Surprise! I haven’t even graduated yet, and nothing has gone the way I thought it would or how I want it to, and with graduation next weekend – it’s time to come up with a game plan for the ominous future.

Originally, I thought I wanted to attend graduate school and work towards a higher degree in English literature. I spent the entire fall semester working on taking the GRE exam, filling out graduate applications (and spending major money on sending them out!), and writing the most intense essay of my undergraduate career to send along to my program choices. In the midst of all this, I spoke with my academic advisor who told me “Charlsie, don’t worry about it – I think you’ll get in wherever you want, you’ll have the option to choose where you want to go. You’ll do great.” Despite the stress and pressure I felt from all this, her reassurance told me to expect the best and relax about my future.

Oh boy, did I ever expect the best – but only got slammed by the worst: I exhausted the bulk of my spring semester receiving rejection letters and reading online news articles highlighting that universities across the nation received more graduate applications than in years before – making those already-hard-to-get seats for English M.A. and PhD programs even harder to get into (most programs only accept between 12-30 students per year anyway).  Recognizing that graduate school wasn’t an option (I started thinking that maybe graduate school wasn’t what I wanted to do the more I worked on my thesis, anyway, but that’s another story for another time), I knew I had to figure something out.

Trying not to be too disheartened (this is really hard to do), I moved on to publishing and publicity job positions in Atlanta, Georgia (my hometown). Nearly every place I contacted never responded back to my voicemails or e-mails. If I did hear back, they usually said they weren’t accepting interns or hiring this year due to the economy. The few places I did apply at rejected me. Ouch! After spending the last four years with endless internship acceptances, this came as a huge shock for me. I was never rejected by an intern program before!

I think Kelly Cutrone sums it up best in her book If You Have To Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things your Mother Never Told You: “Often the problems is not that parents didn’t encourage their kids to dream, but that parents were so encouraging that those dreams became their children’s expectations.” All my dreams have always been my expectations – and realizing my dreams aren’t as straightforward and accessible as I once thought truly feels like a slap in the face, especially after completing four years for an undergraduate degree, which almost seems useless right now.

Many people, when faced with extreme confusion, go home to sort things out. Unfortunately for me, though,  I don’t have a place I can call home. My family life is a little disjointed, something I’ve been used to since I was a pre-teen; it is just how things are for me, whether I like it or not. Although I haven’t lived with my dad since I was ten (and I haven’t even seen him since June 2008), I think moving out and living with him is my best option, and I’m lucky he is welcoming me with open arms.

So, I’m packing up my Toyota Corolla after graduation and I’m setting out for the Hills of California. I will be moving to Orange County with no job to look forward to. No internship to plan towards. No career prospects to expect. No friends to meet up with. Awaiting me is just a room in my dad’s Newport Beach apartment and some time without too much pressure, so I can figure out exactly what I need to do and how I need to do it – to get to where I want to go.

A lot of doors may have closed on me, but I do have goals – and some hope left.

This column is not only going to follow my move to California, it will follow me as I take a new direction towards my future: Law School. I am planning to spend the summer studying for the October LSAT, so I can apply to law school in the fall. This journey is going to be tough. In fact, it’s going to be really, really hard – and I know there are going to be bumps along the way, whether it is with my family, my personal life, or my ambitious plan to attend Law School for the 2011-2012 school year.

With that said, I’m not moving to California to become friends with our favorite girls from The Hills, and I’m not moving out West with the notion of being a celebrity. I am, however, moving out there – like many people do– to make my dreams come true, whatever they may be.

Won’t you join me along for the ride?

T.I. may not be the top candidate for Role Model of the Year, but sometimes with guys, you just don’t care. The sizzling Atlanta rapper has been heating up the Bilboard charts since 2004 with hits like “Bring ‘Em Out“  and “Live Your Life.”  He’s collaborated with industry big shots Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, and Pharrell Williams, who called him the “Jay-Z of the South.”

Musical success aside, T.I. (born Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) boasts what is arguably one of the hottest bods in the rap world.  From his impeccable pecs to his absolutely awesome abs, T.I. is cut like a diamond. To top it off, his steely-eyed sneer could coax even the most prudish of women into his bed for a thorough eff.  And you know you can call the shots, because he has promised you “Whatever  You Like.”

Today, however, T.I. departs the public as he begins a one-year prison sentence for pleading guilty to a charge of posessing an unregistered weapon.  But he’s already spent a lot of time accounting for his crime on the MTV hit “Road to Redemption,” in which he speaks with troubled teens to keep them from arriving at the same fate as himself.  In my book, demonstrating remorse for one’s mistakes and helping others always score big points on my effability scale.

Besides, his encarceration definitely adds to the forbidden fruit, bad-boy allure he strutts so well.  So, T.I., as you begin your sentence today, have faith that we’ll be thinking of you.  If you ever need a conjugal visit, you know who to call!

The Real World is making its way to Brooklyn for its 21st season. In case you’re counting, this will be the third time the show has been in New York City. I know Brooklyn is its own distinct borough filled with unique charm, but when you take a subway or two right over to the previous Real World houses, it’s just too close. It’s time for the folks at MTV to branch out. Here are some suggestions for future destinations:

Minneapolis

It was heavily rumored that the Real World was heading to this upper Mid-western urban center for its 19th season. Sydney may have provided the castmates with sunny beaches and hot dudes with accents, but Minneapolis is pretty cool too. There’s a fantastic art scene, friendly locals, giant university, funky bars and the town is surrounded by gorgeous lakes. Plus, the the weather isn’t so bad in the summer.

Washington D.C.

Nothing goes better with historic buildings, sketchy elected officials and government offices than 20-somethings with ‘roid rage and girls in hooker boots. D.C. is vibrant, has a ton of cute neighborhoods and lots of things to do. Plus, it’s the most walk-able city in the nation, perfect for coming home drunk. Can you picture Real World folks as congressional pages? Tour guides? The options are endless.

Atlanta, GA

They don’t call it Hotlanta for nothing! Atlanta is rockin’ the southern charm, great food, and a handful of quality colleges. Plus it’s home to the epicenter of Southern rap, hell, most rap. It’s also boasts one of the best aquariums in the country. Stuck up young people cleaning out shark tanks? Yes please!

There are lots of other great places too. Have they considered Portland Oregon, Phoenix, Detroit?! The Brooklyn season of The Real World is probably going to be just fine, but I think it’s time for something new. There are too many untapped fun, charming, camera-friendly cities in this country and around the globe.

Where do you think the cameras should head next? Is your hometown aching for some drama? Sell your city in the comments!

Out in Hollywood, there is a talented cross-dressing writer named Tyler Perry. Unfortunately, he is still pissed off. He has written and produced countless plays, musicals, films and TV shows – all targeting the African-American community. Tyler has created over $500M in revenues from his productions, and we can only assume he has banked a lot from that.

He bought a $5M mansion just outside of Atlanta. Yet, he is still pissed off. Tyler’s current movie “Why Did I Get Married?” ranked 2nd in Box Office revenues taking in $12.1M – yep, still pissed off. Why you ask? Because Perry’s series on TBS, “House of Payne,” is tanking.

I think 30 people are watching it, and that includes the cast, crew and family. So TBS did what any network would do – they said “Mr. Perry, your show sucks. Get it together of beat it!” Sadly, that was the wrong thing to say to the wrong person.

As if scripted from a bad network drama, the upcoming publicity battle is going to be epic.

Here is my problem, CollegeCandy has learned from an inside source that Tyler Perry is planning on throwing out the race card in protest of his show getting potentially canned. What the public doesn’t know, is that Perry had to throw in some of his own money to get the show going. Only after his own financial commitment, did the network agree to fund production.

Maybe one of the reasons why they didn’t want to fund it in the first place is because they thought it was shite…just a guess. But to claim Tyler Perry’s show is being cut because of his race, I think downplays the real prejudice in the industry.

There is an abundance of genuine instances of racism and prejudice without Tyler claiming that the network is taking advantage of another millionaire.

I tried watching this show and being hispanic, I thought I would be able to get it. Yep…I was wrong. The show is comprised of a good portion of ethnic stereotypes, mixed with traditional run-of-the-mill sitcom plot lines. Think Cosby Show, meets Family Matters meets Friends. In short, it is a pseudo-ethnic concoxion of shows that have already come and gone.

Hey Tyler…you are a millionaire several times over. Stop your whining and deal with the fact that every now and then you are going to come up with a shitty idea. 9 out of 10 of your ideas make you millions – the other one blows. Suck it up and welcome to mediocrity.