Graduation feels like it was yesterday so I couldn’t believe my eyes when I received an e-mail from my alma mater’s class reporter. For the first time, the class reporter wasn’t requesting class donations (thank goodness – nothing makes me more irritated than being asked to donate a couple hundred bucks when I have a couple thousand bucks worth of student loans to think about). Instead, she was asking for the class of 2010’s first official alumnae updates for the next alumnae magazine!

Updates? UPDATES? We have been out of school for, what, a hot second and you want updates? About JOBS AND MARRIAGES?! Do people even get jobs married straight of college anymore? Seriously. It’s been 6 freaking months!

After going through the e-mail (and breathing into a brown paper bag), I couldn’t help but think of the classic 1997 girl-comedy, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. Although the girls attend their 10 year high school reunion (not just send in an update), they go to any means necessary to appear fabulous and accomplished – even making up a story about inventing Post-Its. While Romy and Michelle didn’t have too much to show after ten years out of high school, they were determined to appear like they have made something of themselves – even though the majority of their classmates were just like them and had nothing to report back either. Read More »

I am twenty-two years old. In November, I am turning twenty-three. I graduated high school almost five years ago. By my calculations (and yes, I suck at math, but I can’t be that bad) I should’ve graduated about four months ago. Roughly. Give or take a couple of weeks or so. Okay, the point is, I’m wicked behind.

I’m sure you may be wondering what kind of time-warp I fell into that I didn’t graduate four months ago. Or maybe you’re not. The truth is, I did what a lot of people do—I got burnt out. First of all, I picked a ridiculous career: Computer Engineering. Not to say that the career itself is ridiculous, it was just a bad choice for me. Three semesters and only two true Engineering classes later, I was burnt out. And hard up for cash. I ended up withdrawing from classes my fourth semester in school. I was just going to take a semester off, work hard enough to save up the money and go back later in the fall. Yeah, right. That “semester off” turned into three years!

I’m almost twenty-three and starting over. And so I present, the top differences in College: Then and Now:

As a freshman four years ago, I couldn’t legally drink. Or smoke. Or do much of anything except hole up in my dorm room doing homework. Now? I am free to drink as I please. And smoke. But my inclination to do both has significantly lessened. What is it about forbidden things being so much damn cooler?? Read More »

For those recently out of college, networking is everything, right? So when my friend recently attended a private dinner party of illustrious alumni, she was keen to put her best foot forward. She mentally prepped herself on the recent developments in the presidential race, international affairs, and just in case she ran into freakish people, Britney Spears.

Half-way through dinner, she was feeling pretty good when suddenly, out of nowhere popped the R-word. During a lull in conversation a pompous 30-something guy suddenly said to the guy next to him “So, Tom, are we really heading for a recession?”

Her mind froze in terror: would her dirty secret be revealed? The fact that despite three econ courses she still had no clue what a recession actually was… luckily, she was able to pull of the role of the politely-interested-looking-yet-silent-nodder until the topic once again changed…

Her story got me thinking—how many of us are clueless when it comes to the word recession, knowing nothing except that mentioning it in politics is akin to yelling fire in a crowed theater?

With this in mind, I present, (drum roll if you please), A Girl’s Guide to Recessions Read More »