After months of studying and working my post-grad ass off for the LSAT, I finally got my score. After weeks of waiting and anxious e-mail checking (I had to remove email messages from my Blackberry because every time my phone lit up or beeped, my heart would stop), the message letting me know whether or not I’d be able to apply to the schools I’m interested in or not appeared. As the message sat in my inbox, I took a deep breath to see the reality of what I’ve worked so hard for.

And instantly, I felt disappointed.  See, because I have student loans from undergrad, I am very cautious about paying for law school. In order to combat massive amounts of student loans, my goal was to go to law school with the bulk of my expenses paid for or a full-scholarship. Depending on what law school you want to go to, the option of a scholarship could be determined by one to two points. And unfortunately, where I want to be and the amount of money I want is not a reality right now. Talk about a cold hard slap in the face!

With months of dedicated LSAT studying behind me, I feel discouraged. If money wasn’t an issue, I would just dust myself off, suck it up, take the test again and not worry about the outcome or the prospective costs. However, money to pay for school is the end-all-be-all for me right now (you know, unless I win the lottery or the Publisher’s Clearing House comes to my place with a big check and balloons). It sucks, but hey, a girl has to look at the big picture and consider everything.

A lot of people feel the liberty to say “told you so” to me right now. However, feeling a setback from the score doesn’t surprise me like some may think. My goals and scholarship options were set very high. I went into this knowing the very specific set scores for different schools and what it would take to get the money I need. Trust me, it’s been on my mind for months.

To be honest, the LSAT is a beast of a test. It’s something you have to work at, and I feel confident in my ability to score where I want. But right now, I can’t help but pause. Is the universe trying to tell me something? First, the score from my December exam and now, the most recent New York Times article entitled “Is Law School A Losing Game?” Call me crazy, but I believe that things happen for a reason. Sometimes the reason doesn’t make sense initially, and well, that completely sucks at the moment, but I like to believe in the long-run it makes sense. Right now, I feel like analyzing everything before I decide my next move is key.

But just like a lot of post-grad decisions, the answers to what to do next don’t come easy. Do I want to go to law school? Yes. Do I want to add $160,000 of debt on top of my undergrad loans? Hell no. Do I want to take the LSAT again in hopes of getting what I want? Yes. But should I even have those expectations? I don’t know.

Regardless, I’ll let you guys know. With so much to look forward to in the coming months and the longer I am out of college, I know things have to look up.

Where is Charlsie going next? Where is she coming from? Get all your answers here.

Everyone has a story. And while my post-grad journey has so far revolved around moving to California, interning, working odd jobs here and there, and studying for the LSAT to attend law school next year, I know that my story isn’t a typical after-college route. In fact, I don’t think there is a typical after-college route, which is why life after college is so exciting and so scary. It varies from person to person and it’s difficult for every individual post-grad to gauge their success when there’s nothing to compare it to.

Sometimes I like to pretend that I’m living a different post-grad life than I am. I even sometimes think about marketing post-grad stories to Bravo or MTV because everyone I know seems to have their own story. Some lives are more stressful than others, and some are boring. Some people are still strictly obsessed with college and continue to spend the majority of their new existence going back. Some post-grads are completely different than a year ago.

But they are all interesting in their own right.

I know my personal experience, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking and wondering about other post-grad scenarios. For example:

The Working Girl: Since I haven’t joined the work force, I can’t help but dream about what it would be like if I was working 9 to 5 every day, sitting in a cubicle, wear high heels and black dress pants, and eating soggy sandwiches for lunch. And then I wonder if any of it would be like that anyways. Would I be happy or bored or content? Who knows.

The Grad Student: Imagine if I was writing this CollegeCandy series as a first year graduate student, whether it was for law school or some other graduate program, I wonder if I would be swamped with work or bored with my classes. I’m sure I would be writing about my classmates and the transition into a higher education setting outside of college. Would I even consider myself a post-grad if I was in school?

The Gap Year: And then there’s the daydream of taking what is known as a gap year abroad. I could have spent the summer in South Africa with my sister, traveling through Capetown, having monkeys on Table Mountain open my car door and dig in my purse. Or I could have gone to Thailand and done some undercover journalism there on the sex trafficking. Or I could have gone to Europe and ate my way through one country to the next, putting on twenty pounds as I tore through croissants and crepes and macaroons and pretzels.

The lessons I would learn in each of these scenarios would be different, and the ups and the downs would vary – however, they would still exist regardless of the reality. While college generally was a more hands-on experience (with professors and parents and friends and Greek life and grades influencing everything), I love post-grad because it’s just me flying solo and teaching myself as much as I can. But really … I wish I had a TV show to live vicariously through my other fellow post-grads.

While the reality of my life right now could have been a variety of different options, I can’t help but think this route is the one for me. And the route that other post-grads go down is the one for them. But wouldn’t it be cool if all our stories could be collected? Seriously … if those 16 and Pregnant girls can get their own hour, I think every post-grad story is worth an hour too.

So, my fellow CollegeCandy readers, we may not have our own reality show, but I still want to know … what are you planning your post-grad to be or what is the reality of your post-grad life today? We all have a story to tell, and I want to hear yours!

So, here’s the ultimate post-grad survival kit (or at least what I’ve figured out over the last six months):

1. Stay Busy – Keep your ass moving at all times. Don’t hang out on the couch day after day, keep busy – whether it’s working a job, interning, or taking pottery classes.  Do anything that will keep you busy. I’ve thrown myself into the LSAT, and trust me, it’s kept me occupied. Who knows how I’ll feel once my LSAT journey is over, but for now … it’s what I do to keep busy. Busy leaves little room to do #2.

2. Don’t reminisce too much – If you do nothing but think about college, you’re going to do nothing but miss college. Avoid this as much as you can. If something comes up in conversation, talk about it, but don’t sit in your room and look at pictures from your sophomore year every night. It’s okay to admit that college was one of the best times of your life, but it’s not okay to let that ‘best time of your life’ define the rest of your life. You should have the attitude that the best is yet to come and college was just a stepping stone. Or yeah, you’ll be depressed like all those articles say.

3. Do something you didn’t do in college – Find a new hobby or something you didn’t participate in throughout college. For example, I have never been a runner. And I wouldn’t call myself a runner even now. But since graduation, I have clocked in many miles on the boardwalk (this is a plus of living in CA) and on the treadmill as I possibly can. My college self wouldn’t have taken the time to just run. Doing something that you aren’t used to doing shows you that more things exist than what you thought about in college. It can be anything:  take up painting, wine tastings, or knitting. Join a gym. Become a mentor. Anything you didn’t do in college.

4. Change it up – Your overall appearance probably didn’t change too much throughout college. Now that you’re a post-grad, you should definitely change something … even if it’s something small. Cut your hair. Paint your nails a color you would never wear in college (I was afraid of black nail polish in college, but now I love it). Change your style. While I don’t think you should abandon yourself from the last four years, a little update won’t hurt. It will make you feel better about yourself and it will signify this new, mature stage in your life.

5. Be serious – While you may have had an attitude that says “I don’t care” in college, it’s time to get serious about your future. You definitely don’t have to have anything figured out, but you should be serious about getting to whatever point you want in your life next. If you don’t know what you want to do (seriously, who truly knows what they want to do?), you should do everything to try to figure it out. Be serious about this. It may have been cool in high school and sometimes in college to be a slacker or to just not care , but you should be able to seriously talk about what you want.

6. Change Your Mind – In college, I had everything planned out and followed a strict routine when it came to everything –  I never changed my mind. However, the most important thing post-grad has taught me is that changing your mind can be a gift. One day, you want to intern somewhere and the next day you don’t. It may not be on the path you wanted, but you figured out why and it’s a big eye-opener. The only way to figure things out is to make mistakes and to change your mind. It sounds like something out of a self-help book, but I seriously think this has been the most beneficial thing overall.

I know I’m not the only post-grad over here at CollegeCandy, so tell me … what are your ultimate survival tips for being a post-grad?

Since I was little, I’ve loved writing. After I picked up that red crayon to write my first story I’ve been hooked. This led to an easy answer to the increasingly meaningful question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Until recently, I always knew I wanted to write; then last September I had a kick-ass media law teacher and decided to be a lawyer. Unfortunately, I realized I didn’t want a law career for the right reasons, and that writing will always be my true passion and calling.

Which leads me to the question staring me in the face whenever David cracks open a practice test: what the hell am I going to do next year? Once David and I started seriously planning our post-grad careers, it seemed relatively easy. We cross referenced every law-school in the country with the program he wants and started narrowing it down from there. We were worried then about both of us getting in and what the most financially realistic places were. If I decide not to go to grad school at all, David can pretty much choose wherever he wants and I’d have to find a job near wherever that is.

I can hear some of you rolling your eyes right now. Several wise women have told me not to plan any aspect of my future around a man I’m not engaged to (and that topic is another post entirely), but David and I have very similar ideas of where we want to be post-grad (the front-runner now is sunny South Florida, but our minds might change come 95° weather) and what our future looks like (hint: we’re together).  We know that a joint post-grad career is in our immediate future – no matter what – and that the difficulty of making it work will be totally worth the result.

It’s just so hard not knowing where I’ll be this time next year. The prospect of really finishing undergrad seemed so distant until watching my friends graduate made it concrete. I have no idea if I want to keep going to school, or just jump into the world of writing (and hope that maybe the economy has recovered enough by April that I get hired). Until then, I guess I’ll just keep filling out those information request forms and hoping David gets a high enough GRE score to get in wherever he wants.

Is anyone else trying to figure out the post-undergrad future, whether on their own or in combination with their bf? Or, have you figured it out?

Like many of you recent grads or soon to be college grads, I do not have a job lined up. In this economy jobs aren’t as flourishing as Lindsay Lohan’s alcohol problem and therefore neither is a recent grad’s income. A lack of income can present a problem when your funds have to be spent on rent and insurance rather than Natty Light and late night fast food. I am included in this fund-deficient category. Sure, I have some cashmonay saved up… but not enough to sustain three months worth of rent in New York City.

So after some debate and inner turmoil, I have decided to move back in with my parents. This is a desperate act and the last option I wanted to choose, but with no job and no income, it wasn’t a choice at all. So back to Mom and Dad’s I go.

It’s going to be a major transition, yes, and probably not the most exciting prospect after having total freedom for 4 years, but maybe it’s not the worst thing, either. I mean, at least you know the bathroom floors are clean, right?

Food & Meals
On your own: In college, cooking for yourself or going to the dining hall doesn’t always mean well-balanced meals. I’ve survived mostly off Easy Mac. I’m ready for a change.
Back home: Home-cooked meals. YUM. So maybe your parents won’t become your live-in chefs but you’ll still probably get more nutritious meals (or nutrition at all!) than you have in a while.

Boys
On your own: They can come and go as they please. You can have as much sexy time as you want in your bedroom… in the kitchen…in the living room.
Back home: Flashback to high school when you had to sneak boys into and out of your room. You may be an adult, but you’re still living under 2 other adult’s roof. Two adults who may or may not walk in on you.

Laundry
On your own: Laundromats are a pain. Mixing up your clothes with the person next to you sucks. And also, who carries endless amounts of quarters with them anyways?
Back home: “Mom, I love you. Can you do my laundry please?”

TV & Internet
On your own: TV and Internet don’t come cheap! All those utilities (electricity, water, etc) are pricey, actually. Just think about how much you spend to indulge in MTV marathons while blasting the A/C.
Back home: Besides navigating through your mom’s Tivoed reruns of Cheers, you basically have it made. Free TV (with ALL the premium channels!) and Internet? Yes please.

Parties
On your own: Just passed an exam? Throw a party. Just finished classes? Throw a party. Just want to get hammered on a Wednesday? THROW A RAGER.
Back Home: I doubt Mom and Dad want to see you doing a keg stand in their kitchen. And heading out to party elsewhere? Good luck explaining to your parents what you were doing until 3am on a Tuesday.

Peace & Quiet
On your own: You have all the peace and quiet (and laziness) that you want. You can suffer through your hangovers to endless episodes of 16 and Pregnant without being bothered, sleep until noon because there’s nothing else to do, and worry about all those dishes piling up later. Or never. It doesn’t matter anyway.
Back Home: You may not have to deal with your neighbors playing Rock Band at all hours of the night, but you do have to deal with your parents’ endless monologues about the importance of getting a job and moving out.

Clearly, moving in the the parental units isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, but for all of us unemployed soon-t0-be-grads, it’s our only option. And it’s not such a bad one. Who needs boys and parties when you’ve got free cable and a fully stocked fridge??

In high school I was a boyfriend kind of girl. I was never single for long, but instead jumped from guy to guy. I went through every relationship possible. I was in love, I was out of love, I was in lust, I was in good relationships and in not so good relationships. I dated guys that treated me like I was everything, and guys that treated me like I was nothing.

Regardless, I was never really single. So when I came to college, I wanted things to be different. I didn’t want to be tied down in a relationship or be known as some guy’s girlfriend. Instead, I wanted to be independent and on my own (and I also wanted to have a lot of fun). And in the four years that I’ve been at college, I’ve been able to be and do all of those things.

Unlike a lot of people, I have never seriously dated anyone or had a boyfriend in college.

Some may find this confusing, weird, or depressing. To me, I just find it amazing. There are so many pros to going through college sans boyfriend. Mostly, I’ve had the best time getting to know myself. I’ve figured out who I am, without any relation to some guy. When I was high school, I often determined my worth by if I was in a relationship or not. But in college I’ve grown and developed without being a girlfriend. I’ve lived up to my expectations and no one else’s.

Okay, so maybe if I had a boyfriend I would have had a steadier stream of consistent sex during college, but that hasn’t stopped me from getting my kicks. I’ve been able to meet lots of guys and have great guy friends, a feat that doesn’t always happen when you have a boyfriend over your shoulder.

And obviously there have been nights when I’ve been lonely and really just wanted someone to spoon and watch a romantic comedy with, but overall I’ve been incredibly happy.

I haven’t felt any less loved. Instead, being single has allowed me to make the most amazing friends in the world and create deep, solid friendships that may not have been possible if I was preoccupied with a BF. I’ve never had to split my time between boyfriend and friends, which many of you know is a huge deal when you’re in a relationship.

I truly feel lucky to have been boyfriend-free over these past four years. And now, unlike many couples weeks before graduation, I’m not making my after school plans based on someone else. I will move to the city I want because I want to, not because I need to be close to my college sweetheart. I don’t have to compromise anything and I’m thankful for that.

College is almost over and I’ve been single (and lovin’ it). And although I may be graduating single, I am certainly not graduating alone. And now, as I get closer to graduation day and the next phase of my life, I think I’m finally ready to be a girlfriend again…but not until I’ve settled down in my next city of choice of course.

Over the past few months, I’ve written a lot about how nervous I am to graduate, to leave college for good, and enter the real world. I’ve felt scared, nervous, anxious, and every other emotion that comes naturally to a graduating senior.

I’ve stressed about my lack of job, the economy, and how the heck I am going to figure out things like insurance, paying bills, and not drinking on Sunday nights. But despite all my reservations about leaving the wonderful world of college behind, I’m also really, really, fantastically excited to graduate.

Like many of you, I’ve had the best time over the past four years. I literally cannot imagine my life any differently. When I was a senior in high school, leaving my comfort zone for a college over 2,000 miles across the country was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. But it was also the best decision I’ve ever made. I knew no one and had no friends. But four years later, I’ve found a network of teachers, mentors, and peers that have helped me grow into the person I want to be. Who knows what my life would be like without the people I’ve met or the experiences I’ve had here in college?

Now college is almost over and I’m right back to how I felt in May of my high school senior year. I don’t exactly know what the next step is, but I think I’m finally ready for it.

Yes, I’m still scared and nervous, but I’m surprised at how excited I am starting to feel. And yes, a small part of me still wants to crawl up in the fetal position, turn on Norah Jones, and weep irrationally. But a bigger part of me wants to dance my face off to the Vitamin C graduation song, Jay Z’s legit version of Forever Young or Asher Roth’s I love College.

Not feeling the same way? Well with the help of my amazing and incredibly attractive friends, I’ve compiled a list of reasons why I’m excited to graduate. Read them and maybe (or maybe not) you’ll be a fraction more excited than you currently are about graduation day and that mysterious time they call life after college.

TOP 10 REASONS I’M EXCITED TO GRADUATE

10. No more shower shoes. Enough said.

9. Money – I want and need to start making it. I thrive in a work environment more than an academic one, so please someone hire me. But seriously, do it. I want to start a career already, instead of working on problem sets and papers. No more lectures!

8. To expand my network – I love the people I’ve met during college, but I’m ready to meet new people, have new conversations, and have new experiences!

7. A change of scene – I’ve been here for four years. I’m getting a little bit of cabin fever. I don’t want to end up like that creepy man from The Shining before graduation. And although I know I’ll miss this place incredibly, I can’t wait to move to a city!

6. To cook for myself – No more dining hall food or limited dinner options. If I want baked tofu for dinner, I can have it and no one can stop me!

5. Reading for pleasure – I miss reading books that aren’t required reading. I also miss a good beach read that is simple entertainment, rather than a brain challenger. Give me some Danielle Steel please, instead of an epic novel filled with symbols and metaphors that I have to struggle to understand.

4. To not feel pressure to party -…or drink on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday night… or any other day that ends in Y.

3. To get healthy – My body needs to recover from four years of late night eating, copious amounts of booze, and all-nighters. I have to remind myself that beer is not a food group despite my current diet.

2. To have my own space – Don’t get me wrong, I love my roomie…but I can’t wait to have my own space and my own room again. (Honestly, I just want to walk around naked whenever I want…). Also, I really don’t want to hear that girl down the hall having sexy time for the third time today.

1. No more frat boys! – I can’t wait to meet guys who are outside of the college mentality. No more popped collars! Also, totes looking forward to guys who understand that going to the dining hall for dinner does not count as a date.

What are some of the reasons why you’re excited to graduate?

Finally, after weeks of late nights, early mornings, and far too many Doritos, I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Sure, I’ve got to get through a few more exams, sell my books, pack up my life and make the big trek home, but at least I know the end (and a margarita on the front lawn) is near. And that feels good.

You know what else feels good? Well, besides these delicious t-shirt sheets on an unseasonably cold May morning…. Taking a break from my textbooks and flashcards and thinking about something that won’t be written in a Blue Book in the near future.

So let us get to this week’s Would You Rather….. Think, vote, share. Then return to your regularly scheduled cram sesh.

Would You Rather be able to go back in time and fix a mistake you made and possibly change the course of your life OR get a glimpse of your future but not be able to change anything about it?

Things to Consider: That night you blacked out and did something stupid, that other night you blacked out and did something stupid, the future you that will black out and do something stupid.

I’ve always believed that change is a good thing. It can take you out of your comfort zone and introduce you to new people, new places, and new experiences that you would never have known otherwise. I’m all for change, really I am,  just not when that change removes me from my carefree lifestyle of afternoon classes, friends, parties, and little to no responsibilities.

Everyone says that college is the best four years of your life and now, with only a few short weeks left of it, it’s finally starting to sink in. I wake up in the morning (feeling like P. Diddy) without the sound of an alarm, go to a class or two, and just hang out all day with my friends. I do what I want, when I want, and besides a few participation points deducted from my grade when I’ve been too hungover/lazy to go to class, there’s been very few repercussions.

Sure, I’ve definitely had some stressful times in college, like when I pulled three all-nighters in a row so I could finish my final project or that time I forgot about a midterm exam. But in the grand scheme of things, college life has been awesome. Actually, awesome doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’m not sure there’s even a word. It’s been….rad?

But like all good things (i.e. Ugly Betty), it’s all about to end. And the mere thought is enough to make me sick. Seriously, I can feel my Easy Mac coming up as we speak.

Still jobless, this is the first time in my life that I don’t have a plan. And I’m a to-do-list kind of girl. I usually need some sort of goal or purpose or I start to feel antsy. But I literally have no idea what I will be doing after graduation. Part of me feels invigorated – I can do whatever I want! – but a bigger part of me is paralyzed with fear.

It doesn’t help that most of my friends have jobs already and, with that, a sense of security that I don’t have. They know where they will in August. They know what is coming and what to expect. They know their future addresses and perhaps even their route to and from work.  All I know is that my address will no longer be a Stanford one.

I like me some change (especially when I find it in an old jacket pocket), but this is just too much for me to handle.

Anyone else feel this way? Who is ready for the change?

Ho.ly Sh*t

Today, I was walking across campus on the way to my last class before Spring Break (CABO, HERE I COME!) and I had a HOLY SH*T moment. You know, one of those defining moments when reality slaps you hard across the face prompting you to stop dead in your tracks and scream HOLY SH*T.

Well, today reality slapped me with the inevitable fact that I am graduating from college in three months. Three short, tiny, baby-like months.

After having a minor panic attack, I started to think about what this really means to me and probably to all seniors out there. As cliché as it sounds, this really is the beginning of the end. Unless you’re sticking around for an extra semester (aka: for one more football season), college is practically over.

This is the end (or slow decline, I should say) of all things that aren’t socially acceptable outside in the real world: keg stands, aggressive day drinking, an affinity for theme parties, fast metabolisms, sleeping till noon, and – occasionally the college staple – the walk of shame (or the stride of pride, depending on how you look at it).

Partying aside, it is also the end of a wide community of people similar in age, interests, and passions. It is the end of an amazing network composed of great professors, advisors, peers, and faculty that have helped define your college experience. That have helped you grow, learn, and mature as a person over the past four years. Of course, you can still benefit from your future alma-mater by being alumni, but it’s just not the same feeling when you’re no longer an undergraduate. Just ask any alumni.

Most of us seniors have only two or three months left to partake in the unique American college experience. Despite whether you’ve had the time of your life in college or you can’t wait to get out, graduating is a big deal. A scary, exciting, nerve-racking kind of big deal. And it’s finally sinking in.

There is so much I feel like I need to do before I graduate – and even more that I want to do – and I really don’t have much time left. I haven’t even fooled around in the library stacks yet, which has been on my to-do list since freshmen year. (Ha. To-Do list. Get it?) So I took some inspiration from those hottie boys from The Buried Life and I made my very own Senior Year Bucket List. Below is a list of things I will do before I don that cap and gown. I’m going to make the most of these next 3 months and I hope to inspire other Seniors to do the same.

Get close to at least one professor. Having a mentor will open doors for you both intellectually, personally, and perhaps career wise. Professors are a great resource for recommendation letters too!

Day drink on campus with your best friends any chance you get. That’s right, it’s 1:00 in the afternoon in spring. What else do you have to do? You’re a senior and it’s most likely sunny outside. Go play.

Fool around in the library. Don’t act like this isn’t one of your fantasies. Shacking it in the stacks is as vital to my college experience as maintaining that 3.5.

Attend as many sporting events as you can. You’ll never get the chance to watch your fellow classmates and friends play sports at the college level again. Take advantage of student ticket prices while you still can.

Take a photo a day. Document your last days in college. Take pictures of everything that is your life: your room, your friends, your house, even your walk to class. Sure, you’ve made tons of memories that you’ll remember without pictures, but when you’re old, out in the real world and can no longer remember that college life, you can look back at these photos and remember how hot you were in your twenties.

Road trip somewhere, anywhere. Nothing like a good road trip for a weekend or just for a day to invigorate you and create a feeling of instant unity between friends. Turn down the windows, turn up the music and just drive.

Audition for one thing you’ve always wanted to do. Whether that is a dance group, an a capella group, a play, a musical, a teacher’s assistant position. Whatever it is – just go for it. Do something that scares you!

Buy some of your school’s apparel. Or grab all the free shirts that you can at events around campus. The love that you have your college now will only increase after you leave. Rep your school!

Do as much as you can. Always go out. Don’t stay in. This doesn’t meant you have to get crazy drunk to have fun; just go out and make the most of your college experience. See as many people as possible and soak it all in. It’s gonna be gone and over before you know it.

What’s on your list?!