student success

Part-1 How International Students can save money while being at GCC by Zerin Firoze

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I was born and raised in a developing country, Bangladesh, and it was my dream from a very young age to study in the US. A lot of youths like me from developing countries also aspire to study in the US. It is extra challenging for poor students from developing countries to be able to afford to study in the US. Students from developing countries cannot remit money to a foreign country. The US government is also notorious for imposing sanctions in certain countries. Exchange rates plus foreign transaction fees by banks also add up. For example, 1 US dollar is 84 takas in my country Bangladesh. There is no legal way to remit money and corrupt middlemen charge high fees. I am a student from a developing country and here are the following things I have learned after coming in the US. I hope these tips will help you to save both time and money.

Choosing the right college

I would encourage all students to start at a community college first. You can literally save thousands of dollars and still get the same degree and classes at a cheaper price. Many community colleges like GCC do not even charge admission fees. It is completely free to apply for admission. You just need to apply online. So, apply to as many colleges as you want.

Learn to drive in your home country

Many cheaper colleges in the US are located in rural areas with little to no public transportation. You can save a lot of money by choosing a rural location. The cost of living in large cities is extremely expensive. It is not possible for students to pay out of state tuition fees and still afford thousands of dollars per month for rent, food, and other basic necessities. According to American Infrastructure Report Card, the US infrastructure is crumbling and has a rating of D+. Driving schools in America are very expensive. Private one-hour driving lessons are also very expensive and are not available in all rural US counties. So, try to get some driving time before coming to the US. Ask your family members or relatives in your home country to teach you driving for free.

Try to learn about car maintenance and repair before you come to the US. Then, attend a defensive driving course and Driver’s Education course in the US to get your license. You will be very busy being a full-time student once you come to the US. So, try to learn basic life skills while waiting for your acceptance letter from US colleges or for your visa interview.

Learn how to cook and preserve food before coming in the US

I lost thousands of dollars in wasted food. I had no idea how to preserve food. I had no experience in estimating the shelf life of certain food items. I cried when I had to throw away tons of fruits, frozen meat, and cartons of milk. I have been in the US for two and a half years now and I still did not find the time to read all the articles or watch all the videos that I always wanted to watch about food preservation. You can save a lot of money by learning to preserve food. Cooking skills are also important. Next time, hit the grocery store with your mom and learn about basic spices and ingredients if you are not a cooking pro.

Learn how to use coupons and rebate apps

I remember how overwhelmed I was when I first landed at JFK airport and very quickly I became busy with campus life. I had no time to read blogs about saving money in the US as a full-time student. I had no leisure reading time outside college textbooks. Hence, do yourself a favor. Read blogs and website articles about saving money in the US while you are waiting for a decision from US colleges or for your visa interview.

Coupons and rebate apps are not used in my country at all. I became familiar with coupons and rebate apps after coming in the US. It took me two years to learn to use coupons and rebate apps. Now, I am the ultimate coupon queen. I received $54 cashback from Ebates and $55 from Ibotta just for buying groceries and other necessary items. Groupon is also a great website to save money. Learn to use coupons and rebate apps before you even come in the US. Read articles about rebate apps and coupons on the Internet.

I will share more secrets and life hack in part-2 of the same article next week!

 

 

 

 

Student Support Services Visit Local Business

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By: Christi Lotempio

Celina and Erin from Student Support Services arranged a tour of T-Shirts Ect in Batavia. This is a T-Shirt company located at 37 Center Street in Batavia, or mytshirtsect.com. The company offers screen printing, canvas prints, wall graphics, embroidery, Decals, Banner and so much more. The owner, Brian Kemp, was a graduate of SUNY GCC.

Our group was able to walk through the entire business to view the printing and the embroidery being completed at the time of our tour. We learned about everything from taking a customer’s order, how the T-Shirt is printed or embroidered, and their checks and balance system. Mr.Kemp was very informative and gave us many tips on running an effective business. Some of the most important things he noted were networking, providing great customer service and being honest (The Golden Rule). He was able to share with us some of his marketing ideas, such as the wooden coin (if you find one and you return it to T-Shirt Ect – you get a free T-shirt!) and the logo printed on the sleeve of the left arm of a shirt. He was able to give us a complete outline of being an entrepreneur, and encouraged to think outside of the box to make your company stand out.

Not only was the tour fun but we all got our own shirts. Thanks for the T-Shirts Mr.Kemp!!

Thoughts on Genesee Community College

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By: Fashion Intern Mariah Paddock

Every Wednesday in Advertising class, students participate in workshop Wednesday. Students are put into groups and are given a topic and are asked to brainstorm different advertisements and ideas. In today’s class, November 9th, students watched the new video, recorded by Forest Production and Photography, about Genesee Community College alumni, their stories and what they thought of GCC. The video had the end message about GCC; “We’ll take you where you want to go!” The video went back and forth from students in the college now and then would showcase alumni in between. The alumni explained why GCC was the perfect decision and where they are now. The video also said, “GCC can enrich your life.”

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After watching the video, current GCC students in Advertising class were asked to come up with ideas of what they think about Genesee Community College. Students came up with multiple ideas, stating the different benefits and opportunities GCC has to offer. They listed concepts such as hands on experience, diverse students, small class sizes and supportive professors. One student said, “GCC gets you started in a friendly environment where everyone is accepting of each other.” Another team came up with an advertisement showing a person daydreaming, saying “Just as I imagined; great people, personal, affordable” (shown below). Students overall agreed that Genesee was the perfect step up in “getting your foot in the door” and digging deeper in your interests and desired careers.

Students at GCC aren’t afraid to get involve and use the opportunities that Genesee gives them. GCC gets you ready for your future and makes you feel welcome and comfortable with whatever you are doing. The success level of graduates at Genesee Community College continues to grow. Don’t forget that, “We’ll take you where you want to go!”

If you wish to watch the alumni video the link is below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdE5Qm2KwmE&feature=youtu.be

Tourism & Hospitality Management Students Enjoy Industry Conference at RIT

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By: Denzel Flowers – Tourism & Hospitality Management Student

On October 28th, the Tourism & Hospitality Managements students joined other tourism students from Finger Lakes Community College, Monroe Community College and RIT at the 11th Annual Hospitality Symposium held at RIT. This year’s topic was “Legally Speaking”.

Karen Morris, a SUNY distinguished Professor and Brighton Town Judge was one of the day’s speakers. She writes a column in Hotel Management Magazine called “Legally Speaking” and she shared real cases of hospitality lawsuits with the students. She shared outcomes and best practices by industry leaders such as P.F. Chang’s and major hotel chains. She reviewed dozens of cases and their results in the last two months.

Tony Terradas, a Senior Account Manager for NEXT! Ad Agency presented a segment entitled “Reputation Management after an Issue” in which he showed how social media can be a tool to manage a company’s reputation both before and after legal issues.

A delicious lunch was provided by the RIT Hospitality Students at Henry’s Restaurant in the George Eastman Building. RIT students develop menus, prepare the food and operate Henry’s Restaurant as part of their classroom learning.

* The Genesee Community College Tourism & Hospitality students also benefit from membership in the Travel Club. They will be traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada to further enhance their studies of the tourism and hospitality industry. They will experience and learn first-hand the ways of the industry from some of the most world renowned hotel conglomerates such as MGM Mirage, Bellagio, and Treasure Island. Denzel Flowers, and Breonna Thomas are two students that are members of the GCC Travel Club selling raffel tickets to fund raise to help pay for their trip to Las Vegas. For more information on how to support the travel club’s fund raising please contact Denzel or Breonna at dflower1@my.genesee.edu ; Bthomas4@genesee.edu