There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned American holiday to make you realize how alone you are in this world. Everything’s been going pretty well (according to my new post-college standards of pretty well) and I thought that for the most part I was building up quite the little social network of friends who would make me not feel quite so isolated. We would Gchat at work, grab Pinkberry here and there, perhaps even attend the occasional happy hour.

But apparently that social network of friends was a pure figment of my imagination.

July 4th came out of nowhere and everyone (people I’ve never spoken to) kept asking me what I was planning on doing. On the outside I remained calm and collected and responded with dignity; I’ll figure it out. But on the inside I was panicking like it was Halloween eve and my only available costume was sexy bunny. I would casually bring it up to my “friends” and they all would respond with excitement about boat trips with friends, annual family BBQ’s, and lake houses in states I thought were made-up. Then they would ask me what I was doing and I would mumble something about fireworks and hot dogs and anti-terrorism laws. Read More »

Alright it’s just another internship. I’m not stressed. But I actually need this internship to lead to something. I must make a good impression. Now I’m stressed. Is that my subway line? Is it safe? Am I the only girl on here? Is this going to be the first scene in my lifetime movie of a internship gone horribly wrong?

Okay, okay the subway ride wasn’t so bad and I’m only an hour early. Too early. Could I look more overeager? I’ll go sit in the Dunkin Donut’s for awhile and get a coffee. Okay drinking that coffee took five minutes. No one is responding to my texts. Maybe I have no cell service in Brooklyn. Yeah that’s it. Alright 9:41, that’s a good time, I look professionally early. I hope my hair is still straight.

Yeah I’ll smile for my  ID badge but that camera seems to be at quite the awkward angle.  Oh my god this is my ID for the whole summer? I look horrible and my hair is curling. Hand flatten my hair, hand flatten, oh my god that’s my boss remove hand from hair casually. Read More »

After four years (or more, if you’re lucky) navigating your familiar college campus, it’s time to face a new, not-so-familiar world. It’s time to find a new favorite pizza place, a new mani/pedi shop, and a new bar with cheap specials on Wednesday nights. Oh yeah, and for many of you, you have to find some new friends with whom to frequent those locations.

Finding your place in this next phase of your life isn’t always easy. In fact, as I’ve said before, it’s really freaking tiring.  But there are some tools out there to help you hold onto the familiar and survive the scary unknown. Here are your soon-to-be post grad BFFs:

1.   Skype: Oprah’s obsessed with it and for good reason. All you need is a computer (clearly, you’ve got one since you’re reading this), a webcam (there are cheap ones available on Amazon or at Wal-mart) and some internet (which you can jack from any of your new neighbors who aren’t smart enough to lock that sh*t down). You download the program for free and then talk to any of your friends in the world for free, face to face. So, if you’ve got one friend teaching English in Korea and one friend doin’ the political thang in DC and you’re sitting at your parents’ trying to find a job, you can still “get together” weekly for some old time recaps. Read More »

It’s the merry month of May and that means the school year is coming to a close and many a student will be happily accepting their diplomas.  Ok, maybe not-so happily.

While you are probably busy drinking your face off and burning your books with your friends, there is a larger task that needs to be finished (and you are going to want to do this sober): figuring out what to wear to graduation!

You may be from the “I’m wearing a gown so who cares what happens under it” school of thought, but, trust me, it matters. Photos from your graduation day will be a part of your life forever, so dressing up (not throwing up) should be on the top of your graduation morning agenda.

The proper attire for graduations/convocations is basically what you’d wear to church/temple on a holiday.  You want to look dressed up, but without toeing the line to slutsville. So, leave the sex kitten at home – no short skirts, no low-cut tops and, for the love of god, no going naked. Those gowns don’t have a lining in them, and who knows what could happen if the wind blows….

Here are some ideas for cute ensembles. Just click on the item to get some more info! Read More »

Life after college…it can be hard to fathom actually getting to the diploma, no matter how many years you’ve been in school. But what happens after graduation? Most of your peers will be joining the work force, but a decent percentage will move on to even higher education and pursue master’s degrees, PhDs, or professional certifications. While the job application process is hard, getting into and completing a post-graduate degree is even harder. Having experienced the trials and tribulations firsthand, I’m here to share some tips so you can decide whether moving on to even MORE school is the right choice for you.

Towards the end of my junior year of undergrad, I realized that I had to start thinking of a post-college plan. I was finishing a Bachelor’s in English, had no clue what career path I wanted to pursue, and was having way too much fun on Thirsty Thursdays to want to give up my laid-back student lifestyle. So, I decided to elongate my college experience by going to grad school. Boy, did I get a rude awakening.

Once you’ve finished your Bachelor’s degree, choosing a path for the future should be taken very seriously. If you are considering moving on to graduate or doctorate work, don’t make the same mistakes I made.

The first thing you need before you begin applying to graduate schools is TIME. I decided to get a masters on a whim a few weeks into the fall semester of my senior year. I found myself trying to balance fifteen credit hours, two part-time jobs, and an active social life with preparing for the application process. I didn’t anticipate simply applying to schools to be so much work, so in my mind, I had plenty of time to apply to and choose a school, while fighting a major case of senioritis (in the form of an unyielding craving for margaritas).

Before you even decide to start looking at schools, you need to ask yourself: Am I willing to set aside the time? Read More »