No, I’m not talking about moving home with your parents, which I fully support. The New York Times recently published an article about the current trend of parents purchasing shiny new NYC apartments for their kids as a graduation present. Forget a new dress for the ceremony, some apartment supplies or maybe even plane tickets to Europe, these parents are dropping $1.15 million on a condo to send their kiddies off into the real world.

The article cited a variety of reasons why the parents thought that this “present” was appropriate. My personal favorite was, “it was a way for us financially to give them money without having to die.” Well, that’s a bit much.

But regardless, it got me thinking. Just because some parents can afford such a luxurious gift (to think I had my fingers crossed for some new baking pans…) does that make it appropriate? Is buying a brand spankin’ new pad really going to help grads get on their feet, pinch pennies and save up for their own place one day? Not having to worry about cramming three people into a tiny apartment and paying an outlandish amount of rent does sound pretty awesome…

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I’m having a pre-post-grad crisis.

Which is probably not a term you’ve heard all that often, especially since I’m 90% sure that I just made it up. So let me explain. The symptoms are not all that different from a post-grad crisis, except I’m not actually a post-grad yet. I’m a senior, a few months from graduation and I have absolutely no idea what comes next. And despite my many, many promises that I wasn’t going to worry or care or wonder, I can’t help myself. I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking about it a lot. And I don’t know what to do.

Right about now you’re thinking something like, you and every other 21-year-old out there. And you’d probably be right. No one really knows what they’re doing or where they are going straight out of college. But for the sake of this column I’m going to be the self centered twenty-something the world is always making our generation out to be anyway and I’m going to complain about my problem like I’m the first and only person to ever graduate college.

You’ve been warned.

This idea is something I’ve touched on earlier in this column, but I haven’t really had much time to contemplate it. Last semester was really, really busy. So busy that I almost forgot what college was all about, so much that I forgot how to enjoy myself. But this semester, that hasn’t been the case. Things have calmed down. I’ve calmed down. But all this free time has obviously left me with too much time to think. Because  I. AM. FREAKING. OUT. Read More »

So…I’m back, just a few days away from my very last semester of college ever. It’s a strange feeling, knowing that this is the last time I’ll buy my school supplies, search for cheap books online, write down all my assignments, and swear to keep it together this year. Because when I fail to do so with all the grace and elegance I have in my mind, I can’t just say, oh well, maybe next year. Because there is no next year.

This is it, my last shot, my final semester. So I better to do it, right. With that thought in mind, I’ve come up with a few resolutions to guide me through my last semester as an undergrad. Some of these make a lot of sense; some of them are completely ridiculous. But I do intend to follow through with all of them.

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There’s a week and a half left of classes.

I have three finals, two papers, and one draft of my senior thesis keeping me from my winter break. Not a walk in the park, but also not an all time high as far finals week frenzies go.  But yet, here I sit, far too enamored in this week’s episode of What Not to Wear to even think about getting any of this work done.

This is not stuff worth procrastinating. It requires no freak outs, no massive amounts of brain power. These papers are not worth the all-nighters they will result in if I leave the researching and the writing until the last minute. They are not worth the caffeine induced frenzy I will face the morning after just to get through classes. I should focus, and buckle down, and power through so that I can be done with it. But yet, here I sit, watching Stacy London argue for wedges over flip flops.

It’s time to face the facts: I have senioritis.

I remember the symptoms from the last trimester of senior year in high school. Lack of motivation. An unwillingness to go to class. The desire to sleep through every single one of my professor’s well intentioned lectures. Reading for classes is a nuisance. Getting up in time for class is a struggle. I have no desire to accomplish anything ever…

Okay, so maybe most of those symptoms aren’t exactly restricted to senioritis.  But right now, they’re amplified. Procrastination is a part of every student’s life, but lately I’ve made it into an art form. I know that I should do these papers, go to class, finish out the semester, graduate, but right now I’m just having trouble seeing the point of it all.  Because frankly, I really, really don’t want to. With graduation comes responsibility, real life, a weekend that doesn’t include Friday’s off, and days that don’t include time slots for naps and Facebook stalking. So I should embrace the chance to be irresponsible while I can, right? Read More »

This column might be about finding love and relationships (or sometimes just a good lay), but there’s one more thing you can get out of someone from the opposite sex, and is just as difficult to achieve: friendship.

Growing up, I was daddy’s little girl. If my mom said I couldn’t have ice cream after dinner, I’d run to my dad; if my mom said I couldn’t stay out past eleven on a school night, I knew dad could be convinced. I was never really a tomboy (except for that brief period when I was five and told everyone I was a boy, but that’s not important right now…), but I always got along with guys better than I did with girls. Anyone who has seen Mean Girls and/or was picked on by other girls in high school knows why. Girls can be horrible to each other. Girls can be judgmental, catty, and sometimes just plain bitches. After being tormented by other girls all through school, I found it incredibly hard to get close to girls, and incredibly easy to get close to guys.

Sadly, something I have discovered in the post-college world I now inhabit is that it’s no longer easy to find guys to just be friends with. After you get your diploma and toss your hat up in the air, you’re thrust in to a world where everyone seems to be looking to pair up, and no one just wants to hang out and get a beer. Read More »

An older friend of mine once advised me that I should stick with my college boyfriend. I thought this was strange advice at the time. I had warned so many friends of mine upon high school graduation that sticking with their high school boyfriends was a terrible idea, so I figured the same would go for college.

Weren’t you supposed to explore your options? Date? Have fun in your twenties before settling down in your thirties? Now that I’ve graduated, I know exactly why she said it. Dating post-college is a major shock to the system.

I went on a date recently with a guy who I’d met at a poetry reading. I thought he might be a few years older than me and I was okay with that, but on the date it came to light that he was actually many, many years older than me, fourteen to be exact (that’s Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher territory). I figured I’d dated older men before, so I decided to give him a chance. We talked about jobs, our shared neighborhood haunts (we both lived in the East Village), and then the subject of past relationships came up and he told me about his ex. Read More »

Loneliness doesn’t just suck, it blows. I know this because I have dealt with it first hand. The emotions, the weight gain, the boredom. With a new city, a new job and no new friends to speak of, loneliness and I were pretty tight.

If I told you I had a sure-fire way to beat it, I’d be lying. Because if I had found the magic formula, it wouldn’t have taken me 8 months to realize that graduating from college in four years wasn’t the worst decision of my life.

Fortunately for you, I have a few good tips about what NOT to do. Whether you are kicking it at home for the summer or making your way in a brand new city, these tips are sure to keep you from going as crazy as, well, I did. Read More »

For the first time since graduation, my college roommates and I made a return trip to Ann Arbor for a weekend reunion full of drinking, Michigan football and a general return to the life of college students. I can’t even tell you how excited I was to get back to campus and run amok around the town; visit our old house, drink at our favorite bars and, of course, visit our favorite late night eateries.

And for all intents and purposes, the weekend far exceeded the fun-factor I was anticipating. I got my Long Island Iced Teas and ate my New York style White Pizza. I watched the Wolverines win (even if it was a crappy team) and finally picked up my Michigan Alumni t-shirt.

It was perfect.

But this weekend also made me realize some very key post-graduation truths:

1. I can’t drink like I used to: In the old days I could down a couple (10) cocktails and dance the night away only to wake up the next morning, hit the gym and get to class. Not anymore, my friends. After getting good and drunk on Saturday night, I am still experiencing a hangover. And it is Tuesday. On the plus side: I still got my boozey-moves on the dance floor…and the videos to prove it.

2. College bars are cheap: I always used to hate those grads who came back to campus and screamed about how cheap the drinks were. Now that I am a grad, I have to scream it: drinks are so cheap! Nowhere else can a group of girls get 8 pitchers, a round of shots and 3 orders of cheese fries for $95 including tip! I may have even taken a picture of the bill. Read More »

The summer internship. You’ve worked your ass off trying to get it, sending in resumes, cold calling, spending hours in your school’s career office…and now you’re about to start. Nervous? Feeling strangely and suddenly unqualified? Packing to move to another place? This second installment of Summer Do’s and Don’ts tackles the sometimes fun, sometimes insane, experience of working for little to no pay.

• Do be prepared to know nothing initially. As Miss Control Freak USA, I hate being clueless, but it’s usually the case with internships. You’re hitting the ground running, being expected to learn everything in a day or so, but you can’t know it until someone tells you. Allow yourself to sit back and acknowledge the fact that everyone has first days, and no one is very good at them.

• Don’t get discouraged during your first week. Well, I mean, you can, but don’t let that discouragement psyche you out. Things will get better and become more familiar the longer you stay and the more open you are to putting in good work. Everyone has first days, and everyone also has first weeks. You’re not the only one who’s eaten alone on day three by the fountain in the middle of Madison Square Park, fighting off pigeons and some weird three-year-old kid who won’t stop talking about sharks. Read More »

Loneliness doesn’t just suck, it blows. I know this because I have dealt with it first hand. The emotions, the weight gain, the boredom. With a new city, a new job and no new friends to speak of, loneliness and I were pretty tight.

If I told you I had a sure-fire way to beat it, I’d be lying. Because if I had found the magic formula, it wouldn’t have taken me 8 months to realize that graduating from college in four years wasn’t the worst decision of my life.

Fortunately for you, I have a few good tips about what NOT to do. Whether you are kicking it at home for the summer or making your way in a brand new city, these tips are sure to keep you from going as crazy as, well, I did. Read More »