as can diabetes that has not been diagnosed or isn't well controlled.

A sudden and extreme episode of diarrhea or vomiting can remove a large amount of fluids in a short amount of time. Add a high fever, and you could be in trouble quickly. Upping fluid intake is critical.

Sweating due to hot, humid conditions or extreme physical activity is another sure way to become quickly dehydrated. Athletes and those who work outside have to be especially careful to avoid heat injuries including muscle cramps, heat exhaustion and seizures.

Hypovolemic shock, in which low blood volume causes a drop in oxygen and blood pressure, is the most serious form of dehydration and can be life threatening.

The many sources of water

What's the best way to stay hydrated? Drinking plain water, of course, can't be beat. It's readily available and has zero calories.

But what if, like many Americans, you don't like the taste of water? Drayer suggests adding fruit or vegetables, such as lemons, berries and orange or cucumber slices, to enhance the flavor.

The National Academies of Medicine recommends a little over 11 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for the average woman and almost 16 cups (3.7 liters) for men. Though that may sound difficult to achieve, the fluids can come from many sources besides water, including food.

"I often remind people that broth-based soup, as well as other beverages including tea, coffee and milk, count towards your daily fluid intake," Drayer said. "Also vegetables including cucumbers, lettuce, celery and tomatoes and fruits including watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries."

"Why don't Americans like to drink water? Because we are conditioned to expect high levels of sweetness in everything," said renowned nutritionist Dr. Walter Willett, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

"And that has led to a lot of problems," he added. "High levels of sugar have adverse metabolic effects, and the amounts we get in beverages today is so huge that it is one of our major health issues."

Willett, who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has published over 1,700 research papers and reviews on lifestyle risk factors for chronic disease.

"You might say we are malhydrated, because we drink so much soda and fruit juice and other sugar-sweetened beverages, and by that I mean we drink beverages that harm our health," he said. "Even energy drinks and vitamin waters, most are loaded with sugar and not worth the use."

Calculate your fluids

To help people make better choices about their fluid intake, the American Society for Clinical Nutrition's Beverage Guidance Counsel created a "pitcher" of liquids to illustrate at a glance how much of each fluid is considered best for optimal health. Though it was created in 2006, Willett, who served on the council, said the guidance holds true today.

The vast majority of your daily fluid intake should come from water. In this illustration, a person on a 2,200-calorie diet would drink about 50 fluid ounces of water a day, which is just over 6 cups (1.4 liters). Another 28 fluid ounces, which is 3.5 cups or just over 800 milliliters, could come from coffee or tea.

"There are health benefits to coffee. Studies show it can help with diabetes and has some modest cardiovascular benefits," Willett said. "It's a mild antidepressant. In fact, studies show about a 50% lower risk of suicide of with three to four cups of coffee a day.

"Tea has about a third the amount of caffeine as coffee, so you're much less likely to have sleep problems," he added, "but we don't see as many health benefits for tea as coffee."

The next choice in the fluid pyramid is skim milk, also sold as 1% milk, as well as soy or other unsweetened alternatives such as almond milk. For adults who wish to add that beverage to their diet, the maximum amount per day would be two cups (almost 500 milliliters).

"Milk is really complicated area because it comes along with saturated fat," Willett said, "and even low-fat milk is high in calories. Up to two servings a day is fine, but going beyond that is excessive."

Level four in the diagram includes diet sodas, teas and other beverages with non-calorie artificial or natural sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and stevia. Because there is growing evidence that these drinks might contribute to weight gain, Willett says they should be seen as an "occasional treat." They are listed in the pitcher as no more than 16 ounces a day (2 cups or almost 500 milliliters); keep in mind that a typical can of soda is 12 ounces.

Then come alcohol, whole fat milk, sports drinks, vitamin enhanced waters and fruit and vegetable juices. Yes, even fruit and veggie drinks are capped at 4 ounces a day.

"Fruit juices are cautionary because they contain about the same amount of sugar as soda," Willett said. "Orange juice has nutritional value, apple juice much less, so we recommend choosing orange over apple juice."

Alcoholic beverages are complicated, he added. "There are definite protective health benefits against heart disease for both sexes, but for women, even a half a drink a day can raise the risk of breast cancer. So if you're not at risk for heart disease, there's no benefit in preventing it, so there's no reason to drink," he said. That's why alcohol is listed on the diagram as zero fluid ounces toward your daily amount.

The last category is reserved for sugar- or high fructose corn syrup sweetened beverages such as regular soda, lemonade and fruit drinks. Willett says those get a '"thumbs down" because they provide no nutritional value and plenty of calories.

Taken as a whole, Willett said, the pitcher recommendations should come as a wake up call for anyone looking to quench their thirst.

"The most important message is the source of the hydration," he said. "Beverages can cause real harm. People are not dying of dehydration in America, so choosing beverages other than water and other healthy sources has major health implications."

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are you drinking enough water to be healthy? - cnn

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Are you drinking enough water to be healthy?

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This feature is part of CNN Parallels, an interactive series exploring ways you can improve your health by making small changes to your daily habits. "Water regulates our body temperature, keeps our joints lubricated, helps prevent infections and delivers nutrients to our cells," said registered US dietitian and CNN contributor Lisa Drayer.

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Eat at least 2 fruits or vegetables a day.

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The study, by Imperial College London, says consuming 10 portions per day, or about 800g, could prevent an estimated 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends eating 5 portions, or 400g, of fruit and vegetables every day.

In recent years, campaigns in countries across the world including the UK, Germany, France, Norway and Japan have been launched in a bid to encourage people to meet this target.

"Our results suggest that although five portions of fruit and vegetables is good, 10 a day is even better," lead author Dr Dagfinn Aune said in a statement released by the college.

The research concluded that eating 10 portions per day was associated with a 24% reduced risk of heart disease, a 33% reduced risk of stroke, a 28% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, a 13% reduced risk of total cancer, and a 31% reduction in dying prematurely. The risk was calculated in comparison to not eating any fruit and vegetables.

"Fruit and vegetables have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and to boost the health of our blood vessels and immune system. This may be due to the complex network of nutrients they hold. For instance they contain many antioxidants, which may reduce DNA damage, and lead to a reduction in cancer risk," Dr Aune said.

The research found that apples and pears as well as citrus fruits and vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and cabbage are particularly effective in preventing strokes, heart disease and early death. Green and yellow vegetables such as spinach, peppers and carrots may reduce the risk of cancer.

Tom Sanders, Emeritus Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at King's College London, has criticized the research. "Most people don't eat more than 1kg of food per day, so if you eat 10 portions of fruit and vegetables, that leaves just 200g for cereals, nuts, pulses, meat and dairy, which is where we get most of our nutrients," he told CNN.

Fruit and vegetables are mostly water and contain a lot of sugar, he said, so consuming 10 portions could mean a nutritionally unbalanced diet. The consumption of fruit and vegetables also has little effect on cholesterol, he argued.

Eating smaller portions was also shown to be beneficial in the study, with 200g, or two and a half portions, associated with a 4% reduced risk in cancer risk, and 15% reduction in the risk of premature death, when compared to people not eating any fruits of vegetables.

"No one is disputing that fruit and vegetables are important," said Sanders, "and most of us should probably be eating more as we generally overestimate our intake." But eating more than five portions per day has very little added benefit and could even cause health problems, according to Sanders.

"It's the people who are only eating one portion and who go up to three who see the biggest improvement in their health. Going from five to 10 has no big impact."

CNN's Simon Cullen contributed to this report.

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can more fruit and veg make you live longer? - cnn

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Can more fruit and veg make you live longer?

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The study, by Imperial College London, says consuming 10 portions per day, or about 800g, could prevent an estimated 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends eating 5 portions, or 400g, of fruit and vegetables every day.

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This website is a good tool for studying.