Know Your Student Body: Top 12 Blogs

In sports, there is an acronym that is sometimes used by sports coaching staffs around North America to explain how you should always be aware of the players that you put on the court/field/ice before making strategic decisions. The acronym is KYP (Know Your Personnel). The same should apply for student councils. Know your student body! You should have an excellent idea of what gets them engaged, where they spend most of their free time, which artists make them dance and which issues strike a chord for them. A good way to do so is to examine the content they consume on a daily basis. We have compiled a list of some of the best blogs students visit to obtain information - subjects include student finances, how to stay on top of the best innovations on campus and entertainment material.

Unigo

"Powered by a network of the nation’s top college counselors and a vibrant community of enrolled college students, Unigo is the Web’s largest resource of information to find, get in and pay for college. Families use Unigo for admissions and financial aid advice, and access to more than 200,000 multimedia reviews by students on 6,500 campuses across the country, for free."

Campus Grotto

"Campus Grotto is a national college news website that covers a wide range of college-related topics, including student finance, study tips, college admission, college rankings, career advice, and college life."

Hack College

"Hack College is educating the students of the world about effective, open source software, putting techno-political arguments in everyday language, and creating a cult of “Students 2.0.” If we can change the way 1 percent of college students and faculty in the world view education and technology, we’ve done our job."

College Candy

"College Candy is the glass slipper of the blogosphere - a veritable portal into all things college, be you a Sorority Sister or Women’s Studies Student. Compulsive updates written by and for college women will keep you abreast of awesomeness even when a Russian history paper has you caged to the computer."

Cracked

"Cracked is comedy with a college education.We offer heaps of facts smothered in humor. We are the professors you wish you had in school; we are Indiana Jones except with less adventures and more sarcasm."

Campus Technology

"Campus Technology is the only monthly publication focusing exclusively on the use of technology across all areas of higher education. Campus Technologyprovides in depth coverage of specific technologies and their implementations, including wireless networks and mobile devices; enterprise resource planning; eLearning and course management systems; "smart classroom" technologies; telecom; Web; and security solutions--all the important issues and trends for campus IT decision makers."

New Student Union

"The New Student Union is an online publication run by and for college students covering the issues that they care about. Its network extends across the United States to more than 15 campuses with over 20 contributors specializing in a wide array of topics."

Her Campus

"Her Campus is the #1 online community for college women.  Written entirely by the nation’s top college journalists - with 3,000+ contributors and counting - HerCampus.com features national content on Style, Health, Love, Life, and Career supplemented by local content from 200+ campus chapters across the country.   In addition, Her Campus offers a daily email newsletter, social media communities, job listings, e-commerce, surveys, giveaways, and scholarships, filling a critical hole in the media marketplace and creating a robust interactive experience for its “collegiettes™”."

Lions Den University

"We are The Mighty Lion’s Den. We are both the best and worst that society has to offer, but mostly the best. As a matter of fact we are better on our worst day than you are in your best year. Don’t hate us. Nay. Strive to be like us. Pay close attention and amidst the tumult and perceived chaos you will glimpse for one fleeting moment the brilliant genius that is the Den."

The Student Wallet

"The Student Wallet is a student finance blog launched in March 2012. College is an exciting time in life.  This is true for a student’s finances as well.  College is often the first time students have to make their own major financial decisions.  Some are relatively minor like opening a first credit card or bank account.  Others can have effects that last for several years like how many student loans to take out."

College Humor

"Founded by two high school friends, CollegeHumor delivers daily comedic content, including videos, pictures, articles and jokes, created and/or curated by the CollegeHumor staff. CollegeHumor Media attracts more than 15 million monthly uniques and generats more than 100 million video views per month (Nielsen/Net Ratings) with popular sketches such as "Jake and Amir," "Very Mary Kate" and "Troopers." CollegeHumor Media provides online advertisers across a variety of categories with an efficient vehicle for reaching multiple desirable demographics."

mtvU

"mtvU is MTV Networks’ Peabody and Emmy Award-winning 24-hour college network-the largest and most comprehensive media network just for college students. The heart of the channel is the emerging music students live their lives to, including music videos and a range of series profiling the up-and-coming acts bubbling on the college scene."