Posts Tagged ‘student savings’

How to Get Ahead of Prices and People for Theatre This Summer and Fall

Tuesday, July 13th, 2021

Theatre’s been gone for almost a year and a half now, and with plans to reopen shortly, here’s some tips on how to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to shows.

Image credit: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/theater/how-to-get-cheap-theater-tickets-including-hamilton.html

We all know that Broadway shows can be expensive. Even the producers who set the high prices know that, so they’ll often offer tickets at reduced prices in a lottery. These tickets would be available at the box office the day of the show, or online the day of the show; and those who get them are selected by random chance. It’s the cheapest option to get tickets, but the odds are highly variable due to the number of tickets offered and the hundreds or thousands that apply in the lottery. Therefore, it’s best to consider lotteries as a spur-in-the-moment option: great if you get it, okay if you don’t. Comparable prices are found in standing-room where you pay money to stand in the back of the theatre and watch the show from there, but the view isn’t great

Now for an option where you can actually plan to get cheap tickets and watch the show, TodayTix is the app I swear on. My entire freshman year (up to Covid) was spent milking this app for as many tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway shows as possible. What I like about it, and what makes TodayTix stand out from competitors like the TKTS booth at Times Square is that you don’t have to buy tickets on the day of the show; you can buy tickets months in advance at half the price of regular tickets. I was able to see shows at a cost between sixty to eighty dollars for Broadway, forty to sixty dollars off-Broadway at any night from celebrity-studded productions like 2019’s Betrayal to musical megahits like West Side Story. Though you don’t have a choice in where you are seated, I have never been disappointed as the tickets seat you in really good spots, better ones I’d say and at cheaper costs than those who get regular tickets. It’s an app I’ll be returning to use this fall and for any show I’ll see in the future.

Image credit: https://www.todaytix.com/nyc/shows/23288-seven-deadly-sins

But maybe you’re impatient. Broadway really only opens in September and October and you don’t want to wait months after getting tickets on TodayTix, nor do you feel like going through the whole lottery process. Here’s another tip. Broadway is overrated. Really. In their ticket prices, the struggle for good seats in the theatre, and the crowds to dodge in and out of the theatre (and those you have to get past in Times Square); Broadway sometimes isn’t the best option. Good thing there’s off-Broadway and other theatrical productions sprinkled throughout the City to provide the same entertainment at much cheaper prices and in a more inclusive, interactive environment. And unlike Broadway, there’s some off-Broadway shows open this summer! Seven Deadly Sins, The Office! A Musical Parody, and Blindness to name a few are shows you can buy tickets from and watch this instant this summer. Each production has their own Covid safety standards, so be sure to consult their websites before going to make your informed decision.

The world of theatre is just starting to bloom again, and as restrictions ease and the world returns to a new normal, no doubt the journey to get tickets or experience theatre will be hectic and expensive. Best to prepare beforehand to save money and be at the front of the line.



By: Jared Skoro

Jared Skoro is a junior at NYU Gallatin studying a mix of English, Political Science, and Psychology. In his free time, he enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring a new neighborhood of the city every weekend.

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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A List of Student Savings on NYC Cultural Treasure Troves

Saturday, July 10th, 2021


As a college student in New York City I realized that I had access to infinitely more than I had while in high school in Maryland. Suddenly I could eat anywhere, stay out  late, and spend my time doing just about whatever I wanted to do. The way I saw it, as long as I got my assignments done and went to class, I could really do whatever. 

Admittedly, the overstimulation that comes with moving to a bustling metropolis like New York City did not result in much exploration on my part. I found that being a sane human person–eating decently, sleeping enough, keeping my room tidy, maintaining clean clothes, and acing classes– was demanding enough. Furthermore I did not have an unlimited amount of money to spend. I often spent too much when I would eat out or buy a shirt from Forever21 or something. As a broke college student it didn’t take much to break my budget. 

All of these factors coalesced into an interesting and unexpected phenomenon: I became a hermit. I would go to class, eat at a cafeteria, come back to my dorm and sleep, not reemerging until it was time to eat again or do homework. Yes, I was engaging with people in classes, and–thankfully–maintaining relationships with my roommates and a few hall neighbors. But other than a party here or there and a few consumeristic weekends, I found I wasn’t able to engage with people or with the city in a substantial way. 

I had a hard time reconciling the person I was back in Maryland with the person I was in New York. Back home I was constantly exploring. I would subway around DC with friends and we would spend the day visiting museums, monuments, statues, and parks with live music. I would go to the movies constantly, often going by myself to catch matinees. The only time I got to engage with culture like that in NYC was when it was related to a class assignment. The arts had become academic. 

Besides, the culture here was so expensive, I told myself. New York movie tickets were about twice the price as those in Maryland. Museums charged steep admission fees and there wasn’t much free public green space to enjoy. With time, some friendly recommendations, and some personal exploration I found that this was not at all true. I found pockets of the arts and of culture in the downtown Manhattan area (and other places) that were free or discounted with a student ID. 



Here are a few…

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: This museum is known for offering a little bit of everything. Here you can experience art and culture from various time periods and corners of the globe. 

“Pay what you wish” policy with a NY (student) ID. $12 for non-NY students with a university ID. 

The Museum of Modern Art: This museum is a host to all kinds of contemporary art, a large portion being performance art. 

Free for students at select NY schools with ID. $14 for non-NY students with a university ID

The New Museum: This museum is known for its rotating, often groundbreaking and experimental exhibits that center themes like liberation, LGBTQ+ movements, and civil rights.

Free for students 18 and under with ID. $12 for students 19+ with a university ID


Image Credit: https://www.nordenson.com/projects/new-museum-of-contemporary-art

Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas: It’s the movies! What more can I say?

$8 movie tickets for students with a university ID

[Based on my in-person ticket buying experience]

*NYU: Free talks, panels, film screenings, art exhibitions, etc. are at your disposal as an NYU student. Join a few mailing lists and discover some of the amazing cultural moments happening on campus (and now virtually) each week. Here are a few programs to look for: Center for Multicultural Education and Programs (CMEP), Steinhardt Studio Art exhibits, Brittany Hall exhibits, and NYU Gallatin exhibits. 

Other New York colleges and universities are sure to have similar programs and bustling cultural scenes as well. Also ask around for any semi private university green spaces and other university libraries.

*Brooklyn Museum [not in Manhattan]: On the first Saturday of every month, the museum is free to all and hosts several surprises like live music, vendors, and special exhibits.

Free for students 19 and under with ID. $10 for students 20+ with a university ID 


By: Taylor Custis

Taylor Custis is a recent graduate of NYU where she made her own major because it sounded like a cool thing to do. She enjoys stories of all kinds, ethnic foods, and spiritually charged candles. She is currently located in Queens and is embarking on a career in written and visual storytelling.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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How to be a Comedian: Week 6: Meet the Right People – And Check Out the Right College Student Discounts Below!

Monday, November 30th, 2015

Before I start, I’d like to give a quick shout out to the Campus Clipper. The Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the Upper East Side to Greenwich Village. The company helps support students in so many ways, from their coupon booklet to their Official Student Guide. Now, on to the blog!

Without a community of supporters, you won’t make it anywhere besides a counselor’s office and your parent’s basement.

Befriend fellow comedians at open mic nights and comedy classes. The few people who I’ve befriended at open mics have become supportive friends and offer me their much appreciated constructive criticisms. One of my open mic buddies even offered me a spot on one of the upcoming comedy shows he was producing.

A bond with fellow comedians creates an opportunity for you to keep each other accountable – to go to open mics – the expectation that you’ll both be there. Having someone to keep you accountable in going to shows will force you to not let any excuses hold you back, because you know there’s someone at the show expecting you to perform. You’re all in the same boat, so banding together to encourage one another and laugh at each other’s jokes will help push you towards your goals, and build confidence in your talents.

comedy 6

Don’t be afraid to approach big name comics after their set and shake their hand. Sometimes a big name comedian will watch someone perform, like their style, and ask them to open up for them at a few shows.

Go shake some hands so more and more people know who you are, and have a face with a name.

comedy 7

Meet club owners, talent managers, and comedy producers. Introduce yourself to these people and ask if they would have any time to talk with you about the industry, or ask if they need any help at their events. Offering free service is a great way to get people to love you, and you never know where that connection may lead you! The great connection that I’ve made was through my internship with a comedy producer at one of the clubs. He pays me in stage time and allows me to sit in on seminars and meet other comedians. It’s a very valuable connection because he has a strong network in the industry and is willing to help me grow as a comedian in return for helping him with social media and planning events.

comedy 8

A few words from the Campus Clipper –

The Campus Clipper not only help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create these amazing E-Books, but we give them a platform to teach others. Follow each new blog post to read a chapter of our various books and to learn how the Campus Clipper can help you follow your dreams!

Craving student savings while you catch up on your reading? Click on the link to download the Official Campus Clipper Coupon Booklet! And check out our newest YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during this year’s Welcome Week!

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How to be a Comedian: Week 5: Teach Me How to be Funny – And Learn About College Student Discounts Below!

Monday, November 23rd, 2015

Before I start, I’d like to give a quick shout out to the Campus Clipper. The Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the Upper East Side to Greenwich Village. The company helps support students in so many ways, from their coupon booklet to their Official Student Guide. Now, on to the blog!

If you’re funny, you’re funny; but trust me, it’s extremely helpful to have veteran comedians guide you and teach you how to harness your funny bone.

7th Annual "Stand Up For Heroes" Event - Inside

So, sign up for a few comedy classes. Don’t be afraid to break out of your comfort zone or comedic interests. Take some stand up classes, like at the Manhattan Comedy School; but also take some improv classes at a renowned place like the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. It will only benefit you to learn different forms of comedy, and it also might help you find out what you enjoy more and for what your talents are best suited.

comedy 4

The only way you can become a master of comedy is to practice your material and watch others perform. If you really love stand up, then go to stand up shows every week to familiarize yourself with other comedians’ styles and how they interact with the crowd – you might learn something from them. If you’re interested in improv and sketch comedy, go to an improv show every week (go a few times a week if your budget and time permits).

Making comedy shows a weekly part of your schedule will help you stay focused on pushing yourself to the next level in your own career and will make you a lot more comfortable with the business. Watch shows, watch shows, and watch more shows.

comedy 5

I find that the funniest comedians are those who I trust. What I mean is that I trust their ability to make me laugh – they’re reputable. They have confidence, which makes me have confidence in them. I’m not constantly anticipating them to mess up or break into a nervous fit. You have to gain people’s trust for them to believe that you’re funny, so it’s important to show confidence when you’re on stage to let everyone know that you’re in control. When I don’t feel confident on stage, sometimes I have to convince myself that I am confident, or at the very least act like I’m confident.

Things to put on your comedic to-do list:

– Practice in front of the mirror

– Practice jokes in front of your friends

– Record yourself and analyze the video

– Write, rewrite, edit, practice, rewrite, practice, rewrite, practice

– Open mic

A few words from the Campus Clipper –

The Campus Clipper not only helps our interns learn new skills, make money, and create these amazing E-Book, but we give them a platform to teach others. Follow each new blog post to read a chapter of our various books and to learn how the Campus Clipper can help you follow your dreams!

Craving student savings while you catch up on your reading? Click on the link to download the Official Campus Clipper Coupon Booklet to enjoy some great student discounts! And check out our newest YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during this year’s Welcome Week!

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How to be a Comedian: Week 4: Finding Your Funny Bone – And Find some College Student Discounts Below!

Monday, November 16th, 2015

Before I start, I’d like to give a quick shout out to the Campus Clipper. The Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the Upper East Side to Greenwich Village. The company helps support students in so many ways, from their coupon booklet to their Official Student Guide. Now, on to the blog!

Go to the store and buy a few pocket-sized notebooks and a pencil. Carry these tools with you everywhere you go, even if you’re just taking out the trash. As a comedian, you have to constantly write out your thoughts and scribble down jokes as they occur, or else you’re going to forget them and you’ll be left trying to remember “that funny thing that happened yesterday.” Write down everything funny from your everyday life as soon as it happens, because when you react to something instantly your senses are heightened and you have the in-the-moment perspective that will fade with time.

comedy 1

Personal experiences are where you get your material because it’s unique to you and no one else could possibly capture the way that you see things occur. Your friend sees someone spill coffee on their shirt, but you see a hilarious situation of a man who now has to deal with hiding an embarrassing coffee stain and he’s probably on his way to an important meeting. You have the ability to conceptualize a funny story or extract a joke out of a seemingly ordinary situation. Write down all of your funny insights because later you might be able to develop them into a stream of jokes or an elaborate anecdote.

comedy 2

Find your sense of humor – goofy? Dry? Sarcastic? Physical? Cynical? Theatrical?

Watch shows, movies, and performances that use the humor that compels you the most and soak up the style.

Whatever type of comedy you most enjoy combined with the style of your sense of humor is how you need to shape your material. Sink into your comedic persona and take on the characteristics of humor by practicing in front of the mirror and writing down jokes in a way that reflect your personality.

Don’t try to copy or steal another comedian’s persona, because it won’t seem natural or funny, and will only make your jokes seem out of place. Do what comes naturally to you, and stay true to the funny bones in your body.

A few words from the Campus Clipper –

The Campus Clipper not only helps our interns learn new skills, make money, and create these amazing E-Books, but we give them a platform to teach others. Follow each new blog post to read a chapter of our various books and to learn how the Campus Clipper can help you follow your dreams!

Craving student savings while you catch up on your reading? Click on the link to download the Official Campus Clipper Coupon Booklet to check out some awesome student discounts! And check out our newest YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during this year’s Welcome Week!

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How to be a Comedian: Week 2: Seriously Funny – And Check Out some Seriously Awesome College Discounts Below!

Wednesday, November 4th, 2015

Before I start, I’d like to give a quick shout out to the Campus Clipper. The Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the Upper East Side to Greenwich Village. The company helps support students in so many ways, from their coupon booklet to their Official Student Guide. Now, on to the blog!

You have to be serious about being funny. No joke. Kidding aside.

It’s a long, hard road trying to make a life in comedy, but if you stick to it and persevere, it’ll be the most rewarding experience of your life.

Make a commitment to yourself to not give up. Go look in the mirror and say, “[insert name], I am a funny comedian, and I’m going to make it. I’m also extremely good looking with irresistible physical attributes” (you don’t have to say that last part, but I like to because it adds a little spice to my day).

All right, so maybe it seems a little cheesy to give yourself a pep talk in the mirror, but my point is to believe in yourself and nurture your confidence.

Make sure that you’re prepared to make the sacrifices necessary in order to achieve your dreams. Having a career as a comedian is far from easy– filled with part time jobs and open mic nights, until someone recognizes your talent. Then, maybe if you’re lucky, you get popular enough to travel 350 days out of the year, from gig to gig, across the country. One of the biggest sacrifices you have to make is being comfortable. Once you find yourself comfortable, that means you’ve lost forward motion. Challenge yourself with new jokes and different styles. Each time you reach a new level of comfort, break out of that comfort zone and try something new.

Ask yourself why you want to be a comedian. What’s your answer?

Do you want to be a comedian to become rich and famous? (You have a better chance of winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning on the same day).

Or, is it because you genuinely love to make people laugh and can’t imagine pursuing a life other than one devoted to telling jokes?

Be real with yourself. Find what’s at the heart of your desire, and stay true to that. If a Southern boy like me can move to New York City, not get stabbed by Yankee Liberals, and survive a night in a stairwell, then trust me, you can do it too! 

A few words from the Campus Clipper –

The Campus Clipper not only helps our interns learn new skills, make money, and create these amazing E-Books, but we give them a platform to teach others. Follow each new blog post to read a chapter of our various books and to learn how the Campus Clipper can help you follow your dreams.

Craving student savings while you catch up on your reading? Click on the link to download the Official Campus Clipper Coupon Booklet to enjoy some great student discounts! And check out our newest YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during this year’s Welcome Week!

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The value of critical thought

Tuesday, March 11th, 2014

If you think about it, nearly everything in life can be problematized. We have the power to scrutinize ideas that are normally left unexamined and unquestioned. If you’re like me, you’ll find this prospect invigorating.

Don’t get me wrong––gratefulness is a large part of the self-revolution. It goes against everything we’ve been taught since we were young, especially in terms of our relationships with material goods. Indeed, gratefulness can open us up to opportunities like college savings and college discounts. But the practices of critical thinking and gratefulness do not have to be mutually exclusive.

You can practice acceptance of certain conditions––for example, the not-so-great material conditions you may face as you pursue the path that you’ve chosen––while at the same time refusing the very basis upon which this idea is founded: that the pursuit of money above all else is necessary for a comfortable existence.

A critical thinker would pause and ask why this has to be.

Do you think as deeply as this guy?

“Hard work” has long been a foundational value of American cultural and political thought. You could say that it’s entrenched in the American consciousness. But if you reflect for a bit, you’ll see that the idea of “hard work” is often used to justify racism, classism, sexism, nationalism, and other forms of discrimination.

The Declaration of Independence is a list of completely subjective statements constructed by a group of individuals interpreting their history in an effort to legitimize the coming insurrection against their rulers. One very famous line that Jefferson uses in the Declaration is meant to stifle critique before even it has the chance to manifest: “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”

This phrase is a perfect example of “one-dimensional thought” in operation. As critical theorist Herbert Marcuse wrote in One Dimensional Man:

“The closed language does not demonstrate and explain––it communicates decision, dictum, command” (101).

Deeming certain principles “truths” and describing these “truths” as “self-evident” without explaining why they are effectively shuts down any possibility for critique. If you don’t believe in what Jefferson is about to lay down, you’re perceived as unreasonable.

How can you question truth, let alone truth that is visible to each and every one of us? C’mon!

The perpetuation of unquestioned ideas is certainly not limited to 18th century political documents. Each of us contribute to this process every single day without realizing it.

Right from the beginning, our education system attempts to suppress the curious and critical tendencies of each child by forcing them to adhere to unquestioned notions and behaviors through standardized tests and rigid modes of teaching.

In a socioeconomic system that relies on a mass of individuals who do as they’re told and not much more, there is a multitude of power in critical thought. Critical thinking works to subvert the blind acquiescence which is a necessary component of the political and economic systems under which we live.

Given the fact that some ideas and methods of thinking are so powerfully entrenched in our consciousness, how can you begin to think critically?

To answer this question, I turn, once again, to Michel Foucault. Foucault described the elements of his moral code as such:

“(1) the refusal to accept as self-evident the things that are proposed to us; (2) the need to analyze and to know, since we can accomplish nothing without reflection and understanding—thus, the principle of curiosity; and (3) the principle of innovation: to seek out in our reflection those things that have never been thought or imagined. Thus: refusal, curiosity, innovation.”

The first step, then, is to realize that some of the truths we accept as “self-evident” are not necessarily so.

We say certain things and behave in certain ways that conform to what we accept as the “facts of life.” These “facts” are, for the most part, accepted by everyone and perpetuated without question.

Questioning these assumptions which are so often taken for granted is a powerful practice. It’s what we must start doing if we wish to radicalize our selves and society.

You can use critical thinking skills to change the direction of your life. Hopefully you'll perform a bit better than this button-hungry parrot.

The third element in Foucault’s list––innovation––depends entirely on the first two, refusal and curiosity. Without rejecting and analyzing an idea that is assumed to be self-evident, it’s impossible to create something new. How can you innovate without moving past the artificial barriers you face?

Critical thinking enables you to be creative, to see things differently, and to define your true values within the midst of a monotonous society that encourages cookie-cutter modes of thought.

Part of the challenge is recognizing the need to think critically. The next part is in applying your critical thinking skills to your everyday life, thereby uniting theory with practice.

 

Amanda Fox-Rouch (Hunter College)

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Going Out in the City on a College Budget: Five Whys and Five Hows

Tuesday, August 21st, 2012

Growing up, going to “the city” (that is, New York City) meant dressing up in whatever dress I wore for Easter Sunday or Christmas Eve and going out to dinner at a Zagat-rated restaurant somewhere in Little Italy with my family.  In those days, Mom and Dad paid.  When I first moved to the city from Westchester four years ago, going out meant throwing on a shirt and skirt in hopes of looking somewhat decent on the line of an overhyped 18+ club that I or my roommates were “on the list” for, thanks to a Facebook group that boasted to keep us up-to-date on the hottest and cheapest NYC college-age nightlife.  I quickly denied the existence of such a life.

pitfalls of fake IDs

When I turned twenty-one, I retired my once-used, two-years-expired fake ID that flaunted the image of a girl who looks absolutely nothing like me except for the fact that we are both 5’4” and have brown hair and brown eyes. At 5PM on my twenty-first birthday, I entered a heavenly paradise: Trader Joe’s Wine Shop.  Knowing that I would, without a doubt, be carded there, I stood on line with two bottles of Three-Buck-Chuck and my awkward but somehow freeing sixteen-year-old smile staring at me from my driver’s license.

When it comes to going out, the city has much to offer besides Trader Joe’s Wine Shop.  Bars are everywhere, nightclubs are plentiful, and parties often literally happen in the streets and under them in the subways.  Having gone to Manhattan for college, I was faced with the challenge of the city in addition to traditional college distractions.  Still, I believe that the ups outnumber and outweigh the downs when it comes to the typical college student’s desire to celebrate the weekend, weekday, or lack of knowing what day it is.

  1. You can leave your apartment without a set destination.  Don’t know where to go?  Just go.  Look for “two for one” signs.  Follow crowds.  Gravitate towards noise.  Ask loud people you cross on the street where they just came from and hope they remember.
  2. You meet people (whether you want to or not).  Though you may unwillingly find out about a stranger’s hygiene, astrological sign, and pick-up techniques, you may also make some new friends or at least go home with an interesting story or characters for that screenplay you’ve been working on.
  3. You don’t have to designate a driver.  Subways, taxis, and sidewalks are a New Yorker’s best friends.  Because few people going to college in the city have a car with them, there is no need to draw straws at the beginning of the night (though you may want to designate a pack leader to lead the way home if you’re sleepily returning at three in the morning).

    Designate your shoes when you don't designate a driver. Walking in heels can be tough!

  4. You can always find a place to eat.  From cookies to dollar pizza to street meat to pretty much anything, food is always available and often cheap.
  5. Nowhere is off-limits.  Though you may have to wait a bit longer for subways to arrive the closer it gets to sunrise, every borough is at your fingertips.  This also allows for you to try a new place when “the usual” just isn’t enough. 

The bad news?  Money doesn’t grow on trees, and, if it did, you still wouldn’t have any because you likely don’t have any trees growing on your fire escape.  The city is always outside your door, always awake, and always hungry for your wallet.  Plus, the fact that you may or may not already be going broke paying for a college education doesn’t help any.

However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past four years, it’s that you should always be prepared.  If you plan out at least part of your night ahead of time, you don’t have to pay much for a night of fun.

  1. Eat dinner home.  Instead of going out to eat, make dinner with some friends in someone’s kitchen or have a potluck dinner.  This is often cheaper and healthier, and allows you to start the weekend celebration together and then head out when everyone is accounted for.

    Leave yourselves a large tip with all the money you save when you celebrate at home with friends.

  2. Buy your own alcohol. If you are 21 and drink, look online for which liquor stores or beer distributors have the best deals on your beverage(s) of choice, and hit them up before they close.  Make your own concoctions, which can be fun!  And, if you do go out afterwards, you’ll probably be less tempted to spend money on overpriced drinks.
  3. Arrive early.  Many locations (bars and clubs alike) that charge cover fees charge differently according to what time it is.  If your usual bar has a good happy hour, meet up with a few friends for cheap drinks.  If a club says that admission is free before ten o’clock, consider getting there early.  Don’t forget to account for the time it takes to wait on line!  Also, when possible, be female—you’ll probably pay less to get in to some places.
  4. Have your own dance/karaoke/movie/theme party.  Sometimes a night in can be even more rewarding than a night out.
  5. Take advantage of your college or university.  While you might associate school events with middle school dances when the sexes stood on opposite sides of the room and stared at their feet or giggled in circles, school-sponsored events can often be fun.  The people putting them together are probably either paid to do it (and probably at least somewhat good at it) or they are college students just like you with similar ideas of fun.  Check your school events calendar, as well as any deals that your school and local businesses offers like student-price movie tickets, coupons, brochures, and other student savings.  You’ll be surprised what you can find!

It's who you're with that counts most.

Of course, there is no perfect formula for saving money, but over time you should discover what works for you and learn your own methods along the way.  While you’re in college, remember that you’re in college.  Remember that you’re not the only one concerned about saving money while having fun, that there are whole schools of students worried about the same thing.  In this realization you can find your savior—your friends.  No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, surround yourself by good people and you can’t go wrong.

 

Take advantage of a great happy hour at Cuba!

———————————————————-

Carina, New York University. Read my blog and check out my Twitter! FOLLOW ME!!

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Book Review: About a Mountain by John D’Agata – “To whomever I did not help.”

Thursday, June 7th, 2012

"...one of the most significant U.S writers to emerge in the past few years." - David Foster Wallace

It seemed to us we we’re a very great people” – The United States of America

John D'Agata

      A week into November of last year at the University of Arizona, right around when the leaves of date palms litter the walkways all over Tucson, I found myself in a familiar place: nose wedged in a book, eyes drowned in its ephemeral words, limbs temporarily frozen and forgotten; I was lost. My wasteland: the nuclear storage fields at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. My drug: our future. My spirit guide: John D’Agata. About a Mountain is one of those rare firecrackers of books that not only sparks  widespread controversy, but does so for a reason only other writers, penetrating thinkers, acerbic comedians and unattractive vampires can appreciate – being misunderstood. It took all of 10 pages before someone who didn’t fall into one of those categories – ironically, a geology professor (who is a leader in his field, and thus remain unnamed) – was overwhelmed by what could only have been a personal agitation that superseded general human etiquette, to point out – let’s say less than eloquently – that an entire book was dedicated to fact-checking the 200 pages of brilliance that laid in my hands, and unequivocally supported a conclusion that many readers had come to: in About a Mountain, John D’Agata is at his best, and John D’Agata is  completely full of shit.

      It isn’t hard to see why. Consider the book’s opening lines, describing Las Vegas’ centennial: “If you take the population of Las Vegas, Nevada, and you divide that by the number of days in the year, there should be 5,000 people in the city and its suburbs with a birthday on the same day that Las Vegas began. On the hundredth anniversary of its founding, however, Las Vegas had only gathered twenty-nine of those people.” Alongside lines such as the dedicatory inscription at the beginning of this review – in particular, one’s seemingly intended for an exceedingly enlightened, mysterious audience somewhere in the distant future – D’Agata immediately introduces readers to his favorite (and, unsurprisingly, most misunderstood) move: bending time and place while simultaneously trapezing between the ledges of fact and fiction. It is in this uncomfortable domain of the known and unknown where D’Agata’s peculiar logic, his idiosyncratic mind, and fascinating personal experience are employed (and shine) to reexamine not only where we are, but also where we’ve been; and most portent – where we are going.

      You might have noticed that I’ve reached several hundred words without actually diving into the masterful narrative that Charles Bock of The New York Times called “unquestionably art, a breathtaking piece of writing.” A review that reprimanded – and derided – the artist only a few paragraphs later for the same reasons for which it initially protruded with admiring jaundice: “I don’t know what to think. What’s specific or representative or smudged? Pandora’s box is wide open.” What Mr. Bock fails to realize, despite his awareness of D’Agata’s explicit claim that “I[He] is in search of art” and not fact is that this was precisely the book’s purpose – one that (perhaps without the reader’s acknowledgement) it polemically fulfills.

So why should you, or anyone, really care? The overarching message of About a Mountain serves as a messianic compass as we attempt to successfully navigate our way through this precarious storm of cultural and technological chaos. More than ever, the ability to critically parse between fact and fiction, numbers and art, truth and wisdom is paramount to our continued existence; one that is worth preserving anyway. The book itself weaves an in-depth coverage of the political suave and maneuvers used to re-interpret a million year problem into a 10,000 year solution (an absolutely stunning metaphor for the pattern of thinking that has lead us here) along with the tragic story of Levi Presley – a boy who jumped off the Stratosphere tower in Vegas – and the connection of his death to D’Agata’s own experience answering calls on a suicide hotline. It is because, not despite, this discordance that D’Agata’s ambition and pursuit of art is realized. Here, the details that are debated  (resolved with end notes in later editions) – from the significant, such as the day of Levi’s death, to the minuscule, such as the actual color of hills in the Nevadan autumn – are irrelevant. Keeping up? Good. Because it is through this very deliberate and aesthetically striking ridiculing of fact, or knowledge, that any of the information is made relevant.

credit: IowaNow

      Creative Nonfiction is not journalism – D’Agata despises the term, instead championing the “essay”, invoking Montaigne’s “essai”, meaning ‘an attempt or trial’ to route the journey of consciousness throughout a narrative; a provocative stance to say the least. His elastic perspective regarding this paradigm is manifested in the titles of the book’s chapters: starting with the journalistic staples of “Who, What, How, Where and When” and concluding with a trifecta that outlaws objectivity entirely, “Why, Why, Why.” Certainly, this complex concept is beautifully articulated when he writes, “Clear that if I point to something like significance, there is the possibility that nothing real is there. Sometimes we misplace knowledge in pursuit of information. Sometimes our wisdom, too, in pursuit of what’s called knowledge.” Indeed this is a hefty price to pay for maintaining the beloved boundary, the artificial security, between objectivity and subjectivity, where intellectual vertigo and doubt are priceless casualties in the name of conventional tradition. D’Agata’s perspicacious observation is further reflected in the portrayal of back-door politicians who recommend the feasible option instead of confronting the truth with wisdom. Despite the borderline infinite data on Yucca Mountain, “a place that we have studied more thoroughly at this point than any other parcel of land in the world… still it remains unknown, revealing only the fragility of our capacity to know.”

“When we are not sure, we are alive.” – Graham Greene

While I can’t direct you anywhere in the city with palm trees year round, there are plenty of opinionated strangers everywhere. So why not grab a copy of  About a Mountain  and head to Cafe Mocha, fill up with a great sandwich, then focus in with a free Cappuccino (using the coupon below), and if you absolutely can’t help yourself, ‘fact-check’ this monumental work with their free WiFi.

Mahad Zara, The University of Arizona and Columbia University, Read my blog and follow me on Twitter

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Spring is Abloom with Sunshine

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

Spring is here!

The First Day of Spring, Tuesday, March 20th, was welcomed with a huge helping of sunshine and fresh air.  Spring kicked off earlier this year than in the past, meaning a brighter, warmer time for everyone this season.  I left for work this morning in a long sleeve floral print tee, tossing on a dark gray hoodie just in case, and was pleasantly surprised by the sudden shift in temperature in just a mere two days.  The weather dares me to slip into a pair of strappy sandals and rock the cat-eye sunglasses like a boss, a challenge I gracefully accept with the coming months of clear skies and occasional breezes.  I prepare to retire my favorite leather boots in favor of Rainbow flip flops, sandals that pile up in front of every Southern Californian’s door mat.

Quintessential Southern Californian

Biking around Central Park.  Watching the sun set over the East River.  Eating a not-quite-yet-defrosted ice cream sandwich in front of the Bethesda Fountain.  These are all the things I’ve done since winter has slyly slithered away with its tail tucked between its legs.  With the exception of the $4 ice cream brick, the newfound sun is promising.  The liberation from wooly socks is refreshing, as are the crisp breezes that send a chill through my fat stubby toes.  My sandals harbor no bitterness while they’ve been in storage for the winter months; in fact, I swear they hugged me when I took them out for a brisk walk to the market.  As confident as I felt, no pair of sandals is complete without a clean set of digits.

Vada Spa has got you covered with a full array of beauty services.  For beach babies looking to hit the waves, you can get a Brazilian or full leg wax special for just $18.  To top it off, get your toesies in shape with a pedicure for $18 as well; don’t forget that a hot shade of nail polish goes a long way on your toes!  These student savings are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with your student ID.  Take advantage of the quickly-rising Spring heat with Campus Clipper student discounts today!

Go get your beauty on, girlfriend (or gentlemen.  Hey, even guys need a spa day)!

Angeline Dinh, Pepperdine University

Check out my blog and follow me on Twitter!

Click here to download the Campus Clipper iTunes app!

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Interested in more deals for students?  Sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter to get the latest in student discounts and promotions.  For savings on-the-go, download our printable coupon e-book!

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